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Under Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ("TFEU"), the Italian Supreme Administrative Court ("ISAC") referred a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") as to how to handle the relationships between leniency applications submitted to European Competition Authority (i.e. the European Commission) or to national competitions authorities.
After the decision of the Italian Competition Authority (the "ICA") imposing fines on 19 cartelists for price fixing from 2002 to 2007, the Italian Administrative Court of First Instance of Latium (in Italian "TAR del Lazio") rejecting the appeal filed by one of the cartelists. The Court stated that a leniency application made before the European Commission is independent from the same application filed with the ICA and therefore the appeal made by one cartelist excluded from the national leniency programme cannot be accepted if based on this ground only.
In particular, the cartelist appealing the ICA's decision was granted immunity by the European Commission according to its Leniency Programme but it was placed behind other cartelists seeking immunity in Italy, so that it had to pay the fine imposed by the ICA.
In the light of the above, the ISAC by the preliminary ruling wants to ask the CJEU to determine the boundaries within which an application submitted to the European Commission can affect a related application to the ICA and to what extent, if any, the national competition authorities are able to depart from the Model Leniency Programme agreed by the European Competition Network.
In our view it is hoped that the decision of the CJEU will shed light on the potential conflict between the European Union Leniency Programme and the national ones.
To date, there is no established European Union legislation or case-law on this issue, so unless and until a decision on how this conflict can be reconciled is taken, this uncertain situation is likely to worsen as more infringers seek leniency across the EU.


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Rust Never Sleeps is a web series of six short videos about the history, ecology and economic impact of the new and extremely virulent strain of wheat stem rust, Ug99. The fungus is tiny, but this story of one crop and one pathogen represents many fundamental principles of ecology, agriculture and evolution that are at the root of many food security issues. The story comes with strong characters and high stakes, because wheat is quite literally our daily bread.
The example of Ug99 shows that while international collaboration and support are important, local solutions that are adapted to specific geo-ecological conditions and cultural traditions are essential for success. As a consequence, much of the work for food security is currently done in countries like Kenya or Ethiopia and then 'exported' to the rest of the world. The team of Rust Never Sleeps will visit local scientists, breeders and farmers and learn first hand about their perspective on the struggle for food security. What works well and where are their challenges?
They will pay special attention to the collaboration between scientists and farmers. What works in the lab does not necessarily work in the field, and scientists are increasingly relying on local farmers to identify feasible solutions. They also rely on them for finding and identifying crop wild relatives and local varieties. Questions of ownerschip, access, and patents will be addressed in the videos, too, as they form the backdrop to nearly all issues of crop improvement and diversity. There are still many unresolved mysteries around wheat and its pathogens, and this sense of exploration and discovery will be a strong emotional tie that holds the parts of the series together.
© Photo by Jayneandd via Flickr Creative Commons
- Süddeutsche Zeitung: Erntetod (DE )
- Folge 1: Der Pilz, der die Welt bedroht (DE )
- Folge 2: Warum Weizen so wichtig ist (DE )
- Folge 3: Die Pilzjäger (DE )
- Folge 4: Wie der Pilz Kontinente erobert (DE )
- Folge 5: Äthiopiens Schatz (DE )
- Folge 6: Leben mit dem Feind (DE )
- Arte Future: Ug99 - Der Pilz im Weizen (DE )
- Arte Future: Ug99 - Récoltes en péril (FR )
- Chapitre 1: Un champignon menace le monde (FR )
- Chapitre 2: Le blé, une ressource vitale (FR )
- Chapitre 3: Les chasseurs de champignons (FR )
- Chapitre 4: Le champignon se propage (FR )
- Chapitre 5: L'espoir vient d'Éthiopie (FR )
- Chapitre 5: Cohabiter avec le nuisible (FR )

subset: commoncrawl


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October 20, 2004
Applying protectionist policies to homeland security -- such as preventing the outsourcing of certain security initiatives -- would stifle innovation and increase costs, says a new report by the Heritage Foundation.
Contrary to the fears of some Americans, where a contract is fulfilled does not necessarily add to or detract from the end goal of protecting the United States. More important are the safeguards in the contract, says Heritage. As a result:
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should ensure that its contracts outline stringent security and data protection requirements.
- The DHS should establish a program whereby inspectors would examine contractor facilities to verify that all security requirements are met.
- Contract work should be conducted only in countries that have a cooperative relationship with the U.S. in such security matters as export procedures, harmonization of security requirements, and research and development.
Having the option to outsource security jobs worldwide will result in the greatest pool of companies (and their corresponding technologies) competing against one another in bidding on government contracts. As a consequence, the United States benefits through lower costs and greater quality of service.
To that end, says Heritage, Congress should remove legislative barriers to awarding contracts to corporate expatriates so that the most competent and skilled companies that will be given responsibility over America's safety.
Source: James Jay Carafano et al., "Protectionism Compromises America's Homeland Security," Heritage Foundation, Backgrounder No. 1777, July 9, 2004.
Browse more articles on Government Issues


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Campus Ambassador for Asia's Biggest Hackathon
Internship DescriptionWe're looking to hire talented and smart folks who will drive in student registrations for Asia's Biggest Hackathon which will be taking place in 2016 at Pune. We're looking and hand-plucking the candidates who are: 1. Professional 2. Influential 3. Have great presentation skills 4. Love coffee's and travelling 5. Passionate about startups and entrepreneurship 6. Love networking
ResponsibilitiesFollowing will be the key responsibilities of the candidate: 1. Visit in-city colleges and announce about the hackathon to the students. 2. Drive in registrations (everything will be automated from our website). 3. Coordinate with other team members and maximise the conversions
We love passionate folks and try our level best to keep them happy. As a part of your internship program, you'll be awarded with:
1. Super awesome experience letter
2. An exposure to be a part of the core team which will organize Aisia's Biggest Hackathon (with an inflow of 5000 partcipants).
3. Travel perks and valuable online resources to channelize your marketing skills
4. A networking opportunity with Industry's most eminent entrepreneurs
About Company
With a view of bridging the gap between successful entrepreneurs and the students, HackUp is a two day weekend hackathon for young janta to learn and start-up their own KickAss online ventures with a personal gyaan-sharing from the pro entrepreneurs. Our Mission - To launch 1000x successful startups over the weekend.


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It is no longer news that Nigeria are currently creeping to get out of the economic recession, a situation which has seen many states being unable to pay its workers due to the current situation of the country.
Football is a game being watched all over the world, and the round leather game is one of the avenue that brings different people together in one interest.
Nigeria is blessed with so many talented players in which lots of them have made themselves known via this round leather game called football.
Most of the clubs in Europe pays their players weekly, and here we look at some Nigerian players whose weekly wages could take their states out of the economic recession.
Mikel Obi
The Chelsea player is one of the biggest boys in town going by what he receives weekly in his club who are currently topping the premier League in England.
Mikel who is the Super Eagles captain is earning the sum of 75, 000 pounds every seven blessed days and one could think of what this money can do in his state Plateau if converted to naira.
Victor Moses
The Super Eagles striker is one of the best legs in England and he currently plays for Chelsea. He was born in Kaduna in 1990 before he was later taken to England when he was 12 years old.
Moses currently collects the sum of 45,000 pounds every week at Chelsea and he has been impressive this term for the Blues.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho is one of the Nigerian players whose dreams of playing in Europe came to past as he currently plays for Manchester City in England, and he has been awesome for the club this season.
The forward is a big boy considering the amount that enters his account every week as the 19 year old earns 100, 000 pounds every seven days.
Obafemi Martins
When Martins was playing for major League soccer team, Seattle Sounders, he was reportedly earning 3 million dollars on a yearly basis, but Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua doubled his money and he had no choice than to join them.
Martins' wealth knows no bound as the former Inter Milan man has acquired a lot from football.
Ahmed Musa
Nigeria striker Ahmed Musa is also one of the biggest boys who currently plays for Leicester City in the Premier League in England.
The Super Eagles forward is on 60,000 pounds weekly payment, and one could think what this money could do for Kano state in this time of recession.
Source: Gossip.naija.ng


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Assist with Recognizing and Developing Potential
Cleveland, Ohio
Law enforcement and becoming a Lawyer might not be the same. Law enforcement sometimes means being a policeman who makes sure that people follow the law. A Lawyer is one that works with people to interpret the law and prosecutes or defends them in the courts. A good start is to talk to your school counselor about taking interest and aptitude tests to see with which career areas your interest are aligned. Also, talk to your school counselor about talking to graduates of your school who have become Policemen (or other people your counselor can identify as being in law enforcement) and Lawyers, so that you an get a better idea of which field you might want to pursue. Many people who got into Law Enforcement or Law get their start at a community college, so they can get a good education without accumulating large student loans. Talk to the alumni relations person at your local community college to talk to graduates who have gone into Law Enforcement and Law. Send a thank you note to those people who help you. Good luck! I will be happy to help further if I can.
6 comments
Please let me know how you are doing on the networking as I outlined. It is the best way for you to gain information and meet people who can help you with shadowing, internships, coop programs, and possible employment opportunities. I am not sure what you were referring to in that link, but you should say something about networking and exploring the career area.
Please keep me posted. I would be interested in knowing how your career exploration is doing.


