#either put your job at risk in service of this higher calling you keep speaking about or sling some fucking sheets dude!!!

[southeastasianists]

In 2020 Singapore was hit by a series of coronavirus outbreaks, centred around dormitories where thousands of migrant workers live. Cases have dropped significantly, but most of the men are still not permitted to leave except to go to work. It is one of the longest periods of Covid confinement faced by anyone anywhere in the world.

"This is prison life. This is a captive's life."

Sharif came to Singapore in 2008. At the time, his wife was pregnant and the book stall he ran in Bangladesh was shut down.

Over the past 13 years he made a life for himself here, but since early 2020 all he has known are the four walls of his dormitory and the construction site where he works.

He and nearly 300,000 others are banned from mixing with the general public. Last week, Singapore's government said it would allow a handful of workers to go out in a "pilot scheme".

"I appreciate the experiment," he says. "But I can't express much joy at this news. Workers are only allowed to go to a certain place for a fixed time."

Sharif was not one of those selected for the scheme. Sitting on the back of the lorry that takes him to work, he often catches glimpses of the city and its people, who have never been subject to the same restrictions.

"When I see everybody outside, looking happy, it's very painful for me," he told the BBC on a video call.

"They are eating out, going shopping, meeting their friends. And I think, 'why is that not me? Did I make this coronavirus?'"

Most of his spare time he spends lying on the top bunk of his bed, either talking to his family or writing prose and poetry - both in English and Bengali.

He says night time is when things are most difficult. Men often wander the corridors or try to sleep outside on the ground.

"I lie in my bed and sleep won't come. How can I sleep? I need fresh light, I need fresh oxygen," he says.

'Are we animals?'

On the first day of the pilot scheme, the BBC was invited to Singapore's Little India neighbourhood.

Fifty workers were allowed to spend four hours out of their dormitories unsupervised.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) called it a "milestone".

At one of Singapore's main Hindu temples, two men were presented to journalists.

One of them, Packrisamy Muruganantham from India, told those assembled that he was "very happy to be out" and "very grateful to the Singapore government and to the MOM for taking care of us".

Since the start of the pandemic, Singapore has reported 58 deaths out of a population of 5.7 million.

The country's success in suppressing the virus has afforded Singaporeans long periods of freedom over the past year and a half.

But even when restrictions were at their toughest and the country was locked down, no healthy person in Singapore was ever banned from leaving their home.

Socially-distanced exercise, for example, was encouraged. But not for those in the dormitories.

"The communal living and working conditions of migrant workers in dorms put them at higher risk of infection and the formation of large clusters," Singapore's Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng said in February.

Dr Tan declined an interview with the BBC, but in a statement a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesperson said the policy of keeping workers in their dormitories was "to protect the health of our migrant workers and to mitigate the risk of further transmission".

For Sharif, it feels more like he is being punished rather than protected.

"Everybody in the community is allowed out. All these people are expected to follow the social distancing rules, but they think we cannot do this also," he says.

"When I see a law only for migrant workers I think, 'Are we not human? Or are we animals? Do we not understand anything? Are we so uneducated?'"

A wake-up call

The men in the dormitories - mostly from South Asian countries - do vital manual work here.

They build the country's roads, bridges and apartments. In return, they are able to send back good money to their families.

Tasrif - also from Bangladesh - arrived in 2017. He is 25, earns less than $750 (S$1000; £400) a month and maintains air conditioning units.

He spent around $7,500 in agency fees to come to Singapore.

"We are working tirelessly for the country," he says. "We're making everything, we're doing everything for you guys."

"We are human beings just like you, like everyone in the community. We want our dignity back."

But life in the dormitory typically means sharing a room with up to 30 people and dividing your bathroom, cooking and recreational space with hundreds more.

These conditions led to major Covid-19 outbreaks in dormitories back in March 2020. Big clusters meant Singapore went from being almost untouched by the virus to announcing an island-wide shutdown for two months.

It prompted Tommy Koh, a former Singaporean ambassador to the UN, to rebuke the government recently.

"We should use this as a wake up call," said Mr Koh. "To treat our indispensable foreign workers like a first world country should and not in the disgraceful way in which they are treated now."

But Singapore's government has always been open about separating dormitory residents from everyone else in the country.

They hold a different visa, work under different labour laws and the authorities do not pretend that these men have the same rights as other foreigners who do the white collar jobs in the city.

Even official daily case numbers for Covid-19 are split into three categories: "Imported", "Dormitory residents" and "Community".

"Community" means everyone, apart from those living in a dormitory.

The figures are stark. As of 16 September, migrant workers accounted for 74% of all recorded cases. For context, the workers make up just 5% of Singapore's total population.

Last year several media outlets reported on a spate of suicides and attempted suicides in the dormitories.

When asked by the BBC about the current situation, the MOM declined to provide any details.

Instead, they said they were "always mindful and conscious of the need to better support the mental wellbeing of our migrant workers" and that they offer counselling services and a helpline for those who need it.

Professor Jeremy Lim, director of global health at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, says denying workers their freedom has few public health benefits at the moment.

"I would say that the Covid-19 concerns are massively overblown.

"They are vaccinated, they are familiar with safe distancing, they wear masks. So what more can we do?

"Speaking as a public health professional, we have to recognise there are limits. Right now is the time to focus on these workers' mental health because they are really, really struggling at the moment."

[jimlingss]

The President’s Son [10]

Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 10.5 OR Chapter 11

➜ Words: 4.2k

➜ Genres: 100% Fluff, Slice of Life, Bodyguard!AU

➜ Summary: Kim Taehyung is the President’s son, mischievous and playful, and infamous for being a troublemaker. When everyone’s given up, they call for you to be his personal guard. There’s no other choice when your dad’s assigned you to it and surprisingly Taehyung doesn’t mind either. Maybe because you happened to grow up with that brat.

Siren wails and deafening ambulance howls — putting arms over heads and getting to your knees — handcuffs clinking as your hands are restrained. You’re bathed in blue and red lights, eyes wearily blinking as your vision is blinded. Camera clicks — microphones shoved into his cheeks — questions spewed one after another, morphing to sound like the tortured in hell. Taehyung shields himself away from the white flashes as he’s forced to stand by his father’s side.   Fear runs rampant, only partially subdued with a single press conference, tabloids and media outlets gathering as they try to figure out what happened, calling upon the police chief, your father, and Taehyung’s. Those responsible are taken into custody, under investigation, while another team tries to contain public hysteria from spiraling.    “I’m sorry I snitched,” Jungkook tells you. “I didn’t want to.”   “It’s okay,” you murmur as you stand at the back of the room, watching the President take a stand against terrorism. “You brought me backup when I needed it.”   But just because everything’s said and done and everyone’s safe doesn’t mean there aren’t any repercussions.   It’s the end of the line. From across the room, you stare at Taehyung intently, how disheveled and tired he looks, the spark in his eyes lost, knowing this is unfortunately the last. And you’ll accept it. When tomorrow arrives, you’ll go looking for other jobs to take on, accept whoever might want your selected skill set. There’s nothing to do but take responsibility for your actions and the damage done.   But you don’t know why it feels so hard.   Your whole life has revolved around indifference, acceptance, letting things roll off your shoulder and continuously moving forward. But for the first time, your feet feel too grounded to keep moving.   “Come in.”   You push the door, closing it gently behind you. His office remains ever the same, except for the new piles of papers placed all over his desk.   The old man sighs, taking off his reading classes and rubs two fingers at his temple while you take a seat across from him. It’s more frightening when he isn’t outright angry.    He begins, words heavy with exhaustion. “Did you think about what you were going to do?”   “Yes,” you answer after a beat. “I knew it was going to take a long time—”   “So you ignored all the plans that were being made? You ignored standard protocol and my authority as well as everyone else’s?” He asks you calmly, composed without a bite to his words, almost like he expected this.   “I wanted to scope out the environment to provide more details.”   “That’s out of the scope of your job. You went above and beyond. And you did so irresponsibly. To the point where it’s outrageous. You could’ve gotten killed. You could’ve gotten the President’s son killed.”   “I’m sorry.” The apology doesn’t cut it, but it’s all you can offer. “I...saw a chance and I took it.”   “You’re lucky that no one got more hurt than they did.” The old man sighs, leaning back in his swivel chair as he shuffles papers in front of him. “I’ll write you a recommendation letter before you go.”   “There’s no need.”   He raises a brow and halts his movements completely. After a second, he glances up at you again. This time, he speaks in a softer tone, not as a chief, but as your father. “Are you planning to stay in the capital?”   “I...don’t know yet.” You came for a reason and yet you’ve done nothing for that reason — it’s still too difficult to approach, too awkward. You’re not sure where to begin or what to do. Your initial intentions have washed down the drain.   “Let me write you a letter,” he insists. After all, despite recent incidents, the past three months have passed by without any qualms. It was the first time there was some semblance of peace and quiet. “It’ll help you in whatever you want to do next.”   “What letter?” He’s interjected by a chiming timbre. The lithe woman shuts the door behind her before sauntering up to the desk, right beside you. Her arms are crossed, dark hair draping her backside, dark circles showing her fatigue, yet she doesn’t show any weaknesses. “You’re not going to write any letter, ____.”   “Hyunjung...this is a decision that’s been in the making for a long time.”   Taehyung’s stepmother is outright challenged, but she stands her ground, shaking her head, not amused whatsoever. “I know I have no part in this, but it’s my job to protect my son’s protector.” Her voice moves into a higher pitched, almost like a whine of disbelief. “I came here to get on my knees to personally thank Y/N and lo and behold, I find you not only reprimanding her but firing her? I won’t have it.”   Your father lightly scoffs, looking away. “She isn’t suitable for this job…”   “Then who is?” The middle-aged female asks, demanding an answer he can’t give. “She risked her own life to save Taehyung. We should be honouring that bravery. I expected you to promote her, y’know! Give her a better title! Give her a raise or a vacation!”    Her rambling is childish and lighthearted, dissipating the tension in the room. While she’s not biologically related to Taehyung, she shares striking similarities to him. You’re not surprised that she suits the President well. “Or even put up a statue of her in the yard! I thought I would have to fight you against naming Taehyung’s firstborn Y/N!”   “I acted irresponsibly,” you speak up, looking towards her. “I’ll accept whatever punishment—”   “Tch.” She clicks her tongue in annoyance, shushing you harshly. She frowns in disapproval with her reddened lips pouty. “I’m trying to defend you. Don’t make it worse, young lady.” Taehyung’s stepmother turns to face the chief. “Look at what you did to the poor girl! She should be proud of her courage, but you made her feel ashamed. Have you ever praised her before? Or do you just criticize your best employee all the time?”   There’s a long silence.    The tables have turned. Now he’s the one being reprimanded and scolded. But he doesn’t protest or fight her on it, perhaps giving into the woman’s judgment.   “Unbelievable,” she scoffs. “You are about to fire one of the nicest people of your entire team. Absolutely unbelievable. Come on, Y/N. Follow me. You don’t have to sit here any more and listen to this ridiculousness.”   You turn to your father after looking at her. His expression is impassive, but you read it well enough. There’s no real anger. At best, he feels at a loss.   You deliberate what to do, but the woman doesn’t give you a chance. She urges you one last time, heavily insistent, so you take her hand and she pulls you to your feet. “If you want to fire her, you’ll have to speak to me about it first.”   She struts out, tugging you along and you look back to catch your father sighing, molded into his chair, head knocked back to stare at the ceiling. He can’t get rid of you even if he wanted to. Somehow, you’re protected by everyone that has the last name Kim.   “You really didn’t need to….”   “Hush, child.” She spins around, hands securing on your shoulders comfortingly. “I owe you my life. Taehyung owes you his life, okay? I’ll make sure he knows that too, but I think he already does. Don’t get too bothered by your old man. He was probably just worried about how you risked yourself out there.” Somehow you doubt that. Then again, even while growing up he had an odd way of showing his affection. “Which I don’t approve of either, but what’s done is done and all I can say is thank you. Truly.”   “I was….just doing my job.”   “You weren’t.” She smiles softly. “And you know that.”   Taehyung’s stepmother tells you how you not only saved a life, but a family and a country from being thrown into chaos. While it’s a bit much, she emphasizes that you’re a hero. Your name was never disclosed to the public, but they know an agent single-handedly saved the President’s son and the public opinion has improved in the Presidential Security Service.    The recognition is overwhelming and not something you ever intended, but not something you particularly despise.    “If there’s anything that you ever need, tell me, okay? Remember to take care of yourself too. I understand if you want to take a break and rest up after all that. It must’ve been traumatizing. I’ll let your father know if you want to take a vacation….”   You fiddle with your fingers. “Actually, I was wondering where Taehyung was.”    For the most part, you were fine and if anything, you were more curious on how he was handling it all.   The woman gently smiles again. “He’s at this hospital right now.”   “Can I visit him?”   “You most certainly can.”   //   He is a prisoner. And he doesn’t understand why he’s being punished.   Kim Taehyung crosses his arms and pouts like a petulant child, sitting on the edge of the bed. He would’ve personally ripped out the IVs in his arms, but he doesn’t do needles, so he had wailed painfully until the nurse came and took it out for him.   “Get me out of here!” he screams at the top of his lungs. The white walls and maybe the shadow outside hears his plea. “I’m more traumatized from being in here!”   He’s been under intensive questioning, assessed both physically and mentally, forced to speak to three different therapists. Taehyung’s not as scarred as they think he is. He doesn’t need any recovery when there was nothing to recover from. He was perfectly fine, especially considering when deep down he knew you’d come for him. There was nothing to be afraid of.   You always end up showing up again. He just has to wait.   A few minutes….a few hours….or a few years.   You always come back.   But at the moment he’s too impatient. Enough is enough. Taehyung jumps to his feet and marches to the door, sliding it open.   Park Jimin blocks his way.   “Taehyung,” he whines his name, reluctant and timid with every movement. “You’re not allowed to leave.”   “Just let me go!” he demands in exasperation.   The dark-haired bodyguard is at a loss, trying to get the other to sympathize with his situation. “I…..I’ll get in trouble.”   “No one has to know….”   The two of them are whispering as if someone can hear, lingering in between the room and the corridor. The gates to freedom are so close, yet too far. “But they’ll find out. I’m sorry, Taehyung. I was given specific duties. You know that. I’m not allowed…..I can’t go against them.”   There’s a held silence.   Taehyung isn’t amused whatsoever and he narrows his eyes, words full of spite. “You know….you’re unbearable sometimes.”   “Yeah….” Jimin’s head slumps like he knows, lips pulling to the floor. “I’m sorry.”   “What...are you doing?” You’re standing at the end of the white hallway lit by fluorescent lights. Both Jimin and Taehyung whip their heads over, the former taking a sigh of relief at the sight of you and the latter with a grin expanding into his cheeks.   “Fuck! About time, dumbo! Where were you?! I’ve been trapped for five hours!”   You approach with crossed arms, peeking inside the room momentarily. Of course he has his own private hospital room on the highest floor of the entire building. But you notice that the bed sheets are crumpled, chair pushed over haphazardly, tissue box on the floor — evidence that he threw one hell of a tantrum. You give him an incredulous look.   He smiles, suddenly on his best behaviour. “Are you gonna come in?”   Jimin looks at you like you’re his saviour.   The door shuts, finally just you and him. “Are you okay?” Your eyes sweep up and down his figure. He’d make a joke about your staring, but he’s too irritated by the question.    “Yes, I’m fine,” he groans. “People keep asking me that. I’m not traumatized, okay? I don’t need any sort of recovery. I wasn’t injured. I’m not shocked or anything. I’m breathing, normal, alive.”   “You were kidnapped, Taehyung.”   “For like...two hours,” he points outs. “And they didn’t even do anything to me. I was going to talk my way out of it anyways. You don’t have to be so worried. I’m more worried about you.” He tugs on the hem of your jacket, pulling you gently until you give in, falling into the spot by his side. The mattress dips under your weight. “Doesn’t your wrist hurt?”   At the mention of it, your own hand circles your other wrist, rolling it around once without feeling any aches or pains. “It healed weeks ago.”   “Yeah….well….I was just...worried.” He gazes at you through his lashes. The soft lighting makes the edges of him glow. His voice is also strangely husky around the edges. You’re uncomfortable with how intimate it is.    “You shouldn’t be. I’m used to it.”   He scoffs lightly. “You always like to act like you’re tough — you know it’s okay if you aren't, right? It doesn’t mean you’re weak.” It’s quiet, the words sinking in. “Even if you’ve experienced worse things, it doesn’t make this one any less dangerous or scary.”   You swallow hard, tearing your eyes away from him to stare at the door instead. “I’m sorry.”   The corner of his mouth curls. “What for?”   “I was supposed to protect you and I let that happen to you.”   “You saved me, you idiot.”   “I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight and I’m-….I’m….nervous,” you admit in a murmur and you hate it. You absolutely detest being this vulnerable when you’ve sworn to trample any signs of weakness. It goes against every cell in your body, but it’s the truth — a truth that you don’t want to shoulder alone. “I’m nervous it’s going to happen again. I keep getting startled at the smallest things. I don’t...think that’s normal.”   “It’s okay.” His arm wraps around your shoulder, pulling you in for a friendly hug. You don’t jump on instinct or lean back as you usually would. You allow yourself to relax into his hold, leaning against his chest, letting him close the distance between you two. It’s nice having this sort of comfort — you’re not sure when the last time you were hugged. “It’s okay if that happens. It’s okay to be nervous or scared.”   But even so, it goes against everything you’ve been taught at a young age.   “Aren’t you scared?” you murmur the question and had he not been so close, he would’ve missed it entirely.    “A little,” Taehyung admits too. “It kind of felt surreal when it happened….my adrenaline was pumping. I think my survival instincts kicked in — I was talking a lot to them. But I don’t remember exactly what I said or what happened….it was kind of an out-of-body experience...you know?”   “Yeah. I get that.”   Taehyung smiles and pats your backside once. It’s the first time he’s comforting you and it’s odd considering when that was your job when he always cried as a kid. Granted, you never did a good job — having looked down at him while telling him to get up again and that tripping wasn’t going to kill him.   It always made Taehyung cry harder.   “You were so cool,” he hums like it even means anything. “When you untied yourself and stole the gun….I keep thinking your talent is wasted on me. You should be a spy or something. You’d be good at it.”   “I’ve already done my part,” you tell him. “I wanted to go home.”   He hums another soothing note from deep inside his chest and you hear how his heart rate quickens in pace. You finally pull yourself away before it gets too weird. He’s reluctant to let go, but does so anyhow while you compose yourself with a deep breath.   “Hey…” Taehyung pipes up, staring at you with those intense eyes again. “If you ever wanna talk to me about something, you should. Don’t keep it inside.”   “Yeah, okay.”   “Or talk to a doctor,” he suggests with a smile. “They’re probably more qualified than I am.” Taehyung hops up to his feet, stretching his arms above his head, trying to act all casual after the heart-to-heart conversation. He groans, getting the kinks out of his shoulders before spinning around with a mischievous expression. “Should we ditch?”   “You’re supposed to stay here for the night.”   He pouts childishly, bottom lip jutted out when he doesn’t get his way. “I don’t wanna. They already poked me with a whole bunch of stuff and asked me a million questions. It’s suffocating being in here.”   “What if—”   “What if nothing. Nothing’s going to happen.” He shrugs. “You and I both know that. The entire city is on high alert and the perpetrators are already caught. No one’s gonna kidnap the President’s son twice in one night. And you’re off duty, aren’t you?” Taehyung’s eyes sweep you from head to toe, brow quirked at your casual attire as he discreetly smirks. “It’s not like you’d get in trouble if we hang out after your working hours.”   “Me being off duty might be permanent at this rate.”   He’s alarmed at your remark. “You’re getting fired?!”   “No. Your stepmom saved me from that.”   “She did?”   You nod, much to his surprise. “She saved me, but I’ve been thinking about things and….maybe I should resign, Taehyung. I’ve caused a lot of issues and I don’t want to give...chief a headache. I want to be treated like everyone else and if I was, I think I would’ve been removed a long time ago.” The last thing you want is to be a burden and you don’t want to be saved anymore, to cheat the system for self-preservation when you’d rather accept responsibility.   “If it were anyone else, they would’ve been at the podium at the press conference,” he says. “If it were anyone else, they would’ve gotten a metal. Your dad’s just really harsh on you to a point where I don’t even understand and it upsets me.”   You look up at him, exhaling. Taehyung’s tone softens, eyes saddened. “Can I make a selfish request, Y/N?”   “Depends on what it is.”   “I know I said you’re better off somewhere else...but still...I want you to stay. Not forever. But just a little longer,” he asks and it’s shy and earnest. Taehyung’s hand drops to his side awkwardly after brushing back the blonde strands of his hair. He musters an embarrassed laugh. “Honestly, you’re my only friend and probably the biggest reason I haven’t run off yet.”   You don’t get it.   You’ve done nothing for him. You don’t even openly offer him the friendship that he so desperately desires — you can’t comprehend why you’re the reason he stays. “What’s so special about me?”   “I don’t know.” He shrugs. “A lot of things. It’s not because we grew up together. Maybe a little has to do with that. But you just make it a lot more….bearable for me. I look forward to seeing you. Every day.”   He’s ashamed, cheeks glowing pink, looking away. It’s the first time he’s shown you something aside from outright boldness. You muse that it’s a night of firsts and you savour the glimpse of sincerity that you see. “I don’t want to make this weird, alright, dumbo? And I’m not saying I like you like that. I just know that you listen to me and that you’re loyal. This might be a job to you and you probably think I’m annoying as hell on most days or that I’m a spoiled brat, but I know you actually give a fuck about me. You care. Unlike a lot of other people. And it’s all I...wanted. I like your company. And if you’re gone, I wouldn’t know what to do.”   You stare. It’s another first — the first time you’re really seeing him.   Taehyung’s not just a troublemaking boy who’s caused you a lot of your childhood gripes and headaches. There’s someone deeper in front of you, someone that’s not a chore or purposely a nuisance, someone human.   You stand to your feet. “So...where are we going?”   Taehyung grins. “I’ll lead the way.”   Jimin is surprised to see the both of you exiting, insisting that he shouldn’t leave when it goes against the rules he was specifically instructed by Seokjin. But Jimin gives in when you convince him otherwise, easily giving up when it’s two pinned against one. He follows behind, ducking away into the stairwell when the police walk past. There are more guards lingering around the halls in case something suspicious were to happen. But luckily, Jimin takes one for the team and diverts their attention while the pair of you slip away.   “For the record though, I don’t think you’re an annoying, spoiled brat.”   “Really?” Taehyung chirps, turning his head as you walk down the street. Without bodyguards, suits, camera flashes, you’re just normal people. No one would notice that he’s a descendant of one of the most important people in the country.   “Only sometimes.”    Taehyung melts into another grin, curiosity making his irises glimmer. “Like when?”   “When you give the bodyguards hell when I’m gone and you demand I come back.”   “It’s a great strategy that has proven to work.” He winks and you scoff.   “I’m not a toy, alright?   “You’re not. But if you were, you’d be my favourite.”   Your eyes roll, not taking it as a compliment and certainly not impressed by the lame pick-up line. “I think you know deep down how childish you are.”   Taehyung shrugs. “It’s fun. Why not? Life’s too short to take seriously. You should take that advice for yourself, dumbo. I remember when you were just a wee-child—”   “I’m a year older than you—” you interject.   He outright ignores you. “—and you wouldn’t even join the kids on the playground. You were reading an instruction manual your dad told you to read and he only gave you that to get you to go away when he was doing work.”   You can’t recall the memory, surprised that he does. But based on what you hear, you don’t really want to remember it. “Where are we going exactly, Taehyung?”   There’s a sparkle in his eye that makes you want to sigh. “Go-kart racing. Ever been?”   “No. And no. Do you even have a driver’s license?”   The question is answered when he pulls it out for the teenager who’s working at the center. Your worries are at least eased somewhat when you see him get strapped in with a hard helmet and a proper seat belt. You’d sit beside him just in case something goes wrong, but he told you to get your own kart and wouldn’t give it up.   It’s a terribly immature and childish game, but with Taehyung’s excitement, you let loose, allowing yourself to enjoy it. Even if it’s just for a second.   The music blares above you. There’s two other adults here at this ungodly hour to enjoy their own fun, but Taehyung’s the loudest and most obnoxious person in the building. He hollers, firing up the atmosphere and his energy is infectious. The boy also ignites your competitive spirit after egging you on and you end up racing against each other.   Taehyung turns around often to mock you, sticking out his tongue, and he swears when you overtake him. You start to laugh when he switches strategies and tries to crash into you, doing anything possible as long as you don’t win first place.   “Hey! Excuse me!” The teenager is shouting at the rails. “You’re not supposed to crash into each other! This isn’t bumper cars!”   “Sorry!” Taehyung yells back, but he’s not in fact sorry when he tries it again.   In the moment, you’re reminded of something that you let slip through your mind.   He’s not the President. He’s the President’s son. But even then, he’s just a guy — Kim Taehyung, who enjoys simple things, who doesn’t want anything to do with the limelight, who’d rather stay out of the spotlight and in the audience, sitting next to you.   “Hey, dumbo!”   “What?!” You scream, the roar of the motors and noise of the music too deafening. “I can’t hear you!”   “Thank you!”    “What?”   While you can’t hear him, he screams it again. With all the sincerity he can muster. “Thank you!”    Taehyung slams the gas pedal, going as fast as he can to let the wind blow into his clouding eyes, hoping it can dry them up before he starts to cry.   Truth be told, Taehyung remembers everything. He remembers every word he said, every little action they did, down to the odor of the abandoned warehouse. More importantly, he remembers you appearing in front of him, staring at him, standing in front of him, extending an arm to help him stand again when he was going out of his mind, scared beyond belief.   And he can still remember how his arm wrapped around your shoulders, how you leaned into his tender touch, how his own pulse mysteriously skipped a beat. It’s all still fresh in his mind.   But he wishes it lasted longer.

