I had a very hard time trying to think of a topic that would be an academic or professional interest of mine. Let me explain. I am currently a pre-med student that no longer feels that this is something I want to dedicate my life to. Some topics are extremely interesting to me and I would love to learn more about. The problem is that I don’t have much drive to learn the basic material. So instead I thought a lot about the topics that interest me and those that I could learn more about. One that I kept going back to was global warming and the state of the Earth in general. I’ve always wanted to get involved in helping the environment and this could be a good a chance as any. The Earth is where we live and needs to be taken care of and watched over. I don’t believe enough concern is put towards it.
The group that I joined is called The Climate Concern Group from the Yahoo! Groups. It has over a thousand members and 36 new posts with the last seven days. It was founded in July of 2000 so it has been around for awhile. Last year the lowest number of posts was during April and May with 75 each and at most 257 in December. The group is described as “an interactive forum for scientific and policy debate, collaboration, networking, sharing ideas, experiences and information relating to global climate change issues, climate prediction processes and determination of human influence on climate and assessment of the social and economic factors that drive climate change.” It seems that there has been several new climate concern articles released. I know I read one several days ago. One of the messages posted is a listing of more than ten of these articles. I think this was a good message board for me to join at this time.
The community I chose to join is called “house_flipping” and its a Yahoo! group about the renovation and “flipping” of houses for profit. I Found this group through the Yahoo! group search and after examining the group I found it would be very well suited for me. It is my goal to eventually flip houses for a living and I believe this group will help me reach this goal. It has many experienced flippers who are willing to give tips and help beginners like me. Hopefully I will learn some new things and better understand what house flipping entails.
This group is described by its moderator as a place where flippers from around the country can communicate ideas and tips about house renovation and flipping. After observing the group I found it to have a very laid back and beginner friendly setup. Many of the more experienced flippers are willing to help anyone with their questions and are very helpful. The only problem I can see with this group is its size, which could hinder some of its effectiveness. Even with its small size, questions seem to be answered quickly and promptly and the group seems very organized and close knit.
In conclusion I believe I made a good choice for my online community. It is not a giant group, which I believe makes it more personal and interesting. Hopefully I will be accepted into this community and receive the information I need to help me in my goal of becoming a house flipper.
Overweight and obesity are simply ways of saying that you have more wieght on your body than is diserable for your target weight basesd on your height and gender. This can be seen, sadly enough, in one out of every four people, which includes children. This health issue is one of the fastest growing problems in this country and it’s not getting better. The biggest problem that contributes to this issue is the lack of physical activity, knowledge and willingness to change eating habits. The most pressing and agrivating issue with all of this is that there are so many tools on how to lose weight the right way and keep it off but people are to lazy to work at it. The funny thing is that every where you turn there is fat free, low fat, no sugar, low carbs and no nutrition. This food, no matter how low in whatever, is still going to put weight on you because now people think you can eat more because of the low fat or fat free. It still has fat.
There is so much literature on how to diet the right way and how to exercise, that there is no excuse why people should’nt be able to lose weight. The issue of fighting this problem is by giving the right candidates the option for the easy way out which is surgery. Now all these overwight and obese people dont have to work at losing weight because now all they have to do is get surgery, which is one of the most dangerous surgeries you can have. This is by far the easy and the laziest way out. The progress that is being made is to solve this problem is a slow one. There are plenty of resources but not enough people willing to utilize the right ones. It all comes down to will power, dedication, motivation and the willingness to want to lose the weight with hard work.
Prior to the blog we were required to make for class I had three personal blogs; one with Myspace, another with Xanga and one was a personal website I used to post short vignettes. I decided this time around though to use the simple USF blog. Joining an online community of blogs creates a certain addiction for me, it is another internet distraction that I would check on every hour to see if I had received any new comments. I chose a simple USF blog for this assignment because when I post, I prefer not having a theme, and the community on the USF blog database is created for students writing themed assignments. There are users who revolve their blogs around certain topics, but I believe an internet journal is supposed to be used for freelance ideas and writing without a limitation. A blog in my eyes is the easiest place to collect your thoughts and document your life. A blog gives people access to the biggest diary you may ever possibly write in. My USF blog is probably only going to be here for me to fulfill the semester requirements, and then I will leave it behind for blogs with a community that desires to write whatever is on their mind.
