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govindhtech · 9 months ago

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Direct VPC egress on Google Cloud Run is now available

Direct VPC egress

Google Cloud is introducing Direct VPC egress for Google Cloud Run to the general public (GA). With the help of this functionality, traffic from your Cloud Run resources can reach a VPC network directly, saving time and money by avoiding the need for proxying via Serverless VPC Access connectors.

Actually, with up to 1 GB per second per instance, Direct VPC egress offers around twice the throughput of both VPC connectors and the standard Google Cloud Run internet egress method. Direct VPC egress enables greater throughput and lower latency for performance-sensitive apps, whether you’re delivering traffic to destinations on the VPC, to other Google Cloud services like Cloud Storage, or to other destinations on the public internet.

Cloud Run

What has changed since the teaser

Notable enhancements and additions:

Direct VPC egress is now supported in all regions where Google Cloud Run is accessible.

Now, under quota management, every Google Cloud Run service revision with Direct VPC can scale to more than 100 instances. If you require even greater scalability, there is a defined procedure for requesting quota increases.

Direct VPC egress traffic is now included in VPC Flow Logs and Firewall Rules Logging, and Cloud NAT is supported.

The primary concerns raised by Google Cloud preview users particularly bigger clients with complex networking, scalability, and security needs are addressed in these changes.

Google cloud Run

Encrypting Data Between Cloud Run and VPC

To create communication between Cloud Run Google Cloud Run and VPC resources prior to Direct VPC Egress, developers used SVPC. SVPC was useful, but it had a number of drawbacks.

Management Overhead: For developers, setting up and overseeing connection virtual machines (VMs) inside the VPC for SVPC introduced a new level of complexity.

Scalability Restrictions: Due to the limited number of outgoing connections available on SVPC connectors, applications with large concurrent traffic demands were hampered.

Cost Incurrence: Using connection virtual machines (VMs) led to ongoing expenses, even in times when application activity was minimal.

These restrictions made it difficult for Google Cloud Run apps to seamlessly integrate with private and protected resources inside a VPC.

Direct VPC Egress

A Simplified Approach

Direct VPC Egress, a game-changing method of tying Google Cloud Run services to VPC resources, was introduced in 2023 and is currently generally accessible. It eschews the requirement for overseeing connection virtual machines and yields several significant advantages:

Simplified Configuration

Connector virtual machines are a thing of the past. Developers may concentrate on creating their apps because Direct VPC egress makes it easy to enable access to a particular VPC network with little effort.

Improved Scalability

Direct VPC egress makes use of the strong internal network fabric of Google Cloud. This feature makes Google Cloud Run instances perfect for applications with high traffic volumes since it gives them access to a large pool of outbound connections.

Direct VPC egress uses a pay-per-use paradigm for cost optimisation. There is no set cost involved in running connection virtual machines in SVPC; instead, you simply pay for the resources that your Cloud Run service uses.

Enhanced Security

Routing internet traffic is a part of traditional cloud run egress, which may be vulnerable to breaches. By keeping all communication inside Google Cloud’s secure internal network, direct VPC egress reduces potential security issues.

Granular Control

Revisions of Cloud Run may be associated with network tags. This gives developers the ability to create fine-grained network access control, specifying exactly which VPC resources particular versions are allowed to access.

Direct VPC Egress Operates

Your Cloud Run instances are assigned internal IP addresses within the specified VPC network by Google Cloud when you enable Direct VPC egress on a Cloud Run service. These instances can then immediately connect to resources in the VPC over secure networks. This promotes a more secure and effective communication channel and removes internet egress traffic.

Realising Potential

Applications of Direct VPC Egress

Direct VPC egress provides access to private resources inside a VPC for a variety of applications. The following are some strong use cases:

Database Connectivity

To facilitate data persistence and retrieval within your secure environment, Cloud Run services can establish direct connections with databases housed inside a VPC.

Interaction Between Internal Microservices

Cloud Run services are able to communicate with other microservices that are set up inside the VPC. This makes it possible for microservices to work together effectively without sacrificing security in a well-integrated and safe application architecture.

Data stored in private buckets or databases inside the VPC can be accessed and processed by Cloud Run services using secure data processing pipelines. This reduces the possibility of unauthorised access by guaranteeing that data is safely segregated throughout the processing pipeline.

Machine Learning Workflows

Models and training data are safely stored inside a VPC, and this is accessible to Cloud Run services. As a result, safe and effective machine learning workflows are promoted, with data security maintained during the training and deployment phases.

Launching Direct VPC Egress

A Smooth Transition

YAML files, the Google Cloud Console, and the Google Cloud CLI are some of the ways that direct VPC egress can be configured. Here’s a condensed rundown of the procedure:

Add the VPC network and subnet that your service needs access to in your Cloud Run service setup to enable direct VPC egress.

Ascertain Permissions

Make sure the service account linked to your Cloud Run service has the authorizations required to utilise the selected VPC resources.

Deploy Your Service

With the Direct VPC egress configuration enabled, deploy your Cloud Run service. To ensure smooth operation, test connectivity to make sure your Cloud Run service can properly communicate with the required VPC resources.

Security Aspects

It’s important to follow security best practices even though Direct VPC egress provides a secure method of connecting Cloud Run services to VPC resources:

Read more on govindhtech.com

#GoogleCloud #clouds #CloudRun #gcpcloudrun #vcp #news #technews #technology #technologynews #technologytrends #govindhtech

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meenadigitrainers84 · 1 year ago

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9 Points for Succeeding in Global Digital Marketing

Introduction:

International digital marketing has become crucial for companies trying to broaden their reach and enter global markets in the world of today. However, mastering the nuances of marketing across nations and cultures can be challenging. You need a well-thought-out approach that goes beyond merely translating content if you want to succeed at Best Digital Marketing Institute in Delhi. We'll give you nine excellent recommendations in this blog post to help you be successful in global digital marketing.

Accept Local Cultures and Preferences:

Cultural sensitivity is essential in global digital marketing. Spend some time learning about and understanding the cultural customs, beliefs, and preferences of each country's target market. Success depends on adjusting your content and messaging to take into account these cultural considerations.

Translation Is Just the Beginning of Localization:

Translation is a vital component in localization, but it is only the start. Local idioms, cultural references, and linguistic quirks are all taken into account in truly effective localization. Spend money on expert translation services, then modify your content to meet the demands of each target market.

Analyze Local SEO and Keywords:

Search engine optimization (SEO) success is essential for global digital marketing. Find out what local search terms, trends, and expressions are used in your target markets by doing some research. To increase your presence in local search engines, make sure that your website and content are optimized for these keywords.

4. Utilize Social Media Platforms:

Social media tastes vary between nations. Determine which social media channels are most used in your target markets and adjust your strategy accordingly. Reaching out to regional influencers can also be a successful strategy.

5. Mobile optimization:

Mobile devices are the primary means of accessing the internet in many countries. Make sure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly. A slow or unresponsive website may cause clients to leave, which will harm your international marketing efforts.

6. Regulatory Compliance:

Each nation may have its own set of rules governing digital marketing, notably those relating to advertising standards and data privacy. Keep abreast of these rules and make sure your marketing complies with local laws to stay out of trouble and pay less in fines.

7. Establish Credibility and Trust:

Establishing credibility is essential when entering new foreign markets. To establish your trustworthiness, use case studies, endorsements, and local testimonies. Local customer service or support facilities can also comfort prospective clients.

8. Adapt and Measure :

Set up analytics tools to monitor the effectiveness of your global digital marketing activities. Pay attention to KPIs like website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement analytics. Utilize this information to inform your choices and adjust your tactics as necessary.

9. Be Consistent and Patient:

It can take time to expand into other markets, and you might not notice any returns right away. Being persistent and patient is essential. As you gain knowledge and experience in each market, continually evaluate and revise your approach. It takes time to establish a reliable global presence.

Conclusion:

Thanks to international digital marketing, businesses have a wealth of options, but there are also some particular difficulties. You must approach this global arena with a knowledgeable, flexible, and culturally aware plan if you want to succeed there. To thrive in international digital marketing, it's crucial to comprehend the local culture, create content, and maintain a strong online presence. By implementing these nine suggestions, you can create the conditions for successful worldwide expansion and achieve new heights in your business endeavors.

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coast2coasttruckingpermits · 1 year ago

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Maximizing Truck Permits And Revolutionize Your Trucking Business

The time has arrived to revolutionize your trucking company, and we have the blog post to show you how. Keeping ahead of the competition in the trucking industry needs careful planning.

Managing truck permits efficiently can help you gain access to previously inaccessible possibilities, boost operational efficiency, and guarantee compliance.

This article will supply you with crucial advice that will allow you to make the most of your truck licenses and advance to the next level of success in the trucking industry. Continue reading before you look for trip permit VA.

Streamline Permit Acquisition and Renewal

To maximize productivity and reduce downtime, it is crucial to standardize the procedure for obtaining and renewing truck permits. Use the internet and other digital resources to reduce the time spent on paperwork.

Application submission, status monitoring, and approvals are all made easier with the help of online permit acquisition tools. Permit renewal can also benefit significantly from the use of automation solutions.

You can get a head start on the renewal process by setting up notifications and reminders to let you know when permits are about to expire. You can avoid fines and penalties by being proactive and handling permits promptly.

Stay Updated with Regulatory Changes

The regulatory environment in which the trucking business operates is constantly shifting as new laws and policies are enacted at the municipal, state, and federal levels. Keeping abreast of regulatory developments is essential to maximize your truck licenses and modernize your trucking business.