[fovapo5888]

How to Keep Your Dog From Running Away Plus How to Build a Very Cosy (Free) Pet Bed

How the big four commands save lives

According to the National Health Service and media reports, over 4,500 incidents a year in the U.K. involve dogs and people, with children being the biggest victim group.. You are more likely to be bitten by a dog than win the lottery! https://namingyourdog.weebly.com/blog/selecting-memorable-dog-names

One incident is an unwelcome statistic but until you accept that your pet dog runs away because you let it these incidents are going to continue to occur. There are 5 basic steps, 4 big commands and 3 essential pieces of equipment which you need to learn how to use effectively to gain control and to build discipline into your dog. This guide explains how to do this and how to stop your dog running away. A collar and lead are working instruments of control, just the same as holding your child's hand. Mobile phones are another safety device we use with our children to maintain contact and for a much safer and secure environment. Our dogs are no less important and are at a higher statistical risk than our children. Your voice alone is not going to be enough. Whistling is hard work and it assumes your dog finds the whistle more compelling than what is at the end of its nose. You must start to appreciate that stopping your pet running away is a skill to be learned and developed on an on going basis, and like people, the input of patience and unconditional love, will very likely be paid back. The probability is that if your children are model children then your dog probably will be too, but that doesn't mean it is going to be easy to train, it just means you probably have the mindset and determination to keep your dog safe and disciplined. I admit this article may be a bit controversial but the techniques work and will not harm or hurt your dog. Neglect and ignorance is a much bigger killer. If you want to stop your dog running away there are 3 things your must achieve:

Instant response Your dog's whole and undivided attention Complete obedience You need to understand that there are 3 reasons why your dog will run away:-

Sex Cruelty Owner mismanagement All three of the reasons as stated above can get your dog killed or seriously injured. If you then overlay lack of success with the 3 disciplinary aspects you have serious issues to deal with and you need to correct this quickly or risk your dog causing death or serious injury. The end result will be the loss of your pet by lethal injection, gunshot or fatal injuries. If minors are involved and they are your own family it will destroy not only your life but that of your entire family. This is how I see it anyway and it is this that motivates me to get it right. Your pet running off is not to be taken lightly. I propose to examine a few simple helpful hints that might make your life more bearable and improve your relationship with the animal at a level you can both appreciate and work on to good effect. I am going to ignore the first two reasons that cause running away. If you need guidance to deal with them please give your dog to a loving home, this article is not for you. Your dog is born with senses which once engaged are so compelling that you pale into insignificance the minute they are engaged. You don't need to be a dog whisperer to understand this, but you can see it for yourself the minute you call your dog back. It is not a great moment when your dog embarrasses you for your inability to handle it. I think one year in a dog's life is about 6.5 of our years, so by the end of year one your dog should be starting to make out sounds, short sentence structures and words. The four most important commands in order are:

sit heal down stay Dogs are quick learners. Not only do they know your mood, they take everything right to the edge all the time and they are also very persistent. The sooner you start teaching them the better, try to make it fun without finishing up with a fat dog. Remember your children should not be force fed a big McDonalds every time they get their table manners right and The National Hedgehog Road Skills award has never been won by a hedgehog. A lead is the equivalent of your child's hand. You communicate through it just the same way. You would not let your child pull you off your feet, especially on a main road, so use the same discipline with your dog.

Step 1. It is always your fault

I really don't think that Springer Spaniels with their long floppy ears can hear you properly over 30 metres away unless you really shout which makes you look in control doesn't it. When I was younger I had a liver and white springer 'Bramble'. He never knew to this day what hit him when he was busy rounding up sheep. I would have been able to play for the British Lions with a rugby tackle like that, the dog went flying, not in the least bit hurt, just caught in the act. He yelped just with fright, but never chased sheep again and after this incident if he could hear me he responded instantly to all the big 4 commands.

Step 2. How to stop your dog pulling you off your feet.

A sharp and very hard tug on the lead pulling your dog back behind you will do the trick. After the second or third time they will desist. This is obviously easier to do when your St. Bernard is a puppy, which is why i say start straight away. Bad habits are developed by the owners not the dogs. Never allow your dog to pull. Start by holding your dog's hand (the lead) and work firmly in a disciplined and in a fair way, and reward good performance and discipline and work on behaviour that falls short. Little and often is good and a routine is helpful. The thing that really gets results is patience. You would not take your child out into a distracting environment to teach them so don't do it to your dog either. Get the dog's attention and eye contact and progress will improve. If you are having trouble getting the dog's attention increase the treat value e.g. fillet steak. This is about hearts and minds and developing absolute trust. The time to use treats is at the outset of teaching the command. Once the dog understands what is required of it, a pat on the head and some encouraging words is sufficient.

Step 3. How to slow your dog down to your speed

How many of you would not hold on to your 6 year old child's hand in the city centre? Would you expect your six year old to speak fluent Russian? No, so don't expect your dog to understand what sounds the same to them. Use the lead to build confidence and lots of patience. By the time your dog is six months old they will be getting more biddable, more curious and more determined but up to the first year you can never be certain. However you are desperate to give your dog the freedom of that run about. A game keeper taught me a very good tactic called hobbling. Your dog's collar should always allow you to get three fingers under it, if you can't it is too tight. Simply stick your dog's front paw through the collar, it looks cruel, its not and you can catch a dog on three legs, it puts the odds in your favour, so you now have the opportunity to train your dog to stay close to you, or get it back safely. Don't use a retractable lead it encourages your dog to pull. Dogs on retractable leads are not properly trained (such a statement could be highly controversial but I would presume that those owners won't be reading this type of article so there won't be anyone to offend!)

Step 4. Timing - how long does it take to train my dog? I think 300 hours gets a basic job done before your dog will specialise into say rescue, field sports, or social human tasks like police or military work. It takes a good year to settle and train a dog. If you get the big 4 commands in quickly and early the dog will start to perform well but it will take at least a year so be patient and persist. Practice all the time - practice makes perfect. ( it also helps you lose weight!). I now have a black and white Springer Spaniel and she was terrible for running off. This was my fault. On dark evenings I only needed to get distracted for a second and the dog was gone. There I am in the dark and pouring rain, shouting my head off and the dog is in the next county. Twenty anxious minutes later I get a ball of mud back! Never be cross with a returning dog, it is after the fact and they may misinterpret you, causing trauma and confusion. Simply make a note to self to set up a training session in a controlled environment to fix the problem whilst kicking your own bottom and not the dogs!

Step 5. How to stop your dog running away

You spend hours and hours working with them, you teach the big 4 commands and when they are over six months old and really understand the commands then you have to bring discipline to bear or face the possibility of an unthinkable incident. I have tried whistles, chasing after her and just leaving her, none of which are satisfactory and just exposes the dog to danger. If I can't control the dog at both short and long range she is useless in the field other than as a pet. So how do I stop my pet from running away. A game keeper suggested an electric collar. I dismissed it out of hand as being cruel, but it is not as cruel as watching your dog in agony pinned down under a car wheel. I decided to try an electric collar but resolved to be kind and fair. It has transformed the dog without any cruelty at all and this is how it works: First and only after 6 months minimally, and only when the big 4 commands are in place can you use one. My collar has an audible alarm which the dog can hear even when she can't hear or see me. She quickly learned to respond to this bleep, it means only one thing 'Heal'. Since wild life has hearing and great vision too, we get to see lots of it when we are out now because we are quiet, the dog is under control at all times and above all is safe. Your dog and especially Springer Spaniels will want to do as you ask. You must be there at the time of any incident which demands attention or arresting and a bleeper really is on the spot and instant. If the dog doesn't respond there are 8 settings to 'tweak your dog's ear', building up to a shock. All of these are much gentler than rough handling or hitting the dog. All of them hurt a lot less than impact with an HGV. I must stress that if you don't have the big four commands in place and a confident dog you should not deploy such a device, just keep your dog on a lead. The collar is only for the dog's protection and control and the charge, which is about the same as a static shock from a door handle, does not cause the dog much discomfort, but it lets her know I want her attention when all else fails which is pretty rare these days. I don't know how the shepherds do it but they have my admiration. I don't need my little dog to achieve those levels. We have lots of fun together and she adores my two girls, mind you she adores everyone including the postman! I think that patience is the secret and then it's a matter of time.. She also has a special settee in our garden room (but never assumes this right in the house), and a dog house made out of straw bales which she loves as it is very warm. She also knows where the edge is, and pushes it like crazy, but she is safe and well behaved and under control at all times because she can hear me and every day that goes by her knowledge of language and disciplined procedure improves. I think I will always use an electric collar now, it is a safety device which makes me much less apprehensive about the dog's behaviour because I can focus on expanding the dog's comprehension of commands, so her behaviour continues to improve and she plays an even bigger and much more enjoyable part in day to day activities. If you don't want your pet to run off get to grips with the collar, lead, teaching, rewarding and discipline and be heard - the best way to do that quietly is with a bleeping collar - really it works. I think these new devices are the dog equivalent of a 2 way radio. No soldier goes into combat without one. I think they are here to stay and used responsibly will transform your life and make teaching your dog a real joy and with much less stress. Remember it is your finger on the button and you decide whether you are a dog trainer or a dog breaker - I know which I am.

How long does it take to teach your dog the big 4 Commands?

It takes about 20 minutes armed with some really 'must have' treats, and then repeat the training a day or so later for a few minutes until you see it work immediately. I use mackerel fillets but anything other than chocolate will do the trick. For every minute of training you need an hour of practice to get the command working consistently and then three or four times longer to get them all working together. You will pay for gaps in your routine and you will be able to notice when others have handled your dog. Dogs will always push to the limit to see what they can get away with so you have to be that limit and you can't always do that by being nice and feeding the dog treats. Never break your dog by cruelty and bullying to get the obedience you want, a broken dog does not work properly and anyone who has trained a dog will spot a broken dog a mile off, you can't hide it and you can't repair the damage.

A command should be instant, it is useless if it is not and may get you, your children, the dog or some poor unsuspecting motorist into an unthinkable situation, it is worth the effort.

Should you let the dog on the sofa - Training Versus Behaviour?

Oh boy is this a hot potato! Firstly your dog knows the difference between the scruffy couch in the playroom and the one in the living room but you may have to work more on the training. You can let your dog do anything you like provided you put the effort in with the ground rules, but here is a simple guide.

Your dog has two basic barks, one to warn and the other is more playful. Learn what they are and what they mean. If you don't want a yappy dog you will get the opportunity at about 10 months to sort it out.

Don't allow your dog to behave in a way that would be offensive to others, I am sure you don't need a list from me.

You can use a smack, a firm push or voice commands so long as it is immediate. If your dog is beyond reach you will need to either be very quick (voice and run) or use an electric collar. A sharp shock beats a fight or injury. If this is administered at the start of the action the dog is unlikely to repeat the offence. You won't break the dog doing this. Prolonged aggression or fierce punishment fills your dog with terror. I have heard them start to yelp before a blow is struck because they know what is coming. Could you do your job knowing someone is about to give you a good kicking? Neither can the dog. I have never seen a broken dog that didn't bring a lump to my throat and have me biting my lip to hold back the tears. Like the dog I suffer quietly in silence unable to speak.

Being a good dog owner and handler

Bad behaviour develops as a result of lack of effort or selfishness by the owner. Like your children the more patience and time you spend with them and effort you put into your dog, the more reward you can expect with a strong measure of devotion paid back. Like children they will pick up trauma between adults and they don't like it. Neglect will result in the dog making up its own rules and then you will need a dog psychologist to intervene. Unless the dog is ill and requiring 24 hour supervision, I would advocate they should have their own special place. A kennel is usually the best so they can have peace and quite to relax and dry/chill out and be themselves. You wouldn't normally have your children in bed with you, so I think it is a bit odd to have your pets there too. Lack of common sense is what develops poor animal behaviour. Plenty of exercise, good diet, discipline, routine, care and attention will work for your dog.

In summary, the three essential pieces of equipment required are a lead, a collar and an audible device that can be heard anywhere instantly by your dog which upon being heard recalls your dog to your side.. If a measure of force is required then this device should have the ability to administer it or be backed up by it.

How to Make a cosy dog bed for free - well almost

I think a great bed makes a very happy dog, especially if they have a full tummy

As an engineer, specialising in materials handling and storage, when it comes to a bed for the dog I wanted to create a cosy place for her to sleep. For several months I persevered with pet cushions etc but they just get filthy and are not very easy to clean or warm to sleep on outdoors. In winter this year we had two feet of snow, which the dog loved but it was cold for her and I wanted something better.

Pallets are often equipment you can pick up for free. Two or three of them are very simple to convert into a bed. 1000mm x 1200mm is a perfect size. If you have an outhouse, garage or shed they will fit easily inside. It doesn't matter if the dog chews them, the wood can be recycled or used for fire wood and if you use straw, the straw can be composted or burned. Now this solution is not for everyone but the dog will love it and you may grow to love it and here is why:

The straw helps clean the dog The dog can scrape and arrange the straw as it wants it The pallet and a few straw bales make a very cosy den Filled with straw your dog can live comfortably outside in all weathers Living outside is better for the dog Dogs will grow their natural seasonal coats in line with the climate. Inside they go into a state of permanent moulting, outside unheated they can live more naturally. The straw is cosy and warm the year round especially with the added protection of 380mm to 450mm of insulation on 6 sides The pallet keeps your dog off the cold floor - essential. Straw bales range from £1.75 to £3.50 Before you go into blind panic about scabies or mange, I have never had any trouble. However if you are worried ask your vet, I think you will find that the modern treatments keep them at bay anyway. Do watch out for nails and cardboard (stapled on). Plywood makes good tops if the wood is spaced or a bit rough and then the deep straw does the rest.

My dog really loves her straw bed and is quite happy to get into it and I rarely see her little black nose come round the edge of the bale until I call for her.

There is an awful lot of nonsense talked about training and not much help with the real control commands when they don't work. Much of the time it is just not possible to intercept mistakes and behavioural dysfunction in time to correct it in a way the dog can quickly grasp the requirement. This just makes it tougher on both you and the dog.

I am a materials handling engineer by profession, and a keen motorcyclist which I use for work most of the year round. The BMW GS 1200 Adventure is a challenging and awesome machine, so if you are in commerce or industry and want to build or equip a new warehouse or production unit, please go and visit my website.

I have had spaniels most of my life, having grown up with them. I have always found it hard to get help with the really tricky bits of training. I prefer to train the basics and build my own relationship with my dog and I like to see her working in the field doing what she does best and then getting her to come back to me in an orderly way and not via the adjoining county. I usually send the dog for a season with a keeper to specialise, it's a bit like doing a ski season for the dog.

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Pest Control Exterminator Service for Ticks

Ticks are arthropods that are occasionally mistakenly termed insects. Insects have 3 body regions, six legs, and normally possess wings. Ticks lack wings, have two body regions, and depending upon their developing stage, might have either six (larva) or eight (adults and nymphs) legs. Ticks possess significant potential for transmitting organisms that may cause disease in humans and other animals. These disease-causing organisms include protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. Bites from specific ticks can cause a rare limp paralysis starting in the lower limbs and moving upwards with death resulting if the tick is not promptly removed. In addition, tick bites can cause skin irritations or even allergic reactions in sensitive individuals who are repeatedly bitten. Ticks attach themselves for a period of time, and then drop off their host to lay eggs. They need a blood meal at each stage of life in order to grow. The female tick must engorge herself with blood to obtain the nourishment necessary to produce the thousands of eggs she generates. Despite the large number of eggs produced, only a small percentage will make it to maturity.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Squirrels

Squirrel pest control might be very tricky, but as with a lot of pests it starts with prevention. Cover all gaps to your residence, repair damaged house windows, and check your house for openings or structures that provide squirrels access to the property. When you are sure all of the entry points have been protected, you may look at an electric fence around your yard or home. Funnel-shaped plastic collars can be installed at the top of posts that support bird feeders to prevent squirrels from accessing seeds or nesting babies. Branches that hover over your roofing should be trimmed to protect against squirrels from accessing your chimney. Finally, eliminate outdoor food items sources squirrels may find such as garbage or pet food. Regrettably, removing squirrels from your own property can be quite dangerous. As such, professional pest control is likely your best option. Generally, squirrels are attracted by woods and trees, so if your home features trees you are more likely to have squirrel pest control problems. Once they get into your house, usually through a chimney or fireplace, they chew electric wires, mattresses and blankets, and other parts of your house. One of the primary concerns associated with a squirrel infestation is electric fire, as these pests can compromise your home’s electrical system by chewing through wires. However, squirrels can decimate your garden by eating plant bulbs, seeds and buds as well as ripe vegetables. They may even damage your lawn as they bury food reserves.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Voles

Voles, also termed meadow mice, are normally gray or brown in color and are pretty compact rodents. They have small tails, compressed legs, and stocky bodies. They flaunt eyes that are extremely tiny and have ears that are partially hidden. They have a layer of underfur that is commonly dense and covered with longer, thicker guard hairs. Voles do not have specified times that they are active so they can be seen scurrying about all year round in the day or night. Voles dig numerous shallow burrows and make below ground dens that are made up of leaves, grass, and stems. They have no problem tunneling through snow in the winter season. Despite the fact vole numbers vary from year to year, their numbers often boost unexpectedly and rapidly. This is usually when wildlife control services are required. Not many homeowners know how to do away with voles and require trained specialists. Voles are very poor climbers and do not usually enter houses. However, vole control is often needed for the outside of the house. This is primarily due to the amount of destruction a vole can cause. Voles feed on a wide variety of garden plants. Some of these include carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and turnips. They also damage garden plantings such as lilies. These undesirable pests will gnaw the bark of fruit trees and damage tree trunks. This destruction will disrupt the flow of nutrients and water to the trees and can kill them totally. For these kinds of reasons, wildlife control professional services are needed to safeguard and maintain the vegetation and plants that exist on your property. Trained specialists know vole behavior and know how to get rid of voles.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Slugs

As I’m certain you recognize, slugs are among the most common and most stubborn landscape pests on the globe. They have a ravenous appetite, particularly for soft vegetations like the ones you have in your back garden. Their most preferred targets include cabbage, lettuce, sprouts, asparagus and strawberries, but they will certainly eat and destroy just about everything you try to grow. There are a wide variety of garden pests that you have to deal with when trying to produce things in your backyard. One type of pest that can become a problem over time are slugs. These can thrash a backyard garden very swiftly if you do not take care of the issue. There are many ways to deal with slugs in your backyard. The first thing that you can do is to make certain that your backyard garden isn’t in fact attracting slugs to it. Many make the mistake about having things in the garden that makes slugs want to be there. Do not provide the slugs the needed shelter from the sun. Many will exclude garden pots or other things that will make a nice shelter for slugs to be in during the day. Remove these things.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Snails

The basic backyard garden snail will chew through the soft leaves of greenery, which at best, appears unpleasant, and at worst, will kill the vegetation. If these little buggers have had you asking oneself, “How to manage garden snails?” then you are at the right place. We are specialists at effective snail pest control. Snails are an intriguing species to many individuals. However, the enthusiasm stops once these pests find their way into a well groomed backyard garden. This often happens to some extent as these slow moving creatures are always on the hunt for a good meal. The snail as a pest is a dreadful thing. They can eliminate young plants by chewing their stem or eating the seeds right before they finish germinating. They will eat irregular notches in leaves and this can lead to quick browning. A solitary snail can do enormous damage to a single plant in even the space of one night.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Earwigs

Earwigs hide throughout the day underneath debris or in dark areas, surfacing at night to eat plants, organic wastes, and much smaller insects. The standard name emerges from a totally misguided superstition that these insects wriggle into people’s ear canals during the night to bite them. Earwigs are harmless, only occasionally damaging flower blossoms. While Earwigs are scavengers, eating dead insects, decomposing plant materials they can also eat live vegetation and damage your vegetables and feed on the flowers of plants, including marigolds, petunias, hibiscus, and lots of other plants. Earwigs leave many tiny holes in plant leaves and flowers.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Rodents

Rodents which include rats and mice contaminate our food and living areas with their pee and feces and they carry diseases. Rats eating through wires are known to lead to over 50,000 property fires per year with another 100,000 plus fires that are probably triggered by rodents eating through house wiring. Rodents will infest your home or building in search of housing, food, water and warmth. Roof Rats can access your home by tree branches that touch your roofing, and Norway Rats and Mice typically find entry through tiny openings as small as a dime. Rats and mice can possibly be some of the most significant pests we have to deal with. Rats and mice will regularly attempt to co-exist with us in just about every structure we live, eat, and work in. Rodents have been identified to transport and transmit diseases, damage and destroy our structures, electric wires, and water pipes through their gnawing. Most people have a greater fear of rats and mice than they do of spiders. This anxiety can make you, your workers, or customers very uneasy. Working with an exterminator is the first step in solving the problem. At Go-Pher The Kill, we perform rodent control like nobody else. Along with trapping, baiting, and exclusion, we incorporate video into our service. You will have a live video stream to the places of activity so you can monitor our progress, and spy on your intruders, even at night! This service also gives our customers proof that their current problem has been resolved.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Moles

A mole will eat up to 200 worms a day. A mole will eat up to 200 worms a day. The most efficient method to prevent nearly every pest is to take away their food supply. This is achievable with earthworms, but difficult mainly due to the job worms provide to the soil. It is a fact of good lawns, that if you have good lawns– there is a very high possibility that moles will also be a hazard. Proofing is achievable, but again not easy. The aim would certainly be to set up a physical shield between the sub-floor surface where the moles channel and the surface. A wire or grid method is possible that is then recovered with dirt and grass. Possible, but costly– but then it depends on the value of the lawn surface. There is a theory that vibrations keep them away. Commercially available sonic devices, which are inserted into the ground, aim to create vibrations which are supposed to dissuade moles. However, there is little scientific research into how effective this is in preventing activity. Protecting against moles is either challenging to replicate the work of worms, or costly due to the scale of area to protect. So control of the actual mole is typically the only technique to eliminate their damage, and this is why it is important to call in pest control specialists whenever you have a problem with moles. We know all of the best and least painful ways to deal with mole removal issues, making sure minimal pain for the moles, with the highest level of success. The other reason why it is a really good idea to call in pest control technicians to handle your mole removal problem is that they are very challenging to trap. There are a variety of ways of undertaking mole control treatments, all of them calling for some level of skill-set. The biggest problem is quite obvious of course, in that as they live below ground, equipment must be considered and position based on evidence and mole behavior and in their darken world, they will leave at the first sign of threat when their tunnels system has been disrupted.

