text:
ASA Ruling on Hutchison 3G UK Ltd t/a Three
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd
A TV ad and a national press ad, seen in April and June 2018 for Three's 'Oh Snap' data offer:
a. The TV ad featured a voice-over which stated "On Snapchat, you're a social butterfly, until you run out of data. But on Three, you can use Snapchat all you like, without using up your data...Snap yourself silly, only on Three".
b. The national press ad featured the headline "Endless selfies on the amazing iPhone". Further text stated "Share your summer on Snapchat without using up your data. Only on Three".
Vodafone Ltd, who believed they offered an equivalent deal, challenged whether the claim "Only on Three" was misleading.
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd t/a Three said that they were the UK's only widely available network which allowed their customers, on selected plans, to use Snapchat without using up their data.
They said that they were the only network to have entered into a partnership with Snapchat, under which bespoke Snapchat content, filters and lenses were co-developed, such as 'Puggerfly', Three's winged pug. They said that Vodafone's Voxi service was a mobile virtual network operator which offered a service only available to consumers aged 25 and under and therefore believed that the majority of customers were not able to sign up to it, making it an unsuitable comparator to Three.
Three said that they believed the small print in ad (b) sufficiently qualified the claim, by stating "Only on Three on selected plans can anyone use Go Binge to enjoy Snapchat without using up data, with no upper age limits. Snapchat minimum age 13. Must have regular data. See Three.co.uk/Go-Binge/details for details". The information on their website stated "Only on Three. We are proud to work with Snapchat on unique branded Puggerfly content and are the only network where anyone on selected plans can enjoy Snapchat without using up their data". They said their partnership with Snapchat was well-received by the public and industry press.
Clearcast stated that at the time of clearing the ad they asked Three if they were the only network to provide the service and were assured that was the case. They stated that they had since been made aware of a similar service provided by Voxi and referred to the differences highlighted by Three between the two networks. They stated, however, that had they been made aware during the clearance process that Voxi also provided Snapchat without using data, they would not have approved the claim "Only on Three" without some form of additional qualification.
The ASA considered that the claim "Only on Three" in ads (a) and (b) would be understood by consumers to mean that Three was the only network to offer a service that allowed customers to use Snapchat without using their monthly data allowance.
We understood that at the time ad (a) appeared, Vodafone's service, Voxi, also offered its customers under the age of 25, Snapchat without using their monthly data allowance, which was increased to the age of 30 by the time ad (b) had been published.
We acknowledged the partnership that Three had with Snapchat, which meant that unique content was available to customers of Three. We also acknowledged their reference to the small print in ad (b) and to further information on their website. However, we did not consider that the text in the small print was sufficient to override the impression that they were the only network to offer a service that allowed customers to use Snapchat without using monthly data.
Therefore, because the ads implied Three was the only network to allow customers to use Snapchat without using up their monthly data allowance when those under the age of 25 (or 30) received the same service from Voxi, we concluded that the claim "Only on Three" was likely to mislead.
Ad (a) breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising) and 3.33 3.33 Marketing communications that include a comparison with an identifiable competitor must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, the consumer about either the advertised product or the competing product. (Comparisons with identifiable competitors).
Ad (b) breached BCAP Code rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising) and 3.33 3.33 Marketing communications that include a comparison with an identifiable competitor must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, the consumer about either the advertised product or the competing product. (Comparisons with identifiable competitors).
The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told Three to ensure that their future advertising did not contain claims that they were the only provider of a service if that was not the case.
CAP Code (Edition 12)
Star House
20 Grenfell Road
SL6 1EH
Agency: Weiden+Kennedy
Not Upheld
Enforcement Notice - Advertising Non-invasive Prenatal Testing
Enforcement Notice
Enforcement Notice: Advertising Botox and other botulinum toxin injections on social media
An Update on CAP activities following GambleAware's Interim Synthesis Report


GGOOAALL: Utilize my flexible experience, ideas & build an intelligent, hardworking, loyal team whom can maintain and support top quality systems based on Business requirements.
(Emirates NBD Banking Group) Dubai-UAE.
coordination, Service Testing, Certification Support, SLAs & KPI monitoring.
Service Testing & JOIT & Certification Support.
Analysis & Implementations support for clients.
Activations & IT Billing Operations Executive 2004 Dec – May 2005.
● Responsible for Assisting VP products in Project coordination, Business requirement gathering, Analysis, Product Quality Assurance, Merchant on-boarding, Vendor Management, Governance, Co-ordination with Stakeholders for SIT, Coordination with Business Team for Pre-UAT, UAT & Pre launch activities.
● Setting up of test environments, implementing tools & Configurations based on projects / requirements.
● Implementation support coordination with Vendors & Stakeholders.
● Preparation, cross review & analysis of BRD, SRS/FSD, SOW, UIS as part of GAP analysis & High level test design.
● Traceability Matrix, Project plan, Test plan preparations, Reconciliation of the release activities and vendor management.
● Responsible for Release activities by coordinating with Release Management teams, Stakeholders & development teams in terms of Defect fixes and weekly release cycles.
● Responsible for keeping track on Version control of releases.
● Ongoing Project status update, Dashboard reporting to higher management, Monitoring of SLAs & KPIs.
● Negotiate and pushing for early releases dates & deliveries based on urgency of the releases.
● Understanding of Project requirements & GAP analysis as part of testing and quality assurance of products.
● Review, GAP Analysis & validation of SIT Test scripts received from Vendors & stakeholders.
● Responsible for Analysis and Testing the software applications developed & released by central development team.
● POC (Proof of Concept) implementation support to the on board clients.
● Review & analysis of BRD, SRS, SOW, UIS, for test preparation, Traceability Matrix & Test plan preparation.
● Responsible for Version control of releases & backing up of old releases / existing system.
● Progress update & Dashboard reporting to higher management regarding latest releases and impact analysis.
● Performance review of the releases & deliverables based on previous releases & behaviour of the systems.
● Reconciliation of the release activities and vendor management.
● Review & validate Databases, SIT Test scripts received from clients ( SHB, SAMA) & GAP Analysis.
● Responsible for Requirement Gathering, Analysis for each Project (ATM, POS, PGW & CRM), CRs & ERs.
● Preparation of BRD, SRS, Review of SOW, UIS, CRs, UAT, SIT Test scripts executed & GAP Analysis.
● Preparation of High level scenarios for UAT team to prepare test scripts.
● Project planning, resource allocation & Management. Cost estimation support to Project Head in Delivery plan.
● Project initiation, Coordination, Meeting arrangements with internal & external technical departments.
● Responsible for project delivery on time & tracking results. Test Case review from SIT & UAT Teams.
● Co-ordination with third-party vendors and support Release manager to ensure the latest release met the release or launch requirements.
● Co-ordination with Service providers (VISA, Master, CUP, du Telecom & Etisalat) for Joint Testing & Certifications.
● Business setup, Sales and Marketing, Merchant on-boarding, Verification -Business Models, Business Analysis & Implementations support for clients.
● Coordination with Product Marketing team to understand the Newly Proposed Software Product requirement to be developed by Technology Team.
● Impact Analysis for each project, CRs & Emergency releases.
● User Acceptance Testing (UAT) on newly developed Software products based on our requirement.
● Preparing business requirements documents (BRD'S) defining project plans.
● Review of CRs, BRD, SRS, SOW UIS for Testing & GAP Analysis between SRS & SOW prior test script.
● Co-ordination with third-party vendors and support Release manager to ensure the latest releas requirements.
● Test case preparation, Execution and end user testing by coordinating with various teams like IN (Intelligent Network) Billing, RAD (Rating & discounts), MDI (Mediation) etc.
● Follow-up for defect fix with Developers or Work streams & Defect retest after the bug fix & deployment.
● Review of CRs, BRS, SRS, UIS for Testing, Preparation of Test planning, strategy & High level scenarios.
● TCD preparation & Execution on Siebel CRM, PGW (ISO 8583 standard Financial Transaction), Billing, CSR & SOH.
● Raising valid defects against impacted modules using tool MQC and notifying to defect Managers.
● Responsible for writing complexity Functional test cases / peer review.
(Visa Access Point) for Switch level configuration, connectivity, testing & implementation.
● Base24 interface testing and transaction verification for Test / Production environments.
(Sink Node Simulator, VTS simulator).
Project regarding system health check, performance.
● Testing using Simulators in SIT, real SIMs and Credit cards in production. (Connection & Gateway. KMS (Key Management system), Olive Switch, Wireless Gateway Server monitoring & system health maintenance).
● Log verification and troubleshooting for all mChek application & transaction servers.
through OTC & Customers through OTA in SIM.
● Work with Certification team IT security policy for VISA & Master Certification.
Monitoring system performance & verification EOB.
1. Master of Science in IT & Management from S.S.M College of Engineering.
2. MCSE Certification, IIHT Bangalore.
3. B.Sc. from T.K.M College of Science, Kerala.
4. S.S.L.C Board of Examinations (1995), Kerala.
Certifications: Attended ISTQB Advanced level training by Mr. Richard Taylor in Dubai, MCSA & Performance Achievement Award from ADIB.
● Good Communication Skills, Good in Public relations, Exception handling & Efficient in all group Activities.


text:
PRIENE
As we approach Priene from the Maeander River's flat valley, we see a dark green band of trees on a broad terrace below the craggy cliffs of Mount Mycale. They mark the splendid city site that prospered and gradually declined over a period of eight centuries. It sloped gently to the South, offering a prospect over a fertile land towards its harbor and distant mountains. A spring flowing from the rock behind the city provided copious water. The perimeter was easy to fortify because the terrace came to an abrupt edge to build walls with steep slopes below them. Above the cliffs lies a higher plateau, known as Teloneia.
