text:
An encounter with Alcor, some would call it a chance enconter, but we all know there is no such thing involving that man.
Yet, despite all the trials and tribulations, despite Serenity going (metaphorically and not) nuclear, despite the terrible distortion in space and the direct interference of Lola… The party has emerged victorious, and is now left under the sun of Rissan, car slightly rattled but still perfectly intact. And a mission before them: Reach the Dustfire settlement in the volcano Mount Hope and see that the Akavir interference there is well and truly gone
Anton is still dozing off in the car.
Serenity' wasn't really in any condition for more long distance driving after all that, though, and opted instead to pass out after saying Anton's in charge when he wakes up.
Hughbert: "Would you like to drive, or shall I?" Hughbert looks to Harriet.
Harriet: "You drive, I've gotta get some notes down."
Hughbert: "Alright. I will try my best to give us a smooth drive to our destination. Amal, will you be resting from your exertions as well?"
The drive isn't difficult, surprisingly enough. One would expect that driving up a volcano would be an ordeal… But as you drive towards Mount Hope you spot what is perhaps the only actual road you saw in this entire country… Okay, second, if you count the underwater pathway. It's paved with something that looks like black stone bricks, a path up the mountain, still steep but nothing the car can't handle, given how wide it is you imagine it's designed for those incredibly large transport vehicles
Amal: "I think… I'll be taking it easy for a little while, haha. Anton already got his beauty sleep, he can cover for me when he wakes up…"
As you start the climb, however, the heat of the volcano becomes quite clear… Particularly because the road seems to follow what looks like a ridge that's been carved into the mount, a ridge that is, at the moment, filled to the brim with glowing red lava. It flows as if it was some form of gel, moving in globs and folding upon itself. You spot across from this ridge another, the separation is too clear to be natural, that one appears empty
Further up you go the less what little vegetation the terrain of Rissan has appears as the ground turns to a darker and darker color, the heat only makes getting more intense and the air has a quite unusual smell
But perhaps you meet the strangest part as you get about halfway to the mouth of the volcano, metal objects sticking from the lava flows. They're not just any objects they look like pumps, they arc up from the molten rock and into the side of the road wherein blackened metal boxes sit. You can't ascertain what exactly is their purpose, but the boxes don't seem to contain molten rock either- There's a pressure valve on them.
Further up those contraptions become more common, larger. Some of them seem to have some other systems they go through before leading into the boxes, everything seems pretty automated, and further up you go the stronger the heat becomes, it's not impossible to deal with but it's the worst you've seen up to now
Amal: "Huuuh."
And eventually you finally reach the Dustfire settlement- The already complaining about the heat. On the edge of the volcano's mouth a large area has been flattened, you see in the distance, hanging from the mouth of the volcano, large metal frames from which hang entire buildings made of blackened metal, metal tubes going down in the volcano below, some form of gas pouring endlessly from the vents on the top
Harriet: "Holy shit. This entire place is a marvel of engineering."
Farther away from it, safely anchored in the rock, are houses of varying sizes, they have a certain look to them that make you think of the buildings in Orsis, perhaps it's the excessive use of metal in their construction, but they have a much more organic feel to them, like designed to be actual buildings. Of interest is that every building appears to have a rather large ragnite engine attached to it's outside, there's tubing that appears to be pumping ragnite from a central storage to the engines of every house. There's strange darkned lines on the ground as well, as if the ground was set on fire- But they follow very specific patterns, connecting the houses in orderly fashion
Hughbert pulls up closer to the settlement. "Will the car be alright enduring this level of heat, Harriet?"
Amal: "That seems… is that… Harriet is that even structually sound? Like… aren't there laws about this? Like… the ones about physics, not-"
There are people out and about, milling and working. You find a place to stop near what looks like a central market area… But you notice something awkward, you can't see the faces of any person, or get any grasp of their appearance. Bodies covered in cloth, heads covered by keffiyahs and faces obscured by gas masks
Harriet: "There are definitely laws about that, but they must have some method of making that sound, or else it'd be falling away in front of us. And… I did shield the engines against extreme weather, but I'm gonna be honest, I never expected to drive into a fucking volcano."
Upon closer inspection, the doors to the stores, as well as every house, appear to be pretty tightly sealed as well
Harriet: "I'll rig up one of my cryogrenades without its explosive device to do a slow seep. It should keep things cool enough to avoid problems."
Serenity: "Nnnghhh… Anton did you drive into the sun…?" Serenity whine groggily as she starts to wake up.
Hughbert: "Should we have masks like that before stepping out…?" As his eyes wander from the people to the houses, he ponders, "Odd machines… Perhaps they're for helping endure this miserable heat?"
Amal: "Nope! A volcano!"
Serenity: "Uugh gross. Hughbert your gear is focused on water, right? Make it not a million degrees."
Serenity: "Or uh yeah Harriet's thing works too."
Anton smiles at Serenity. "Welcome back."
Harriet has already grabbed her multitool from her belt and is working on one of the grenades.
Hughbert makes sure his keffiyah is still snugly tied. "Wait here, I'll ask about those masks before the rest of you risk it. My gear should be able to keep my air a little cleaner, for a while." With that, he parks the car and steps out to wave to a local merchant.
In order to acquire the attention of a merchant, Hughbert would have to actually enter a shop- There's a promising one, clothing store from the looks of it, with masks visible for sale. Hughbert will find that the door is quite adamant on not opening, but eventually gives in- And he soon discovers why it was so adamant given the difference in air pressure. A different of pressure borne out of a vast difference in temperature, the temperature inside being far cooler and more sustainable than outside. The shopkeeper still, however, has their mask on "Oh, man, are you okay there, outsider?"
Serenity: "Hey Anton where the hell were you during all of that anyway?"
Harriet: "Yeah, usually when you go to la-la land you don't literally disappear."
Anton scratches his head. "As much as I'd like to say I was doing something important, the truth is I was simply dragged on to another plane by Lola."
Anton: "She quite literally just took my threads and tugged me out of existence."
Amal: "Ugghh."
Serenity: "Huh."
Hughbert blinks a few times, taking in the suprising difference, before responding. "Thank you for your concern, I'm well. I've got a force gear that lets me adapt to the climate. But, if possible, I'd like to get myself a mask and save its energy. Four more beyond that for my companions, if you'd be kind enough to show me what you have."
Anton: "I'd imagine she didn't want me to get involved in what could have easily been Alcor and all of you dying. Especially given how much we worked together on her timeline."
Harriet: "That or you could have helped us actually slap the smug off her face."
The shopkeep crosses their arms "Oh, haha, you don't need one unless you're going in the refineries. What you are looking for, however, are those" they walk out from behind the counter to show Hughbert a set of clothing, they look kinda like robes. Then, then the shopkeep turns them inside-out showing thin tubing "Temperature control gears, all of clothing has those. They're specialized for the… 'weather' here in the main settlement, so batteries last very long and they're quite comfortable. Most wear the ones that go under their clothing but since I doubt you're in for a full outfit change, i've got the robe variant too. How about it?"
Anton: "Trust me though, I feel terrible. That's not one, but the last two engagements I've not been present for. It's almost as if our enemy has decided that fighting with me present is a lost cause." He grins.
Anton: "You forgot about the critter grenade, I bet!"
Harriet: "Well I mean, with your weird shadow people there's a lot more of us."
Serenity: "How do you do the future seeing thing by the way?"
Anton: "I just follow threads."
Serenity: "Okay… then how do you find those?"
Anton: "Couldn't tell you. I've always been able to see them as long as I can remember. I see the world differently than most."
Harriet: "Don't worry, I'll figure it out eventually."
Anton: "It's not a concentrate thing, they're just… always there around each of you."
Serenity: "…Hmm…"
Serenity: "I think Paws is full of shit then Amal."
Hughbert nods. "Sounds like a wise investment. We're going to be doing business here for a while, so neglecting to stay cool would be a foolish mistake." He points to a few different ones, that are approximately the right sizes for his team. "How much for these?"
Amal: "Chalk it up to qualia continuing to be hard."
The shopkeep waves you over to the cashier to recieve payment, we handwave this section because the GM haven't come up with plausible values for money since the system does not uses them
Anton: "You're basically presenting this like I asked you how you hear the goddess?"
Anton: "Dunno how I can answer this better."
Serenity: "Well,"
Hughbert ends up with a set of cooling outfits for the party!
Serenity: "Amal said Paws said I was an Oracle now,"
Serenity: "So I was wondering if I was just doing it wrong…? But it seems more likely she is mistaken if you can just see them in general."
Hughbert was (and is) just going to send the bill to the Major anyway! Hughbert opens the door to the car and promptly shuts it to keep the precious cryo-air inside it. "Alright, as it turns out, we do not need the gas masks… But. I did get us some robes that will counteract the heat." He passes them out.
Amal: "I mean, there could be a seeing-the-future part and then a whatever-you-did part…"
Amal: "it's not like there's an instruction manual for this stuff!"
Anton: "Well, I mean. Just because you can't SEE something isn't like you can't interact with it."
Anton: "I can interact with Paws even though I can't see or hear them."
Serenity: "Putting on more clothing to avoid heat seems counter intuati - oh they're geared up okay."
The robes are, in fact, cooled. It's a bit awkward to feel the heat on your face and be cooler from the neck under but otherwise not bad
Anton: "Well, not entirely true I guess? As I can follow the threads and know where Paws is at the moment but I can't see them, see them."
Serenity' glances back and forth between Anton and Amal. "Well I mean if I can't see threads and thus the future or emotions then I don't think it really counts as being an Oracle as that's… what being an Oracle is about?"
JayM: Now, I wonder, how would you go about seeking your mission
Amal: "Mmm. Paws says that the stuff you do is like Anton's shadows somehow! And now /I'm/ curious!"
Harriet shrugs on the robes and heads outside to set her defanged cryogrenade under the car's hood. It should help keep the car's systems from warping beyond recognition.
Serenity: "…Doesn't that explicitly rely on being able to see into the past via threads and plucking them forward…?"
Hughbert decides to wait a bit before bringing the group onto the task- figuring out if the group's one oracle richer suddenly seems important. "She did something like seize an area of space. Perhaps doing something like that again under controlled conditions will provide a hint?"
Serenity: "Hmm…"
Harriet: "It seems pretty likely that all this metaphysical bullshit is connected. It may just be one of those 'physics is applied mathematics' things."
Serenity' Makes A Face at Harriet.
Amal: "Somethin' like that."
Amal: "Especially if it makes Serenity mad." They grin.
Serenity: "I'll eat your imaginary friend, Amal.
Harriet: "Oh, sure, eat a puppy."
Serenity' slides the robe over her head, then lets out a puff of air. Scrunches up her face,
Amal giggles!!
Amal: "Both of you, I swear."
Anton: "My three Oracle mumbo-jumbo talents work a bit differently. Images draw upon an action someone in the past or future has performed before on our timeline. Alcors magic draws upon attacks that were executed on other world lines."
Anton: "Dunno what Paws meant, though."
Anton: "Not that its entirely accurate though as I can also distort the images and make them way cooler than they were originally."
Amal: "Oh! Paws says that makes sense and that what Serenity does is more like Alcor's thing… like… drawing energy from a different point in time."
Serenity: "Oh."
Serenity: "I'm pretty sure that's not an Oracle thing but okay."
Serenity: "Well, whatever. IF we find someone else we want locked away in a sealed space we can try some stuff out I guess, Hughbert."
Hughbert: "Won't be long until we find such a candidate, I am sure. On that topic, Amal, do you know where we should begin looking, now that we have proper equipment?"
Harriet: "It's always best to employ the scientific method with this sort of thing, after all."
As you discuss you see someone pass by- From the looks of it a parent with two children carrying groceries. The children wear pretty much the same outfit as the parent, sans the mask. They do not wear children-size masks but they each do have adult-sized masks strapped to their shoulders
Serenity: "How come we didn't get dumb ass headgear too?"
Anton: "Now now, Serenity. Give it some time and I'm sure you'll come to appreciate the headgear too."
Serenity: "Doubtful." She pulls the hood of the robe up over her head, then finally gets out of the car.
Harriet: "It's not that bad with the robe gear, at least."
Hughbert: "We only need it if we're going into the foundries. If our business takes us there, I presume we'll be able to find an entrepeneur with a finger on the heartbeat of the gas mask economy seeking to tap into the market at its point of greatest demand."
The dull orange and black colors seem rather oppressive at first given how pervasive they are, then you notice lots of signs of other colors, generally everything that has strong contrast and cooler colors. They're used to adorn doorways, clothes, pathways. It's an interesting contrast
Serenity: "Aha."
Amal: "Uhhhh well… hmm. I know the firedivers are pretty much in charge here, so…"
Amal: "…maybe find the people in charge of those factories?"