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Chrissy Amphlett (Christine Joy Amphlett), (born Oct. 25, 1959, Geelong, Vic., Australia—died April 21, 2013, New York, N.Y.), Australian singer-songwriter who brought a rich, powerful voice and raw sexuality—enhanced by her signature stage costume of fishnet stockings and miniskirted schoolgirl uniform—as the frontwoman of Divinyls. The hard-rocking band, which Amphlett cofounded in 1980, released five studio albums during 1982–96, including the eponymous Divinyls (1991), which featured their international hit single, "I Touch Myself." The band formally broke up in 1997 but later reunited. Amphlett also acted in the film Monkey Grip (1982) and onstage as Russell Crowe's mother in Blood Brothers (1988) and in The Boy from Oz (1998–99 and 2006), earning (2007) a Helpmann Award nomination as best supporting actress in a musical for her performance as singer-actress Judy Garland in the latter. In 2007 Amphlett revealed that she had multiple sclerosis (she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 but was ineligible for conventional medical treatment because of the MS). Divinyls was inducted into the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame in 2006, and in 2013 Amphlett was ranked number nine on a list of Australia's greatest singers of all time.
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A global center for hair transplantation excellence, Los Angeles is home to some of the very best hair restoration physicians in the world. Hair Restoration Centers physician, Dr. Jeanette Straga, is widely regarded as one of the very best.
Key to a successful hair transplant procedure is the setting of realistic goals. Dr. Straga works closely with all her patients to ensure the very best outcome is achieved, in line with their very personal requirements and expectations. Hair restoration helps our patients regain not only a more youthful appearance, but their self-confidence too. As a result of Dr. Straga's empathetic approach, satisfaction among her patients is on par with the best in the industry.
Dr. Jeanette Straga graduated with honors from Kent State University where she obtained a B.A. with a dual major in Biology and Pre-Med with a Psychology Minor. She continued with her Masters studies in Biomedical Science at Barry University in Miami, FL and obtained her Doctorate at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine in Miami. She completed an Internal Medicine internship at the University of Southern Alabama in Mobile before completing her residency in Neurology at the University of Texas in Galveston. She continued with fellowship training in Neuro-ophthalmology at New York Eye & Ear Infirmary followed by another fellowship at University of Southern California/LAC in Neurophysiology.
Dr. Straga has a number of professional interests including aesthetic medicine, hair restoration, follicular unit extraction (FUE) and robotic hair transplantation. She trained with Parsa Mohebi MD, who is internationally regarded as one of the pioneering experts in the field of hair restoration. Dr. Straga has years of experience in a variety of treatment options including cosmetic medicine, hair restoration, Dermal Fillers, Laser treatments, tumescent Liposuction and Platelet Rich Plasma treatments (PRP). She is actively involved as the principal investigator in several current dermatologic/cosmetic clinical trials.
Dr. Straga is pleased to bring her compassionate and personal approach to her patients at Hair Restoration Centers. Her patient-first approach, attention to detail and desire to help patients achieve their hair restoration goals helps ensure natural looking final results that are undetectable by the general public.


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Amish "Glacier Country" Pine Log Lawn Swing by Montana WoodworksI'll bet it's not hard to imagine yourself relaxing while swaying in this stunning handcrafted Amish pine log lawn swing. Designed and crafted to last for generations, this log yard swing evokes memories of the "Grand Lodge of the Rockies" decor of the early 1900s.
Approx. dimensions: 88"W x 75"D x 77"H, 170 lbs
This character-rich piece of Amish furniture by Montana Woodworks is handmade in America from sustainably harvested, dead-standing Lodgepole Pine. The pine logs used to construct this lawn swing are hand-peeled with a draw knife to remove the outer bark while keeping the inner bark in tact for increased texture and a natural contrast with the creamy pine wood. The piece is completed with an 8-step stain and lacquer finish for durability and low maintenance.
Each piece of this durable heirloom-quality rustic furniture is signed by the artist who makes it.
As with most of our Amish log furniture, this log yard swing is delivered to your curbside free of charge to the lower 48 States. This item generally ships within 7-10 business days. The manufacturer offers a 20-year materials and workmanship warranty on all of their rustic furniture.


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Jerusalem Copper Hamsa Keychain with HoshenProduct ID: KHL-JA-24477
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Jerusalem Copper Hamsa Keychain with Hoshen
This set of five copper keychains is a beautiful yet practical reminder of Jerusalem.
Material Copper
Estimated processing time: 2-3 Business Days.
Your order's processing time is the estimated number of days that it will take for your order to be prepared for shipment from our Israel-based fulfillment center.
Jerusalem Copper Hamsa Keychain with Hoshen
These beautiful copper keychains include a hoshen design, reminiscent of the Biblical priestly breastplate that contained 12 unique jewels. "Jerusalem" is written in Hebrew, along with an engraved vignette of the city. This hamsa would make a great addition to your keychain.
These hamsas would make great party favors for any Jewish occasion!


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Alex Mawae wins short course SUP race on Oahu
Twelve-year-old Alex Mawae took the short course by storm with a first place finish in the 13-and-under division at the Hui O He'e Nalu Independence Day Paddleboard and Stand Up Paddle race on Saturday.
Mawae was among 300-plus paddlers in the short course of the Oahu paddle race. Overall, Mawae finished 23rd in a virtual no-wind race competing against many of the state's top paddlers.
Mawae's older sister Josie also put in a credible finish to the short course while his mom Clare Mawae finished second in her division with a solid and respectable time in the long course.
The short course ran from Sunset Beach to Waimea, a four-mile distance, while the seven-mile long course started from Turtle Bay. The conditions looked promising in the morning with trades kicking in and small bumps for riding. However, a rain squall came in which turned the race into a light wind event with a focus on keeping a solid pace.
This is one of the more fun events in Hawaii with many people participating in many age divisions. The conditions did not matter as it was all about having fun with paddling, said Clare Mawae.
Next on the list for the Josie and Alex Mawae will be the local Molokai event, M4Molokai, on July 13, which goes eight miles from Kamalo to Hotel Molokai. The following weekend on Maui, the Adventure Sports Maui Paddleboard race is on the schedule with a 9.54-mile course that runs from Maliko Gulch To Kahului Harbor and finishes at the Hawaiian Canoe Club.


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do we really hear the Word of God and then let it influence our life?
Good question for discussion today.
Absolutely no flaming! These daily threads are intended to be devotional in nature. If a particular day's offering says nothing to you, please just go on and wait for the next day. Consider these threads a DMZ of sorts, a place where a perpetual truce is in effect and a place where all other arguments and disagreements from other times and places are left behind.
I can attest from personal experience (Salvation's) that reading from Imitation of Christ daily will almost certainly change - not one's faith - but one's perspective of his/her own faith, and open up new vistas in your spiritual life. If - when - this happens to a reader of these threads, and they choose to share what has happened within them - we are treading on hallowed ground. Be respectful.
- Religion Moderator


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By The Canadian Press on September 15, 2014
TORONTO – There is an "airtight business case" for hiring people with disabilities, Ontario's outgoing lieutenant-governor said Monday in his last major speech.
David Onley, who uses a motorized scooter after having polio as a child, used his term to champion accessibility issues. When he was installed in 2007, Onley defined accessibility as "that which enables people to achieve their full potential."
Accessibility is more than the wheelchair curb cuts, parking spots, automatic doors and "the ubiquitous wheelchair symbol," Onley said in a speech Monday at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
Onley, whose term ends next week, said a group of businesses that have policies of hiring people with disabilities will be announced this week and the organization will help companies access the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.
It will include companies who hire a percentage of people with disabilities that reflects the number in the general population, which is about 15 per cent, he said. Onley will be the honorary patron of the organization called Canadian Business SenseAbility, he said.
Onley said accessibility is ultimately about good business practices.
"There is an airtight business case to do what is counterintuitive and that is to hire people with disabilities for one and only one reason and it's not because of some touchy feely notion of social responsibility, although there is a degree of social responsibility," he said.
"The only reason is for cold, calculating business reasons: to increase productivity and to increase your profits."
Onley also announced a new annual award to recognize people and organizations who demonstrate leadership in accessibility and disability issues.
This is a "watershed" time for accessibility, he said, as it's near the midpoint of the 20-year implementation period of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and while a "great deal" has been achieved, there is a long way to go to build full accessibility by 2025.
Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid also spoke to the Board of Trade and said after his speech that becoming more accessible could lead to a $7.9 billion impact on the economy.
"That's opening up new markets to customers, but just as importantly opening up our business to people with disabilities so that they can fully contribute the skills and talent that they have," Duguid said. "There's a really good business case to do this."
Onley was one of Canada's first visibly disabled newscasters and was a prominent face on television as a science and technology specialist and weatherman.
The incoming lieutenant-governor, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, a former undersecretary general of the United Nations with a long public service record, will be sworn in Sept. 23.
Reproduced from http://blackburnnews.com/bri-ontario/2014/09/15/onley-champions-accessibility-as-term-ends/


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Obviously this isn't an expansive list, but I'm trying to keep a record for myself of which flights have personal air vents. While there are lots of cool new tools to track the various in-flight amenities, none of them that I've found track this. I have many friends who work in the industry and I realize that these vents (nicknamed "gaspers") actually impede well-engineered cabin airflow, none of the marvels of my friends' airflow engineering will help me when the cabin crew sets the thermostat to 28C. Some more background info here.
In general, narrow-body us dometic planes all seem to have them. I only just started keeping track, but here's my list so far. Feel free to add your own!
Cathay 777-300ER no
AA 777 yep
AC 777 yep
B6 A321* yep (mint)
KL A380* no
ANA 777* no
UNITED 777-200 yep
SK A330 no
SK A340 no
DL A330 yep


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Prize is one travel mug and a $25 Parker's cash card to be utilized for beverage purchases only. Winners will be announced every Monday in 6-7am Coastal Sunrise show, starting January 9, 2017. Entries will be accepted Monday through Friday of week prior to winner announcement. Each round closes the previous Friday at 12:00pm, and one winner will be drawn.
Make sure to enter a mug and tune into Coastal Sunrise to see if you win!