This Acropolis, also defended by walls, served as a military garrison and an ultimate refuge from invading enemies. The city whose ruins we see today is not the original Priene, which existed long before the present one, 6 km. to the southwest, near the ancient harbor of Naulochos. Archaeologists have found no evidence of Bronze Age habitation among the remains of the new Priene or even buildings of the archaic period.
You can book Priene Tour with Romos Travel.
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EPHESUS TOUR
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We've had a couple of huge thunderstorms over the last week. This was on Friday night and the lightning strikes were spectacular. The storm lasted for at least a good hour and there must have been hundreds of strikes like this lighting up the sky.
I've never taken photos of lightning before. It was quite interesting as unlike with most subjects, it's very hard to tell where or when lightning is going to strike so it's as much a matter of using your senses to anticipate where it's going to appear as it is working out what settings you need to use. This one came out pretty well in the end.


text:
Home Economy Denmark and Iceland were removed from the isolated list of four countries
Denmark and Iceland were removed from the isolated list of four countries
Cory Weinberg Sep 24, 2020 0 Comments
D.There are 66 places on the government's list of travel corridors, but many – such as New Zealand – still do not welcome UK holiday makers or have significant restrictions. In fact, only nine foreign travel options are open (no trials, no isolation):
2. Gibraltar
Passengers must report to authorities if they have been in a "suitable area" for 14 days prior to arrival in Gibraltar. Failure to do so is an offense punishable by a fine of up to $ 1,000. Related area means a country, region or territory outside the EU, but does not include the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
3. Greece (somewhat open)
Travelers returning to Scotland from all over Greece must self-isolate.
As for England and Northern Ireland, returnees from Lesvos, Dinos, Cerebos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakinthos should be isolated; With Wales, the exceptions are Mykonos, Zakinthos (Jonde), Lesvos, Burrows and Antipros, Crete, Santorini, Seriphos and Dinos.
need you Complete the Online Passenger Locator Form (PLF) At least 24 hours before you arrive in Greece. Failure to do so in advance will result in your carrier not allowing you to travel, a fine for arrival or the Greek authorities not allowing you to enter the country.
4. Italy (including Vatican City)
You must download and complete a self-declaration Ministry of Home Affairs Before you travel.
5. Liechtenstein
While Liechtenstein is on the list of travel corridors, it has no airport and its only land borders are in Austria and Switzerland – neither of these. When you return to the UK you will need to fly to a travel corridor country (such as Germany) without having to isolate yourself and drive your vehicle to Liechtenstein without letting anyone mix with the "red list" country.
See also Be careful, the storage rules for Google Photos and Google Drive will change in June
7. San Marino
You have to travel through Italy to reach San Marino. See "Italy" above.
9. Turkey
All visitors to Turkey will be subjected to a clinical evaluation for symptoms of the corona virus, including temperature tests. Any passengers showing signs should be subjected to PCR testing.
Sam Bankman-Fried would agree to extradite him to the United States
High Voltage Seduction Season 5: Is Netflix Secretly Renovating Reality TV?
Blockbuster Season 2: The Originals has been canceled by Netflix
Western MPs are concerned about China's massive DNA collections
Space: A Japanese company launches its delivery service on the moon
Breaking the Aquarium in a Berlin Hotel: An Inquiry into American Designers
About the Author: Cory Weinberg
"Alcohol evangelist. Devoted twitter guru. Lifelong coffee expert. Music nerd."


Emerson penned "Concord Hymn" for the dedication of a battle monument at the site of the North Bridge. At the dedication ceremony on July 4, 1837, a group of townspeople sang the poem's 16 lines to the tune of a traditional hymn called "Old Hundredth." Emerson, a Boston native born in 1803, spent portions of his childhood in Concord (where his grandfather, a minister, had witnessed the 1775 battle at the North Bridge from his nearby home) and moved there permanently in 1834. He went on to become one of the country's leading intellectuals and lived in Concord until his death in 1882.
In addition to the American Revolution, the "shot heard round the world" became associated with other historical events, such as the 1914 assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which helped trigger World War I, and the 1951 game-winning, three-run homer by the New York Giants' Bobby Thomson against the Brooklyn Dodgers; thanks to Thomson's "shot," the Giants nabbed the National League pennant.


For days and days now I have been wallowing in self pity. I have been miserable due to an extensive emergent back surgery that has basically made me an invalid and dependent on nearly everyone and once I was released home from being hospitalized for I believe 12 days there I go and pick a fight with the love of my life.
Not just your ordinary being cranky and intolerable fight but a fight that led me to be a disrespectful ungrateful woman throwing her lover out of the home and wrecking what I believed to be a happy home.
Of course we all have our happy home issues but in truth I was the happiest I had been in a very very long time. So I cry day and night, I have apologized to my boyfriend (now ex) numerous times, I have declared my self stupidity, self ignorance, as well as selfishness to no avail. I have turned my home into shambles.
My children see me cry day in and day out and quite frankly my friends are probably at their wits end as well due to listening to me. I have a broken back as well as a broken heart. The back will heal and as much as I know the heart will heal, I'd prefer the physical pain over the emotional pain.
So since I'm in this state and very limited in what I can and cannot do, I have time to think. Lots and lots of time to think. So what have I come to the conclusion of?
I have concluded that as disrespectful and horrible of a woman I was at that moment when I fought with my boyfriend, yes I was under under the influence of numerous medications, a life altering surgery, severe pain, potential financial ruins due to now the inability to work for months, and as horrible as I was couldn't he too of taken some of the responsibility of the fight? Of course he could have. Knowing the circumstances, of course he could have.
He could have also acknowledged the entire circumstances of our life altering stuff, and he could have tried to diffuse the fight instead of provoke it. What I have learned through out this process is as many times as I have apologized and had made the promise in the past not to be too hasty and pack his things, as many times as I had asked him to come back home, as many times as I said I understood how badly I hurt him and disrespected him, what I didn't realize is that it was me that had to change.
Not his temper, not his ego, not his feelings of being disrespected. No matter how long or short of time it takes for him to heal from his pain, if he does at all, I have to allow myself to change and to heal as well.
Don't get me wrong, I am sincerely sorry and miserable without him, I am missing him, and want nothing but him to hold me.
He hasn't asked much of me, simply kindness and respect. If I don't respect myself enough how in the world can I give him the respect he deserves?
I have thought through out my years I have learned to love myself and learned from my mistakes, but in hindsight clearly not enough. So rather than cry my eyes out day in and day out and pray the man I love and want by my side returns to me, I need to apologize to myself for not having enough faith. Not having the faith that he will stay.
He will stay during the hard times and that I do not have to end things before I am found to have been left. I am worthy. I am worthy of the love we shared, although at times I didn't believe it.
So today rather then apologize to you Rolando, I apologize to myself. I am sorry to me for not believing in myself. I am sorry to me for sabotaging our relationship because I have always been waiting for that "bomb" to drop.
I believe in the serenity prayer as you do, but I also believe in me enough that I can change my beliefs of self worth, because I have already begun to do that.
I can only give you time and give you the space that you need and deserve, but I will also give myself the time, the space, and the thoughtfulness of loving me too.
Today I say I am sorry to me. Today I remind myself I am worthy. Today I proclaim my desire and confidence that I will be the better person that I want to be. I am deserving and I am worthy.


WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced it is prohibiting Jacob H. Goldstein, a former president and CEO of NBRS Financial, Rising Sun, Maryland from participating in the banking industry.
The Board found that Goldstein engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, violations of law, and breached his fiduciary duties to NBRS Financial, by engaging in self-dealing transactions involving bank loans and withholding material information from the NBRS board of directors. Goldstein did not respond to the Board's notice of enforcement action, and its prohibition order was issued by default.


Just recently I found myself talking with my dad about what foods he misses from Venezuela. In Jersey, there's quite a few different Latin restaurants he can visit and purchase exactly what he wants. However, we know that nothing beats home made, fresh, and scrumptious. So I scoured the internet looking for delicious Thanksgiving sides with a latin twist. I'm hoping to surprise my dad with some of the flavors he misses. So on El Dia De Accion de Gracias, he can be pleasantly surprised.
Here are some of the recipes I found that sound and look delectable!
My dad loves bitter greens, throw in some lemon and he'll be in heaven! This could be a wonderful change to my usual broccoli rabe and lemon side.
Ok so I still threw in some Mediterranean dishes – hey it has garbanzo beans, and I get to use my sriracha sauce!
And some Italian pasta too…but it looks so good!
My dad loves, and I mean LOVES sweet potatoes. Lime is used in many Latin American dishes, so I think this is a win for him and me!
I don't know why I never thought about making this, but it's definitely going to be part of my appetizers this year!
In many European and Latin American cultures, lentils are considered to bring good luck. I think that this will be one dish that will be gobbled up this year!
Okay, there's nothing really Latino about this recipe, but it's fun and sweet, and the kids will love it!
This salsa has all of my favorite Latino flavors in it. It's the perfect appetizer to lay out during the game and before dinner.
Well this recipe is definitely going to be for my husband. He just adores Potatoes Au Gratin, add in the Jalapeno Sauce and he'll be on his knees giving Thanks!
What Thanksgiving sides do you make that take you back to your roots?


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how to start a healt...
How To Start A Health Food Journey
By Linda Banks
Jan 22, 2015 | 33280 Views |
If you're new to a healthy-eating lifestyle, it's easy to become confused due to all the conflicting information from so-called experts, which makes it easy to feel discouraged and overwhelmed. Pretty soon, you've dropped your goal to start eating healthier and are back to the foods that make you feel not-so-good.
