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Assault of the Slave Girls
Part 10
The atmosphere in the room was tense but not explosive. Tina sat between U1trawoman and Mystique and realized that she still had no power of her own. She merely stood between the powerful and had their favor. That could change quickly if she failed. There was a difference between faililng Modok and failing U1trawoman. The thought of being crushed in Ul1trawoman's grip sent a thrill of fear and yet a little pleasure as well shooting through Tina. All her life Tina had wanted power but now she was beginning to realize that just being next to it was a thrill. She had a little power and that shouldn't have satisfied her, but at the same time she only had a little of the responsibility. There was a safety in that that did satisfy her.
Beside Mystique sat Destiny and beside her sat Shadow Web and Modok.
"This modification of plan will complicate matters," Modok said. "I do not think that it is needed."
"Destiny has already said that the timelines favor us," Shadow Web added.
"Time lines shift," Tina said. "Random elements can turn history on a dime. A lost plan there, a careless word here, a clue overlooked… It can all come crashing down."
"You're plan rest on elements beyond our control," Modok pointed out.
"My plan doesn't exist," Tina said. "We went over this when you first recruited me. You changed my plan. Just because we've had a string of successes doesn't mean I'm wrong."
It was quiet in the conference room for a few minutes. The place was bare of anything but a table and chairs, the walls were white and beyond them were lead, cement, steel and electronic scrambler fields. It was about as secure as you could get from prying eyes.
"We let the Scarlet Witch and Ms. Marvel/Ultra Woman scenarios play out," Tina said at last. She was desperate but she was under control. "I can keep tweaking Ms. Marvel and Ultra Woman so they'll at least have a sexual liaison. The second part of that plan is all primed and you and Mystique can enjoy their crash all you want. With Crimson and White Owl I'll be more hands on, not only driving them into bed but making sure that they think only of each other, that they become more and more paranoid. We've linked into the net and satellite feed to the cabin they're staying in, I can put any thought into White Owl's head and I can beam subliminals toward Crimson. Give me a week and they'll be so in love with each other and so scared of the world they'll think their own mothers are part of the conspiracy. Then we have SHIELD capture them, U1trawoman save them and Mystique and let them think of the best way to attack the other side."
"It's the ultimate random element," Mystique said. "In essence they'll be traitors and traitors have brought down empires before."
Shadow Web wasn't convinced but Tina saw agreement in Modok's eyes.
"We will try it then," Modok said. "What is your first step?"
Tina felt U1trawoman's hand on her shoulder and her entire body felt supercharged.
"White Owl's going to have nightmares," Tina said smiling.
Athena woke up in a cold sweat reaching for the weapons in her utility belt before she realized that she wasn't wearing it. She was in bed, wearing a pair of pink flannel pajamas that were now pasted to her body. She looked around the room but there was no danger, no sound or movement. The full moon flowed into a completely still bedroom.
Athena lay still for a moment and then threw the covers off of herself and sat up. The cabin they'd been put in was a two story, six room mini-mansion with wide windows overlooking a picturesque lake. It was anything but rustic and featured a hot tub, bar, video room with a movie-screen sized TV and a play room. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom. She and Tiffany had settled for rooms right across from each other on the second floor. Athena sensed that Tiffany wanted to be closer but something held her back. Athena felt like she was being pulled in two directions at once and the added strain of their situation made it even worse.
Would I have had the nightmare if she were sleeping beside me, Athena wondered as she headed toward the bathroom. I doubt I'd be asleep to have one.
The last thought popped into her mind as she turned on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd looked better. Her hair was a mess, there were circles under her eyes and even her skin looked a bit paler than it should have. She was so heavy with sweat it was dripping off her face! She'd felt like this before when a bad period was coming but her period was at least two more weeks away. Tiffany had cooked them steak and potatoes for supper so it wasn't the food.
"I guess I'm just worried," Athena said as she unbuttoned the pajama top and pulled it off. She pulled off the bottoms as well and then toweled herself dry. Padding back into the bedroom she went over to the bureau and was reaching for another set of pajamas when a thought popped into her mind.
Maybe I was just too hot wearing pajamas. I'll just sleep nude.
Athena shook her head and took hold of the bureau to steady herself. Again she reached for the pajamas. She took hold of them, feeling the thick fabric and then took her hand away. Going back to the bed she crawled under the sheets and took a deep breath. The feeling of the sheets against her bare nipples excited her as the motion of her chest dragged the fabric across them.
I better not let Tiffany know I'm sleeping this way, Athena thought as she started to drift off. Almost of it's own accord one of her hands drifted to her breast and the other between her legs.
Tiffany lay in bed and her fingers pressed on the remote every now and then, flipping through the channels but not really seeing anything. Her mind was drifting back over the events of the past few weeks.
She and Athena had seen Ms. Marvel murder someone and brutally attack others. Why were the Avengers, hell why were the X-men closing ranks with her? Why be so blatant about it? With Prof X's powers they could have erased the knowledge or the memory of the crime easily that first night in the apartment. Then again they'd made an official report and he couldn't wipe everyone's mind, could he?
Tiffany stared the screen and didn't notice the flickering that danced across it every few seconds. She thought of Athena in the next room and then she thought of Athena laying in a hospital bed while Wolverine ran his claws over her body. Of herself sitting in a chair helpless to do anything about it. The image enraged her but Tiffany knew there was nothing she could do. She and Athena were good and each of them could pull off some good surprises in battle but they could fight the X-men and the Avengers.
"And SHIELD," Tiffany muttered under her breath. "Can't trust them, can't trust them, can't trust them…"
Her voice drifted off as her mind sank into darkness, but her eyes were still open and when the screen switched from an old movie to a geometric pattern filled with color Tiffany watched and when soft words started to fill the room Tiffany listened.
"Subtle," Mystique said as they watched Athena and Tiffany on the monitors.
"Thank you," Tina said. She adjusted the controls. "I wish Crimson were more susceptible to the nanites but the hypnosis should do it for now. All I really have to do is re-enforce what she already believes to be true and press her to be more and more worried about White Owl. It's not outside of the range of her normal behavior so there shouldn't be any resistance."
"And White Owl?"
"No more nightmares, but she's going to have a wet dream just before she wakes up tomorrow. I'll input a strong suggestion that Tiffany should do the laundry."
"I see some awkward moments for those two tomorrow," Mystique said sipping her wine.
"That's what I want," Tiffany said. "I want them orbiting each other and getting closer every moment until they unite. Once their love is solid as a rock we can use it."
"Love is a many splendored thing," Mystique said.
Tina didn't reply but Mystique must have seen the look on her face.
"Love hasn't been kind to you has it?"
Tina sighed.
"I was sixteen, he was nineteen. I thought it was love until he got me drunk and passed me around to his buddies at a party one night. The next day he laughed at me. I planted some coke on him and then told the cops, they did the rest."
"Love has a dark side," Mystique said. She watched as Athena moved restlessly under her sheets. "How far do you really think you can get her to go?
"Athena? If this works she'll be completely loyal to U1trawoman," Tina said. "Given enough time I can make her be loyal to anyone."
"What are the other two going to go through this night?"
"Well they aren't going to sleep much," Tina said. "But since they're in the mansion we can't monitor them like these two. But if I push them in the right direction they should both feel the need to talk. Given how I've already pushed them to feel more than friendship the talking should help it along."
"Push then," Mystique said. "It'll be just as good to see Ms. Marvel crushed as it will to see Rogue come back to me."
"Pushing," Tina said and manipulated the controls. "But at a certain point I'll send out the word and the Ultra Woman will be needed."
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Tina said. "Also Ms. Marvel can't leave the mansion, that'll frustrate her to see Ultra Woman go while she has to stay. And the more frustrated Ms. Marvel is the easier it will be to manipulate her."
Tania listened to the muted sounds of the city as she walked through the mansion. New York truly never slept and she could hear cars, horns, music and people even through the closed windows. She could also hear Carol grunting as she worked out in the gym. For a moment Tania paused at the door, but then she moved on. She and Carol were growing closer but Carol was still reluctant and Tania was not going to push.
She walked into the library and looked over the books. Most of them were hardbound classics but there were also dog-eared paperbacks and a few scrolls. Tania selected one of the books and sat down. She was half way into Tanith Lee's Night Master when Carol walked into the room. She was fresh from the shower as Tania could tell from her wet hair and red robe. Carol hesitated for just a moment when she saw Tania and then walked over and sat down on the couch.
"One am reading," Carol said. "I thought Jan and I were the only ones awake."
"I heard Reed talking to Wanda as well," Tania looked the book. "I didn't expect to find science fiction paperbacks here, the mansion seems more a hardcover place."
"Jan's work," Carol said. "She says as long as we fight crazy things we should bone up on them."
"This is fiction isn't it?" Tania asked.
"So far as we know," Carol said. "But I've come across Frankenstein's Monster and he turned out to be real, the Avengers have faced a half dozen menaces that were supposed to be just legends."
Tania couldn't suppress a shudder as she put the book down.
"You ever run into someone like Azhrarn?" Carol asked.
"I've faced my share of attractive demon lords," Tania said. "You?"
"Mostly aliens," Carol said. "I guess we stand at the center of two genres. Do a lot of reading?"