Create a process to keep up with evolving rules and adjust accordingly. Read the latest industry news, join relevant associations, and contact the relevant authorities regularly.

When new rules are put into effect, they must be followed immediately. Understand the unique criteria, and change your processes as required. This may necessitate introducing new safety measures, revising driver training programs, or modifying vehicle specs.

Optimize Route Planning and Fuel Efficiency

Maximizing your truck permits and increasing your business's profitability relies heavily on careful route planning and fuel efficiency. By focusing on these factors, you may save money on gas, reduce mileage, and boost productivity.

Using your truck to its full potential lets you take advantage of optimal route planning. Get permission to travel into restricted areas or along designated routes. You can save money on gas and time on the road by carefully plotting your routes to avoid long detours and unnecessary backtracking.

The best routes for your fleet can be found using cutting-edge GPS technologies and real-time data. You may avoid traffic and choose the quickest, most fuel-efficient routes with the help of these tools, which provide precise, real-time traffic data.

Enhance Safety and Compliance Measures

The trucking sector has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to issues of safety and regulation. Putting safety and compliance first can help you get the most out of your truck licenses and establish your company as a credible and trustworthy transportation provider.

Check your vehicles frequently to make sure they are roadworthy and safe. You can catch little problems before they become catastrophic by doing routine upkeep and inspections.

Spend money on in-depth driver training programs and permits by experts like trip permit VA companies that stress safety measures and legal requirements. Ensure your drivers know hours-of-service rules, securing cargo, and other safety procedures.

Leverage Technology for Permit Management

Today's trucking companies can only compete by using technology to manage permits. You may simplify operations, increase precision, and boost productivity by switching to digital platforms and using permit management software.

Please use web-based services that let you buy permits and keep tabs on them. Permit applications, status updates, and approvals can all be managed through these online hubs.

Obtaining permission renewal notifications and organizing required paperwork are just two examples of the many chores that may be automated by using permit management software.

Conclusion

The potential of truck licenses can be maximized, and your trucking firm can be revolutionized by applying these crucial tips. The trucking industry constantly evolves, so being at the forefront of change is important.

Remember that truck permits are more than simply something you need to get by; they're also a potent weapon for business success. Get started with these recommendations right away and watch your transportation company flourish.

#trip permit VA #trip permit

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mandeepdrivingschool · 2 years ago

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New Motor Vehicle Fine and Traffic Rules 2023

Introduction

Attention all drivers and vehicle owners! The year 2023 is just around the corner, and with it comes some exciting updates to motor vehicle fines and traffic rules. From new penalties for distracted driving to tighter regulations on emissions, there's a lot to be aware of before hitting the road in the coming year. So buckle up and get ready for a thrilling ride as we explore what changes are in store for motorists across the nation.

New Delhi Motor Vehicle Fine and Traffic Rules 2023

Since the last time motor vehicle fines and traffic rules were updated in Delhi, the city has undergone a lot of changes. The number of vehicles on the road has increased manifold and so have the number of accidents. In order to make the roads safer for everyone, the government has decided to revise the motor vehicle fine and traffic rules. Here are the key changes that you need to be aware of: 1. All drivers must now wear seat belts while driving. Not doing so will result in a fine of Rs 1,000. 2. Using mobile phones while driving is now completely banned. This includes talking on the phone, texting, browsing the internet, etc. If you are caught using your phone while driving, you will be fined Rs 5,000. 3. Drunk driving is now a punishable offence with heavy fines. If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will be fined Rs 10,000 and your licence will be suspended for 3 months. 4. Speeding is now also a major offence with strict penalties. If you are caught speeding, you will be fined Rs 5,000 for every 20 km/hr over the speed limit. Additionally, your licence may also be suspended for 3 months if you exceed the speed limit by 50 km/hr or more. 5. There is now a mandatory insurance cover for all vehicles plying on Delhi roads. This cover must at least provide third-party liability coverage of

How these changes will affect drivers in Delhi

The changes in motor vehicle fines and traffic rules in Delhi will have a significant impact on drivers in the city. The new rules are aimed at reducing the number of accidents and making the roads safer for all users. Here are some of the key changes that drivers should be aware of: 1. The maximum speed limit for cars in Delhi will be reduced from 60 km/h to 50 km/h. This will help to reduce the number of accidents, as well as improve air quality by reducing emissions from vehicles. 2. Drivers who break the speed limit or commit other traffic offences will be fined heavily. The minimum fine for speeding will be Rs 1000, while the maximum fine for dangerous driving could be up to Rs 5000. 3. All drivers must now wear seat belts while driving, and those who are caught not wearing seat belts will be fined Rs 500. This is important to ensure that everyone is protected in case of an accident. 4. Using mobile phones while driving is now banned, and offenders will be fined Rs 1000. This rule is designed to reduce distracted driving and improve road safety. 5. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is now a major offence, and offenders can expect to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 or face up to 6 months in jail. This stricter enforcement of drink-driving laws is aimed at making Delhi's roads safer for everyone

New motor vehicle fines

1. Motor vehicle fines in Delhi have been increased significantly. 2. The minimum fine for speeding has been doubled to Rs 2,000. 3. The minimum fine for driving without a license has also been doubled to Rs 5,000. 4. There is now a minimum fine of Rs 10,000 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 5. These new fines will be effective from 1st September, 2019.

#Motor vehicle #fine and traffic rules #traffic rules #Highway driving rules in India #how to drive car safely on highway #mandeep driving school #driving training #car driving school #car driving training

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viralbake · 2 years ago

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#traffic safety rules

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dungeons-bat · 4 years ago

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Actress (2nd Chap)

Warnings: None.

The complete fic

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“So, when do you live the firm?” - Tom and I had been talking for some months now, I could say that we were really friends, but we had not even trade phone numbers, we just talk via Instagram. I’ve been to his house twice, one after a party because I had lost my keys, and the other one he needed to change, and I was with him. “Today I leave at seven, why?” - But he was an amazing company. “I was just wondering if you’d be interested in going to have dinner with me…” - Wait, what? Tom Hiddleston asking me if I want to have dinner with him? It’s a huge yes, colleague. “OH, yeah, sure, what time?” - I need at least half an hour to get presentable. “Are you comfortable with eight? Or maybe eight thirty?” - He knows the getting ready rules, good. “Eight sounds perfect.” - And when I confirmed the time, panic hit me. I don’t have many expensive clothes, but I have a great amount of fancy ones. I don’t wear make up, but should I wear some to dinner. I mean, is just dinner, it is not a date. “It’s settled then. I’ll pick you up. Do you have any restaurant preference?” - How can someone be so gentile. “Oh, no, I do not. But do not bother in picking me up, I can get an Uber.” - I mean, I don't want him to lose his time driving me. “Oh, if you’re not uncomfortable about me doing so, I do insist in picking you up, Isa.” - He is definitely a gentleman, is he not? “Fine, you won! I’ll send you the address later then.” - It was a bit strange to be going out with someone like him. I mean, I saw him actin the first time when I was eighteen. Since then, he became so famous. It was already strange talking to him, becoming his friend was even stranger., but having dinner with him? It was panicking. None of that is bad, but who would predict that me, a nobody, would have contact with such guy? Because I did not. “Oh, I’m so sorry Tom, but I need to go to work, see you at night.” - I was actually five minutes late, but my boss would understand. No, she would not, but I said it was the traffic. I spent the whole day thinking about what I should dress, what makeup to put on, what shoes, but then I remembered, where am I going? I decided to send Tom a message. ‘Hey Tom, how you doing? I would like to know if you already know where are we going tonight. If you do not, please give me a hint when you do.’ and he quickly answered, ‘Hi Isa, I was thinking about The Gaston, what do you think? Do you have other suggestions?’ - The Gaston? That was probably the most expensive restaurant in the city. ‘The Gaston? You sure? The place is so expensive.’ - I think the glass of water there costs my kidney. ‘If you have a better place… But I’m paying.’ - I can’t let him do that, can I. ‘Tom, come on, I’m not letting you pay the bill alone.’ - I said. ‘Well, then you have two options, you can either cancel, or let me pay. Your choice’ - I can’t believe he’s doing that. ‘Fine, it’s on you, but next time I’m not even letting you bring your wallet.’ - Is there going to be a next time? ‘That’s fine, I can transfer money, Isa’

“You look gorgeous.” - Thomas was at my door, and I was a bit ashamed because he was perfect, and the watch he was wearing could probably pay my flat. But he did not seem to be bored at all, at least I knew how to dress. I was wearing a black dress, my hair was done, but I let it the most natural way possible, and I had some jewellery, of course, can’t get out of my house without them, but these I did not use them that much, just special occasions. Tom looked breathtaking, he was wearing a grey suit, a black shirt and grey tie also. This man is going to be the death of me. “Wow, you’re magnificent Tom, you look amazing in suits.” - I hope my face did not give away the fact that I was amazed and probably in love. “Noted, wearing those more then.” - So he was interested in looking good for me, then? Interesting and also noted. “Well, shaw we?” - He asked. “Sure.”