We've put together some very basic steps that can help keep you on track – not just to meet a short-term goal, but also to change your lifestyle so that you end up healthy and feeling great.
One of the major mistakes people make is to take on too much at once. They see a new diet and exercise plan and jump right in with both feet. Unfortunately, major change is often hard to sustain over a long period of time. Fad diets end and you're often heavier, unhealthier and unhappier than you were when you started.
This is called a journey because it's about the progression and not necessarily the destination. It takes about 21 days to create a new habit, so start with one or two small changes and incorporate those fully into your life fully before moving on to your next step.
*Every change adds on to the ones you've added before and in no time, you'll be surprised at how far you've come.
Figure out what fits
So the question now becomes – what change should you start with? Although most reputable nutrition sites counsel against "white" foods, processed foods, sodas and added sugars or unhealthy fats, there is still a lot of conflicting information. The best way to determine if a change is good for you, you need to ask if it fits in your budget, lifestyle, personal tastes, and available time. Luckily, there are changes that fit almost all lifestyles and financial plans.
Many people start by targeting some of the following changes:
Finding locally sourced, grass-fed beef, chicken, eggs and milk
Adding naturally fermented foods
Increasing organic produce
Reducing hydrogenated fats
Reducing the "white" foods – added sugars, white flours, white rice, white potatoes
Reducing GMO foods
*Your food should be the ingredient, not part of your ingredients
It's easy to undo the habits you worked so hard to establish simply by failing to really keep track of what you're doing. One quick decision to fall back into bad habits "just once" may turn into falling back multiple times. Download one of the multitudes of apps and start tracking what you're doing.
*The best way to get to your goal is to know where you are right now!
Stock up in season
One of the biggest complaints that people new on this journey make is that they don't adjust to the realities of healthy foods. Chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter, berries are abundant in the late spring, hogs are often slaughtered in the fall, and tomatoes are plentiful in the summer. It's cheaper and much healthier to stock up when food items are bountiful. You can then freeze, can or dehydrate, which provides healthy food all year round.
*Planning ahead saves money, time and effort.
Make mistakes
Sometimes mistakes are good. It means that you are trying new things and making progress. Let's face it - not every change will work for you, even if that same change worked for others. Don't let a mistake hold you back. View it in a positive light, learn from it and move on!
*You can view your mistake as a failure or you can turn it into tuition on a lesson learned.
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Individuals with arthritis know how challenging it can be to offer with and how it influences each day residing. It is straightforward to commence to feel defeated and confused, and to think that your lifestyle as you once realized it is above. Consider the knowledge that you will discover here to get again management.
Some thing as simple as possessing proper posture can aid in good joint overall health. It can support to relieve your arthritis discomfort. Often stand up straight and not slump over when sitting down. Attempt to have your excess weight distributed evenly in each legs. Proper posture will make your joints and your back again feel far better, and might decrease your arthritis indicators.
Swimming and bike driving are great routines that are not tough on the joints. Chat to your doctor ahead of attempting any workout routines if you have concerns that it could possibly contribute to arthritic ache or pain.
It is incredibly essential to get the necessary volume of snooze if you undergo from arthritis. Your physique cannot struggle arthritis with no it. Consider sleeping about eight hrs nightly, or 10 when stressed. Your body will thank you in the sort of reduced pain.
Steer clear of awkward shoes and substantial heels if you have arthritis. Where ever your arthritis is, footwear that are uncomfortable will cause you to stroll abnormally, aggravating your arthritis. What you must do it to buy sneakers that are comfy and which can give you assistance.
Practice deep breathing workout routines, although calming to assist simplicity your arthritis symptoms. If having a poor time with your arthritis, you ought to attempt getting a split and just chill out. This will assist you mentally struggle the ache.
Great deal of individuals have efficiently incorporated the guidelines above into their everyday life and witnessed marked enhancements. There are numerous methods to assist alleviate the indicators of arthritis.


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Category Archives: Urban Fantasy
Week (an acrostic poem)
When seven days had gone by
Everything had changed completely
Everyone had gone full zombie on her
Killing her hopes for humanity in such a short period of time
Standard | Posted in Acrostic Poem, story, Urban Fantasy | Tagged changed, completely, days, everyone, everything, hopes, humanity, killing, period, seven, short, time, week, zombie | 0 comments
Book (an acrostic poem)
Being wrapped up in words
Oblivious to the cold cruel world outside
Obnoxiously happy to be transported elsewhere
Keeping my imagination sated
Image: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Book_sale_loot_%284552277923%29.jpg
Standard | Posted in Acrostic Poem, Urban Fantasy | Tagged book, happy, imagination, words, world | 0 comments
Vodka Chaser at an Irish Wake
McGowan's Pub was a spiritual clone of almost every other Irish pub found in Dublin, except this one was in the heart of the lower east side of New York City. It had a long dark wood bar top that gleamed in the dim light. The brass accents might have been tacky if the light had been any brighter, but in that light they complimented the leather topped bar stools and small intimate tables scattered around the small interior. It had started its life as a gathering place for afterhours Irish police officers in the early 1920s before they went home to their wives, but as the times changed so did McGowan's clientele. This change was not particularly evident tonight though, as redheads made up the majority of the crowded bar's patrons.
Tatiana tucked a loose blonde lock of hair behind her ear as she sipped her vodka. She sat at a table by the wall, as secluded as you could get in a bar of this size as it neared the maximum number of occupants. Her long white dress amplified the paleness of her blemishless skin, but somehow acted as camouflage to the tipsy, and getting tipsier by the minute, crowd that inhabited the bar.
She studied the young rust haired man at the bar who seemed to be taking in all the festivities, but he didn't participate in the toasting of the recently departed. As a matter of fact he didn't even drink a drop. He just smiled, laughed, and nodded in all the right places, but silent as a ghost. Every once in a while he would turn to the picture of the deceased on the counter and smile before turning back to the crowd. Tatiana desired to move in on the man, but for now she kept her distance.
Finally Tatiana's dress failed her and one of the mourners/revelers noticed Tatiana drinking alone and decided to stumble over. He was average in almost every way except for piercing blue eyes. He put on his million dollar smile, but he had had too many drinks and it ended up only being worth two fifty and some change. Tatiana gave him bonus points for trying though.
"Hi there, I'm Tom. Are you here for the bride or the groom?" he asked, leaning forward and dropping his gaze from Tatiana's eyes to her ample bosom prominently framed by her dress before returning back to her eyes.
Tatiana took away the bonus points. "I thought this was a wake," she said dead faced, adding in a good amount of Russian accent.
Tom waved his hands, spilling some of his dark amber liquid onto the well watered floor below. "No, no, that was just a joke," he said.
Tatiana stayed neutral. "The wake is a joke?" she asked.
Tom put his glass carefully on the table with both hands before continuing. "No, no, the bride or groom was a joke," he said. "The wake is real."
Tatiana pretended to think about this for a moment. "So you are saying that marriage is a joke?" she asked.
"Oh damn," he said. "No, no, marriage is a joke, but that's not what I'm saying. I mean I…"
Tatiana put her hand on Tom's arm to put a stop to his rambling. "I understand. That was my joke," she said, dropping most of her Russian accent. "I just was messing with you."
The man pointed at her, then put both hands on his knees and breathed out before standing up and pointing at her again. "That was a good one," he said. He then turned away from her and waved in the direction of the young man Tatiana had been studying at the bar. "She's a funny one, Sean." The young man smiled and waved back. Tom turned back to Tatiana. "How do you know Sean?" Tom asked.
Tatiana handed Tom his drink and then took a sip of vodka as the next toast shouted out. Tom slammed back the rest of his drink before slamming the glass upside down on her table. Tatiana gently swirled her vodka, watching the Tom's drink push his blood alcohol content into the stratosphere. "How did you know Sean?" she asked.
"He was my uncle," Tom said. "Actually my god-uncle. He was my godfather's brother. Coolest guy you ever met, of course you already knew that," Tom said.
"Of course," Tatiana said. "What did you like the best about him?"
Tom tried to snag a chair and missed, almost pouring himself onto the floor. He recovered barely and instead leaned against Tatiana's table. His eyes drifted back to her chest as he continued. "He really appreciated a fine woman and a strong drink. We have a lot of that in common," he said.
Tatiana pushed out her lower lip in a mischievous pout. "Really, that's the best story you have of your god-uncle?" she asked.
Tom smiled. "Oh, stories? I've got a million of them. I was living with him once, quite a few years ago of course," he said.
"Of course," Tatiana said. "Please continue."
Tom stared at her breasts for a couple seconds more before blinking and continuing. "He wanted to give me a challenge. He said Tom, you're twenty eight," Tom said. He stopped and changed it up a bit. "I mean eighteen. Anyway you need to get out and experience the world. So he drove me to Hoboken to this really raunchy night club. He gave me a hundred dollars in ones and sat me in the front row. He told me to enjoy. Boy did I. When I was done with my ones I looked around and Sean wasn't there anymore. He had left within like ten minutes of dropping me off. I didn't have any money for a taxi since I had given my money away to the ladies, if you know what I mean."
Tatiana nodded, willing him to finish his story. Tom drunkenly obliged. "So that was before cell phones and all that shit. The nightclub bouncer wouldn't let me back in to use the phone. I was stuck, so I used my head."
Tom paused, looking at Tatiana for some input. She finally figured it out and said, "So how did you use your head?"
Tom smiled, then frowned after trying to figure out what Tatiana had just said. He shrugged and continued. "I managed to catch one of the girls coming out of the club that I had given some of my money to. I convinced her to give some back so I could get home."
Tatiana gave Tom a critical look. "How did you manage that?" she asked.
Tom put on a leering smile. "That's a secret I would be happy to reveal over breakfast tomorrow," he said.