"I've gotten into the habit," Tania said. "You?"
"Mostly detective and adventure stuff," Carol said. "Until I met my first alien and then I started to read scifi."
"At home most of our stories are told around the fire or at the feast, they are more social gatherings than times for immersing yourself in stories. But in the library we have thousands of scrolls with tales from ancient and forgotten lands. As a scout I was never one to linger there too long. You'd like our story parties, we feast and dance for the entire night, sometimes almost for days."
"Sounds like fun," Carol agreed smiling.
"When all this is over," Tania said.
"If it ever ends," Carol said. She sighed and Tania knew that the sigh released none of her frustration. "I'm used to dealing with my own problems and now I'm relying on a duck!"
"He's an intelligent duck," Tania pointed out.
"Might as well be defended by Bugs Bunny," Carol said running her hand through her hair. "So what's it like on your island?"
"We live in peace for the most part," Tania said. "But for monsters and enemies that creep out of the dark. My job as scout was to keep them at bay or sound the alarm. Not so much different from here really."
"You ever think of going back?"
"Yes, and I will someday." Tania said. "Here I age after all and I won't be able to be Ultra Woman when age takes me."
"Then another one?" Carol said. "Who next? You have a daughter right?"
"Not her," Tania said sharply.
"Sorry I…"
"No I'm sorry," Tania said. "What I've gone through… I wouldn't let my daughter near what I've been through or the others who've been Ultra Woman." Tania shook her head. "My nightmare is that I won't be able to stop her when the time comes."
"My father wasn't in love with me joining the air force either," Carol said. "I…"
She was interrupted by the intercom. A small hologram of Jan appeared.
"Tania we're getting a message that the coast guard has picked up an amazon, or someone who claims to be one. She's asking for you."
"Odd," Tania said.
"A trap?" Carol asked. "I'll…"
She stopped and shrugged but her eyes smoldered.
"I'll handle it," Tania said. "It might just be another poor woman who wants to be an amazon. They find me at times."
"Yea, ok." Carol said.
"I'll keep you on monitor watch," Jan said. "Anything happens and we'll be there."
"Some of us will," Carol muttered.
"This shouldn't take long," Tania said and headed for the door. She wanted to say more to Carol but couldn't think of anything to say.
Dawn was beginning to break when Wanda got out of bed and slipped into her robe. On the bed Reed slept on snoring slightly and Wanda sighed.
"Snoring too? Seriously Sue how do you put up with him?"
Getting Reed into bed had been easy but getting him aroused and active had proven to be a chore. The man just didn't seem interested in sex at all. Not even after two bottles of wine to break down his inhibitions. Wanda had used every trick she knew and she still hadn't gotten him going. Finally in desperation she'd used an old trick that she'd heard some of the wilder gypsy girls talk about when they had thought Wanda asleep. Going to her room she had grabbed a pair of wool socks and then wearing only them had shuffled around on the carpet around the bed for five minutes. Then she'd gotten on the bed and placed her fingertips on his balls. Electricity flashed, Reed jumped a little and the erection started. She'd done it twice more until it was solid enough to handle and after that some good old-fashioned mouth work had finally gotten him going.
But he hadn't gotten going in the ways that she loved or even liked. She'd been excited about the prospects of his pliable body but Wanda had quickly found that pliable meant pliable. It had almost been like making love to a balloon animal in the shape of a man.
"From now on I just tie them up," Wanda whispered ruefully. "It's so unfair, Scarlet's been drugged and it never stopped her from being aroused."
She sighed and turned back to the bed. Wanda had stretched Reed's arms and legs out and tied them to the four corners of her bed. That had been a good start and she'd mounted him but despite her efforts his penis had grown no larger than any other mans would have. Wanda had teased, bounced and caressed every part of him and the so called 'Mr. Fantastic' had mumbled equations! She'd never had a more un-satisfying night of sex in her life.
"Maybe it was the love potion," Wanda mused as she started to tug at is arm to untie it. "Or maybe he's just like every other guy… All those… Other…?"
Wanda stopped in mid-thought and sat down on the bed stunned as she seemed to wake up fully for the first time.
'Every other guy?' What was she thinking? Wanda had not had that many lovers in her life. Why did she suddenly think that she had? For a few minutes Wanda sat and tried to think but the thoughts and memories that had been there only a few seconds before slipped away from her like a dream. But as they did a fresh horror filled her as Wanda realized what she had done. This was the second man she'd raped.
Controlling herself Wanda finished un-tying Reed. He lay nude on the bed and as she looked him Wanda tried to see the man who had been her friend for years. A cold feeling filled her as she realized that they were in one of the guest rooms, not her room. There was no denying it now; she had planned this. More Wanda realized with a numbing horror, she'd be doing more of this. It didn't matter if it were wrong or not.
Wanda turned to the mirror over the dresser and opened her robe, admiring her full breasts, wide hips and the triangle of well-groomed hair between her legs. She finally had a body that could bring men in, she had the power to bring them in and she was going to bring them in no matter what!
Unable to stop herself Wanda began to think of ways to improve the love potion. She pushed past the part of her that was disgusted and thought only of the men that she was going to have. She gazed at Reed again and as her eyes drank in the well conditioned body she thought of trying again. Surely there was some way to arouse him?
Maybe some coffee would help me think, Wanda thought going to the door and starting to pull her robe closed. He's going to satisfy me if I have to…
She opened the door and froze. On the other side of the door Sue Richards froze her hand raised and ready to knock. Sue was wearing blue skirt, white blouse and blue coat. Wanda realized that she was wearing nothing at all under a very thin robe. That would have been bad enough but she saw Sue's eyes drift past her to the bed. Very quickly those eyes showed puzzlement, realization, understanding and rage and then Wanda didn't know what was in them because she was staggering back into the room with blood spurting from her nose.
"You bitch!" Sue growled and came after her. Her fist slammed into Wanda's jaw and then her stomach. As Wanda doubled over Sue grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the dresser.
Wanda should have stopped. She should have retreated and tried to explain. But the Wanda who would have done that wasn't there. The Wanda who was there looked at Sue and saw the perfect blonde haired, blue eyed beauty who had always had the easy life, the life where everything was handed too her. That Wanda found a fury in her soul equal to Sue's.
She blocked Sue's next punch and slammed her own fist into Sue's stomach and then she hit lower when Sue drew back from the blow. Sue's eyes went wide but she didn't give ground. Her fist shot toward Wanda's jaw and Wanda grabbed it.
From that point it was a wrestling match and the two enraged woman traded blows as they enveloped the room in a cyclone of feminine fury. Even as mad as both of them were though some remnant of their friendship stayed with them. Sue did not put up a force field or turn invisible and Wanda did not cast any spells. Or perhaps it was that neither of them could think clearly enough. It was a primal rage that enveloped them, one that reached back into a time when growls were words and action was not hindered by thought. All that Wanda could think to do was to beat Sue senseless and take Reed for her own and for her part all that Sue could think to do was to beat Wanda senseless and then beat Reed senseless. At some point they fell onto the bed and over Reed who woke up when Wanda's blow missed Sue and hit him in the groin.
"What is going on?" Tania's voice came from the doorway but Wanda and Sue were beyond hearing.
Wanda tackled Sue and the momentum of her charge carried them into the window and through it. They were on the second floor of the mansion and only Sue's quick invisible force field cushion saved them from slamming into the pavement. Almost instantly they were up and at each other again.
"Stop!" Tania shouted flying down and pushing them apart. She stood between them and kept them apart with a hand on each shoulder.
Wanda locked her own furious eyes with Sue's and might have gone at her again but a sudden flash distracted her. She looked and saw that a crowd had gathered and the flash was from at least a dozen camera phones and full sized cameras. Suddenly Wanda became aware that her robe was torn and open. Sue's blouse had been torn open in the fight and her bra had been pulled out of position exposing one breast.
"Come on!" Tania shouted grabbing both of them and flying back through the open window.
"I'm fine!" Wanda growled as Hank ran a scanner over her body.
She would have sounded more convincing, Tania thought, if her voice didn't have a nasal twang to it. Sue's punch hadn't broken Wanda's nose but it had bloodied it and she sat on the medical bench with her nose pinched shut. Sue had collected Reed and gone and Tania didn't want to think about what was going on in the Baxter Building right now.
"Wanda you just had drunk sex with Mr. Fantastic," Steve said, Wanda drew her torn robe more tightly around her body.
"Who I see is my business Captain," Wanda said.
"Not when we might have a security risk," Steve said. "This is not you Wanda."
"What you think I'm being controlled?" Wanda demanded and Tania wondered if she only imagined the note of hope in Wanda's voice. "I like sex you know! I don't have to be controlled to have it!"
"It's happened before," Hank said. "We both know it's possible and we don't know everything that Zola did to you."
"If I am being controlled how do we tell?" Wanda asked. "Call Charles?"
"The electronic age is great for scandal," Carol said coming into the room. She handed an electronic pad to Steve. "There were a lot of camera phones outside.
He winced and Wanda grabbed it from his hands. Tania looked over her shoulder. The picture was of her holding Wanda and Sue apart. Wanda's robe was open exposing everything while Sue's torn cloths allowed her to retain more modesty. The headline of the blog was blunt and tasteless.
