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burgers-and-french-fries · 2 years

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James Keene: The helping hand.

Note: Thank you so much to @sharonmi11s for requesting this imagine. It was so much fun to write and develop these characters and see how they changed throughout this imagine. I hope that you enjoy it. Links for things mentioned in this story will be posted a t the end.

Enjoy!

Once upon a time in a land far, far away called Kankakee, there lived a beautifully kind-hearted princess named y/n who loved bringing joy and hope to the families she worked with.

On the other side of the spectrum though, lived a handsome prince name Jimmy that lay locked away in a tower with no way of escape until a sly wizard came to him with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

To find out how the Prince and the Princess fell in love and changed their lives for the better, keep on reading.

Ever since she was a little girl, y/n had always wanted to help people in whatever capacity she could. The reason she wanted to do this you may ask. Well, at the tender age of 5 years old, y/n’s father became sick and with little money, her mother couldn’t afford to hire anyone to help out with her father. The caring was up to her and her mother and while y/n didn’t mind it, it eventually took a toll on her mother, and she passed away not too long after her father, which left y/n living with her aunt.

Carol-Anne was a sweet woman and loved y/n with all her heart. She knew how important it was for y/n to grow up caring and compassionate. It was the one thing y/n’s mother wanted to instill in her daughter.

All through high school, y/n poured countless hours into her studies in order to get into her dream college so that she could study medicine. She wanted to become a doctor so that she could care for others and their families, the way she cared for her father all those years ago.

When she finally graduated from college, she had a change of heart and decided that she’d apply for a job at Mount Saint Batten health care services as a nursing assistant. It was there that she met Sammy Keene and her significant other, Big Jim.

Big Jim was a reserved man and didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. He did have his sweet moments though.

Sammy approached the health care services just after Big Jim suffered a stroke. Y/n was asked to take the couple on and without hesitation, she did. This led her to be sitting on the front porch with Big Jim as they spoke openly.

“I want to go and see my son.” Big Jim stated after letting out a breath.

Y/n was surprised at this statement. She didn’t know that Big Jim had a son. It wasn’t something that was made apparent.

“I can organize that. Where does he live?” She asked. Big Jim looked at her and his eyes grew slightly glossy.

Y/n set her tea down and got up to crouch in front of the man.

“What’s the matter?” She asked softly.

“He’s in prison.” Big Jim huffed out after a minute of trying to think of how to tell the woman.

Y/n felt her stomach drop for him. She had heard of other people going through something like this and she couldn’t imagine the pain of having someone behind bars but now knowing that this was part of the stress that caused Big Jim’s stroke, she felt bad for the man, especially when he explained how his son had taken on a dangerous task so that he’d be released from prison early.

Y/n tried her best to keep her thoughts professional and promised Big Jim that she’d sort something out so that she could accompany him to visitation at the Springfield penitentiary. How she was supposed to go about that though was beyond her.

Sitting down at her dining table after her shift and writing a letter to a prison warden was never something y/n thought she’d be doing but here she was with her hands hovering over her keyboard trying to think of the best way to start.

She knew that it had to be professional sounding but for the life of her, nothing was coming to mind. Y/n didn’t have much time to fashion this letter because the inmate in question had a family member wanting to visit his son as soon as he could.

Taking her boss’s advice, she took a deep breath and just started typing, being mindful of the fact that the warden would most likely need her work and personal details in order to be added to the list of visitors for Big Jim’s son, Jimmy.

Dear Sir,

I write this letter to ask for permission to be allowed to accompany Mr. James Keene Sr. to visit Mr. James Keene Jr., who is a prisoner in your facility. Mr. Keene Jr. is my client’s son. It is advised that I accompany Mr. Keene Sr. in all activities in and out of his residence as he is of frail health and requires attention at all times. Please find the notarized consent of Mr. Keene Sr. and Mount Saint Batten health care services.

I will be grateful to be permitted to accompany Mr. Keene Sr. If you need any more information about me, please reach me via 555-0123 or email y/n.y/l/[email protected]. I’m looking forward to a favorable response.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Y/n Y/L/N

555-0123

Kankakee, IL, 60901

Reading over her words to make sure everything sounded ok, y/n took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

She hit send on the email and waited almost a week to hear back.

The visiting area of a penitentiary was not something y/n ever thought she’d be observing but alas, here she was. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen when her client’s son heard that his father now had a carer.

“I don’t think he’ll like you.” Big Jim stated bluntly. Y/n had to smile at that.

She didn’t really care what Jimmy thought. It was Sammy that hired her, and it was Sammy and Big Jim that enjoyed her company, although Big Jim would never say that out loud.

“All that matters to me is that you like me.” Y/n replied as she helped the man sit down.