Tatiana didn't rise to the bait. "I thought you were telling me something about Sean," she said.
"Oh, well when I got home I found him sacked out with two of those bimbos at the nightclub with a ton of empty bottles of booze scattered around the place. Claimed he had slipped them a little something something for their time, if you know what I mean. Like I said, fine women and strong drink," Tom said. "So what about it baby, want to see how I seduced that stripper?"
Tatiana leaned in real close to Tom, giving him an even bigger view of her chest. "I will make sure to take you up on that in a few years," she said as her blue eyes glittered extremely cold. "You can count on it." Tom took two rapid steps back, tripping over his own feet and crashing to the ground.
Tatiana gracefully stood up, pounded the rest of her vodka back and stalked her way to the bar. The festivities were winding down and the place was now half empty. Still the young man standing by the picture remained, and when he saw Tatiana he gave her a million dollar smile that evaporated the closer Tatiana came.
Tatiana picked up the picture and held it next to the young man. "The resemblance is amazing," she said. The young man looked for a way to run, but Tatiana stared him down, freezing him with those ice blue eyes.
The bartender noticed Tatiana standing there holding the picture. "Be careful of that picture," he said. Tatiana never took her eyes off of Sean as she placed the picture gently on the bar. "Thanks. Can I get you something?"
"I think I'll have another shot of your top shelf vodka as a chaser," Tatiana said.
The bartender did a double take. "Chaser? What are you drinking first?" he asked.
Tatiana still didn't take her eyes off the young redhead. After a moment of silence the bartender shook his head and moved back to the bar. "One top shelf vodka shot coming right up," he said.
Tatiana smiled a predatory smile. "You've been a bad boy Sean," she said. The young man waved his hands in a negative gesture. Tatiana laughed. "No denying it to me. You grand-nephew collaborated the story." The young man looked at Tom with pure venom. Tatiana laughed. "Don't worry. He'll get his soon. Goodbye Sean."
With that, Tatiana sucked in the shade of Sean O'Grady, removing him from existence. The bartender placed the vodka at the end of the bar just as she finished consuming the ghost. Tatiana, without looking, reached out, grabbed the shot glass, and threw it back feeling the alcohol burning the bad taste from her palate. She slammed the glass upside-down onto the bar. "Thanks, I needed that." She peeled off a fifty from a stack of bills that mysteriously appeared in her hand and placed it next to the glass.
As Tatiana made her way out the door and into the frosty night she made sure to blow a kiss at Tom that made him shiver. That was a promise she was looking forward to keeping.
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged ghost, Irish, strip club, Vodka, wake, whiskey | 0 comments
The Empowered
Josh was late for work, his car wouldn't start, and he missed the closest bus by like five minutes. Now Josh was impersonating an Olympic speed walker, strutting down the street trying to get to the next bus stop before he missed that one too. If he did, he was doomed to walk the five miles to work and even worse, walk the 'I'm late, sweaty, and tired walk' past the boss man. Josh didn't want to even contemplate the lasting impression that would make. Josh preferred to stay out of the limelight, especially if it would be negative, considering how the day was going so far.
As Josh turned the corner onto Main Street and checked his iPhone. He was going to make it with a couple minutes to spare. Josh decided to check his email and drop his speed a notch. Maybe he could answer the first few emails of the day on his way. That would give him a bit more leeway when he got to office. His email updated just as he ran into someone. His phone dropped to the pavement and he could hear that distinctive snap of the screen breaking. "Damn it all!" exclaimed Josh.
"Excuse me?" asked a rich alto voice in a not to friendly tone.
Josh looked from his broken phone to the woman he had collided with. He immediately wished he hadn't. She was at least six foot four, her afro sticking out at odd angles. She was carrying various plastic grocery bags in both hands. She was dressed in a ridiculously large muscle shirt and very baggy shorts showing off as much skin as twelve supermodels in bikinis. Her skin hung in folds, and the folds had folds. It reminded Josh of his friend Arnold, who had lost a hundred pounds, but the skin flap around his belly was still there. This woman must have had the extra weight all over. She must have been a sphere at one time she had so much extra skin. Now if she weighed a hundred twenty pounds she would have been lucky. While Josh was almost overwhelmed by her physical presence, he found himself drawn to her eyes. The large brown eyes burned with a fire that almost mesmerized him.
"Are you going to apologize?" she asked.
"Apologize?" Josh asked. He was still trying to figure out the figure in front of him.
"You just ran into me," she said.
Josh reached down to retrieve his phone. His couple of minutes were evaporating quickly. "You ran into me too," he said. He tried to move around her to continue, but the woman moved back into his path.
"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "I should knock some sense into that head of yours." She rattled her plastic bags for emphasis.
Josh threw his hand into the air. "Really? Look, I'm late for work already. If you want me to say I'm sorry to get you to move, fine. I'm sorry," he said. Yep, those extra few minutes were almost gone.
The woman dropped her bags to the ground. Josh wondered if a strong wind blew at this moment would she fly away in all that skin. It made him smirk a bit. "You think this is funny?" she asked. "That's it. I'm going to rough you up."
Josh took a couple of steps back and held up his hands in surrender. He didn't want to have to hurt this woman if they got into it. He had to be twenty years younger and outweighed her by a hundred pounds of muscle. The blessings of being on the track and field team through college. "Look, I'm sorry," he said in a tone that showed he meant it this time.
The woman seemed less ticked. "You better be," she said. "I'd hate to open a can of whoop-ass on you."
"Is that what you carry in those bags?" Josh asked before his brain had processed what the sarcasm generator had created. Josh winced as he waited for her response.
The woman let out a surprising musical laugh. "That's a good one," she said. "You have a pretty quick wit there."
Josh joined her in a smile. That smile crashed and burned as he saw the bus pull up to the bus stop. Josh was way too far away to make it.
The woman noticed him staring and turned to witness the bus doors open. "If you hurry you can still make it," she said.
"No way," he said. "Those doors will be closing any second now."
The woman looked at him with those intense eyes again. "You can make it. You have something special inside of you. I can see it. If you want to know more come find me. I'm always around these parts." She then bent down to get her bags.
Josh decided to see if he could get at least get close enough to wave the bus driver down. If the driver was nice they would let him on. Josh began to run, reaching deep. He felt his feet move faster, almost on their own. He hadn't dug this far down since the last race he had run where he had come from behind to win his only cross country event in his whole running career. Each step brought him closer and closer until he was at the bus stop and the doors were still open. Josh was surprised the driver hadn't pulled away yet.
"Thanks for waiting, man," he told the driver as he swiped his payment card. The driver just stared at him, surprise on his face.
Josh didn't give it a second thought. He just sat down in an empty seat and smiled. That run had felt good, really good. Josh tried to figure out why he had stopped running. He always loved it when he was younger. He knew he had a second gear that was fun to kick it up to, but in competitions he just couldn't find it. Heck, when he was running with someone he couldn't find it. It was only when he was on his own, running to his own tune when the speed just seemed to come out of nowhere. Josh was happy it had come out today.
"Close the doors already," called out a woman on the bus somewhere behind Josh. Josh looked up and the door was still open. The bus driver was just staring at Josh in the rear view mirror. Josh sheepishly smiled and waved at the driver. That seemed to snap the man out of it. The driver closed the door and pulled away from the curb.
The rest of the bus ride was uneventful. Josh couldn't get that woman out of his head. Of course she must make an impression no matter where she went. Still, Josh wondered what she meant about seeing something special inside of him. By the end of the ride, Josh had figured it must have been his great sense of humor.
As Josh got off the bus, the bus driver stared at him again. "Dude," Josh said, "take an Instagram, it'll last longer."
The driver blushed. "Just never saw an Empowered up close," he said.
Josh was about to respond when the driver closed the doors and drove away from the curb. Empowered? Last time Josh checked his sarcasm hadn't counted as a superpower. Those people were freaky. Now having a superpower might be cool, but all that responsibility? No thank you. It was nice being normal.
Josh waved at his boss on the way to his desk. The woman looked almost upset that he had made it on time. Maybe she was the one who had sabotaged his car. Now that was a funny thought. He opened his browser and checked the email he couldn't do on his broken phone. After seeing nothing important he headed into the break room to get a coffee. Suzy and Fred were already there, mugs in hand.
"Did you see it Josh?" asked Suzy. "I heard it was incredible."
Fred nodded his head so hard Josh thought it might tumble off. "It was awesome. At least that's what I heard. I wasn't there, but a friend of a friend tweeted me about it."
"What are you two talking about?" Josh asked as he poured a large dose of the black stuff into his mug.
"There was a dust up between Shyla and the Dark Hatter this morning," Suzy said. "They took out a small part of Broad Street, just a couple blocks away from Main. Shyla finally clobbered the Dark Hatter, leaving him for the police before disappearing. She is so amazing."
Josh took a sip. Nice and strong, just like he needed it. It did need a hit of sugar this time, so he put in half a packet. Much better. "That explains the bus driver this morning. He looked like he had seen a ghost when he picked me up on Main," Josh said.
Fred pulled out his phone. "You've got to see this picture that friend of a friend took. It is freaking amazing!"
Suzy grabbed ahold of Josh's arm. "You saw someone who saw Shyla? How awesome is that?" she asked.
"He seemed more spooked than awesome," Josh said, "and I don't blame him. The thought of people who can do all the stuff they can just doesn't seem right. Who is supposed to keep them in check when one of the Empowered goes rogue?"
"Here it is," said Fred. "Check this out. Shyla is like a solid muscle."
Josh took the offered phone and glanced at the picture, not really caring. Then he did a double take. There in the picture was the skin fold woman, except she was almost busting at the seams with muscle. Her muscles had muscles. How could this be?