'Catfight over Mr. Fantastic!"
"Damn them!" Wanda cried throwing the pad against the far wall.
"Wanda what were you thinking?" Carol asked. "Sue's your friend!"
"I wasn't thinking," Wanda snapped. "I was… I was…"
"Maybe not in control."
They looked at Tania and for a moment there was silence.
"I'll call the professor," Hank said.
"Wait," Tania said and looked at them all for a moment. "I have my own way,"
Stepping away from Wanda Tania raised her arms and held out her hands as if she were holding a hoop.
"Aly Afae," Tania whispered.
A woman faded into existence. She was Tania's height but slimmer and her dark violet skin, white hair and pointed ears betrayed her drow heritage. She was dressed in an Ultra Woman costume but there was a spider in the center of her tiara. She faded into existence in the same pose as Tania but she was holding a golden rope. The drow smiled and her eyes were full of love as she dropped the rope into Tania's hands and vanished.
"Hello and farewell my little sister," Tania said in a language that she knew none of the other people in the room understood.
"Who was that?" Carol asked as Tania turned around.
"An old friend," Tania said. She held up the rope. "Once a person is bound with this rope they must obey and they must tell the truth."
Wanda held her wrists in front of her.
"Go ahead."
Wanda felt a cold chill fill her as her wrists were tied together. Deep within her on a level of consciousness only the greatest telepath could have discerned a part of her huddled in fear. The rope's magic took hold and it spanned her entire mind, both that part of Wanda that was still locked into the hideous form of a drider and the modified copy that occupied the body sitting in the medical bay at Avengers mansion. But it also took hold of the spark that was the woman who had held that body before. The desperate, angry AIM agent who was now forced to face herself in a way she had never been able to before. But that woman was still only a spark and the primary mind was still a copy of Wanda's true mind. So it answered.
"Who are you?" Tania asked.
"Wanda Maximoff," Wanda replied.
"Is anyone controlling you?"
And that was the truth since the copy of Wanda's mind was free, but it followed desires and rules that Wanda's true mind did not.
"Why did you sleep with Reed?"
"Because I wanted too."
"He's powerful," Wanda heard herself speak the words and even though they were true she hated that they were true. For even in the copied mind there was awareness of right and wrong, made all the more powerful because that copied mind was still linked to Wanda's true mind. "He's strong, he's handsome and I wanted him."
All of that was true as well, but Wanda knew that she was holding something back, but it was something she didn't know. Just as she didn't know about the bionics that mimicked the powers of the true Scarlet Witch, she didn't know about the computer in her womb. She didn't know that she was just a copy of the true Scarlet.
"So you did it completely of your own free will?"
"What about Sue?"
"I didn't care."
Tania untied her wrists and Wanda looked down. She couldn't look up and see the disappointment that she knew was on the faces of her friends.
"You're not being controlled," Tania said.
"But you got some serious problems," Carol said.
"I know," Wanda said. "Steve, as of now I'm leaving the Avengers. I need to get help."
"Where will you go?" Tania asked.
"Away," Wanda said.
She got up off of the medical bed and walked numbly out of the room.
"Wanda wait," Steve called going after her.
Tania coiled up the rope but she didn't miss the look's that Carol and Hank shot her way.
Tina had always found Shadow Web's laugh disgusting. The creatures laugh sounded like a bad mike connection in a cheap bars karaoke night. But she was hearing it now and more frustrating than the laugh was the fact that everyone was ignoring the danger.
But Tina had to admit that the image on the monitor screen was funny. The CNN feed had blurred out the R-rated anatomical details but that was all. Ultra Woman stood between a near naked Scarlet Witch and a beat up Sue Richards and was barely keeping them apart.
"There has been no comment from either the Avengers or the Fantastic Four," Wolf Blitzer said as the image shifted to standard pictures of Wanda and Sue. "But we know that the Scarlet Witch has left Avengers Mansion and that her where-abouts are un-known."
"You're scheme has proven very enjoyable," U1trawoman said. She was sitting to Tina's right and Mystique and Destiny were sitting to her left. Shadow Web and Modok were on the other side of the table.
"This could be a problem," Tina said raising her voice to be heard. Shadow Web stopped laughing and they all looked at her. "I know it's funny," Tina went on, "and seeing Scarlet's boobs bounce around on national tv is popcorn worthy, but think about it."
Tina looked around the table but only got blank looks.
"This further splits the superheroes," Modok said. "That serves us."
"But it puts a target on the Scarlet Witch," Tina said. "The Avengers are trying to figure out what's going on, they know someone's framing Ms. Marvel. Having a member suddenly act out of character is going to point them at her. If they find out she's a fake they could possibly find out where her bionics came from."
"We stole those bionics from Latveria," Modok said.
"We don't want to tick of Dr. Doom!" Tina almost pleaded.
"We will have to deal with him eventually," Shadow Web said.
Tina forced her anger down. The woman's tone sounded as if she were planning to bring an umbrella in case it rained.
"Doom is not to be under estimated," Mystique warned.
"No he is not," U1trawoman agreed.
"Are you saying that he could beat you?" Shadow Web demanded.
"I'm saying he's dangerous," U1trawoman said.
"My point is that we should move to make sure we don't have to deal with him until we're ready," Tina said.
"We do not have to worry about the Scarlet Witch," Destiny said suddenly and in a tone of voice that made Tina shiver. "The help she is looking for isn't available and without it the instincts that we have programmed into her will take over."
"What do you mean?" Tina asked, careful to keep her tone respectful.
"I see the Scarlet Witch following her orders," Destiny said still in that odd tone. "Only vaguely do I see a time line where she becomes a problem for us."
"Will she be back in the city?" Tina asked.
"I can't tell," Destiny said and she suddenly sounded tired.
"We'll maintain a watch for her," Modok said. "If she re-enters the city we shall know about it."
"What about the Invisible Woman?" Mystique asked.
"I don't think we have to do anything about her," Tina said.
"I agree," U1trawoman said. "Though Dark Star would like another battle with the Thing."
"Dangerous," Modok said. "After the last attack my spies report that Reed Richards has started to focus some of his energies on your group."
"What have they reported?" U1trawoman demanded.
"So far only that his research is focused on your battles over the years," Modok said. "We shall notify you if anything comes from his research."
"See that you do," U1trawoman said.
"What about the duck and his wife?" Mystique asked.
"Locked up in my keep for the moment," U1trawoman said. "The duck intrigues me, he is brave but not foolhardy, no hero but not one to back down when he thinks he is right."
"I think…" Destiny said suddenly and again in that strange tone of voice that sent shivers down Tina's back. "I think Howard and Beverly could be… Could be part of getting Rogue back to us… I can see… I can see… Nightshade…"
"You will use… Use them…"
"If she's seen it then you will," U1trawoman said. "Think Tina."
Tina was about to protest when U1trawoman put her hand on Tina's shoulder. Mystique did the same on the other side of her. Tina swallowed as her heart started to race.
"Think," Mystique said and while there was command in U1trawoman's voice there was entreaty in hers.
Tina swallowed again and her mind began to race. She couldn't, she wouldn't let these two down.
Tania watched the sunset from her room in the mansion and idly fingered the golden rope in her hand. Wanda had packed and Hank was using a quinjet to take her someplace in Massachusetts. Tania had felt like an outsider while the arrangements were being made. She loved Wanda as a sister but the words her friend had used had shocked Tania as much as they had anyone else.
What changed in you sister, Tania wondered. She'd known Wanda for years and they'd been through many adventures together. She'd never thought Wanda would do this sort of thing.
A knock on the door interrupted her reverie.
"Come in," She said and Carol and Steve walked into the room. Tania smiled to herself, she had expected Carol at least but she knew why Steve was there too.
"Wanda's gone," Steve said and Tania nodded. "I don't know what happened to her, but I hope she'll be alright. Agatha Harkness is the witch who trained Wanda in magic beyond her natural mutant ability, if anyone can help her she can."
"I hope it works out for her."
"We need to talk about something else though," Steven said.
"You're curious about this." Tania said holding up the golden rope.
"Avengers respect each others privacy," Steve said. "But we also don't hold back from each other. I don't want to pry…"
"I do," Carol said interrupting him. "We've heard of you but we've never heard of that rope. I'd like to know who that girl was too."
There was a spark of jealousy in her voice and Tania welcomed it. She and Carol were moving progressively closer toward something very beautiful.
"If I were to bind you with this rope," Tania said, "and ask you what you had for dinner on a Tuesday in May five years ago, you'd have to tell me. If I commanded you never to have that food again you'd have to obey me." Tania twirled the rope into a lasso. Then she held it up so that the loop framed Carol's face. "If I were to bind you with this Carol and commanded you to go down on your hands and knees and bark like a dog, you'd have to obey."
Tania tossed the lasso to Steve.
"Steve, if you were to bind me with that lasso and order me to tell you every weakness I have, I'd have to tell you. My weakness –every amazon's curse- is that once we experience a sexual orgasm our powers leave us for seven hours. If you were to tie me up with that lasso and order me to have a sexual climax I would. If you commanded me to strip nude and crawl to you and beg, beg you to let me pleasure you I would have to."