Serenity' glances around. "…nothing in particular about these buildings screams 'im in charge' to me."
Anton: "Leave it to me."
Anton furrows his brows for a moment before nodding to himself. "Right, then. Let's head to the second level."
Serenity: "I gotta ask Amal,"
Serenity: "Why the fuck do they live not only on the volcano instead of at the base like sane humans, but also hanging over it's mouth."
Anton starts to walk off, but he isn't going to a factory specifically.
Hughbert: "Alright then. Stop me if you spot anything I should brake for." Hughbert scoots the car over second-level-wards and looks for a factory to park near.
Amal: "I mean, they're firedivers! Hecking around in lava is kinda what they do. It'd suck if you had to climb a mountain to go to work every morning…"
[OOC] Anton: Oh right we're in the car
Serenity: "Man, not even. You just set up a cable car lift and ride that up. Give you some time to read the newspaper in the morning to boot."
Anton: "We want to go to a building detached from the factories. I'll point it out. There's someone that has a very impressionable aura on the second floor there."
Anton: "My guess is it's someone we want to talk to."
[OOC] Hughbert: I think we started to get out of the car, but, suddenly it makes more sense to car over? probably.
Hughbert gets directly not to a factory, but to a nearby building. It's kind of small and understated but instead of the more common blue decorations it's doorways are marked with an imposing red color. Given it's location as well as how the ground has been marked by constant traffic to and from the factories this seems like it'd be an office building.
Serenity: "Now I'm even more disapointed Paws is dumb and a liar. I was all exciting for more synesthasia."
Serenity' hops out of the car and heads inside.
Hughbert looks out for stairs to the 2nd floor.
Harriet heads on in with the others. Hood up!
Serenity` tilts her head in a direction, then glances back to Amal. "Is there a ragnite refinery or something around here?"
Heading inside, first you must struggle with the doorway and make your way in. Inside it's cool and comfortable, the temperature control force gear on your new outfits automatically adjusts to the temperature, shutting down completely
Hughbert: "Ah, is that what that rumbling sound is? The force gear picked up on it too."
Serenity: "I have no idea what the hell it is to be honest, that'd be my best guess though."
There's an entry room, this is very clearly an office. In the front desk the reception is… Wearing a mask too? They look at you and stare for a moment, then they slowly remove their mask. Her darkened skin and almost-golden eyes staring back at you "Good morning, how may I help you?"
Serenity: "It almost sounds like it has a distinct voice but doesn't actually talk…?"
Serenity: "Not even the usual drone."
Serenity: "Uh anyway we're here to talk to whoever's in charge."
Hughbert: "It almost sounds a little… Depressed, I think. Like it does not know what its purpose is." Once he steps in, he greets the receptionist with his name and rank. "We were hoping to discuss some things, as envoys from Masharas."
Serenity: "Huh?? Oh are you still wearing Harriet's circlet thinger?"
Receptionist: "Ah, master Cid. And who might…" she stops for a moment "Wait, aren't you the Masharas envoys?"
Serenity' flashes a thumbs up to the receptionist.
Harriet: "Yeah, here we are, fixing problems, et cetera et cetera."
Reception: "Ah, that's good. I heard about you on the radio, you're amazing, you know that?"
Serenity: "Yup."
Harriet: "Yeah, we're pretty great." Harriet grins.
Receptionist: "Cid even wanted to show you around the Fire Dam" she blinks "Oh, but look at me getting sidetracked. Just take this stairway up to the second floor, first door to the left"
Hughbert: "Thank you. We'll do our best to live up to your expectations, miss." He salutes, then leads the group onward!
Heading up as indicated you find your way into a large room- It's dominated by a central meeting table with a variety of diagrams displayed on walls that seem to show the workings of the factories, the meeting table itself seems to be flooded with documents unrelated to what's displayed ones.
Harriet is, of course, instantly fascinated by the diagrams.
Hughbert knocks on the doorframe as he steps in. "Excuse us. One party of Masharasian envoys here to see Mr. Cid."
Poring over the materials on the meeting table is an old man, his mask is on the desk and it looks slightly different from others, decored with silver and red. His greying hair is long and he keeps a shaved face, he turns to face you as you enter, pulling a case of glasses from his shirt and puts the glasses on his face "Ah, I was informed, it's good to see you've finally made your way here"
Cid: "I'm the head of the refineries, so what passes for a leader of this clan. I hope you didn't find the weather too unbearable?" he nods "I see you've prepared yourselves"
Anton: "Given how much you stood out, it was an easy find." He smiles.
Serenity: "Not really a great place for a city, all the same."
Cid: "It was never supposed to be a permanent settlement, mind"
Serenity: "What happened that made it one?"
Harriet: "Fascinating infrastructure, though." Harriet still isn't looking at the guy.
Cid: "Used to be a seasonal settlement for working the refineries." he points to one of the diagrams in the wall "Then the Fire Dam project begun, it slowly got bigger" he points to the papers on the desk "Then we needed tools, and what few people we had left were needed here… So it became more permanent" "
Cid: "Not like our people aren't used to working in those conditions, we do make a living out firediving, but nontheless i'd rather not raise kids here"
Serenity: "Should build a base camp or something, yeah."
Serenity: "Ugh this is really driving me crazy though - do you have a hugh pile of ragnite laying around somewhere and have it stored in a weird way or something?"
Cid: "Ragnite? Oh, right, i've been briefed on people with your gift"
Cid: "What you hear is probably the lava. Sure we have a central storage of ragnite we use to power the house's cooling systems, and the heat converters probably sound strange. But ragnite is actually abundant in the lava flows, the heat and pressure from the flows combined with ragnite generates the most important alloys we extract from them"
Harriet examines that diagram he points out, tilting her head in consideration.
Harriet: "Well, that explains why it's not powered…"
Serenity: "…Oh, ragnite in the lava. That would explain that."
Harriet: "But hey, random question, what materials did you build that dam with?"
Cid looks at Harriet "Hah! You must be Harriet" he nods to himself "It's a unique form of thermal concrete made of limestone, igneous rock, titanium and ragnite mix"
Harriet: "Yup, that's me. And that's fascinating. How'd you come up with that mix?"
Cid: "It has immense heat tolerance before it breaks down, sufficient to withstand being immersed in lava for a long time. Coupled with the venting system it utilizes, the Fire Dam can remain submerged in the lava ad infinitum" he sits down, crossing his legs "Testing, a lot of intense, feverish testing and a visionaire with I guess a lot of hope"
Harriet: "Yeah, but hope doesn't get this shit done. Genius gets it done."
Cid: "He had the idea of the Fire Dam, and started working on his own by testing various materials for heat resistance, he tried first with metals since we use high transmission metals for our building struts so we can recycle the heat for use. That proven not enough, so he started researching the natural materials lava sits against, rock."
Cid: "Well… He was also pretty reckless… Midas didn't really come back from one of his research expeditions alive. But others picked up on his research, and well, as the situation in Rissan grew more desperate so our engineers grew more invested"
Harriet: "Huh, that's too bad. I would've liked to meet the guy."
Cid: "I'd never seen the entirety of the clan's engineers working on a singular project before, but damn if they don't make an amazing team when they do. That's how we came up with thermal concrete and the nanopores theory"
Cid: "Unfortunately, as you've probably heard, tools to create the nanopores aren't easy to come by"
Harriet: "Highly-specialised tools are like that, yeah."
Cid: "Do I know that. But in the end, we built the Fire Dam, and it's proven effective"
Cid: "Sure, it's only one river we have control of, but now we can make fertile lands alongside the path of Mount Hope's flows"
Cid: "… Actually, on the note of those tools"
Serenity: "Basically anything's an improvement out here yeah."
Cid: "We could use your help overseeing a… Transaction"
Cid: "We had to make some pretty bad deals to get access to the tools we need. Particularly, we hired out a lot of people, and we want them back now."
Cid: "There is a price to be paid for breaking the contract early like this, supposedly too high for us to ever pay, thankfully we had a real lucky break, so we can pay it and get our people back"
Cid: "I'm… Not sure if the RF Company is going to appreciate that, however. I'm afraid the entire situation might end up badly"
Harriet: "Oh, we can get people back easy."
Amal: "…so they're holding your people hostage and calling it legal because there's a contract. Classy."
JayM: "Essentially"
Harriet: "Yeah your suppliers are kind of garbage, but luckily we're here to fix shit."
Cid: "We're about to break the contract… Getting our people back is going to be another ordeal, but we need to make sure breaking the contract goes well"
Cid: "The representation of RF here, his name is Jacke, is a rather… Heavyhanded individual. I don't trust his integrity either"
Harriet: "I mean, there's an entire lake of lava right there."
Amal grins at Harriet.
Hughbert: "Harriet, your solution to this problem is noted, and will be called upon as a last resort. We should try diplomacy first."
Harriet: "Uuuugh fine."
Cid raises an eyebrow, and nods to Hughbert
Serenity: "Who's RF again?"
Harriet: "(You never let me toss people into volcanos while cackling with dramatic lighting and shit.)"
Cid: "RF Company, or Reinford Company, is a heavy machinery production company from Akavir"
Cid: "It's who we made the contracts with"
Serenity: "Aha."
Serenity: "Where's he staying right now?"
Cid: "We should be holding the meeting later tonight, when it's somewhat cooler"
Serenity: "Even easier."
Cid: "He and his entourage took over the worker's barracks- Admittedly it's more like a little hotel, since we try to give our workers good conditions, but that's where they've been"
Hughbert: "That gives us some time. I'll try to find out some facts about our soon-to-be good friend in preparation for the meeting."
Cid: "He's been pretty secretive to us, but he is a very overbearing kind of man, the sort that very obviously believes himself far better than what he is"
Amal: "Soooo you're saying he's from Akavir." Beat. "I mean, uh…"
Cid: "He seems to have brought his niece with him, apparently she's going to inherit the company? I've seen them fight sometimes, however"
Serenity: "Your people are… still in Akavir, right?"
Cid: "They are still, yes"
Serenity' leans towards Harriet, "(That's why we can't just chuck him off the ledge.)"
Cid: "… I've the feeling they're not going to leave easily. But i'll call upon a few favors with Horizon to deal with that"
Serenity: "So what's so special about your people that you think Akavir wants them over a fat stack of cash, anyway?"
Serenity: "Their weapon devs aren't exactly idiots."
Cid: "Correct, they're not. However, we're still unmatched material engineers. Particulary the creation of alloys and adjusting the properties of materials for specific goals"
Harriet: "(It would've been funny though,)" Harriet asides back to Serenity.
Harriet: "And yeah, like, money can't buy skill on a one-to-one basis."
Serenity: "Well right, hence the question."
Serenity: "Most stuff Akavir cares about is easy enough to reverse engineer with enough funding though,"
Harriet: "They'd at least want to learn what they learn, thus making them obsolete and even more useful as hostages because they're not necessary any more."
Cid: "You want someone that can make metal with best ratio of malleability and durability to not break nor allow a bullet through? Our people can do. Want someone who can make an anti-arts material layer for armor, we can do it"
Serenity: "So I'm curious what especifically they need their researcher for."
Serenity: "Hmm.
Serenity: "So what exactly are they working on?"
Cid: "We haven't heard a lot from them for a while, bit a few letters seem to indicate they've been working on tank armor as well as construction metal"
Amal: "Oh, fun."
Hughbert: "So we should expect a hostage situation when you pay off that fine… Which means we can prepare a counter-response before that happens, to prevent things from escalating as best we can."
Cid: "However, Mid recently sent me a letter indicating they've been wokring on something extremely large, he was a bit roundabout with it but from the looks of the specifications of the required metal we're also talking about a building that needs to withstand pressures much higher than a volcanic eruption"
Harriet: "Oh boy."
Serenity' scratches at the back of her head.
Cid: "Indeed, we can expect a hostage situation. But as long as they're out of justifications to keep our people I think I can trust Horizon to deal with the rescue, but if you can help with that as well"
Serenity: "Deep sea city…? Or… hmm…"
Harriet: "Post-explosion city."
Serenity: "Hrrmm…"
Harriet: "Even if Akavir weren't, like, exclusively awful, there's been an awful lot of end-of-the-world events going on."
Serenity: "Well yeah but nothing they should know about."
Harriet: "I mean, giant scar in the world, kinda hard to miss."
Serenity: "…What's the point of Alcor setting them up with a fall out shelter if his main goal was to save masharas and fuck everyone else?"
Hughbert: "If we meet this Mid fellow, we can try to get details. But I'm assuming, since you said 'a letter'… He is not very likely to be here today, is he?"
Serenity: "If they were worried about THAT they'd be worried about heat and lasers, not pressure."
Cid: "Unfortunately no, my grandson's among the people we hired out"
Harriet: "Yeah, I guess that's true."
Cid: "Admittedly he… He was rather enthusiastic, although I feel like he might have regrets on his decisions now"
Serenity: "oh."
Serenity: "Oh."
Serenity: "OH."
Serenity' slaps Anton upside the head.
Anton winces. "Ow!"
Hughbert: "Serenity, please stop, we need that head. Anton's head is important and I would appreciate it if you treated it more gently."
Serenity: "Why didn't you mention this was the lead in to the apocolypse where they build a cannon big enough to take out entire cities in a single shell???"
Serenity: "I only JUST now remembered that was a thing."
Anton: "Because I didn't want to create a zero-fate by giving information early!"
