text:
off of the song 'Everytime' by Simple Plan AU one shot ZoLu,
but nothing massive. Pretty light. No warnings, just a request to
PLEASE review! Please excuse any mistakes as... I was lazy
and couldn't be bothered passing it to anyone to beta read, and
couldn't be bothered doing it myself. ... what?
AU one shot ZoLu, but nothing massive. Pretty light. No warnings, just a request to PLEASE review!
Please excuse any mistakes as... I was lazy and couldn't be bothered passing it to anyone to beta read, and couldn't be bothered doing it myself. ... what?
By Plushie
It was obvious the two knew each other. From the way their eyes seemed to follow the other's every move. The way small smiles twitched at the corners of their mouths when they caught the other looking. It really was quite adorable, at least to the bystanders of the two's innocent game of 'catch me if you can!'. As it had been thought, and as it appeared, indeed these two knew each other. Had in fact known each other for a while. Almost ten years now. A chance meeting in the playground at school had led to a friendship, and then best friends, then living next door and so on and so forth. In high school, they'd been in the popular group along with a few other students. And now that school was finished, they had ventured into the real world. They lived in a house together on the edge of town and were nothing but the best of friends. Room mates.
Both of them worked in a local warehouse, where all they did was lift boxes from one location, move them to a different location, move MORE boxes to that location, and then return the original boxes BACK to the original place they had come from. It was pointless work, but it was the only place that would take them with their limited experience. The game ceased as the clock rolled around to three and work finished for the day. Stretching as he leaned back away from the large box before him, Luffy grinned. Thin, wiry and no older than nineteen, Monkey D Luffy was a basically average teenager. He had messed hair, and his own style of dressing, talking, acting and generally was more likely to act like himself than follow some other 'idiotic idea of style' as Luffy put it. Looking across the room at his best friend, he smiled as he saw Zoro lifting one last box up onto a stack. The older man was about twenty-one and unlike any normal person, he had sea foam green hair. Most people congratulated him on being so game as to die his hair such a daring colour… truth was though, he had been born with it that way.
"Oi! C'mon Zoro! I'm hungry!" he called across the warehouse to the other player in their little game. The man he was talking to though, was a little busy at the time. He was raising an eyebrow at a girl who had timidly made her way over to him. His arms were crossed almost uncomfortably across his chest and he seemed a little on edge. A curious expression flitted across Luffy's face as he watched, hands in his pockets. What was going on over there? Was the girl in trouble? Had she pissed Zoro off? No… Zoro didn't seem angry. Just… uncomfortable.
Finally, the girl managed to stammer out what she had been trying to say, and even at a distance Luffy could see the light pink flush that appeared on the older man's cheeks. He cleared his throat, raised an eyebrow and then said a clear and blunt answer of 'No.' and then made his escape. His pace was brisk and it was obvious he was unnerved by what had just happened, but as was usual with Zoro, his face told nothing of what he was feeling inside. The girl seemed shell-shocked for a moment… before she hurried quickly away to one of her friends and shook her head miserably. As he reached Luffy, Zoro's face became it's usual indifferent 'Leave me the hell alone.' expression.
"Ready to go?" he asked, ignoring the girl who was quite obviously crying in her friend's arms. Luffy blinked at Zoro, then the girl, then frowned.
"You made her cry! Go apologize!" he reprimanded, placing both hands on his hips and glaring slightly at the older male. Zoro blanched slightly before frowning right back and crossing his arms grumpily.
"What for?"
"You made her cry!" Luffy repeated, knowing that Zoro was trying to avoid his embarrassment.
"Luffy…" the green haired man sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides. Dark eyes narrowed underneath ebony bangs and Zoro grimaced slightly. He knew that look… that was the 'Do it before I get pissed off.' look. And a pissed off Luffy, was NOT one of Zoro's favourite things.
"Go." Luffy ordered; Zoro squirmed. What was he supposed to do? Luffy didn't get what had happened… damn, looked like he would have to tell him. It was always fun trying to explain something to Luffy.
"Luffy… She asked me out." The older man sighed, averting his eyes and staring at anything other than Luffy, a light tinge on his cheeks.
"Eh? Out where?"
"OH, you mean out to play?"
"Why'd you say no to that? Seems reasonable."
"Shut. Up. For five minutes, would you?" Zoro half snapped and Luffy blinked up at him, confused as to why he was so annoyed. Awkward silence fell between them, the two shifting a little nervously for a moment before Zoro let out a long, and suffering sigh.
"Let's just… go and get some food, eh?" he muttered, frowning down at his feet. Luffy instantly brightened at that, all nervousness, annoyance, or solemness fading from his face in favour of his second favourite word. His favourite was meat.
"Yeah! And meat!" the teen cheered and Zoro inwardly sighed in relief. Food was always a good distraction when these kinds of things happened. Really, it was a good thing Luffy had such a short attention span, otherwise that wouldn't work quite as effectively as it always did. And it always worked.
Grabbing the older man's hand, Luffy dragged his friend out the door and to the car, practically throwing Zoro into the driver's seat before leaping into the passenger seat himself and commencing his 'Let's eat!' bounce and song. Poor Zoro… he nearly cracked a molar for trying not to scream in frustration as he drove to the nearest food establishment.
After letting Luffy eat his fill (and almost use up all of his money), Zoro drove them home and they played video games for a while. That ended though when Zoro announced that if Luffy cheated one more time, then he was going to strangle him with his controller cord. The other had just laughed and looked up cutely at the older of the two, saying that if he did that, then Zoro would get bored. …Zoro kind of liked that idea. Boredom was better than insanity. Upon telling Luffy this, the teen asked what the difference was. In a fit of what Luffy called 'Zoro huffery', the older man stormed off, had a shower, and went to bed.
That left the teen alone… with a TV that had a hundred channels, and nothing to watch. Flicking onto a music channel, he curled up and began to think. That girl at work had asked Zoro out. He knew what that meant, but hadn't let on that he did because then Zoro would have just gotten pissed at him for apparently 'trying to embarrass him' or some shit like that. Luffy knew how the older man worked. And Zoro thought he was weird. Now that he had a chance to think about it though, he silently wondered why it had made him so… nervous. Even Zoro had seemed on edge about it. Like there was something between them, but not. They were friends, that was all. No, best friends, but that didn't mean they were going to become romantically involved. That was just too weird. … Maybe. A little. Well, it didn't sound that bad.
Ack, Zoro would kill him if he knew what kinds of thoughts he was having right now. Another thought struck Luffy then. What if, by some weird mistake, or chance… Zoro did get involved with someone else. Would he move out? Or would he kick Luffy out? Would he forget about him! No, no no no, that wouldn't do! But… at the same time, he'd be happy that Zoro had someone to share his life with. For some absurd reason, an image of Zoro standing with some cackling, faceless, witch-like woman appeared in Luffy's head and he frowned deeply. He wouldn't allow Zoro to forget about him, he wouldn't allow Zoro to be led on by some witch. No, he would make sure Zoro had a good life. Letting out a long, and suffering sigh, Luffy let his head drop back against the armrest.
"Stupid…" he muttered to the ceiling, narrowing his eyes at it, "Zoro's too smart for that… Me interfering won't help anything." Thumping his head against the armrest again, he sighed slightly as he thought of some of the things Zoro had done for him. Really, Luffy had had a great life because of the older man. Because of all he had done. Once, Zoro hadn't eaten for nearly two weeks just so Luffy could. At the time, it hadn't occurred to the younger teen that he was doing so, but after a while, he began to see how tired and sluggish Zoro was becoming. He didn't say anything, but the night after noticing, he had said he wasn't hungry and was too tired from school to even think about eating, let alone actually doing it.
He had snuck back to the door later to see Zoro staring longingly at the food before he stood and put it in the fridge for later, instead satiating his hunger with a drink. Luffy had been grateful that the next day, Zoro had finally gotten a job at the warehouse where they were paid pretty well for their almost slave labour. Luffy had been in his last year of school then.
The same year, for some reason, Luffy had found himself the brunt of bullying and generally being picked on. He'd told Zoro about it at one point, asking him whether he should beat the daylights out of them, or just let it go. Zoro had given him the greatest advice he'd gotten since his brother's advice on how to make friends.
"Let it go. If they're picking on you, it just means they're too pitiful to get on with their own lives, and besides…" Zoro winked, "Locker doors are always mysteriously opening and hitting them in the face as they walk past, right? If you get my drift." The older teen scratched his chin idly while Luffy chuckled.
Smiling at the memory of that, Luffy remembered how he had indeed 'mysteriously opened' a locker and smacked a bully in the face with it. He'd ended up in a huge fight, and then had been suspended. He'd crawled home with a broken arm and nose, bruises, cuts, gashes and lacerations of all kinds. There didn't seem to be a part of him that wasn't black or blue, or some form of sickly bruised colour. Zoro had bandaged him up once he'd gotten home, cracked jokes about how Luffy looked like a weird-ass painting, or a plate of funny coloured vegetables, and then once Luffy was asleep… Zoro had gone out, found the little 'gang' smoking crack on the corner… and then had shown them exactly why it wasn't wise to mess with his friends.
Once again, Luffy sighed to himself as he remembered the last ten years. Good times, bad times, it didn't matter… Any event that had taken place, he thought about it. Analysed it, and then thought how it had made them both better people.
I did not lose
your hat! You left
your window open, when you very well KNEW that there was a fucking
storm coming!"
did I know?! How the hell can I predict the weather, Zoro!?"