Of all the different possible community sites to join, I decided to join Communities.com. I did however review a wide variety the other sites which were similar, personally I thought this site was the best one for me. It is very simple to maneuver from different subjects with ease and browse exactly the interest at hand. Also, another reason I decided to choose this site is because it would be easier for my readers to comment about the sources and further their knowledge and insight to make statements. Within communities.com, I decided to base my focus on sports, most specifically soccer but for the most part just sports. Though some may not like sports, I feel it is one thing besides the basic necessities of life that every country has in common. Soccer is the most recognized sport in the world and it would be interesting to see the different views and opinions sport fans have. Unlike soccer, most other sports are localized in different parts of the world. Communities.com consists of a wide variety of sports such as skateboarding, motor cross, paintball, golf and even cheerleading. For the simple fact that I would like to post a variety of sports, I joined the group “Anything Sports” which consists of 104 members. Members have joined from different parts of the world such as Morocco, Netherlands, Indonesia, Austria and the UK which will hopefully prove to be an interesting forum to watch develop. I’ve also joined a number of other different groups for more input that will hopefully have more perspectives.
Breath test detects most cases of lung cancer - Cancer - MSNBC.com
A simple breath test can sometimes detect lung cancer in patients even in the early stages of the disease, proving in principle that the idea might work, U.S. researchers reported.
The breath test device, the size of a coin, detected three-quarters of the people with [...]
I have decided to join two communities, concerning the same topic from different angles. The first I joined was called World of Warcraft, on Yahoo groups. This group is designed to target people who play the game World of Warcraft, and have them explain past experiences and ideas. The other group I joined is called WoW Widow. This group was created by someone whose spouse is obsessed with World of Warcraft, and created the group so people with the same problem can vent their anger out on the game. Basically, I joined these two groups to see what both sides of the spectrum have to offer. I used to play World of Warcraft and have played a little bit since my initial quitting, but never have I been absolutely obsessed with the game. I think that makes me a neutral party because I know everything that both groups will be talking about. I am also considering a career in psychology, which is why these groups would apply to my professional career, because I would like to see the effects of video games on both the subject and those around them. And since this is one of the most popular games, I feel it will make a great subject. I found both of these groups at Yahoo.com under the computer games section. The group World of Warcraft describes itself as a community in which people can discuss everything about playing the game World of Warcraft. WoW Widows, describes itself as a place where people can vent their frustrations. Both of these online groups are maintained very well, because they are both very open. They are specific enough to attract a relatively small crowd, but are both very open, which makes them easy to maintain and dictate.
I have decided to join a Chinese expatriate group on the Yahoo forums. Having lived in China for six months myself, I am very interested in other peoples’ experiences living there. I looked for many different kinds of online groups on Yahoo because of the number and diversity of groups that exist. I, of course, searched for groups that directly relate to my major, chemical engineering, and my graduate school specialty, biomedical engineering, but I was unable to find any group with adequate members or attendance. I decided to look for a group that sparked my interests more, and I found that in this group. I have a desire to move back to Asia after obtaining my Master’s degree, and so this group is very meaningful to me. Not only that, but the group is maintained very well. Upon signing up for the group, I was asked to submit a reason for wanting to join the group, and I found that this is an effective means of making sure to maintain a community idealized by the original sponsor. There have been roughly one hundred or so posts made weekly for at least the last two years, based on Yahoo’s group statistics, guaranteeing a highly active community. Even reading a few people’s posts, I have found out a lot about different parts of China which I have never been. I think this group suits me well, and I will enjoy sharing my own stories with everyone else. I might be able to find some new places to visit on my next trip this summer.
The community I decided to join was an online fantasy sports league. I became privy to this community by means of the resources we were given. This particular community grabbed my attention because of my love for sports. I have been an avid fan of football for as long as I can recall, although I was never given the opportunity to play. The fantasy sports league provided me this. I may not be able to play for the big bucks on Sunday, but through my online community I can compete with other community members every week. Each week members choose their starting players at each skill position and predict who will perform the best. After every week members are allotted points for certain plays, such as touchdowns, receptions, yardage, and key defensive plays. The highest scorers improve in ranking as well as bragging rights for the week. At the end of the regular season, the six highest scorers are eligible for a three-week playoff. This community is well formed as well as highly organized. I had no trouble accessing information or even signing up. The various users maintain the leagues, and site up keeping is performed regularly. Joining this community has provided me an outlet for my love for sports as well as link me to other community members who share my love for football. I enjoyed my experience in this community and I plan to continue being a member after this course.