Serenity: "Holy fuck why is Alcor helping them with that????"
Serenity: "Thats like the MOST dangerous for us of the apocolypses I'm pretty sure."
Harriet: "Uh, Alcor's awful, Akavir's awful, I'm pretty sure they're made for each other."
Cid blinks "… The specifications do match any theoretical sort of weapon you'd use explosive energy to proper a shell that big"
Cid: "I'm not sure structural integrity of such a project is solvable, however"
Cid: "But if that's what they got our people working on… Much the better to get them back sooner"
Serenity: "There's totally at least one future where they figure it out and kill everyone."
Anton: "More than one, but yeah…"
Amal: "Ugh…"
Hughbert: "…Huh. But, consider his obsession with being a villain beyond all logical purpose. He may be trying to lead us astray, or… In the right direction, in a weirdly and infuriatingly unhelpful way."
Serenity: "I guess."
Harriet: "Uuuuugh how is someone so smart so fucking dumb."
Serenity: "…Uh anyway." Serenity turns back to Cid. "What exactly do you need us to do, if not extraction? Just keep him from shooting you when you give him a bag of money and tell him you need your people back?"
Cid: "Keep him from running away with the money while pretending we didn't pay, yes"
Hughbert: "That was my impression- he seems vulnerable to some manner of dramatic twist in which he throws himself in the line of fire at the very last moment to save us all, for he was truly on our side the entire time, or something from a silly young adult novel."
Serenity' tilts her head to one side.
Cid: "And, well, even if he does. Keep the most enthusiastic on our side from doing anything drastic, as long as we can claim we did our part of the contract we can get the rescue opeartion going without drawing unecessary aggression"
Hughbert: "Keep him honest, and prevent a hostage crisis. Sounds like we know where to begin."
Serenity: "So… give a tattoo on his forehead saiding breech of contract was paid in full…?"
Harriet: "What if we… you know… just got concrete proof that the transaction took place and sent it over indepedently so the guy can't go back and pull a he-said-she-said?"
Cid: "That is also perfectly acceptable"
Harriet: "I mean, I was gonna go for a signature, but a tattoo works too I guess."
Cid: "Essentially having a third party that can ensure this transaction goes well is what I need, as I said, I don't trust his integrity"
Serenity: "I cannot imagine they're going to trust you anymore with US being there to be honest but,"
Serenity: "I also suspect at this point they probably know better than to try anything directly."
Serenity: "Given every time we've clashed head on with them before has ended… poorly for them."
Hughbert: "…Oh, I know. I can try to contact a professional witness. Er… Do you have professional witnesses in Rissan? People who make a career of an impartial and photographic memory, for the sake of testifying in the courtroom." He pauses. "…I think you have courtrooms."
Cid chuckles "Sorry, son. Clans are kind of too small to have courtrooms, in general
Cid: "So slightly out of luck there"
Harriet: "So what do you use instead? Old people?"
Serenity: "Oh."
Serenity: "Speaking of photographic memories,"
Serenity: "Just have Harriet take a picture of everyone and the contracts."
Harriet holds up her calotype. "Oh yeah, I can totally do that."
Cid sighs "Why do you have to sound so disgusted when you're correct, Harriet? But yes it tends to be the clan leaders doing abitration"
Hughbert looks a little dejected. "Have you considered the potential benefits of implementing a system of courts? …Nevermind. I think that's a fine idea, as long as RF headquarters understands the device and trusts its accuracy."
Amal giggles at Hughbert. "You can bring it up with the clans after we've saved the world!"
Serenity: "I think it was more the other clans having proof that was the issue, yeah?"
Serenity: "That way they could breech Akavir lines and do their rescue op if shit gets out of hand."
Harriet: "Well, then let's get a clan leader in and take a picture and get the guy to sign off on it. If we throw enough verification systems at the wall, one of them is bound to stick."
Serenity: "And have everything be on the up and up."
Cid: "There are consistent attempts, generally led by Promenade, to make some form of unified court system, Hughbert… That's your name right? But getting anything doing in a somewhat unified manner in Rissan is as difficult as pulling gemstones out of the flow barehanded"
Cid: "Though I hear you're working on that"
Serenity: "Instant communication across the country should help a ton there yeah."
Cid: "More or less, Serenity. With sufficient proof we're on the right side we can hopefully even turn the Akaviri legal system on them if they go too far. That's my hope anyway"
Cid goes over to inspect the calotype "Oh, I haven't seen one of those live before"
Cid: "I believe, however, it should suffice. I don't think they're unknown just… Rare"
Serenity' nods.
Hughbert confirms that is his name. "You're right, Amal, that's a task for another time. If we don't need any personal information on Jacke, then I'll focus my attention on throwing the law of his people at him instead."
Cid: "So we seem to have a plan"
Cid: "Do you need me to work on any preparations?"
Serenity: "Don't think so…?"
Harriet: "Well, we could always get a book, so that when we throw the book at him we can literally throw a book at him."
Cid: "Alright, then the meeting will be held here two hours after sundown"
Harriet: "Buuut you're about to tell me that that's not diplomatic, huh," Harriet says to Hughbert automatically.
Serenity: "Okay. Lets go eat then I'm starving."
Hughbert: "Prepare a plan of action in case we do wind up with a hostage crisis. Don't worry about it if it isn't your specialty- I can help you work it out if we do need it, before it is put into action."
Anton: "Now THAT's something I can agree on." He nods to Serenity.
Harriet: "Oh right, yeah, we haven't eaten for a while, we should probably fix that."
Cid: "If you want to try something different, you could the melting grill" he heads to a window and points to a building "Bit crazy that one, Lende came up with quite an interesting way to make barbecue and it's amazing. She uses plates heated on the lava flows to transfer heat for the grilling, seems to give an special flavor to the food. She says it's from the igneous nature of the heating method"
Hughbert: "You know the sort of resources and personnel you have on hand better than I do, after all." Hughbert nods. "I'm curious what sorts of things people who live over a volcano would eat. I just hope that device that's cooling our car will help keep our fruit fresh…"
Harriet: "It should last a while, when it doesn't have to explode the cooling mechanism is pretty robust."
Cid: "You'll be disappointed to know, however, all of our food at the moment is imports. You literally cannot grow food in this kind of place"
Hughbert shrugs and smiles. "We're from Masharas. Somehow, we will recover from such a heart break."
Serenity: "Works for me."
Harriet: "Food is food."
Amal: "Hey, even if they're imports, they're -lava-seared imports-. Can't get THAT anywhere else."
To spend your time until the night comes, it's good to eat. The 'melting grill' that Cid suggested appears to be rather popular and the barbecue there is quite good, there's some difference in the taste you can't quite point out what it is. You've heard arguments for wether barbecue should be done with old-fashioned coal or a ragnite-heated grill, you've never seen it done using a lava-heated plate and it's pretty different, in a good way.
Still, there's a fair bit more time until night comes. Of particular note of the happenings in this place is when the refinery seems to turn into full drive, you hear a single loud whistle and then the clacking and clanging of the refinery amps up for a while- As it sounds louder you see it spew out from one side a torrent of what seems like earth and sediment as you see the pipes that dive into the lava below glow brighter as they pull up more. After a while it settles down and you see various workers goin in and, eventually, heading out carrying varieties of metal containers
Amal: "…this place is so cool."
Serenity: "Okay Amal."
At one point you spot some maitenance going on- Those patches of darkened earth on the ground? Apparently underground tubes that seems to be made of some sort of copper-alloy that are searing hot, sufficiently they burn the ground on top of it. If you question the maitenance team you learn they're heat transfer pipes, rather than count on just the ragnite engines Dustfire has developed a kind of heat conversion system, it can use heat energy to recharge ragnite, so instead of transfering just ragnite to the housing units for power they also harvest leftover heat energy from the lava for additional power
Serenity: "You know how loud all that machinery is?"
Harriet: "Honestly, it's fascinating. The amount of work which went into making this work is staggering."
Serenity: "Imagine that but like, triple it with all the various forcegears powr it screaming their function."
[OOC] Serenity: force gears powering it^
Amal: "Ohshit that sounds -awful-." They frown. "I… I wonder if Paws can make magic earmuffs."
Harriet: "Once I finish untangling the metaphysical nonsense surrounding you I'll be sure to make you a pair of earmuffs."
Serenity: "That's kind of weird though, the lava got quiet when the machines were running."
Serenity: "So I guess it balances out."
Hughbert: "I agree, Paws and Harriet should collaborate on a project and develop fasionable and effective Goddess-cancelling earmuffs."
Serenity' laughs.
Harriet: "I mean, sure, I guess I can collaborate with Paws."
Hughbert: "…Even though this gear doesn't hear things as well as you do, Serenity, I still made out that 'purify' perfectly clearly. You have my sympathies."
Serenity: "It's alright, once I familiarist myself with the soundscape it's easy enough to tune out. Remind me to make you wear that near the water treatment facility back home." Serenity shoots Hughbert a grin.
Hughbert frowns. "Oh. I see. Well, for the sake of solidarity, I am willing to try."
Serenity: "You can hear the main pump from anywhere within the city. Going directly to the source is, uh. Fun."
Hughbert: "Now that we have had our dinner, I will be looking for a library. I should only need an hour or so to pull up all the laws we need to throw at our future friend… Has the sun set yet?" Hughbert examines the ashen skyline.
As time passes, finally nighttime arrives… It's harder to tell here than usual, mostly because the constant glow of the lava makes everything so bright. Still, there's time for research, if need be
Serenity' will head back to the main office while Hughbert hits the books.
JayM: And they do have a library, what do you take them for, barbarians? Admittedly it's not in super good condition at the moment, it's actually inside one of those giant transport vehicles that's been sitting unused here. You're told the library's being organized on an as-needed basis ever since they had to move it from the old main settlement to this. So good luck hunting what you want in there
JayM: Still, 'as-needed' basis makes so searching for what you want, specifically, easy. Books not just on the current Dustfire contract law as well as the various legal agreements they got going with the other clans are easily avaiable if that's what you want
[OOC] Hughbert: of course I am burning a charge of investigation on digging up the dustfire laws, I guess Akavir counts as another clan in a broad sense
As night closes in, Serenity sees people arrive in the office building. Ahead of the pack is who is clearly Jacke, wearing a business suit in akavir style, a simple haircut, his very movements as he walks by without looking at you indicates he doesn't cares for your presence
Right behind him is someone else, considerably younger around the tail end of her teenage years, hair a fair ways blonder than Jacke's and wearing a red jacket. She looks annoyed as she walks by, but she takes a moment to nod in recognition of Serenity's presence.
Serenity' lazily raises a hand to the woman, then pushes herself off the couch she was lounging on and follows behind them.
They're accompanied, of course, by three guards. You've seen akaviri infantrymen before, but this guy with a layered ragnite shield on his back you haven't seen before
Serenity: "Oooh, that's new."
JayM: The shield is a sound concept, really, utilize the ragnite plate repulsion property to create an impact-absorbtion device, let the repulsion field absorb the entirety of the kinectic energy. His shield is surprisingly clean and unmarked, however, showing the signs of someone who didn't see much, if any, action
The entourage heads up to the second floor, for the meeting room
Serenity enters behind them, not in time to get the start of the conversation, but enough to get this "As agreed, the meeting will start in thirty minutes" Cid said pretty emphatically "I hope you understand the necessity to stay by the agreed terms. There will be others participating as well"
Serenity' finds a place to sit and plops herself down.
The half hour remaining is spent in deafening silence, Jacke gets increasingly antsy, the younger girl seems to fiddle with something hidden under her jacket, the guards are just there being guards
JayM: Is Serenity fielding this alone?
Amal is totally there! They're smiling a smile that somehow manages to be both completely innocent and menacingly panoptical at the same time.
Hughbert shows up five minutes or so before the meeting time, but is mostly reviewing some notes.
Anton seems to be around. He doesn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings though.
Harriet shows up with Hughbert. She wasn't really much help with researching laws, but she was interested in all the other things they've written down.
As everyone arrives, Cid looks at you from across the meeting table, closes his eyes for a moment. He looks at Jacke "So, according to article twenty six of the hiring contracts presented here" he pats a large pile of paper, pushing them slightly closer to the center of the table "There is a fee for early termination of contracts, correct, mister Jacke?"
Jacke: "Correct, Cid"
Cid: "So, then, for ninety eight contracts I have calculated the termination fees" he pulls up a briefcase "And I believe"
Cid clicks it open, showing it completely full to the brim with money "That this should be enough"
JayM: …
JayM: I wonder how this meeting will go down
JayM: Is Jacke really dumb and greedy
JayM: Or just greedy?
JayM: Wonder what the significance of the teenager in the room as well
JayM: Either way, those are questions best saved for next time
JayM: It was fun, and I Dragged on too much
An encounter with Alcor, some would call it a chance enconter, but we all know there is no such thing involving that man.