"SHUT UP! It's your fault, and that's it!" Luffy screeched in response before slamming the door and walking out into the thunder, lightning and general chaos of a summer storm. Zoro stared at the door for five minutes before he finally came back to himself and grabbed a glass bottle, throwing it at the door so it shattered and purple grape juice went everywhere. He'd clean that up later… Moving back into the lounge room, Zoro frowned at the blank TV, and listened to the rain and thunder outside. Somewhere deep inside him, some deep and vengeful voice, said that it hoped Luffy was struck by lightning… That was what made him run out after the boy.
They'd found Luffy's hat twelve blocks down, before heading home to apologise to each other. After thinking about the last ten years in detail, Luffy happened to glance up at the clock. He blinked when he saw that it was nearly three in the morning. He'd been thinking for seven hours. Was that even possible? Well, it was possible yes, but, was it possible for Luffy to think for that broader expanse of time? Must have been, because he had just done it. Shifting in the lounge chair, he stretched and grunted a little when his chest, back, elbows, knees, neck and shoulders all gave one big chorus of cracks. The music channel was still running, now on to party music whose beat made Luffy's ribs thump. Frowning a little, he flicked the TV off and got to his feet. He was wide awake, and had no idea why. He just felt like doing something.
As long as it involved movement of some sort. Practically trotting into the kitchen, he grabbed out a drink from the fridge… only to put it on the table and not drink it. Instead, he paced the kitchen about five times, looking in cupboards and the fridge, the whole time thinking that there was no food in this damn house, when every cupboard was actually full of packets of noodles, or cans of soup. Packets of potato chips, a few small ice cream containers with assorted biscuits and chocolate bars in them. Zoro never ate that sort of junk, and if he did, it was only because Luffy insisted that he do so. Continuing to pace, he headed out of the kitchen and then down the hall, moving for the bathroom. He got to the doorway, flicked on the light and had his hands on his fly when he suddenly decided that no, he didn't actually need to go.
Flicking the light off, he moved back down the hall and paused at Zoro's door. He could hear heavy breathing, but no snoring. Zoro must really have been deeply asleep. He didn't snore when he was deep asleep, but did when he was half asleep. Luffy found that rather funny. Taking a silent step into the room, Luffy leaned up on tip-toes to see if Zoro was in fact asleep. Indeed he was. He was splayed out over the bed, laying on his stomach. One arm was hanging over the side, while the other rested on his naked back, twisted behind him absurdly. That was okay, Zoro liked to sleep in weird places, at weird times, in weird positions. Luffy also found that rather funny. In fact, he had a photo of when Zoro was a lot smaller, skinnier, and not quite as grumpy. It was such a cute picture too!
Luffy yawned as he sat up in bed and scratched at his hair. He'd washed it last night, so it was all fluffy and frizzy. Smiling a little at the soft feel, he swung his tiny feet from the bed and stood. Baggy pyjamas with lions roaring all over them, shuffled and rustled as he headed for the bathroom. Today was another day of year five at primary school! Giggling a little in excitement, he remembered that last night, Ace had allowed his new best friend, Zoro, to come over and stay for a few days. Zoro had no family, and his foster parents had gone away for a few days, leaving the boy home alone. Ace didn't like the idea of an eleven year old boy being left home alone anyway. Pausing when he heard hissing, Luffy turned to see his older brother beckoning him from the doorway of the spare room.
"Ace?" he murmured, "Wha…?" and he padded over, scratching at his ribs and shaking his arms a little as the sleeves curled around them. Ace led the way into the room and then stepped aside to reveal a box that had the four flaps of the lid closed over it. Pressing a finger to his lips, the oldest D brother very carefully lifted two of the flaps. Luffy peered in before squealing a little and slapping his hands over his mouth as he giggled like a mad thing. Curled up as tight as he could go, on a bed of his own clothes with a pillow clutched to his chest, was Zoro. Ace winked and pulled a camera from his pocket, carefully leaning over and taking a photo before slipping the camera back into his pocket again.
"Now we have proof…" Ace smirked and Luffy giggled for a while longer… before diving into the box and waking poor Zoro up with a loud holler of 'SCHOOL TIME!!'.
Luffy smiled a little as the memory struck him and continued to watch his friend as he slept. Zoro had no blanket over him, and his pyjama pants had bunched up around his ankles and calf muscles. His hair, though short, was slightly tousled and a little frayed from obvious twisting and turning. Taking another little step forward, Luffy twitched slightly as he glanced around. As always, Zoro's room was meticulously clean. His wardrobe was open, but his clothes were either neatly hung in a row, or were folded on the shelves. His window was open as well, revealing a setting full moon and a beautiful view of the rest of the lit town outside.
Giving an interesting growling noise, Zoro rolled and flopped over onto his back, arms and legs dangling over either side of the bed. Jumping slightly at the sudden noise and movement in the still night, Luffy paused and waited to see if Zoro would wake up… but he didn't. He just slept on peacefully, face completely relaxed in sleep. Moving to crouch beside the older man, Luffy took a soft breath… and stared. After at least… fifteen seconds of staring, he got bored and puffed his cheeks, pouting forcefully as he did so. Once again, thoughts of Zoro came to mind. He thought about how Zoro's walls were so clean, and barely had anything on them aside from a coat of light green paint and a luminous clock, while Luffy's walls were covered with posters, paintings, pictures of him and Zoro, or their friends from school.
Knick-knacks, boxes, chairs, randomly thrown around objects and a few odds and ends littered Luffy's floor in his room, while Zoro's floor was always fairly clean; the occasional dirty piece of laundry or scrunched up bit of paper laying around only to be quickly found and shifted so the floor was clean again. Where Luffy made weekly phone calls to his brother, Zoro didn't contact anyone. Where Luffy was sick sometimes, or tired, or sore, Zoro was always healthy and fit. Though, Luffy sometimes thought the older had a severe case of 'there's a pole up my ass so leave me the fuck alone.'. He was so grumpy sometimes!
The urge to do something overtook him again and he tapped his fingers nervously on the edge of Zoro's bed. He wanted to… go somewhere. Yeah. Take a drive! But… he didn't have a license. Zoro did! But… he probably wouldn't want to go. But what if he did? Maybe he'd like a drive! Or… maybe he wouldn't approve of being woken up at 3 in the morning.
…Meh! Only one way to find out! Reaching out a thin finger, Luffy prodded one of the floppy arms.
"…Zoro?" he whispered. A soft groan made it's way from the older man's lips as his brows furrowed before smoothing out again as he stayed asleep. Twisting his lips in light annoyance, Luffy prodded again.
"Zoro!" he hissed, "Oi, come on! I got something important to ask!" Groaning again, this time in pure annoyance, Zoro's eyes flickered blearily open and searched the room for a moment before finally spotting Luffy… and narrowing. He was not pleased. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Zoro raised a hand and rubbed at his face.
"Naa…" he groaned, "Luffy, it's quarter past 'I'll kill you if you wake me up.' … So, why are you doing so?" Luffy blinked at him, and then looked at the clock as well.
"… I thought it was quarter past three." he noised and Zoro snorted heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb.
"What do you want Luffy?"
"Oh! Can we go for a drive?"
"… What!? It's three in the damn morning! Go to bed!" Zoro growled, grabbing at the blanket that was lying on the floor and yanking it up and over himself.
"Quarter past three actually, and I know! Please? I really, really wanna!" Luffy pleaded, grabbing the blanket and tugging at it before resting his chin on Zoro's forearm and puppy dog pouting. Sighing heavily, Zoro could see he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep without a fight.
"Why? Where do you wanna go at this time of night?" he asked, his tone irritable.
"Mm… no idea! I just… I wanna go somewhere!"
"… You're weird. You annoy the crap out of me with video games, wake me up at quarter past three in the goddamn morning! Ask me to take you for a drive and you don't even fucking know WHERE!?"
Zoro stared at him before sighing heavily.
"Ok, alright, whatever you want." the older man mumbled as he literally crawled out of bed and got to his feet. Luffy paused at that, but dismissed it almost at the same time.
"Thanks, Zoro." he sighed in relief as he grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans for Zoro to put on.
"Yeah yeah, shut up." the older man grunted as he pulled his jeans on and then tugged the shirt over his head, "This better be a once off, Luffy. You hear me?"
Luffy nodded furiously, "I just really really wanna go for a drive."
"Yeah yeah, so I heard." Zoro griped as he clumsily pulled on a jacket and then followed after Luffy as they left the room. Grabbing up the keys from the hook in the hall, Luffy led the way to the front door, Zoro tagging lazily along, letting out a large yawn as he waited for the teen to pull on his shoes.
"Zoro was fast asleep, ne?"
"Mm, how could you tell?" Sarcastic response, even when half asleep. Man Zoro was cool. Luffy smirked a little.
"Well, your eyes were closed, but that doesn't mean anything." he responded in kind, his tone light and eyes slanted as he waited for Zoro to clumsily pull on his shoes. Once they were both in jackets, and had shoes on, Luffy opened the door and grimaced at the cold breeze that swept in. Zoro's eyes slanted in irony and annoyance.
"You know I hate you right now, don't you? Cos if you don't… now you do." he commented, hugging himself.
"Eh heh heh." Luffy laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his head before stepping aside to allow Zoro out of the house. Closing the door behind him, Luffy scooted across the yard and unlocked the car. He helped his driver in, and then hurried around to the passenger side and got in himself. Zoro had already started the car, pulled on his seatbelt and turned the heater on by the time Luffy had closed the door.
"Zoro's cold?" Luffy asked, rubbing his own skinny arms absently. Zoro shook his head as he backed out of the driveway, glad that at least the roads would be pretty much deserted at this time of morning.
"No. I'm fine, but you're not. Stop shaking, you're rattling the car." he commented idly as he worked his way out of the backstreets and then onto the main roads where he accelerated. Luffy threw him a scathing look before looking out the window again. An… interesting thought, had just occurred to him. It was also rather depressing.
Actually, there were two ideas. One happened to be, was he in fact incapable of looking after himself? Is that why Zoro watched out for him so much? And then there was Zoro. Why did he give up so much of his time to run around after Luffy? What benefit was it to him? Luffy sure wouldn't want to run around after someone like himself. He was, to be truthful, a little brat a lot of the time, and he knew it. Looking out the window, Luffy sighed at the darkness. He wasn't so sure he should've woken Zoro up now… Glancing at his friend in light concern, dark eyebrows furrowed.