Since my last entry I have toiled over what online community to join and learn about. If you have been reading my other work, it should be painfully obvious that this is the last thing I want to do with my time. So in an attempt to amuse myself and complete the assignments required for this class I decided to delve into the Google Group alt.food.barbecue. I figure, why not stick with my blog theme and hang out with a bunch of dudes and dudetts that can appreciate the fine art of outdoor cooking. I’m not expecting this online community to be as entertaining as a few fist fights, some fortuitous nudity, or someone’s uncle Larry driving his pick’em-up truck into the neighbor’s pool, AKA a good old fashioned backyard barbecue, but I do believe it could be a damn good time.
alt.food.barbecue is a Usenet newsgroup that I accessed through Google. Looking at the archives, it has been operating for at least 10 years and currently has an active membership of about 500 subscribers, with medium activity. In the past 5 years posting activity seems to peak in the summer months, which I can only assume is directly related to the increased number of barbecuing holidays and outdoor activities that occur in the summer.
So far as I can tell, this group is very demographically diverse. Most of the participants seem to be males of various age groups, socioeconomic status, and locations throughout the US and maybe even Europe and South America. Their common interest, what brings them together, is obviously food and fire. However, most of the participants are divided in their preferred cooking styles, practices, and recipes. For instance, in my first post, I introduced myself as a newcomer and solicited some advice on smoking a beef brisket. Within the first six hours I received four replies. The first two replies were very welcoming and directed me to get a bunch of beers and check out BBQ FAQ, an impressive online barbecue manual, of sorts. Another subscriber recommended that I first learn my equipment and how to control my fire by smoking smaller meats such chickens or ribs. The last fellow provided me with a nineteen point, 1100 word, detailed recipe for success. This guy was all over it. He provided definitions, temperatures, techniques, types of fuel, prices, etc. I logged off with a genuine feeling of acceptance to the community. I think I’ll take some of their advice and get to work this weekend.
I chose MySpace.com forums due to the wide variety and popularity of people in which to voice their opinions on such subject matter. The reason why I chose to go to a forum about the platform PC & Mac is due to many factors: The new PC OS Vista, Macs OS X, the programming, the features, the popularity & opinions on both OS. Also the reason why I chose this forum is due to that my academic profession and personal interests lies in computer software and hardware.
Just to let you know:
Recently PC came out with a new operating system aka OS called Windows Microsoft Vista aka Vista replacing the was-common Windows XP Home, Professional, & Media Center with Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, & Ultimate. Where all-in-all the Vista has a more aesthetic look, higher security functions, faster searching functions on the computer, and suppose to better utilize the dual-core processor.
Then there is the Mac OS X also a recent new OS system from Apple where it replaced the Mac OS 9 where it similarily has the same look and security features of Vista.
The reason why I chose this forum is that since there are 2 popular computer brand companies out there would be a lot of arguments on the release of the new OS systems in both companies, the Vista & Mac X. There has always been pros and cons when there is a new version of any OS from Windows where from 2000 to XP people hated it due to the none compatibility with the older systems and the bug issues. Then in Macintosh aka Apple where from the G4 or older versions being a “crappy” OS compared to the Mac OS X. With new software and hardware there will always be issues and also its in the eye-of-the-beholder since everyones experience varies from everyone elses.