Big Jim grunted in reply. It was going to be the best she got out of him as the inmates began to enter the vicinity.

Jimmy looked around for his dad and when his eyes landed on him, his eyes narrowed.

“Dad.” He greeted as he walked over and sat down.

“Son.” Big Jim replied in a monotone.

Y/n simply sat there and kept quiet as she knew that this wasn’t her place to speak. She was only here to assist the man beside her.

“How are you dad?” Jimmy questioned, ignoring the woman.

“Alright.” Big Jim shrugged the best he could.

“Tell me the truth dad.” Jimmy responded curtly. He took this opportunity to look at y/n.

“I’m fine.” Big Jim insisted. Jimmy didn’t look convinced.

“Whose that then? Get rid of Sammy did ya?” Jimmy asked in an accusatory tone. Y/n tried not to gag at that.

It wasn’t that Big Jim was bad looking but she didn’t go for the elder men.

“Y/n is my carer.” Big Jim said plainly. Jimmy nodded slowly and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair.

“Carer?” Jimmy replied disdainfully. Y/n looked at him and smiled. Truthfully, she didn’t know what to say to that.

“She’s good.” Big Jim said, placing his good hand on top of y/n’s smaller one, taking his son by surprise. His dad never said those things about anyone, let alone show affection in public.

There was no doubt about it. Jimmy was jealous.

“How are you, Jimmy?” Big Jim asked, sensing that y/n was uncomfortable with the attention on her.

“I’d be better if she wasn’t here.” Jimmy snarked.

“Keene, wrap it up!” A C.O called.

“I don’t want her back here. You don’t need her.” Jimmy said and his father nodded but y/n wasn’t about to let that slide.

“You can think what you like about me, but you weren’t the one that hired me. I was hired by Sammy and her opinion is the only one that matters to me besides that of your father’s.” She said as Jimmy stood and walked away.

He pretended to ignore her words but deep down, they hit him in the gut. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it.

One month later, Jimmy was still confined to the walls of the detestable building and wanted out with all of his being. He had gathered what he thought was sufficient evidence for the FBI and he knew that this was going to be the last visit he had to endure with his father…..and y/n. Though he had to admit that the more he heard what she was doing for his father, the more he realized that she was different from the women he had grown up knowing.

“Have you told them yet?” Big Jim asked as he leaned forward so only his son could hear him. Jimmy looked up at y/n and for the first time, his heart skipped a beat.

Y/n got the hint and started looking around at the other inmates to try and block out the information Jimmy was about to give out.

“Not yet.” Jimmy told his father. Big Jim nodded.

“Ok.” He replied.

“Sammy misses you.” Big Jim said. Y/n just happened to catch this and cleared her throat. She knew for a fact that it was Big Jim himself that missed Jimmy.

Both Jims looked at the woman.

“Sorry, slight tickle.” She fibbed, looking at Big Jim. He simply looked at her.

Y/n motioned to Jimmy with her head. Jimmy wanted to chuckle at this, but he didn’t. He didn’t want y/n knowing that she made him laugh.

“I uh- I- I- I miss- you son.” Big Jim stuttered, earning a bright smile from y/n. The first one Jimmy had really seen, and he felt his insides turn into a mushy lovesick puddle.

Jimmy smiled.

“I miss you too dad. I promise I’ll be out soon.” Jimmy replied. That was most definitely his plan.

Their visit was cut short once more but before Jimmy moved from the table, y/n spoke.

“It was good to see you, Jimmy.” She said softly with a gentle smile. Jimmy smiled back at her and gave her a nod before making his leave.

Two weeks later, Jimmy had gone radio silent, and it was taking a toll on Big Jim. He was worried about his son and what might have happened to him.

Y/n did her best to calm the old man’s nerves but even then, it didn’t seem like it was working because it was eventually decided that y/n would move in so that she could help Sammy during the night when Big Jim seemed to be the most worried and anxious.

“Drink this. It’ll help.” Y/n said as she handed the man a piping hot mug of tea.

Normally Big Jim would put up a stink about tea being for rich folk and y/n not giving him anything stronger but since he woke up that morning with an unmistakable pain in his chest, he knew better than to argue with his carer.

“I’m worried y/n.” Big Jim admitted, looking down at his cup.

“I know you are Jim but I’m sure he’s fine.” Y/n attempted.

“I hope so.” Big Jim muttered, taking a sip of the liquid. Y/n smiled sadly at him.

She couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to love someone so much and have them go quiet, especially when it came to something as substantial as this situation was.

“If he’s anything like you, he’ll be ok. You raised a toughie.” She told him, earning an amused huff which was the most she had gotten out of him in a week or so.