"Hey… oi, you okay?" he asked quietly, the wry smirk from before, fading into a small frown.
"…Mm." Luffy noised softly in return, turning to smile at his friend. He could almost see Zoro visibly relaxing, his hands on the wheel loosening as his shoulders fell back down into a natural position against the seat. Luffy watched him for a while before turning back to look out the window again. Why did Zoro do this? Why did he put up with him so much? There was no purpose, no real reason behind it. Luffy had never done anything to deserve such, well, almost kingly treatment. It didn't make sense really… The green haired man had always been the type to put himself first, and everyone else second, but… he'd always, always put up a fight for Luffy, had always looked after him; never let him down. So why? He could have had a much better career, a much simpler life, a better hobby even!
Zoro had always loved swords, but because of Luffy, had never been able to afford one. Never been able to afford classes. Where Luffy went to everything he wanted. Movies, he got pocket money, ate well all the time now… Zoro had nothing. Sighing a little miserably, Luffy continued staring out the window. Was that the problem? Did Zoro think he was too pathetic to look after himself? It was bizarre… but, maybe it was true. Was that the why he was looking for? Could be… if so, it would make sense as to why Zoro had always looked after him. There was only one way to find out after all…
"Zoro…?" he asked, almost hesitant. He didn't really wanna know if he was pathetic, but if that was the reason for all that Zoro had done for him… then he needed to know. Needed to fix it.
"Hm?" the driver responded, eyes set on the road ahead. He was very tired…
"Am I… pathetic?" Luffy asked softly, his voice almost a whisper. He was almost embarrassed to be asking something so trivial… so stupid. The car jerked as Zoro accidentally hit the brakes in his shock.
"What!?" He almost yelped, glancing sideways at his friend as the car returned to normal speed.
"Am I-"
"Yeah, I heard you the first time! Luffy… why would you ask a crappy question like that?" Zoro practically yelled, ticked off that Luffy would think so poorly of himself. He'd worked so hard to make sure the kid didn't fall into a rut, didn't end up depressing himself… and here he was, asking if he was freaking pathetic! What the hell was wrong with him!?
"I dunno…" Luffy sighed, "The thought just struck me and I had to ask was all… Am I?"
"Tch, no!" the older snorted, growling in the back of his throat slightly as he frowned, "Did someone say to you, you were? If so, forget the bastards… Stupid idea to listen to other people's bullshit opinions." He trailed off into mumbles, grunts and mutters that Luffy couldn't make out. Sighing a little, the younger of the two looked out the window again, a small twitching to his lips. He wasn't pathetic… or, he should say that Zoro didn't think he was pathetic, but Zoro's opinion was the one that mattered most. Yeah… If Zoro had shown even an inkling of believing, or thinking that he was indeed pathetic… Luffy didn't think he could've handled it. It would have been too much.
"No, Zoro… I was just thinking about how you look after me so well."
"Heh. Don't start getting all sappy, eh?" the older man replied, looking a mite uncomfortable as he focused on turning the car around a corner and into a dirt road that looked like it would lead them out of town.
"Mm… I'm not. I'm telling the truth. Zoro…. I have heaps of stuff in my room, you have nothing… I go everywhere, and you stay home all the time, unless we go somewhere together. I buy things I want, but you reserve your money to buy me things." Luffy stated, turning to look up at the older male. At first, Zoro looked like he'd turned to stone, then Luffy thought he was liable to explode. After a while though, the hard features settled back into their usual indifferent expression. The silence though, it stretched for a lot longer than either of them thought it possibly could.
"That's because I don't want anything." Zoro finally spoke, his tone soft at first, "All I need is clothes, a bed, food and money to buy it with. I work for the money, I pay for my clothes, and then can't be bothered buying anything else for myself, so what? None of your business really." He sounded rather snippy and grouchy. Grimacing slightly, Luffy let the matter go for the moment. He could tell how sharp and ice-like the older man's tone was. He was annoyed, or hurt… Luffy wasn't entirely sure, but he knew that something was up. He had that sense around Zoro… Just like the other had the same sense of Luffy.
The most painful feelings he tended to see in Zoro though, where when he was sad, or lonely, or hurt by something Luffy had shouted in a pique of fury because the older had done something to displease him. The idea of him yelling at Zoro, no… the idea of Zoro displeasing him, made him almost visibly flinch as he thought about it. The older had done nothing but look after him, and if Zoro did something to make him upset… it was more than likely for his own good.
"Zoro…" he began but paused when the green haired man lifted a finger from the steering wheel, obviously silencing him.
"Luffy, it's my house, ne?"
"Yes, but-"
"I bought it, didn't I?"
"I know, but-"
"Then, it's my job to do the things house owners do. They are as follows; pay the bills, keept it clean, look after those living in my house… by the by, that's you in case you didn't know. Buy the things we need, and deal with it in my own silent way. Understand, kid?" Zoro explained, gaze set on the road ahead and eyes not speaking any of the emotion that filtered through into his voice. It was… icy, but not in a bad way. Like he was stating facts that he knew he had to do. Like… he didn't have a choice. Watching him silently, Luffy sighed inwardly.
"Zoro…" he began again, glad the older man didn't try and stop him this time, "I'm supposed to help with those things. That's what someone living in a home owner's house is supposed to do…"
"Maybe… but it's my house, and therefore I make the rules. My rule is this, do what you want, Luffy. It makes no difference to me, as long as you don't kill yourself by doing it. Spend the money you earn, and if you want extra money, just damn well ask. The money you get though, you earned it so you have the right… no, the responsibility, of spending it how you wish, and how you see fit."
"… You're so stubborn." Luffy smirked, turning back to the older man with a sly grin. Zoro hmphed, his eyes drooping tiredly, but it was obvious he was in a lecturing mood. He got like that about certain things.
"Damn straight. Now, is this what this drive is about? Can we go home now and sleep?"
"Hmm… can we drive a bit longer? Please? We don't have to work today, so can we watch the sunrise?" Luffy asked quietly. Zoro sighed heavily before shrugging.
"Sure, whatever. Two hours to wait yet though…"
"You're the best, Zoro." Luffy grinned. He wasn't sure in the dark, but he thought he saw the older man's chooks colour… just a little. Not much, but just enough to be considered a light blush. He didn't know why, or how… because Zoro had never blushed in his life.
"Yeah yeah, just shut up with all the sappy crap…"
"Aye aye, sir!" Luffy mock saluted. Smirking a little, Zoro shook his head.
"Smart ass bastard…" he muttered, more to himself than to the other occupant of the car. Luffy was grinning like a fool, before he looked out the window again. A comfortable silence this time, fell between them, letting them drive for another hour before Zoro's eyelids were too heavy for him to keep open and he had to stop before he killed them both in a car accident. After a little talking about some random things that Luffy mainly jabbered about while Zoro grunted in response, they fell silent again. Dark eyes gazed out of the window at the small, flat plain they'd chose to park next to.
He could see on the horizon that the sky was tinting an amethyst colour, the purple slowly lightening and then streaking with long splashes of gold and pink. Small clouds were lined with the gold, almost like they had been sewn around the edges with a gold thread, while only the brightest stars persisted in their goal of winking down at the Earth below. Finally, a small bridge of fiery orange appeared between the mountains in the distance, and Luffy's eyes glittered. He'd always, ALWAYS, loved sunrises.
"It's coming, Zoro! It's so pretty!" he whispered as he watched the sun slowly creep up further and further, the sky now splashed with bright pink, and large wedges of gold like a painting. Luffy was staring at it like it was the shiniest thing in the world, which… in retrospect, it probably was. As the sun got higher and higher, the sky began to tint blue, taking on it's natural colour. The whole thing was over within a matter of mere minutes that felt like seconds.
"Zoro…" Luffy hissed, continuing to stare out of the car, "Isn't it pretty?" He paused though when he received the same blank answer. Turning to look at his friend, he gave him a quizzical expression before he paused as he saw him asleep. Green hair was plastered to the window, Zoro's head having fallen against it when he'd dropped off to sleep. Condensation was holding his hair up in a weird way against the window, while the soft, sharp breaths Zoro made as he sleep, puffed methodically against the window. Smiling a little fondly, Luffy reached out to pet him carefully on the head.
"Silly Zoro…" he muttered, before blinking and gasping slightly as a much larger hand whipped out and grabbed his wrist in an almost punishing grip. For a moment, Luffy panicked, thinking Zoro was annoyed at him but, the grip soon fell much looser. It came as an absolutely astounding shock though when Luffy found the back of his hand pressed against cold, chapped lips. It was plainly obvious Zoro was asleep, and the moment he let go of Luffy's wrist again, the boy snatched his hand back to him. A short thrill had run through him as he'd felt those lips on his skin. It was like pins and needles prickling deep into his hand and up his arm, but in a nice way.
An almost pleasurable way. It shivered and danced down his spine, causing every fibre and nerve in his body to alight, and heat him up ever so slightly. His cheeks coloured, and he held a hand over the spot where Zoro had kissed him. His face was one of shock, eyes wide and round and mouth open just a little as he stared at the still asleep driver of the car. Had it been some twisted and whacked out mark of fate that had brought both of them to this spot? Had made Zoro kiss his hand, had sent that thrill through him? … Nah. Couldn't be! … but still. There was always the possibility. A small smile threaded it's way across Luffy's face until he was smiling more brightly than the sun could have ever possibly shone. This was why he liked Zoro as much as he did! Why he liked being around him! It… why, it made perfect sense!
Which is why-
"Heh," Luffy noised softly, eyes falling half closed in a fond smile, "Another mystery feeling."
-Luffy didn't get it…
So for the moment I've had a bit of drop where I don't wanna write angst/torture/ or anything horrific... so sue me! Doesn't mean I won't be back with more soon, though! On the other hand, what did you think:D