The main issue in this MySpace forum is that why PC people hate Macs & vice versa. The reasons that I saw on this forum was that
People are set in their ways from either having mainly PCs or Macs
People are misinformed on either company and its products
Every hardware & software has their issues and compatibility requirements
The use, the functions, the look of it all
People just went on usually heated arguments on whats better and why the other sucks. Pointing out facts on each system usually how the core or basic properties of that system to which it applies and affects the computer you’re running. Also pointing out issues in older models and sometimes the current models, but really just how everything works with everything. For example the gamers don’t really like Macs because they are not up to date to handle WoW [World of Warcraft], Civilizations IV, etc…but in fact Macs will be able to handle it but Mac doesn’t really revolve around gamers since their main programs and usage are for education like in our Marshall Centers lounge having Macs or the programs like iLife, garage band, etc…to help with people educating on music, photos, and editing. Also arguing that PC Vista’s copied Macs X format in their looks and operation when in reality Mac X copied PC’s Bullhorn OS, the beta version of Vista, and Mac just got it out before the release of Vista to secure its originality.
There always pros and cons, and if any other students or peopel in general will voice their opinions on what is better or not. Where in the forum the only organizations is whether you think PC or Mac is better or not. Where this forum forms and maintains the how people can be wrong about the other and if everyone is just well informed there wouldn’t be such ignorance. Also that you should just stick with what you’re used to and if by choice want to venture to a new source go the other way from PC to Mac or to Mac to PC. Its all about what you are using it for and what you want to get out of the computer.
…or at least Conan.
The News-Press: Local & State: Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals
TALLAHASSEE — A state legislator whose district is home to thousands of Caribbean immigrants wants to ban the term “illegal alien” from the state’s official documents.
“I personally find the word ‘alien’ offensive when applied to individuals, especially to children,” said Sen. [...]
I have decided to join a community over at Communities.com. The community is for people who love music, and since I want to have a future career in teaching, playing, and writing music, I figured this group would be the place for me. The community is described as “A community for people who love music, who are critical of music, and just want to hear music all the time.” This definitely reflects me and my personality. I’m always listening to music whether it be rock, or classical. The community has a variety of people and forums. They include forums ranging from music history as a topic, to what shows have you been to. The forums have been maintained, and watched over for spamming, and things of that sort. They also are very active in the community. They don’t go more than a day without someone posting something in the forums. I feel that I could become an active member of this community because it is the main thing that interests me, and the people seem as though they know what they are talking about when it comes to music.
As defined by Wikipedia (along with Encyclopedia Britannica’s definition) globalization is “the increasing convergence of markets, economies, and ways of life across the world. A broad overview definition is that globalization is the worldwide process of homogenizing prices, products, wages, rates of interest and profits. Globalization relies on three forces for development: the role of human migration, international trade, and rapid movements of capital and integration of financial markets.
The IMF International Monetary Fund stresses the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions … free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology.
A less economic-focused definition from the Encyclopedia Britannica states that globalization is the ‘process by which the experience of everyday life … is becoming standardized around the world.’ ” from [http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization]
These definitions emphasize the idea of everything being held to a similar standard. That no country can stand on its own anymore.
As you can see, globalization encompasses a lot of different situations and it caused by myriad factors — the level of education, economic opportunities, cultural clashes — and it is a mixed blessing.
It brings technology to 3rd world countries but it stomps all over human rights to get there.
Jobs can be outsourced to other countries for a huge savings in payroll, but then we leave our own citizens jobless.
Companies expand their locations all over the world to provide cheap and quick food, but it is unhealthy and it ends up encouraging poor eating habits in the younger generations.
Different cultures are communicating more quickly than ever before, and cultures are headbutting each other everywhere. Globalization means that the world has become that much smaller, that it takes only seconds to speak with someone on the other side of the planet. It means that countries are starting to mesh and blend together, that currency could be globalized — Europe has already adopted the Euro for most Western European countries — and that maybe even a global language could emerge.
The only certain thing is that the coming future is uncertain, and the prospect of what is to come is both awesome and frightening.
It was 9 months ago that I fell in love with XGL on Linux for desktop productivity. Shortly afterward Beryl raised the bar on the technology. Vista is here, so the rest of the world (that hasn’t been using Mac) is finally catching up. It appears the age of eye candy is here.