“Do you drink wine?” - No, Thomas, I don’t drink. Usually… “Not all times, but today, yes, I do drink wine.” - So he handed me the wine list. “Oh no, you better do it. I don’t know how to choose it, Thomas.” - So he looked at me strangely. “Thomas, it sounds strange.” - I kinda forgot that they call him Tom. “Oh, sorry.” - I got a bit embarrassed. “Oh don't, I like the way it sounds. Specially when you say it.” - So I blushed. “Someone got shy, hahaha. Hey don’t worry, I just meant that your voice it's pretty, and I like the way you say my name, no big deal, miss.” - And I could feel my face just getting hotter. “OK, let's choose the wine, will you help me?” - It was pretty clear that he saw that I was dying inside. “Sure, I think red suits the occasion better, am I wrong?” - I tried to act normally. “And you said you don't know how to choose. What do you think about ‘Vega Sicilia Único’?” - That’s actually the one I was interested in. “I believe that’s the best option.” - And saying so, I just kept looking at my shoes. Tom had seen that I was oddly quiet and pretty shy. He tried to act normally as well, so he just asked the waiter for the wine and the food, which we were sharing both, by the way. “So, why’d asked me to have dinner with you? Not that I’m complaining, just wondering.” - He is Thomas Hiddleston, he could be having dinner with any pretty lady in the country. Why had he asked me? ‘Why would I not ask my newest friend to spend some time with me?” - Smart answer. That’s kinda obvious, I don’t know why I’m I so freaked out about it. “Any news about acting?” - He asked. “Not actually. It’s not like I seek job, Tom, I dropped the acting idea because it's not a safe choice. But if someone offered me something, I would accept it for sure. Although I don’t know if I would have time, I work all day, you know…” - I explained to him. “And what if someone got you a job, a year and a half or something.” - Suspicious. “Why?” - I mean what? “I mean, you could be financially stable for more than a year, you would not need to work anywhere else. It's just a speculation, not asking for any specific reason.” - Fair enough. “I would say bye to the firm and start the work at the same time, hahahaha. Thomas, acting is something that I love. Not that I cont like law, I love it so badly, but one single job would not ruin my law career. As long as we don’t have any nude scenes.” - I explained. “Fair enough Isabela. But I can tell you, once you do your first scene, you won't be able to stop.” - Hearing my name is kinda strange, but I kinda like it as well. “I would be able because anyone would ask me to work for them, mister Thomas.” - So he did that same look, when he disagrees with something. “Well, I’ve seen that I won't be able to convince you that you’re great, so I have a proposal for you.” - What proposal? “First, you’ve only seen me acting once, at your house, and we were both too happy for any judgement, and second, what is the proposal.” - I was interested. “We were happy? We were drunk. We were very drunk, you had lost your keys at a party for god’s sake. But I was incredibly capable of judging, miss.” - And he started to laugh, I could not help but laugh too. “So, what’s the proposal, Tom?” - Man, I was curious, he would not drop that in the air if it was nothing. “So, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say everything I’m about to say, but let's go. One of the companies I work for need an actress who’s going to act like a seventeen-year-old girl, I thought you’d be up for the challenge.” - He said. “And what company would that be?” - I can’t just say ‘yes’ without knowing what it is. “It may or may not be Marvel.” - I gasped, Marvel? Like Marvel Studios? “Just please don’t tell anyone, I could get in trouble, because there’s only a few female characters that should be that age, so it is a huge spoiler.” - What characters? “I have no idea of who soul be seventeen, but Thomas, Marvel is huge, they would never accept someone like me, who is not even an actress…” - I mean, why would they even. “Isa, think about it, you’d be

doing a great role, Marvel would not have to pay you a huge salary, since you’re not known, which is good for them.” - He has a point. “Tom, how could I even get an audition? It’s Marvel!” - It makes no sense. “Well, if you were interested in coming to the studio with me three weeks from now, you could do the audition, and we could see if you’re the newest Marvel actress. I’ll send you the lines you need to memorize and that’s it.” - Oh my, that easy? “Lord, yes, I would love to. Really, Thomas, I don’t know how to thank you.” - This is amazing. “You don't have to. We don’t even know if they will give you the job. Calm down hahaha. The food arrived, let's eat, shaw we?” - He asked. “Yeah, sure.” - I was so excited. “But hey, think about it, if you get the role, your life will change completely. Paparazzi everywhere, people saying good and bad things about you, every single post you wanna share in any social media has to be thought one million times, revised and re-revised, because peoplepeople may end up misinterpreting you.. The acting world it’s amazing, especially when you’re making films like these. But it has its flaws.”

‘Hi Tom, I’m sorry to be sending you this right now, I know it’s late, but I’m a bit nervous. What should I wear for the audition?’ - I tried to hold myself until the next morning, but I had to let everything ready for the next day, so about one hour Thomas dropped me at home, I sent him that message. ‘Hi, don’t worry, I just got out of my bath, so not sleeping. Feel free to message me any time, by the way. I think you should wear something that will complicate your performance, so no jeans. I also recommend you not to go with shorts. As for the top, any shirt will do, just think about your performance, if it can make it hard for you to move, don't wear it. If you need anything else, just ask.’ - He did not even take a minute to answer. ‘Thanks you Thomas, have a great night’ - I started blushing when I started to think about him, and the idea of him getting out of the shower was both embarrassing and hot. Isabela, put yourself together, respect the man. ‘Have a nice night, Isa. See you.’

#tom hiddleston #hiddlestoners #hiddlestan #thomas william hiddleston #fanfic #fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston series #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x ofc #hiddlesfic

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mrduilalawoffice · 5 years ago

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Attorney Mark Rosenfeld Talks About DUI’s and DWI’s

This was originally published on our website. To check out more of our content, visit [https://www.mrduila.com/attorney-mark-rosenfeld-talks-about-duis-and-dwis/]

Bert: Mark Rosenfeld has been defending Los Angeles drivers for over 17 years. Born and raised in Southern California, attorney Rosenfeld graduated from UB Santa Barbara and California Western School of Law. He has continued his legal training attending courses at Harvard, Exxon Labs, as well as studying with Jerry Spence, the Trial Lawyers College. Attorney Rosenfeld enjoys giving back to the legal community and continue to present and teach other attorneys throughout the state on driving related issues and trial skills, as well as serving as chair of the Criminal Law section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

Mark Rosenfeld, welcome to Money for Lunch.

Mark Rosenfeld: Thank you very much, Bert. Thank you very much. I’m glad to be here.

Bert: All right, so let’s get into this. DUIs and DWIs are basically the same thing, nowadays, right? It’s still driving under the influence versus driving while intoxicated, but they’re saying, you’re driving impaired. How common are DUIs and DWIs nowadays?

Mark Rosenfeld: Unfortunately it’s very common, and DWI or DUI, just depending on what jurisdiction, what state you’re in, is going to depend on what they call it. Basically it’s the same thing. If you’re impaired for purposes of driving, then you can get in a lot of trouble, and it happens pretty frequently. Probably about 1% of the drivers on the road end up getting arrested per year for driving under the influence of alcohol, or drugs, or a combination of both. That can be legal drugs or illegal drugs. It’s just anything that impairs the ability to drive.

Bert: Yeah, anything that impairs the ability to drive, and as you just pointed out, it doesn’t have to be legal or illegal, it’s just whatever is impairing your ability to drive. What’s interesting to me, Mark, and I want to get your thoughts on this, is that this does not affect anyone in the sense of, we see celebrities that get arrested for DUIs. We see the rich, the poor, the famous, and the infamous. It goes across all boundaries, right?

Mark Rosenfeld: That’s absolutely right, Bert. We see it across all different segments of society. The most prevalent is alcohol, but more and more, we’re getting more and more drug allegations in DUIs. You see all different segments of the population getting DUIs, people that don’t have licenses, people that do have licenses, 18 year olds, 80 year olds, across the board. It doesn’t discriminate on profession, or race, or gender, men, women, of all different ages and all different professions. I’m just as likely to be representing a school teacher as I am a professional athlete. It can, and it does, happen to anybody. It’s kind of the every person crime that can happen.

Get Help Now Bert: Sure, again, correct me if I’m wrong. There’s constant changes in the laws to make, for instance, DWIs are constantly revising what the legal limit for a blood alcohol is. I’m sure they’re revising the DUI statutes to make them, I guess, more stringent, is word maybe I’m looking for. Do you find that to be true?

Mark Rosenfeld: Absolutely, Bert. It’s fair enough to say, every year there are more and more laws on the books trying to prosecute people for driving under the influence, whether it’s broadening the scope of what it means to be impaired, or there is drilling down what the so-called per se limit is, the legal limit, or what the penalties are. Every year there’s new legislation that comes in adding classes, adding ignition interlock devices, expanding to include drugs, and combined influence. Many states, not many states but a few states, have gone to per se limits on marijuana, and those states that have recently legalized marijuana are soon to follow with specific levels of THC in the system that will result in an assumption presuming somebody is impaired.

Bert: Yeah, so the old presumption of innocent till proven guilty is, really doesn’t exist. If they pull you over, they’re just assuming you’re guilty, and you’re immediately in trouble right there.

Mark Rosenfeld: With driving under the influence, more so than with many other crimes, there is, in theory a presumption of innocence. But when someone is stopped under suspicion of driving under the influence, the entire event is watched by law enforcement officers, and they have a goal. They have a bias to stop and make arrests. Whether they result in convictions or not is a different story, but officers get credit, they get their statistics, they get awards, they get overtime pay. It’s very easy to see someone who may appear impaired and throw a label on that, that they’re drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs and get caught in a very large net in a very big system.

Bert: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know what, it’s one of those things where unlike … If I’m drunk or impaired, and I’m stumbling around my house, I hurt myself, that’s on me. If I’m behind a vehicle that could damage property, kill people, it’s a different scenario. I think that’s one of the reasons that both politicians, as well as law enforcement people, are so, what do you call it, aware or heightened or concerned about who is behind the wheel and what kind of condition they’re in.