Steve walked over and handed the lasso back to her.
"I'm the fifth Ultra Woman that has come to man's world," Tania said taking the lasso with a smile. She knew he'd give it back. "The first woman was killed and it wasn't until later that we found out how she was killed. She used this lasso freely and it wasn't long before some villain used it on her. She was made to reveal all of the weaknesses of an amazon. Since then those villains who've known of the lasso have always used it against us. It's been lost for years and passed from villain to villain to Ultra Woman back to a villain… I captured it from one of Doc Droids men and in the beginning I was careless with it too." Tania frowned at the memory. "Until the Wraith Lord mystically cast me into the dark elf city of Menzoberazon. I used the lasso to force a drow queen to send me home, but she had guards and even in that place they know how to make chloroform."
Tania winced at the word and the memory.
She gave me to one of her daughters to break. We've all been in dungeons so I won't bother with the details of my torments. Her name was Aly and she knew what she was doing. I was tortured in many ways. While Aly was doing her best to break my spirit her mother used the lasso to wreak havoc on her enemies. But Aly didn't have the spirit of evil that most drow have. She hated her people and their way of life and was intrigued by the kind of life I led. She didn't believe my tales of honor, principle and sacrifice at first, but she was curious and used the lasso on me and knew I was speaking the truth."
Tania smiled remembering the look on the young drow's face when she realized that there was more to the world than what she had been taught. Different ways of living that didn't involve cruelty and deceit.
"She helped me escape and her mother pursued us. We were months in the Underdark and then the surface world. During that time I saw her blossom and grow like a dark rose in the moonlight. She learned how to be a good woman and I was surprised to find a core of kindness in her. Even though we were on the run and constantly hunted those were good times, perhaps the best in her life."
"What happened?" Steve asked when Tania had paused a bit too long.
"We made it too the portal," Tania said trying and failing to bury the pain of the memory. "Almost through the portal. But Aly's mother shot her in the back with a poisoned arrow. She stumbled through the portal near death but had enough power to cast one more spell."
Tania stood up and held up the lasso.
"Aly Afae," Tania said.
The drow appeared, smiled at her, took the lasso and vanished with it.
"Aly isn't dead or alive," Tania said turning to them. "She fused her own spirit with the lasso and it holds her in limbo. Her spirit can't move on and her body is dead so she can't really come back to the world of the living. So when I call her she enters this world long enough to take the lasso back or give it to me. It was her last act of thanks to me."
"That's one hell of a last act," Carol said.
"She knew what the lasso cost me and the former Ultrawomen," Tania said. "I think she might have been inspired by my tales of heroism too. When I call her Aly knows if I am being controlled some by some villain so she won't come. If I fall in battle she snatches the lasso back into limbo before it can be grabbed."
Tania sat down again.
"It hasn't always worked," She said. "A few times a villain has grabbed the lasso from me before I was knocked out. But it has helped."
"But you don't use it that often," Steve said.
"It's not your shield Steve," Tania said. "Even Thor couldn't break free if I tied him with the golden lasso. When I was in the drow dungeons and Aly was torturing me, dragging out of me every battle I'd ever been in and every defeat and humiliation I'd ever suffered… I realized just how careless I'd been with the lasso. So since then I've used it sparingly and often pretended that it was either a myth or lost. When pressed I've also told villains that I loose my power for ten hours after an orgasm, not seven. We amazons are an honest race but I've learned the value of deception."
"Thank you," Steve said after they were all silent for a few minutes. "This won't be talked about again unless we need too."
Tania nodded and he left.
"Why didn't you use the lasso on me?" Carol asked. "When I wasn't sure?"
"I never thought of using it on you," Tania said. "I never thought you were being controlled. I had faith that your feelings were true." And hope, Tania added silently admitting to herself that she hadn't wanted that hope to be crushed. She knew that she felt true love for Carol and she felt that Carol was beginning to feel the same way about her. The idea that it was false on Carol's part wasn't one she was ready to face.
Or at least that's what I told myself, Tania thought.
"Are you mad that I didn't?" She asked.
"I'm not sure," Carol said and left the room. "I have to think," She said as she closed the door behind her.
Tania sighed and returned her attention to the window but the sun had set and only the lights of the city greeted her eyes. Was Carol mad? Should she be?
Tania sat and grappled with the questions.
... to be continued.
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Cars > 72vette99's Garage
About 72vette99's Garage
My first car
my first car was a 1965 olds 442. the car was on the showroom floor and i bought it on the spot.
Car I wish I still had
1955 chevy two door hardtop. it had a 302 c.i. engine, 3 on the floor. color was canary yellow, black roll and pleat, buckets and cut down 58 chevy back seat.
My dream car
dream car would be 1967 corvette coupe, 427, 435 horse four speed, dark green in color.
Car clubs I'm in
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- Car magazine: hot rod
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Welcome to Bletchingdon Parochial C of E School
12/12/2014 - Low Key Christmas Fayre 2 - 3:30p.m.
15/12/2014 - Last Swim of the year for Year 3 / 4 / 5
15/12/2014 - Carols by Candlelight
18/12/2014 - School Christmas Lunch
19/12/2014 - School Christmas Party & Party Food Lunch
23/1/2015 - PTA Quiz
Bletchingdon Parochial CE Primary School provides a caring and supportive environment, where all children are motivated to achieve their full potential. We are proud to be an integral part of the community – past, present and future; where we combine long standing traditions with a forward looking approach to education.
The school aims to create a constructive and positive environment where both effort and achievement are recognised, nurtured and celebrated and where every child is valued as a child of God. Members of staff across the school offer the children a broad, varied and meaningful education with a strong emphasis on developing the core skills of reading, writing, mathematics, science and ICT alongside a wide range of learning opportunities and experiences designed to develop well-rounded members of society.
With just over 70 children spread across our Early Years Foundation Stage, Infant and Junior classes, we benefit from the virtues of a small school, able to focus on the uniqueness of each child and the individual needs of each family.
Throughout the time your child is with us, we acknowledge and respect individuality, we listen and work with parents and are committed to being part of the local community. We have high expectations and seek to develop in all our children a strong sense of responsibility for their behaviour, and a respect for others.
We look forward to working together with you in helping your child to develop intellectually, socially and emotionally during these very important years. We hope that you will support us to achieve our aims by becoming part of the life of our school.
Please do call us to make an appointment. We very much look forward to meeting you.
Louise Hatton


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|heavenly blue mgs
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by caroline_2008 Z 6 (My Page) on Sun, Aug 31, 08 at 11:34
|What a beautiful sight. Very pretty. I guess my trellis
isn't large enough for my HB's .Before I plant any
more I will give them more room. Thanks for sharing.
- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Mon, Sep 1, 08 at 13:09
|They are beautiful. I planted them twice from different seed companies and both times they came up and were purple.
|Wow, that's a real bloom machine there!
|I love them too. I'd like to have more blue in my yard.
So these are annuals, right? But my neighbor has one that comes back each year...is that because it self seeds?
|Really stunning colors, thank you for posting those.
Here they are so agressive they can swallow a house. There was one in my old neighborhood that literally engulfed a two story house--they had to get a big crew of guys in to tear it all out finally--but your pictures are beautiful...
|They really are pretty but very invasive here. I actually planted one once and it took me years to eradicate them. They popped up everywhere!
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Channel 6 News - Search Results
Mad rush to buy guns in Conn.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The Connecticut Senate has approved wide-ranging gun control legislation in response to last year's deadly school shooting in Newtown that left 20 first-graders and six staffers dead.
The measures include a ban of the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines and 100 weapons that previously had been legal. The 139-page bill was crafted by leaders from both major parties in the Democratic-controlled legislature. The Senate voted 26-10 in favor of the bill.
The bill has gone to the House of Representatives, which is expected to pass it tonight. It would then be sent to Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who has said he'll sign it.
There's a run on gun shops in Connecticut as state lawmakers prepare to pass tough new regulations on firearms.
Buyers hope to beat those rules that will ban large capacity ammo magazines and classify over 100 guns as assault weapons.
Those regulations are set to take effect as soon as the governor signs the law, which could happen tonight.


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West Texas Intermediate may rise toward $100 after prices settled above a key Fibonacci level for a second day, according to a technical analysis by Iitrader.com.
The May WTI contract has climbed for the past four sessions and settled above $95.55 a barrel for the past two. That's the 61.8 percent retracement level from a March 4 low of $89.79 on a three-month Fibonacci study. The price may test $100 if it breaches $97.92, the Feb. 20 intraday high, said Bill Baruch, a senior market strategist at Iitrader.com, a Chicago commodity trading firm.
"The $95.55 level is now the support," Baruch said. The $97.92 price "is where the market broke down in February, and if we move above the level, the market will make new highs. We are looking at $100."
Oil for May delivery gained 24 cents to settle at a five- week high of $96.58 yesterday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Futures touched a three-month intraday high of $99.11 on Feb. 13. Prices last traded above $100 in September, and crude last settled above the level in May.
A breach below the 50 percent Fibonacci retracement of $94.44 may set a bearish trend for oil, Baruch said. The Fibonacci sequence of numbers is used by traders to predict areas of support and resistance as markets repeat earlier movements.