text:
If you have the ability to build strong relationships and you're looking for a varied role where you can put your commercial acumen and client focused approach to excellent use in an exciting, up-beat environment, then you don't want to miss this opportunity to make your mark as part of a growing organisation where your professional development will be encouraged and supported.
Who will I be working with? RFIDdirect is a specialist supplier of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology within the European market, with headquarters based in Mold, Flintshire, and a subsidiary in Kleve, Germany. The company specialises in quality products applications and solutions designed to tackle common production and logistical chain issues to speed up business cycles across a range of sectors, from manufacturing and retail, to healthcare and horticulture. RFIDdirect has always invested in the ethos that staff are its greatest asset, actively encouraging and supporting its employees to further develop their learning and to bring new ideas to the table. Having recently been shortlisted for several innovation and technology awards, this is an exciting time to join the business as it aims to increase its market share of the growing RFID market in 2018 and beyond.
As Technical Sales Engineer, you'll work to build strong and lasting relationships with existing customers, whilst actively pursuing new sales and business opportunities to support the continued growth of the business. Your duties will include but not be limited to:
You will be working within an international business, where your professional development will be supported and your ideas and suggestions encouraged.
Salary: £20,000 to £28,000 level dependent on experience Additional Benefits: Support for further education, pension contribution scheme, an attractive company-wide bonus scheme, and a pool-car for business use. Contract type: Permanent Hours of Work: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Location: Mold, Flintshire
Unit 1 Office 8
Stephen Gray Road,
JVP is working in partnership with RFIDdirect to support their recruitment process and therefore will be completing the initial shortlist. Please note that shortlisted applicants will initially be contacted by JVP to undertake a telephone interview.
All applications to be submitted online and strictly no agency calls or agency CV submissions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PRÄRIE flooring guarantee
Everyday life at home puts high demands on flooring. PRÄRIE floor is tested according to the standards for floors for domestic and light commercial use (EN 13329). PRÄRIE floor meets our strict standards for quality and durability. For this reason, we are able to offer a 10-year guarantee that the floor will withstand normal wear in the environment it was intended to be used in.
How long is the guarantee valid?
The guarantee for PRÄRIE floor remains in force for ten (10) years and is valid from the date of purchase. The original purchase receipt is required as proof of purchase.
We guarantee that in normal use the flooring will not wear through, not fade from sunlight and not stain permanently.
PRÄRIE flooring complies with User Class 31 of EN 13329 which means it is suitable for use in all rooms in a home, except for rooms such as bathrooms, damp cellars and basements and rooms with a floor drain, and is also suitable for light commercial use, such as flooring with light wear in small offices and meeting places – not in shops.
The guarantee for PRÄRIE floor remains in force for ten (10) years and is valid from the date of purchase. The original purchase receipt is required as proof of purchase.
What is covered under this guarantee?
We guarantee that in normal use the flooring will not wear through, not fade from sunlight and not stain permanently.
What will IKEA do to correct the problem?
IKEA will examine the product and decide, at its sole discretion, if it is covered under this guarantee. If considered covered, IKEA through its own service operations, will then, at its sole discretion, either repair the defective product or replace it with the same or a comparable product. If it is covered by this guarantee, IKEA will pay the costs of repairs, spare parts, labour and travel for repair staff, that IKEA incur, provided that the product is accessible for repair without special expenditure. This does not apply to any repair work not authorized by IKEA. Replaced parts become the property of IKEA.
What is not covered under this guarantee?
This guarantee does not apply if PRÄRIE floor has been used inappropriately, abused, misused, altered, or cleaned with wrong cleaning methods or wrong cleaning products.
This guarantee does not apply if the floor has not been laid according to the floor laying instructions supplied by IKEA.
This guarantee does not cover consequential or incidental damage.
Care instructions
Laminated flooring should never be sanded, waxed or polished. The hardwearing surface is easy to clean and maintain. Normal cleaning, such as sweeping, vacuuming and dry mopping only if the floor is slightly dirty. Stains are removed with a moist cloth. If needed, the floor should be damp mopped with a mild detergent and dried with a cloth.
If the damage is more serious, you can replace one plank or several. Because laminated flooring doesn't bleach from sunlight, you can replace an old plank with a new one without worrying about any shifts in colour.
Take good care of your floor by using felt floor protectors under your furniture and floor protectors under things with rolling castors. It's also a good idea to put a doormat in front of the entrance as an effective way to stop gravel and pebbles from coming in. Because laminated flooring is wood-based, it's important to always wipe up any water from the floor.
NOTE: Never pour water directly on the floor.
This guarantee gives you specific legal rights, and is in addition to your statutory legal rights.
How to reach us if you need service
Contact your local IKEA store. You will find the address and phone number in the IKEA catalogue or at www.IKEA.com.