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UCI, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Orange, CA
PURPOSE: The number of lung transplants has increased significantly, with a U.S. annual transplantation rate of over 2000. The major factor limiting more transplants is donor-lung availability, with many patients dying on the waiting list. Organ procurement coordinators (OPCs) play a vital role in this process. Preliminary studies have shown that thoracic organ allocation rates can be increased by broadening the scope of practice of OPCs using additional training in advanced skills such as bronchoscopy. We set out to create and pilot-test a simulator-based curriculum in bronchoscopy, alongside other skills necessary for enhancing the lung allocation process.
METHODS: Four OPCs participated in the training course. The mainstay of the course was four hours of one-on-one training for each OPC on a bronchoscopy virtual reality simulator (VRS), along with time for unsupervised practice. This training was based on the Bronchoscopy Step-by-Step© curriculum, (http://bronchoscopy.org/). In addition, the OPCs received didactic lectures on related topics (such as chest-radiograph and blood-gas interpretation), and were encouraged to use the web-based Essential Bronchoscopist©. Bronchoscopy skills were tested on the VRS, using an instrument devised and validated by the authors (the BSET; Bronchoscopy Stepwise Evaluation Tool). The didactic curriculum was tested using a written test.
RESULTS: The trainees' scores on the BSET varied widely, and were proportional with each trainees' hours of VRS-based practice: 44/100 for one hour of practice versus 82/100 for four hours. The results of the didactic test correlated with the BSET scores, suggesting a correlation between the trainees' incentive for VRS-based practice and home-study time.
CONCLUSION: The OPCs showed strong motivation in learning diagnostic bronchoscopy on a VRS. With minimal resources and time, OPCs can be trained using a VRS-based curriculum to perform diagnostic, and perhaps simple therapeutic bronchoscopy.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: By building upon this limited experience, an advanced training course for OPCs, with special emphasis on VRS-based bronchoscopy training can be created, leading to a wider scope of practice. We hope that this will result in an improved thoracic organ allocation rate.
DISCLOSURE: Mohsen Davoudi, None.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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ICICI Prudential Offcampus Drive BBA/B.Com/BA/B.Sc freshers 2016 for Banking/Finance at All across Haryana, Punjab & Himachal. Candidates who have completed BBA/B.Com/BA/B.Sc can apply for this job from ICICI Prudential.
Company Name: ICICI Prudential
Position: Banking/Finance
Education: BBA/B.Com/BA/B.Sc
Experience: Freshers
Salary: Not specified
Total No of Vacancy: NA
Location: All across Haryana, Punjab & Himachal
Company Profile:
ICICI Bank is India's second-largest bank with total assets of Rs. 4,062.34 billion (US$ 91 billion) at March 31, 2011 and profit after tax Rs. 51.51 billion (US$ 1,155 million) for the year ended March 31, 2011. The Bank has a network of 2,752 branches and 9,225 ATMs in India, and has a presence in 19 countries, including India. ICICI Bank offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management.
Job Description:
The Junior Sales Officer would be responsible for achieving the monthly sales targets, assigned to him/her, for various products and services offered by ICICI Bank.
Need to cross sell new product and service opportunities.
The sales officer would involve in market mapping, customer mapping, competitor mapping in the geography assigned.
The candidate would proactively identify sales prospects and do business development activities in the geography assigned.
Should maintain periodic status reports, including daily activity matrix and calls/follow-ups made.
Candidate Profile:
Candidates should possess BBA, B Com, BA, BSc-Year of Passing – 2015, 2016 Batch
Selection/Interview process:
Aptitude Test
Technical and HR Interview
Document Required (Original and Photocopies):
SSC Marksheet
HSC/Diploma Marksheet
Graduation & Post Graduation all yearsí mark sheets
Photo ID proof (Pan Card/ Passport / Driving License / College ID)
2 photographs
How to Apply:
Walk-In Date :- 5 February 2016
Walk-In Time :- 9 A.M
Walk-In Address:- Panipat Institute of Engineering & Technology, 70 milestone, G.T.Road, Samalkha, Haryana.
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Compatibility worries..Old posts Tagged Old posts, Old posts August 15th, 2009
I wrote a brief piece about FrontPage 2003 and Windows 7, about how FrontPage files will not keep the association with the parent program. Well, ICQ doesn't allow me to sign in either, but ICQ will release a version which will work, but Microsoft have no intention of ever releasing a new version of FrontPage.
FrontPage, as some will know, has been replaced by Expression Web which is very much an experts application. I have tried to get my head around it but I simply can't. Compared to FP, it is way too complex. At the next release of Windows, will FrontPage 2003 work at all? What will become of my website as it is now?
It has worried me enough that I went surfing today for a possible alternative. Did I find anything? Yes, but what I found was either beyond my price range and ability or it was a piece of badly written junk.
Pre XP, my primary word processor was WordPerfect 7, probably the best word processor version ever. Unfortunately, more than a few functions didn't fare well in XP, but al least there was a newer version made available, and an alternative from Microsoft that was no more difficult to use.
I know that no new OS is going to appear for two or three years, but I will be that much older and less able to learn than I can now. What will become of my web presence? My web site isn't brilliant, but it is all my own work (with help from FP of course), it says 'I am here', and it didn't cost me much to do it. In actual fact, I found it quite rewarding, and I learned a little about robots files, sitemaps, and how to create a graphical link to another location along the way.
Maybe Microsoft will release Expression Web Lite (FrontPage 20**) or sell FP to somebody such that it can continue to be used by people like me. It's a nice thought..
One Response to "Compatibility worries.."
Paul Clement (MVP - DS) Says:
August 15th, 2009 at 19:52
Mike, if your hardware supports Hardware-Assited Virtualization then simply download and use XP Mode (VPC7 with an XP guest) for Frontpage.
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text:
Chapter Twenty Two- AireeMature
Its been two weeks since I checked out of the hospital. Two weeks, and three days to be exact but, whose counting? The official report, as of the day I checked out, was that my body rejected the bovine (cow) valve, and it had to be replaced. I was given more orders to keep to my room, and rest but, knowing who I am, they knew better than to expect it.
In some ways I miss being there, I admit. Most of my time spent in there, was spent with Hayden. Talking more so than anything but, sometimes we would just sit there, watching tv. Or I would read a book, while he read stats. I think, I grew used to him over that time. He was always there.
Of course, I had Gavin, and Kyle to keep me company as well but, I knew they eventually would have to go back to school, and their lives. Even my parents, had to eventually go back to work. Hayden though, he never left. Not even when I asked, and I think that's where my problem started. I grew too used to the idea of him always being there. All of these thoughts, running through my head, as I'm headed to meet him. My first time out of the house in days.
"You ready?" his voice was hushed, as he lead me by my hand out of his truck. As embarrassing as it sounds, I still relied on that little heart-shaped pillow they give you after surgery to move around. I knew he wouldnt think anything of it but, for some reason I did. So I had matched my outfit accordingly to it.
"Where are we?" I asked. Shifted the pillow, and then said, "Kyle?"
"We're almost there," I could hear him laughing under his breath. "trust me."
After walking what felt like hours, we finally came to a stop. I could feel grass up to my shins and in the background, crickets chirped against the wind. When he removed the blindfold, I was taken back by the sight. There in front of me, sitting, below a straggling tree branch, there was an antique looking picnic table, and two chairs. Light beaming, not from the stars, but from luminescent glowing mason jars, uniquely positioned throughout the scenery.
"What's this?" I asked, breathless, and completely at a loss for words.
"This," He said, cleared his throat, and then walked in front of me, as if a tour guide. "This, your first date."
Glancing over my shoulder at him, he smiled before helping me into my chair. "Our first date?" I laughed, suddenly wishing I could take what I said, back.
"Did I say it was with me?" he cleared his throat again, and stumbled to collect himself. I could feel myself blushing. I hadnt meant to make him nervous. "What I meant to say, was-"
"Hayden?" I offered, and smiled playfully. Our eyes meeting across the table then, and I felt my chest tightening, as I saw the way he seemed entranced in my lips. I coughed. "You meant to say, that this is for Hayden and I, right?"
"Yes," he said, and shifted nervously where he stood. Then an awkward pause took over the space between us, before he turned around, as if to walk away and leave.
I hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Wait, are you leaving?"
He narrowed his eyes at me then, and smiled. Then he raised his hand behind his head, his shirt pulling slightly, when a thin line of skin caught my eyes. Under the moon light, his blonde hair seemed to glow. "It wouldnt very well be a date, if I stayed?" he said, though it came out more as a question than a statement. "Why, would you rather be here with me?"
I let his words drift between but, for a moment. "I just, I just dont want to be left alone."
Kyle glanced around the field. it was dark, and still. Then his eyes came back to me. "I guess I can wait a little while longer with you." he said, and then took a seat next to me. His hands glued to his lap as if he were trying not to disturb anything.
"So, how long have you all been planning this?" I asked.
"About a week." he said. Nodded his head, and continued to look around.
We sat in silence for a while after that. Me, taking in the view, and him pretending to be caught up in different things around us. I could tell he was uncomfortable being here, in this setting, with me. I was about to tell that I would alright alone, that Hayden couldnt be too much farther out. When he let out a huge breath of air. "Well, this is awkward."
I smiled, in relief (strangely), and relaxed. "It is, isnt it."
"Its just," He started to say, and then stopped. Looked at me, and then looked away.
I waited seeing if he would continue but, when he didnt, I spoke up. "It's just what?"
I could see the hesitation in his eyes, and the way he was awkwardly holding himself. Whatever it was, I could tell it was really upsetting him."Kyle, talk to me."
"It just feels wrong." He finally said. "You, with him."
"Oh," was all I could say. I hadnt expected that.
"Look, I know everything between us was all an act." He said. Rolled his eyes, as if he found what he said a minor detail. "But, I dont know. Somewhere along the line, didnt things change, for you at least?"
"Kyle, I'm not sure I get what-"
"Forget it then," he inturrupted. "Just forget, I said a thing."
"No, Kyle I want to talk about this." I continued, ignoring his pass at shluffing this off. "I can tell, you want to talk about it too. Just, just tell me."
Just then, Kyle stood up. The chair he had been sitting on, flying back into the grass. On the table, the glasses shook, and threaten to break. All I could do was watch him. "I like you Airee!" he finally said. "Okay, I like you!"
Throwing his hands through his hair, he turned around and took a few steps. I followed, shortly after. Both of us, well beyond the mason jars reach, and sheilded from everything else. When I caught up to him, his body tensed. "I know he loves you," Kyle's words trailed off. "But he's not the one for you."
Taking another step, I paused the moment his words settled inside my mind. "Hayden loves me?" I had thought aloud. My voice unreconizable to myself but, Kyle hadnt noticed. I smiled, and locked away the thought. Right now, there were others people needing my attention.
"Kyle, things did change for me." I admitted honestly. "Just not," I started, and then stopped.
It was stupid to think he wouldn't notice that. The second my words trailed off, he turned around. "Just not what, Airee? Just not the way it did for me?"
I shook my head. "Kyle, I don't mean it like that!" I paused. "You're my friend, and I care about you. Things changed because I saw the person you were underneath it all."
"Only Hayden's "underneath" is just more of what you want." He said in a matter of fact way. "I'm just not what you want!"
"Kyle, please." I begged him to stop. "This is coming out all wrong."
Behind us, I could hear something stirring but, couldn't bring myself to look. My mind was too caught up trying to figure out how to rewind the night, and start over somehow. It wasn't working. "Kyle, I-"
"Save it Airee." Kyle yelled. His tone harsh.
"God, can you just stop!" I yelled out. In that moment, Kyle had been pacing. "Please," I asked.
He stopped. "Airee, I cant stop!" He yelled. "I cant, I'm sorry. Any minute now, I'll have to drive away, and watch from my rearview as Hayden has his first date with you."
Just then, he closed the distance between us. His body warm and shaking against mine. He took in a breath, and then reached up with both arms, to hold me to him. My breathe caught, in that instance. I had never looked at Kyle in this way. Or in anyway other than a friend. Only now, as he was standing here, I couldn't see him as anything but. "Kyle, this cant-"
My sentence trailed off then. Only this time not by choice. His hands were on me then, and in my hair. When we finally fell apart, I was exasperated. "happen." I finished saying the word aloud, although it was pointless now.
That, I laughed to myself remembering. That, was when shit hit the fan. Excuse my French!