Go-Pher The Kill Pest Control Riverside 9880 Indiana Ave STE 23, Riverside, CA 92503 https://www.gopherthekill.com 951-977-8183

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Pest Control Exterminator Service Carlin Ln Canyon Crest CA

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Pest Control Exterminator Service Carlin Ln Canyon Crest CA

Pest control services are used by lots of specialist companies that send professionals to manage your pest issues. For complete, effective pest control in Riverside County, hire the experts at Go-pher The Kill Pest Control. We’ve battled our fair share of bedbugs in the past and have the techniques and skill required to overcome pest invasions in your house. Don’t wait on a rat invasion to turn into a problem, so if you’ve detected rodents like mice or worse rats crawling and running around, no matter if in the evening or throughout the day, you ought to call us as soon as possible. Don’t give those mice time to reproduce and develop into your own personal plague. Mice and rats may appear to be small, harmless animals, but they can all too quickly end up being a health hazard. Get in touch with us for responsible pest or rodent control service today. Has your home or workplace been occupied by unsightly cockroaches? Go-pher The Kill Pest Control offers efficient pest control eradication professional services designed to rid you of your pest problem once and for all. We take a complete, detail-oriented course of action to everything we do, so when you hire our team, you can feel confident that we’ll be certain to cover all bases. Just as importantly, our cockroach eradication services are designed to keep your safety in mind. And when you work with us, you’ll benefit from our reasonable rates and easy appointment scheduling and regular monthly service programs. Get rid of those roaches right now.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Crickets

Immediately after a female cricket makes it inside your residence, it might lay its eggs – hundreds or even thousands of them. Cricket eggs takes about a year to hatch, so discovery is quite complicated, if not impossible. Crickets can cause harm and a lot of inconvenience, especially if you have just bought all new clothes or if you have just had your household furniture repaired or replaced. Crickets are small insects that make chirping noises to attract females for mating. There are approximately 900 known species of crickets around the world. Popular species of crickets include ground crickets, field crickets, and house crickets. Normally, crickets are found in temperate climates and are located inside homes, meadows, and gardens. They are considered to be pests inside houses and buildings because of their high-pitched chirping noises. Typically, they feed off organic materials, but will eat almost anything including wood, wallpaper, clothes, food, and wrappers. Get in touch with the pest control professionals that have the competent experience and expertise needed to eliminate crickets infestations successfully in your house or office. Pest Control For Ticks

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Wasps

A trusted business offering pest control for wasps is outfitted with the right equipment but is also knowledgeable in safely and efficiently getting rid of wasps. If you really want to totally remove wasps in your house call us today. Companies specializing in pest control have a team of specialists who are trained to eliminate wasps and wasp nests, and as well prevent them from coming again. The first thing that a specialist would do is to make a survey of your area, identify sources of wasps, make an evaluation, then afterwards decide on the correct, and the safest and most effective approach to getting rid of the wasps and their nests.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Cockroaches

All cockroach species are scavengers, eating garbage, dead insects, or human food items, which they contaminate with their excrement. Because of the threat of transmitted diseases much effort and expense have been invested in the chemical control of this particular pest. Insecticides have been reliable previously but numerous cockroaches have developed higher levels of resistance to the most widely used poisons. With society’s increasing concerns over the health and environmental effects of insecticides, one fact remains, cockroaches need to be controlled to maintain optimal health conditions. Thus, the highly qualified pest control industry has been seeking new methods that utilize pest techniques and also address the home owners need for safe effective control.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Spiders

Spiders are shuddered by many people when spotted around the home or patio or garden. Regardless of what size the spider, they generally inflict uncomfortable and often lethal bites. Pest companies offering pest control for spiders discourage consumers from trying to use eradication procedures using hazardous chemicals in their houses as it not safe to do it on your own. It is best to immediately call a professional pest control service for spiders to utilize appropriate and safe spider control methods. It is advised to contact pest control experts to help you exterminate spiders in your house, because the best way to eradicate these creatures is to first identify them and apply methods that will specifically counter their behavior inside your house. Pest control specialists will utilize sprays and pest control methods that will either directly or indirectly kill the spiders.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Pantry Pest

Pantry pests are incredibly standard and ordinary in many homes. They are rather irritating and annoying, but you can adequately manage your pests problems through pest control treatments with the right pest control service provider. There are lots of pests that you can bring into your home from the wet market. There are moths, weevils and beetles as well as cockroaches. Flower arrangements or decorative corns that are already dried, cake mix, chocolates, spices, muse and rat baits, cookies, granola, crackers, birdseed, pet food, dried beans, cereal and pasta are just several examples that can cause pests. If you have this type of problem then you need a professional pest control service.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Rats

Certainly , there are countless reasons why people detest rats. To start with, they will transport numerous diseases and spread to humans. They are also known for ruining food by contaminating them with their urine or dropping. Their gnawing can cause serious damage to our home or valuables. In America, out breaks of mice have been causing serious and huge financial losses. If your house has been infested by rodents best is to tend to it quickly. Areas infested by rats might be in high risks specifically if you have kids or animals. Any delay in controlling them can cause major damage to your home and put a huge hole in your wallet. Rats are nocturnal and they normally stay hidden away from humans so eradicating them can be tricky. Our pest control service has every solution for your pest problems. We have been helping clients to eradicate rats or mice from their property for years. Our pest control technicians are properly trained to make sure that each rat or mice control problem is addressed smooth manner and prevent re-infestation of these pests. We only aim to provide a remedy tailored just to provide maximum effect and with products used to eliminating them there is no way our procedure will harm the environment or cause any unneeded suffering. Our Pest Control treatments make it easier to get rid of rats efficiently and promptly.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Gophers

It’s easy to have a reliable pest control gopher specialist go to your home and rid it of the gophers that are destroying your property. Gophers penetrate backyards, gardens all throughout the year feeding on crops, plants, shrubs, trees, and lawns. They also damage water pipes and sprinkler systems which can lead to soil erosion. Gopher mounds on lawns disrupt mowing equipment and spoil the aesthetics of well kept turf-grass. We are the specialists in Gopher control and have been so for years. Be prepared to take immediate action as it is a lot easier and less expensive to control one or two than wait until the population builds where they cause too much damage. Our gopher service experts will evaluate your property with you and provide an estimate. We will recommend the best treatment options to eradicate the gopher problem completely. Technicians are prepared to complete service at the time of estimate. We offer the best gopher solutions to get the job done. Our gopher treatments are very powerful for maximum effectiveness.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Ants

Carpenter ants are probably not bigger than a quarter of an inch in length, they are tiny and black, and can have wings. Carpenter ants can completely destroy wood supports on buildings, including two by fours and four by fours. Carpenter ants are busy all year, but are often seen in warmer months, from spring until early fall. Carpenter ants can quickly do tens of thousands of dollars of damage to your home. Carpenter ants ought to be professionally treated. Over the counter products do not work. Winged carpenter ants usually means you have a well developed colony, usually 3 to 4 years old. Find the services you need for any type of ant problem or ant infestation. Ants interact by touch and smell. They lay down chemical tracks and continuously touch each other to pass on their nest odor. Carpenter ant control can be very difficult. It is crucial to locate the source of the ants and their den. The complete control is accomplished when the nest itself is treated with a residual spray or dust. The ant exterminator will take time to learn about the situation and also speak to the client about their personal concerns. If there are pets or kids in the house special care will be taken. If the ant species is harmful to wood the ant pest exterminator may look at crawl spaces and other locations of the residence to see if there are any sort of infestations of this particular species. This is not only done to see just how much infestation there is and how much destruction has been done already. To thoroughly get rid of an ant situation, a pest inspector will most likely offer an extensive inspection of the property. This is most likely to include examining each area of the home to establish the parts that may well be at risk or have already been swarmed by ants. They might also examine the area to identify if other pests might be within close proximity to the house. On completion of the property inspection, the skilled ant pest professional will offer a choice of services dependent on the type of ant problem you have and the extent of ant infestation. Services offered might consist of ant pre-treatments, ant termination or removal, cleansing the infected areas, along with repeat visits if needed if you have a heavy ant infestation.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Mice

Having mice in your house is stressful and may be hazardous. The main variety of mouse found in houses are the common house mouse. They cause destruction to your home, spread diseases, chew on cables, furniture, books and clothing. If you have a mouse problem it is best taken care of it quickly as they can increase in numbers fast and you could soon end up with a major infestation. Mice can live and go for of time in enclosed containers such as boxes, barrels or crates. Lots of fires may have been caused by mice eating through electric wiring. In 6 months one pair of mice can eat about four pounds of food and produce some eighteen thousand pounds of fecal droppings. Mice are not blind but have poor eyesight and can not see clearly more than about six inches. They are great climbers and can run up almost any roughened wall without breaking stride. They can swim but prefer not to. More than once, a live mouse has been flushed down a toilet and has resurfaced a moment later. They can jump a vertical distance of 12 inches from the ground onto an elevated flat surface. They can leap a height of eight feet to the ground without injury. They can run horizontally along pipes wires and ropes. When you see mice in your home, call a mouse exterminator immediately. Mice transport diseases and can contaminate and destroy the food in your house and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Silverfish

Silverfish can be found mostly in damp climates and prefer to live in dark damp locations such as basements and attics, bathroom and kitchens. They are especially attracted to paper and moist clothes. Usually found in stored containers in garage areas and sheds. Silverfish are known for their destructive habits and like to eat clothing, books and wallpaper. Silverfish eat carbohydrates, particularly sugars and starches. Glue in books, linen, silk and dead insects may be food sources. They have been found in unopened food packages. Silverfish is a wingless insect that is half of an inch in length. It has a silver shade of its scales and the fish-like movement it makes and now they are among the most hated house pests. Silverfish can cause extensive destruction, ruin photos and books, eat wallpaper and cotton. Silverfish are nocturnal and move quickly and can jump. They are found where there is excessive humidity and will do great damage to books, wallpaper, other paper items. This species is regularly a pest in houses and libraries. It feeds on starchy products like glue and stays in high humidity areas of your home. It can live in glass jars where it will feed on potatoes or things like cornmeal and other starchy foods. Thought to belong to one of the most primitive existing insect orders, more than 400 million years old.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Fleas

Flea bites might leave you with swollen itchy bite marks. Fleas can create allergic reactions for some people and can transfer diseases. Fleas are not the simplest pest in the world to treat. If you do have a flea problem or are worried about fleas, you can give your pet medication as a preventative flea pest control measure. Fleas are parasites. The adult female flea must take in a blood meal before she can lay her eggs. The eggs fall from the host animal and collect on the surfaces below. Flea pest control is necessary as they will bite your ankles and legs. No one should have to put up with fleas and as long as you focus on your pet and make allowances for the flea season of summer you and your pet should be thrilled. Fleas are carriers of disease so you need to be extra cautious if you even suspect you have fleas. Having your residence inspected and treated by a flea pest pro, at the same time treating your pets can help eliminate most future flea problems. Applying the do-it-yourself products found in stores is often ineffective against large infestations and can introduce unnecessary chemicals into your environment. Skilled flea exterminators have access to the necessary equipment and high concentration insecticides. They also have the knowledge and training to apply them successfully. Flea specialists know the exact concentrations use these chemicals safely and securely and suitably for the situation. You could easily pay more money attempting to treat the problem yourself with sprays from the store and still have no results, than it would be immediately seeking help from someone proficient in pest control who offers a guarantee with the work.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Beetles

If you experience destroyed clothes, carpeting, upholstery and other items, it most likely is carpet beetles. These little pests are much more common than most homeowners realize. They might be very destructive, and to make things worse, they are quite difficult to control. You may discover one or two beetles or the evidence they leave behind, but the beetle problem can grow if not handled adequately and promptly. Aside from eating on your belongings, these beetle larvae shed tiny hairs which can create allergies. Infestations of these beetle pests have been linked to the spreading of infectious diseases, like Anthrax. Part of the problem with controlling carpet beetles is that they reside in many parts of a house and eat a lot more than carpeting. They eat everything containing organic fibers and organic products. There are 3 species of carpet beetle that are the most common problem for property owners. These are the different carpet beetle, the black carpet beetle and the furniture carpet beetle. Larvae are by far the most harmful stage in their life cycle. Females lay anywhere from 50 to 100 eggs near food sources. An adult beetle can live 4 years, laying eggs once a year. Eggs are exceptionally resilient. When the eggs develop into cocoons and larvae, they stay in this stage almost a year. The larvae is the most damaging stage. Both eggs and larvae are very tough to detect since they tend to blend in with the fabric they inhabit. Once they mature, carpet beetles are scavengers and may be found in areas well away from food sources. You might find one or two larvae crawling on surfaces. But the first sign of a carpet beetle infestation is normally irregular holes chewed in fabrics. They live on the nap of fabrics and carpeting without eating the base threads. If you are finding holes in fabrics around your house, and think the damage is due to carpet beetles, look for fecal pellets and skins shed by the larva. They most often feed in dark secluded places, so do a thorough examination for them.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Ticks

Ticks are arthropods that are occasionally mistakenly termed insects. Insects have 3 body regions, six legs, and normally possess wings. Ticks lack wings, have two body regions, and depending upon their developing stage, might have either six (larva) or eight (adults and nymphs) legs. Ticks possess significant potential for transmitting organisms that may cause disease in humans and other animals. These disease-causing organisms include protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. Bites from specific ticks can cause a rare limp paralysis starting in the lower limbs and moving upwards with death resulting if the tick is not promptly removed. In addition, tick bites can cause skin irritations or even allergic reactions in sensitive individuals who are repeatedly bitten. Ticks attach themselves for a period of time, and then drop off their host to lay eggs. They need a blood meal at each stage of life in order to grow. The female tick must engorge herself with blood to obtain the nourishment necessary to produce the thousands of eggs she generates. Despite the large number of eggs produced, only a small percentage will make it to maturity.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Squirrels

Squirrel pest control might be very tricky, but as with a lot of pests it starts with prevention. Cover all gaps to your residence, repair damaged house windows, and check your house for openings or structures that provide squirrels access to the property. When you are sure all of the entry points have been protected, you may look at an electric fence around your yard or home. Funnel-shaped plastic collars can be installed at the top of posts that support bird feeders to prevent squirrels from accessing seeds or nesting babies. Branches that hover over your roofing should be trimmed to protect against squirrels from accessing your chimney. Finally, eliminate outdoor food items sources squirrels may find such as garbage or pet food. Regrettably, removing squirrels from your own property can be quite dangerous. As such, professional pest control is likely your best option. Generally, squirrels are attracted by woods and trees, so if your home features trees you are more likely to have squirrel pest control problems. Once they get into your house, usually through a chimney or fireplace, they chew electric wires, mattresses and blankets, and other parts of your house. One of the primary concerns associated with a squirrel infestation is electric fire, as these pests can compromise your home’s electrical system by chewing through wires. However, squirrels can decimate your garden by eating plant bulbs, seeds and buds as well as ripe vegetables. They may even damage your lawn as they bury food reserves.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Voles

Voles, also termed meadow mice, are normally gray or brown in color and are pretty compact rodents. They have small tails, compressed legs, and stocky bodies. They flaunt eyes that are extremely tiny and have ears that are partially hidden. They have a layer of underfur that is commonly dense and covered with longer, thicker guard hairs. Voles do not have specified times that they are active so they can be seen scurrying about all year round in the day or night. Voles dig numerous shallow burrows and make below ground dens that are made up of leaves, grass, and stems. They have no problem tunneling through snow in the winter season. Despite the fact vole numbers vary from year to year, their numbers often boost unexpectedly and rapidly. This is usually when wildlife control services are required. Not many homeowners know how to do away with voles and require trained specialists. Voles are very poor climbers and do not usually enter houses. However, vole control is often needed for the outside of the house. This is primarily due to the amount of destruction a vole can cause. Voles feed on a wide variety of garden plants. Some of these include carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and turnips. They also damage garden plantings such as lilies. These undesirable pests will gnaw the bark of fruit trees and damage tree trunks. This destruction will disrupt the flow of nutrients and water to the trees and can kill them totally. For these kinds of reasons, wildlife control professional services are needed to safeguard and maintain the vegetation and plants that exist on your property. Trained specialists know vole behavior and know how to get rid of voles.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Slugs

As I’m certain you recognize, slugs are among the most common and most stubborn landscape pests on the globe. They have a ravenous appetite, particularly for soft vegetations like the ones you have in your back garden. Their most preferred targets include cabbage, lettuce, sprouts, asparagus and strawberries, but they will certainly eat and destroy just about everything you try to grow. There are a wide variety of garden pests that you have to deal with when trying to produce things in your backyard. One type of pest that can become a problem over time are slugs. These can thrash a backyard garden very swiftly if you do not take care of the issue. There are many ways to deal with slugs in your backyard. The first thing that you can do is to make certain that your backyard garden isn’t in fact attracting slugs to it. Many make the mistake about having things in the garden that makes slugs want to be there. Do not provide the slugs the needed shelter from the sun. Many will exclude garden pots or other things that will make a nice shelter for slugs to be in during the day. Remove these things.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Snails

The basic backyard garden snail will chew through the soft leaves of greenery, which at best, appears unpleasant, and at worst, will kill the vegetation. If these little buggers have had you asking oneself, “How to manage garden snails?” then you are at the right place. We are specialists at effective snail pest control. Snails are an intriguing species to many individuals. However, the enthusiasm stops once these pests find their way into a well groomed backyard garden. This often happens to some extent as these slow moving creatures are always on the hunt for a good meal. The snail as a pest is a dreadful thing. They can eliminate young plants by chewing their stem or eating the seeds right before they finish germinating. They will eat irregular notches in leaves and this can lead to quick browning. A solitary snail can do enormous damage to a single plant in even the space of one night.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Earwigs

Earwigs hide throughout the day underneath debris or in dark areas, surfacing at night to eat plants, organic wastes, and much smaller insects. The standard name emerges from a totally misguided superstition that these insects wriggle into people’s ear canals during the night to bite them. Earwigs are harmless, only occasionally damaging flower blossoms. While Earwigs are scavengers, eating dead insects, decomposing plant materials they can also eat live vegetation and damage your vegetables and feed on the flowers of plants, including marigolds, petunias, hibiscus, and lots of other plants. Earwigs leave many tiny holes in plant leaves and flowers.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Rodents

Rodents which include rats and mice contaminate our food and living areas with their pee and feces and they carry diseases. Rats eating through wires are known to lead to over 50,000 property fires per year with another 100,000 plus fires that are probably triggered by rodents eating through house wiring. Rodents will infest your home or building in search of housing, food, water and warmth. Roof Rats can access your home by tree branches that touch your roofing, and Norway Rats and Mice typically find entry through tiny openings as small as a dime. Rats and mice can possibly be some of the most significant pests we have to deal with. Rats and mice will regularly attempt to co-exist with us in just about every structure we live, eat, and work in. Rodents have been identified to transport and transmit diseases, damage and destroy our structures, electric wires, and water pipes through their gnawing. Most people have a greater fear of rats and mice than they do of spiders. This anxiety can make you, your workers, or customers very uneasy. Working with an exterminator is the first step in solving the problem. At Go-Pher The Kill, we perform rodent control like nobody else. Along with trapping, baiting, and exclusion, we incorporate video into our service. You will have a live video stream to the places of activity so you can monitor our progress, and spy on your intruders, even at night! This service also gives our customers proof that their current problem has been resolved.