text:
Quote+ leasing software
implement client demands – calculate quotes – automate processes
Customer portal for vehicle leasing
Quote+ means innovative software support ofvarious kinds of vehicle financing business, e.g. leasing, rentals, hire-purchase and full-service leasing. Our IT solution allows for comprehensive customer service, from car configuration and quotation to conclusion of contract.
Advantages for leasing companies and service providers
Target the market
Use Quote+ to bring your fleet business online, reaching customers and subsidiaries world-wide. Mulit-currency and mulit-language facilitate international deployment
Modern E-Business
Use Quote+ to bring your fleet business online, reaching customers and subsidiaries world-wide. Multi-currency and mulit-language capability facilitate an international deployment.
Speed up your business processes
The software's high degree of automation will save you lots of time and expenses. The workflow-based structure of Quote+ points out who has to take care of what, and when.
Increase transparency
Runtimes, residual value risk, discounts, leasing factors, performance data, and much more. Full control over ongoing and closed contracts even when performing mass costing calcuations.
Impressive business track record
Leading leasing companies and fleet service providers have trusted in and worked with our software solutions for more than 15 years now.


text:
Only a few days ago we posted an animated image showing some pretty standard fingering technique for bass guitar. Today we're doing the same thing for electric guitar. The technique here is pretty good. Without sound it may be hard to follow, but the point of this post is about sharing digital technology inside the music field. If you are a guitar player you can consider how firmly and correctly the pick is being held whilst still not bashing away at the strings, how solid the arm is being held in a good position while all the action comes from the wrist. It's a great close up of good playing hand technique.
#pickup #anime #guitarist #free
#strumming #rockguitar #electricguitar #pickup #guitarstrings