Pakistan is located between India on the east and Afghanistan and Iran on the west, northeast to Pakistan is China. After searching for news articles in the database Lexis Nexis, I saw many articles from the country of Pakistan that had to do with the U.S. and it’s political support of the country. I really haven’t been watching the news lately but it seems that the United States is threatening to stop helping Pakistan for some reason. One article that I saw in specific was titled: “Will US Support Still Continue?”. It spoke on the reasons why Pakistan might lose its U.S. support and what the President of Pakistan, Musharraf might do to prevent this from happening. The reasons given why Pakistan support might end include: Pakistan’s president Musharraf and his policies since he entered office, the evident corruption of the government, and the nation’s propensity to be a “breeding ground for militant ideals”. Apparently, Musharraf promised to change Pakistan, but instead has left it the same or even worse conditions since he was in office. There haven’t been fair elections, and militant supporting politicians are in cabinet positions and parliament. The article also implies that Musharraf has used force to establish control instead of using democratic means. The measures that Musharraf might take to reverse the threats from the U.S., as mentioned by the author, were that Musharraf step down from his military position of General, that he bring back fair elections, and that he allow some prime ministers whom are in exile to return to the country.
Engineering instruction needs to be transformed from a teaching centered activity to a learning centered activity. To facilitate that transformation engineering instructors can incorporate the use of techniques that assess what, how much and how well students are learning. In their seminal book “Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers” Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross documented 50 such classroom assessment techniques (CATs).
This webliography brings to the attention of engineering instructors resources on CATs that I hope will inform their teaching practices. Emphasis is placed on CATs that assess skill development and problem solving.
This page is hosted by Honolulu Community College. In this introduction to CATs, the Angelo and Cross framework is summarized. The characteristics, assumptions and suggestions for implementation are presented.
While the page gives the impression that it was written by Angelo and Cross there is no way to verify that. Still it is an adequate introduction to CATs for those instructors that do not have the time to read the Angelo and Cross book.
This website is hosted by the Undergraduate Assessment & Program Review at
Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. It contains basic concepts of assessment and introductions to some of the most popular CATs. Many other pages on CATs in the Web link to pages in this site.
The unconventional and inconsistent page design and navigation negatively impact the usability of this web site. But the information found in it is not available in web format elsewhere. Many of the CAT web modules provide an introduction to the particular technique, tips for implementation and a sample form.
This document was published by the Faculty Center at the University of Central Florida. It is part of their Assessment Resources pages. While the filename indicates 101 tips, the file actually contains short descriptions of 118 interactive assessment techniques.
This list includes a variety of techniques that go beyond the fifty original Angelo and Cross CATs. References documented. The document lacks implementation details and some activities do not yield assessment data.
This page is published by North Dakota State University’s Assessment Committee. It is an essay on assessing problem solving skills written by a member of the Committee. Drawing from the Angelo and Cross framework, the essay analyzes the use of techniques to assess problem solving skills in the classroom and at a distance.
Considerations for applicability and tips for implementation of the techniques are discussed. While this essay is not discipline specific, it provides valuable information for STEM teachers interested on improving assessment of problem solving skills.
This paper was published in The Technology Source a peer-reviewed periodical. It is a case study on the use of a CAT in a distance learning course. The author describes the implementation, results and issues to consider.
Although short in length, this paper provides an idea of potential issues in the implementation of a CAT. The CAT, a variation of The One Minute Paper is very simple, but effective.
6. Schwarm, S. & VanDeGrift, T. (2003). Using Classroom Assessment to Detect Students’ Misunderstanding and Promote Metacognitive Thinking. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS). Retrieved February 14, 2007, from http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/edtech/publications/sv02-icls.pdf
This paper was presented at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2002. It was written by Sarah Schwarm and Tammy VanDeGrift professors of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. They studied the use of CATs to assess student understanding.
This is a rare document because it provides both the instructor’s and student’s perspectives on the use of CATs in engineering instruction. In addition, this document should be useful for instructors interested on increasing student’s metacognitive thinking.
This page is published by the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota. It is part of a tutorial on Active Learning with PowerPoint. Four CATs are introduced and implemented using PowerPoint. The CATs are Focus Listing, Classroom Opinion Polls, Two Minute Paper and Muddiest Point.
The CATs presented in this page are among the most popular and well documented. This page does a great job of simplifying their implementation for any instructor.
This page is published by the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Office of Assessment. Links on the page lead to the content presented in a seminar on Classroom Assessment Techniques held in Fall 2006. The content includes a PowerPoint presentation on CATs, a list of the 50 Angelo and Cross CATs with a two sentence description, CAT implementation reports by UK faculty and a short frequently asked questions section. Two of the CAT reports (#11 and #26) were prepared by a professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering.