Pest Control Exterminator Service for Moles

A mole will eat up to 200 worms a day. A mole will eat up to 200 worms a day. The most efficient method to prevent nearly every pest is to take away their food supply. This is achievable with earthworms, but difficult mainly due to the job worms provide to the soil. It is a fact of good lawns, that if you have good lawns– there is a very high possibility that moles will also be a hazard. Proofing is achievable, but again not easy. The aim would certainly be to set up a physical shield between the sub-floor surface where the moles channel and the surface. A wire or grid method is possible that is then recovered with dirt and grass. Possible, but costly– but then it depends on the value of the lawn surface. There is a theory that vibrations keep them away. Commercially available sonic devices, which are inserted into the ground, aim to create vibrations which are supposed to dissuade moles. However, there is little scientific research into how effective this is in preventing activity. Protecting against moles is either challenging to replicate the work of worms, or costly due to the scale of area to protect. So control of the actual mole is typically the only technique to eliminate their damage, and this is why it is important to call in pest control specialists whenever you have a problem with moles. We know all of the best and least painful ways to deal with mole removal issues, making sure minimal pain for the moles, with the highest level of success. The other reason why it is a really good idea to call in pest control technicians to handle your mole removal problem is that they are very challenging to trap. There are a variety of ways of undertaking mole control treatments, all of them calling for some level of skill-set. The biggest problem is quite obvious of course, in that as they live below ground, equipment must be considered and position based on evidence and mole behavior and in their darken world, they will leave at the first sign of threat when their tunnels system has been disrupted.

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The Backwaters | Commission Piece

This is a commission piece for an anon. Also available on A03 Title: The Backwaters Summary: As an agent of SHIELD, Shuri’s assignment is to find and rescue Wanda Maximoff who disappeared in the backwaters of West Virginia. But her training is put to the test when the town’s mechanic Bucky takes a liking to her. Aged up! Shuri Warnings: Omega!Verse, Beta/Omega/Alpha Dynamics, OOC

< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >

The Backwaters | Chapter Two | Word Count: 2797

Apparently, staged car breakdowns isn't something new to SHIELD; she supposes it makes sense given their career, but it’s not something she particularly thought about until Fury gave her a specialized car. One press of a button and it kills the engine  give it a good second press, it’s back up and running.  Or something along those lines,  she just knew what button to press and when. He refused to just send her out there with a real broken down car with no emergency back-up plan to high tail the fuck out of there should it get ugly. 

Coulson is already stationed just outside of town, he gave her a somber good luck before they parted ways and she had told him the same, along with a side note to not get eaten by bears. The face he made told her that he didn’t quite think the idea of camping all the way through. She didn’t even bother to give him a little bit of comfort, just laughed before she hopped in the car.

Making her way through town, she wonders if they’re in the right spot. Hardly a soul in sight, it seems more like a ghost town than an active community. She spots a few cars, parked in otherwise empty lots and missing their drivers. It has the makings of a town, she supposes, small shops and all, but the closed doors and signs aren’t particularly welcoming. If there are people here, they’re definitely doing a great job of discouraging tourists.

There are only two places that have any sort of activity. She spots some movement in what seems to be an unmarked police department; she remembers that the town is unofficial, likely unlicensed, and unmarked on maps. She wonders if anyone in the department is the notorious sheriff from the next town over that was mentioned in the files, the famous Rodgers. It would make sense, becoming a sheriff in the place with the resources for the training before bringing it home. Especially if he’s stolen all the omegas he needs and doesn’t have room for any more.  Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Shuri.

The other activity, to her good fortune, is the small gas station that has an auto shop attached it and a bright, lit up open sign. 

Bingo. With a tight lipped grin, Shuri reaches into her pocket and feels the small discrete device that she needs. A press of a button later, the car sputters and begins to die off just as she pulls up to the service shop.  She’s not oblivious to the fact that she's the only car in the lot and despite the lit up open sign, she doesn’t immediately spot anyone inside the storefront. She can, however, hear the buzz and hammer of working tools which means she’s not completely alone.

She presses the pearls on her bracelet together and raises her hands into her hair, as if she’s just fixing her appearance in the rear view mirror. 

“I’m heading in Coulson. Sounds like there’s at least one person here in this ghost town working in the auto shop, but I’m not for certain. Could be a gang of them.”

There’s a brief moment of silence before a faint voice whispers from the bracelet, she raises it closer to her ear to hear Coulson’s voice more clearly.

“Just take it slow and easy, they have a lot of weapons close at hand in a shop.”

Shuri laughs, “Have some faith in me, Coulson. Update you when I can.”

Long legs swing out of the car as she walks into the open garage of the auto shop. She doesn’t spot anyone immediately and watches where she steps, the residue of who knows what splattered particularly everywhere. She peeks around the corner to see a man’s legs sticking out from under a raised car.

“Hello,” Shuri’s smile is bright and friendly, “Sorry to bother you, but do you think you can give me a hand? My car’s just outside in the lot, it’s completely useless, but at least it lasted long enough for me to find some help.” 

She gives a joyful laugh, eyes twinkling as the tools suddenly stop. The man drags himself out from the car in battered jeans and covered in so much grime that he’s just shy of looking like a bad fake tan. Long dark hair is pushed behind both ears, a bit greasy, but full and curling ends brush against his shoulders. The stubble on his face says he hasn’t shaved in a few days. He’s kind enough to grab a rag and wipe down his hands and his thick muscled arms that flex with each movement. 

His eyes are full of curiosity, looking her up and down as if he hasn’t heard a word she said and is instead only focused on the way her jean shorts hug her hips. Tense, she holds her head high and presses a firm hand against a swung out hip as she jabs a thumb to point outside.

“My car. Think you can fit it in anytime soon?”

His eyes snap to hers and it takes a moment before he speaks, matching her smile.

“Sorry, your accent is very… different.” His voice comes out in a unique smooth drawl, country, but not hick. “We don’t get a lot of Brits this way.” 

Shuri has been used to that reaction since she’s joined SHIELD; never from the agents, who come from everywhere and all walks of life, but always at least once on a mission from a passerby. 

“It’s nice,” he continues, “I like it.”

The statement, while not anything negative, gives her an unsettling crawl on her skin. He keeps smiling and staring just a bit too long for comfort. He doesn’t make any other movements or comments, an unnerving silence fell between them. Shuri’s smile doesn’t quite meet her eyes as she nods toward the lot.

“My car.” 

Her voice is a gentle reminder, causing his eyes to snap away from her, looking past her and into the lot.

“Right, right. Let’s take a look.”

He doesn’t bother asking which car in the lot is hers, she supposes he doesn’t really have to, but it still would’ve been nice customer service. She shouldn’t expect even that much in this town. At least the car is unlocked as he climbs into the driver’s seat to pop the hood, eyes darting all over the car, as if he’s trying to take in as much as he can. Aside from some luggage that doesn’t contain anything but casual clothes and a purse with a false ID, the car sits rather empty. He seems to pay a bit too much attention to the clean leather and dustless dash. She watches him carefully when he takes a few minutes too long to get out of the car and into the hood.  He doesn’t spend long digging into the hood before he pulls back, wiping his hands on the rag that’s now shoved into the pocket of his jeans.

“Your oil is pretty empty and the alternator’s shot. Engine looks like it needs a new battery.”

The battery part sounds more honest, she imagines it must look like something like that with the sudden stop of the engine. But the oil and alternator, she’s not sure just how much he’s bullshitting her and why. She could maybe believe the alternator, unsure with exactly how the car works to stop so suddenly, but if SHIELD really doesn’t have any oil in their car, she would personally pay for Fury’s next vacation.

But if this is what he’s giving her, it’s what she will work with. She knows how to play her part. She bats her eyes at him, akin to a damsel seeking a hero, and sits on the now closed hood, crossing her long bare legs over each other. She playfully swings a foot in the air, almost impatiently as if she’s unsure of what to do.

“I just bought the car, I didn’t know I needed to change the oil.” She pouts for good measure, hoping that it would take his mind off the rather empty and clean car.

It works like a charm, with him chuckling before speaking in a well honey tone as if he knows more than she does and is taking pity on her by explaining every detail. 

“Anytime you buy a car, new or not, you’re gonna want to change the oil, sweetheart. The engine may be out, considering the whole thing seems pretty dead. You’re lucky it didn’t go out on you before you got to town.”

A finger brushes against the device in her pocket, her tongue darting out to lick her bottom lip. Luck of course. She supposes she looks rather lost, with him looking at her with that intense glare, briefly looking over her clean shaven, long bare legs. She hoped that the tiny shorts would help pass her off as a younger girl who doesn’t know much about the world, keep suspicion off, but she uncrosses her legs and stands up, almost feeling protective against his gaze. 

“I suppose it’s going to take you awhile to get it running again,” Shuri muses, “Is there any motel nearby?”

She didn’t see any motel when she was driving through town, which hurts her idea of staying in town as much as she can while the car is getting fixed and the idea of staying a few towns over doesn’t settle well with her. She wants to stay as close and personal to the town as she can.

He shakes his head. “The next motel is over fifty miles out and too long of a drive for someone without a car. You got someone you can call to get you?”

Yes. She thinks of Coulson, worst case scenario, she will have to either sleep in the car or stay out in the tent with him. But staying with him could cause future problems if someone spotted them out there together. Staying in the car wouldn’t be awful. She has yet to see a single security camera, she could always turn the engine back on at night while she’s sleeping; but that would have a higher risk of someone seeing her supposedly dead car running. 

“No,” Shuri speaks evenly, “I don’t have a phone to call even if I had anyone. I suppose I can crash in my car on your lot until morning, if it’s not too much trouble.” 

“Can’t let you do that, sweetheart. Most folks around here are friendly enough, but it still isn’t safe for a young thing like yourself to be sleeping out here at night alone.” 

He looks her over, as if he’s weighing some other option that he hasn’t voiced yet, his brows drawn. She doesn’t trust that look, but is interested to see where it’s going to lead.

“My folks have a spare room, I’m sure they’d be happy to set you up for a night or two.”

Ah yes, that wouldn’t be compromising at all, Shuri debates for a moment, but the idea of at the very least meeting other people in this town sounds inviting, “I wouldn’t want to impose….”

He whispers her words over, as if he’s memorized by them, with a twisted grin and a sparkle in his eyes. 

“I like the way you think, doll, but my folks would love to have you. They don’t get a lot of visitors anymore, especially now that I’ve moved out. My cousin stayed with them for a while until he became sheriff in the next town over. He’s back home now, decided being a sheriff here where he’s needed is better. Newly wed too, so I’m not sure if he’s been up to visit the folks too much.”

Everything about what he seems turns her stomach sideways as she realizes that the Rodgers family is definitely bigger than they thought it was, making him one of the top contenders for being a kidnapper, or worse. If there was any doubt that this Steve Rodgers hadn’t been the reason for that disappearance in the same town he happened to be sheriff in, it’s definitely gone now. It’s too suspicious that he would return home so soon after becoming a sheriff, with a wife to boot. 

She’s not sure just how ‘friendly’ his folks really are either, but if it’s the same Rodgers family, then she can’t be for certain that his mom is actually here of her own will. 

It’s risky - very risky - and she’s not sure where this man, who has yet to even tell her his name, is going with all of this or what he’s planning. She has some ideas, though, which means she’s going to have to tread carefully. But the chance to meet other people in the town, see the Rodgers family herself, and have the admittedly small chance of even catching Steve Rodgers himself, it’s too good to pass up.

“Well if you’re certain,” Shuri’s smile has a dangerous edge to it that he doesn’t catch, “I would love to.”

_________________________________

He doesn’t drive her through the town, making her tense as she watches each tree pass by them the further they go into the mountains. He doesn’t even drive her off to a farm, just a dirt road that turns more into a beaten path as they dodge the overgrowth.

He tells her his name is James on their drive, but he insists on her calling him Bucky. Apparently nicknames are the norm in the area, with everyone treating each other like family. Bucky talks as if there’s a lot of people around, and she wonders just how many. But as long as Bucky is willing to talk, she’ll milk it for all its worth. The more information she can get, the better.

“Your parents live this far from town,” she asks tentatively and curiously, not quite glancing at him as she watches out the window. 

“My entire family has lived on the mountain for two hundred years, give or take. Houses are scattered about all over the mountain, we’ve always liked our privacy. My folks don’t really leave the mountain anymore, but a lot of the family still ventures to town when needed and for special occasions. Every so often, people like my cousin may venture out of town to find themselves a good wife to bring back home.”

“Sounds a bit claustrophobic,” Shuri ventures, testing the waters of the conversation, “You make it seem like no one’s allowed to leave.”

His knuckles are tight on the steering wheel and he glances at her through the corners of his eyes, his friendly demeanor is darkening rapidly and she sees it - that look in his eyes that tell her she’s walking on thin ice. Good. 

“Nonsense, living on the mountain is about as free as you can get.” 

The rest of the drive is silent and Shuri isn’t about to risk setting him off, not when she can be so close. Besides, he’s already told her quite a bit, enough for her to start to get a good idea of what’s really going on here. It does, however, make her skin crawl as she focuses more on what his motives could be for bringing her here.

His parents, thankfully, don’t live in some backward rut like she almost expected. The house is modern, larger than she thought would be needed, with big windows. Meeting his father, she can tell where Bucky got his structure from, but he definitely has his mother’s eyes.

The night goes better than she thought it would, with it being filled with friendly smiles and polite conversations. His mother was tickled when she offered to help cook, but it was more for Shuri to at least know what she was eating and to avoid any possible chance of getting poisoned. When they sit to eat, she watches every drink poured from a fresh spout closely and is tight lipped and vague about the way they fawn over her pearl bracelet, with his father saying that ‘it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry for a good southern woman.’ 

They fuss over her all night, careful to let her win any of their card games, and complement her often. She accepts every complement with a shy smile and a carefully worded compliment in return. 

But when the night comes, after she’s lead to a spare bedroom, Shuri waits until she is sure that every living being in the house is asleep and every light is off before she looks out the window and presses the pearls of her bracelet together.

“Coulson,” her voice is soft and tense, “There’s been a little bit of an unexpected development.”

Commission Information | A03

[axlhazarikain-blog]

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Da Funk

Since I have been staying at my friend's pad, one of her dogs took a liking to me. It was her sons dog, Sir aka: Rookie Wookie. That dog just loved me to pieces, why I have no clue, he would sit by the door and wait for me, sit infront of the bedroom and lay in the hallway.....hoping I would cave in and let him lay with me. I was tempted to take him out and do a photo shoot and me dress up almost as if I stepped right out of an episode of Star Wars.....the vintage story more like around the time frame of Dryden Vos. I imagining I was the love interest or one of his captives/ assistant. Rookie Wookie even made sounds like Chewbacca which was hilarious. The first time he did it to me it caught me off guard because he had gotten out and typically when dogs get out of they run wild and your forever trying to catch them......this morning it was different he and LG had gotten out. Now LG is a pit mixed,Sir/ Rookie Wookie is a red heeler mix. I believe he is red heeler and spaniel mixed.....but my friend will swear up and down he was a German Shepherd mixed🙄 So Rookie Wookie he did what I call a victory run and then he went to pee. LG followed suit. I walked over to them, LG continued to use the restroom and looked at me as if to say, "Do you mind?!" Rookie Wookie sniffed the grass and as soon as he saw me he ran over making the sound 🤣😂I didn't realize it but if Harrison Ford had been standing there everything that I said and did afterwards, well sounded like I was talking to Chewbacca 😂🤣I was even trying to whisper cuz it was morning🤣😂The dogs listened😮 Surprisingly! I told Wookie it was time to go in and he followed me sniffing everything along the way, LG ran over to me. LG got in the door we had to wait before it was Rookie Wookie's turn he heard the camotion and began to howl looking at me between breaths of howling much like Chewy would😂🤣I realized this in the second round of howling and played the part, laugh out loud. Rookie Wookie knew when I was upset, knew when I was happy and knew when I needed a laugh or was sad. My first night at my friend's I even woke up to him literally sleeping in my lap, almost like he knew I needed a hug, the next night he slept at my foot which is the biggest compliment ever. I find it interesting that it was him that took up with me because I happen to be a HUGE Tom Hiddleston fan, like huge. Tom Hiddleston, apparently has a fur pet, named Buddy I'm not sure if Buddy is a Cocker Spaniel or Red Heeler or a mix of the two but needless to say Sir/ Rookie Wookie looked very similar. This season has been a very weird one since January mainly since March, there are times for me as fan getting ready for the release of Loki and then me as a fan going through all in one season the fandom of Loki;catching up,cuz I spent most of those years in a shelter.......ALL the MCU movies I watched while in the shelter. The whole reason we began was to pull me out of my funk, imagine that, going through something and a friend suggested we start watching the movies and ya know it worked. We for a short while, at least while the Avengers and Thor was doing their thing....we became family, doing what the Avengers would do, pausing to eat together.....me being the Loki at times.....a lot of times actually 🤣😂looking back on it and then turning around and being genius in the kitchen dispite what I was going through and like Dr. Strange rocking it out, being taken out of the kitchen and feeling much like Dr. Strange did afterwards and me like Dr. Strange forced to find higher purpose to heal myself and well getting a result much like Dr.Strange.

I've spent most of this season honestly trying to figure out if I'm to risk everything and try, try to break through at age 38 now 39 with the purpose of trying to see Lady Deadpool come to life on Cinematic screen or if I'm supposed to at age 39 go for it and try to make it as a make-up artist and or hairstylist. I considered risking everything and trying to go for a chance of a lifetime for a series that actually wanted to train those wanting to learn.......the only thing that stopped me was it was in a different country and it's one thing to be homeless close to home but homeless going for your dreams in a foreign place I actually was like.....Ummm if I fail,it's gonna be an epic fail and Well ya!" Although Scotland sounded like a dream hashtag goals and well, I do know a lot of biblical info enough to have the average person left going😲😮Like you stored that away in your brain....what the heck! Why aren't you a scholar or something 😂🤣 So I found out that my buddy that found me parelled his, I just keep wondering if this was a sign. I was not the dogs owner, and yet it listened to me as if I was, almost like he choose me. So I'm still up in the air what I should do honestly, I've been inspired by so much this season it's hard to put it all down and honestly some strange things that have happened that almost make me think I should try. I've been debating on if I should move to New York. Why New York, I haven't got a clue it just keeps coming up. There was a job opening recently that was in New York, I felt it was a job I should have applied for because I could have rocked it out, I let fear get in the way from applying, again being homeless in New York, is not ideal or starting over again.....it's literally sink or swim. Cold winter.....being homeless in the winter sucks ass, just saying. Imagine being up North......No!!!!!! So that was the factor that stopped me that and Pandemic issues in regards to the Delta Varient. However, it does keep coming up, should I try starting over again in another state, would I be more successful? Who knows, in my opinion I think it would be the same, just different people and scenery so to speak but hey I could be wrong. I keep thinking that my life is gonna some how change drastically for the good by moving to New York, like almost as if it was destiny type thing. I don't believe much in destiny but it keeps coming up, the whole New York thing. The shelter systems in a way are even better, the programs and the success rate and resources are better. However I'm not sure if those statistics are based off of women with children if this also includes women without children and women in my age bracket, that also plays a factor believe it or not. Not living there I can already without digging probably guess that shelters are gonna probably be in or near Brooklyn, so to me then there is the factor of how do I get to interviews, jobs, if I do pursue my dreams schooling or classes. Restaurants are probably gonna be on the other side of the bridge then there's the factor of the bridge, during the winter is that something I need to be doing. How long are these programs for time line wise am I looking at a couple of weeks to get a job,save and find something or is it 90 or 180 days or something between those two numbers. What are the other variables. I can tell you all about Texas, TABC, Food handlers, etc but in another state what's it like? Health care, would my situation medically be able to be fixed there through indegent programs or are my chances better here in Texas??? Cuz that has to be taken care of at some point.

My goal if I do this would be to move there, get in a shelter cuz I have nothing, first get my medical issue taken care of then work on what I'm calling physical therapy (losing weight)training down to the size I'm normally at which is an athletic size 12 or 14, while I'm doing that since medical issue is taken care of working and saving, finding a place then from there either going back to school or doing the crazy and attempting to start an acting career or technical backstage career either as makeup artist and hairstylist or just makeup artist and possibly my other strength in tech; props and set building, believe it or not. I already asked my high school drama teacher when I thought I was gonna apply for the Good Omens job opportunity if she'd be willing to write me a letter of recommendation and she hands down was all for it.....soooo I'm not sure. I mean it would be a big risk. I keep having reoccurring dreams were I'm in New York, I'm not sure if it's a sign or if there's something else that is being said to me in my dreams and I'm just focusing too much on the literal. Either way I've been doing a lot of thinking since February 😬.

Back to Rookie Wookie, he passed today. It came as a shock to me. Like I said for whatever reason he was brought into my life even if it was, just for a short while to help me along to the next part of my journey but I must say, my jaw like to have hit the floor that again on the fact that a four legged friend mine was similar to someone I admires fur baby. What is so weird about this is,in my dreams, Sir/Rookie Wookie was there with me in New York, I had asked my friend if he could go with me and she had said yes. We walked a trail together in a park, if that even exist and we would go have coffee together and I'd feed him pieces of apple or frozen green beans🤣😂sounds weird, I know and I even got him certified so he was my service dog, I imagined him a Wookie and me dressed space age😂🤣even the collar. I know I had waaaaay too much dream thought into this and then he'd sit with me head in my lap while I read to him whatever book I was reading or with me enjoying whatever music I was listening to. In my dream we even jogged together. I firmly believe that some animals have a spirit about them, almost as if they are like sent from God to be with you or that they have a human type personality Rookie Wookie was that type of animal and he will be missed greatly.