text:
Mammals and avians are separated by nearly 300 000 years of evolution. Consequently, the difference between mammalian and avian proteins is much more important. Thereby, generating an immune response and antibodies against a human protein is more likely to succeed in a different host (chicken) rather than a similar host (mouse or rabbit).
Chicken IgY, just like mammalian IgG, are divalent immunoglobulins although IgYs possess several structural attributes that result in increased sensitivity and affinity, with reduced background.
- · lgY's Fc portion is not recognized by mammalian cellular and humoral immune components. This results in decreased background and the elimination of long-blocking incubations;
- · Better coupling efficiency, IgYs antibodies are slightly larger than the IgG antibodies of mammals and have a higher glycosylation index allowing more labeling with HRP and other fluorescent molecules. This results in higher signals;
- · No cross-recognition with mammalian secondary antibodies (IgGs);
- · IgYs are more stable to temperature and pH variations.
Nonetheless, the structural similarities between these immunoglobulins allow IgY to be fully compatible with your current experimental protocols with little or no optimization required.


text:
Earning Money by Playing Online Poker Game
To play online poker games takes a great deal of knowledge to best. Needless to state, the details you have about the video game also provide the methods you can utilize. Nevertheless, there is another crucial element in becoming an effective poker games which is simply as important as understanding the guidelines and nature of the video games. Perseverance – much like in any other endeavor is a major plus aspect. This is exactly what other poker gamers appear to misconstrue. Being impatient on the planet of virtual online player is considered a death sentence.
Betting just ended up being a lot more practical
Betting a massive amount of money on the broken hands can be a big danger. Say you were able to raise kings in an online poker game then you got about 3 callers. Then you witnessed an act that struck the flop -still you bet. After that you get a re-raise since you know you beat. A great gamer will know how to lie this hit down. On the other hand, impatient gamers will not have the ability to see that they've got broken hands and would likely to play more.
Online casino Texas Hold they would provide you the sensation of the genuine gambling establishment and you would be lured to play a growing number of. You do not have to worry that it's getting late and you have to get home. This makes these online gambling establishments even more irresistible and appealing. The online poker Texas Hold 'em video games have the very best software application readily available that makes it really easy to play in a range of surroundings and places.
The same guidelines apply to the bidding and raising
the staying gamers start the bidding. The individual who has the very best possible 5 card hand wins. The convenience of online poker video game is that you can play them from your very own house. You can take pleasure in the comforts of your house while playing from home and you do not have to spend hours in a casino. Due to the fact that of the gaming however the winning thrills people, situs sbobet are becoming extremely popular now not just.


text:
The funeral homes and directors listed here are located in San Andreas, California. Pick one of the businesses listed in FuneralFacility's directory of San Andreas funeral providers to find out more information regarding the funeral services provided and contact details.
- San Andreas, Memorial Chapel
254 W Saint Charles St
San Andreas, CA 95249
Funeral services offered: Funeral Directors, Crematories
Send Flowers to San Andreas, Memorial Chapel


text:
Since you've asked for it, Law and Crucible Saga is free on Amazon for a few days:
1. No Port to Land http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017DT8LJM
2. Point of Origin http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ERF84E
3. Bonds of Steel http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ERSKTO
This the first time all three installments are free and it will probably be the last time as well so get it while it lasts!
Edited to add: There seems to be some confusion on whether this is the full series. It is not. These are only the first three installments in a series of several novellas and short stories. The plan is to publish three of them at a time, and I'll try to stick to it.


text:
Alpargata Clasic Yellow
Alpargata Clasic Yellow
Recipient :
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New product
Alpargata Clasic Yellow
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Warning: Last items in stock!
Availability date:
The raw materials that are used by Alpargatus for these models are jute and cotton.
We recommend purchasing an inferior number from which you are normally used because the cotton during the time is losing its strength.
No customer reviews for the moment.


text:
Transitional American styling merges seamlessly with European design elements in the form of Riondo. Symmetrically tufted seats and arms, placed atop a terraced plinth base, add levity to the generous mass of this design. Firm comfort offers a fully supportive, thoroughly relaxing seating experience. In all, Riondo offers an artfully informal addition to the home.
© 2006-2019 Suburban Contemporary Furniture. Developed by ElementFusion


text:
The Board adopted the Student Assignment Plan in May 2017. The report on the planning year will outline the work over the next school year to prepare for fall 2018 implementation of the Student Assignment Plan.
The report will:
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District website (WWW.CMS.K12.NC.US) is in the process of
being updated to ensure compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the interim, any website accessibility concerns may be brought via the following, Email:
Web Accessibility
or Call: 980.343.0115.


text:
There was a time when viral marketing was what Hotmail did so successfully - attaching your pitch and contact link to someone else's messages in order to spread the word through a kind of endorsement-by-default. But as the internet population evolves into more sophisticated networked communication, including p2p communities, viral marketing is getting more subtle -- and more creative.
The contestants on this season's "The Apprentice 2" all have profiles on Friendster, the online community. This is an interesting effort to make reality TV even more real, to add layers of depth to the entertainment experience, and to generate buzz from fans that will bring others into the fan-base. It's not the first time: as part of the marketing of the movie "Anchorman" each of the key characters had Friendster profiles, so you could talk to them and about them.
I suspect this is just the beginning of a trend toward exploiting online communities to build marketing momentum. It's a natural progression for interactive mixed-media marketing campaigns, because it starts to personalize the experience of the individual consumer, and allows for a sustained level of interest and involvement beyond the 15 second spot. Popular television shows and movies started offering fan sites rich in information and background several years ago; then they added centralized threaded discussion capabilities to try to stimulate interaction. Stimulationg decentrazized peer-to-peer communication in an organic community is a logical next step.
But it takes some courage to do this -- traditional marketers have usually had an almost paranoid obsession with controlling what is said about their brand and how it is said. Those who live by viral marketing can die by it too.
Of course, online p2p is only one aspect of the drive to go viral. Face-to-face communication and good old fashioned e-mail and IM are effective ways to spread the message, so long as you have a core group of advocates in your target market ready to get passionate about your product and make the effort to tell their friends. Services like P&G's Tremor are hoping to crack the secret of teen word of mouth advertising. They use "social marketing", leveraging the stories teens tell each other about a product to amplify the essential promise of the product and generate a wave of viral advocacy. Tremor claims to have a posse of 200,000 or more teens on its books who meet the criteria to be "connectors". A connector is someone who is not only networked wide and deep, but is also an enthusiastic early adopter and a persuasive communicator.
Network television should start to worry about losing both audience and advertisers. Not only are teens spending less time in front of the box these days, advertisers are finding alternative ways to get their message out to them.
But it is not just teens who use online communication, so I guess we can expect some of the advertising for cars, financial services, and pharmaceuticals to start along that path any time now. Car manufacturers have already had success with mixed media interactives, such as running radio campaigns that drive listeners to a website. Encouraging knowledge-sharing, community-building, and p2p advocacy under a Ford or Pfizer umbrella may already be on the drawing boards.