"Shyla keeps them in line," Suzy said. "Her and the rest of the Enforcers. They believe Empowered should live by the same laws."
Josh handed the phone back to Fred and returned to drinking his liquid intelligence. His mind was still trying to reconcile the scarecrow of a woman with the powerhouse in the picture. "I still love how she just disappears after dealing out justice," Fred said. "Must be hard to blend in with all that."
Josh almost choked on his next swallow. "Something like that," Josh said.
Suzy struck a heroic pose. "I wish I was Empowered. I would be out of here like a shot," she said.
Josh thought back to what Shyla had told him. She had seen something in him. Then he had run and caught the bus. That should have been impossible. The bus driver had said he had never been near an Empowered before. He wasn't talking about the fight.
Josh put down his mug. "I've got to go," he said.
The boss entered the room. "Back to work I hope," she said.
Josh smiled. "Nope, I've got a bus to catch," he said, and with that he disappeared.
Shyla fumbled for her keys. She didn't want to put these stupid bags down. It would be nice if she could just kick down the door, but she didn't want to bulk up just to damage her own place. She tried to place the key into the lock, but it fell from her plastic limited fingers. "Damn!" she said. The keys stopped falling and the key magically appeared in the lock. "So you figured it out," she said.
"Yeah, it took me a bit," Josh said. "How did you know?"
Shyla put the bags on the step and turned around to look Josh in the eyes. "It's in the eyes. That's why most of the time we Empowered wear glasses of some sort. Stops us from giving ourselves away."
Josh stroked his chin. "But why didn't you have yours on?" he asked.
"I broke mine while fighting the Dark Hatter," Shyla said. She took the broken pair out of one of her bags and showed them to Josh. "And they were my favorite pair."
Josh looked like he was having problems figuring out what to say next. "How do you, I mean we, do what we do?" he finally asked.
"Come inside. I've got a proposition for you," Shyla said. Josh looked like he was about to comment when Shyla waved a finger in front of his face. "Don't make me kick your ass. You know I can do it."
Josh smiled. "Only if you can catch me," he said.
Shyla smiled. "We can discuss that over some food. Going large always leaves me starving," she said as she opened the door. "And keep you mind out of the gutter."
Josh shook his head. "I think this might be more fun than I thought," he said as he followed Shyla inside.
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged bus, empowered, Superhero | 0 comments
"Who would you kill if you could kill anyone, anywhere, with a single thought?" asked Tatianna. She never broke stride as we walked between dorms on the way to the science center. It was cold outside. The spring semester had just started and the cold winds had also just come back from vacation.
Still it was that question that stopped me in my tracks. "Why did you say that?" I asked.
Tatianna stopped and laughed in her typical tee-hee fashion. "Darling, it was just a fun thought tease," she said. "All these reports of people having superpowers freaks me out. Still, if I had the power to kill someone with just a thought, I would use it."
Man I loved that accent. It was one of the reasons I was so madly in lust for her, not that she knew that. It was one of the many secrets I held from her, not that I wanted to. It was just easier this way, or at least that's how I slept better at night, when I could sleep.
"Well, I don't know. Who would you kill?" I said as we started walking again.
Tatianna hooked her arm around my elbow as we picked up the pace. Man it was bitter with that wind. "I would start by taking out all those terrorist assholes. Then I would move on to the drug cartels," she said. "After that, we would see where the crap floated to the top. There would be plenty of crap once I got back home to St. Petersburg."
I shook my head. This is where being a philosophy major had its perks. Okay, this might be its only perk, but it is still a perk. "I don't think it would be that easy. Where do you begin drawing the line?" I said. "I think it would be easier to just let things play out on their own and not get involved. Things get complicated way too quickly."
Tatianna leaned in close as the wind rose in fury. "This is worse than the time I visited Siberia. Let's cut through Proctor. It'll be shorter," she said.
Proctor was a small park that sat on the edge of campus that was one of the only wooded places that might cut this accursed wind. It was also after dark and all sorts of people used the place to hide, from drunk under aged colligates to the occasional rapist. I made it a policy to avoid the place at all costs.
"I don't think that's a good idea. I would rather play it safe," I said.
Tatianna turned us towards the trees. Did I mention she is a six foot two inch blond amazon goddess? Oh and I'm only five ten and maybe one sixty wet? She wins, not that I tried too hard. I did mention I was in lust. Maybe under the trees we could find a romantic spot where we wouldn't get frostbite while we make out. Oh, and maybe I would win Miss America as soon as they open it up to young scrawny males who have good hair. I do have good hair.
"So why couldn't you find a line?" Tatianna asked.
The wind blew her hair into my face and I inhaled the perfume she wore, or maybe that was her shampoo. Either way I was not complaining. Choking on paradise, maybe, but not complaining. "What about the kids of those you kill?" I asked. "They don't deserve to lose their parent."
Tatianna leaned in close as we entered the trees. The roaring wind died down to a moaning and the sound of tree branches dancing to a tune they didn't enjoy. "This place always freaks me out," she said.
"Then why, pray tell, did you come here?" I ask softly. I'm sort of freaked out as well, but I don't want her to know that. Hopefully she didn't notice my shaking a bit.
Once again the tee-hees pour forth. "If you could see your face right now," Tatianna said. I knew I blushed, but in the dark and bitter cold I hope she mistook it for frostbite. Yes, I know frostbite is white, but I was still hoping. It is darker amongst the trees. She continued to pull me along. "But what about the kids of the people those dictators killed and maimed? You don't get off that easy," she said.
I kept my head on a swivel. Okay, I kept my eyes more on a swivel. I was enjoying leaning in and breathing Tatianna. Still, all was quiet on the eastern front, or was this west? Doesn't matter, all was quiet, minus the tree and wind thing.
"Relax," Tatianna said. "It's too cold for anyone to be out in this. You would need to be crazy, or desperate."
"So what does that make us?" I ask, then immediately regret it. I have a wonderful case of athlete's tongue from all the running of my mouth.
"Hopeless fools?" Tatianna responds, giving me a small peck on my cheek. Okay, I almost fall over with the brute force of that small kiss.
I stop and look into those pale green eyes. I can't really see them well in the dim light, but I have them on speed dial in my memory. I leaned in close and pressed my lips to her. I could feel a tingle pass through my entire being as we kissed. I didn't want that moment to ever end.
I didn't want that moment to end, especially as I was flattened by a truck the size of a linebacker. I rolled to my side and saw Tatioanna sitting on the ground with a large guy standing over her, holding that beautiful blonde mane in one ridiculously large fist. Two other guys materialized out of the dark trees as well.
"Look at what the wind dragged in for us guys?" said the thug holding Tatianna. "Looks like we get to have a bit of fun." The two other thugs looked at Tatianna in such a way that left little doubt what they considered fun.
"Leave her alone," I said as I began to stand up. The two other thugs took that as their clue to practice river dancing on my spine. My attempt at rising ended in a lot of groans and me getting into the fetal position to protect myself as much as I could.
"That's enough boys," the first thug said. "Don't kill him yet." Tatianna moaned. The thug looked at her. "You behave, and we'll let you and your boyfriend live. Understand?"
Tatianna looked at me, pleading me to do something. I wanted to. I wanted to be that hero, but I couldn't be. I watched the thug grab her breast hard and Tatianna just went limp. She was giving up everything, just so we could live.
I looked at the two thugs who had been dancing on my spine, then I turned back to the thug holding Tatianna. His hands groped her back into a standing position. I could feel my anger overwhelming my helplessness. "Leave her alone," I growled. This earned me a few more kicks and I almost blacked out, but I kept my eyes on the thug holding Tatianna. He tried to kiss those lips that had just graced mine with their presence. Now they were the site of a hostile takeover.
"Leave her alone," I said again, the red haze in my vision coming from the hatred or the brain damage I was receiving. I didn't know, and I didn't care. I felt something snap inside of me, but it wasn't a bone or an organ. It was that moral place that always knew where the line really was, and I had never crossed it. Now though, the line had snapped.
I looked at the two closest thugs to me and I pulled my mental trigger. The two of them fell like someone had cut their strings. The thug holding Tatianna broke off his assault on Tatianna's mouth and looked at me like his world had just been blown apart, which it had, since he fell to the ground dead as well.
The bad news was Tatianna fell to the ground too. Her eyes were open wide and her breathing was fast and shallow. I tried to comfort her. "Tatianna, it's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay," I said, as I tried to get to a sitting position. Okay, maybe a bone broke in there as well since my ribs ground against each other.
Tatianna then put on a bright smile. "I know it will be. I promise. Everything will be okay," she said. She took out her cell phone. "I have the subject in custody. Send in the sweeper team." Then she blinked.
Standard | Posted in Superhero, Urban Fantasy | Tagged death, kiss, rape, Superhero | 0 comments
Betrayal (a 100 word story)
Liza's screams never traveled farther than the lid of her coffin. She pounded on the top again until her bruised flesh gave away to the bones underneath her knuckles. How could she have trusted him? He had seemed so nice. She brought him back to her house for a bite, but that's when it got fuzzy. He must have somehow drugged her. She could barely remember his rants about his brother and what she had done as he beat her with a silver cross. It didn't matter, she was a vampire and she had eternity to dig her way out.
Standard | Posted in 100 Word Story, Urban Fantasy | Tagged coffin, cross, date, drugged, vampire | 0 comments
Welcome to the Corps
Christopher donned his white garb and covered his face. This was supposed to be the hardest test yet. If rumor was correct, this was the last one as well. All he had to do was slip into this McMansion on this cold winter's night and deliver a small silk wrapped figurine into the master bedroom and onto the nightstand. If Christopher could do all of this, and get away without getting caught, he would pass. The compensation for the job he was auditioning for was in the seven figures, so Christopher knew he was against tough competition, but they only selected the best of the best, and Christopher always believed in being that.