Mark Rosenfeld: Yeah, absolutely, and it is a very big concern. Like you say, if someone’s in their own house, or even if they’re walking on the street, and they’re impaired, they’re really not going to have an effect on anybody else’s life. But if they get behind the wheel of a car, then they can run that risk of hurting not only themselves, but other people. That’s really our worst nightmare is that somebody is impaired for purposes of driving and gets in an accident, and somebody is hurt or killed. We absolutely want to avoid that, but at the same time, we also want to avoid people who are not drunk of getting convicted of something that they didn’t do.

Over the years, over the decade, the term drunk driving has been falling away, in place for impaired driving, because they are stopping, and arresting, and convicting people, not of drunk driving, not what we would typically assume. We would expect to see where somebody is swerving, lane straddling, having trouble controlling the car. Then when they get pulled over, they stumble, have slurred speech, that type of thing.

They’re taking the limit down to the point where people are actually driving normally, they’re walking fine, they’re talking fine, and they have very low levels, relatively very low levels, of alcohol in their system and still get arrested, because many people, at a .08 are going to show some mental impairment. But many people don’t, and those people are driving okay, but they still get stopped and arrested for driving under the influence.

Get Help Now Bert: Yeah, sure, absolutely. All right, so let’s talk about this. You have a nickname of Mr. DUI in LA there, so I want to talk about winning a DUI or a DWI. How often is that a winnable case, because again, from my understanding, the police pull you over, they’re recording anything you say. In a lot of cases, they have a body cam, they’re recording how you behave and interact. There’s a dash cam that’s recording you. So the minute they pull you over, they’re recording you, they’re questioning you. And if they feel that you’re impaired, again I’m not really sure, you can walk me through the laws. I know that they can draw blood, and I think that as a citizen, you can refuse to have that, or you can refuse to blow, as well. So how winnable are these case? Talk about this.

Mark Rosenfeld: Bert, you would be surprised that there are very good defenses to driving under the influence cases. Like I said earlier, not everybody who’s been arrested is guilty of this charge. There is this bias out in the population that if you were driving, and you blew into a machine, or you did a blood test, then you’re done, and that’s just not the case. That’s something that people think because of the publicity that is put out there, the marketing and the advertising that is done by the government, by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, by police departments, through grant funds, to present this image. They run commercials, they increase enforcement, and they want you to think that if you’re arrested, you’re guilty, and that’s not the case.

There are a lot of good defenses, and jurors will sit and listen when you take these cases to trial, and they will get educated, and they will learn that not everything the government is telling them is true. The jurors can sit and weigh what the right answer is in this particular case.

When we look at a DUI case, and we look at what is the likelihood of success, and what we’re going to win, there’s winning through jury trial, where you get not guilty verdicts. There’s also winning through settlements, through negotiation, if that’s what’s appropriate in the case.

There’s some very big defenses. There are legal defenses, there are legal strategies, using constitutional rights, state rights, to defend a DUI case. Law enforcement officers are supposed to play by the rules, and there are legal defenses in place to help people from the very beginning. The officers need reasonable suspicion to believe that someone has committed a crime before they ever make contact. Once they do make contact, the contact should be fairly limited to a very short period of time, and officers often will violate this law. They will delay, they will extend, detention to the point where it’s an illegal detention, where they keep somebody too long without probable cause.

There’s issues regarding unlawfulness of arrest that need to be looked at, and as you mentioned, when we get to a breath or a blood draw, citizens have rights as far as what they choose to do. The government is required to get a warrant if they want to draw blood. If some officers violate those rights, and they draw blood without a warrant, without an exception, blood test results can be suppressed. They can be thrown out.

If we’re talking about blood, the blood also needs to be drawn in a medically approved manner, and a lot of times that’s not done. Blood is drawn at police stations and jails, in conditions that are not medically approved and not sanitary, and resulting in injury, infection, and can cause problems for someone. When we see those situations come up, we’re often able to get blood suppressed or thrown out, which helps defend cases on legal grounds, just like the rules of evidence will prevent certain evidence from coming in, if it’s not trustworthy and reliable.

So legal defenses is one big field of defense. Another big defense are scientific defenses. The investigation that’s done by the officers is supposed to be scientific, done in a specific way. When field sobriety tests are administered, they’re standardized tests, which are supposed to be given to a person in a standardized fashion and scored in a standard way. If this isn’t done, it’s going to raise doubt as to the trustworthiness and reliability of the investigation, so that is always a big issue.

When we look at scientific defenses, there’s also common rising blood alcohol level. Alcohol levels in a person don’t stay constant. They change over time. When someone is driving, and they may have one blood alcohol level at the time of the test. A half hour later, or maybe even an hour later, their alcohol level has changed. It’s a moving target, which can create opportunities for defense. And there’s more.

Bert: You know what, and here’s the thing. You know this probably better than most people. Again, correct me if I’m wrong, it seems to me that law enforcement and prosecutors are very slow to admit any kind of, I don’t want to say wrongdoing, but they hate to admit that they don’t have a case, they hate to dismiss a case when they do. Am I right? It seems like, as you mentioned, they’ll delay, they’ll prolong, they’ll, what do you call it, ask for a continuance time and time again as they’re trying to build a case, versus just saying, “Hey, we don’t have a case right now,” and dismissing it. It seems like they hold onto stuff. Is my perception wrong?

Mark Rosenfeld: No, not at all, Bert. The prosecution and the prosecution team, which includes not only district attorneys and investigators, but also the police officers in the field, they are very aggressive in the way that they handle cases. It’s a very competitive business for them. Police officers want to make stops, they want to make arrests. Not only do they enjoy that work, but they keep tabs, they keep statistics on the number of stops, the number of arrests that they make, and they can not only make a lot of money in overtime, but work on promotions, and move up in ranks.

It’s no different when you get to the district attorney’s office. They keep track of the number of trials that they do, and they keep track of the number of wins, and if you want to get promoted in the district attorney’s office, you’re going to be trying cases, and you better be winning those cases. It doesn’t look good if you’re pleading all the cases out, and you’re cutting deals, or dismissing cases. The supervisors are going to be looking over the district attorney’s shoulders and wondering why they’re doing what they’re doing.

So cases can be reduced, they can be dismissed, but it’s going to take a good argument and good evidence to explain why that needs to be done. District attorneys and other prosecuting agencies will hold onto cases and will delay cases to get witnesses, find witnesses, and get the evidence that they think that they can, to prosecute a case.

Many times, you find this less likely, but it does happen, and it happens more than people think, but prosecutors will suppress evidence. It will be evidence that’s available that shows that someone may not be impaired, and that evidence never makes it to the defense attorney, and it never makes it to the jury, because it’s not helpful. We see that with the prosecution team as a whole.

You mentioned earlier about video, and the police officers are often required to videotape the entire enforcement contact, but when it gets to something that’s subjective and open to interpretation, like field sobriety tests, the officers, the suspect off camera. The camera’s pointed at the front of the car, and they take the person off to the side, and conduct this whole investigation where you can’t see what’s going on. And many times, for some reason, the microphones don’t work during that part of the investigation as well.

It’s amazing that there’s no record of any repairs or maintenance that needed to be done to the equipment, but off to the side people go. Officers say, well it’s for officer’s safety, it’s for the person’s safety, to make sure that they’re out of the street. Sometimes that’s true, and other times they’re in a well-marked parking lot at 2:00 in the morning, and no one else is around, and there’s no reason why the investigation couldn’t take place in front of a car where we could actually see what’s going on. So there is a competitive nature.

Get Help Now Bert: Sure, sure. Let me ask you this. Somebody gets pulled over. What do I have to comply with, whether I’m impaired or not, whether I think I’m impaired or not? Let’s say I get pulled over for a busted tail light, so they have probably cause to pull me over. And so Mark, specific to California, because that’s the area you work in, what do I have to give that officer? Do I have to talk to him at all? He asks me for my driver’s license and insurance, I can hand that over to him, but I don’t have to interact with him. Walk me through what should I do when I get pulled over?

Mark Rosenfeld: Sure, there’s what the law requires, and then there’s just in reality, what’s going to happen, and what you need to do practically speaking. In the field, when you’re driving, and you get stopped by an officer, the police officer really has unlimited discretion. They could let you go, they could keep you there, they’re very limited supervision.

If you get pulled over for an equipment violation, a broken tail light or something, the conversation should be very brief, polite. You should put all the windows down, keep your hands on the wheel. In real life, they’re not there as your friend to help you. They’re going to write you a ticket, or they’re not, and you should not answer any questions that an officer has about where you’re coming from, or where you’re going, have you had anything to drink. Really the best answer is to say, “I’ve got a friend who’s a lawyer, and he said really I shouldn’t talk to police officers. So here’s my driver’s license, here’s my registration and insurance,” and that’s about it.

The problem is that police officers don’t like that, and it may turn into a bigger investigation, so as little small talk as possible when you’re in the car. Definitely don’t tell someone that, don’t tell an officer, you’ve been drinking, because you’ve just given them a reason to get you out of the car. Don’t tell them that you have not been drinking if you have, because then you’re giving false information to a police officer, and possibly you could be charged with another crime. That’s when the answer of, “My lawyer told me not to talk to the police” is really the only answer you can give. By saying, “I don’t want to talk. My lawyer said not to talk,” that’s the answer.