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Hong Kong, China (PressExposure) May 23, 2009 -- Zetland Fiduciary Group recently joined the Shorex Wealth Management Forum, which was held in Singapore for the first time this year. Zetland maintained 1 stand displaying their services and offerings.
The Shorex Wealth Management forum is set up as a : ⢠Networking platform for investors and professional advisers ⢠Distribution channel enhancer for financial institutions ⢠Forum for knowledge updates and professional development ⢠Way to design products specifically created for Asian markets ⢠Way to establish joint ventures between international companies and local clients
Over 1,200 participants attended from 11 different countries in Eastern and South East Asia as well as the UAE. Attendees were mostly professionals, but also included high end clients by invitation. The forum has traditionally been held in Geneva, and this year was the debut of the sister-forum in Singapore, one of Asia's leaders in wealth creation and management.
Zetland's stand was one of the event's busiest. The services highlighted at Zetland's 8 stands at Shorex included: ⢠Business and financial consultancy internationally and in the Asia region, with emphasis on operations in China ⢠Company formation in most jurisdictions around the world ⢠Provision of company secretaries, nominee shareholders and directors ⢠Bank account opening and operation, banking introductions and liaison ⢠Company administration including invoicing, trade financing and processing and accounting ⢠Formation and operation of special purpose vehicles including insurance and lending operations, mutual funds (unit trusts), leasing, ship and aircraft operating companies ⢠Holding and administration of investments in client companies including the monitoring of performance ⢠Settlement of trusts and acting as trustee or protector ⢠Establishment and administration of foundations and charitable trusts ⢠Setting up private trustee companies ⢠Acting as principal in trading and other transactions ⢠International remuneration and human resources structuring
About Zetland Corporate Services:
The Zetland Financial Group - provides the offshore investor with fiduciary Services, investment management and corporate advisory services, offering personal service and professional advice with total confidentiality.
For more information please contact:
Jason Weatherhead Zetland Fiduciary Group Email: jason ( @ ) zetland dot biz Website: http://www.zetland.biz
Related Link: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/zetland-fiduciary-group-heads-for-new-shores-through-wealt-pr-121174.html


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Lucinda Hutson is the author of The Herb Garden Cookbook (an organic gardening book and cookbook, peppered with personal anecdotes.) She lives in a purple house surrounded by whimsical gardens in Austin, TX (and owns a purple Super-Slim Lightweight Hose.) She writes gardening, cooking and lifestyle features for national magazines, such as Fine Gardening, Southern Living, Horticulture, Edible Austin and The Herb Companion. Lucinda lectures across the country at arboretums, conferences, and garden clubs, and hosts PBS tours of her gardens. You can order The Herb Garden Cookbook at lucindahutson.com.
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What an amazing few days!! Best surprise of my life...Colm asked me to marry him on the bonnie… instagram.com/p/BDfpXg_qlNf/
Single released today! Had great fun recording 'The Dance' with @celticCK. If you haven't got it yet, here's the link bit.ly/1n0mz15
Made myself my very first OFFICIAL FACEBOOK page!!!!!! Very new to this so feel free to pop by and post pics ;-) facebook.com/pages/Laura-Du…
Here's our new music video for Colm's original song 'Waves Of Future' filmed by @DeclanODonoghue Thanks Dec! youtu.be/RjiSYN420YM
Here's the link to our new music video 'Waves of Future' filmed by the talented @DeclanODonoghue hope you enjoy! X youtu.be/RjiSYN420YM


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When I found out last spring that Contributing Editor Melissa Ford was publishing a novel, I maybe squealed a little. A few months ago I got an advanced copy of Life From Scratch from her publisher, and I maybe squealed again when I saw it in my mailbox. Holding a book someone you know wrote in your hands is a true joy in a reader's life.
Life From Scratch introduces us to Rachel Goldman. She's in her thirties, lives in New York City, is going through a divorce and has no idea how to cook for herself. So she did what so many of us would have done in those circumstances -- she starts a blog and learns how to cook. To her surprise, people start reading her blog and she starts to let more people into her life, such as a certain sexy Spaniard. But is Rachel really ready move on to the next course in her life?
One of the advantages of knowing someone who writes a book is that once you finish it and are bursting to talk about it it with someone, you demand politely ask them to sit down with you and talk about it. Melissa kindly agreed to not only answer my questions about her book but to share her answers with you.
This is your second book but your first novel. You also blog. How different was it for you to write fiction?
Writing fiction was very different. Non-fiction -- for me -- is like a fixed-form poem. The parameters of non-fiction provide a cozy little space where what needs to be done is very much a black-and-white situation with the creativity being the way in which the material is presented. Fiction is like a free-form poem. Some people think the lack of set rules would make it easier, but often times it's harder. Especially if you can't really picture how a scene unfolds or how to get the character from Point A to Point B.
The book, and each chapter, in your novel starts off with a blog post. Why did you decide to make blogging such an integral part of the novel?
I finally took one of those mainstay pieces of advice from MFA departments -- write what you know. Blogging is a huge part of my life, therefore, it made sense to make it a big part of the novel. I didn't want to write another non-fiction book -- certainly not one about blogging -- but I wanted to explore how it feels to put your inner-most thoughts out there. The good part that anyone can read your blog; but also the bad part -- anyone can read your blog!
You were not only writing Rachel's story, but her blog as well. As for many of us, her voice wasn't quite the same on her blog as it was in her real life. You essentially had to create two voices for her. Was that an extra challenge?
When I originally wrote the manuscript, it didn't have the blog entries, but my agent said, "we need to hear Rachel's blog voice!" So those entries were added. The funny part was that I had to write them in Blogger and then cut-and-paste them into the manuscript. So the rest of the book was written as a Word Doc, but those blog entries had to be written on a blog platform. It was very strange, but it was the way I got over the mental block I had of not really knowing Rachel's voice despite having described her blog in the main text.
Rachel, like many of us in the early days of our blogs, had no idea how many people were really reading. After a friend introduces her to a stats tracking program, she's astonished. I'm very lackadaisical when it comes to paying attention to my stats, even though I find the information I get from them rather fascinating. Are you a stats person?
Yes and no. I love numbers, love to see how things unfold, so I check my stats from time to time. But I've also learned after 4+ years of blogging that there is no magical formula to increasing your readership, nor is there any way to predict what will resonate with people. There are posts I've written that have gone semi-viral that I thought would barely get a glance, and others that I took days to construct that got 5 comments. I also think that people get too hung up on the number and don't think about the quality of that readership. A blogger with a huge readership asked her readers to do her a favour and few did it. And she wrote an excellent post afterward about why have a lot of readers if those readers aren't attached enough to you or your ideas to do a small favour that costs them a second or two of time. It made me really thankful that I have a great readership that flows two ways -- where they read me and I read them and we all engage with one another. Because it is true -- I'd rather have 100 people that support me completely than 100,000 people who are there in number only but could care less what I have to say. It's the Twitter phenomenon -- you can have a lot of followers, but have no one really read your Tweets.
Rachel was a food blogger but she was also a life blogger who was telling her life with food as a background. What blogs do you think Rachel would read?
Oh, she'd probably have a mix of large blogs and small blogs in her Reader. She'd love Alice Q. Foodie, and Macheesmo because his recipes always look so good. And she'd totally be friends with the boys from The Bitten Word. She'd look at the baking recipes from Leite's Culinaria, but she'd never try them because she's too scared. Of course, she'd read Orangette and Chez Pim. She'd rely heavily on advice from Simply Recipes. And she'd have a lot of non-food bloggers in there as well.
People often say that a great first line is key to any book. I'm sure we can think of first lines that we remember "it was the best of times, it was the the worst of time..." "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Your first line was great. "June Cleaver beat the crap out of me with her rolling pin." How hard was it coming up with that line?
Ha! Thank you very much. I don't even remember the process of writing that -- I know I wrote it in Blogger and then cut-and-paste that in. I think it was something much more aligned with what I'd say on my own blog, therefore it made it into Rachel's blog.
It was interesting for me to read your novel because I know you. I could see bits of Melissa in Rachel, like her fear of mayonnaise. There are also obvious differences, like the fact that Rachel is going through a divorce. I know that sometimes when I read a book I carry the characters around with me. Was it hard sometimes to leave Rachel on the page?
Rachel became a really good friend as I wrote the book, and I deeply cared about her. I obviously pulled in aspects from my life -- such as my fear of mayonnaise -- but the divorce, her family, her desire to reinvent herself, her approach to Judaism (and I've never had a Spanish lover, drats) were entirely owned by Rachel, and I came to love her for those aspects of her life because they are so different from my own. I invented a woman that I knew I would want to be friends with myself -- even if I didn't exactly want to be her. And I love her enough to carry her through three more books in the future which I've started writing or have outlined.
NaNoWriMo just ended and something I've heard from a number of agents that I follow on social media sites is that on December 1 they get hit with a wave of first drafts of novels. They beg people to read their work and edit and rewrite and edit and edit and edit before they send it off to them. How many drafts of your novel did you go through before you tried to sell it?
I edit as I write -- sometimes erasing whole sections and chapters and starting over the next day. Then, after editing as I go along, I self-edit the entire manuscript one more time before I show it to my husband or brother for another edit. Finally, I'll send it to my agent, who also has suggestions before she starts to shop it. I agree with those agents -- you're asking a person for their time, and the least you can do is give them the best manuscript you can possibly give them. I know that it's hard to wait when you're itching to race ahead. But take your time with a manuscript, get a few people to read it before sending it along to an agent, and make sure you can say you gave it your best shot.
Melissa, congratulations on your new novel and thanks for answering my questions. You can find out more about Melissa's book and read an excerpt on the Life From Scratch website.
Contributing Editor Karen Ballum also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.
Photo Credit: Mary Gardella of Love Life Images.
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text:
Will diluadid and roxycodone show up as positive under the same category on a drug test?
- Asked
- 28 Aug 2010 by dawnzer
- Active
- 22 Dec 2011
- Topics
- roxicodone, drug test
Responses (1)
Dillauded is hydromoraphone and roxicodone is oxycodone, actually dillauded matabolizes into oxycodone. There are separate tests for different opiates. On a typical 5 or 6 panel test oxycodone won't show up. If you have to test its best to stop taking them 42 to 72 hours before you test. Good luck.
Further Information
- Roxicodone Information for Consumers
- Roxicodone Information for Healthcare Professionals (includes dosage details)
- Side Effects of Roxicodone (detailed)
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text:
Published: Sunday 28th December 2014 by The News Editor
Network Rail said it was "deeply sorry" after thousands of passengers' travel plans were plunged into chaos thanks to over-running engineering works.
Police had to be brought in to control re-routed crowds as trains in and out of two of London's busiest rail hubs were cancelled.
Passengers branded the debacle a "disgrace" while Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin demanded answers from rail bosses.
And the railway watchdog, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), has promised an investigation into the disruption.
As pressure mounted on Network Rail, Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations, apologised for the mayhem.
He said: "I'm deeply sorry for the delays, upset and upheaval caused today to passengers impacted by our overrunning improvement work outside King's Cross.
"We've had an army of 11,000 engineers out over Christmas Day and Boxing Day at 2,000 locations nationwide. Over 90% have been completed and handed back to-time but I realise this is no consolation for the thousands affected today."
He added he expected King's Cross to be brought back to normal operation this morning.
He said Network Rail would pay compensation to train operators, but would not be drawn on whether affected customers will be in line for pay-outs.
His comments came after a day where thousands of travellers were hit by delays and cancellations, or crammed into "dangerously overcrowded" carriages.
Paddington, one of west London's busiest stations, was closed for much of the day as trains were cancelled or delayed.
While King's Cross' normally busy concourse was almost deserted as trains were scrapped or redirected to Finsbury Park, a far smaller station in north London.
But Finsbury Park was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of passengers and also temporarily closed, leaving passengers queuing in the freezing cold for around two hours.
Police had to be brought in to deal with the crowds, which stretched some 300 metres along the side of the station along Seven Sisters Road.
Metal barriers were also erected to avoid people getting crushed.
George Hallam, a semi-retired economics lecturer from Lewisham, was among the crowds waiting to get on a train at Finsbury Park.
He said: "Any civil engineering contractor would have realised probably weeks ago that they were going to overrun and they must have realised they would be fined.
"They could have solved that by putting on more resources, more people, more machines – but if the cost of that is more than the fine then they would choose to pay the fine."
He added: "There are a lot of vulnerable people here. My mother-in-law is 94, we managed to get her into a taxi some time ago. But the train companies ought to be arranging coaches, not taxis."
Passengers travelling with East Coast, First Hull Trains, Grand Central and Great Northern were warned to expect major delays on many services.
Great Western trains were also hit as Paddington was closed for much of the day because of over-running works and signal problems.
Lindesay Irvine, 45, a journalist, said he has been stuck on a "dangerously overcrowded" train after two train-loads of people, one from Bristol and one from Cornwall, were merged into one.
Mr Irvine, who is travelling to London after spending Christmas with family in Bristol, said: "It is dangerously overcrowded. In health and safety terms this must be well against the law.
"There is not an inch of room. At the last station people tried to get on but couldn't. One person has been taken ill on the train.
"There is no room, no information and no apology. It is unacceptable. The engineering works have over-run from Christmas but they have had plenty of time to prepare.
"My Christmas in Bristol was close to perfect. And now thanks to Great Western I've been left very angry at the end of my Christmas break."
Fellow passenger Lynda Pollard, 62, said: "It is packed. You have got to fight your way through to the bathroom. It is so crowded you can barely move. Why have they not laid coaches on?
"The overcrowding is horrendous. There is no way of getting any food or water. It is dreadful."
Announcing an investigation into the debacle, ORR said in a statement: "Network Rail, working with the rest of the industry, must learn lessons and prevent problems like this happening again.
"ORR is investigating overrunning works.
"We will also be reviewing the standard of passenger information during disruptions – with a focus on whether passengers have been adequately informed to make alternative arrangements to their journeys or claim compensation."
Mr McLoughlin said: "The situation on the railways this weekend has been totally unacceptable.
"Passengers must be able to trust that vital engineering works on the rail network will be completed on time. Passengers deserve no less.
"I will be asking Network Rail to set out what went wrong and how they can learn lessons, but its priority must be to get services running into King's Cross as well as Paddington."
Network Rail said its engineers had "been working tirelessly to complete the track replacement work" but not all the planned works had been completed in time.
It said tickets will be valid until Monday and pledged to get to the bottom of why the engineering work was delayed.
Network Rail said the engineering work near King's Cross was part of a £200 million Christmas investment programme, with most services expected to return to normal on January 5.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "There will be thousands of passengers who have been left angry and frustrated by today's events. We have heard and seen passengers standing for hours on trains, locked outside stations and left to find out what to do by themselves.
"Passengers booked tickets and made travel plans based on the promises made by the industry. That trust has been broken today."
He called for a review into the disruption, adding: "In the meantime every single passenger affected should claim compensation. Send a clear message to the industry and make sure your voice is heard."
Published: Sunday 28th December 2014 by The News Editor