As he approached the wall from the downwind direction, Christopher placed a small listening device into his left ear. Suddenly the mostly silent night exploded into sound. He pressed his ear against the wall and closed his eyes. Centering himself before attempting an insertion was one of the ways he earned top spot in his class as a Navy Seal. Three breathes in and he could almost map the sounds from inside the compound. There were at least three dogs wandering. The hum of electricity spoke of cameras nearby. He figured there must be at least two people, but they were on the far side or inside a structure since their voices were so muffled.
Christopher looked at his watch. His diversion should kick in three, two, one. He was over the wall before the lights had fully gone out due to lack of electricity. He took out a small crossbow and fired off one, then reload and fired a second shot. The smell of roast beef carried into the night. Christopher ran the other way, turning down the listening device, but he didn't shut it off. Two dogs seemed to be running towards the free meal, but he could hear one coming his way. Whether the animal could smell him, or Christopher had ran into the dog's most likely path, he couldn't be certain, but he reached for his favorite dog toy. The Doberman came around a bush and Christopher triggered his ultraviolet flash, blinding the animal temporarily. Christopher threw his last helping of meat in front of the dog as compensation before running as silently as possible to the window.
A few magnets were carefully stuck to the outside window casing and two laser diodes trained at the photodetectors to defeat the alarm system should it come back on. A quick layer of tape over one of the panes and then a swipe of a glass cutter took off the first layer of glass. Another cut and more tape took out the second layer. He quickly opened the latch and let himself inside. He fixed the windows with a bit more tape to stand up to a cursory inspection from the guards that were undoubtedly roaming the compound because of the loss of power.
Christopher military crawled on his elbows an knees out of the room and towards the staircase. He didn't have long before… and there it was, power was back on. The cat jumped back from Christopher crawling up the stairs. He had noticed the cat when he had done his reconnaissance two days ago. The cat guaranteed that as long as he stayed less than two feet off the ground that the alarm shouldn't trigger. That and it was badass to talk later about military crawling a marble staircase, especially without pads. At the top he reoriented himself to where the master bedroom should be. He stopped in the first bedroom on the staircase and left a present of his own. Once the package was delivered he continued down the hallway.
The master bedroom was closed. Christopher put his ear to the door and listened, one person breathing in and out, slightly out of unison with something else. Damn! He didn't think anything else would be there. There could be another cat, but Christopher hadn't seen anything other than the cat he already encountered. Flashlights flashed above him from the floor below. The guards must have found the dogs' treats. Well, fate favors the bold. He pulled his feet underneath him into a crouching position. The alarm must be off if the guards were in the house. He pressed the button on his belt, opened the door and rolled into the room and to the right. He tucked himself behind a chair as the alarms went ballistic. An older man jumped out of bed, his white hair looking comic with a severe case of bedhead and his beard covered in drool. The old man ran through the door among shouts from the guards down below. The small dachshund that had been sleeping with the man blinked in the sudden light, but didn't move from the warm pillow it had been sleeping on.
Seizing the opportunity, Christopher jumped out of his cover and ran to the nightstand, placing the figurine in place. Glancing at the bed, the dachshund seemed to almost be smiling at him. Christopher snapped himself back into the now and looked for possible cover. With none to be had, he quickly slipped out onto the porch off the bedroom. He slung himself down from the railing and fell the story to the ground below, rolling as he hit. Christopher came up and tried to run, but found out he had twisted his ankle on landing. He began to limp as best as he could, but the flood lights came on lighting him up.
"Hands above your head or you won't have one," called a deep male voice from the porch.
Christopher put his hands over his head and turned around. He wanted to go for his pistol, but he was told no wet works under any circumstances. There was the old man with a sniper rifle pointed straight at Christopher. Christopher was impressed. The man held it like someone who had many hours of practice with the weapon. "Look," said Christopher, "this is all a misunderstanding."
The old man actually ho ho hoed. "Misunderstanding young man? I know who's been naughty or nice, and you were definitely naughty tonight," the old man said. "Putting a fog grenade in a spare bedroom was brilliant. the perfect diversion. Something I might have done back in my day." Christopher bowed but didn't say a thing.
The old man paused, thinking. He then threw the figurine, still in the silk cover, to Christopher who caught it with one hand. "You forgot this."
"Thanks, but I believe I was supposed to leave it with you," Christopher admitted.
"Well, you earned it. You made it farther than any of the others," the old man said.
Christopher looked from the figurine, to the old man, and back to the figurine. "What do you mean old man?" he asked.
"Open it if you want the job," the old man said, a twinkle in his eye.
Christopher opened the drawstring on the silk bag and looked inside. It was impossible to see what it was. Christopher looked back at the old man. "But I failed," he said.
The old man whistled and out waddled the dachshund. "There was no chance you could have won. Not unless you had some magic of your own," the old man said. "Besides, Blitzen here has taken a liking to you."
Christopher laughed and dropped the figurine out of the bag and into his hand. It was a small statue of the man in front of him, winking with a finger alongside his nose. Christopher held it out to old man. "Okay, what's next?" he asked.
The old man dropped the sniper rifle on the table and threw himself off the balcony. Christopher tried to move to catch the old man, but his ankle failed him, dropping Christopher to the ground. The dachshund morphed into a reindeer and lightning quick took flight and caught the old man before he had dropped five feet. The two of them glided to a stop a foot away from Christopher. The old man held out his hand to help Christopher up. "Welcome to the corps," the old man said.
Christopher stood and felt his ankle mend immediately. "Are you Santa?" he asked.
The old man ho ho hoed again. "If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that question I would be rich," the old man said. "Actually my name is Stanly. You just became a part of the Santa Corps. People have screwed it up for so many years we decided to just keep the Santa Claus moniker. Makes us seem even more mysterious, a single guy doing something miraculous."
"How many are in the Corps?" asked Christopher.
"I know you have many questions, but I'm hungry, so let's go get a bite to eat. The elves should have something ready by now," Stanly said.
"The elves?"
"My private security. One can never be too careful," Stanly said as he dismounted Blitzen. "How do you feel about beards?" He began walking back to the house. Christopher fell in beside him.
"I don't mind them," Christopher said. He looked at the house again. "Why did you have me break into this place?"
"What can you do if your magic ever fails? We need capable men and women," Stanly said.
"Men and women?" asked Christopher.
Stanly put his arm around Christopher. "It's just the beginning. I've got forms you need to sign, and we need to get you some training, but let me tell you the fringe benefits are awesome."
Christopher let himself be led inside. "But what of the pay?" he asked.
Stanly smiled. "I can tell you it's not just milk and cookies."
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged christmas, Doberman, magic, Navy Seals, Santa Claus, snow | 0 comments
To Kill a God
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Fergus and Limey looked out at the storm raging around them. The tree trunk they were hiding in was mostly dry, but soon the creator of the storm would come by, and then the real problems would begin. Fergus handed Limey the gun. Limey tucked it away, and Fergus checked the missile launcher.
Fergus turned to Limey. "I know you don't like me, and I don't like you, but if we need to work together if we're going to murder Thor," Fergus said.
"You don't like me?" asked Limey. "How can you say that after all we've been through? I think of you as a brother, maybe even closer."
A flash of lightning, then a count of six, then a boom. Thor wasn't far away. "Did you hear what I said?" Fergus asked after the thunder died down a bit.
"I bought you lunch that one time. That should garner me a little bit of liking I would suppose," Limey said.
Fergus grabbed Limey by the shoulders and shook him a bit. "Focus man, focus! We only have one chance at this," Fergus said.
"I even let you get some rice pudding. I hate rice pudding," Limey said. The thunder boomed after just a five count. "I bet Thor hates rice pudding as well."
Fergus sighed. "Thor hates everything except that damn hammer, and the Valkyrie he's smitten with this week. What was her name?" Fergus asked.
"Ingrid I believe," replied Limey. "Or was it Maradyth? It's amazing he can keep hooking up with them and then breaking their hearts. I mean they are sisters for Odin's sake."
Fergus glanced around. Luckily he didn't see any crows. Of course with all this rain they were less likely to be able to be seen either. "Ixnay on the Odinay," Fergus said. "We don't need the big guy handing us our arses for handing Thor's to his."
Limey looked at Fergus like he just spoke the great riddle of the sphinx. "We're trying to hand Thor's arse to Odin?" Limey asked.
Fergus whipped his head around. Was that a raven over there? The rain was pouring down and the winds were really picking up. Only three count between the flash and the boom. Time was getting short. "No, we are going to hand Thor's arse to Thor, and we are going to try to keep Odinay out of it," Fergus said.
Limey's light bulb went off and he began to nod. Then he suddenly stopped. "Who the hell is Odinay and why would he get his you know what stuck in Thor's arse?"
Fergus closed his eyes and counted to ten. Unfortunately during that count the flash to boom went down to two seconds. Fergus regained his control and opened his eyes. "You're right my friend. We should just focus on Thor," Fergus said.
"But you told me you weren't my friend," Limey said. "And I even bought you that rice pudding that one time."
Fergus wondered not for the first time why he had brought Limey along. Then he remembered. Limey was the only person crazy enough to come with Fergus to try this crazy idea. It was a one in a million chance, but Fergus needed to stop Ragnarock from taking place for another year and a half. By then the new Star Wars would be out and Fergus could die happy knowing he would have watched the best movie ever made with one hundred percent more lens flares, guaranteed.
Flash, one Mississippi, boom! "That's why I screwed it up. It's the rice pudding talking, not me. I am your friend," Fergus said.
Limey looked skeptical. "That rice pudding was quite while back. It should have gotten out of your system in a matter of six months," Limey said.