It’s also important to keep in mind that if a police officer does ask you to get out of the car, the fireworks should be going off, and the flags should be going up. If the police officer’s asking you to get out of the car, things have gone wrong, and they are not going to be getting better. You’re not going to talk yourself out of something once they tell you to get out of the car. If they tell you to get out of the car, at that point, you really need to use your right to remain silent. You may end up going to jail that night. If they’re asking you to get out of the car, you’re probably going to jail anyways. If they ask you to get out, you have to stop talking.

You do not need to do, as long as you’re not on probation or parole, and you’re not under 21, you don’t need to do the field sobriety test. You don’t need to walk the line, touch your nose. None of that stuff is required, but if you are lawfully arrested for Department of Motor Vehicle purposes, you do need to submit to a chemical test, which is a breath or a blood test. It’s just safer to take the blood test. If you are going to be arrested, and the officer offers you breath or blood, just take the blood test. They’ll take you either to a nurse in the jail, or they usually will take you to a local hospital to have the blood drawn, and that’s going to be the best thing to do.

The more you walk and talk and do field sobriety tests, the more information you’re giving them. The whole contact, from the minute they walk up to the window, is a DUI investigation. When they ask you questions about whether you’re under a doctor’s care, they’re not doing that to help you. They’re doing that to build a case against you. So you do not have to do the field sobriety test or answer the questions, but you do, for DMV purposes, have to do a blood test after you’re arrested. I would recommend the blood.

Bert: Right, right. Mark, we’re out of time. Good stuff. I’d love to bring you back and talk more about our legal rights and what to do and don’t do. Again, I think this is a scenario where somebody like you who does it every day, you know exactly what to do and not to do. But for us individual citizens, most of us don’t know what our rights are. We don’t want to be rude, and especially if we feel we have nothing to hide, which is one of those big myths, if you have nothing to hide, you don’t need a lawyer, nothing’s going to go wrong. I’d love to bring you back and talk about that one myth, because that really hurts a lot of people.

Mark Rosenfeld, I want to thank you so much for stopping by.

Mark Rosenfeld: Thank you for having me on the show. It’s been great.

Bert: Alrighty, good stuff there from Mark Rosenfeld.

This was originally published on our website. To check out more of our content, visit [https://www.mrduila.com/attorney-mark-rosenfeld-talks-about-duis-and-dwis/]

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mostlysignssomeportents · 6 years ago

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#5yrsago Matt Taibbi's The Divide: incandescent indictment of the American justice-gap

Matt Taibbi's The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap is a scorching, brilliant, incandescent indictment of the widening gap in how American justice treats the rich and the poor. Taibbi's spectacular financial reporting for Rolling Stone set him out as the best running commentator on the financial crisis and its crimes, and The Divide -- beautifully illustrated by Molly Crabapple -- shows that at full length, he's even better. Cory Doctorow reviews The Divide.

(All illustrations courtesy of Molly Crabapple)

"We've put society on bureaucratic autopilot... a steel trap for losers and a greased pipeline to money, power and impunity for the winners."

Taibbi's core hypothesis is that, just like the widening wealth-gap, America has a terrible problem with a widening justice gap. Since the Clinton years, the American state has treated poverty as a crime, turning the receipt of state aid into a basis for the most invasive intrusions into your personal life, for a never-ending round of barked accusations and cruel threats to your freedom, your family, and your future. Meanwhile, Eric Holder's "Collateral Consequences" doctrine -- conceived under Clinton, revised under GWB, and perfected under Obama -- tells federal prosecutors to punish big companies carefully, even for the worst crimes imaginable, in order to protect the innocents who work for those companies and rely on them.

The net effect is a society where HSBC can be found guilty of laundering billions for brutal Mexican drug-cartels who torture and murder with impunity, pay a fine equal to a few weeks' profit, and partially defer bonuses for a few of its executives. But on the same day, across America, poor and mostly brown people are locked into inhumane prisons for selling a joint or two of the weed those cartels control.

"The two approaches to justice may individually make a kind of sense, but side by side they're a dystopia, where common courts become factories for turning poor people into prisoners, while federal prosecutors turn into overpriced garbage-men, who behind closed doors quietly dispose of the sins of the rich for a fee."

The key to the financialization of criminal impunity is that it is profoundly boring. Understanding how Barclays stole at least -- at least -- five billion dollars from the pension funds, small towns and individuals who were owed money by Lehman Brothers requires that you get ahold of a myriad of spectacularly dull esoteric financial concepts and long-winded legal wheezes. The actual smoking gun is a paragraph of legalese so stultifying it should come with a Surgeon General's warning and a tissue to soak up the cerebrospinal fluid that leaks out of the ears of anyone who tries to actually read it.

But Taibbi is a fantastic storyteller, and has a gift for making the technical material accessible. His key is to alternate between different kinds of explanation: whodunnit-style recounting of breathtaking financial crimes, personal profiles of sociopathic crooks, and informed speculation about the mentality and calculus that has sapped the spine of America's prosecutors and law enforcement officers.

"Because it's fueled by the irrepressibly rising vapor of our darkest hidden values, it attacks people without money, particularly nonwhite people, with a weirdly venomous kind of hatred, treating them like they're already guilty of something, which of course they are -- namely, being that which we're all afraid of becoming."

Of course, official corruption and impunity for the rich is only half the story. The other half is the increasingly vicious war on the poor. Taibbi's recounting of the unspeakable corruption of stop-and-frisk and other quota-driven, dragnet policing mechanisms have the power of classics like Upton Sinclair's 1906 The Jungle, but unlike Sinclair, Taibbi is telling the true stories of living people.

These are people who are routinely stopped, beaten, humiliated, jailed, and cleaned out by a system that can always find something that you're guilty of. Sometimes, it's the undocumented workers who hide in the shadows as small-town cops bust them for driving without a license, charge them $1000 (while citizens charged with the same offense pay nothing, so long as they promptly get the missing license), and then rip them from their families and deport them to Mexico, where many are kidnapped and tortured my members of drug cartels who understand that deportees have US relatives with cash.

Other times, it's people who commit the crime of being brown and/or poor while walking. In the NYC projects, you can be charged with obstructing pedestrian traffic for stopping in front of your own building at 1AM after a shift at work, resting briefly on an empty street after walking the dog. And your public defender will refuse to enter a plea of not guilty, and the judge will not understand why you want such a thing, and if, by some miracle, the cop who arrested you, beat you up, and jailed you admits that he falsified your arrest, you're let go -- and so is he.

"Increasingly, the people who make decisions about justice and punishment in this country see a meaningful difference between crime and merely breaking the law."

Here, too, Taibbi looks for the systemic causes of these attitudes, a familiar and depressing blend of political expedience (Clinton wooing disaffected Dixiecrats by promising to get tough on welfare fraud, no matter what the human or financial cost), regulatory corruption (private prisons beget lobbying for rules to put people in private prisons, and the poor and nonwhite are the easiest people to put in prison without much fuss), and the financial vacuum left behind by the supernova-scale frauds of the too-big-to-fail banks (your bankrupt town can treat terrorized undocumented migrants as ATMs, hitting them up for giant fines for offenses that the lucky documented among us walk away from, Scot-free).

The Divide is a book that is more enraging than depressing. Part of that is down to Taibbi's facility with language and plot, but it's also a function of his brilliant structural trick of rotating between the stories of the afflicted and the comfortable, details of the technical mechanisms of their respective plights, and cutting analysis of the system that created the mess.

"[The government] has never put together a task force to concentrate on corruption... The Financial Crisis Inquiry Committee was given a budget of $9.8m, 'roughly one-seventh of the budget for Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.' ...The increase in the national drug enforcement budget for the year of the biggest financial crisis since the Depression was roughly 200 times the size of the sole executive branch effort at formally investigating the causes of financial corruption."

In some ways, Taibbi's worst villains are not the financial criminals, but the captured, conflicted milquetoaste prosecutors who let them get away with crimes again and again, using fines instead of jail time, effectively imposing a modest tax on crime that isn't a deterrent -- it's just a line-item on the budget.

The argument, which originated with Holder, is that banks that are too big to fail are too big to jail. If you brought the full force of the law to bear against the criminals who steal billions and abet the most heinous crimes, rapes, tortures, and murders imaginable, their institutions will fail and everyone who depends on them -- thousands of innocents, and possibly the whole global economy -- will suffer. The prosecutors argue that their "leverage" is best used to extract billions in fines (from companies that are often sitting on hundreds of billions in government handouts and contracts) is a better outcome for "society" than putting a couple of fat-cats in jail.

But Taibbi demolishes this argument. The billions in fines are hardly matched by the hundreds of billions in harm the companies do -- over and over and over. And if the state has leverage over a company that is too big to jail, then let them use that leverage to break up the company so that the next time it commits a crime, the entire C-suite can be thrown in the Hole and the key tossed out.

"As the...wealth divide gets bigger, it becomes less and less possible for law enforcement to imagine the jail-or-garbage option for [bankers from top firms] and more and more possible to imagine it for an ever-expanding population of Everyone Else."

Because, Taibbi argues, there's another systemic risk to allowing this corruption to run unchecked: it rots us. If two people who commit the same crime always face wildly different punishments based on how rich they are, there is no justice in the justice system. A cherished and fundamental value of democratic societies -- of the rule of law -- is eroded.

When the rich can't be arrested, it seems, the poor are arrested in their stead, and the pool of people who are eligible for a stop-and-frisk, for an unexpected descent into poverty and food stamps and a regime of surveillance that beggars the imagination in its petty cruelty, only grows. It might be you. It might be me. It certainly is more than a few ex-bankers, who were foolish enough to blow the whistle on their bosses' crimes and ended up broken and impoverished for their trouble.