text: Analyzing e-governance mainstays on municipalities websitesRocío Andrea Rodríguez, Daniel Alberto Giulianelli, Pablo Martín Vera, Isabel B. Marko, Artemisa Trigueros, Mónica I. LarrosaCommunicabilityMS2008E-Governance aims to provide citizens with a high quality of government. It covers services, information delivery and interactive community / government communication. This goal can be achieved by adopting the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) tools in the government websites' design and content. This communication channel allows a… (More)


text:
Contact Info / Websites
All 12 movie Reviews
Karma in Space
Rated 5 / 5 stars
I liked it.
It was simple, but entertaining. 5/5 for a first flash!
Rated 5 / 5 stars
A New Favorite
OMG this is my new favorite..it IS like the family guy...I love that show! *Salutes Waterman*
Kissing A Fool
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Well done..
Wow, this flash was well done and I thought the animation style was perty. It was warm and cutesy. Which was a nice break from the blood and guts spilled...Wow the singer's mouth moved perfectly with the song, expert timing. And like other people before me have said..it was very smoooooth..
HellPlay Trailer
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Make one already! (good flash)
OMG, I didn't review this when it first came out, but I've been waiting for the first episode! You tease! You teased us, now I want the first episode! LoL I don't want you to rush it though, the idea is good and the possibilities are endless, Newgrounds seems to have it's own distinct "culture" amoungst the users so maiking it a city is totally genius! The idea is original, I must say..and it has more than potential, I think if you put the first movie out, it'll get a pretty high rating and more people will review it.
The Nickname
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Yay! Awesome Flash! Well, Shikadi and Chruz, think your so big that you were in the flash, eh? Well uh...I was too..um, I was in the credits! Jokes inspired by. I was "my sister" ya! biggest role, lol. The Movie was awesome, keep up the good work.
Dance Of The Flies
Rated 4 / 5 stars
Simple, but funny
It was simple..but funny, someone said it was unoriginal, but they can go to hell, I liked it! I hate flies so much dammit! I'm going to build a concentration camp for em!
My Salute
Rated 5 / 5 stars
That was funny!
I saw this a long time ago, but i didn't review on it, I was just randomly going through movies and I came upon this one again! I love it, Dr.Pepper is great..but I like Vanilla Coke more. But, hey if there's no Vanilla Coke, Dr.Pepper is my second choice!
Ps: I liked the big-head licking the world, cuz it tastes better! wOOt that was genius!
Hate Made Me!
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars
It was funny...
Hey that was great, the hunters got their come-upins in the end! But, I do resent the seal hunter scene. Seal Hunters do not beat seals with baseball bats. They kill them quick and painlessly. The baseball bat thing was just some crap Green Peace spewed out.(If they beat them it would ruin the pelt they want) Any video of Seals being beaten with baseball bats was greenpeace themselves doing it. Now that the Seal hunts have stoped, the population of Seals has exploded because people have been hunting them for thousands of years, now some fish up north are going extinct because the hunters became a natural predator for the Seals. And when that predator is gone, there is no equilibrium. Other than that, I loved it and I can tell you worked very hard on it! Good Job, you did get a message across...Sativas kick ass!
-=Stick Wars Episode II=-
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Oh that's great!
Omg, that was great, a little Bohemian Rhapsody ladies and gentlemen! wOOt Wayne's World ownz!
That was just simply hilarious! Really, great! Why didn't I see this a long time ago..I have no clue! I love Star Wars err uh Stick Wars..hehe one of those songs is commonly featured in SWG!
Rated 5 / 5 stars
How Cute!
That's so cute, the animation was good, the plot was short and simple, the sound was pretty good, (matched theme and everything!) I like it, you don't see too many flashmovies like that anymore!! YaY! Good Job!!!


text:
Sitting outside of Heathrow, I thought it was nice to have a plaza since I haven't seen many at airports. Airports are some fascinating public space and design spaces. I had met an San Fran architect at TED, we talked about their architecture design and details that help "user experience". Places like Changi Airport in Singapore I think are quite amazing in making people comfortable in long transit times, and pay attention to little things like larger bathroom stalls (because people have luggage!)
As part of the Sketchbook Project, I chose "Travel with Me" as a theme, and aimed to fill it this trip. Funnily it has ended up all about AIRPORTS. My thoughts and drawings from all the airports on this trip – Brisbane, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Singapore, JFK. It is all scribbles about airport design, time differences, people sitting around, emotional baggage and real baggage.