text:
Welcome to our Web Site, it's aim is to give you an idea of the wealth of talent in our small but thriving club.
Our membership stands at 28 adults and 4 juniors.
You can find out where we are, what layouts the club and our members have, some photo archive material and information on our East Anglian Model Railway Exhibitions.


text:
Let us know when your receive great advice so we can thank our lawyers and point others with similar questions in the right direction.Got it!
It took time for me to contract a lawyer. We have a witness who told us saw everything. He helped to move my son to a safe place after the accident and called my wife. However, it also takes time to have his witness statement due to his new job moving.
Anyway, the other party's insurance keep pushing us. Last week, they even sent a letter to charge us more than $2600 for the car damage!!!!!!!! They hit a kid and charge the kid as pedestrian for the damage of their car? They even told us if not receive payment in one week, they will take further action. Here is my question: Should I care about their request? How should I respond them? Anyway I will not pay them one cent now. I told them to sue.No, The lawyers I contacted are still investigating to see if they can contract with me. I guess that is the basic process all the lawyers do. I still have not contracted lawyer. I am asking without a lawyer now, how should I deal with this thing? I guess that is the strategy of the insurance company to finish the case as sooner as possible. I plan to play with them for a few years . One of the lawyer told me at this stage none can I do. He also told me this is a property claim, even he has contract with me, he does not deal with property claim. True or not?
The whole point of having hired an attorney is for the attorney to deal with the insurance company. Call your attorney and ask them to send a letter of represenation informing the insurance compnany that you are represented and they should NOT be contacting you, directly, for ANY reason!! Let your attorney deal with this and any other request from here on out!!
Nothing in this communication should be construed as creating an attorney client relationship. This is for informational purposes only. Attorney will take no action on your behalf unless and until a written retainer agreement is signed. There are strict time deadlines on filing claims and, as such, you are advised to consult with and retain an attorney immediately to file such claims timely or you will lose any right to recovery.Ask a similar question
It sounds as if you have a lawyer now… that's a good thing. Give the letter to you lawyer and let him/her handle it. You can also provide the letter to your insurance company.Ask a similar question
It sounds as if you have a lawyer now… that's a good thing. Give the letter to you lawyer and let him/her handle it. You can also provide the letter to your insurance company.Ask a similar question
If you have contracted with a lawyer, then you should let the lawyer handle all communication with the insurance company.
It should be understood that even though I am answering your question, no attorney-client relationship exists between us. It should be further understood that while I am doing my best to answer your question based upon the information you provided, I do not have the complete facts and my answer might well be different, if I had more complete information. For these reasons, it is always best to consult either in person or by telephone with a lawyer and discuss your issues in detail.Ask a similar question
I agree with my colleagues, this is something to talk to your lawyer about. Good luck.
I have been licensed to practice in the State of Oregon since 1990. I am not offering legal advice regarding your question, only general information regarding the law. You are not my client nor am I your attorney unless we sign a retainer agreement.Ask a similar question
This is the job a a personal injury lawyer.
The answer does not create an attorney-client relationship and is for informational purposes only.
Lassen Law Firm
1515 Market St #1510
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Licensed in PA & NJ. 29% Contingency Fee. Phone: 215-510-6755 www.InjuryLawyerPhiladelphia.comAsk a similar question
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text:
Lucas Oil Racing press release
Despite plenty of fight, Langdon falls short in Lucas Oil dragster
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30) – A night watching UFC 137 in person put Shawn Langdon a fighting spirit for Sunday's eliminations at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals. Unfortunately, the Lucas Oil/Speedco wasn't up for the challenge.
Langdon, who qualified 16th, lost to Del Worsham in the first round of eliminations on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but Langdon said watching the mixed martial arts fighters ply their trade got his adrenaline flowing.
"I had a blast; it was such a good time," Langdon said. "When you are out in Las Vegas there are so many nightlife options. The main event last night was spectacular. The crowd was pumped, and I could feel my adrenaline level going up."
Langdon said he saw many similarities between MMA and NHRA.
"You can see it watching the guys during the prefight," Langdon said. "While they are getting introduced you can see the passion and intensity in their eyes. You relate to that because we get that way before first round.
"It's cool to go to other events and see people as passionate about what they do as we are passionate about drag racing."
Against Worsham, Landgon and the Lucas Oil rail had to push the envelope a bit, and the car wound up smoking the tires.
"We did qualify 16th, and when you do that you are going to face the best guy out there," Langdon said. "We knew we weren't going to win trying to go 3.90, so we tried some different things. It helped the car accelerate, but because we didn't have lane choice we ended up in the bad lane. To add salt to wound we ran over something and cut a tire, which made them junk.
"It's unfortunate, but just part of drag racing. You have to take the good with the bad."
Worsham breezed through with a finish of 3.8656 seconds at 314.02 mph, while Langdon coasted across in 5.519 seconds at 129.62 mph.