Although brief, the contents of this page provide a well informed introduction to CATs. The PowerPoint presentation file and excerpt on the Dimensions of Learning give readers some background on the conceptual framework that support the CATs. From the list of Angelo and Cross’ CATs, teachers can decide whether to investigate the use of a specific technique. While CATs #11 and #26 are specific to chemical engineering, they could be adapted to other engineering fields as well. In all, the greatest value of this resource is in the general CAT information and not necessarily the engineering content.
This paper was published as part of the 1999 Proceedings of the Instructional Technology Conference at the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). It was written by Mary Barone Martin a professor of mathematics at MTSU.
The author did an excellent job of adapting some of the most commonly known CATs for implementation in technology courses. For example, she suggests how to use the double entry journal to identify a sample problem and document the problem solving process.
10. National Institute for Science Education (n.d.) Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG). Retrieved January 25, 2007, from http://www.flaguide.org/cat/cat.php
The Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG) is published by the National Institute for Science Education’s (NISE). It is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a nationwide community of post-secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educators. Within the FLAG website, there is a section for CATs applicable to college or university STEM courses. Each of the 13 CAT web module was written by an instructor who uses the technique and was reviewed by an editorial board.
Among the CAT resources for engineering courses reviewed in this webliography this the most comprehensive and useful. Each of the CAT web modules is well formatted and documented. In addition to the technique’s description and step-by-step instruction for implementation, each module presents an evaluation of the CAT, an explanation of the conceptual framework and references. But what really makes this page valuable is that all CATs are written within the context of STEM education. This makes very clear to STEM teachers the relevance of these techniques.
Conclusion
The resources presented in this webliography range from introductions to the concept of classroom assessment techniques to detailed descriptions of the implementation of CATs to STEM education. While all of these resources are based on the Angelo and Cross book, they provide valuable information for engineering teachers on: tips for specific implementations of CATs in engineering courses and the integration of active learning techniques. My hope is that these resources will give instructors simple and easy to implement ideas that will help them transform their engineering classes into learner centered environments.
Be Nice Good
“Why is being principled reserved for the extremists? The left and the right don’t have a monopoly on conscience.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Not being a property owner myself, I do not know first hand the negative repercussions of inflating property taxes and homeowners’ insurance coverage.
Although, I do not think tax cuts truly reach the root of the problem. Rather, they serve as a political ploy to get reelected.
The task of actually changing the system itself is long an arduous, causing even the most seasoned politicians to tremble.
I believe what is truly needed; in an idealistic sense is more transparency of the tax system. Citizens should know and account for every one of their tax dollars. When there is waste, governmental officials should be held accountable.
When corporations fraud government via; selling poor quality materials, constructing buildings not up to code, and overcharging on contracts, actions need to be taken. The public should be outraged!!!
The Stalwart system of favoritism and no-bid contracts should no longer be tolerated.
Tax cuts and incentives only seem to pacify the public. Minute by minute, citizens devolve their individual rights to governmental entities. Only public empowerment involving real change will create a sustainable future.
It is not ethical to allow future generations to be transferred the balance of governmental debt. In addition, it is immoral to allow our children to inherit an unsustainable and hyper-inflated future.
In the words of Benjamin Franklin:
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Something did not set well with Rue as he boarded the chopper. He did not like this meeting….something about it told him that he was in danger. So, unbeknownst to his secretary, he hired a bodyguard from the Guild of Guards. One of the best….a man named Gaul.
The Guild was a group of, for lack of a better word, mercenaries. They are a neutral party, providing aid to whomever has the most money. They are picky, though…taking on jobs only for the major powers of the world, which was America at the time. They, unlike most of their employers, are honorable. Their reputation as the best at what they do is well earned. Their headquarters was in Seattle, Washington.
Rue walked up to the chopper and saw his bodyguard…the one called Gaul. He was a tall man…bald and broad. He had brown eyes that held much wisdom…they fit well with his stony features marked with age. He wore a black suit and tie: standard dress for the Guild. One would think that such clothing would hinder them, but they still had the reputation….what they wore mattered little, it seemed. In his hand was a sheathed blade of Chinese origin. It was a long blade, given the man’s height and width….suited perfectly for him.