"Makes small piles of money smaller and big piles of money bigger"

The justice gap isn't a phenomenon separate from the wealth gap: it is both a part of it and an accelerant for it. If you are poor and arrested, the associated fees -- paying for your own DNA sampling, for example -- will sink you into deeper poverty. If you are rich and you make yourself richer with crime, you will get richer still when the government decides that your newly swollen financial institution is the only thing big enough to handle the next round of bond issues, and you wax fatter still.

Taibbi's book is a must-read. It's the kind of thing that starts movements. Don't take my word for it -- read it yourself.

The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap

https://boingboing.net/2014/06/02/matt-taibbis-the-divide-inc.html

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ryanbaines · 5 years ago

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Book Text

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fILORBS9DwA

We all come to stop signs and stops signs and the rules of stopping its not just the law its not just the rule it’s a way of life. But it fools a lot of drivers, what most drivers do is that they slow down enough so that they won't get a ticket. But in reality that’s not the whole purpose of it, its not just about law, its about observation, its about right of way. If you take a stop sign as a stop sign and then I'm going to check to see if it's clear I can look for cars I have to look for a cyclist I have to look for pedestrians especially the little ones. If we think about looking to see if it's clear first we probably going to stop, and its not about getting a ticket it's about making sure everything is safe, for people who only slow down, its not a slow and go its actually if they are slowing down they are not thinking about stopping. So if there’s a problem they won’t stop for it because they thinking about going to the rule of thumb is be safe. But part of being safe is following the rules and thinking about what-ifs, what if a pedestrian step out, what if a car comes out, you got to be prepared to stop not be prepared to go. It’s not a go sign it’s a stop sign

Scott Marshal

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/magazine/stop-sign.html?_r=0

In the early automobile age, American streets existed in a Hobbesian. “Not only were the streets in those days completely disgusting and filthy, but there were horses and bicycles, and it was just completely chaotic,” says Joshua Schank, C.E.O. of the Eno Transportation Foundation, whose namesake and founder, William Phelps Eno, is widely credited with conceiving the stop sign at the turn of the 20th century.

At a time when there were no driver’s licenses, speed limits or clear lane demarcations, the notion of a stop sign was revolutionary. In fact, aside from the occasional road markers letting riders on horseback know how far they were from the next city, there was no road or street signage at all. Eno, scion of a wealthy New England family who never learned to drive, helped change all that. In a 1900 article titled “Reforming Our Street Traffic Urgently Needed,” for Rider and Driver magazine, he proposed placing stop signs at intersections. It was a civilizing notion.“That was a new concept and really did introduce the idea that you had to watch out for other people,” Schank says.

Eno became a key figure in a traffic-control awakening that would make great strides in the early 20th century. In 1911, a Michigan road got a centerline. In 1915, Cleveland received an electric traffic signal. Detroit, the center of the automobile industry, is credited with installing the first proper stop sign that same year. According to Schank, it took the form of a 2-by-2-feet sheet of metal with black lettering on a white background.

We have the Mississippi Valley Association of State Highway Departments to thank for the stop sign’s iconic shape. In 1923, the association developed an influential set of recommendations about street-sign shapes whose impact is still felt today. The recommendations were based on a simple, albeit not exactly intuitive, idea: the more sides a sign has, the higher the danger level it invokes. By the engineers’ reckoning, the circle, which has an infinite number of sides, screamed danger and was recommended for railroad crossings. The octagon, with its eight sides, was used to denote the second-highest level. The diamond shape was for warning signs. And the rectangle and square shapes were used for informational signs.

It took a bit longer to determine the stop sign’s color. It wasn’t until 1935 that traffic engineers created the first uniform standards for the nation’s road signage, known as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. It was 166 pages long and recommended a yellow stop sign with black letters. The 1954 revision, however, called for the stop sign to be red with white letters, in step with the color-coding system developed for the railroad and traffic signals. “Red has always been associated with stop,” Hawkins explains. “The problem was they could not produce a reflective material in red that would last. It just was not durable until companies came up with a product in the late ’40s, early ’50s.”

Today the stop sign is so ingrained in the collective international driving culture that some experts are, counterintuitively, recommending doing away with it entirely. (Ejby, Denmark; Ipswich, England; and Ostend, Belgium, are already experimenting with a post-stop-sign world.) “The theory is that people will pay more attention to pedestrians and other vehicles and slow down in pedestrian areas if there are no signs because they won’t know what to do,” Schank says. “That wouldn’t be possible if [Eno] hadn’t first introduced the stop sign.”

https://www.drivingtesttips.biz/stop-road-signs.html

WHY ARE THERE STOP SIGNS

Stop signs are often located at hazardous junctions. There are open and closed junctions – open being the type of T-junction that is easily determined whether it is safe to proceed without the need to stop as a clear view of the road that you are entering is available.

A closed junction makes the road you intend on joining obscured by trees, fences hedges, etc. See junctions for a further in-depth explanation.

A stop sign may be located at a closed junction or a junction that is particularly hazardous for any reason. They may also be placed in areas of high accident rates.

Give way signs may also be used at hazardous junctions, but unlike stop signs, it is the driver’s discretion whether they stop or not.

STOP SIGN LAW

In terms of the Highway Code, the words ‘must‘ and ‘should‘ are often used. The word ‘should’ is advisory and the word ‘must’ is used when giving an instruction of a rule or law (regulative).

Motorists must stop behind the line at a junction where a stop sign is in place with a solid white line. It is the law that a driver must stop at least once before the line and wait for a safe gap before proceeding.

DO CYCLISTS HAVE TO STOP AT STOP SIGNS

The Highway Code states to cyclists ‘You MUST obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals’. Like motorists, cyclists must also stop at stop signs.

STOP SIGN PENALTY AND FINE

The penalty code TS30 – Failing to comply with a stop sign, will gain three penalty points on a driver's license which will remain in place for four years. Running a stop sign will usually see drivers faced with a £100 fixed penalty fine, though in more extreme cases, fines can amount from between £100 to £1000.

Evaluation of Text

For my first piece of text, I chose a Youtube video as not only was it factual I found it entertaining as I felt it was humorous due to the way he worded it, it sounded overly enthusiastic for example, ‘We all come to stop signs and stops signs and the rules of stopping its not just the law its not just the rule it’s a way of life.’

For my second text, I found an article about the history of stop signs and why they are there color and shape, I found this interesting and think it works well with my subject I have chosen.

For the final piece of text, I found this text on a website helping people pass there driving test it explains the rules and what to do at a stop sign and who has too and doesn't have to abide by it.

For the text of my book, I found it difficult to find information about stop signs, The vast majority of websites only had a small amount of information about how to use them. I didn't want my book to be all about how to use a stop sign but the history and information about the stop sign itself. Overall I'm pretty happy with the text I have chosen and will make for an interesting and informative book.

#book #stop signs #text

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electronicstarlightfestival · 6 years ago

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I guess it is not a problem if I write about 4 past days of productivity at one time?

24.3.19 2/100 days of productivity

For the entire day I was hoping to do some C++ again, however, the day happened to be entirely dedicated to reading. I read 202 pages and finished the book called “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman, which I can surely now call one of my favourites.

25.6.19 3/100 days of productivity

The day started with some light C++ revising and driving theory, however, my boss called at lunchtime, so the day’s purpose switched from studying to working. However, it is not sad, I performed quite well and completed everything that I was expected to do. Have not much to tell, as it was reporting... plenty of writing, info searching.

26.6.19 4/100 days of productivity

Had my driving lesson and finally booked a theory exam day, so this makes me stressed as hell. Spent the entire day thinking about this and preparing in the evening. Went through traffic situations, revised all traffic signs (I am managing quite well with both of the mentioned things), and tried some of “class exercises”. Everything is a lot worse with the last type of tasks, which made me even more nervous by the end of the day.

By the way, I read a total of 0 pages this day. So proud of myself. However, it is not surprising as I have spent the entire day staring at the driving rules.

27.6.19 5/100 days of productivity

The situation did not change much compared to the previous day: I am all into preparing for the driving test (I have it on the 8th of April and the secretary at school said that it is quite enough time to prepare well but I am stressing anyways, and now I even have a non-pleasant expectation of oncoming failure, hope it will not happen, occasionally). Today I diligently approached the task, wrote down incomprehensible questions, google for more info and watched videos. Talking about reading, it did not go well because I was focused on driving stuff again... uh. I have to calm down but each time I am opening theory note my brain is like “oh well we are in deep deep shit”.

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survivingnursinginthephilip-blog · 7 years ago

Text

NCLEX: Tips to Pass

WARNING: LONG POST

To be honest, studying for NCLEX was one of the worst things I've done. I was riddled with anxiety and hated waiting for my CGFNS application to finish before even getting the okay to even do NCLEX. And yes it takes forever. Yes, waiting for that long is horrible because you forget what you learned. And yes, this is all normal.

My own NCLEX experience sucked but it was also because I was in the middle of a large family drama and had to stop studying halfway to help out. But even with that, I managed to pass. And I'm hoping this post helps others too.

Keep in mind that this is just what I did to study. There are always other methods. It is largely dependent on the person. Just pick and choose what works for you.

1) Make a study schedule/plan

This is largely dependent on when your NCLEX date is. You could have 2 months. 4 months. 6 months or more to study. Divide up your time according to then. I had to wait for my CGFNS application to finish which takes forever and a half (-about a year really before I got the okay). But I still studied lightly. I didn't want to forget all I learned in Nursing. I tried my best to follow the schedule through and revised when I couldn’t. After I got the okay from CGFNS, I scheduled my NCLEX 2 months after. Those 2 months were spent doing at least 100 NCLEX questions per day. Sometimes 200 when I had more time.