text:
In the digital age, your business website must send the same message once primarily conveyed by your business office and print-media advertising. So a clean, easily accessible, customer friendly location, supported by attractive publicity with clear details of your business products and services and a persuasive invitation to purchase, is now just as important on the 'virtual high street' as it is elsewhere in the commercial marketplace. Applying these same principles to creating a professional-looking website is the secret to …
The Benefits of VPS Hosting
Business websites often operate via what is known as dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting gives a company access to a powerful server and the opportunity to fine-tune server performance to achieve its specific commercial needs. The only major drawbacks to this arrangement are that it is a very costly option.
For start-ups and SMEs, a VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting provides an attractive alternative solution to the conventional shared-hosting or dedicated server route. When looking at this option, those on a …
Advances in web design technology
At the time of writing (2016) it feels as though we are almost reaching a point where web design technology is nearly as good as we would dream it would be. In recent years we have struggled to use flash sites on mobile devices and had various other incompatibilities which have caused much frustration both to the casual user and the web developer alike. With Html5 we now have a framework which allows more seamless and problem free web use …
Number Plates website – CMS for Carreg.co.uk
Sometimes a flat website with simple, clean coded and standards compliant code is just not enough. Sometimes you need a full blown CMS system at the backend of your website to give the site it's key functionality. This was the case for CARREG who supply private number plates to the car owning UK public. Personalised registration variations are in their millions, this requires a well structured and searchable database to power the searches that potential customers will make trying to …
Green Shades – August 2014 Template of the Month
August's free website template is called Green Shades. This template uses a palet of fresh greens with a dappled light effect which mimics sunshine through a leafy canopy. You can download it below or compare it to our other templates on the templates page.
Dark Light – July 2014 Template of the Month
Check out the latest free new template called Dark Light. You can download it below or check it out along with other templates on the templates page.
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Introducting a new template called Mirrored Blue. You can download it below or check it out along with other templates on the templates page.
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Here is a new template called Blurred Lights. You can download it below or check it out along with other templates on the templates page.
3 New Templates!
Check out the 3 latest templates on DCarter.co.uk below!
You can download them below go to the templates page to download other free templates.
Textured Stars Light – January 2014 Template of the Month
Here is a new template called Textured Stars Light. You can download it below or check it out along with other templates on the templates page.