“You arrive!” Rue said, smiling at the man. “I’m glad….you do not come cheap, Master Gaul,” he said to him.
Gaul would snort, gruff and to the point. “My skill is highly sought. And you did pay extra for the haste required to get here. Believe me, I was more than obliged to make it here with all manner of haste,” he said, giving the other man a slight smile. “What’s got you so spooked as to call upon my services with such short notice, if I may be so bold?” he asked as he boarded the chopper with Rue.
“The meeting I’m to go to is short notice,” Rue would reply. “I….don’t like it. Something’s amiss here. I’d feel a lot safer if I had a bodyguard,” he said, sighing a little bit.
Gaul chuckled. “Well, you have my blade to guard you. There should be nothing to fear.”
The rest of the chopper ride would pass in silence. Rue would be too lost in thought, as would Gaul. The thing on their minds: what was going on? This wasn’t normal at all….something was wrong. But what?
When the chopper landed, they would step from it and walk to the facility…a large gray building that blended well with the stone. The only thing that was special about this facitlity was the fact that you could not find it if you did not know where to look.
As Rue left the chopper, he would address the pilot. “Keep it running. I want to be out of here as soon as possible,” he said before leaving.
The pilot would turn to watch him leave, eyes glowing green and silver hair covering his eyes slightly. “No problem,” he said darkly. Giving them two minutes, Anwe would follow. In the co-pilot seat was the actual pilot…Compelled to not speak unless spoken to. He had brought them to the location. He had been useful. “You will leave this place,” he said to him. “Never speak of this…and live your life normally,” he said to him. He would then leave himself…not caring for the man’s inevitable blathering. He had a job to do and no time to waste on those that he had used.
He would follow them in…through the doors and into the facility itself. From what the secretary told him, it consisted of two large chambers: the Antechamber and the Inner Chamber, where the meetings took place. He would smile as he shut the door behind him. There the two were….and he was blocking the only exit. They would not pass.
Yes, life was simpler for me in the 80s and the music was fab-u-lous, so what could make a girl happier than the opening sequence to the Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore movie, Music and Lyrics.
If you must know, Andy and I were on our way to the Tampa Theatre to see Peter O’Toole in Venus, but missed the downtown exit. (We never go downtown AND construction around “malfunction junction” has actually gotten rid of the exit all together when driving south on I-275.) So knowing that the historic theatre was not likely to show tons of previews that would make up for our tardy arrivale, we opted for the movie theatre at the mall and “happened” to get there in time for Hugh’s big 80s hair and totally awesome dance moves.
Couldn’t you just watch this over and over???
P.S. The movie wasn’t all that great and I definitely won’t add the DVD to my collection when it comes out, but I did leave the movie theatre humming many of the songs. Broadway lyricist Stephen Sondheim has been known to rather “play alienating musical games with his audience then send them out of the theater humming a good, old-fashioned tune,” but something about the 80s genre calls for it, don’t you think?
The most significant health issue in this day and age is most eaily cancer. Oh yes….lately, that is all I’ve been hearing about. That is all that is talked about as far as health is concerned. Indeed, many of my friends have friends or family that have cancer. There is no cure…and the effects it has on the body are horrible.
For those of you that don’t know, cancer is when one cell in the body mutates and begins dividing uncontrollably. Because of this, it infects more and more cells…thus rendering the tissue helpless. It can attack anything in the body, spreading anywhere and everywhere. It turns tissue into a useless mass…and if it hits something vital, death comes shortly after.
Many steps are being taken to help prevent cancer. Kimo therapy is one such step. That is where they use radiation….to kill off the mutated cells. It is effective, but it has rather unpleasant side-effects such as hair loss, vomitting, and many other nasty little effects that many would rather not have to endure.
There are many organizations dedicated to aiding in the fight against cancer. Some such organizations do what they can…finding cures for cancer. Great strives have been taken…and it can be treated at the early stages. The cost, however, is quite high. But many steps are taken to procure funds. Marathons, runs, and other such fundraisers are scheduled everyday in the attempt to fight cancer. I, myself, have been part of a few….providing entertainment for said events. They do exist….and they do help.