"Oh no, this was Special Forces rice pudding. It like laid dormant until this morning. Right now it is holding my brain hostage unless it gets a cheese sandwich," Fergus said.
Limey grabbed the gun out and pointed it at Fergus' head. "I knew it," Liam said. "All this talking about Thor's arse. That damn pudding has got to get out. I'll just shoot it out of your system."
Flash boom! "Wait don't worry about Thor's arse or the pudding," cried out Fergus.
A male voice boomed from behind Fergus. "Who is talking about my arse?"
Flash boom BOOM! Fergus felt the wake of the bullet as it flew past his left ear. Fergus whipped around to see Thor, the god of thunder, fall to the ground, his hammer dropping from his lifeless fingers. Already the storm began to dissipate. A crow flew off in the distance. That wasn't going to be good. Still, Thor was dead, at least for now.
Limey walked past Fergus and up to the hammer. "Don't touch it!" yelled out Fergus.
Limey pointed the gun at Fergus. "You and your rice pudding stay quiet. You get your movie, I get my souvenir," Limey said. He reached down and lifted Thor's hammer with ease. As he did so, Limey seemed to transform into a larger, more menacing being.
Fergus looked horrified. "Loki! You were Limey?"
Loki smiled. "Watch your movie. I have an arse whipping ahead of me. Dad, is not going to be happy when I play hide the hammer. Take care Fergus, and may the Force be with you." With that Loki slammed the hammer handle on the ground and disappeared.
Fergus looked at the body of Thor and the missile launcher next to him. Fergus picked up the missile launcher, pointed it at Thor's body, and pressed the trigger. The launcher made a bunch of beeping noises and Fergus realized he shouldn't have trusted the god of lies. "Damn you Loki!" was the last thing he said before the explosion got rid of all the evidence.
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged lightning, Loki, missile, Star Wars, the force, Thor, thunder | 0 comments
Monstrous Love
The feeling of Lisa's kiss echoed on Lucas' cheek as he ripped her head off her shoulders, spraying blood everywhere. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "It's just easier this way." The surprised look on Lisa's face spoke volumes about how she felt about what had just happened.
A shout rang out somewhere from behind and to the left. Lucas tucked Lisa's head into his belt by her long hair. He dropped her headless body and began to run. If he could just get to the swamp he would be home free.
Each running step slapped Lisa's face into his thigh. Lucas felt bad, but knew he couldn't stop and fix it. The villagers would catch up. Them and their dogs. Lucas hated dogs. They usually ruined more than one good night out.
A set of howls called out, probably from the spot Lucas had left Lisa's body. "I thought I had more time," he told Lisa's head as he continued to run. "I hate being so slow." Lucas almost hear Lisa criticize him for being so hard on himself. She would tell him how big and strong he was. Well, she would if she wasn't just a head swinging on his belt. Looking down it seemed her facial expression was that of hope and determination. Still, Lucas was making the most out of a bad situation. If he hadn't ripped Lisa's head off and ran, he would have already been caught and more than likely turned to dog food.
The howls got louder. "Why do they always bring dogs?" Lucas asked, breathing heavily. Of course he knew why. Without them the humans would never be able to find him. Lucas knew these woods like the back of his hand. He lived in them and the swamp all his life. Hiding is something he prided himself in. But those dogs and their ability to smell. Those would always find him. That's why he needed to get to the swamp. The dogs couldn't move as fast as he could in there where he had his power. Lucas could go to ground and they would eventually go home.
Lucas could see the clearing at the edge of the swamp when he heard their feet trampling the undergrowth. The dogs were almost there, and they were going to catch him before he reached safety. Why did he venture so far out of his hiding spots? The slap of Lisa's head reminded him of why. That's right. Love. "You realize what I am going to have to do?" he asked Lisa's head as he slowed down. "I'm going to have to deal with those damn dogs before we can get away." Lisa had no response, but Lucas could tell she was afraid of what might happen next. He could see the fear in her eyes.
The dogs started to howl, sending a shiver down Lucas' spine. They were so close now that Lucas could smell them now. He looked desperately for a weapon to keep them away from him, something that would give him some reach. To his left he saw a fallen tree. "I'm sorry my fallen brother, but I need your corpse," he said.
Lucas picked up the tree from its cracked stump and held like one of those human swords he had seen. Just then eight hounds popped out of the underbrush. They began to circle while kicking up their howling to a more excited pitch. The humans would know they had cornered their quarry.
With the tree held out, Lucas spun while walked slowly towards the swamp. He just needed a small break. The dogs didn't give him a chance. One by one they would break the circle and feint in. Lucas would swing his tree at them, but they would dodge to the side. Another would then make their run. Lucas kept swinging his tree, but eventually one was able to get close enough to bite at his legs. Lucas avoided most of the bite, but it did leave the back of his ankle bleeding. That emboldened the dogs and they began attacking and feinting faster and faster. The sounds of the humans were getting closer, their noise resolving into many voices, all seeking his blood.
Soon Lucas was bleeding from eight different bites, and the tree was getting heavy in his grasp. Still through it all he was almost to the swamp. From there he would be free. With one last thrust he threw the tree at the dogs between him and the edge of the fetid water, making them scatter, and allowing Lucas to make one last mad dash.
Just as he was about to hit the water a dog managed to grab Lisa's head between its teeth and rip it out of Lucas' belt. Lucas pulled up mid stride and lashed out with his hand, just catching the offending dog by its left hind leg. While he kept the dog from fleeing with its prize, it allowed its brethren to jump on Lucas and bring him to ground. Lucas could feel their jaws clenching, breaking his body, pouring his lifeblood on the ground, but he never let go. Slowly he pulled the dog back and wrestled Lisa's head away from its jaws. Letting go of the dog he looked into her eyes one last time to see how beautiful she was, even as just a head. Lucas looked away as he heard the men come into the small clearing.
"There they are," one of them said.
"Kill the monsters," another one replied.
At some silent signal the dogs bounded off Lucas' maimed body and retreated a safe distance. Shots rang out, tearing into Lucas' body. He curled around Lisa's head, trying to save her from the flying lead tainted with the accursed sliver that poisoned what was left of his blood. Lucas gave her cool cheek one last kiss, then he flung her head into the swamp. With that he sighed and went limp.
The men stopped firing their weapons and approached Lucas' body. One of the braver souls kicked at his remains. "Looks like we got this one, but what about the girl?"
The waters roiled and a large shape arose from the waters. Its eyes glowed red and the creature screamed at the sight of the hunting party. The dogs fled and the men raced after them. They knew better than to mess with Lisa now that she was back in her home.
Lisa crashed back down into the water, trying to spray some of it on Lucas. A few drops splattered on his mangled corpse, but Lucas didn't move. Lisa began to sob. "Father, I'm so sorry. Why did I ever leave the swamp to be with a human? I gave up being me, just so I could fall in love. I left my body behind and used the body you made for me so I could be human, like him. I thought his love would have been blind, instead he said he would always see me as a monster."
Lisa looked back at the direction the human's had come. Her lover had sent them to kill her. It was all a ruse to make her man feel more important. She had never mattered to him other than an opportunity. "You left your safety to bring me back, but now I've lost you," Lisa continued. "It's like some sick fairy tale. And without a body I could never tell you how much I loved you and was thankful for what you were doing, other than that last kiss." With that Lisa left her father's silver ravaged corpse and moved deeper into the swamp to mourn and live.
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged dogs, love, silver, swamp, trees | 0 comments
Pretending to be Normal
Wendy poked through the catalog, trying to waste some more time before going to bed. She was so filled with energy that she was practically vibrating. It must have been the magic still in the air after such an awesome workout. She circled a cute sundress that might just have to find a place in her wardrobe when she heard a crash from downstairs.
"Tiamat, is that you?" Wendy asked. Tiamat was her calico cat that sometimes roared like a dragon, hence her name. Tiamat liked to test if gravity still worked sometimes, but that seemed a bit too much noise for a cat.
Wendy got off the bed and pulled on her robe. She tied the robe tight and peered out of the room. There was no one to be seen, including Tiamat. "Tiamat, where are you?" she called out.
The silence that greeted her question had Wendy rechecking the tightness of her robe. Gone was the magical vibrating from just five minutes ago. Now it was serious mojo. Wendy kicked herself for leaving her phone in the kitchen. Most of the time she hated the thing, but right now it seemed like a bad idea to exile it so far away.
Wendy walked slowly down the hallway into her living room. She cursed herself inwardly for finding a house that wasn't open concept. It would have been much better if she had proper sight lines. Then again, she didn't know if she had an unwanted guest yet. Living room was clear, so she turned to head to the kitchen. That would give her access to her phone and a way to get out of the apartment. Both seemed like a good idea right about now.
A sounds from her office area stopped her in her tracks. "Tiamat?" Wendy asked. The sound went dead immediately. Wendy steeled herself for what was about to happen. She decided to surprise the intruder before they could surprise her.
Wendy ran the remaining steps to the office and spun around the corner, her left hand out. There were three individual in black wearing masks. Two were working on her safe while the third held a gun pointed at her. Two shots fired out. The first missed, but the second hit Wendy's shoulder, spinning her around on the way to the floor.
The two intruders working on the safe never skipped a beat while the third one pushed Wendy back onto her back with his foot. "Dumb bitch," he said.
Wendy's eyes began to glow. "Eat it," she yelled as she thrust her left hand at the man. A bolt of red light flashed between her hand and the man, blasting him off his feet. He landed bonelessly by the other two working on the safe. That finally broke their concentration. Two guns seemed to materialize out of thin air. Wendy felt a brush of fur as Tiamat jumped onto her chest and roared.