text:
Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner has been found not to have cancer after all, her spokesman said Saturday, in a reversal as dramatic as the initial diagnosis that resulted in the removal of her thyroid.
An examination of the thyroid removed in a three and a half hour operation "ruled out the presence of cancer cells, thus modifying the initial diagnosis," Kirchner's spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, said.
He said Kirchner, 58, had left the private Austral hospital in Pilar, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Buenos Aires, and was convalescing at her official residence in the northern suburb of Olivos.
After a biopsy in late December, Kirchner's doctors diagnosed her with thyroid cancer and the president underwent surgery on Wednesday to have it removed.
But the follow-up histopathologic examination found that while there were nodules in both lobes of the president's thyroid gland, there was no cancer, Scoccimarro said.
The official medical report said the nodules were identified as follicular adenomas, which are benign tumors of the thyroid gland.
With the new diagnosis, Kirchner's medical team "considers that the surgical treatment undertaken is sufficient and the administration of radioactive iodine is no longer necessary," the spokesman said.
The president "is resting normally and is in optimal general health, on the basis of which the medical team has authorized her release," he said.
Medical experts said the abrupt turnaround in the diagnosis was not so surprising.
"In cases of this type, it is something that can happen," Ernesto Ibarra Puente, a specialist in neck surgery, told the press. "The initial diagnosis was given due to a papillary cell, and the surgeon, a prestigious specialist, decided to operate."
"A second biopsy appears to have found nothing," he said, but an operation would still be necessary "because there could be micro carcinomas and one cannot do 80 biopsies."
Papillary tumors are the most common form of thyroid cancer, and the most susceptible to treatment.
Alicia Gauna, the former president of the Argentine Endocrinology and Metabolism Society, agreed that "once follicular adenomas were confirmed, the illness was resolved with the surgery."
But the latest turn of events was still unexpected, as dramatic in its way as the bombshell announcement on December 27 that the president had cancer, less than a month after she had been sworn in to a second term in office.
The news, which seemed to have made her the fifth Latin American leader to fall prey to cancer, caused an outpouring of emotion in a country that had just re-elected Kirchner with 54 percent of the vote.
Hundreds of Argentines, including many members of her Peronist party, gathered outside the hospital on hearing the news Tuesday, to follow her progress hour by hour through the long operation that ensued.
Every time a spokesman read out a favorable medical report, the crowd outside the Austral clinic, some in tears, would explode with joy amid shouts of "Bravo, Cristina!" and banners that read "Courage, Cristina!"
In 2011, the Argentine president had been forced to interrupt her activities on three occasions due to bouts of low blood pressure.
She has taken a medical leave until January 24, and in the interim the powers of the presidency are being exercised by Vice President Amado Boudou, the former economy minister who also was recently sworn in to office.
Kirchner, who cuts a stylish figure in high heels and lacquered nails, has had a turbulent political career alongside her husband and presidential predecessor Nestor Kirchner, who died of a heart attack October 27 2010.
Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/argentine-president-does-not-cancer-160921679.html
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Martin Luther wrote, "next to theology, I accord music the highest honor." Or words to that effect. Wiki Luther Music
Music is a language that needs no study, only enjoyment. Study it if you wish, many do. Just remember, you don't need to make music to be musical. Valuing the music and it's effects upon your mood, attitude, and overall health is my promotion for the moment.
In Musicophilia, Sacks wrote,
Music can take you to places you have never been before, wish to go to, wish to avoid, and help you navigate all of them. It is rhythmical geography for the soul. When it comes to the end of a cherished life, it is a memory restorer/curator, sort of like a musical picture album for the mind.
I played music this week for dozens of people. It is almost always affirmed by a smile, a nod of recognition, joining in and singing with the tune, a reminder of other songs, a piece of history that seems long lost. Music resurrects the life or a slice of it long assumed dead. It can bring back joy and courage and resilience, even healing when it is properly used.
A while back, I entered a room of a client and began to play hymns softly on my harmonica. I routinely do this and my charges are not surprised or bothered by it. They just know that pastor Marty has his harmonica in his left hand and he will likely play me a tune or two. As I played This is My Father's World, my client began to sing the words of the light and airy hymn. Her mood improved and her day was brighter. The nurse and others in the room were somewhat surprised because they had not seen this side of the client, the memories of a hymn that came flowing from her mouth so easily. I think it was a bit of a shock actually. It was assumed that there was not much left of her mind, nothing reserved for lucid speech anyhow. It even surprised me a little bit.
It has pushed me to research more and play more music. To be able to see family members smile as their loved one sings along when they thought all that has been lost, is a magical moment. A restorative moment. A healing moment. A hopeful moment. A musical moment.
On occasion, I have played music and within seconds of conclusion, the loved one goes to sleep for the last time. When family is present, this is often the most peaceful memory they could wish for. It stuns me how this happens, but then I remember the power that music has to bring one close to God and thankful for life on earth and prepared for life hereafter.
A lot of communication goes on when music is involved.


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Everyone knows that college is expensive and that as students, we are usually pressed for cash. For us, saving money wherever possible is a priority and living on-the-cheap becomes a way of life (hello, ramen noodles!) You might think you've mastered the broke college kid lifestyle, but are you using all the free services that the University of Wyoming has to offer? If you aren't sure, worry not! Below is an insider list of just some of the free services UW students should be using.
#1: Center for Advising and Career Services
Need help planning for the future? The Center for Career and Advising Services (CACS) offers students a variety of valuable services, including advising, job fair and resume prep, mock interviews, and career counseling. They also offer online career help and can connect you to local jobs and internships! Head to their webpage for more info or to make an appointment!
#2: STEP Tutoring
Falling behind in class or struggling with a new concept? Take advantage of UW's STEP program, a free tutoring service available to all students. Conveniently located in Coe Library, tutoring sessions are held throughout the week, so you'll be able to find a time that fits your schedule. STEP also offers Early Bird tutoring sessions for certain classes, as well as paper and presentation help! Visit the STEP website for more information.
#3: Student Legal Services
Sponsored by ASUW, Student Legal Services offers free legal assistance to UW students. If you need professional advice in connection with any personal legal issues, SLS's attorney is there to help and can also refer you to other resources both on and off campus. Visit their webpage to learn more!
#4: Writing Center
If you need help writing a paper, crafting a resume, or just want to develop your writing skills, set up a free consultation with the experts at the Writing Center. Also located in Coe Library, the staff at the Writing Center is there to answer all your writing questions. Online consultations are also available for outreach students! Check here for more information.
#5: Math Assistance Center (MAC)
Located in the basement of Ross Hall, the Math Assistance Center, or MAC, is an invaluable (and free!) resource for UW students. Students enrolled in lower division math classes (below 3000 level) can drop in throughout the week and receive help from the MAC's tutoring team. Visit the MAC's website for a full schedule!