text:
※This product is comes with 1 Year Full Manufacturer Warranty (valid in Japan).
※The Manual is Japanese ONLY.
If you don't speak or read Japanese, please refrain from purchasing this item.
■ headphones non- included . Fluent in the high-res sound headphones Sony recommended .
(Recommended headphone MDR-1R MK2/MDR-1R/MDR-10R/MDR-10RC/XBA-H3)
■ Display 4.0 inches (FWVGA)
■ Tolyl Minas R display for mobile
■ optimistic contrast panel
■ Android 4.1
■ Google Play. Correspondence Store
■ High-quality sound technology
(S-Master HX, DSEE HX, Clear Bass , Clear Stereo , Clear Phase Speaker )
■ ClearAudio +
■ Gapless play (ATRAC, MP3, AAC, WAV, L.PCM, ALAC, FLAC, AIFF)
■ Wi-Fi support
■ Bluetooth support
■ NFC reader / writer function deployment
■ Battery life up to about 35 hours (MP3: 128kbps Depends on the set ) (TBD)
■ Monaural speaker
■ G sensor
■ Mike
■ Multi audio codec support - Hi-Res source support (192kHz/24bit)
(MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, WMA, ATRAC, ATRAC Advanced Lossless, L-PCM, FLAC, Apple Lossless)
■Storage capacity: 128GB
■ Size (width × height × depth ):
approximately 59.7 × 122.3 × 13.5 mm (thinnest part: about 9.8 mm)
■ Weight: about 139g ( The rechargeable battery included )
Quick StatsSony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 128GB MP3 Player Hi-Res, 3 votes
- Author:
- AnakChan
- Views:
- 2,602
- Images:
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- 3
- Comments:
- 0
- Average User Rating:
- 3.83333/5, 3 votes
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Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 128GB MP3 Player Hi-Res
Digital Audio (FLAC/MP3/etc) Players (DAPs) item created by AnakChan, Dec 25, 2013
- Average User Rating:
- 3.83333/5,
Recent User Reviews
"Amazing sound, fantastic build quality."
- 4.5/5,
Pros - Sound quality, sub bass, superb build quality.
Cons - Battery, Android 4.1
In all those years i have owned had lot of portable players(first one a walkman from the eighties) , most of them are from Sony, i came from a X1060 (before that A2000) but this thing is a big step up.
The sound is amazing.
Brutal playing electronic music with the Ultimate Ears TF 10.
If you can get this player for a nice price you are in the zone.
The ZX2 is double the money at the moment but to expensive for e little (battery) improvement in my opinion.
"Sony NWZ-ZX1 Review: High Resolution Faffery"
- 3.0/5,
Pros - Beautifully built hardware, hardware music controls, generally good interface
Cons - Reflective LCD, relatively slow CPU, noticeable hiss with some equipment, does not meet 24/16 bit audio spec?
I will try to keep this short.
Firstly, to disclose: I purchased the NWZ-ZX1 with a 25% off discount coupon given to me by Sony Australia after attending a demonstration event for their high resolution audio products. I was invited to this event in my capacity as a Youtube reviewer.
The Sony NWZ-ZX1 is a beautifully built piece of hardware. Hardware music controls are wonderful. The interface is by and large easy to use.
The LCD is quite reflective and not particularly bright in direct sunlight. This seems to be because it appears Sony did not use a bonded glass display assembly like modern smartphones, which causes reflections due to the air gap between the LCD and the glass.
The interface and drag and drop music transfer is quite easy to use. However the default music player exhibits some lag when scrolling through albums rapidly.
Here is my video about the physical aspects of the player:
In terms of audio performance, it is suggested by Soomal's RMAA results http://www.soomal.com/doc/10100004953.htm that the ZX1 has a noise floor that is so high that it cannot deliver the dynamic range necessary to take advantage of 24 bit audio, and may not even have an effective bit rate to deliver the theoretical maximum 96 dB dynamic range of CD quality 16bit audio. Whether or not 24 bit audio actually matters, it is disturbing to see that Sony is marketing the player as a flagship high resolution audio device when it cannot seem to deliver what it says on the box. I would love to see more results published for the ZX1, but for reference comparison the ZX1 does not seem to do as well as an iPhone 5S http://www.soomal.com/doc/10100004450.htm or HTC One M8 http://soomal.net/doc/10100004976.htm, which are both smartphones that do more than the ZX1, have better underlying hardware, and cost similar amounts.
For my own subjective comparisons, I took a ZX1 and my iPhone 5S and volume matched them within 1dB using a Sescom iPod A/B switch and a Zoom H2n recorder. I then listened on a variety of equipment. On my Sony XBA-H3 and Sennheiser Amperior, a subtle hiss was noticed on the ZX1 that was not apparent on the 5S. On the multi balanced armature Nuforce Primo 8 review unit I have on hand, the hiss is very loud and noticeable. Again, this hiss was not audibly present on the 5S.
Here is my video depicting how the volume matching was performed and some of my notes about the audio performance of the ZX1.
Apart from the hiss, the two players sound very similar. Both sound very neutral and detailed.
Based on my findings I cannot recommend the Sony NWZ-ZX1. It is very expensive for a device that performs worse than similarly priced smartphones, and yet does less and is more difficult to carry around because of its unusual physical shape.
I think people who know what I have written in the past know that I am a big follower (and maybe a hyper critical one) of Sony's audio gear. I am disappointed to see Sony embrace a marketing push for high resolution audio while delivering flagship products that fail to live up to that spec.the wizard of oz, Klonatans, Tail and 1 other person like this.
"Feature rich, easy to use, wonderful DAP that's just a little underpowered"
- 4.0/5,
Pros - Great UI, Easy to use, bug free, smooth, great sound, signal processing options
Cons - Pricey, not enough POWA
As indicated in the subject like, this is going to be a review of the Sony NW-ZX1. I'll be conducting this review by A-Bing a series of songs, using a Sescom SES-IPOD-AB A/B switch. This allows me to plugin in two devices at once in to separate inputs, and a headphone in to the switches output, and immediately switch between devices. I will get the music matched as closely as possible timing-wise, then match volume by ear (no SPL meter).
I'll be comparing the Sony to several MP3 players, and will add a couple more devices, if people are interested, over time. Methodology will be quite simple, I'll start with the ZX1 and [other MP3] player both plugged in to my switch, and any one of the 4 headphones I'll be using in the comparison in to the output. I will start playing the same track at the same time on each player, then will take notes of differences that I hear between the devices. Any differences I perceive in a sighted test, will be later tested using the same equipment, and a partner to allow for a blind test. Anywhere I don't perceive a difference, there's not really any reason to waste someone else's time.
I'll be using 4 pairs of headphones, and all of my music playing devices. The headphones are each unique, so they should be a good group to use.
The headphones
- HiFiMan HE-400. A pair of magnetic planars. Solid all the way around, really like these guys.
- AKG Q-701. Another great pair of headphones. They're open, dynamic driver headphones. Also of note, they're the hardest that I own to drive. Massive soundstage, great highs and mids, and well controlled lows, that are just lacking a touch in volume.
- Unique Melody Merlins. A balanced armature/dynamic driver hybrid custom-IEM. The Merlins have great mids and highs, and plenty of bass, with a crazy low frequency response. They're colored, but in a really fun and engaging way.
- Pioneer HDJ-2000. These are a DJ headphone, so there's plenty of bass on tap, and they're closed dynamic cans. But they're also pretty darn accurate in the mids and highs, and aren't a Beats style of bloated and overwhelming bass. I bought them to be a closed and more bass heavy complement to my AKG's, and they never disappointed
The MP3 Players
- Sansa Clip+ with Rockbox. The standard. With super low output impedance, and an identical power output spec, the Clip+ is an inexpensive alternative to more expensive DAPs, and it sounds great.
- Sansa Fuze+ with Rockbox. I bought this because it was cheap, and I wanted to play with Rockbox on a device with a larger color screen. Sounds good, but there's some background hiss.
- Nexus 10. This is a 10.1" Android tablet, with a super high resolution display. (299 Pixels per inch versus the iPad Retina display's 264) I use Google Music for my music playback, and I'm running a custom ROM, it shouldn't affect sound quality, but it might.
- Fiio E18. I'll use a desktop computer, and play my music through my favorite jukebox app, Nightingale. Will the program that I use make a difference? No, but I want to plug Nightingale. I was sad when Songbird ceased operations, but this fork of their source lives on.
- Samsung Galaxy S4 (to be added later). This is my phone, and it's another Android device, so a good comparison for the Sony. It's rooted, but runs Samsung's stock ROM. Will have to add the comparison at a later date, because it's in for a display repair
- HiFiMan 602 slim (to be added later). Also in for a display repair. Figured I should throw it in. It will be interesting to compare this with the UM's, as the output impedance should significantly impact the sound.
- iPod Shuffle (to be added later). Only iDevice I own, figured I should include it. Sorry for not having a "better" one. It's the latest generation, and this one will only really be interesting if it's just as good.
The Tracks (note that I won't breakdown each song, with each pair of headphones on each MP3 player, but might note specific things about songs, and I just want you to see the variety that I used for the A/B's in both format, and types of songs. Where necessary, FLAC was converted to 320k MP3 using dBpoweramp, rips were also performed with dBpoweramp)
- Renee Olstead My Baby Just Cares for Me off of Skylark (FLAC ripped from CD) – Selected because it starts out with a really nice stand up bass section (which does continue, but it's a solo at the beginning) that just sounds wonderful through my HE-400s. And I have to include an Olstead song, because I just love her voice.
- Tim McGraw If You're Reading This off of Let it Go (221k MP3 obtained from Amazon) – I like this song, and it's a good representative of its genre, with some nice acoustic guitar.
- Rolling Stones Start Me Up off of Tattoo You (FLAC, 99% sure I ripped this from CD) – Gotta include something from the stones, and I like this one, it's good and energetic
- Norah Jones Those Sweet Words off of Feels Like Home (24-bit 192k FLAC converted from DSD because I wanted to see if DSD was worth anything) – Good test of presentation of instruments and what not.
- Adele My Same off of 19 (FLAC ripped from CD) – I like this Adele song, and I want to try out a song with vocals at a higher pitch, which this has
- Travis Tritt It's a Great Day to be Alive off of Down the Road I Go (224k MP3 from 7Digital, I think)
- Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Isn't This a Lovely Day off of Ella and Louis (24-bit 192k FLAC from HD Tracks) – My favorite album, so I have to use something from it
- BB King and Eric Clapton Marry you off of Riding With the King – Clapton. And the King.
User Interface
First of all, I'm biased. I've now owned: the HTC Evo, Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S4, Droid Charge, Motorola Droid Bionic, Nexus 10, and HP TouchPad (with Android running along-side the stock WebOS), and run everything from stock ROMs to Cyanogenmod, Paranoid Android, AOKP, and a smattering of smaller Roms, on everything up through the newest version of Kit-Kat. I'm intimately familiar with Android, so I love the UI. I think it's clean, it's easy to use, and I have few gripes. Sony's done a good job not cluttering stock Android like a lot of OEM's tend to do. The player app has a few things to be desired. For example, there's a search function, but it only searches tracks. It does not search artists or albums. How weird is that? But while the player is a bit clunky, it's certainly useable.
I use my own launcher (Nova, which I have the paid version of, and use it on my phones and tablet as well), so I've made it very familiar for me, which is comforting, I suppose. I find Sony's implementation of Android (4.1.1 Jelly Bean) to be responsive and smooth. I keep the Stock player's widget on my main launcher (home) screen (I use it because Gmusic can't play all of my high bit-rate FLACs) with a Google "My Library" widget on the left screen, and a calendar and "TrackID" widget on the right. I've deleted the 4[sup]th[/sup] and 5[sup]th[/sup] launcher pages. I only ever use 3. I've includes some homescreen shots so people can see the layout I've got:
I've not installed a ton, but I do have a game on there for when I just want one device out, and do have email setup. I also installed the aforementioned launcher, Swiftkey, an icon pack, One Drive, and Firefox. I've also loaded 57GB of music, but oftentimes use my Google Play Music All Access account to listn to music.
All of this adds up to the best user experience I've ever had with an MP3 player. I really do love this device. That's why I want to make sure I add blind tests after any differences I "hear" between this and anything else. As mentioned above, I'm really biased.
I find this thing to be achingly beautiful. Seriously. From the silver aluminum that contrasts in a very Apple-like fashion with the black of the display and bezel. To the matching Walkman and Sony logos. Flip it and find a nice pleather back with the logo cut in to it to allow for the speaker grill. Even the hump on the back works. Also, the buttons on the side flow very well with the design of the rest of the device, and have a nice tactile feel to them; the gold colored headphone jack on the bottom rounds it out, making you think: "That must be a serious freaking jack."
I find it to be smaller than I expected, and fits nicely in to the hand. At its thick end, it's only ever so slightly thicker than a Motorola Droid Bionic at the bionics thick end (it has a hump at the top instead of the bottom),and ever so slightly thinner at its opposite end. It's also shorter and less wide than the Bionic, which is the closest device that I have in size. It's thicker than my S4, but smaller in its other dimensions, and comfortable to hold. The plastic section on the top is the one thing that breaks with the flow of everything else, but it's a necessary sacrifice for a device that needs a data connection, so I can forgive it. Form in this case does have to follow function, and I find it to have solid wifi performance. So the package really comes together nicely, it made me lust after it before I had it, and like it even more in person.
So next up, let's get in to the sound comparisons. We're starting with...
Versus Clip+
I was a little shocked when I queued up Those Sweet Words on the Clip, so much hiss. I don't know what the deal is. This is the DSD converted file, so maybe that has something to do with it. But I noticed this not just with the IEMs, but even the HiFiMan cans. And it was bad. This is something we'll keep an eye on, but the background is completely black from the ZX1. I decided to try other tracks on this same album, and they all exhibited the hiss. I thought that maybe it was an issue with the 192k files, but other 192k FLAC files on the Clip+ didn't exhibit this issue. That said, anyone whose ears work would have heard this difference from a mile away. So something was going on. Note, I re-copied the files to make sure all was on the up and up there. (Copied from the same source to the ZX1, and I checked the source, both straight out of my motherboards integrated sound to my speakers, and out through the E18 and didn't notice the same issue.) But again, it was just that album, so moving on...
The Clip+ definitely has more juice. On instances where I really needed to turn up to 11 with my HiFiMan headphones, the Clip+ had more reach. TheZX1 seemed slightly more clear, but the Clip+ more full. I thought that this might have been because of the more recessed bass from the ZX1, so I boosted it with the included EQ, and I think bringing the bass up to match the Clip+ really enhanced the overall feel of the ZX1. Suddenly it was just as full, but piano keys still came through better, for example, on Isn't This a Lovely Day from Ella and Louis. With the Q701s the power difference becomes more obvious, and more frustrating. There seems to be a larger soundstage with the ZX1, but a lot of the types of tracks where I care about this are also not the loudest recordings in the world. And Sony really needed to give this thing an 11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc