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Added sugar in canned tomatoes??
WTH?? I made a homemade tomato sauce tonight, and grabbed my can of italian diced Red Gold tomatoes. I looked at the label and the sugars looked a little high, even for tomatoes. When I looked at the ingredients, the third one was sugar?? Why?? Tomatoes have enough sugar on their own. So I checked another brand and it had added high fructose corn syrup! Even worse.
So instead of making my own I grabbed my jar of Ragu reduced sugar sauce.
Anyone know a brand that does not add sugar? This has me really aggravated!
I usually buy Muir Glen organic tomatoes. Most varieties don't seem to have sugar. I don't get it either, why sugar is added to nearly everything. I recently discovered that my favorite broths had sugar added. I don't get that at all. There are brands without sugar added, but it really takes label reading to be sure.
The sweetness of the canned tomatoes depends on the season they're harvested. Some companies will add sugar to keep the flavor consistent during off-season harvests.
Most Red Gold tomato products do not have any sugar added... or HFCS! Their diced tomatoes list: Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Salt, Citric Acid, Calcium Chloride
And there's 3g of sugar per serving for 5g total carbs :)
Oh, I wanted to add... it seems like your safest bet will always be to buy the plain old diced tomatoes and add your own seasonings to them. When there's added sugar, it's usually in the diced tomato blends like the Italian one you mentioned, or the ones for chili.
I'm usually so good about reading labels. I just figured tomatoes were safe. Lesson learned!!
It's hit and miss. Sometimes Hunt's brand don't, sometimes they do. I really hate the tiny black letters on the red backround! More often than not, I don't buy any.
I was low sugar long before I went low carb and it is in everything... tomatoes, corn, saltines...
I used to buy some decent frozen mixed vegetables, but now they are all "seasoned" or full of carrots!
Oh well, it encourages me to buy fresh.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 09:25 PM.


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A whole new way to see Dublin: Cityscape Luxury Sightseeing Tours- stopping at Aviva Stadium
Send you letter to Santa by post.
The address is:
Santa's Headquarters
Aviva Stadium
Lansdowne Road
Dublin 4
Santa is back in Aviva Stadium.
Santa Tours from 27 November till 23 December.
Ticket prices:
1 Child 10euro
1 Adult 5euro
1 Adult & 1 Child 15euro
2 Adults & 1 Child 20euro
2 Adults & 2 Children 25euro
2 Adults & 3 Children 30euro
Enjoy fun filled "highlights" tour of Aviva Stadium, meet Santa and receive your gift.
After the success of the Aviva Stadium Winter Wonderland and Santa experience, Santa has chosen Aviva Stadium as his official Irish Headquarters again for Christmas 2014.
Families from all over Ireland are welcome to visit the Elves' sorting office, the Elves' briefing room, view Santa's landing spot (the stadium pitch) and meet Santa himself in his specially built grotto.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour departs.
For more information or group bookings please call 01 232 0878 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
We are looking forward to seeing you this Christmas.
Professional photographer available, framed prints can be purchased on the day, 10euro per print.
Photography by www.pixillume.com.
This is what our customers said about us:
"Fab grotto. Santa had lots of time for the kids. No queues."
"Excellent tour and Santa's grotto was done very well the guide was very attentive"
"The Santa experience was brilliant"
"Lovely staff the Santa was great"
"Be very proud of yourselves in the high standard of the grounds and your staff. Well done."


text:
by Dajeha » 06 Nov 2013, 16:19
by Tessa78 » 06 Nov 2013, 20:54
by AngelaGrace56 » 07 Nov 2013, 10:21
by AngelaGrace56 » 07 Nov 2013, 10:40
by adelfio » 07 Nov 2013, 17:00
by AngelaGrace56 » 07 Nov 2013, 19:49
by adelfio » 07 Nov 2013, 20:33
AngelaGrace56 wrote:Thank you for doing this Marty, and for the encouragement too.
I had noticed that Giuseppe had married when I found his Birth Record but they have him recorded as Celibe on the passenger list so maybe Primina died. Unfortunately I am working the next couple of days so haven't the time to look for a possible death record for her. Someone might have time to look for this. If they do could they please come back to the forum and let me know the outcome. Thanks. Couldn't see any children born to them in 1903.
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haidehh on 3/25/2012 9:39:00 PM More reviews by haidehh
Age: 30-35 Skin: Combination, Medium, Cool Hair: Brunette, Relaxed, Fine Eyes: Hazel
This is a matte pink. Great staying power. looks good on its own. i really like this
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|By Cloud News Desk
Article Rating:
|January 13, 2009 01:58 PM EST
Thorsten von Eicken, Co-Founder & CTO of RightScale, will be presenting at SYS-CON's 2nd International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo in New York City this coming March 30-April 1, 2009. Von Eicken, who before joining RightScale was Chief Architect at Expertcity.com and Citrix Online, makers of GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and GoToAssist, will address issues such as, "How do you deploy an app across multiple clouds?" and "What are the challenges and opportunities for application design and deployment?"
"Cloud computing has become a disruptive force in the computing world by providing pay-as-you-go, on demand compute and storage resources that can expand to be virtually infinite for the needs of most companies," says von Eicken. "But we are now evolving from the initial stage of 'scaling my app in the cloud' to a new stage where the focus shifts to fault-tolerant and redundant deployments."
With new cloud providers coming online rapidly the cloud' now offer disaster recovery, redundancy, and geolocation options beyond what affordable traditional hosting can offer. With all these new options comes more complexity.
His session will discuss the evolving cloud landscape, the new issues it raises, and approaches and solutions that yield practical results for those considering leveraging the clouds today.
Speaker Bio: Dr Thorsten von Eicken is CTO of RightScale. Before joining RightScale Inc., he was Chief Architect at Expertcity.com and Citrix Online, makers of GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and GoToAssist. He was responsible for the overall architecture of these online services and also managed the 24/7 datacenter operations where he acquired a deep knowledge in deploying and running secure scalable online services.
Learn How to Leverage Cloud Computing and Virtualization in NYC This March
Cloud Computing and Virtualization both take center stage this March in New York City, as SYS-CON Events brings two of its most popular industry-leading Enterprise IT events to the Big Apple: 2nd International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo and 5th International Virtualization Conference & Expo.
Co-located at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, these events have the highest-energy Expo Floor of any comparable event, with more exhibitors, more attendees, and more Special Events like our industry Power Panels, our delegate prize drawings, and our attendee-generated Show Awards.
Register today for a Golden Pass and access to both events.
Cloud Computing Is Swelling Into an Estimated $36BN Market
The Cloud Computing conference theme this March is "The Delivery of IT Resources as Services" - with 100+ breakout sessions by leading industry CEOs and CTOs whose companies already recognize that what today's companies need above all is to be able to build infrastructures that can scale up or down at a moment's notice.
Over the next five years, IDC expects spending on IT cloud services to grow almost threefold, reaching $42 billion by 2012 and accounting for some 9% of total software sales. More importantly, spending on cloud computing will accelerate throughout the forecast period, capturing 25% of IT spending growth in 2012 and nearly a third of growth the following year.
Cloud computing helps IT cut infrastructure costs while adding new features and services to grow core businesses. Clouds can help grow margins as costs are cut back but service offerings are expanded.
Top Keynotes, Top Technical & Business Sessions, Top Delegates
2nd International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo will feature 100+ technical sessions from the leading industry players from the main layers of the Cloud ecosystem - the infrastructure players, the platform providers, and those offering applications and services. Our two-day Expo is your chance to get in front of senior technologists including CIOs, CTOs, directors of infrastructure, VPs of technology, IT directors and managers, network and storage managers, network engineers, enterprise architects, and communications and networking specialists.
Attend Full-Day Cloud Bootcamp FREE With Your "Expo Plus Bootcamp" Registration!
Cloud computing is an opportunity for business to implement low cost, low power and high efficiency systems to deliver scalable infrastructure. But what's actually involved in moving to a cloud infrastructure? In this compelling one-day, hands-on training program, you'll learn just what it takes to take full advantage of the Cloud. Join fellow delegates as Alan Williamson, Editor-in-Chief of Cloud Computing Journal, uses his expertise to lead you through Cloud Computing Bootcamp on Tuesday March 31, 2009 with configuration samples, live demos and working setups.
Seats are limited to the first 500 attendees so Register Today for Cloud Computing Bootcamp to secure your spot!
SYS-CON Events announced today that Windstream, a leading provider of advanced network and cloud communications, has been named "Silver Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9–11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York, NY. Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN), a FORTUNE 500 and S&P 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications, including cloud computing and managed services, to businesses nationwide. The company also offers broadband, phone and digital TV services to consumers primarily in rural areas.
Dec. 22, 2014 11:00 AM EST Reads: 2,343
The BPM world is going through some evolution or changes where traditional business process management solutions really have nowhere to go in terms of development of the road map. In this demo at 15th Cloud Expo, Kyle Hansen, Director of Professional Services at AgilePoint, shows AgilePoint's unique approach to dealing with this market circumstance by developing a rapid application composition or development framework.