[castingdirect]

CONTRASTS: Schools and Uni's In The UK Dealing With 'Rape Culture' Yet Advise Students How To Do Sex Work

Desperate students sell sex to pay fees as lockdown kills off jobs in pubs and shops Many students like Sophie are left with no choice but to turn to the sex industry as they struggle for financial independence among the epidemic. Desperate students selling sex to make ends meet are behind a surge of pleas for help to the 'prostitutes' union.' The English Collective of Prostitutes said calls to its helpline from young people at University and college had risen by a third in 2021, and the campaigning group has seen a surge in the numbers selling sex since lockdowns sent student finances into freefall. Many sell explicit pictures of themselves on sites like OnlyFans as traditional bar and restaurant work dried up. Now, as many as eight students a day are calling for support and advice, and some Universities are even publishing guides on how to safely sell your body. Laura Watson is a spokeswoman for the group and said: 'We have seen a significant increase in students going into prostitution as tuition fees have increased. Some women in our group are working to pay of debts of over £30,000. Since the pandemic a lot of women have been getting in touch starting sex work too.' 'Jobs in shops and pubs, that students would traditionally have taken have been been available, especially during the pandemic. There just aren't a lot of options out there - and women have to find a way to survive.' The ECP, founded in 1975, campaigns for the decriminalisation of sex workers and improved rights and safety. Calls included inquiries from students who are new to sex work and want to know their rights - but some seek help after being hounded by clients. Ms Watson explained: 'During the first lockdown, there was a mass wave of women going online and OnlyFans was one of the big ones people went to.' 'We've been dealing with stalking and harassment cases specifically related to this where people say clients are persistently getting in touch with them.' 'Some women have had their content stolen and reposted somewhere else. Others say clients have somehow gotten their personal details and posted them in other forums.' Valued at over £725 million, OnlyFans has boomed in the pandemic. It was founded by Essex businessman Tim Stokely, and as of December, it had more than one million people posting private pictures, up from 120,000 in 2019. The increase in students opting to carry out sex work online has raised other safety concerns,' Ms Watson said. She explained: 'People are having to compromise anonymity to make the money they need. Those making money from sex work in person before the pandemic went on OnlyFans and realised you have to produce so much content to make money, and it's really hard to do that without including your face and voice in the videos.' 'Things people have never dreamt of being on a website are now creeping online because it's the way to make money.' A poll of 3,200 students in 2020 claimed 4% were selling sex to fund their courses, and one in ten said they would do it in a cash emergency. The ECP saw a 'significant increase' in the numbers turning to sex work after University costs skyrocketed under austerity measures introduced by the Conservative and Lib Dem Coalition Government a decade ago. Former Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg built his 2010 election campaign around a promise to abolish the £,000-a-year tuition fees - only to treble them instead. Undergraduates can pay up to £9,250 per year and hundreds of thousands end up with massive debts, meanwhile, the average student rent was £547 a month in 2020, or £640 in London, according to Times Higher Education. The Workers of England Union is calling for reform to tackle student living costs. General Secretary Stephen Morris said: 'Universities shouldn't leave it to potentially unscrupulous landlords to require extortionate fees. Living costs need to be controlled because landlords are trying to get as much as they can out of it, which can increase debt for students.' The financial cost increase means students might either give up or go into certain lines they shouldn't be. It's appalling if students feel they have no choice but to turn to sex work. You wonder what other illegal avenues other will turn to.' Universities that have published guidance relating to sex workers have come under fire, with some critics accusing them of legitimising sex work and encouraging the trade. Brighton University was criticised for allowing a sex workers' health and support service to run a stall at a freshers' fair. The University of Leicester issued a guide called 'Student Sex Work Toolkit for Staff in Higher Education'. It details how to support those who are turning to escorting, online services and stripping. Staff are advised not to be judgemental or 'assume a student wants to leave the sex industry', They should also 'challenge university policy which allows sex workers to be expelled for "bring the University into disrepute",' it says. The English Collective of Prostitutes has also produced advice which is 'circulating widely' among students. Spokeswoman Ms Watson added: 'Often women are very secretive about sex work and don't want their family involved.' The Student Sex Work Research Hub states that 'morality clauses' in tenancy agreements mean that sex workers can face eviction, lose their deposit, and even end up homeless. It states: 'If a student is evicted from their halls, it can be put on their accommodation record, which can prevent them from having accommodation in the future and can even be accessed by different departments of the University.' 'In the worst case, student sex workers can be permanently expelled. This has far reaching ramifications for a student's ability to get an education.' A Universities UK Spokesperson said: 'Universities recognise the financial hardship many students have experienced, particularly during the pandemic, and are providing increased financial support and other support as well as speaking with Government about further support.' 'Universities encourage legal, healthy and safe behaviours and support students to make the right choices. The focus, based on Universities' duty of care to their students, is on keeping students safe, educating them about the risks, and maintaining an open line of communication and support.' I COULD BARELY AFFORD TO BUY FOOD - NOW I EARN £7,200 A MONTH Chemistry graduate Sophie McBurnie, 22, turned to OnlyFans in desperation as a third-year student. Despite having a part-time supermarket job, the Lancaster University student's loan still left her short on her £5,000-a-year rent. She said: 'I'm from a middle class family so my maintenance loan was the lowest possible. My parents are good earners, but they didn't have spare cash to lend. I was £2,000 short on my rent in my third year so I had to come up with the money. Over the three years it just got worse and worse. I worked all Summer at Asda but still ended up negative.' Sophie said: 'It was really bad. By the third year I'd maxed out my overdraft, I owed two people £200 and I could barely buy food.' Sophie, who models under the name Piri, has 1,300 subscribers, each paying £8.73 per month and has hired an accountant to manage her affairs. Sh now makes £7,276 per month and estimates she has made £43,659 from the platform in just 10 months. 'The first month was very disheartening as it didn't take off immediately,' she said: 'A lot of people quit but I stuck with it and it was the best decision I never made.' Sophie, originally from Rochdale, added: 'My parents were very unhappy with it and wanted me to stop. But I've told them how much I'm earning and I feel they understand now.' SUGAR DADDY BOUGHT ME THINGS UNTIL HE COUND'T AFFORD IT Indi, 20, said turning to internet sex work to fund her education was 'a no brainer'. The third-year history student makes £400 a month selling images and videos to OnlyFans subscribers. Indi, who models under the name Pea, said: 'I started at the beginning of lockdown because I was bored and skint. I've just kept doing it. Now I'm thinking about doing other things. Camming seems like a fun thing - to sit there and people virtually throw money at me.' 'But I don't think I'd ever be an escort because that seems quite scary. I feel safe what I'm doing and I'm having fun.' Indi, from West Yorkshire, keeps her work a secret from her family, but added: 'It's mostly underwear shots and stuff - it's all high quality. I'll do explicit videos and custom-made content to customers who pay more.' 'I've had sugar daddies. A guy bought me things for a month from Amazon Wish List until he said he couldn't afford it anymore.' 'But I find it to be a safe space. It's me who is in charge and it fits in nicely with Uni work. It's just a part-time job with a difference. I can just do little photoshoots whenever I want.' IT SHOWS ENTREPRENEURSHIP Aalyia lived at home to save money - but was still so skint that she stripped for cash. The 24-year-old took her clothes off on the web while struggling to pay tuition fees for her art and design course at Leeds Beckett. Aaliyah, from South Yorkshire, carried on even after graduating in 2019 and quit her job in graphic design to go full time on OnlyFans. She said: 'I started at Uni because few other people were doing it and making a lot of money. It's not cheap to go to Uni and the debt you can leave with can stay with you for the rest of your life.' 'Students, especially young women, are realising that they can earn money quickly to fund their studies. I don't see a problem with it, I think it shows entrepreneurship.' Aaliyah, who lived at home while at Uni, still had to take a £3k-a-year loan to meet her outgoings. She said: 'Even though I didn't have rent, I had to pay tuition fees and commute to Uni. I took up some part time jobs to get by but I wish I found OnlyFans sooner, to be honest. Read the full article

[kansascitychiefsschedule]

Commercial And Residential Basement Waterproofing Contractors

Residential & Commercial Basement Waterproofing - Save Time and Money

While the procedure of waterproofing your basement can appear challenging, it's always much better to spend for protective procedures than it is to try and repair damage that's already been done. The expert structure and basement professionals working out of the Cleveland, OH, location can assist you identify what your waterproofing costs might appear like after a house evaluation.

Updated: September 2020 Modification expense aspects, integrate homewyse products and add items you produce - in a resuable pricing app personalized to your business. Start with a popular templates listed below or develop your own (free; Account sign up required): For a standard job in zip code 47474 with 120 square feet, the cost to Waterproof a Basement starts at $8.

08 per square foot *. Real costs will depend upon task size, conditions, and options. To estimate costs for your task:1. Set Project Zip Code Get In the Postal Code for the location where labor is hired and materials acquired. 2. Specify Project Size and Alternatives Go into the variety of "square feet" needed for the task.

How To Seal Foundation Cracks - Pro Or Diy Basement Waterproofing

Re-calculate Click the "Update" button. Unlike websites which mix rates from different tasks, Homewyse creates customized quotes from System Costs. The Unit Expense technique is based on job particular information and existing expenses (See This Site Basement Waterproofing Kansas City). Contracting, trade, style and upkeep services rely on the System Expense technique for transparency, precision and reasonable profits.

Waterproofing problems are distinctively different - system. As an outcome, the solution must be personalized for your house. How much does basement waterproofing expense? The cost to water resistant your basement depends upon the level of waterproofing you need. If you have dampness without puddles, then a trustworthy basement dehumidifier might be all you require.

In any case, it's always great to hire a basement waterproofing specialist. Furthermore, be cautious of professionals who tell you the cost of basement waterproofing before they see the issue. Significantly, every home has unique soil and environmental factors. Waterproofing issues are uniquely different. As a result, the option must be tailored for your home.

Top Basement Waterproofing and Basement Waterproofing Services

Exterior waterproofing involves digging down to the basement foundation footing. Once the digging is total, water resistant barriers would be set up over the foundation walls. Finally, an external drainage system would be carried out. While this is an irreversible service, it damages your foundation and is really pricey. Moreover, external drains can trigger issues down the roadway.

To clean up the drains pipes, you'll need to excavate down to the drains pipes in order to get rid of the obstruction. As a result, this puts your basement foundation at threat for damage triggered by the digging. Interior waterproofing is one of the most cost efficient method to take care of your basement's water issue. This can involve installing a french drain or above flooring drain system.

As a result, this eliminates the water collected in the drainage system and dehumidifier. When effectively done, waterproofing can preserve the worth of your house, while likewise maintaining its security. See what Angie needs to say about Basement Waterproofing expenses. At JES Foundation Repair work, our team of in-house basement waterproofing specialists have actually necessitated solutions for basements and foundations of all types.

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If you would like a totally free quote, we're ready to help you. Call or e-mail us today to schedule an on-site consultation and composed quote. Read Here Basement Waterproofing Kansas City. We're proud to serve all of Hampton Roads, from Virginia Beach throughout Williamsburg and surrounding areas; Northern Virginia, DC, and Southern Maryland. View a total list of our service areas.

Guide for Basement Waterproofing in [@city]

95 value! You'll discover about wet basement issue signs and what they might suggest for your house's health and wellness. Look for:: March 29, 2015: October 19, 2020 Dani.

2017/01/12 Water in the basement is a major concern for each house owner. A damp basement is a health risk as it motivates the growth of poisonous mold. Waterproofing the basement is the only sure method of keeping it dry. Nevertheless, this is a huge job and should not be taken lightly.

Basement Waterproofing Methods And Cost Estimates

Working on a deep foundation from the outdoors needs more labor as more excavation has to be done. Usually, foundations are excavated four feet below the frost line and have window wells when they are much deeper than that for ease of gain access to. Home Page Basement Waterproofing Kansas City. Typically speaking, the much deeper the structure the higher the costs of waterproofing your basement.

Quick fixes like using sealant to stop basement leaks might cost less than extensive long-term services like digging a drain trench around the structure however typically, do not last. Interior Waterproofing Injection This is a quick fix for a damp basement although not typically recommended as a comprehensive solution. You can utilize epoxy or polyurethane to inject a fracture in a put concrete structure.

This is a system where a weeping tile is placed on the interior of the home by breaking the floor approximately 12 out from the wall. A weeping tile is put in a trench next to the footing and sloped to a sump pump (See Here Now Basement Waterproofing Kansas City). Relief holes are drilled in a block foundation to drain the wall and a dimpled plastic foundation membrane is secured to the interior wall from grade level to below the flooring slab.

Tackling Home Basement Waterproofings When You're Trying To Decide

Applying Membrane to Structure Wall External Waterproofing is the preferred technique and the very best way to ensure your basement stays dry for the long term. The foundation is waterproofed from the outdoors to avoid water entering the walls and into the basement. Digging a trench around the building to correctly waterproof a structure is thought about the very best long-lasting solution.

Excavating to the footing is the initial step so that the foundation can be cleaned up of loose debris and soil. The initial repair step might vary depending upon the particular structure however in general, it is a parging or cement repair that is first done to seal the structure. RCC then uses 2 coats of a trowel on rubber with a material mesh ingrained in between the coats for additional strength - crawl space.

The last layer of defense is a soil side dimpled plastic drainage membrane. It is the final of 5 actions for waterproofing the structure and promotes the drain of water on the outside of all the waterproofing products. A four-inch weeping tile with filter cloth is installed next to the footing and is linked to either the existing storm sewer connection or a sump pump - good bones.

How to Choose Basement Waterproofing - Free Inspections Mudjacking

Industry Experts on Basement Waterproofing in [@city]

The expense of basement waterproofing can normally range in between $1000-$ 25,000 but might go as high as above $50,000 depending on the size of the building. External waterproofing is a huge job and must always be handled by specialists. RCC's external waterproofing system will provide you with a long-term service, backed by a guarantee that is 2nd to none.

[official-portugal]

A (long ass) guide to become a Friendly Tourist ™ in Lisbon

You know, I complain a lot about tourists and all and last night it got me thinking that there might be people out there reading these and wanting to visit Lisbon but feel self-conscious so I want to make one thing clear: we don’t hate tourists, we hate tourism as a phenomenon and the way it’s being dealt with. We also don’t hate tourists, we hate assholes. So I decided to put together a guide on how to become a friendly tourist in Lisbon.

- If you can, avoid AirBnB, although I understand for you guys it might be cheaper that way. But if you pick an Air BnB, chances are the home you’re staying in belonged to someone who got kicked out so you could stay there. So be fucking respectful. Don’t come home drunk at 3AM, don’t make any fucking noise at night. There might be children right upstairs and old people downstairs, so don’t do anything you wouldn’t want others to do to you. There are neighbors in that fucking building, people who have to go to work, so be fucking respectful. 

- Be fucking nice to every worker you come across. In Portugal, whether you’re at the checkout or having your order being taken by the waitress, when these workers approach you, you’re supposed to greet them. Say “good morning”, “good evening”, or just plain “hello”. Also, finish with please, always. If you don’t, I guarantee you, you won’t be treated differently because these people can’t risk their jobs, but you’ll be labeled a cunt. Like, it costs zero. You don’t just come up to someone and say “TWO COFFEES PLEASE”. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SAY GRACIAS.

- Don’t fucking expect people to speak your language, but they will fucking try, so don’t be a cunt about it. Here’s the thing: in the public schooling system, the average portuguese learns two languages. We are taught french and english and the majority of kids even takes a third language in high school. We understand spanish and italian enough to communicate. So we understand what you’re saying, but it doesn’t mean we can speak it. But are you really demanding that we, who already speak 3 languages, speak yours as well you fucking dildo? Also, by “we” I mean naturally the youngest generation. Older people? Not so much. People working in tourism offices are making an effort, they know way more than you and they’re not there to cater to your needs. If you see them struggling with your language, help them. Also, if you disrespect them while you’re asking for directions, I can assure you they’ll give you the wrong advice out of spite, and you deserved it.

- We’re not a tipping kind of country but: we appreciate tips. What I am saying is, any tip is extra money, so it’s welcomed, but we are not culturally taught to monetarily award someone for their good services, instead we praise them. If you do come from a country that tips a lot, you should know we don’t have a “tipping rule”. Even if you leave just a couple of coins, it’s appreciated. But if you don’t come from a tipping kind of country, don’t feel obligated to do it. What you can do is praise their work. Thank them for their kind service. Tell them they’ve made your experience better. That means a fucking lot when you work in tourism because usually yall just see us as punching bags.

- There’s a difference between Pastel de Natal and Pastel de Belém. Both are custard tarts, both have different recipes. The first one, the Nata, can be found in literally any café. The second, the Pastel de Belém, can only be found in their official factory in Belém, across the street from Jerónimos. When you get there, you will see that the queue is super fucking long but don’t worry, they’re used to it and they have an efficient system. I promise you won’t be there for longer then like, 7 minutes.

- Canned sardines are not traditional. I don’t know who came up with this bullshit but I can guarantee you it’s just marketing. Sardines ARE traditional, just NOT canned. Canned sardines were the cheap, canned food the poorest of the poor ate back during the dictatorship. Usually, a whole can was shared by a family. So it kinda makes me offended that a symbol of poverty is trending, but aigh. The sardines we do eat traditionally are roasted outside on a cooker, sort of like a barbecue. THOSE are traditional. (By the way, you want to eat THE ABSOLUTE BEST, take the ferry across the river and pick a restaurant in Cacilhas, I guarantee you that’s the best place to eat sardines).

- Just because you can see the fucking Christ right across the river, it doesn’t mean it’s right there and that you can just get there. I can’t believe I had to explain this several times to tourists, but that Christ is standing on a fucking cliff. You can take the ferry, sure, but it won’t take you there, like, this is basic knowledge, I’d assume. There’s a service that cost 20€ and lasts for 2h and it stops there for a long time, if you’re one to complain about it a lot, take that. If you don’t mind grabbing your own ass and going there yourself, take the ferry and then take the 101 Bus, last stop. 

- There are three ways to get to Belém: tram, train and bus. And yes, by foot is too fucking far. Like, 1h walk far. All of them will be super fucking crowded. You might get luckier with the buses, since for some reason tourists seem to avoid them. The queue in Cais do Sodré is going to be too fucking long, and I honestly do not care one fucking second that it’s an inconvenience for your vacation because we, who depend on it to go to work, take 2h for it as well. The tram is going to be crowded and it's going to take you some 45 minutes to get there on a very bad day. Live with it. That’s the reality of the city, and this is a reality YOU created by coming here en masse, not us. So don’t fucking complain that we don’t cater to your needs because, remember, your inconvenienced holiday means hundreds of portuguese people are getting late for work and taking 4h a day in public transportation. So again, I do not give one flying fuck.

- Tram 28 is a public transportation not meant for you. You, as a tourist, fucked it up, keep that in mind. If you want to ride the traditional trams, there’s a touristic service made specifically for you that works as a hop on hop off and it does a wider route than 28. My advice is take that one, it has no thieves and you can sit down, and it’s two different routes (green tram and red tram). But if you do want to take the public one, then my advice is: take the 12 instead. If you want to get on 28, begin the route from the starting point at Estrela. It will be calmer there. If you want to go to the castle, then no, the tram isn’t the only way. Bus number 727 stops right at its door and it’s usually super empty. Take that one.

- Saint Geroge’s Castle is completely fake. Not a fucking stone in there is real. There are real ruins there, of course, but they aren’t even of a castle, they’re of an “Alcazaba”, an administrative center back when the moors were in portugal. That’s why the neighborhood next to it is called “mouraria” - the moorish neighborhood. Yes, there was a castle there from the 14th century onwards, but very little was left of that. The whole thing you’re seeing? Completely rebuilt in the 20th century. It’s even fascist propaganda in a way.

- Tuk Tuk drivers don’t know shit of what they’re talking about. The chances of them making shit up for you are like, way higher than you can imagine. You can’t comprehend the bullshit I’ve caught them telling tourists, like the Lisbon Cathedral is from the 19th century. They’re not tour guides, they’re fucking drivers. The info they’re giving you is generic and easily obtained. they’re speaking to you as a portuguese person who knows their traditions, but they don’t usually know shit about history and art because they’re not required to. So if you get on a Tuk Tuk, keep that in mind and don’t demand too much from the driver. And also, chances are they’re bullshitting you. I know one Tuk Tuk driver who is an Art History graduate and masters degree and is a great tour guide, since he’s someone I trust a lot with the history of the city, so if you really want to get on one and be real about it, hit me up and I’ll hook you up with him.

- Don’t make a fuss about the supposed “drug dealers” selling weed in broad daylight in Baixa. First of all, literally everyone in the city except you, tourists, know that what they’re selling is not drugs, it’s bay leaf squished into a powder, and I have to give it to them, their scheme is pretty fucking brilliant because it’s prompted tourists to go to the police and complain that “the drugs this guy sold me aren’t real” lmao. But this is a situation that again partly resulted out of mass tourism. So shut the fuck up because I know damn well it would take me one day to find out where I could get high in your country. And also, me as a citizen can’t do shit about it (BECAUSE THOSE AREN’T DRUGS LOL).

- Don’t be fucking unpleasant about the homeless and the beggars. Fucking really? There’s a high level of poverty in here. We’ve been saying for years but if you choose to believe your Time Out articles, then that’s not my fault. But be fucking respectful. Life isn’t cheap here, and we’re having it hard. 

- Please understand, once and for all, that Fado is pretty normalized. Like, it’s fucking everywhere. Every goddamn souvenir shop you’ll walk into, it’s gonna be playing fado. Restaurants, cafés, a fucking cab, same thing. I know it’s been sold as the traditional song of the people, poor and desolate living in the streets of Alfama, but that’s not it anymore. It’s been classified as World Intangible Heritage which means an incredible effort is being made to preserve it, WHICH MEANS the amount of Fado singers has increased incredibly. So there is no “real fado experience” anymore. The real fado experience is either a) a concert, or b) a dimly lit restaurant with a guitar player and a lesser known singer. 

- Be careful how much you’re being charged by the taxi drivers. If possible, don’t take a cab at the airport. If you’re moving from point A to point B WITHIN the city, you shouldn’t be paying over 10€. The starting fee is NOT 20€, it’s 3,90€. There’s a little extra added if you call a cab (instead of finding one on the streets) or take it at night. If you can, install the app My TaxiApp, the drivers there are pretty honest. Or use Uber.

- Don’t get on the Hop On Hop Off buses. Personally, I can’t see what’s so appealing about these, but there are a lot of reasons why in Lisbon they don’t particularly work: 1) traffic. You’re gonna be stuck in traffic, it doesn’t matter what time of the day you got on. 2) The waiting period. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes for a new bus to come by, but with traffic, we don’t know, and I certainly can’t predict it, since I don’t have a fucking GPS in me. 3) The bus that goes to the Castle is much, much smaller and it fills up way quicker because double-decker buses don’t fucking fit those narrow streets. So chances are you’re gonna be there for a while waiting because they’ll keep coming full. Not my fucking problem. Take a walk instead. There’s a touristic bus called Caravel on Wheels which would be my advice for you. I worked for them, it’s a 1h45 long video tour. The audio is very well put together and explains the history of Lisbon incredibly well, and it has a shit ton of languages, and you can just ignore the goddamn video, trust me. The assistants are super nice and sweet and the driver is amazing. We made a huge effort to make sure you wouldn’t forget that experience, trust me. Also, it allows you to see the most important parts of the city and then decide what you want to see by yourself.