I mentioned a higher level of detail from the ZX1, and sometimes it seems to be there, and sometimes it doesn't. For example, the guitar behind Tim on If You're Reading This sounded identical across the players. But that song, again, still felt more full from the ZX1 (Note that because of the song being an ogg, I switched to Play Music on the ZX1). Across the board, however, There seemed to be more life, more fullness to the ZX1 regardless of headphones or track. I'm not convinced it wasn't bias from the dude in the chair. Certainly not $700 worth of sonic difference. That said, the Clip+ is probably the best value out there for sonic quality, and the ZX1 does a whole world of things that the Clip+ doesn't. But the Clip does one thing that the ZX1 doesn't, it fits in my nice little Otter Box case, along with my Merlins, my little dehumidifying thingy, straps for Fiio E18, and my credit card reader.
NOTE: The sonic differences where not enough to reliably differentiate between the two in blind testing.
The diminutive Clip+ in my Otterbox case
Ready to travel
Versus Fuze+
The Fuze+ is a nice piece of hardware, hampered by virtually unusable firmware that Sansa seems to just have never bothered to fix. Luckily, some Rockbox developers did fix it, and the Fuze+ with Rockbox is really a great player. How great? Well, I was taking bulleted notes, here's just a couple along the way:
- Adele sounds identical, almost, still just seems more "full"
- Great Day to Be Alive and Start me up sound identical on Merlins, the Sony can't drive the HE-400s for Great Day to Be Alive. This is a tragedy, because it sounds better with them than with the Merlins.
So there are a couple raw notes. Notice the word "identical"? Yeah, well, the Sony can keep up with the Sansa on loud tracks, or with sensitive monitors. Then falls behind on quieter tracks. On Isn't This a Lovely Day I actually found the Sansa to seem more clear than the Sony, so I turned on DSEE HX on the Sony, and that actually did make a difference, it seemed to clear up the sound a bit, but then the Sansa was clearly more punchy, then a trip to EQ resolved that issue. Yes, with the help of some software EQ, the Player I paid $760 for was able to catch up to the one that I paid $36.93 for.
There were some positives for the Walkman, however. Also during Isn't This a Lovely Day, I noticed with the HiFiMan's that the standup bass in the last third of the song sounded deeper than with the Sansa. I swapped to the bass friendly Merlins, and confirmed that finding. I also confirmed that when the trumpet kicks in near the end of that song, either player combined with the Merlins could most assuredly blow out your eardrums. That song is one with more dynamic range than most. Enough that it sometimes hurts. AAlso, the hiss in Those Sweet Words (as well as the rest of that album) is still present. Something about the DSD converted files seems to not play nicely with the Sansa hardware (or Rockbox firmware?)
To sum up, once again the wildly less expensive Sansa kind of rules the day sonically. I mean, it's keeping up with a player that costs a good 20x as much. Again, however, sonics aren't everything. The hardware of the Sony is superior, and you're still comparing an MP3 player to a small computer that fits in your pocket and can do, well, just about everything. Up to and including stream my Google Play Music All Access. Let's see you do that, Mr. Fuze+.
Side by side
Versus Nexus 10
This test is important to me, while it might not be for anyone else. Part of the reason that I can't really use my phone as my primary listening device is my love for Android and tinkering with it. I'm always flashing roms and what not, so having a constant Android device for music listening is important. And I want to be able to listen to streaming music. Well, my tablet, which I also flash a lot, is always on my desk at work, and that's where I listen to the most music. Between tablet and phone, one of them is always on a stable build, so if both phone and tablet sound as good as the Sony, I can just use whichever of them is stable at any given time.
So I was a little nervous, as I stated above, I'm rooting for the ZX1, but it hasn't really soundly beaten the much less expensive Sansas. Still, my primary player has to utilize the service that I'm paying $8/month for (Google Play Music All Access). So it beats them on a make or break it feature if not on sound. But it does not have the feature advantage pitted against the N10. And with my S4 temporarily out of service, this was the first comparison I could make, Android to Android. (Note: I'm using a Droid Bionic right now, but its got a bad headphone jack, so I can't test with it) On to the sonic qualities:
It started out looking pretty bad for the ZX1. I started out with Marry You Clapton and the King together, plug in my Q701s, crank the volume, AND...neither can drive them. Seriously Sony, this is really frustrating. You've either overstated (or Sansa understates) the output of this thing, and it's frustratingly lacking in power. The Q701s aren't that hard to drive, and on those songs that are a bit louder, you can actually hear a difference between the two devices with the 701s, but you can't consistently use them. I plug in the HiFiMan cans , and they're both able to drive them. Just. I noticed more clear bass and mids from the ZX1, but I don't have an SPL meter, so I can't be sure this wasn't due to a slight volume difference, since I'm just matching by ear.
For fun, I compared a CD rip FLAC of My Baby Just Cares For Me on the ZX1, to a streamed 320k MP3 on the N10. I managed to get the song perfectly in sync on a second play through, I had thought I'd heard a difference in the horns, and after getting them perfectly in sync? I actually had to double check that the switch wasn't broken because you literally couldn't tell when you flipped it. They sounded absolutely, 100%, identical. The first song I head a notable difference between the devices was Isn't This a Lovely Day. I was actually streaming the song on both devices, and the difference was noticeable enough that I had to double check that the ZX1 was also streaming it, that I hadn't accidentally selected the copy of the song that was on the device. The difference was most noticeable in Louis' voice. So then I tried a second test. My uploaded copy of it, streaming to the N10 vs. the local FLAC copy on the ZX1, and the difference was night and day. There was more spacing between instruments, voices were clearer, you could almost hear an echo in the room where it was being recorded. There really was a massive difference.
In other words, the real value of this device vs. the N10 is the 128GB that I get for albums like Ella and Louis, or Skylark, albums where I really care about hearing the nuance. Playing the locally stored file just sounds better. But for modern pop music? I'll take it streaming over All Access. So against the Nexus 10, the value provided by the ZX1 is the ability to both stream and store locally.
Versus E18
My test of the E18 is when my opinion of the ZX1 shifted drastically. But more on that later, it started out with me expecting the worst. So far, everything sounds close to identical, and the ZX1 can't drive the Q701s (or the HE-400s on quiet tracks). So I figured, this will also sound identical, and have the horsepower to drive anything I own. This was confirmed when I soundmatched the two on the first song using the HE-400s, and the ZX1 was cranked all the way up, and the E18 matched it at 4 on its volume knob. In low gain.
As for the sound, the E18 has more bass out of the box, but EQ on the ZX1 allows you to match it. Then they sound very similar. Again, though, when a standup bass came in to the music, especially with the HiFiMan headphones, the sound just seemed deeper from the ZX1. The best way I can explain it is that its deep enough to feel the standups with the ZX1. This is an across the board difference, I noticed it when comparing every device. With the HE-400s, you can't feel the strings being strummed on the bass with anything but the ZX1. But the difference is definitely way too subtle to notice without using a switch like I am. I felt that the E18 was a little more muddy, as well. This is actually turning out to be the first time that I can hear a real, marked difference, though. And it's with the other "HiFi" device.
Then, as I'm listening to Isn't This a Lovely Day I casually hit the menu in the music app on the Sony, and am screwing around with the HSEE+. On the way back through the menu tree, I pass the screen with "ClearAudio+ (Recommended sound settings for music)." I had briefly turned it on once before and didn't feel that I liked it, I don't remember what track I was listening to, but I switched it back off (and the track was streaming from All Access, I do know that, because it was before I'd even loaded any music locally). For the fun of it, I hit the check box. The music pauses briefly, as it adjusts settings, then it kicks back in.
Holy sweet mother of god. I don't know what all it adjusts. I'm sure it's some EQ, and maybe some other signal processing, but suddenly the bass was deeper and more forward. Yet it didn't do anything to crowd the mids or highs. If anything both the voices of Ella and Louis were more clear. The background was darker, and you could hear the plucking of strings better. It sounded leaps and bounds better than the E18 all of a sudden. This was confirmed during Start Me Up and some more Renee Olstead. I mean, holy crap it changed the personality of the music. Then I tried another streaming song through Play Music, and found the effect to be a bit ho-hum again. It must be something about the way it processes the signal in the stock app, or that it doesn't like the streaming files, maybe it can't process them correctly if they're not local. Blind testing I can now tell this player from any of my others. I'm sure that, with the right finagling, I could reproduce this, maybe even do better. I just don't know how. But I can say that I'm now completely sold on signal processing.
Clip+ Revisited
Now I just have to go back to the Clip, having found this little gem of a setting. It makes the music more clear, the bass more impactful without impacting the mids. Blind, I could never consistently tell the difference between the Clip and the ZX1 without hitting that little checkbox in the audio settings. Once it's checked? Too easy to spot the difference. I should also note that it makes a bigger difference with my Merlins than my other headphones, but with all of them, I now strongly prefer the ZX1.
I was getting all ready to say that it just isn't worth it. The last thing that I've tested thus far is the E18, and I found this setting at the end of my testing of it. (Well, tried it, I knew it was there, I just hadn't liked it wihtthe Google Play Music track before). This thing sounds just like a $30 Clip+, and only slightly better than a tablet. But the audio settings really allow you to play with this it, and make the ZX1 sing, for lack of a better word. I have a feeling that Sony could throw this signal processing on to any of their phones, and I'd be happy with that as both a phone and DAP. But for now, I've gone from being ready to throw this thing up on eBay to wanting to keep it. I think it might be love. Even if it's not got enough power.bcarr112281, H20Fidelity and Music225 like this.
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text:
The Book of Us project is a book where we right about anything that interest us or we want to write about and combine it together in a book. We did this for we can express our thought and get creative juice flowing. I decide to make my writing piece about how good of a show Star Wars: The Clone Wars is. We started this project by learning about the multiple types of writing pieces such as: Inform & Explain, Analyze and Interpret, Take a stand/ Purpose a solution, etc. After we learned about the types of writing we had to write concepts for each one but they must have the same theme. I decide that the two themes were Star Wars and Video games.
In class we had to write about each one of the topics for five whole minutes. We did this in order to develop our ideas for our first draft. Sadly I wasn't there that day so I did it at home. Working on the five-minute quick write helped me visualize a better idea on what I should write about for my down draft and my final draft.
I decide to write about the correct way to watch the Star Wars movies. I notice that in my down draft I made it short and undescriptive. The biggest mistake was that I didn't really said that there was spoilers, since there might be people who never seen all the Star Wars. I talk about certain key plot points that can completely ruin a movie for someone.
After my down draft I completely changed the topic of my piece. The theme was still Star Wars but I started talking about the animated show called Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I talked about how amazing the show is and what makes it brilliant. After changing it I got multiple feedback and different types of critique. Most of the critique were online but some weren't such as the scissors and big picture critique. I sadly couldn't find my author-big picture critique but it was a critique were we wrote a tweet, say something good and bad and how we would change it. For me the most useful critique still was the author-led critique because I got help on what I need the most. The author-led critique is when we write on top of our documents what we need help the most and our classmates help us with it. The least useful critique for me was the scissor critique because it the things to put didn't really tell what I should improve upon. The scissor critique is when we cut our writing pieces and figure what we should add and cut. The useful feedback I got was from a classmate named Alex Castillo who told that I should but a spoiler sign ahead of spoilers.
In this project we had to be very organized in order for us to have a better piece. The most useful out of all the organizers was the mentor text organizer. The mentor text outline is when we take an article or writing piece and write down what we could take from each paragraph. The reason why this was use full for me was because I like to take inspiration from others work so I based my second draft after an article I read. Link to the article. The least use full organizer for me was the open line graphic organizer. The reason why I thought it was not so useful was because it's about how to make a good hook which in my opinion I didn't needed improvement on. Maybe next time I try some of the hooks I wrote down.
The most useful work for me was the reverse-engineered mentor text graphic organizer. The mentor text is a writing piece/article that we take inspiration from. The mentor text I used was a Star Wars: The Clone Wars article I read online.Here's the link to it. I was really inspired by the way the writer talked about the character development and how he said it wasn't for kids only. I was so inspired by it that I talk about those in my writing piece. I really liked what the article was saying so I used it as a guide to what I should put in it.
After getting multiple critiques and feedback I finally made my final draft. I am very proud of the work I did on this writing piece such as the explaining the plot of the Star Wars the Clone Wars. I am also proud of the big change I did from my down draft to my final draft. Although I did made a lot of progress I do feel like I made too many grammar mistakes. I noticed this when my fellow peers critique the piece and corrected me in a lot of small grammar mistakes. For the next time I make a major writing piece I will try to double read it unlike I did for this year.
This project helped me change my creative perspective such as how I was originally was going to write about what is the correct way to watch Star Wars. After I finished my down draft I thought I could write something a lot better and more detailed so I completely changed it. Draft after draft I started changing bits from my second draft till it was perfected. For the next writing project I would want to take away the idea of making each draft better then the last. This idea helped me improve my work and my determination. If I were to change my writing piece now I would definitely want to talk more about the plot of the cartoon show. In my writing piece I gave a short and simple explanation about the plot but it actually more detailed then that.