The two thieves looked at each other trying to figure out how such a little cat made such a big noise. Wendy smiled and released her binding spell. Tiamat leapt at the two invaders and seemed to transform in midair into a dragon that was way too big for the space everyone was in. Shots rang out, but it was like trying to stop a tank with a fly swatter. Tiamat swallowed whole the two invaders with a single bite before turning back to Wendy. "Are you alright?" Tiamat asked.
Wendy sat up and the bullet popped out of the already closing wound. "I'm going to be sore in the morning," she said. "The real question is who were they?"
Tiamat somehow shrugged as she idly ate the last invader.
"Did you have to?" asked Wendy.
"Did you want to explain this to the authorities?" asked Tiamat. "The police will be here soon."
Wendy could hear the sounds of sirens as well. "Okay, then time to pretend everything is normal," she said. With that Wendy reactivated the binding and Tiamat shrunk back into the space of a small cat. "We can be good at pretending," she said as she nuzzled with her cat.
Standard | Posted in Fiction, Urban Fantasy | Tagged dragon, magic, thieves, Tiamat | 0 comments


text:
"Sensational secrets EXPOSED!" Lobby card for Val Lewton's "Bedlam" (1946). (Courtesy of Jerry Murbach).
The sad and the beautiful: Val Lewton and Vincente Minnelli at the Stanford Theatre
April 28, 2017	0 Comments Share
Carlos Valladares
Senior Staff Writer
By: Carlos Valladares | Senior Staff Writer
Once upon a time, producer Val Lewton's horror films were only considered the "B" (or secondary) part of a movie double-bill; a slick flick like "The Bad and the Beautiful" was the "A," or the main attraction.
This weekend, the tables will be turned. The Stanford Theatre screens a new 35 mm print of Val Lewton's "Bedlam" (1946) as the "A." The supporting feature is Vincente Minnelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful," (1952), the uber-meta MGM melodrama that offers a fascinating look into the world of classical Hollywood from one of its masterminds.
"Bedlam," the last of Lewton's unmatched cycle of thrilling "B"-terrors, plays Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. and also at 3:50 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
"The Bad and the Beautiful," Hollywood's quasi-modernist tribute to its own genius, plays on all three days at 5:20 p.m. and 9 p.m.
"Bedlam" features Boris Karloff (Frankenstein's monster) in one of his greatest roles: Master Simms, the brutal head of the titular asylum. When the inhumane practices of Bedlam catch the attention of actress/amateur sleuth Nell Bowen (Anna Lee), Master Simms kidnaps and commits her. It's about the gap between theory and practice (can Nell the social crusader walk the walk?), female resistance to patriarchy, the blurring between real and nightmarish states and (as is typical of the melancholic Lewton) existential loss inside the soul. It has high-art aims for a surprisingly low-crust "B"; the 18th century English painter William Hogarth receives a screenwriting credit, because Lewton wanted the film to look like one of his grotesque prints from hell ("The Four Stages of Cruelty," 1751).
"The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) is not a Lewton film; rather, it's director Vincente Minnelli's tribute to artists like Lewton — and a fascinating glimpse at the Hollywood studio system, during its own heyday! This movie-about-movies is not as well-known as its popular older brother, Billy Wilder's "Sunset Blvd." (1950), but "The Bad and the Beautiful" is its equal in pathos and performance. It's a flashback yarn in three parts. Kirk Douglas plays a washed-out producer who wants to get his three favorite people in the biz — a starlet (Lana Turner), a director (Barry Sullivan) and a screenwriter (Dick Powell) — together for one final film. But they aren't eager to work with such a brutal, manipulative and scheming cad. Each explain their side of the story — what a genius Kirk was, and what a monster.
Lobby card for MGM's "The Bad and the Beautiful" (Courtesy of Jerry Murbach).
Though it's not a direct parallel to Lewton (he tended to leave directors like Jacques Tourneur alone to do their own business on set), one sequence serves as a magnificent ode to the Russian-born producer. The scene: Kirk and Barry are trying to make the most out of a schlocky horror assignment ("Doom of the Cat Men") neither of them want. Director Barry hates the Cat Man's costume. But Kirk comes up with an ingenious solution: Don't show the Cat Man. Barry asks, Will that work? Kirk responds, Of course it will. When Kirk gives Barry his reasons, he gives us the perfect epigram for Lewton's cinema, and the weird, spooky phenomenon of watching movies:
"What scares the human race more than any other single thing? The dark. Why? Because the dark has a light of its own. All sorts of things come alive!"
("The Bad and the Beautiful" is one of the many great Minnelli films, but he would outdo himself 10 years later with the even more self-aware "Two Weeks in Another Town" [1962], a modernist snuff film of classic Hollywood's own suicide — and brief resurrection? This weirdie is even more obscure. I'm convinced J-L Godard made his best '60s film, ''Contempt,'' as a response to ''Two Weeks.'')
This double feature wraps up the Stanford's month-long retrospective on the films of Val Lewton. The Russian immigrant-producer infected his films with a pungent melancholy that gains extra poignancy for being released as "B" movies (they were meant to be schlocky, disposable, forgotten) during the years America was fighting World War II (1942-46). As the head of a B-movie horror unit at RKO Studios, Lewton was only beholden to three rules: budgets of less than $150,000, running-times of less than 75 minutes, lurid titles ("The Curse of the Cat People") that couldn't be changed. Otherwise, Lewton had free reign to make whatever movies he wanted. Even the exploitation-style ad campaigns ("Lovely woman … Giant killer-cat … The same 'person'! … IT'S SUPER SENSATIONAL!!") couldn't do anything to morph the deep stoic respect Lewton bestows upon subjects as diverse as childhood trauma, slavery (in ''I Walked with a Zombie,'' America's greatest sin), the mentally insane and patriarchally oppressed Woman.
Val Lewton could have made schlocky quickies — good money, but totally disposable products. He didn't. Instead, across nine films in a space of only five years, he crafted an intense world crippled by gnawing loss, deep anguish, amnesia of history, amnesia of a dark past and a quasi-suicidal desperateness. It ranks alongside Preston Sturges' '40s screwball comedies as the greatest hot streak of classic Hollywood.
Contact Carlos Valladares at cvall96 'at' stanford.edu.
Bedlam Boris Karloff The Bad and the Beautiful The Stanford Theatre Val Lewton Vincente Minnelli	2017-04-28
Tagged with: Bedlam Boris Karloff The Bad and the Beautiful The Stanford Theatre Val Lewton Vincente Minnelli
About Carlos Valladares
Carlos Valladares' 18 is double-majoring in Film and American Studies. He loves the Beatles and jazz, dogs and dance. Were he stranded on a desert island, he'd be sure to take some food—and also, copies of "A Hard Day's Night," "The Young Girls of Rochefort," "Nashville," "Killer of Sheep," and anything by Studio Ghibli. You can follow his film writings at http://letterboxd.com/cvall96/. He was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles.
Stanley Donen's 'Charade' provides old-fashioned fun
Valladares: In a sentimental mood
Recs from the Vault: "In This Our Life," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"


This is a 6-mile canoe or kayak trip that navigates you down Tygart Creek which cuts Kentucky's most scenic limestone gorge. You will be on the creek for about 3.5 hours. The park will provide canoes, paddles, life vest, transportation shuttle from the Welcome Center and guides for your trip down the creek.
Required equipment includes; the correct attire for cool weather paddling, a complete change of clothes, treaded footwear, flashlight (for natural tunnel visit), sack lunch, bottled water and a dry bag for your supplies.
The cost is $25 per person. Departure will be at the Welcome Center at 9:30am.


When you use different parts of metals to make products the process is referred to as metalwork. This process requires a manufacturer who clearly understands in depth how this works. Due to this you need to evaluate the following point that will guide you in finding reliable metalwork manufacture.
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Customer service is another factor that determines the reputation of the company. To ensure that the clients are satisfied with the services then it's the duty of all staffs to offer excellent customer service. Clients are usually keen on the simple details of how the staffs are handling them, hence to get the best services to evaluate how the staffs are relating with the clients. Evaluate the service offered by the metalwork manufacture and ensure that the staffs have enough knowledge to handle customers. The manufacturer should maintain a high standard of customer service so that they can get to retain the client for business growth.
Choose a metalwork manufacturer who has the required training and qualification, experienced and innovative. Choose a well trained and qualified metalwork manufacture as an assurance that they have enough knowledge on metal. To mold the metal to the object that you purpose for requires heat and other special tools. The reason why you need trained and qualified metalwork manufacture is due to the special treatment of metal and the tools that are used. Innovation means that the manufacturer is able to design and manufacture new objects with different shapes and texture. Metalworking is used in making different and new tools hence then need for innovation. Experience is the other factors which mean that you have the skills to handle the metal. The duration you have stayed in the area you specialize in promotes growth since you will be learning new things and how to handle them. That the reason why you need an experienced manufacture since they have been accumulating enough knowledge over the time. Experience assure that the products manufactured by the metalwork manufacture will be the best and long-lasting.
From this site, you can learn more about the attributes to help you find a good metalwork dealer.


PräForm Pro is perfect in combination with the casing-in machine PräLeg and an alternative to the smaller PräForm, if there is a need for a higher performance.
After the casing-in process, the book will be pressed to ensure the conncetion of the end-papers of the block with the cover of the book. To make it even stronger and optimize the opening, a joint will be set at the same time of the pressing process. The glue will be activated again and support the book in the joint.
The machine has 8 stations to process 8 books at a time. The ready books could be taken-out at the front. As an option there is a stacker which take the books out at the back and stack them on a tray. After a defined height the tray will be moved onto a feeder for further processing. The output os appr. 250 books per hour.
The alignment of the scanned barcode of the PräLeg is available as a software option.