- Don’t disrespect the monuments. Don’t paint on walls. Don’t spit on fountains. Don’t lean on statues, don’t get close to statues, don’t even breathe on statues. Don’t fucking touch the paintings, the artworks, any fucking thing you find inside a museum. It sounds ludicrous that I have to point this out but you wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen.

- Mouraria, Alfama and Martim Moniz aren’t just the most traditional parts of Lisbon, they’re some of the most multicultural and poorest too. So don’t be a fucking racist asshole. There are indian, chinese, and sikh, among others, communities in there, including “illegal” mosques and chinese restaurants. Don’t be unpleasant to the locals. Don’t be disrespectful to the people who live there. The thing about the portuguese is we love tourists, we’re welcoming like that, IF you are nice. These people are happy to welcome you to their neighborhood, trust me, they are, but you gotta be respectful. 

- Avoid eating at Rua dos Correeiros. If you don’t know what street that is, it’s the only one in the entire fucking Lisbon where every fucking restaurant will have a guy holding a menu approaching you and BEGGING you to eat there, and I mean every single one. Most of those restaurants are most likely schemes and one in particular, Made in Correeiros, has made the news for convincing tourists to come in while holding a menu where they show prices ranging from 10 to 20€ and then inside suggest something that is at the end of the menu (but they will make sure you won’t see it) and it turns out a dish of salmon costs 500€. That whole street is made of shit like that and not a single one of them is traditional in the least, don’t let them convince you they are because they have a bitoque and bacalhau à brás, those are dishes that any portuguese with half a brain can cook, so walk away.

- Don’t be fucking rude to the bus drivers, and I mean every bus driver, whether it’s touristic bus or city bus, cause they are not required to speak your fucking language. There are a million different tourist offices where you can ask for help. Have your money ready when you enter the bus or recharge your Viva card at the subway. A bus fare is 1,80€ within any point in the city.

- And don’t be fucking rude to the vendors. They don’t control traffic. Especially resellers who don’t represent one company but rather sell several companies, don’t yell at them. They don’t control traffic and they don’t control the bus routes. Explain to them you are disappointed by the service and they will take a note and I can guarantee you they will inform the company about the delay/problem and will exchange your money. They don’t think any less of you and they understand you, as long as you’re nice about it.

- And don’t complain to them the city is disappointing! I don’t give a rat’s ass that Barcelona was more beautiful, go to fucking Barcelona and shut up.

- Don’t walk around with 100€ bills. Use 50€ bills for large purchases only. Most vendors aren’t even allowed to accept 100€ due to couterfit problems. Exchange your money at the appropriate place. Don’t fucking buy 3€ worth of fridge magnets with a 100€ bill like I’ve witnissed, come on. That’s common sense. 

- Things that ARE good, traditional souvenirs: porcelain magnets with sardines, tiles, bits of history and the black swallows you see everywhere. Bottles of wine, especially Port, too. Tawny being the best brand. Make sure it’s from Porto/Douro. The bags of salt if they come from Aveiro, otherwise I wouldn’t trust it. The famous red, green, blue or black scarves you see with floral motifs and fringes I guess can be considered traditional too, but be aware that 1) they’re mostly cheap imitations (the realest ones are really expensive) and 2) they’re traditional from way up north like, above Porto even. That’s a part of a very traditional outfit of a very specific region, linked to very specific traditions. Small portuguese guitars are pretty cute. Avoid the cork shit. Cork used to be our main export, now it isn’t and most of that crap I don’t even think it’s made here, it’s just a brand, but someone correct me if I’m wrong. Although the cork postcards are cute. Little stuff like notebooks, postcards and bookmarkers with Fado on it is cute too. A Vida Portuguesa is a store you’ll come across in Baixa that sells shit that looks cute and Art Neauveu-sy that recreates old stuff from the 40s and 50s.

- Things that aren’t traditional at all: canned sardines. Anything being sold on the streets. Certainly not the peruvian CDs on Terreiro do Passo.

- No, you won’t find random postmarks on the streets where you can slip in your postcards. There are a few, but are very scarce. There’s a post office in Restauradores, use that. You can usually buy stamps at any souvenir-looking shop or anything store that says “Casa da Sorte”.

- The green card you use for transportation is good for everything but you need to charge it either with money for all or in the appropriate machines that will give you the specific ticket you’re looking for. 

- If you walk inside ANY restaurant or whatever and ask for a cup of coffee, this is what you’ll get. If you want a larger coffee a bit watered down, ask for an abatanado. Or go to Starbucks. A garoto is a strong espresso with a bit of milk, served in an espresso cup. A galão is basically the same, but in a taller glass that will, for 99% of the time, look like this, and the milk is stirred until it forms foam, like a cappuccino without the chocolate. So be specific about what you want. Our coffee is very strong. Ask the waiters, they’re used to the confusion, don’t worry.

- Here’s an important thing to you if you’re stopping by during a cruise: no, you can’t fucking visit the whole city in one day. The city is way bigger than you’re thinking it is. You can’t see it all in 5h. So pick wisely. Here’s how to pick it: Oriente is the modern part of the city, the main attraction is the Aquarium (Oceanário). Belém is the historical part, where most of the main monuments are. Downtown Lisbon is the place you can walk to and discover by foot. If you’re strict on mobility, a Tuk Tuk is the perfect choice.

- Maybe this is kind of asking too much out of a tourist, but it would be great if you had any fucking clue what Lisbon even has. Don’t just stand in Rossio looking puzzled and ask me where the famous tiles are. You should at least know you’re thinking of fucking Porto, which is some 300km away. The worst question you can ask touristic vendors is “so what can you do in this city?” bitch I don’t know. Make your goddamn research. You like art? Here’s a list: Berardo Museum (contemporary). Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (from 14th to the 18th century and colonial art). Azulejo museum (those famous blue tiles). MAAT (contemporary art, also a nice overview of the city). Gulbenkian (antiquity to the 19th century and also a modern art center, a beautiful museum with amazing gardens). The Fado Museum. You want history? Here’s another list: anything in Belém, you don’t have to pay for the tickets even, the tower is not that interesting anyway and you can visit the church of Jerónimos for free, it’s the whole monastery complex you have to pay for. Church of São Roque for the prime example of baroque. The Lisbon cathedral. The Church of Saint Vincent. Estrela Basilica. Ajuda Palace. I don’t know what else, at the top of my head, these are probably the most important.

- The train to Sintra is in Rossio train station, which is NOT physically connected to the subway station. Stop asking me.

- Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Queluz are outside of Lisbon. Yes, you have to get on a train. I don’t care if it’s an inconvenience, I didn’t fucking build it.

- No, the beaches are not exactly in Lisbon. The ones that kinda are, you go to Cais do Sodré, you get on a train and get off at Oeiras or something. Ask someone there. The other ones are around Sintra or across the river. If you want to go across the river to Caparica, there’s a service that costs 10€, picks you up in the morning, takes you back in the afternoon. If you think that’s expensive and decide to go there on your own, then be prepared to pay a lot more and have the worst bus ride of your life. I’ve been riding TST buses my whole life, you have no idea the shit hole they are. Pay for quality, it’s worth it.

- No, you can’t get to Freeport by bus. It will take you too long and cost you a fortune. Pay 10€ for the shuttle. It’s way less than any other means.

- No, you can’t take a cab to Fátima. It’s 127km. Also, don’t take the train there. The train station is 30km away from the city. Take a bus. Rede Expresso is your friend. You can charge your fucking phone in that bus! Also you have wifi.

- Yes, you can walk around holding a cup or a bottle of beer on the streets, nobody cares. Just don’t litter. Throw that fucking thing in the garbage, don’t be a pig.

- No, the guys wearing a black outfit with a cape are not celebrating Hogwarts. That’s a joke someone started that caught on. I never actually thought people would believe it, yet here we are. They’re just university students getting drunk lmao. If you want cheap booze, follow them.

- Just overall be kind, don’t bump into people on the streets, don’t stall, smile and say thank you and good morning/evening/whatever. Remember: say obrigado if you’re a man, obrigada if you’re a woman. We don’t care that your portuguese is shit, we love that you tried and that you ask how we say things. We also don’t care that you’re actually speaking brasilian portuguese. We love that you went through the effort. 

- Portuguese people greet with a kiss on each cheek. A handshake is something more business-like. If you don’t like being touched, stay away and wave, we’ll get the message. But if you happen to meet an old lady, then you’re on your own, your cheeks are getting pinched, I can’t save you.

- We’re also incredibly loud. No, we’re not constantly fighting, we’re brutes towards each other. That’s how we show love. Don’t make a point of it.

- But remember: this city isn’t the hip, cheap, hot-spot you’ve been sold. It will look like that if you just wander around Baixa and Alfama and Mouraria, where mostly students and foreigners are. But that is not the reality. The “tradition” you’ve been sold, that supposedly lives in Alfama, practically doesn’t exist anymore. Any story that says “traditional” in it, I can guarantee you is not. The best restaurants are the corner tascas that smell of cooked potatoes and grilled beef. If the owner of a restaurant is fat, the restaurant is good, trust me this is a mnemonic that works. ‘

- Don’t act superior, don’t act like you know this city better because you’ve been here before or because you have portuguese friends. Or because you read this post lmao. Certainly, don’t walk up to tourist vendors and try to convince them YOU know more about traditions in their country than they do, like I’ve had people do with me. Cause you don’t lmao.

Add anything you might think is necessary and sorry for the long ass post

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we got weight loss tips for Women’s History Month, interviewer thought I was lying, and more

New Post has been published on https://weightlosshtiw.com/we-got-weight-loss-tips-for-womens-history-month-interviewer-thought-i-was-lying-and-more/

we got weight loss tips for Women’s History Month, interviewer thought I was lying, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. We got weight loss tips for Women’s History Month

This happened months ago but it’s still bugging me. I work for a large corporation that promotes diversity in the workplace. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we received an email with info on women’s health issues .. with tips like maintain a healthy weight, lose weight, having a thick waist ups your risk of stroke, consume less sugar and fat, and don’t smoke. There’s also information that women are more likely to experience urinary tract problems due to the way the female urinary tract is structured.

Am I wrong in thinking … WTF??? I can’t recall ever seeing an email with info about my male coworker’s urinary tract. Or suggestions that my male coworkers lose weight, eat less sugar, etc. How does this celebrate diversity? This whole thing feels really tone-deaf. I want to say something, but then I stop and ask if I’m overreacting. I need perspective, please.

You are not overreacting. Observing Women’s History Month by talking about diet and weight (and urinary tracts — WTF?) is bizarre and frankly kind of insulting. They would have been better off doing nothing! How about donating to a women-focused charity, seeking out women-owned businesses for your vendors, sending women on staff to leadership events, doing a pay equity analysis and releasing the info, and/or designing and implementing family-friendly policies around things like flex time and parental leave? “Eat less fat” isn’t it.

2. I think my interviewer thought I was lying about my degree

I had a very bad interview experience the other day. I am currently seeking a better opportunity for myself while working from home. I’m in my late 20s and I have been at my current job for two years. Unfortunately, the money isn’t good and I don’t enjoy the job either. The good news is that I just completed my second bachelor’s in business administration in May. Previously I received my B.A. in psychology. When I was updating my resume, I only included my business degree.

This brings me to the awkward moment of my interview call. I have been having severe connection issues during the entire period that I have been working from home. I was on a phone screen with a recruiter at a company in my industry. We seemed to be having a great call. She made a comment that my work history was very diverse and so I told her that my degree was in psychology and I worked at a shelter but didn’t feel it was my calling. Then there was this absolute silence (from her being confused about my major) and we lost the connection. I tried calling her back but it said “call failed.” About one hour later, the internet was restored and I opened my email only to find a rejection letter.

Because second degrees are a bit rare, I’m sure she thought I was lying about my background and presumed I hung up after realizing I was caught up in a lie. The rejection email said I don’t have the “qualifications and background needed,” which is not true. I haven’t sent her a follow-up or thank-you email but now I am wondering if I should reach out and explain the situation. Would you recommend I reach out to her and explain?

Yes. It might not change her decision, but you have nothing to lose by trying. I would say, “Thank you so much for your time talking with me. Our call was disconnected while we were still speaking — my service went down for an hour at the worst possible time! — so I didn’t get a chance to explain that while my resume lists my recent business degree, it doesn’t list my earlier bachelor’s degree in psychology from NYU (received in 2007). I think I may have introduced some confusion by referencing the psychology degree without explaining it’s not on my resume — and then we got cut off before I could. I realize you likely have many qualified candidates, but if this affects your assessment of my qualifications, I’d love to keep talking. If not, I wish you all the best in filling the role and with the work you’re doing. I appreciate your time!”

For what it’s worth, it’s possible that she didn’t think you were lying but tried to call you back, couldn’t reach you, rejected you for other reasons, and moved on. It’s still worth clarifying — it won’t hurt and could help — but I wouldn’t assume your interpretation is definitely what happened.

Also, any reason you don’t have the psychology degree on your resume? There might be good reason to leave it off, but if you ever bring it up in an interview, you need to quickly explain it’s not on your resume, or people are going to be confused.

3. Former boss is asking me about assignments I don’t remember receiving

I left my previous job in the midst of COVID-19 in March to start a new position halfway across the country. My boss at my previous workplace was great — very supportive, clear communicator. She assigned work, and I would complete it well. I would usually submit work on time (95% of the time). My boss was very happy to be my reference for the position I’m currently working in.

Fast forward to four months later. After months of not hearing from her, she is now emailing me (four times in the last two weeks) asking me for the file location for work that she claims she asked me to do that I never submitted. I have no recollection of her assigning this work to me. It would be out of character for me not to complete work as assigned, even on my way out the door. However, COVID-19 and moving across the country was stressful and weird. It would be out of character for me but I suppose it is possible this work was assigned to me and I didn’t do it (although I have no memory of that).

Is it unreasonable that she’s contacting me to ask where this work is four months after I left, seemingly irritated that she thinks I didn’t do what she asked? If it’s not unreasonable, what do I do? I have no access to my previous files. If she did ask me and I didn’t complete the work as assigned, I wish she could have contacted me sooner because wow I don’t remember much pre-COVID. Should I worry about my reference now around this?

It’s not unreasonable for her to ask about the location of one or two items a few months after you left in case you happened to be able to easily answer, but it’s not reasonable for her to sound irritated if you no longer remember (and four separate queries is too many).

I wouldn’t get into “hmmm, maybe I didn’t do it, it’s possible, I’m not sure” — that won’t serve either of you well! Instead, say something like, “I really wish I could help! So much has happened since I left that I don’t remember many specifics about projects I did for you before I went. I know I tried to be vigilant about getting everything done and it was really important to me to leave everything in good shape — but at this point I don’t have many of the specifics still in my head. I’m sorry I can’t help!”

As for how much to worry about it affecting your reference … it’s hard to say with certainty. If you’d always done good work and you sent me that email, I’d be inclined to just move on (figuring it was on me for not looking for the work sooner). Some managers would be more put out. If she knows for sure that she assigned it (for example, if she still has emails she sent you assigning the projects) and the work was important … well, she still should have looked for it earlier, ideally before you left! I can’t speak to how reasonable she is or whether it will affect her reference, but I can say that it shouldn’t, at least not unless there are more details than what’s here.

4. Should we offer severance to a belligerent, hostile employee?

I am a board member of a condo who recently had to fire our resident manager for a belligerent, profanity-laden outburst during a zoom board meeting. He has not been doing his job and has been suspected to be drinking or have been drunk while working (although no proof). He has gotten into heated arguments with owners. To further complicate things, our property manager has not done his job by documenting his complaints and appears to be protecting him rather than the board/owners. The property manager is pushing for some sort of severance for good will however the board is opposed to it. We feel we have a termination with cause for insubordination (lots of “F” words directed at us and calling names). What is your suggestions on whether we need to pay severance in this instance? He is talking to a lawyer regarding a possible hostile workplace or wrongful termination lawsuit.

As a general rule, it’s both kind and wise to give when you let someone go, because (a) it’s the right thing to do when you curtail someone’s source of income, (b) it’s likely to make your other employees feel better about the situation, and (c) you typically have the person sign a release of legal claims in exchange for the payment. The first two aren’t as compelling when you’re dealing with such egregious behavior (as opposed to, say, firing someone whose work just wasn’t up to par even though they were trying), but that release of claims is always a good idea, especially if a hostile workplace claim might have any legs. (Even if it doesn’t, you might not want to deal with the hassle of a lawsuit you expect to eventually win.)

Talk to a lawyer though. If he’s speaking with a lawyer himself, it’s likely that he’ll try to negotiate any severance you offer for a higher amount, and you should have a lawyer guiding you on your side as well.

5. Grouping jobs by functional area on your resume

I noticed that you’ve written about college career centers not being so helpful to students in their advice and how hiring managers dislike functional resumes. I have a question that combines these two things: my college career center advises students to organize their work experience on their resume by creating functional headers with experiences listed reverse chronologically below. (For example: as someone with a lot of editorial experience looking for communications jobs, I’ve been advised to create a “Communications Experience” section with my past relevant internship/job experience listed in reverse-chronological order below the heading. I also have one with “Project Management Experience.”) This format still involves listing out specific companies, positions, and dates—it’s just not lumped under one large “Work Experience” section.

Is this a new phenomenon that’s acceptable? Or just a mutation of the functional resume that still frustrates hiring managers?

That’s fine to do! The functional resumes that are awful are the ones that list skills and accomplishments without connecting them to specific jobs — just a list of things you did, without any context about when you did them or who you did them for. That makes it impossible to assess your experience in the way hiring managers want to, and looks like you’re hiding something. But what you’re describing is fine; it’s the same thing as a chronological resume, just with the jobs grouped according to subject area.

That said, I question whether it’s really serving you. It can make sense if you have a lot of varied experience and want to highlight one or two areas over the others. But if you’re a student or a recent grad, it most cases that will be unnecessary and will just make your resume a little harder to follow. If you have some specific reason to do it this way, then carry on — but if your career center is just telling everyone to do this, then ignore them.

HR director’s wellness program is invasive and sexist

how to respond to comments about weight in the office

I don’t get to go on my office’s weight loss reward cruise

we got weight loss tips for Women’s History Month, interviewer thought I was lying, and more was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.

This content was originally published here.

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 Hospital snow removal services near Omaha NE:  Did you know that landscaping has a healing effect? Well, whether you own and hospital or you just need to have a landscaping design that can relieve a patient’s pain, your task is to find a professional who has mastered the art of landscaping hospitals. Patients appreciate an environment that is green and can give them hope. If you are trying to have a garden that has a therapeutic function, then you are in the right place.

 Gardens and Healing

 One might wonder what the correlation between gardens and healing is. The different research that has been done by different entities show that staring at a garden can speed up the healing process. Patients who have beds near hospital windows and therefore have the privilege of viewing the hospital garden were noted to recover faster than the rest. This is according to the research that was done by Roger Ulrich.

 Ideas for Hospital Landscaping Design

 Hospital snow removal services near Omaha NE:  When it comes to hospital landscaping, you need to ensure that the design is meant to add value to the role played by the hospital. There are several ways you can ensure that you incorporate a healing landscape design in your hospital, health facilities, or even in your home.

 Keeping it Green

 Green should be the king when it comes to hospital landscaping. Layered landscapes with both traditional and exotic flowers will definitely make a significant difference in your efforts to make a haven of peace around the health facilities. The reason why plants are vital for hospital landscaping is that they signify life. Apart from that, they offer shade, beauty, and privacy. All these add up to a healing environment.

 Attract Wildlife

 Making use of plants that can attract wildlife is another perfect way to make your landscaping ventures complete. Here, you can make use of native plants. Apart from the fact that they are popular and beautiful, they are less susceptible to pests and diseases. Also, they are always healthy, and they do not require a lot of maintenance and care.

 Engaging the Senses

 When most people hear of landscaping, they think of trying to make an area attractive. While that is correct to some extent, the truth is that landscaping is not all about making a place appealing to the eye only. The other senses of human beings need to include during the entire design period. The contractor that you hire should offer gardens that can be smelled, touched, and even heard.

However, you must ensure that smells are not too strong. This is because some patients are too sensitive to some strong smells.

 Design your Hospital Garden with MCC Cleaning Omaha

 The landscaping contractor you hire will always have a direct impact on your success. If you choose inexperienced landscapers, you should expect shoddy jobs and a waste of your resources.

At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we are dedicated to offering you functional landscaping that best describes your needs and desires. Our knowledgeable and experienced teams can offer you perfect pathways, patios, seating areas, and many more to make your therapeutic landscape design something that many will want to have.

  HOW MUCH DOES HOSPITAL SNOW REMOVAL COST

 Typically speaking hospital snow removal cost depends on the type of snow removal contract you choose. Costs can range from $175.00 per hr. for a pickup truck with a snow plow to $225,000.00 for a seasonal contract for full service snow removal and ice control for a mid-sized shopping center.

 Snow removal contracts in Omaha NE are typically quoted in one of four price structures: Per Push, Per Inch, Time & Materials (aka: T&M) and Seasonal. Some include variations of the four.

 Some property managers prefer to pay per push: snow falls, the crew clears their grounds, and they receive a bill.

 Other clients like shopping centers want to know what the cost for snow services will be every month. So a seasonal contract is utilized more often, plus they aren’t thinking about invoices from a contractor every time the snow flies.

 At the end of the day, the way you pay for the service is not the real issue. It’s about making sure you mitigate liability and provide a safe environment. You want surfaces to be clear of snow and ice on time and continuously during storms so that the people who live, work and play on the property stay safe.

 PER PUSH OR PER INCH:

 Hospital snow removal services near Omaha NE:  This contract is for the property manager that wants to pay for snow removal services if and when the snow falls. If there’s no snow, these clients are not billed. But if the snow begins, our crews are on call once accumulation is 2 inches or more. Two inches of snow is generally when we push the “go” button, unless you’re on a robust full-service plan. See below.

 At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we structure the per-push pricing based on snow depth. There is a price per push for 2-4 inches, 4-6 inches and 6-8 inches of snow.

 That’s because we know that our team will spend a lot more time clearing 6 inches of snow from a retail parking lot than 2 inches. The snow is heavier, and there’s more of it to maneuver around the property.

 Response time is critical in this industry, we always aim to clear 2 inches rather than 8. We don’t want the snow to build up on your property. Big storms will require multiple pushes per property to ensure it stays clear and safe.

 The clients who generally prefer a per-push contract are often retail property managers. They like the service delivered in an itemized way a monthly tab of snow events and times of service to be itemized with CAM's.