But really just plan it out. Plan out the sections you need to cover. The number of hours spent studying per day. Don't forget to care for yourself. Plan according to your life.

2) DO YOUR NCLEX QUESTIONS. (At least 75 questions per day).

I truly think that your best way of passing NCLEX is being familiar with how NCLEX questions work. They have a particular wording. They have their own pattern. And your best way of understanding them is by familiarizing yourself with how NCLEX questions are given. You can know every Nursing fact there is and even then, you might still get a question wrong if you interpreted that NCLEX questions. Do 75 questions per day because 75 is the bare minimum questions to answer AND you learn quickly the pace you need to set in order to finish the whole 265 questions in under 6 hours.

For my foreign colleagues: Focus on tackling the NCLEX questions because they are indeed different. So I went to the Philippines and the way they do exams for the Nursing Board is more clinical than NCLEX questions. The questions they asked were almost more suited for med students as they were clinical in nature rather than Nursing based questions. That doesn't mean they arent Nursing questions but they are worded differently. So focus guys, you need to get in the NCLEX mindset.

3) Do I enter an NCLEX Review Program? Which one is the best? Will it help me? ANSWER: Depends on the way you study, your time and your budget.

This is what I did:

Self Study: My own College Notes and Sanders

NCLEX Review Program: Hurst (at home)

NCLEX Question Bank: UWorld - NCLEX RN

Youtube: Watched and added to my notes - RegisteredNurseRN and NurseMendoza were a favorite of mine.

Here’s my take. You could easily have done self-study without the review program, but if you need more structure and support then do the review program. I understand Kaplan and Hurst are a favorite. However, I really do recommend you do UWorld. It has a collection of NCLEX questions with rationale per question. I did 100 every day and wrote down questions and rationales I got wrong or thought were noteworthy to take down. I rather liked how their questions were broken down to each section tested by the NCLEX board and that they had a pre and post-test. I took their post-test 2 days before I took NCLEX and got a high probability of passing. That gave me enough motivation and hope that I would pass.

4) List of Things to know without any doubt in your mind

Because honestly, you should know and be sure of these things with just as much conviction and sureness as your own name and birthday.

Labs: especially CBC, Urinalysis, Serum and Electrolytes, ABGS, VS per age group including Maternal and Fetal VS, and Therapeutic Drug Levels, Conversions

Safety and Infection Control Procedures: NCLEX is all about Safety.

Pharmacology: Med Classification, Drug Schedules, Maternal/Fetal Drug Categories, and Popular Drugs always given

Prioritization: ABCs, Maslows, etc

Nursing Process and the Patient Rights

Common Diets, Positioning, and Cultural Considerations.

Burns: Rule of Nines, Fluid Calculations

And I’m really sure there’s more but forgive me but these are all I can think of for now.

5) Take Care of Yourself

You need to be in your best health when facing NCLEX. In order to have a good working mind, you need to care for your self. Sadly, I did not do this. Lol. I was a mess when I took NCLEX. I really was. Hell, I was anxiety-ridden, had a cold and low fever, and was freezing when I took my NCLEX. It wasn’t the best way of tackling the big exam that determines your future. LEARN FROM MY DAMN MISTAKE.

I’m not going to sit here and list out all the healthy things to do to care for yourself because if you’re reading this you know that this is one of the most common Health Education lectures you will keep giving as Nurse. You know it by heart, just as much as we all know that Nurses rarely practice what they teach. But here's the thing, it is time to stop the talk and start the walk. Practice that SELF LOVE dammit! You deserve this!

6) Don’t Panic!!!

Again. Learn from my mistakes, please. I had tried my best to follow my schedule but life happens and I actually had 2 more weeks worth of study material left when my NCLEX date came. I panicked. So bad. I crammed the week before just to finish. No, I didn't learn crap. As I sat in the car with my dad who dropped me off because I was too damn anxiety-ridden to operate a car, I was cramming again. I was sick with a cold, had a low-grade fever, and was close to tears because I hated my life. Yep, Don’t be like me. I still took the exam because hey I was already there.

Okay, here's the thing about NCLEX. You don't have to know every Nursing fact out there. Basics are the deal. Basics mean keeping your patient alive and safe. Basics mean even if you don't know, you can infer and judge. So don't panic if suddenly you come across something you've never heard of. It happens. It will continue to happen. The point here is learning to use your judgment to determine the best course of action.

7) The Day Before the Exam

To do:

Prep the bag you will be bringing to the exam: ID for identification, Cellphone, Water bottle, Snack

Prep Clothes to wear: Wear something comfy!! I was freezing in my exam room because I was sick. It does tend to be a bit chilly in the exam room so a nice long sleeve shirt, leggings, sneakers are a good bet. However, I really wouldn’t know in other countries how the exam process would go.

Get a good night sleep: I slept for 2 hours, was jumpy and freaked out an hour before the exam. No, don’t do that. Get that rest you need.

Map Check your Exam Place: Check how long you need to travel, consider traffic, check landmarks to look out for if you are unfamiliar with the area, look at a real-time picture of the building you are looking for, consider parking or plan on who will drop you off and pick you up.

Do NOT do:

DON’T CRAM/ DON’t STUDY: You know, for some people they can easily cram and be fine. The thing is, cramming does nothing but increase anxiety. I didn’t learn crap.

Don’t over-caffeinate or overeat: It will hit you the day after and it isn’t a great feeling.

Convincing yourself you aren’t ready. You’ll get that feeling. With all the studying and hard work, you will never feel ready. It will mess you up once you get to that exam room, trust me. The mind is a powerful motivator after all.

8) The Day of the Exam

To do:

Eat Breakfast: Something light, nothing to spike your blood sugar, something fulfilling. You have 6 hours maximum to do this exam. Eat something because a small snack really won't cut it. And no, an espresso shot is not enough. Don't over-caffeinate yourself! PS. Gum isn't allowed in the exam room. Leave that in your bag (which is placed in a locker) and chew on it after you finished your exam.

Be early! Look, as a Nurse, being early has to be in your genes by now. It is frowned upon to be late. If you are 30 minutes early to work/clinicals/class, you are barely on time. Early means having enough time to calm yourself, survey the situation and come up with a game plan. Time has to be on your side. You have little time to waste when working as a Nurse. You need to learn how to utilize your time well and being early is your first step.

Go in there with confidence! This was my saving grace. I'm serious. Despite how absolutely crappy and unprepared I felt, I walked in there with such deluded self-confidence that I was sure I was going to pass. I beamed at the receptionist as I signed in. I did friendly small talk with my exam proctor as I did my biometrics. And I took a deep breath and literally said, “I GOT THIS!” before I entered that exam room. My exam proctor laughed and it shook away my nerves. I sat there, in my assigned computer and put my game face on. I thought to myself: Oh yeah, this exam is my bitch. I got this! I am so ready! Let's gooooo!! And then I clicked Next. Look, I was acutely aware that my self-confidence was fake. But it gave me the self-confidence and motivation to do that exam without having frenetic anxiety muddle my mind. It helped me focus. Like I said, the Mind is a powerful thing.

Utilize your whiteboard: They will give you a whiteboard and marker during your exam. Use it! The moment I sat, even before I even started the exam, I wrote down stuff I was afraid I'd just forget. I wrote down labs in one corner. The other I actually did a tally. How many types of questions did I get: SATA, Multiple Choice, Ordered, Hot Spot, etc. You don't need to do this but I liked to keep track of them because the harder the questions, the more I know I'm doing something correctly. Use it as scrap! Use it to remember or work out a question! Use it!

Do NOT do:

Don't freak out: Redundant, I know. I've been saying this since the beginning. But look, when you're sitting there doing that exam, focus on your questions one at a time. Don't keep staring at the number of questions you did. Don't you dare lose your cool if you answer more than 75 questions! I answered 89 questions. I know people who did all the questions, those who only answered 75, and those who were in between. The number of questions you answered doesn't matter. What matters is that you passed. Don't suddenly despair you didn't get all 75 questions the first go. Don't despair if this is your second, third, or more times doing this. Don't despair, my dear, because you will pass this NCLEX.

Be a noisy tester: So, I know this is mostly due to nerves. However, please be aware that you are not the only one testing in that room. There are other professionals in there doing their exam and they aren't all NCLEX exams. Please don't be a noisy tester. There was a person next to me when I took my exam who would stop their feet, slap the desk, sigh and mumble as they tested. It was distracting. I flinched every time they slapped the desk. The headphones that were given to cancel the noise didn't work. I could physically hear and feel the person squirm in their seats. Please don't do that.

9) After the Exam

The next two days waiting for your Quick Results are torture. I know. I know. You have to wait 2 days. Ahem. Official business days – meaning if you took it Friday, likely your Quick Results will be given on Tuesday, 48 hours after you finished your exam. If Quick Results aren't available in your region, likely you will get the official results 6 to 8 weeks after your exam.

You will be anxiety-ridden; so sure you didn't pass. You will immediately go to Google and troll the forums, gauging others' exam experience. So I had this much SATA, that much Multiple Choice, these kinds of questions.... And then, you will attempt to do the Pearson Vue Trick. No, I will not explain how that works. There are dedicate posts, videos, and such for your googling convenience.