text:
Illinois Public Media
All articles tagged Spain
Rauner: Details On Overseas Trip Coming Soon
One American Among The Dead in Spain Train Derailment
Page 1 of 1 pages
WILL Highlights
A short film series examining the severe underrepresentation of African-Americans in the sciences.
Classic Mornings
Get more out of your classical music experience and check out Vic Di Geronimo's blog.
The 21st
21st century radio for the 21st state. Weekdays at 11 am on WILL-AM 580.


text:
Hi everyone,
I'm currently shifting my focus from animation to rigging in order to gain some knowledge which will probably help me being a better animator. I've bought a couple of rigging dvd's, like for example the Animator Friendly Rigging which is very informative.
I also like to animate with the free rigs available on the net, like the malcolm rig released by Animschool. Those are very nice to animate with. Now I thought of trying to dissect the public available rigs in order to learn more about rigging and see how other people handle certain task and to take my rigging to another level.
What would be the best way in order to do this. The difficult part is to find out what all the connections are and to expose all the nodes. Are there little tricks you can do to work yourself through the rig?
Just curious how you guys would do this? I'm using maya btw.


text:
October 2016 updates for Get & Transform in Excel 2016 and the Power Query add-in
Office 365 October news—exciting new value coming to Windows 10
Today, Microsoft announced the Windows 10 Creators Update coming in early 2017, as well as stunning new devices: Surface Studio, Surface Dial and Surface Book with Performance Base. We were excited to showcase innovations to the Office apps which are coming first to Windows and brought to life on Surface. —Read on to learn more.
Making the world more accessible with Sway
Writing a book with Office—how Maxie McCoy does it
We recently caught up with inspirational writer, speaker and millennial expert Maxie McCoy—a self-professed Office enthusiast ("I live in Office. Always. Period." )—to get her take on Researcher and Editor, two new cloud-powered services designed to help you do your best writing in Word. Both features are exclusive to Office 365.
OneNote October roundup
QuickStarter, audio and new styles in Sway
September 2016 updates for Get & Transform in Excel 2016 and the Power Query add-in
Introducing the new Office 365 App Launcher
Office 365 news in September at Ignite—intelligence, security and collaboration
Today at Ignite, we announced new intelligent cloud services that help make your employees more productive and your organization more secure. Read on for a breakdown of today's news—including new services for Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as new security capabilities, richer communication features and enhancements for team collaboration.


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When the industry gathers, as it will this week, we have the opportunity (or excuse) to zoom in and take stock of how we're doing. So, with Internet Week upon us, let's take note of digital video's increased power and polish. When I think about the strides we've taken over even the past year, I know that conversations this week will be different. The bar absolutely is higher and all players in the equation are doing their part to keep pace and innovate.
So where is the light shining brightest on mobile video?
The Blooming Relationship Between Audiences, Content, and Investment
Video is the undisputed champion of engaging digital content and brand advertising. Advances in ad technology, infrastructure, and visual creative capacity have led to wider acceptance of mobile media as a force to be reckoned with. Early adopters and legacy participants have known this for a while, but the major investment to sight, sound, and motion by traditional media companies like Conde Nast and Time Inc., along with the increased value and validation of MCNs like Maker demonstrate that there is real money to be made in quality video content. Audiences are flocking to digital programing and advertisers are lined up to follow.
Out of Adolescence, Mobile Is Growing Up
It is great to see clear-minded, widespread adoption of industry standards for our space, primarily led by the IAB. We are getting beyond the pimple-faced phase with mobile advertising, and while there is still much work to be done, the march to uniformity will assure that advertisers will be able to find comfort in the fastest growing medium in the world. Mobile video in particular stands to benefit from standards like OCR and VCE and other device agnostic audience validation metrics. Oh, and people have finally stopped making the "this is the year of mobile" jokes on panels. I think. Well, I guess we'll see this week. But, it's sure to fall flat. The industry as a whole is on board.
Content Without Borders, It Travels
Whether it is major media companies distributing great video snippets across the Web, or branded native advertising adding value to consumers as they browse stories, content has never been more accessible and ubiquitous. I like to think the zoo is dead. Long live the safari. There are no longer boundaries and the channels and traditional destinations have been redefined. Good content, especially powerful video content, will always rise to meet our attention. We find, curate, stick with, and share what we love. And, now more than ever, there's a lot to love.
There will be a variety of themes, topics, and conversations lighting up the calendar this week, but I cannot help but take notice of the industry's full-force progress to a new level of confidence, investment, and maturity. Consumers adopting multiple entertainment devices and content providers putting forth the effort to provide them with ultimate convenience assure that we will soon live in a world where all screens will be equally valued.
Related reading
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How Toys 'R' Us capitalized on a timely sponsorship of a live giraffe cam
While digital platforms and their advertisers grapple with digital video challenges, one savvy retailer found a way to capitalize on what would become the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history.
"Video is the new blogging": Animoto's Cynthia Knapic on the latest video trends
Cynthia (Cyndi) Knapic, Head of Business at Animoto, discusses the latest trends in video marketing, why 'square video' is so popular, and how brands are changing their strategies with the rise of video.
Twitter introduces pre-roll ads for Periscope
Users almost universally dislike pre-roll video ads, but in an effort to bolster its advertising revenue, Twitter this week announced that it will expand its pre-roll video ad product to live and replay Periscope streams.


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Pakistan news
Quick facts - Haris Sohail set for ODI return
As Haris Sohail returns to Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad to replace Umar Akmal, we look at some numbers from his career
- Players/Officials : Haris Sohail
As Haris Sohail returns to Pakistan's Champions Trophy squad to replace Umar Akmal, we look at some numbers from his career
England ODI captain Eoin Morgan reflects on Monday night's horrific events in Manchester
Marcus Trescothick became Somerset's leading century-marker with his 50th hundred while Kumar Sangakkara stood out in the London derby
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews says nobody is expecting them to win the Champions Trophy but they are happy to come to the tournament without the tag of favourites | May 25, 2017
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson talks about the preparation of his team for the Champions Trophy | May 25, 2017
Virat Kohli talks about the build-up to his first global tournament as India's captain | May 25, 2017
Gaurav Kalra and Sharda Ugra discuss BCCI's move to invite applications for the position of head coach for Indian Cricket Team as Anil Kumble's contract comes to an end after the Champions Trophy | May 25, 2017
South Africa opener Hashim Amla lauds Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali for powering England to 339, which proved 72 too many for South Africa | May 25, 2017
Canada captain Nitish Kumar talks after their impressive 83-run victory against Oman at WCL Division Three in Uganda | May 24, 2017
England mopped up a 72-run win at Headingley to go 1-0 up in the three-match series | May 24, 2017
37.5 MM Ali to AB de Villiers, out, de Villiers steps out, looks to hit this out of the ground... but he's picked out deep midwicket! Moeen gets his man, de Villiers dies by the sword and Yorkshire can feel this one swinging their way | May 24, 2017
35.3 MM Ali to CH Morris, out, goes for the reverse-sweep, top-edged and Buttler takes a dolly! Mo gets Mo and the momentum is surely with England now... You could see what Morris was trying to do, taking the aggressive option against spin, but there was just a bit of grip and bounce and it popped up to the keeper | May 24, 2017
Essex find themselves top of Division One after beating Hampshire in Chelmsford while Kumar Sangakkara hit another Century in the London ...
Jack Brooks finished day two on 94 not out while Hampshire lost five wickets against Essex with the score staying on 18.
James Anderson limped off during Lancashire's match against Yorkshire while Kumar Sangakkara and Jake Libby both hit centuries as the Cha...
Dan Brettig sums up the situation between Cricket Australia and the ACA, after David Warner rebuffed the threat made by James Sutherland ...
WSC introduced coloured clothing, floodlit matches, multiple camera angles and many more innovations, and changed cricket as we knew it.
Aakash Chopra says the 15-man squad India picked was along expected lines with security in the batting line-up and the final XI would dep...


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Cover Story: End of the Line?
SEC Targets Dark Pools and Off-Board Trading
Traders Magazine, September 2009
Has the era of the dark pool come to an end? The SEC, spurred on by concern about two-tiered markets as well as criticism that it is not doing enough to level the playing field for ordinary investors, is expected to propose new rules this fall that could reduce the amount of trading done away from the public markets.
All TradersMagazine.com articles are archived after 7 days. REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, online technology directory, the iPad App, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and trading strategies.