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Skip to comments.Young professionals flee Europe, searching for work
Posted on 02/14/2013 6:13:03 AM PST by ExxonPatrolUs
Fading fortunes and an increased sense of the limits of Europe are pushing young professionals to leave the continent in search of work in other countries.
This "brain drain", or human capital flight, is defined by the loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor to outside professional environments. Opportunities are few and far between with the overall unemployment rate among European Union member states at 10.7 % as of December 2012, according to European Commission statistics.
Furthermore, the highest rates of unemployment were seen in Greece (26.8 %) and Spain (26.1 %) and compared with 2011 statistics, the unemployment rate increased in 20 member states during 2012.
Many in Portugal have turned to Brazil as the new place to build a career. A former Portuguese colony that shares the same language, Brazil is culturally comparable alternative that gives the driven, job-seeking generation a chance to escape their home nation's doldrums.
(Excerpt) Read more at neurope.eu ...
If they're smart, they won't come here. And that's a sad statement because America always used to be the place Europeans came to start a new life and to make something of themselves in a free environment. We are turning into Europe — a giant Welfare State that squeezes as much as possible out of the productive to subsidize the lazy (we are now well beyond subsidizing the truly needy). No smart young professional wants to bust their ass working to pay for someone else to sit on their ass watching TV and collecting a welfare check.
they could try Kalipornia
Professionals from Portugal and Spain are heading to Brazil. Looking at the snow outside my window here in the Czech Republic, I can't say I blame them.
My area, near the Polish border, has about 15-20% unemployment. This region was at one time, the "steel heart" of the former Czechoslovakia, but a lot of those steel mills have shut down. There's still Prague to go to, and quite a few head for Frankfurt or Berlin. A couple of my former students are in Köln these days.
At least the snow is white these days: old-timers I've talked to remember the days when the snow was gray or black.
And don't drink the tapwater regardless - it's hopelessly contaminated with arsenic.
These, I- hate-America, Kumbaya-hippies dont have jobs now. After decades of slamming the US and supporting all and any Liberal/Socialist/Labor creeps who challenge the US and capitalism NOW cant even make a living!! Ha HA!!
Someone please tell them Elections HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!!
Europeans had better get in line behind the Venezuelans.
I understand that if you subscribe to these job boards like Monster they are absolutely overrun with young French engineers looking to go anyplace else.
I already know the solution which the EU bureaucrats will come up with: More regulations and higher taxes.
Fence them in so they hafta deal with the pitfalls of their own countries.
my son and his friends went to Brazil a year ago for Carneval and ended up staying for seven months. Very friendly business climate, they set up a travel related business and earned more than enough money to extend their vacation/work... and none of them speak Portuguese. While they're back in the states now, they're gearing up for the Olympics.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text: In Siriano v. Goodman Manufacturing Co., No. 14-CV-1131 (S.D. Ohio Dec. 9, 2015), the district court granted a motion to compel the production of voluminous documentary discovery (including e-discovery) under the newly revised Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(b)(1). The court held that "restoring proportionality is the touchstone of revised Rule 26(b)(1)'s scope of discovery provisions." The court then analyzed the document requests according to the factors set out in Rule 26(b)(1), including "the parties' relative access to relevant information" and "whether the burden or expense of the proposed discovery out-weighs its likely benefit." The court held that the Rule 26(b)(1) factors favored permitting the discovery here because, for example, "the discovery sought by Plaintiffs is directly relevant to their claims," "[i]t is highly unlikely that Plaintiffs could discover similar information from another source," and the information sought was "easily accessible to Defendants but almost completely inaccessible to Plaintiffs." The court was "mindful that Defendants' discovery costs could be significant," but, the court held, "merely expensive or time consuming" discovery is not necessarily "unduly burdensome." The court further noted that "Defendants have not proposed alternative methods of discovery enabling some lesser degree of production, such as limiting the search to certain offices or files."