My advice? Relax now, my dear. You did the hardest part. Why not just wait for your results? They will come with time. Indulge yourself. I cried myself to sleep, hibernated for 2 days in a haze of sickness, and ate pudding. Lol. Aim higher than I did. Eat that chocolate! Eat that cake! Go have fun! Don't do anything crazy that will have you arrested or hospitalized

10) Did you pass?

To those who passed:

Congratulations! You are now an official Registered Nurse with that beautiful RN following your name. You earned it. You likely have cried, spit, hurt, bled, and sacrificed to get it. Congratulations! Celebrate! Here comes the rest of your life!

PS. Now I will be a buzzkill. Immediately Start Job Hunting. Don't wait. I know it's tempting to just relax after all that hardship. But Job Hunting means you will still have time in between looking for job, doing interviews, etc. Immediately start Job Hunting. Make use of that RN.

To those who did not pass:

Congratulations! No, I'm not being sarcastic or being mean about this. I mean it. I know you gave it your best shot. I know how devastating to get that news. I know you will feel tired, inept, and frustrated. And I know my words aren't helping much. I’m not here to mourn with you, but here to give you some advice.

Look, you are now in the unique position to do some Real Self Assessment. This is the opportunity to look back and see what happened. Was it the way I studied? Was it because I didn't do enough practice questions? Was I having an off day? How can I improve on this? How can I change my plans for the next time? How can I make myself better? This is an opportunity to do better and even more than that, you now have that story in your plethora of life stories that you can look back on and go, “Yeah, I conquered it. Yeah, I really did work hard for it. Yeah, I overcame.” It will make you appreciate yourself even more. So for that life lesson, congratulations. Don't give up on yourself. You will get there.

Ahem, I hope this helps someone somehow? I don't really know what else to say. Good luck and study hard my dears! You got this!

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jennamoran · 7 years ago

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A Keeper of Gardens, Redux (Part 3)

Let’s finish our discussion of the revised A Keeper of Gardens. The first two parts can be found here and here!

Abilities (Cont.)

Symbiote

Arc 3+

[[ UPDATE STATUS: Cost adjusted; explicit ability to help fulfill a duty added; Arc 5 upgrade added. ]]

Type: Imperial Miracle

Cost (Arc 3-4):

1 MP—1-2x/book, construct or find a symbiote from or in the substance of your gardens

4 MP—do so a third or later time per book

Cost (Arc 5):

1 MP—1-2x/book, construct or find a symbiote from or in the substance of your gardens

2 MP—do so a third or later time per book

You may create or dig up a creature from one of your gardens suited to helping somebody—to helping them abide by some rule, fulfill an ongoing duty, solve some riddle, or accomplish some task.

This functions as something like a wish:

“I wish I had something to help you with this.”

As one might guess from the phrasing of the wish, the effects play out over a space of time and what happens if you try to “help someone” abide by a rule that they don’t actually want to abide by is a little vague—

It’s not that you instantly pull out a creature from your gardens and bam, the problem is solved, so much as that you create something that in potentia can fit into their life and provide a solution to the problem that you see.

Outside of exceptional cases, one may expect a symbiote to have the Superior Fitting into their Lives Skill at level 2+:

Such a creature is automatically adept at insinuating itself into the target fold.

Arc 5. You may construct a symbiote for—or find something to help with—a place or community. The effects can be fairly powerful, but the larger the community or place the less proportional impact there will be from the “help” that your symbiote can provide.

Examples

a dragon companion to help someone live up to their family’s expectations

an invisible giant centipede to help someone remember to look both ways before crossing the street

an ice fairy to help someone keep food fresh

a Roman centurion to help someone figure out how to ask someone out

a horrific congeries of eyes and mouths to help someone wake up on time

a charioteer with a miniature sun in their chariot to help someone figure out how to overcome their depression

a tree whose fruit will help someone prove the Riemann hypothesis

a magic ship to help someone reach Celestia

a giant robot to help someone be more honest with themselves

an ice fairy to help someone keep their ideas fresh

(Arc 5) an invisible giant centipede to direct traffic for an entire community

(Arc 5) a horrific congeries of eyes and mouths to serve as romantic director for your non-Garden cruise ship

Empower

Arc 4+

[[ UPDATE STATUS: Cost reduced; type changed; effect improved. ]]

Type: Chthonic Action

Cost:

0 MP—1/book, empower something dramatically

2 MP—do the same, a second or later time per book

4 MP—do the same, a second or later time per chapter

You may now rouse the power of one of the guides or guardians of your gardens, invoking Empower to increase its natural abilities: wishing, essentially, that it would show a vast, situation-altering power. The targeted guide or guardian must have appeared in play before in some minimally memorable fashion—it can’t be created on the spot, and it can’t be a guardian or guide that appears in your notes but which nobody’s ever encountered or even really heard you talk about—but it’s fine as long as someone else has even a faint vague memory of the guide or guardian in question, and it’s also fine if it was something you just created a scene or two ago.

The effect of Empower leans towards relatively immediate results but now and then the power lingers for the rest of the story or (with decreasing dramatic relevance) indefinitely.

This power is shapeless, and can manifest in any form, from a granted Affliction to a +1 Tool to a wish. The HG chooses that form, but whatever it is, it is something that substantially alters the situation in a desired direction (even given the miraculous and Imperial forces in play) and something that fits the concept of an established guardian or guide. It is traditional but not absolutely obligatory to apply either the wishing or the Bleak rules to any effect epic in its complexity or its scope.

Empower may be partially or completely blocked by an effect strong enough to defeat the chthonic action, or, if doing so does not prevent the situation from having been altered in your favor. For instance, if you empower one of your guardians to burn away a world-ending meteor, and afterwards it’s still a serious-disaster-causing meteor, that’s not illegitimate. If the Headmaster of the Bleak Academy flawlessly overcomes the efforts of your shoelace-untying sylphs every time, but still slows down his inexorable advance on Town significantly while doing so, that’s just fine as well. However, if events more or less immediately reveal that the power you or the HG selected as the mechanism for this empowerment was not sufficient, you may reveal without additional cost or an additional action that there is even more to the empowerment than was previously shown!

Examples

the dragon that protects the people of your Garden rips a hurricane out of the sky

the invisible giant centipede guarding your private vault turns the most valuable thing in it—your heart—invisible too, just as enemies beyond its powers to fight break in

your ice fairy assistant locks an invasion fleet in place by freezing Big Lake

a rival Principal’s boasts about their school’s alchemy program are cut short when it turns out that the Roman centurion you have teaching history is also a whiz-bang alchemist

the horrific congeries of eyes and mouths that helps your students get to classes on time doesn’t let a little thing like a student’s death stop them from showing up

the charioteer who pulls a miniature sun through the sky above your Garden uses it to burn away a falling world-ending meteor

a magical tree in your Garden turns out to grow one fruit a century that can restore the dead. (Yeah, yeah, you could just get the congeries of eyes and mouths to do it, but these scenarios are appropriate in different kinds of games—having a monstrosity chase a dead student into class is better in a comedic game, while having there miraculously be a single fruit that allows someone dead to come back to life is better in an immersive one.)

the magic ship that carries people where they need to be shows up with just the person you need

your giant robot that just got beaten turns out to be able to repair itself, now with new powers and resistances based on how it broke

Understanding “A Keeper of Gardens”

A Keeper of Gardens is a creature of ideals. It is a creature that has a piercing insight into a great and holy order into which the things of the world may be arranged — but that almost always lacks the comparable insight into the tangled actuality of life.

It is toxic because transcendent visions are toxic to things that must live in the existing and in the transitional orders. It is toxic because toxins can break down the rock of the world into soil and allow stranger gardens there to grow. It is toxic because it loves (perhaps it loves; perhaps it is indifferent) but it does not understand, and it does not act from a place of understanding.

More rarely it is toxic because it is cursed, an exile from the world.

You’ll know your character is on A Keeper of Gardens if there’s a part of the world that they can physically rearrange.

A Keeper of Gardens 0

You have learned the shaping of your garden. You may begin to twist it to your plan.

A Keeper of Gardens 1

You have become someone capable of articulating a grand vision for your gardens — whether reshaping their form, or their Properties, or establishing the “guides” that express the subtler elements of that vision to others.

A Keeper of Gardens 2

At this level you may create a host of basically whatever supernatural creatures you like to decorate your gardens and serve as adjuncts and adjutants to yourself.

That may sound rather powerful. It is. “Guardian” is quite strong. The dependence on the mundane actions system is in place to keep things from getting too wild in too many different directions at once, but ultimately, if what fits your concept is some starfish aliens with Gorgon-like powers to guard your treasury and a cool winter-breathing dragon to ride around on and a sphinx with time-stopping powers to protect your garden as a whole — that’s meant to be a thing that you can do.

A Keeper of Gardens 3

Your gardens have grown into their narrative place as a source of story-relevant wonders and interesting scenes: you may have a new guide or two every time the other Main Characters visit, you may reshape the landscape regularly to keep it new and fresh, and most importantly you may simply declare that there is something in your gardens that can help someone with the current problem in their lives. The only real problem here is that sometimes, if you are a typical Keeper of Gardens, you will dig up symbiotes that are not to an ordinary person’s taste and will have no idea why that is — why they are even now backing away slowly and shaking their head and stammering — at all!

A Keeper of Gardens 4+

You grow towards the status of “god of your pocket dimensions:” your ability to reshape your gardens vastly improves, and your army of subservient supernatural creatures strengthens — first becoming flexible tools who may occasionally show new facets to their powers in a deus ex machina plot twist, and then becoming much easier to produce.

#cmwge #patreon-supported posts #immortal purple #a keeper of gardens

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