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Weymouth and Portland Coast Guide
Weymouth lies to the west of the region and is not far from the border of Devon and Dorset. The main route into the town is along the A354 which leaves the A35 at Dorchester. Weymouth is a major holiday destination on the south coast that attracts thousands of visitors each year. It is also a working port with ferries running to France and the Channel Islands and a small fleet of fishing boats. Weymouth is also the gateway to the rocky peninsular known as Portland Bill that juts out 6 miles into the English channel.
The resort of Weymouth is an attractive town that is spread along the coast overlooking a beach of golden sand. Much of the town was built in the reign of George III when the town played host to the monarch on many occasions. There are still numerous Georgian style buildings within the town. The inner harbour is home to the local fishing fleet and is an interesting area to visit. The coast at Weymouth is protected by the Bill of Portland and this makes it ideal for many water sports including sailing, windsurfing and swimming. There are facilities for sailing, diving, windsurfing in the immediate area.
For details of Weymouth Hotels and Holidays, Guest Houses, Cottages and to visit Attractions. Go to Weymouth Hotels Guest Houses and Cottages
Weymouth was the base for many sailing events in the 2012 Olympics. Many new facility and infrastructure projects have been built including a new access road which has helped with traffic congestion. The Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy has recently been completed and was be the venue for the sailing events in the 2012 Olympics. See below
Weymouth harbour Weymouth beach National Sailing Academy
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland projects some five miles into the English Channel and is almost an island - only connected to the mainland by the huge pebble ridge of Chesil Beach. The Bill of Portland or Portland Bill - is not an old, local fisherman - but refers to the very tip of the island where the lighthouse is situated. Portland is a large rocky peninsular and is the source of the famous pale stone of the same name that was used to build Buckingham Palace and St Paul's Cathedral.
There has been a lighthouse at Portland Bill since 1716, the current one was constructed in 1789 by William Johns a local builder. The light is designed to warn ships of the rock outcrop and the Shambles sandbank some three miles to the southeast which causes a very strong tidal race around the Bill.
There is also a stone obelisk close to the sea, this was constructed in 1844 to warn ships of the stone ledge which extends 30 meters into the sea. There is a large car park at Portland Bill and several cafes. A great location for fish and chips with a stunning view. There are several walks along the coast but care is needed in places as the ground is very rocky and the path runs close to the cliff edge.
Pulpit Rock Portland Bill Portland lighthouse
Chesil Beach - is one of the longest in the country stretching 16 miles to the north west of Portland. However it is a pebble ridge and is quiet steep in some places and it is not recommended for swimming. Recent winter storms have deposited a lot of flotsam and jetsam on to the beach - so if you fancy some beachcombing this could be the place for you!
Places to visit in Weymouth
Deep Sea Adventure - Animated displays and videos about underwater exploration. - 9 Custom House Quay, Weymouth, DT4 8BG. Phone: 0871 2225760
Discovery Science Centre - Science for all ages. - Brewers Quay, Hope Square, Weymouth, DT4 8TR. Phone: 01305 789007
Sea Life Park and Tower - See Turtles, Penguins, Seahorses and Seals - Lodmoor Country Park Weymouth DT4 7SX Phone: 01305 788255 Website: Sea Life Weymouth
Brewers Quay - Cafes, bars, shops and bistros.
Sharky's - Kids adventure play area- 9 Custom House Quay, Old Harbour north, Weymouth Dorset DT4 8BG Phone: 0871 222 5760
Portland Castle - Built for Henry VIII now managed by English Heritage Portland Phone 01305 820539
Portland Bill - Great views and lighthouse visitor centre.
Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. - Venue for sailing events at 2012 London Olympics
Dorchester - county town of Dorset
Map of Weymouth area
View Larger Map
Other sections of the guide you might also enjoy - see below.
Whether your idea of an ideal activity is sunbathing or you prefer something more strenuous, the chances are that you will be able to pursue this at the coast. There is a wide selection of activities that can be found on our coastline - these range from a gentle stroll to the next bay, to swimming and snorkelling, to more energetic activities such as sailing, surfing, windsurfing and kite sailing. See Activities section.
Attractions - see listings pages
A huge selection of attractions are available within the coastal area and this section will have details of many of them. From piers and harbours to fun fairs and roller coasters, the listings will have details of what's available in your chosen area. For details of attractions look in the resort pages.
The National Lobster Hatchery - Padstow
Pubs, restaurants and shopping guide
The listings section will also have details of pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and shops available in the locality. Restaurants and shops coming soon.....
The Beach Pub - Exmouth
We will bring you feature articles about the coastline and news items about life in the coastal area. contributions to this section are welcome.
|Ukcoastguide 2016


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My Medicare Disability Benefits
AARP MedicareRx Plans United Healthcare (PDF download)
united healthcare medigap (PDF download)
CIGNA HealthCare Medicare (PDF download)
United Healthcare Medicaid (PDF download)
medicare supplemental insurance leads (PDF download)
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My Medicare Disability Benefits
Disability Benefits – Social Security
Apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits;. • Review … new address
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Cactus Wood Potpourri Still Life Decoration
If it is helpful to you, please share with your friends. Our team was selected carefully before show at here. In addition, you can also thank for them by inviting them one cup of Coffee.
A great image you can use for free for many different purposes: wallpaper, commercial products, publishing, printing ... etc. License use Creative Commons Zero - CC0. A referral link to Max Pixel (not required).
The image was tagged: Decoration, Still Life, Wood, Cactus, Potpourri. it was made by Canon EOS 700d camera with shoot mode: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM - 31.0mm · ƒ/4.0 · 1/40s · ISO 6400, gives a picture excellent quality. The maximum resolution is 5184×3456 pixels, you can download it with JPG format.
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So that's in terms of the UTV equation. Was UTV interested in having cross-media IPs? Because UTV has a lot of film. That's the original basis of the company.
RS: I think, basically, we are a content company. So I would say film is one of them, but so are broadcast channels and television. So in small screen and big screen, our focus is always content, not platform.
And I think, therefore, in games, and especially in console games, definitely the focus is content. Publishing, we consider aggregating, and I think the IPs is the content creation part of it.
Ajay Chadha: And I think we've seen the growth of Ignition. If you consider what we were bringing out last year, instead of what we are bringing out this year, a lot of third party developers are having confidence in what we're capable of doing.
I think we're a really proactive team, and I think we bring a different type of style, as well, to the industry. We complement people's games; we know how to look after the people's IPs. And also, I think I've already said, we're creating our own IP, and we know how to handle content, and we know how to look after our partners.
SB: I think the climate of the games industry right now, in the U.S., for a lot of developers -- you know, publishers are falling, consolidating, getting picked up, so there are good games developers out there who are looking for new venues, new avenues to go.
And they're open to talking to us, even though like two years ago they might not have heard of Ignition. But now, as the quality of our games is picking up, we can talk to more and more people, and I think the quality is going to be going higher and higher.
Ignition Entertainment/SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters XII
That reminds me of something I've been hearing: a lot of people have been talking about, with the consolidations and the scheduled downplays -- you know, Eidos canceling tons of games right before the Square Enix merger, and stuff like that. There's going to be some holes in the schedules -- 18 months out, 24 months out. Is that something that you guys are looking at as a strategy? Getting interesting, big titles in the medium term?
RS: I think our strategy has really been to focus on the games we've been excited about, and with the core team members that we've developed in these three places. I think it would be silly for us to say that the strategy worked out well because now there are holes, because that was not part of our strategy when we greenlit the games. But I think that it has worked better, so it will give us a lot of tailwind when we go forward right now.
AC: I think we're going to see a lot of publishers have been falling downwards at the moment. And I think Ignition is reversed: we're going upwards. You can tell by the titles and the acquisitions that we're doing.
We're a very passionate team. And I think that's key. We are seeing licensors who are looking for new options. When they see the core team, they feel very confident when they meet us. They know that we won't just bring a product, and take it to the market. Our marketing, our PR, the activities that we do are very, very different. As much as we have to do the cookie cutter, we think very much out of the box. And I think that's where people's compliments come in our direction.
SB: Yeah, and a lot of mid-level, and even bigger publishers, they have so many titles in their portfolio that they can't focus on any of them. And they spend all their marketing money on one triple-A game, and everything else gets the shaft.
Because of my background in editorial, I understand that every game is important, and to be able to approach it, you need perspective. Find the press, find the user. And if you treat it with passion, the way that we approach all of these games, I think developers see that, and [know] we'll give their game a better spotlight than some other publishers.


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Every year, people come up with business ideas and start various companies. This is with the prospect of offering new products and services to the world, creating a new legacy and building their own future. However, many facets must be addressed to keep the business surviving. One of these is business finance.
People have to raise money to get their business off the ground and cover all possible corporate expenses. Even though raising fund for a business in any economic climate can be challenging, business owners are forced to find the best possible way to raise money.
The following are the major business financing techniques commonly used by business owners:
Selling Assets
When you want to raise money for your new or growing business, you can consider selling assets, such as office equipment or personal possession like a car. Selling assets is a common consideration for people who do not want pressure paying anything back. This method is good especially when starting a business venture because you will buy the assets later when you are in better financial shape.
Bank Loans
Banks are the major lenders for the established businesses for the past years. However, a business must meet certain standards to acquire a loan for financing the business. The major requirement is an ideal business plan that highlights how the business is going to operate.
Banks can offer a different amount of funds depending on the productivity of the business. However, business people must ensure that they can manage to repay the funds before the due date because banks may claim the entire property worth the funds they lend. As a business owner, you must show the business ability to pay the amount loaned in good time.
Use of Credit Cards
Business owners can use credit cards to finance and keep their companies growing; however, it may be some seriously risky business. The economy is known to fluctuate at any time, and this might affect people who use credit cards to finance their businesses. Any fall on the payment will make the credit score get worse over time. However, when used responsibly, the credit cards can get your business out of financial trouble, extend your accounts payable period, and raise your cash flow. You can pay your suppliers and often earn discounts among other rewards and protections.
Friends and Family
Many entrepreneurs raise funds for their small businesses by getting friends and family to invest in them. They can ace an equity investment on the business or offer a business loan to keep your business growing. However, there might be a problem with friend and family involvement in business because of the risk to affect relationship upon business failure.
You will always count on your friends and family because they will always want to be part of the decision-making process. The business owner is required to be very careful with equity investment and ensure he gets all agreements in writings with the presence of a lawyer to avoid future misunderstanding.