text:
However, we hear that in the coming week D.K. (Naved Aslam) will plan to demolish the chawl, where Manav (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Archana (Ankita Lokhande) actually lives so that he can erect his new project at the place. Though it comes as a huge shock for Manav, D.K convinces him to let him demolish the chawl.
An source present on the set informs, "D.K will convince Manav for flattening of the chawl so as to benefit the people residing there. This will again lead to some differences between Archana and Manav as Archana will totally oppose Manav's decision. According to Archana, residents have memories attached with the chawl and demolishing it will be a bad deed, while Manav is thinking about the amenities that the residents will benefit post demolition."
Sushant Singh Rajput says, "I really don't know about what is happening further as we haven't shot for the same yet."
On the other hand, Shravani (Pooja Pihal) and Sachin's bond towards each other will tighten and finally Sachin will address Shravani as his mother.
So, once again we see the sword hanging on Archana- Maanav's relationship and we hope their love helps them to survive the hard times...
Reporter:Tejashree Bhopatkar
Author:Megha Bissa


text:
Chapter 5
"What is it?"
"Jo, it's called pizza."
"What kind of fucked up word is that?"
"Try it, it's good!"
Rolling her eyes, the demon takes a rather large bite from the triangular mystery food (she refuses to call it by that ridiculous name) and contemplates it for a bit. It's an odd combination of flavors, but she enjoys it. It's fresh, too, she knows, judging by the heat radiating off of it. Meg smiles, taking a smaller bite than Jo did.
"It's missing something," murmurs Jo, looking a bit confused. "Is there anything... spicy?"
Meg seems to think about that a bit before getting an idea. "Wait here." She runs off. While tempted to follow her, Jo decides against it. If Meg gets in trouble, she can summon Jo (in all honesty, she's surprised the busty redhead hadn't figured that out by now. Using the coin would have saved her a lot of time rather than seeking her out personally. Then again, that would make Jo think it was urgent. But I digress.) Jo shrugs it off. Usually, when Meg runs off, whatever she brings back is good. Like ice cream.
Meg returns with a red bottle, tossing it to Jo. It almost falls to the ground, but Jo catches it at the last second, observing it. She seems confused, like she doesn't know whether to drink it or not. Seeing Jo's hesitation, Meg chuckles.
"Jo, it's hot sauce," explains Meg. "It makes food spicier. Go ahead, put it on."
"Jo, not that much!"
Jo looks up from her piece of pizza, which is now drenched in the red liquid. Shrugging, Jo picks it up and eats it. Meg waits, clenching a bottle of water in her hand. Jo, however, just takes another bite as if it's completely normal. Meg sweatdrops.
"Isn't it... too spicy?" she inquires, raising a thin eyebrow at the demon.
Jo seems confused by the suggestion. "No, it tastes good," she pauses for a second. "Should it be too spicy? It seems perfectly fine to me."
"Just... never mind. Are you almost done?"
Jo nods, finishing off the last of her crust. She stands, holding out a hand to Meg, who takes it lightly. Jo seems to think it's perfectly normal, leading her along somewhere. Meg is a bit surprised; usually it's her who leads Jo, and not the other way around. But instead Jo seems to be leading her with a purpose. They stop at a bench, and Jo sits, focusing on something in the distance.
Following her gaze, Meg sees a church.
"Didn't figure you for the religious type," she comments.
"I'm not," Jo almost snaps. "I'm listening to the confessions."
"It's a rare moment of honesty for at least half the people who go there. This man just admitted to betraying his best friend, and he sounds genuinely sorry," says Jo, sharp sense of hearing picking out each individual voice.
"Isn't that spying?"
Jo waves her off. "I repay them by not killing any human that goes into the confessional, simply because they had enough guts to go in."
"I suppose that's fair."
"Hm... I'm feeling generous at the moment," murmurs Jo. "No killing today, and today..." the ends of her fingers glow as she snaps them, the sound of chains breaking ringing in both her ears and Meg's. "I break a curse."
"He's dead?"
The news shocks Sei, to say the least. He'd been living off a seal placed by a demon, and one of the most powerful at that. If he died, then that either meant that the seal was to weak (highly unlikely) or...
No, Jo was too hateful to do that. Clenching her fists, she checks the history of all her grandfather "said" before his death. He barely speaks as his vital signs steadily slow, but it's there. Towards his end. It says:
"She's let me go. I am free."
Unable to know why Jo would even do such a thing, Sei gets up. She's happy that her grandfather was at least at peace and happy to accept death, but she needs answers. Slipping on her long blue jacket, she's careful not to wake Amy as she walks out of the house, in search of a demon.
"What do you want, Sei?"
That voice scares the living shit out of the woman, though she hides it well. She turns to face the demon, surprised to see no trace of blood on her (Jo is known for some gruesome kills). Jo seems apathetic, leaning against a dead tree with a bored look to her eyes. She seems to see right through Sei, sensing her fear.
"Why did you lift the curse?" It appears that Sei is getting right to the point. "What were your motives?"
"Simple," Jo yawns, bored by the subject, it seems. "I was feeling merciful."
"Bullshit!" yells Sei. "You probably just grew tired of it. This whole thing is just a sick game to you."
Suddenly, Jo is right in front of Sei. She jumps, falling onto the floor in her shock. Jo seems a bit angered now, which is never a good thing. Her crimson eyes hide nothing, showing her the emotion in them. Some of Sei's fear shows, not that it effects the demon in any sort of way.
"If it were bullshit," murmurs Jo, the beastly undertone in her voice becoming more prominent. "I would have killed you and your entire organization by now, as well as the rest of this entire shit hole that you call home," she meets Sei's eyes, making the black-haired woman flinch. "Do you understand, Sei, or do I have to give you a sort of visual?"
Sei nods, not trusting herself to be able to form words. She is fucking terrified. Genuinely so. The sheer power that seems to be radiating off of Jo puts her hairs on end, and she can't help but shrink back from the demon's intense gaze. With one last hateful glance, Jo is gone, down the street and walking away from her.
Sei is left lying on her back and propped up on her elbows, and when the demon is out of sight she finally starts breathing. She shakily gets up, wiping dirt off of her coat. She turns around, slowly making her way to her car. She doesn't even know how Jo had found her, and not the other way around. But then she remembers who she's talking about, and merely continues on.
Confronting Jo in any way is a bad idea. Physically, she would demolish them. Verbally, she would, depending on her mood, demolish them once more or scare them half to death. To call her deadly would be an understatement.
Sei stumbles, falling to the ground. She finds herself helped up by a redhead, and blinks in confusion. When her eyes open, the redhead is staring at her. "Are you okay?" she asks in a kind voice, blue eyes. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Not a ghost," Sei shakes her head. "A demon."
"Are you talking about who I think you're talking about?"
Sei blinks again, shocked. "Who do you think I'm talking about?"
"Jo, obviously!"
"You... Know Jo?" Sei is beyond shocked now. "And she hasn't killed you yet?"
"She's not that bad!" assures Meg, holding up her hands. "She has only killed criminals, and she spares anyone who goes to the confessionals. She's actually a real nice person when you get to know her, even if she is a bit odd sometimes. I'm trying to get her to spare the world."
"You make her sound like a God," mutters Sei, not quite believing it.
"It's true, though! She saved me!" she digs into her pocket, looking for something. Then she pulls out the coin. "She even gave me this so I could call her."
Sei recognizes the coin and reaches for it on instinct, but Meg pulls it away, pocketing it again. This is a strange woman, to befriend a demon without so much as a hint of fear. Sei studies her for a moment, checking if she's sane or not before asking her. "What's your name?"
"Meg," replies the woman. "What about you?"
"I'm Sei," they shake hands. "I'm.. investigating demons."
"You don't like Jo, do you?"
"No, no I don't. Though based on recent observations, my point of view may change."
A/N: Odd place to end, I know. Sorry for not updating in a while. Been busy with school, drawings, guitar, procrastination, guitar, eating, procrastination and learning new ways to procrastinate.