Dec. 22, 2014 11:00 AM EST Reads: 1,432
The Internet of Things is not new. Historically, smart businesses have used its basic concept of leveraging data to drive better decision making and have capitalized on those insights to realize additional revenue opportunities. So, what has changed to make the Internet of Things one of the hottest topics in tech? In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Gray, Director, Embedded and Internet of Things, discussed the underlying factors that are driving the economics of intelligent systems. Discover how hardware commoditization, the ubiquitous nature of connectivity, and the emergence of Big Data a...
Dec. 21, 2014 02:00 PM EST Reads: 2,419
"BSQUARE is in the business of selling software solutions for smart connected devices. It's obvious that IoT has moved from being a technology to being a fundamental part of business, and in the last 18 months people have said let's figure out how to do it and let's put some focus on it, " explained Dave Wagstaff, VP & Chief Architect, at BSQUARE Corporation, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4-6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 21, 2014 01:00 PM EST Reads: 2,027
The major cloud platforms defy a simple, side-by-side analysis. Each of the major IaaS public-cloud platforms offers their own unique strengths and functionality. Options for on-site private cloud are diverse as well, and must be designed and deployed while taking existing legacy architecture and infrastructure into account. Then the reality is that most enterprises are embarking on a hybrid cloud strategy and programs. In this Power Panel at 15th Cloud Expo (http://www.CloudComputingExpo.com), moderated by Ashar Baig, Research Director, Cloud, at Gigaom Research, Nate Gordon, Director of T...
Dec. 21, 2014 11:30 AM EST Reads: 2,443
SYS-CON Events announced today that IDenticard will exhibit at SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. IDenticard™ is the security division of Brady Corp (NYSE: BRC), a $1.5 billion manufacturer of identification products. We have small-company values with the strength and stability of a major corporation. IDenticard offers local sales, support and service to our customers across the United States and Canada. Our partner network encompasses some 300 of the world's leading systems integrators and security s...
Dec. 21, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 2,179
ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it is bringing a greater level of control, security and flexibility to cloud-based application development and delivery with a single-tenant version of Bluemix, IBM's platform-as-a-service. The new platform enables developers to build ap...
Dec. 21, 2014 06:15 AM EST Reads: 2,149
"In the past year we've seen a lot of stabilization of WebRTC. You can now use it in production with a far greater degree of certainty. A lot of the real developments in the past year have been in things like the data channel, which will enable a whole new type of application," explained Peter Dunkley, Technical Director at Acision, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 20, 2014 08:00 AM EST Reads: 1,433
DevOps Summit 2015 New York, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that it is now accepting Keynote Proposals. The widespread success of cloud computing is driving the DevOps revolution in enterprise IT. Now as never before, development teams must communicate and collaborate in a dynamic, 24/7/365 environment. There is no time to wait for long development cycles that produce software that is obsolete at launch. DevOps may be disruptive, but it is essential.
Dec. 18, 2014 09:45 PM EST Reads: 1,285
"People are a lot more knowledgeable about APIs now. There are two types of people who work with APIs - IT people who want to use APIs for something internal and the product managers who want to do something outside APIs for people to connect to them," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at SOA Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 18, 2014 09:00 AM EST Reads: 1,402
Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, at more than US$500 billion, and ranks 23rd in the world. A recent re-evaluation of Nigeria's true economic size doubled the previous estimate, and brought it well ahead of South Africa, which is a member (unlike Nigeria) of the G20 club for political as well as economic reasons. Nigeria's economy can be said to be quite diverse from one point of view, but heavily dependent on oil and gas at the same time. Oil and natural gas account for about 15% of Nigera's overall economy, but traditionally represent more than 90% of the country's exports and as...
Dec. 18, 2014 06:00 AM EST Reads: 961
The Internet of Things is a misnomer. That implies that everything is on the Internet, and that simply should not be - especially for things that are blurring the line between medical devices that stimulate like a pacemaker and quantified self-sensors like a pedometer or pulse tracker. The mesh of things that we manage must be segmented into zones of trust for sensing data, transmitting data, receiving command and control administrative changes, and peer-to-peer mesh messaging. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Ryan Bagnulo, Solution Architect / Software Engineer at SOA Software, focused on desi...
Dec. 17, 2014 11:15 PM EST Reads: 1,455
"At our booth we are showing how to provide trust in the Internet of Things. Trust is where everything starts to become secure and trustworthy. Now with the scaling of the Internet of Things it becomes an interesting question – I've heard numbers from 200 billion devices next year up to a trillion in the next 10 to 15 years," explained Johannes Lintzen, Vice President of Sales at Utimaco, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 17, 2014 11:00 PM EST Reads: 1,507
"For over 25 years we have been working with a lot of enterprise customers and we have seen how companies create applications. And now that we have moved to cloud computing, mobile, social and the Internet of Things, we see that the market needs a new way of creating applications," stated Jesse Shiah, CEO, President and Co-Founder of AgilePoint Inc., in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 15th Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 17, 2014 08:00 PM EST Reads: 1,470
SYS-CON Events announced today that Gridstore™, the leader in hyper-converged infrastructure purpose-built to optimize Microsoft workloads, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 16th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Gridstore™ is the leader in hyper-converged infrastructure purpose-built for Microsoft workloads and designed to accelerate applications in virtualized environments. Gridstore's hyper-converged infrastructure is the industry's first all flash version of HyperConverged Appliances that include both compute and storag...
Dec. 17, 2014 06:30 PM EST Reads: 1,421
Today's enterprise is being driven by disruptive competitive and human capital requirements to provide enterprise application access through not only desktops, but also mobile devices. To retrofit existing programs across all these devices using traditional programming methods is very costly and time consuming – often prohibitively so. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jesse Shiah, CEO, President, and Co-Founder of AgilePoint Inc., discussed how you can create applications that run on all mobile devices as well as laptops and desktops using a visual drag-and-drop application – and eForms-buildi...
Dec. 17, 2014 11:45 AM EST Reads: 1,582
We certainly live in interesting technological times. And no more interesting than the current competing IoT standards for connectivity. Various standards bodies, approaches, and ecosystems are vying for mindshare and positioning for a competitive edge. It is clear that when the dust settles, we will have new protocols, evolved protocols, that will change the way we interact with devices and infrastructure. We will also have evolved web protocols, like HTTP/2, that will be changing the very core of our infrastructures. At the same time, we have old approaches made new again like micro-services...
Dec. 16, 2014 11:45 PM EST Reads: 1,430
Code Halos - aka "digital fingerprints" - are the key organizing principle to understand a) how dumb things become smart and b) how to monetize this dynamic. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Robert Brown, AVP, Center for the Future of Work at Cognizant Technology Solutions, outlined research, analysis and recommendations from his recently published book on this phenomena on the way leading edge organizations like GE and Disney are unlocking the Internet of Things opportunity and what steps your organization should be taking to position itself for the next platform of digital competition.
Dec. 15, 2014 11:45 PM EST Reads: 1,788
The 3rd International Internet of @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that its Call for Papers is now open. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest idea since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago.
Dec. 15, 2014 10:30 AM EST Reads: 6,940
As the Internet of Things unfolds, mobile and wearable devices are blurring the line between physical and digital, integrating ever more closely with our interests, our routines, our daily lives. Contextual computing and smart, sensor-equipped spaces bring the potential to walk through a world that recognizes us and responds accordingly. We become continuous transmitters and receivers of data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Andrew Bolwell, Director of Innovation for HP's Printing and Personal Systems Group, discussed how key attributes of mobile technology – touch input, sensors, social, and ...
Dec. 15, 2014 10:00 AM EST Reads: 2,000


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OtterGirl53715th December
1. What did I learn/remember last week? That it's good to have friends.
2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week? Making it to both my social events.
3. Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why? It was a good week with several memorable moments, most being of triumph and connection.
4.What's the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week? Take care of my DCAF training.
5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful? Finish my daily chores and get to bed on time.
6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week? Financial worries…
7. What did I spend the most time on last week? Was that good or bad? Hanging out with my new groups. So good to reinforce these good new relationships.
8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped? Financial worries.
9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done? Mailing the stupid Eddie Bauer shirts. Christmas shopping for the boys and family. Christmas cards.
10. What opportunities are still on the table? I have a good selection of jobs to look through. There will be LM's house warming with Mi.
11. Is there anyone I've been meaning to talk to? Pretty good on this during the holiday season. Need to do those pesky Christmas Cards.
12. Is there anyone that deserves a big 'thank you'? B for listening. G for caring. My sister for working with me on the calendar. KW for sending a note on to the group with whom I was interviewing.
13. How can I help someone else this coming week? Learning the DCAF system.
14. What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 months?
#1 – Find a full time job in DC.
#2 – Complete my MSA capstone project.
#3 – Work on strength training for cycling and snowboarding.
15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals?
#1 – Did my second interview. Sent out the thank you notes.
#2 – Started building a plan. Filled in the calendar some more. Found a good idea for keeping me on track.
#3 – Nope.
16. What's the next step for each goal?
#1 – Apply for some of the other jobs still available.
#2 – Talk to B about the next steps in the plan, build a research schedule.
#3 – Do my workouts this week – Monday is chest, shoulders and triceps. Wednesday is legs. Thursday is back and biceps. Friday is abs.