 And, these clients may benefit if we have a mild winter. However, because our seasonal agreements are three-year contracts, clients don’t win by choosing per-push or seasonal. The choice mostly comes down to budgeting. Do you want to pay a fixed price, or per push?

 TIME & MATERIALS: (T&M)

 Hospital snow removal services near Omaha NE:  Time and Materials contracts are billed as they are described. You pay an hourly fee per pickup truck with a snow plow, per dump truck with a snow plow, per salt truck, per snow blower, per labor hour to clear sidewalks, per ton of salt etc.

 The draw back to T & M contracts is that there is not a way to budget accurately.

 SEASONAL CONTRACT (2- To 3-Year Agreement)

 Hospital snow removal services near Omaha NE:  Our seasonal contracts include a fixed price per month for snow services, and the contracts are active during the four winter months in Omaha NE for three years. We find that a multi-year contract give clients the best value.

 The constant price is what property managers and other commercial sites love about seasonal contracts. They don’t have to worry about snow removal costs spiking from December to March. The bill is always the same.

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 Who is responsible for snow removal?

 Responsibilities for snow removal are divided between the City and property managers. The City is responsible for clearing roadways, but property managers are responsible for the removal of snow to snow dumping sites and for the plowing and gritting of sidewalks at their properties.

 Why is snow taken away and not allowed to melt in place?

 There are many reasons to remove snow:

●       The next snowfall is expected within the next two weeks and the fresh snow needs space.

●       Water from a melting snow pile freezes at night.

●       Snow blocks storm drains, which collect rainwater and melting snow, so streets cannot be drained and retain pools of water from melting snow.

●       A snow pile in a street junction area blocks visibility and views across the junction, to a pedestrian crossings, etc.

For reasons or accessibility.

●       Snow holds large amounts of dirt, soot and dust (fine particles), so snow should be removed for air quality purposes, as the particles worsen air quality in the spring or during cold weather when the air is dry.

●       As snow freezes, it can complicate parking, and packed snow and ice is very expensive and slow to remove.

 Why is snow taken away at night?

 Snow trucks cause the least disruption to traffic at night, and the snow removal equipment does not block, for example, trams at night. Unnecessary noise will naturally be avoided.

 When will my street be plowed?

 Check the street clearing timelines chart to find out when clearing should take place in your area.

Crews prioritize which streets to salt, sand or plow first based on service standards approved by Regional Council.

Priority 1 streets include:

●       Main arterials

●       Major bus routes

●       Roads with steep inclines

●       Emergency routes to hospitals and streets leading to schools and public buildings.

Priority 2 routes include:

●       Residential and rural routes with medium to low volume traffic

●       Gravel roads

●       Private lanes that fall under the municipality’s responsibility

  CALL FOR US:

 ●       Hospital Snow Removal Contract

●       Commercial Snow Removal Contract Omaha NE

●       Generic Snow Removal Contract Template

●       Residential Snow Removal Agreement

●       How To Get Snow Removal Contracts

●       How To Bid Snow Plowing

●       Snow Removal Pricing Calculator

●       Seasonal Snow Removal Contract Omaha NE

●       Snow Removal Pricing Calculator

●       Snow Removal Estimate Template

●       How Much To Charge For Snow Plowing Driveways

●       Snow Removal Prices

●       Commercial Snow Removal Rates Per Square Foot

●       Snow Plowing Rates For Parking Lots Omaha NE

●       How Much Does A City Snow Plow Cost

●       Snow Removal Cost Report

 BEST HOSPITAL SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES IN OMAHA NE

MCC CLEANING OMAHA

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT US NOW!

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 MCC CLEANING OMAHA

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 SERVICES AREA:

 Downtown Omaha, Central Omaha, Southwest Omaha and Sarpy County Nebraska, including the communities of Bellevue, Blair, Bennington, Valley, Ashland, Carter Lake, Fort Calhoun, Gretna, LaVista, Millard, Omaha, Papillion, Plattsmouth, Ralston, Springfield Nebraska and Waterloo, NE, Lincoln Nebraska, Hickman NE, Milford NE, Seward NE, Waverly NE, Crete NE  and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Zip codes: 68007, 68010, 68022, 68102, 68104, 68105, 68106, 68107, 68108, 68110, 68111, 68112, 68114, 68116, 68117, 68118, 68122, 68124, 68127, 68130, 68131, 68132, 68134, 68135, 68137, 68142, 68144, 68147, 68152, 68154, 68157, 68164, 68178, 51501, 51502, 51503, 61503, 68501, 68502, 68503, 68504, 68505, 68506, 68507, 68508, 68509, 68510, 68512, 68514, 68516, 68520, 68521, 68522, 68523, 68524, 68526, 68527, 68528, 68529, 68531, 68542, 68544, 68583, 68588

[dog-in-continence-blog]

How to Keep Your Dog From Running Away Plus How to Build a Very Cosy (Free) Pet Bed

That the big four commands save lives According to the National Health Service and media reports, over 4, 500 episodes a year in the U. K. involve dogs and people, with children being the biggest victim group.. You are more likely to end up bitten by a dog than win the lottery! One incident is an unwelcome statistic but until you accept that the pet dog runs away because you let it these incidents are going to continue to occur. There are 5 basic steps, several big commands and 3 essential pieces of equipment which you need to learn how to use effectively to gain control and to build concentration into your dog. This guide explains how to do this and how to stop your dog running away. A collar along with lead are working instruments of control, just the same as holding your child's hand. Mobile phones are another safety device people use with our children to maintain contact and for a much safer and secure environment. Our dogs are believe it or not important and are at a higher statistical risk than our children. Your voice alone is not going to be enough. Whistling is labor and it assumes your dog finds the whistle more compelling than what is at the end of its nose. You must commence to appreciate that stopping your pet running away is a skill to be learned and developed on an on going basis, and even like people, the input of patience and unconditional love, will very likely be paid back. The probability is actually that if your children are model children then your dog probably will be too, but that doesn't mean it is going to be easy to teach, it just means you probably have the mindset and determination to keep your dog safe and disciplined. I admit this informative article may be a bit controversial but the techniques work and will not harm or hurt your dog. Neglect and ignorance can be a much bigger killer. If you want to stop your dog running away there are 3 things your must achieve: Instant effect Your dog's whole and undivided attention Complete obedience You need to understand that there are 3 reasons why your dog will run away: -- Sex Cruelty Owner mismanagement All three of the reasons as stated above can get your dog killed or really injured. If you then overlay lack of success with the 3 disciplinary aspects you have serious issues to deal with and you ought to correct this quickly or risk your dog causing death or serious injury. The end result will be the loss of your pet just by lethal injection, gunshot or fatal injuries. If minors are involved and they are your own family it will destroy not only your daily routine but that of your entire family. This is how I see it anyway and it is this that motivates me to get the application right. Your pet running off is not to be taken lightly. I propose to examine a few simple helpful hints that might get your life more bearable and improve your relationship with the animal at a level you can both appreciate and use to good effect. I am going to ignore the first two reasons that cause running away. If you need guidance to deal with these please give your dog to a loving home, this article is not for you. Your dog is born with senses which once active are so compelling that you pale into insignificance the minute they are engaged. You don't need to be a dog whisperer to understand the following, but you can see it for yourself the minute you call your dog back. It is not a great moment when your dog embarrasses people for your inability to handle it. I think one year in a dog's life is about 6. 5 of our years, so by way of the end of year one your dog should be starting to make out sounds, short sentence structures and words. The several most important commands in order are: sit heal down stay Dogs are quick learners. Not only do they fully understand your mood, they take everything right to the edge all the time and they are also very persistent. The sooner you start out teaching them the better, try to make it fun without finishing up with a fat dog. Remember your children should not be force federal a big McDonalds every time they get their table manners right and The National Hedgehog Road Skills award has never ended up won by a hedgehog. A lead is the equivalent of your child's hand. You communicate through it just the same process. You would not let your child pull you off your feet, especially on a main road, so use the same control with your dog. Step 1. It is always your fault I really don't think that Springer Spaniels with their long floppy ears may well hear you properly over 30 metres away unless you really shout which makes you look in control doesn't this. When I was younger I had a liver and white springer 'Bramble'. He never knew to this day what attack him when he was busy rounding up sheep. I would have been able to play for the British Lions which includes a rugby tackle like that, the dog went flying, not in the least bit hurt, just caught in the act. He yelped just with fright, but never chased sheep again and after this incident if he could hear me your dog responded instantly to all the big 4 commands. Step 2. How to stop your dog pulling you off your feet. Some sort of sharp and very hard tug on the lead pulling your dog back behind you will do the trick. After the second or lastly time they will desist. This is obviously easier to do when your St. Bernard is a puppy, which is why i say beginning straight away. Bad habits are developed by the owners not the dogs. Never allow your dog to pull. Begin by holding your dog's hand (the lead) and work firmly in a disciplined and in a fair way, not to mention reward good performance and discipline and work on behaviour that falls short. Little and often is good and then a routine is helpful. The thing that really gets results is patience. You would not take your child out into a distracting natural environment to teach them so don't do it to your dog either. Get the dog's attention and eye contact and advancement will improve. If you are having trouble getting the dog's attention increase the treat value e. g. fillet steak. This is approximately hearts and minds and developing absolute trust. The time to use treats is at the outset of teaching this command. Once the dog understands what is required of it, a pat on the head and some encouraging words is sufficient. Step. How to slow your dog down to your speed How many of you would not hold on to your 6 year old children's hand in the city centre? Would you expect your six year old to speak fluent Russian? No, so tend not to expect your dog to understand what sounds the same to them. Use the lead to build confidence and lots of patience. By the time your canine is six months old they will be getting more biddable, more curious and more determined but up to the first year you may never be certain. However you are desperate to give your dog the freedom of that run about. A game keeper taught people a very good tactic called hobbling. Your dog's collar should always allow you to get three fingers under it, if you can't it's too tight. Simply stick your dog's front paw through the collar, it looks cruel, its not and catch a dog on three legs, it puts the odds in your favour, so you now have the opportunity to train your dog to remain close to you, or get it back safely. Don't use a retractable lead it encourages your dog to pull. Dogs with retractable leads are not properly trained (such a statement could be highly controversial but I would presume that people owners won't be reading this type of article so there won't be anyone to offend! ) Step 4. Timing - how long should it take to train my dog? I think 300 hours gets a basic job done before your dog will specialise right into say rescue, field sports, or social human tasks like police or military work. It takes a good season to settle and train a dog. If you get the big 4 commands in quickly and early the dog will start to succeed but it will take at least a year so be patient and persist. Practice all the time - practice makes perfect. ( this also helps you lose weight! ). I now have a black and white Springer Spaniel and she was terrible for running off of. This was my fault. On dark evenings I only needed to get distracted for a second and the dog has been gone. There I am in the dark and pouring rain, shouting my head off and the dog is in the next state. Twenty anxious minutes later I get a ball of mud back! Never be cross with a returning puppy, it is after the fact and they may misinterpret you, causing trauma and confusion. Simply make a note to do it yourself to set up a training session in a controlled environment to fix the problem whilst kicking your own bottom and not the dogs! Measure 5. How to stop your dog running away You spend hours and hours working with them, you teach the big 4 requires and when they are over six months old and really understand the commands then you have to bring discipline to tolerate or face the possibility of an unthinkable incident. I have tried whistles, chasing after her and just leaving her, non-e which are satisfactory and just exposes the dog to danger. If I can't control the dog at both short and longer range she is useless in the field other than as a pet. So how do I stop my pet from running gone. A game keeper suggested an electric collar. I dismissed it out of hand as being cruel, but it is not as cruel since watching your dog in agony pinned down under a car wheel. I decided to try an electric collar but resolved to remain kind and fair. It has transformed the dog without any cruelty at all and this is how it works: First in support of after 6 months minimally, and only when the big 4 commands are in place can you use one. My collar has an hearable alarm which the dog can hear even when she can't hear or see me. She quickly learned to help you respond to this bleep, it means only one thing 'Heal'. Since wild life has hearing and great vision way too, we get to see lots of it when we are out now because we are quiet, the dog is under control constantly and above all is safe. Your dog and especially Springer Spaniels will want to do as you ask. You must be truth be told there at the time of any incident which demands attention or arresting and a bleeper really is on the spot and instant. If the pet dog doesn't respond there are 8 settings to 'tweak your dog's ear', building up to a shock. All of these are considerably gentler than rough handling or hitting the dog. All of them hurt a lot less than impact with an HGV. I must stress that when you don't have the big four commands in place and a confident dog you should not deploy such a device, just keep your animal on a lead. The collar is only for the dog's protection and control and the charge, which is about the same as a static shock from a door handle, does not cause the dog much discomfort, but it lets her know I want her particular attention when all else fails which is pretty rare these days. I don't know how the shepherds do it but they have my respect. I don't need my little dog to achieve those levels. We have lots of fun together and she really loves my two girls, mind you she adores everyone including the postman! I think that patience is the secret and then it's a really matter of time.. She also has a special settee in our garden room (but never assumes this right in the house), and a dog house made out of straw bales which she loves as it is very warm. She also knows the location where the edge is, and pushes it like crazy, but she is safe and well behaved and under control at all times since she can hear me and every day that goes by her knowledge of language and disciplined procedure improves. I do believe I will always use an electric collar now, it is a safety device which makes me much less apprehensive about the dog's routines because I can focus on expanding the dog's comprehension of commands, so her behaviour continues to improve and your lady plays an even bigger and much more enjoyable part in day to day activities. If you don't want your pet to run off get to grips along with the collar, lead, teaching, rewarding and discipline and be heard - the best way to do that quietly is with a bleeping receiver collar - really it works. I think these new devices are the dog equivalent of a 2 way radio. Virtually no soldier goes into combat without one. I think they are here to stay and used responsibly will transform your life and also make teaching your dog a real joy and with much less stress. Remember it is your finger on the button and you figure out whether you are a dog trainer or a dog breaker - I know which I am. How long does it take to teach your pup the big 4 Commands? It takes about 20 minutes armed with some really 'must have' treats, and repeat the training a day or so later for a few minutes until you see it work immediately. I use mackerel fillets but everything other than chocolate will do the trick. For every minute of training you need an hour of practice to get the command working constantly and then three or four times longer to get them all working together. You will pay for gaps in your routine and you will be able to see when others have handled your dog. Dogs will always push to the limit to see what they can get away using so you have to be that limit and you can't always do that by being nice and feeding the dog treats. Never destroy your dog by cruelty and bullying to get the obedience you want, a broken dog does not work properly and anyone who has skilled a dog will spot a broken dog a mile off, you can't hide it and you can't repair your damage. A command should be instant, it is useless if it is not and may get you, your children, the dog or some negative unsuspecting motorist into an unthinkable situation, it is worth the effort. Should you let the dog on the sofa - Exercise Versus Behaviour? Oh boy is this a hot potato! Firstly your dog knows the difference between the scruffy couch in the playroom and the one in the living room but you may have to work more on the training. You can let the dog do anything you like provided you put the effort in with the ground rules, but here is a simple guide. Your pet dog has two basic barks, one to warn and the other is more playful. Learn what they are and precisely what they mean. If you don't want a yappy dog you will get the opportunity at about 10 months to sort the item out. Don't allow your dog to behave in a way that would be offensive to others, I am sure you don't need a list from me. Feel free to use a smack, a firm push or voice commands so long as it is immediate. If your dog is beyond reach you have got to either be very quick (voice and run) or use an electric collar. A sharp shock beats a struggle or injury. If this is administered at the start of the action the dog is unlikely to repeat the offence. You do not break the dog doing this. Prolonged aggression or fierce punishment fills your dog with terror. I have heard them beginning yelp before a blow is struck because they know what is coming. Could you do your job knowing someone is related to to give you a good kicking? Neither can the dog. I have never seen a broken dog that didn't bring some sort of lump to my throat and have me biting my lip to hold back the tears. Like the dog I undergo quietly in silence unable to speak. Being a good dog owner and handler Bad behaviour develops as a result of lack of effort or even selfishness by the owner. Like your children the more patience and time you spend with them and effort you put into your family dog, the more reward you can expect with a strong measure of devotion paid back. Like children they will pick up trauma between adults and don't like it. Neglect will result in the dog making up its own rules and then you will need a dog psychologist to intervene. Unless pet is ill and requiring 24 hour supervision, I would advocate they should have their own special place. A run is usually the best so they can have peace and quite to relax and dry/chill out and be themselves. You probably would not normally have your children in bed with you, so I think it is a bit odd to have your pets there too. Lack of common sense is normally what develops poor animal behaviour. Plenty of exercise, good diet, discipline, routine, care and attention will work for your dog. Summing up, the three essential pieces of equipment required are a lead, a collar and an audible device that can be heard just about anywhere instantly by your dog which upon being heard recalls your dog to your side.. If a measure of force is required in that case this device should have the ability to administer it or be backed up by it. How to Make a cosy dog bed for free - well almost I think a great bed makes a very happy dog, especially if they have a full tummy As an engineer, specialising in materials handling and storage, when it comes to a bed for the dog I wanted to create a cosy place for her so that you can sleep. For several months I persevered with pet cushions etc but they just get filthy and are not very straightforward to clean or warm to sleep on outdoors. In winter this year we had two feet of snow, the fact that dog loved but it was cold for her and I wanted something better. Pallets are often equipment you can pick up 100 % free. Two or three of them are very simple to convert into a bed. 1000mm x 1200mm is a perfect size. If you have an outhouse, garage or shed they will fit easily inside. It doesn't matter if the dog chews them, the wood can be recycled or simply used for fire wood and if you use straw, the straw can be composted or burned. Now this solution is not really for everyone but the dog will love it and you may grow to love it and here is why: The straw helps thoroughly clean the dog The dog can scrape and arrange the straw as it wants it The pallet and a few straw bales make a very cosy den Filled with straw your dog can live comfortably outside in all weathers Living outside is most effective for the dog Dogs will grow their natural seasonal coats in line with the climate. Inside they go into a state with permanent moulting, outside unheated they can live more naturally. The straw is cosy and warm the year circular especially with the added protection of 380mm to 450mm of insulation on 6 sides The pallet will keep your dog off the cold floor - essential. Straw bales range from £1. 75 to £3. 50 Before you go straight into blind panic about scabies or mange, I have never had any trouble. However if you are worried ask ones vet, I think you will find that the modern treatments keep them at bay anyway. Do watch out for nails and cardboard (stapled on). Plywood makes good tops if the wood is spaced or a bit rough and then the deep hay does the rest. My dog really loves her straw bed and is quite happy to get into it and As i rarely see her little black nose come round the edge of the bale until I call for her. There does exist an awful lot of non-sense talked about training and not much help with the real control commands when they don't work. Much of the time it happens to be just not possible to intercept mistakes and behavioural dysfunction in time to correct it in a way the dog can quickly grasp the necessity. This just makes it tougher on both you and the dog I am a materials handling engineer by occupation, and a keen motorcyclist which I use for work most of the year round. The BMW GS 1200 Adventure is a tricky and awesome machine, so if you are in commerce or industry and want to build or equip a new warehouse or maybe production unit, please go and visit my website.

[dj-syrup]

The Unnamed, Episode 01x01: Pilot

I’ve never done this before, and I don’t know what I’m doing in a lot of this. If I get stuff wrong, please tell me.

I would like it noted that while I am part of the LGTBQIAP+ community, and while I am on that spectrum, I haven’t been for very long. There are things I don’t understand yet. Please don’t judge me too hard.

All of my posts for this series will be tagged as both #the unnamed and #social justice special forces.

Of course, the only way I know of to make sure you see every episode is to either come to my page once a week, or follow my blog. Your choice. Either way.

Anyway. Enjoy...

"You know, it scares me every time you leave."

Caleb turned away from the door and looked Josh, his partner, in the eye.

"I'll be safe," Caleb replied. "Don't worry about me. Worry about you."

"Are you ever going to tell me what it is you do for work?"

"No, I'm not. You worry enough as it is."

They kiss, and Caleb leaves, a quiet, worn expression on his face. Josh would never know what his boyfriend did for a living, and that was as it should be.

That was as it had to be.

Caleb climbed into his car, started the engine, and left. He followed the coastal roads up the Eastern seaboard, plying his route from his New York suburb into the crowded heart of New York City. The perks of having a wealthy employer (more to the point, a wealthy employer who didn't mind sharing his money with his employees) included being able to drive your own car to work, and being able to park it too. Most ordinary people rode the bus or the subway or some other form of public transit, but being able to drive was a luxury that only the rich could usually afford.

Mr. Caleb Donnelly was not rich, at least not by the usual metrics like net value or available liquid assets. His employment contract spelled out that anything he needed would be provided to him. Furthermore, if Caleb wanted something, all he had to do was ask for it, within reason.

He didn't usually ask. He had what he needed, and that was enough.

The office looked very much like any other: desks, computers, cubicle walls. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary, except that it was completely empty. No-one worked in this office, with the obvious exception of the one messy desk in the corner.

That was Caleb's desk.

This is where he came, every weekday. It was boring. It was a paycheck, kind of, but it was boring.

As Caleb approached his desk, he noticed an something odd; there was a white envelope, made of expensive paper, with his name engraved on it in flowing italic script.

Caleb opened it.

Dear Mr. Donnelly. Your services are no longer required here, for I have need of you elsewhere. There is a helicopter on the roof of this building waiting to take you to your next assignment.

It is a matter of some urgency. Do not delay. Do not call anyone. Do not talk to anyone.

Sincerely, your employer.

A helicopter.

Caleb sunk into his chair. This was most unusual.

"Whatever," he muttered to himself. "It's not the craziest thing I've done."

The pilot wasn't talking. Of course, he was a little busy trying to get a civilian helicopter through a thunderstorm. He was a little occupied.

"Are you sure you can't tell me where we're going?" Caleb yelled over the storm.

"No, sir. I'm under direct orders from the boss to not tell you."

Caleb rollded his eyes. Yes sir. No sir. Three bags full sir. This whole "not knowing where I'm going" bit was getting old.

Time passed.

Before he knew it, the wind died down outside and gave place to steady, beating rain. The copter was losing altitude, and headed toward a landing pad in a New England forest.

Sir Patrick Stewart was waiting for the helicopter, holding the umbrella from a Rolls-Royce.

Caleb stood there, in the rain, stunned for a moment. Sir Patrick Stewart, in the flesh, waiting for him.

"Come inside, before you catch cold. Nasty bit of weather we're having here."

Caleb obliged.

Inside, wherever it was, was a wonderful place. It looked like a production floor, except that there was no assembly line; just vast amounts of computers, milling and manufacturing machines, welders, the whole nine yards. And everywhere, there were people, all of them busy, all of them working on something.