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Music in MMA – Inside MMA
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For the first time since his criminal allegations Brett Rogers gives a broadcast TV interview. Ron Kruck discusses the meteoric rise of..
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Star of one of the biggest upset victories in Olypic history, Rulon Gardner announced on Inside MMA this week that he will now try for one..
In an exclusive interview with Ron Kruck, former Strikeforce Heavyweight Brett Rogers and his wife Tiuanna discuss the recent assault..
Chad Gilbert reveals why he brings MMA everywhere on tour with the band. And then he gets very personal with Bas Rutten asking about his..
Fight Network previews fight cards taking place this weekend featuring Andre Berto vs. Jan Zaveck for the IBF welterweight title. For..
8/20/11 From the most vast collection of MMA fights on earth HDNet WebFights presents this three round bout from Ring of Fire 41 in..


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It was registered by You Yuan Fu , who can be reached at . The site is owned by Shen Zhen Shi Zhi Sheng Guan Li Zi Xun You Xian Gong Si. Registration details show that it was registered on 09 Jan 2016 through hichina zhicheng technology ltd. and will expire on 09 Jan 2017.


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Why Learning To Code Won't Save Your Job, by Douglas Rushkoff
Adam Rifkin stashed this in Robot Jobs
Stashed in: Awesome, Learn to program., Rich people get richer., Robot Jobs, Machines Writing Code
Society is automating itself out of work.
"It's the great paradox of our era," Brynjolfsson explained to MIT Technology Reviewin 2013. "Productivity is at record levels, innovation has never been faster, and yet at the same time, we have a falling median income and we have fewer jobs. People are falling behind because technology is advancing so fast and our skills and organizations aren't keeping up."
There are jobs for those willing to assist with our transition to a more computerized society . . . But it's a temporary position.Yet it's hard to see this great decoupling as a mere unintended consequence of digital technology. It is not a paradox but the realization of the industrial drive to remove humans from the value equation. That's the big news: The growth of an economy does not mean more jobs or prosperity for the people living in it.
There have been plenty of economies where harder work did not mean more prosperity for the workers. Look at ancient Egypt: did all the labor required to build the pyramids make the lives of the laborers better? No, because they were pulled from their farms and in some cases enslaved for a religious practice that they did not necessarily even believe in. Sure they had "more jobs" but the most they could hope for in personal benefit was enough to eat while they performed their forced corvée or slave labor.
I sort of suspect that over the entire course of human history, the truth is that harder work did NOT lead to more prosperity for the masses. It almost always just led to more consumption by the elites. The 20th century was probably an historical anomaly rather than the baseline trend.
Your logic makes sense to me. More jobs does not mean more quality of life for most people necessarily.
Anyone competent in languages such as Python, Java, or even web coding like HTML and CSS, is currently in high demand by businesses that are still just gearing up for the digital marketplace. However, as coding becomes more commonplace, particularly in developing nations like India, we find a lot of that work is being assigned piecemeal by computerized services such as Upwork to low-paid workers in digital sweatshops.
This trend is bound to increase. The better opportunity may be to use your coding skills to develop an app or platform yourself, but this means competing against thousands of others doing the same thing—and in an online marketplace ruled by just about the same power dynamics as the digital music business.
Besides, learning code is hard, particularly for adults who don't remember their algebra and haven't been raised thinking algorithmically. Learning code well enough to be a competent programmer is even harder.
Although I certainly believe that any member of our highly digital society should be familiar with how these platforms work, universal code literacy won't solve our employment crisis any more than the universal ability to read and write would result in a full-employment economy of book publishing.
It's actually worse. A single computer program written by perhaps a dozen developers can wipe out hundreds of jobs. As the author and entrepreneur Andrew Keen has pointed out, digital companies employ 10 times fewer people per dollar earned than traditional companies. Every time a company decides to relegate its computing to the cloud, it's free to release a few more IT employees.
Most of the technologies we're currently developing replace or obsolesce far more employment opportunities than they create. Those that don't—technologies that require ongoing human maintenance or participation in order to work—are not supported by venture capital for precisely this reason. They are considered unscalable because they demand more paid human employees as the business grows.
Training Our Robo-Replacements
Finally, there are jobs for those willing to assist with our transition to a more computerized society. As employment counselors like to point out, self-checkout stations may have cost you your job as a supermarket cashier, but there's a new opening for that person who assists customers having trouble scanning their items at the kiosk, swiping their debit cards, or finding the SKU code for Swiss chard. It's a slightly more skilled job and may even pay better than working as a regular cashier.
Universal code literacy won't solve our employment crisis any more than the universal ability to read and write would result in a full-employment economy of book publishing.But it's a temporary position: Soon enough, consumers will be as proficient at self-checkout as they are at getting cash from the bank machine, and the self-checkout tutor will be unnecessary. By then, digital tagging technology may have advanced to the point where shoppers just leave stores with the items they want and get billed automatically.
For the moment, we'll need more of those specialists than we'll be able to find—mechanics to fit our current cars with robot drivers, engineers to replace medical staff with sensors, and to write software for postal drones. There will be an increase in specialized jobs before there's a precipitous drop. Already in China, the implementation of 3-D printing and other automated solutions is threatening hundreds of thousands of high-tech manufacturing jobs, many of which have existed for less than a decade.


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Chapter 2Mature
He had a point. One of the reasons the phantoms got their name was from how little evidence their was to support their existence. the phantoms generally fought from medium to long range and any attempt to capture them with helmet cams had failed. They always came out as blurry shapes in the feeds. On top of that any technology they used,even their own bodies seemed to have a self destruct mechanism that disintegrated it apon death or human contact.People knew they were real. But it was very much like fighting a ghost.
"Point taken, still keep a lookout" Karen replied. The rock o the canyon floor had been smoothed to make it more suitable for vehicles with wheels or treads as well as aircraft. Now it was littered with the dead bodies of soldiers and mechanics. The bodies lay crumpled on the cold rock. Most had likely died from their suits suffering punctures that the sealing foam had not been able to fix in time.
Karen bent down towards the nearest corpse to her. The body lay curled up. She slowly turned it over. It was a flight engineer, the front of her helmet was slagged from a direct energy shot which had caused the blue visor to crack and shatter. The blood vessels of her eyes had ruptured as a result. Karen pulled off her holo-tags, even base personnel carried them in places like this.
"Private Lucy Palmer" Karen read silently to herself. She squeezed them in her fist. She had never known her but her death still made her angry. It was in-excusable. How had the phantoms even taken down a base like this? They could not have, it just was not like them anyway.
Then a terrible though came to Karens mind. Impossible surely no one could be capable of doing such a thing but... what if they phantoms had had inside help?.


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Hey Everyone...
Oh am I glad it's Friday! Even though it was only a 4 day week I feel like it has been much longer than usual and I am so glad it's the weekend at last. As you may have read tomorrow isn't quite a day off as I will be selling at a craft fair - but I have my fingers crossed that it will go well. On Sunday I have an exciting day out planned but I will tell you all about that next week.
For now I am reminiscing about a lovely weekend I had with my friend Lucy. Lucy lives far away in Solihull and so I don't see her very often. But for her birthday I bought her an afternoon tea and she kindly invited me to share it for her. I also got to see her new flat, which was very exciting.
We headed off to the beautiful Coombe Abbey for our afternoon tea...
It was such a gorgeous hotel, set in a big beautiful park, which you are free to roam!
The hotel was stunning, very gothic on the inspired by it's history as an abbey...
It's not a celebration without champagne!
Our tea was served in the beautiful greenhouse!
And it was delicious!
The only problem was that it was so hot - it was too hot to drink tea!
The rest of the weekend was spent shopping! Ikea, Primarni and many more! I was on the hunt for some new clothes to make me feel better and Lucy was so lovely and supportive - helping me find things to make me feel good! I plan to share my purchases with you in a blog soon!
And Lucy was a very good host! Yummy crumpets for breakfast - and tea in a Cath mug...
Plus my very own little pot of jam! She knows me so well!
(P.S. I am sorry about the random sized pictures - I am too tired to try and sort them out!)