17. What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week? The Dessert Party here at the condo on Friday. Hanging out with Mi and LM on Saturday. Flying home for Xmas on Sunday!
18. What are my fears? That I won't have a good job by the time the money runs out in April and this temp job will disappear before then.
19. For what am I most grateful? For having the abilities needed by others so I can help them.
20. What can I do to make life more beautiful today? Get a good night's sleep. 12 months ago


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Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Wiki for social media examples
A great resource for anyone wanting for find examples of social media in action is beingpeterkim.com. It lists the company, how it is using social media, links to it and even states the country where it is being used. Which is nice.
Peter Kim, I don't know who you are, but I thank you for making my life a tiny bit easier.
Posted by Robin Wilson at 18:48
Labels: social media
3 comments:
- peterkim said...
Hey, my pleasure. I have someone who's currently moving many examples from the original list into the wiki; you can find the master list of 324 here:
- 21 January 2009 at 22:03
- David Caton Roberts said...
Robin - thanks for your presentation tonight. A really useful insight into how web 2.0 stuff can be used in business.
The very ordinary case of Anna Eagin may be worth a nosey.
- 22 January 2009 at 21:05
- Robin Wilson said...
Hi David. Thanks very much. Will check it out
- 25 January 2009 at 17:31
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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|The Message (MSG)
|New International Version (NIV)
|3 Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house.
|3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
|Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved. (The Message Bible Online)
|Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online)


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Why InvenSense (INVN) Is Gaining Today
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- InvenSense (INVN) was gaining 5.8% to $22.58 Monday following a price target increase from RW Baird.
The analyst firm raised its price target for the mobile sensor maker to $28 from $23. The firm believes InvenSense is the only sensor maker with chips in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5. RW Baird also thinks the rumored Apple (AAPL) iWatch could be a growth opportunity for InvenSense.
Must read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Stocks
STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.TheStreet Ratings team rates INVENSENSE INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate INVENSENSE INC (INVN) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed -- some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity and premium valuation." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
- The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 2.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 13.2%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
- Despite currently having a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, it is higher than that of the industry average, inferring that management of debt levels may need to be evaluated further. Even though the debt-to-equity ratio shows mixed results, the company's quick ratio of 3.18 is very high and demonstrates very strong liquidity.
- Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. When compared to other companies in the Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components industry and the overall market, INVENSENSE INC's return on equity is below that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
- You can view the full analysis from the report here: INVN Ratings Report
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116 Mausam Articles
Did you know…Shahid Kapoor was the first choice over Hrithik Roshan for Bang Bang!3 months ago 3
The Jab We Met actor refused the offer as he was apprehensive about the comparison with Tom Cruise Yes, you read that right. Before signing Hrithik… Read Article ▶
Shahid Kapoor and father Pankaj Kapur return back to town after shooting Shandaar!3 months ago 0
The father son duo will be seen sharing screen space for the first time... Shahid Kapoor will be sharing screen space with papah Pankaj Kapur… Read Article ▶
Kareena Kapoor Khan: I don't think I can ever do a film like Vidya Balan's The Dirty Picture!6 months ago 3
Is the Singham Returns heroine taking a dig at the Bobby Jasoos leading lady? Read on to find out... Kareena Kapoor Khan says though she loves doing… Read Article ▶
Shefali Shah: My character in Lakshmi didn't allow me any escape routes9 months ago 0
The superb actor is making a comeback in Bollywood after three years and wanted her performance to be a powerful one Shefali Shah's role as the… Read Article ▶
Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Aamir Khan the worst actors of 2013 – View Ghanta Awards 2014 winners list!9 months ago 12
The Ghanta Awards, which recognise the worst of Bollywood were held on March 16 India's version of the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies), the Ghanta… Read Article ▶
What is Shahid Kapoor doing these days?12 months ago 0
Last we heard, the dishy star was on holiday abroad... Every time Shahid Kapoor goes on vacation, we see photos of him frolicking with a bevy of… Read Article ▶
Yogen Shah
Shahid Kapoor : I just need some luck!1 year ago 0
The good-looking lad admits that he's been unlucky and hopes that lady luck will smile on him soon Shahid Kapoor starrer R...Rajkumar is ready to… Read Article ▶
Shahid Kapoor: If I like a girl, I may settle down1 year ago 0
The Mausam actor says that he will settle down if he finds the right girl The 32-year-old, Shahid Kapoor who is looking forward to his next release… Read Article ▶
Shahid Kapoor: I have achieved only 20 percent of what I should have!1 year ago 0
The Phata Poster Nikhla Hero actor pours his heart out in this exclusive interview Shahid Kapoor is on the brink of something big. He knows that and… Read Article ▶
Yogen Shah
Who is Sonam Kapoor's first love?1 year ago 0
Actually, it is not a 'who', but a 'what'. Sonam, who is smiling a lot these days thanks to the success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Raanjhanaa, has a… Read Article ▶
Yogen Shah
Sonam Kapoor: You can fall in love over and over again2 years ago 1
The Raanjhanaa actor says her love life has been unsuccessful, but she believes one can fall in love again She is young, vivacious and has played… Read Article ▶
Raanjhanaa Facebook
Pankaj Kapur birthday special: The versatile actor's Jalwa continues at 59!2 years ago 0
In his three decade long career, one of the most cherished thespians of B-town has acted in over 40 films and continues to charm us even today with… Read Article ▶
Sonam Kapoor wants to do intellectual films like Ship of Theseus and Shahid!2 years ago 0
The babe's confab with The Front Row host Anupama Chopra makes for an interesting watch Fashion diva Sonam Kapoor was recently seen having a… Read Article ▶
Getty Images
Shahid Kapoor to go wacky tonight on Aalim Hakim's show, Style Inc.2 years ago 0
The Kapoor dude who has known the hairstylist for years now will make an appearance on his buddy's show on TLC tonight at 10 pm Shahid Kapoor will… Read Article ▶
Rohan Sippy to debut on television with a supernatural theme2 years ago 0
Spooky sells. And guess that's why famous filmmakers steer the eerie way as they set foot into the world of small screen... Rohan Sippy is all set… Read Article ▶
More Mausam


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Two spacewalkers bounced around on the end of a "skinny little pole" 210 miles above Earth on Saturday in a daring test for future shuttle repairs.
Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum spent seven and a half hours outside shuttle Discovery on the fourth day of the ship's visit to the International Space Station. Anchored to a boom held by Discovery's robot arm, the pair checked whether the 100-foot-long appendage was stable enough to support delicate maintenance work on the shuttle's heat shield.
Sellers, who performed three spacewalks during a 2002 shuttle flight to the station, was the first to stand at the end of the boom.
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cipro enterococcus
We did a nice interior for this client. Cool car and a great project for us!
A Guide To Restoration Costs By Precision Restorations
Copyright © 2010 Custom and Classic Automobile Restoration. All Rights Reserved.
4151 Forest Park Ave. St Louis, MO 63108
SEO Company Zenergy Works • Web Site create by Expert Status Online.


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Panaracer Trailraker Folding Tyre
- Next Day & World Wide Shipping
- Excellent Customer Service
- Buy in Store
- A last! The Trailraker is the tyre that all U.K. mountain bikershave been waiting for!
- Designed specifically for the U.K., the trailraker can handle a multitude of wintery conditions from deep mud to slippery roots and rocks.
- The widely spaced tread pattern clears mud to provide continued traction, while the large side knobs offer predictable traction.
- Folding Kevlar bead
Shipping charges for this item to United States: $7.81
- Estimated delivery transit time: 5-10 Days
Royal Mail Std. Airmail 5-10 Days: $7.81
Royal Mails standard Airmail service. Worldwide delivery at a very good price, no tracking. Handed over to your countries own national delivery service once past customs. Delivery time - allow up to 10 days for non EU countries
Royal Mail Priorty Airmail 4-8 Days: $15.63
Royal Mail international serivce is the quickest and best service for small parcels. For Europe please allow 3-7 days, for Australia, USA, Canada, Japan and other countries the service is normally 4-8 working days. This service allow some tracking and requires a signature.
These are brilliant winter tyres for quagmire-ish North Downs and Surrey Hills riding.
After one use in wet, muddy conditions, my impressions are of great grip and excellent mud-shedding. It is the first tyre I have used that betters my long-term favourite WTB Velociraptor rear tyre in this respect.
As you would expect the tyre does not roll particularly easily on hard surfaces.
I LOVE my Trailrakers... They take loads of abuse and the grip just keeps coming.
On hardpack and road they do drag a bit, but in the wet stuff they are supreme. Good lateral grip, and good stability on hard surfaces.
They are pretty tough too... it takes something pretty vicious to puncture them. I run them with tubes and rarely have an issue.
Trying out on the back wheel in muddy conditions with a view to buying the wider version for the winter


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John Stossel: Why Government FailsBut Free Individuals Succeed
Recorded: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Part 1 |
Part 2
John Stossel of Fox Business Network speaks about his new book, No, They Cant: Why Government FailsBut Individuals Succeed.
Experts: John StosselType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Culture/ Society, Free Market Economics, Freedom, Government Power, Government Waste/Pork
Is the War on Terror Creating Terrorism?