"I see you've found my inventing studios." Stewart had piped up. "This is where the tools that you will be using are made. I have some of the best minds in the business here, poached from all the prime companies: Google, Tesla, Intel, Dassault Systemes, the whole set."

"What exactly do you have me doing?" Caleb asked.

"I'm getting to that. Let's make our way to one of the conference rooms."

They walked to the back of the invention floor, up a couple flights of stairs, and into a mostly bare conference room. The whiteboard contained a long list of calculations, including a fair number of Greek characters (as well as some that Caleb had never seen before.)

Stewart pushed a button at the top of the whiteboard and the contents vanished.

"I keep telling my engineers that they need to erase their boards before leaving the room." Stewart looked back at Caleb's vaguely stunned expression. "It's an e-ink board. They're not commerically viable, at least, not yet, but they are incredibly useful. One of my people from Amazon figured it out." He paused for a second, letting Caleb collect himself. "You're probably wondering what you're doing here."

"Yep."

"Sit down. This is going to take some explaining.”

Caleb sat. Stewart followed suit.

"One of the places that I recruit people from is the US Government. The people at the FBI and the CIA have higher mental and emotional standards than I do, and so if someone is fired for emotional or mental reasons, I'll arrange to interview them."

Caleb nodded, but with a wrinkled expression on his face. He wasn't sure what the point here was.

"I noticed a pattern, though: there were a lot of people who left the government because they were no longer welcome there. Some of them were gay. Some of them were bisexual. Transgender people in particular were at risk. They weren't pushed out, per se, but they were unwelcome, and people were unkind to them, and when they were offered a way out they took it."

"Sir, I'm gay," Caleb responded. "I was one of those people."

"Two things, Caleb. First of all, as long as you work with me, my name is Mr. Stewart. I have a knighthood. That's pretty cool. But I don't insist on being talked up to. Always speak your mind around here.

"Second, I'm gay. I knew you were gay when I hired you. I also know that you left the SEALS because your crewmates weren't comfortable with you around."

"I felt that, in order to win the conflicts out there, there had to be peace between us. I was disturbing that peace. So I left."

"A noble aspiration, to be sure, but ultimately not always true. Some of the people I work with best are the ones I spend the most time arguing with. They force me to strengthen my arguments, and they weed out my poor logic."

"True."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them mulling over their respective thoughts.

"Well," said Mr. Stewart. "It's time that you met your teammates." He turned toward the door, to open it, and then paused. "But don't worry about introducing yourself -- they already know who you are." He opened the door.

Great, thought Mr. Donnelly.

A tall, Asian woman walked through the door. She was strong, her arms and legs toned with the kind of muscle that came from real-world practice, not time lifting weights. Her wrists were punctuated by matched scars, circling her arms like a pair of bracelets. Her face, while untouched by scar or blemish, told a tale of too many days being strong, and not too many days with enough to eat.

"This is Ms. Zhi Ling, long range tactics. Shotgun mics, sniper rifles, tin-can Wi-Fi antennaes, the whole set."

Caleb attempted to formulate a pleasantry, but failed, This woman could turn him inside out without thinking twice about it, and Caleb knew it.

She didn't bother with niceties either.

"You've seen women like me, haven't you?" she started. "In movies? Wearing skintight clothes and throwing hook kicks in heels? I'm not one of those people. If I want you dead, you'll be dead and you'll never see it coming."

Mr. Stewart cleared his throat and then turned back toward the door. Apparently he didn't see her statement as an issue.

"Ms. Sydney Port, logistics."

Mr. Stewart had opened his mouth to say more, but Ms. Port picked up where he hadn't left off and continued.

"My job is to keep all these crazy people grounded. They need to get somewhere? I find a way to get them there." She extended a hand to Mr. Donnelly. The hand was thin, lithe; clearly not accustomed to physical work. Her clothing, while not opulent, was well-considered and tasteful.

He shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. And it was. Ms. Port seemed like a very solid, practical beaver of a woman, shoehorned into a lightweight frame.

She sat down, across the table from Ms. Ling.

A projector clicked on in the conference room, putting a Skype video feed up on the wall. A man smiled back from the feed. He was probably around 25, with a scraggly beard and unkempt hair. Despite his grubby appearance, his eyes glinted with intelligence, making it clear that he saw and understood deeply.

Mr. Stewart sighed and put his head in his hand.

"Mr. Thomas, we've had this conversation before. I need you to actually physically come down here."

Mr. Thomas' smile disappeared. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do."

"Okay. I'll be there in a second."

Mr. Stewart sighed again and turned back to Caleb. "That was Mr. Brandon Thomas. He used to work for DARPA's computer science division, before he got kicked out for editing his personnel record without permission. He's kind of high maintenance; I had to talk him out of a caffeine IV a while back, for instance. As far as hacking and computer programming and all that jazz goes, though, there's no-one better."

Mr. Thomas came in and took a seat, putting his 48-ounce coffee mug on the table in front of him, along with two laptops.

"You can keep going, you know. I've got stuff to work on and I'll keep an ear on the conversation."

Mr. Stewart rolled his eyes and continued the introductions.

That is to say, he meant to continue the introductions, but the next person didn't show up for 20 minutes.

"I'm sorry everyone, I was watching a turtle eating watermelon and lost track of time."

For twenty minutes?" Mr. Stewart had a hint of sarcasm and a bit of steel in his voice.

"That and I didn't want to come. People make me nervous."

"Mr. Donnelly, this is the last member of your team, Ms. Alex Winn. Ms. Winn is a master researcher and analyst. If there's a pattern or a precedent, she'll find it.

Ms. Winn seemed comfortable above all, at least in a physical sense. She was dressed in soft clothes that prioritized feel over form: sweat pants and a t-shirt that was a size too big for her. She had a comfortable build too; she didn't worry about eating chocolate too late at night. She was heavyset, but not overweight.

"Now that we're all here, let's have a chat."

Ling threw a venomous glance at Winn.

"Some of my researchers have located a gay conversion facility with a reputation for cruelty. I need you to go in and blow the place wide open. I want proof of every human rights violation you can spot. This place needs to go out of business, permanently, but I can't do that without proof for the courts.

"Mr. Donnelly, we're having you pose as a gay man who has decided that being gay is just too much work. We'll implant you with a bone conduction communication device, so that we can hear you and you can hear us.

"Ms. Ling will be on the other side of a nearby hill, using an array of surveillance devices to keep an eye on whatever is going on inside. Ordinarily we wouldn't risk sending someone in, but the way the building is built we can't see perfectly clearly.

"While Mr. Donnelly and Ms. Ling are on the ground, Winn and Port will be running logistics and analysis. Thomas will be attempting to hack into their security systems, although I don't have much hope there. He'll also be prepping for your next mission.

"You all clear on your assignments?"

Everyone nodded, except Thomas, whose nod lagged a bit behind the others.

"Sounds good. Donnelly, Ling, you have a plane to catch."

"Ouch!" yelped Mr. Donnelly as a tech inserted his bone conduction headset into his head. "You told me that wouldn't hurt."

"I'm sorry, sir, I probably miscalculated your anesthetic dosage."

Donnelly and Ling were on a plane, halfway to their target in the Deep South. Mr. Donnelly rubbed his face and waited for the stinging sensation to fade.

He turned to Ling.

"Do you make that little speech to every new recruit that you work with?"

"Only to the ones that look like they might come on to me too hard. Being a lesbian is hard enough; being a beautiful, troubled Asian lesbian is even harder."

"You needn't have bothered; you're not exactly my type."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm gay."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence, neither quite sure where to go with that.

"Mr. Stewart said that you were fragile, a statement that I don't understand. Can you shed some light on the topic?"

It was a statement, an observation that struck Donnelly as odd. Fragile... what was that supposed to mean?

"I've been out of action for a while. I'm a little out of shape, I haven't been to a shooting range in ages... That's probably what he meant."

Ling nodded.

"I first saw action as part of a resistance cell in China," started Ling. Sensing a long story, Donnelly sat down and turned his chair to face her.

"My group was working toward a free China -- a China free of censors, free of bondage, free of the fear that comes when people just disappear in the middle of the night.

"None of us knew the real names of any of the others, and we all wore masks or shrouds when we met in person. We planned attacks against installations, humiliated the Red Army during parades... We once sabotaged a number of tanks the night before a parade, so that they would stop in the middle of the parade and not start again. We did our best to poke holes in the public perception of the government -- all seeing, all knowing.

"Then one by one, my crew started disappearing. As the weeks went by, fewer and fewer people showed up to meetings, until the rest of us decided to break up the cell and try to get out of the country. I went back to my parents, explained what had happened, and asked for help. They were proud of me, but they were scared, and so they gave me some money and told me to figure it out myself.

"I took a train to the southern border and escaped to Vietnam.

"Once I got there, I started looking for work. Vietnam was too close. I needed to get further awau. I had heard of America, and I started looking at once for a way to get here.

"Along the way, I got picked up by some thugs who sold me to a human trafficking ring. After a few hellish days in chains, I pulled and tore at my chains so hard that I completely wore through the skin and muscle on my wrists. That's where I got my scars."

Donnelly remembered seeing scars around her wrists, and had wondered where they came from. Now he knew.

"I escaped by killing one of the clients of the trafficking ring. I then took the key from his pocket, picked my locks with the wire from his glasses, and made a run for it. Stowed away on a cargo ship and ended up in San Francisco. Three years and a handful of gigs later, I got noticed by Mr. Stewart. He promised me a stable paycheck, a place to live, and a guarantee that I would never have to break the law again.

"And now I'm here."

Donnelly gave a low whistle. "That's some story."

"It's my story."

There was a click from the intercom and the pilot's voice sounded. "We're coming in for a landing -- buckle up."

They did.

"I'll be on a hillside about half a mile to the south," said Ling. "If you're in trouble, tap three times on your jawbone, and I'll come in and get you."

Donnelly thanked her.

If only things would be that simple.

"How are things going?" Mr. Stewart asked.

"Things are fine. The electroshock therapy is a bit painful, and the daily exorcisms are a bit much, but the group meetings aren't so bad.

"The food is awful."

"I'm sorry to hear that -- do you want me to drop a steak and some baked potatoes to you?"

"That won't be necessary -- I'll get over it."

Donnelly looked over his shoulder.

"I have to go. Private time is incredibly limited. I have a lot of time where there's no-one else in my room, but everything except the bathrooms are on a CCTV setup."

"Ok. Pay attention. Take notes. Get names from the staff, and pass them on to Ling. We'll dig up whatever we can find."

"Sounds good. Donnelly out."

The line went quiet.

This place was a mess. Everyone on staff kept intoning that this was done in love, but it was hard to believe when they strapped you into a tank full of water and ran electricity through it. Knowing the human psyche as well as Donnelly did, it was clear that a number of these people took a grim, sadistic pleasure in their work.

Donnelly kept getting names. Jim Douglas. Jeremy Bonzo. Zach Blaine.

He talked to people who claimed to counselors, but who had no real credentials and spent most of their sessions intentionally causing mental anguish.

He spent time in a room outfitted with strobe lights, surrounded by staff screaming at him, telling him that he was going to hell for being gay, commanding the demons that were controlling him and making him gay to come out.

The group meetings were painful in their own way. Donnelly was placed with a group of men that were near his age and social standing, who spent hours upon hours telling him of how much better it was being straight.

Things got worse on the third day.

"Hi Caleb. My name is Joseph, and I'm one of the administrators here."

"Hi Joseph," said Caleb. "Do you have a last name?"

"See, Caleb, I wanted to talk to you about that. Let's go to my office."

They went to his office, and Joseph locked the door behind them. Locked it with a key on the inside, so that Caleb couldn't get out.

"We don't like people who ask to many questions around here. You're not here to ask us questions; you're here to move on, to make a change. You don't need to know my name to accomplish what you want to here.

"For the next 24 hours, we will be placing you in solitary confinement."

"What if I don't want to go into solitary confinement?"

"Then we will sedate you and place you there anyway."

He went willingly.

Caleb woke from a deep sleep to Winn's voice in his ear.

"Wake up, Donnelly. Wake up!"

It had been several days since solitary confinement, and Donnelly was finally getting used to things. The staff didn't want him comfortable, and they continued to find ways to make him miserable, but he had made a friend of misery. He knew what he was doing, and he made piece with his lot for the time being.

"Wake up, Caleb! Crying out loud..."

"I'm awake, I'm awake. What's up?"

"We're almost ready to get you out of there, but there's one more thing that we need you to do first."

"K, what is it?"

"We need some of the computer records from the center. We've dropped a flash drive from a drone into the compound. You need to go find it, get into the administration offices, plug it into one of the computers, and do a couple of things to the computer. Then, once we have the files, we'll send some people in there to pull you out. Clear?"

"As mud."

"Get going, then -- you need to find that flash drive before the guards do."

The drive wasn't hard to find. The drone had dropped it in the northeast corner of the interior yard, and, made of metal, it shone in the light of the full moon. The administration offices also weren't hard to get into, at least not for someone of Caleb's considerable skills. This wasn't much harder than anything he'd had to do while working with his SEAL team; the security systems were adequate, but nothing special.

Once he was inside he tapped his mic and asked for the next set of instructions. The USB stick was actually a cellular modem, so that the home team could work on the computer from a distance without worrying about the internal internet security. Donnelly dug around the office until he found a sticky note with a password on it, under the mousepad; he signed in using the password, inserted the flash drive into a port on the back of the computer, and got to work.

He was almost finished when he heard the security sirens go off. He hit the last button, turned off the screen, and ducked under the desk.

The security team knew exactly where to find him, and it suddenly dawned on him: he hadn't gotten to a secure location before talking on his mic. He had what appeared to be a very involved conversation with himself, while being watched on CCTV by a security guard. They had then allowed him to access their office, get into their computer, and start working on it.

It was very bad.

Joseph, the administrator from earlier, was the one who rolled out of bed to take control of the situation.

"We have two options, Caleb. You can either tell me who you really are, and what you're really doing here, or we can stick you in cold storage until you are ready to talk.

"And before you decide, here's another bit of information. We found your friend, the Asian, up on that nearby hill where she has been keeping track of you. You have no friends, no help. You <i>will</i> tell us what you're doing, or you will never leave this compound."

Caleb's training snapped into play.

"My name is Caleb Donnelly, I have no rank, I have no serial number, and I am giving you no further information."

"So be it."

Joseph opened his office door and gestured for two of the guards to come in. He then opened his closet and pulled out a collapsible wheelchair with restraints. The guards forced Donnelly into the chair, and Joseph cinced the restraints down hard. He was then wheeled into the basement, where they had a room outfitted in a way similar to a morgue. They strapped him to one of the drawers, and then closed and locked the drawer shut.

He was restrained, locked up, inside a space not much larger than a coffin. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. In a space this small, his body heat would make the already-warm space unbearably hot.

He had no guarantee of food.

He had no guarantee of water.

He knew that there was a team coming in, but he didn't know when, and there was no-one listening on the other end of his phone now. Ling had been his link to the outside world, and she was probably in a similar pickle (if not worse).

And so Caleb Donnelly did the only thing he could -- he screamed, and he pounded the table as hard as he could, until the bruises on his hands were too painful to continue.

"We have to get them out of there now." Winn was insistent.

"I know, we're working on it," Mr. Stewart replied. "You've listened to the tapes; you know that things went sideways."

"Don't abandon them. I'll go in myself if I have to."

"I won't."

"I can't."

[robininthelabyrinth]

Dragon week 3 - Seeing Eye Human

Dragon week 3 - Coldwave - Seeing Eye Human

For @oneiriad, who requested it

Ao3 Link

-

“Sir, are you sure you want that one?” the parole merchant says doubtfully.

“Yes, yes, I’m quite sure,” Len says. “He’s the one.”

“But sir,” the merchant says, his voice taking on the sugary, condescending tone they always did when they noticed how Len’s eyes were white and blue all the way through. Like his reason was impaired just because he was blind now. Fuck them. “I don’t think he’s entirely the right fit for the use you’ll have of him-”

“And what use is that?” Len drawls.

“I – that is –” the merchant coughs.

They both know why he’s here, but dragons are supposed to be invulnerable. That’s how they were born out of the eggs of the sky, and that’s how they were supposed to remain. To speak of another dragon being anything less than whole and hearty and able was just unthinkable, no matter how many dragons pretend they're not limping, risking permanent damage just to avoid being seen with a brace. No matter how many dragons wear corrective lenses while claiming it was just a fashionable fad. No matter how many dragons can't seem to get themselves out of their hoards for weeks on end, their friends helping them where they can, but no official support or funding whatsoever.

Fucking ableism.

The merchant keeps coughing like Len’s going to change the subject, but Len just arches his scaly eyebrows and waits.

“I just thought,” the merchant eventually says, “that a human trained in, ah, seeing-eye techniques might be a…better fit…?”

Len runs the edge of his sensitive tail along the paperwork he’s been given, the words pressed down into the tablet - his claws are too sharp for paperwork, especially braille. Lucky for him, he picks up new languages fast. “Says here he’s got 20/20 vision,” Len says. “And he’s human; they can listen to commands.”

“Yes, but…his record for disobedience…”

“Every human’s a good human at heart,” Len says piously, in his best middle-suburbia hoard-mother voice. “They just need a good master.”

“But…”

“I’m afraid,” Len says, “that I simply don’t see what’s wrong with him.”

The human in the slave-cage in front of them snorts.

Glad one of them has a sense of humor, 'cause it's definitely not the merchant.

“He threw a rock at you,” the merchant finally wails.

“And he hit a target the size of a small human house,” Len says. “Bravo. I’m not paying a single extra penny for it.”

“Pay extra?”

“Or did you mean to offer me a discount?” Len says sweetly.

“I – that is – ah – but sir, he’s a labor human. They’re not really meant for – domestic tasks.”

“Of course they are, if the domestic tasks are active enough. You wouldn’t have been planning on making a quick buck with him at the black-market tournaments, were you?” Len asks archly. “That’s illegal, you know.”

(Skies forbid.)

The merchant practically falls over himself assuring Len that that’s not the case, though they both know perfectly well that the reason a labor human was shoved so far off to the side of the pens and not hawked to high heaven was because he wasn’t actually meant to be sold.

Coincidentally, Len hates the black-market tournaments with a passion.

The merchant ends up signing the human over in exchange for Len’s credit card. It’s still expensive as fuck, but then again, all humans are.

Len wraps his tail around his new human’s waist. “Human,” he says, squeezing a little warningly. “Lead me to the exit. I think I’m done here.”

The human obligingly walks forward.

Len lets him lead for a few minutes then scoops him up and puts the human on his back. “Hold on, will you?” Len says. “And tell me if I’m about to crash into anything.”

“What’s the rush?” the human asks.

“Well,” Len says, “any minute now, the slave-keeper behind us is going to realize that the credit card I gave him was a fake and call the guards, so I’d really prefer to get out of here before that happens.”

The human sniggers. “Dead straight, nothing there,” he reports.

Len lowers his head and charges.

The human yells out suggestions once in a while, and good ones, too – they get out of the market in under ten minutes, and then Len’s wings are out and open and they’re in the air.

“Holy fuck why are we flying?!” the human growls, latching onto Len’s back with fingers dug in to the point of pain.

“I thought humans liked flying,” Len says.

“Well I don’t,” his human says firmly. “Now get me down already or I’ll vomit on your back.”

“You do that and you have to clean it off,” Len says, making a face. “At any rate, we have to fly to get to my lair. Get over yourself.”

The human makes pointed gagging noises.

“I’ll go up higher and glide, how about that,” Len relents. “Should be better for your stomach.”

The human grumbles, but it does seem to help when Len’s gliding instead of beating his wings.

“So you’re a crook,” he eventually says.

“You’re surprised?”

“Didn’t know dragons went in for that.”

Len snorts. “All species that develop for long enough to create rules go in for breaking them. It’s nature. Your record wasn’t too clean either, if I recall.”

“How’d you think I ended up in the pens?” the guy says. Len couldn’t see him rolling his eyes, but he could hear it in his tone. “Humanity loves to claim that we don't do slavery any more, we’ve just reinstated 'personal service' instead of prison-work, like that isn't actually slavery. Say, as to another thing dragons supposedly don’t go in for –”

Len braces himself for a comment about his eyes.

“– ain’t it a taboo to let a human ride you?”

“Supposedly,” Len says, oddly pleased by the human’s discretion. “And yet everyone in a rush tends to toss things onto their back; it’s just how dragons work. Humans are no expectation.”

“Makes sense.”

“No comment on my eyes?”

“Figured whatever did it must have made a pretty big boom,” the guy says wistfully. The files had said ‘pyromaniac’; looks like they weren’t exaggerating.

“It did,” Len says. “Blue flame.”

He remembers it vividly. It’s probably the last thing he’ll ever see, unless Lisa’s quest for a miracle cure with that little pack of humans at STAR Labs works out.

No matter. He's not going to let a thing like this stop him.

“What were you doing around blue flame?” the human asks. “Enough of it to blind a dragon – I didn’t even know you could get that much of it in one spot.”

Len smirks. “Oh, you’d be surprised,” he drawls. “I’m something of a collector of it, you see. Just so happen that the last batch I went for was booby-trapped.”

Oh, and Rip Hunter and his stupid band of so-called Time Masters were going to pay for that, too, as soon as Len gets his bearings back. He doesn't need eyes to be the best draconic thief in Central City; all he needs is his brain and a little help.

The human hums a little, understanding entirely. “And you need a strong human if you’re gonna keep collecting,” he says. “One that ain’t afraid to throw rocks at dragons. That’s why you took me.”

“Got it in one,” Len says cheerfully. “But I’ll offer you very good terms for your eventual release: every job you pull with me will be a tenth off your freed-price.”

“Ten jobs, huh?”

“Ten jobs, or however long it takes to get to your price in work-months, yes.”

“Sign me up,” the human says.

“I’d need your name for that.”

“Mick Rory. Your name isn’t really Eobard Thawne, is it?”

“Hell no,” Len says. “That’s just the guy whose credit I lifted. Nasty pompous son of a bitch; I make a point of stealing from him whenever possible.”

“Stupid name,” Mick opines.

“Agreed,” Len says. “I’m Leonard Snart.”

“Not much better,” Mick says.

Len snorts. “I don’t disagree. So what do you say, human? Partners?”

“Partners with a dragon, huh?” Mick says. “That’s a pretty fancy place for a jailbird like me to aspire to.”

“Stick with me,” Len says, grinning big and broad and utterly unable to resist, “and you’ll never go hungry again.”

“Give me fire,” Mick says, “and I’ll even forget that you quoted Disney at me.”

“Deal.”