Recorded: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Part 1 |
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Is it possible that the U.S. governments response to the 9/11 attacks has served al-Qaeda interests? Despite the hype, U.S. law-enforcement officials have found little evidence of serious terrorist activities inside the country, compelling them to escalate their use of prosecution and entrapment to justify their enormous budgets.
Experts: Ivan Eland, Ian S. Lustick, D. Gareth PorterType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Civil Liberties/ Human Rights, Defense and Foreign Policy, Diplomacy and Foreign Aid, History (International), Terrorism and National Crises
Innovative Solutions for Iraq
Recorded: Thursday, February 16, 2006
The recent elections in Iraq have not resolved the main problems therea constitutional crisis, continued terrorism, a potent Sunni rebellion, and fighting between religious and ethnic groups that could result in a full-blown civil war. Is the Iraq war a hopeless quagmire that has been lost, or can the U.S. still foster a united, peaceful and prosperous Iraq?
Experts: Peter Brookes, Ivan Eland, Lawrence J. Korb, Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.), D. Gareth PorterType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Defense and Foreign Policy


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Liberal Democrat Councillor for Mid Samford Ward Learn more
by kathypollard on October 14, 2012
The County Council Cabinet has been forced to look again at their decision to provide only the statutory minimum free travel (0930-2300 weekdays, all day weekends and bank holidays), after the Liberal Democrat Group called the decision into the Scrutiny Committee at the end of September.
The original decision had failed to take account of a number of important principles. Not only was there a lack of consultation, but the Conservative administration had also failed to take into account the negative impact their decision had had on many peoples' lives, including those with disabilities.
A number of public speakers were also present at the meeting highlighting the lack of consultation before the decision was made. The Committee voted by seven votes to three to send this decision back to the Cabinet to be considered again.
The Lib Dem group originally raised this issue back in July 2011, asking for Cabinet to reconsider its decision and provide 24/7 travel for those eligible due to disability, and to allow over 60s pass holders to travel from 0900.
If you would like more information about the Call-in, please click here
Proposed wind turbines in Belstead/Wherstead
I attended a packed public meeting on this issue on September 30th at Pinewood Community Hall. The meeting had been organised by SIT (Stop Ipswich Turbines) and heard from two residents of Kessingland who had initially not opposed the erection of two wind turbines adjacent to their village. Now they are plagued by noise and flicker and said it is causing them aggravation and depression. They said they wished they had opposed it at the time.
No-one from Partnership for Renewables was present at the meeting. The site for the two proposed wind turbines belongs to Ipswich Borough Council, who have the power to stop the process now. SIT have started a petition which is available for signing at Pinewood Community Hall. More details of the campaign at www.stopipswichturbines.com
The Kessingland campaign to turn off the turbines also has a website: www.turnthemoff.co.uk
The Evening Star and East Anglian Daily Times ran a recent poll asking whether these turbines should be built. I haven't seen the results yet. The site is visible from the densely populated areas of Pinewood and Belstead Hills as well as Belstead and Wherstead villages.
September County Council Meeting
The County Council meeting in September had quite a light agenda, but proved relatively eventful. A motion had been put forward, encouraging local communities to adopt 20mph speed limits in towns and villages. However, an amendment proposed by the Conservatives was such a radical change to the original text that the opposition parties, apart from the proposer and seconder of the original motion, walked out of the Council chamber. The amendment effectively proposed that only the Cabinet member for Transport would have any say on whether 20mph limits would be adopted.
Cabinet Meetings
In September Cabinet voted to take the Better Broadband bid for Suffolk to the next stage, increasing the level of money invested by Suffolk County Council by £1.38m.
At the previous meeting the Cabinet also confirmed the Council's commitment to sign up to the Suffolk Armed Forces Community Covenant on the 11th of October.
For the Broadband report from the Cabinet meeting on the 24th of September please click here For the reports at the previous Cabinet meeting on the 11th of September please click here
Grand Driver Scheme
Suffolk County Council, in partnership with Suffolk Roadsafe, has launched the Grand Driver scheme which aims to provide support to the increasing numbers of elderly drivers on the road. While there is evidence to suggest that the likelihood of crashes increases with age, older adults are generally renowned as being safety conscious and law abiding drivers.
The scheme has been set up to help assist the continuation of safe driving, as the proportion of older drivers increases.
The scheme is made up of 3 main elements and takes place on a demand led basis (with some element having a fee):
For more information, please contact Michelle Haward:
Tel: 01473 265256
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Scampaign – Lottery Scams
The latest update from the Trading Standards Scheme is a warning about lottery scams, which often claim you have won a significant amount of money on an overseas or online lottery and ask for you personal information including your bank account details. Please find below the information released by Trading Standards in order to help protect yourself.
Protecting yourself against lottery fraud:
What to do if you are a victim of lottery fraud:
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I think my favorite has to be the baklava (sp?) in Morroco... Mmmmmm!
I think I'm gaining weight just thinking about it! :giggle:
Printable View
My favorites are the desserts in Norway. We saved that one for last because we knew it would be best, and then by the time we got there we were too full to eat! :( It'll have to be my first stop next time.
My fiance and I are planning on trying this for the first time when we go this year.... during food and wine fest. I am of the opinion that it may be a tad bit more challenging.
When I turn 21, Ill deffinatly do it, Maybe I should start a countdown of time till I can drink around the world.
8 Years, 11 Moths, 2 Weeks, 6 days, 5 hours, 11 minutes, and 2 seconds till I can Drink Around the world!!!! - HAHA
All Ears will have the updates on it as the dates get closer. We actually had a printout of the menu before we even flew out, so we had a good idea what was offered & knew our A & B list of things to try.


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Visa® Elevates Prepaid Cards To New Level Of Simplicity, Protections And Opportunity
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), the leader in global payments, today announced a new designation for consumer reloadable prepaid products in the US, aimed at simplifying fees, improving consumer protections and creating opportunities for cardholders to improve their financial health. The designation was developed in conjunction with industry thought leaders the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
"Consumers have been confused by an often complex prepaid landscape," said Ryan McInerney, president, Visa Inc. "As a prepaid leader, we felt it was important to go beyond current requirements in the marketplace and bring transparency to this growing product area. This Visa designation will signify a new level of simplicity, protection and opportunity, enabling cardholders to confidently manage their spending every day."
To qualify for the new Visa prepaid designation, prepaid programs must meet a set of standards. Cards that meet these requirements will receive a seal that will be visible on card packaging and materials. Features of Visa's new prepaid designation include:
Simplified fees and transparent disclosures
- A flat monthly fee that includes all basic day to day activities 1. Consumers will not be charged:
- Transaction decline fees
- Customer service fees
- In-network ATM withdrawal or balance inquiry fees
- PIN or signature transaction fees
- Cash back at point of sale (POS) fees
- No overdraft coverage or fees
- Consumer-friendly communication of fees (e.g., fee box and disclosures)
- Quick-use guide for consumers to find the best ways to use the product for the lowest cost
- Individual FDIC / NCUA insurance required
- Dispute resolution rights under Reg. E
- All cards are covered under Visa's Zero Liability 2 policy
- Access to Visa's Prepaid Clearinghouse Service (PCS) for better fraud protection
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chainsawLine breaks: chain|saw
Pronunciation: /ˈtʃeɪnsɔː /
Definition of chainsaw in English:
A mechanical power-driven cutting tool with teeth set on a chain which moves around the edge of a blade.
Example sentences
- Ice-divers in Canada use chainsaws, but a chainsaw would not be much use on a wreck.
- Red Cross centres are also running low on supplies, with shortages of water tanks, pumps, hoses, chainsaws and hand tools.
- She was currently what can only be described as hacking the beast up, using the delicate surgery use tools like hatchets and chainsaws.
Definition of chainsaw in:
- US English dictionary
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Word of the day resilient
Pronunciation: rəˈzilyənt
able to recoil or spring back into shape…


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The Real Estate Services (RES) Update is designed to keep diversified real estate firms and their agents informed about issues impacting their businesses. This monthly newsletter includes legislative and regulatory updates, news on industry trends, and the latest information on NAR activities as they affect diversified real estate firms.
Planning Done: Measuring the QM Rule's Impact
NAR Research surveyed a sample of lenders with questions about the impact of the lending on their business and how the rule could in turn impact consumers.
Rural Communities Protected Through 2020
More than 900 communities that were at risk for losing access to federal rural housing programs are now protected through 2020.
FHA Allows More Electronic Signatures
On Jan. 30, HUD announced that it will now accept electronic signatures on most documents involved in FHA mortgage insurance, mortgage servicing, loss mitigation and FHA insurance claims.
Senate Passes Flood Insurance Bill
On Jan. 30, 2014, the United States Senate voted 67-32 to approve the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (S. 1926), sponsored by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Isakson (R-GA).
NAR Comments on Reform Draft
On Jan. 16, 2014, NAR joined with a group of 18 other real estate associations in sending a comment letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) regarding a staff discussion draft released by the Committee on Nov. 21, 2013.
NAR Comments on QM Rule
On Jan. 14, 2014, NAR submitted a statement for the record to the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit hearing on "How Prospective and Current Homeowners will be Harmed by the CFPB's Qualified Mortgage Rule."