“Don’t give up Jim. He’ll come back to you.” Y/n said as she made her way to the kitchen to prepare dinner for him and Sammy.

While she was cutting up the tomato for the salad, there was a knock on the door. She knew that no one was expected so she was a little surprised at the unannounced visitor.

“Y/n, can you get that please.” Sammy called as she helped Big Jim into his chair at the dining table.

“Sure Sammy.” Y/n called back as she quickly wiped her hands and hurried to the door.

“Can I- Jimmy?” She asked with shock. She couldn’t lie, she was glad that he was ok……more than glad if she was being honest.

“Hi.” He said softly.

“Where have you been. Your father’s been worried sick about you.” She said, a little harsher than she meant.

Jimmy raised his brows.

“Sorry. Come in.” She said as she stepped aside so that he could enter.

“Y/n, who is it?” Sammy said as she walked into the front room.

Sammy’s jaw hit the ground and she immediately felt a little anger stir within her.

“Where the hell have you been. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to your father?!” Sammy all but shouted, alerting Big Jim to Jimmy’s presence.

“Jimmy?” Big Jim called with a hopeful tone.

Jimmy rushed to his father and fell to his knees before embracing his father in one of the tightest hugs they’d ever shared.

For the longest time no one said anything. Sammy and y/n just stood to the side watching the father and son reunite and if y/n was being honest, she wanted to burst out crying because she knew just how much this truly meant to Big Jim.

“Where were you?” Big Jim asked as he pulled back and held his son’s face in his hands the best that he was able.

“That’s a story for another time.” Jimmy whispered, pulling his father into another hug.

Jimmy and his father sat at the table talking while the women finished up preparing dinner.

“Thank you so much for coming to be with us y/n. I know that it has meant so much to not only me but to Jim as well.” Sammy told y/n.

The younger woman looked up from the dish she was plating up and smiled. She had really enjoyed working with Big Jim and helping him during one of the most difficult times in his life.

“It’s been a pleasure, Sammy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and Big Jim.” She replied.

Just then, Jimmy walked into the kitchen.

“Your dad need anything?” Y/n asked with slight concern.

“No, he’s ok but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.” Jimmy answered. Y/n looked at Sammy with hesitation.

“Go on, I’ll make sure he eats. You two go talk.” Sammy replied, knowing full well how y/n felt about Jimmy since the young woman had unloaded her feelings one afternoon while Big Jim was napping.

Jimmy and y/n walked out onto the back porch and sat down on the swing that hung from the roof; Jimmy at one end and y/n at the other.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Y/n asked, worried that he was going to tell her that she was fired.

“I know we got off on the wrong foot, but would you like to maybe have dinner sometime?” He asked.

Y/n wasn’t sure if she could, given the fact that she was still signed on to look after his father.

“I don’t know Jimmy.” She replied and Jimmy looked down, feeling oddly embarrassed at what he thought was rejection.

“I see. Jail bird not going to cut it for you, is that it?” He accused, letting his temper get the best of him.

Y/n was stunned. She hadn’t expected an outburst.

“That’s not what I meant Jimmy.” She began before he cut her off. He angrily nodded his head and stood up, causing the swing to move harshly.

“Whatever.” He snapped.

“Jimmy, will you stop. I don’t know if I can because I’m caring for your father and it’s usually against company policy.” She rebutted, fed up with him. This wasn’t the first time she had seen his temper flare.

He looked at her like he didn’t believe her.

“Nice excuse.” He said, turning his head away from her.

“Wow, you really are like your father.” Y/n noted, perhaps louder than she wanted.

Jimmy’s head whipped around to look at her faster then she could blink.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He almost growled. Y/n’s eyes went big, giving her a deer in the headlights impression.

“You two are both incredibly stubborn and hot tempered.” Y/n said, having had enough of this.

“Now, if you are done, I’m going to go and leave you to your little tantrum.” Y/n concluded, standing up and heading for the door.

Jimmy threw his head back and groaned out loud.

“Wait.” Jimmy said.

Y/n looked at him and gave him an unamused expression. She was ready to leave. She didn’t want to be around this.

“What do you want Jimmy because frankly, you’re wasting my time.” She breathed out.

“Can we just start over?” He asked after a few minutes. Y/n sighed.

“Fine but hurry up. You really are wasting my time.” She told him calmer.

Jimmy sat back down on the swing and motioned for y/n to join him. She reluctantly sat down as she was waiting for another outburst.

“I wasn’t enthusiastic about you caring for my father at first but deep down, I knew that he was improving thanks to you.” Jimmy spoke in a gentle tone. Far different from the one she had heard minutes prior.

“Jimmy, it’s my job.” Y/n said.

“I’ve never had a problem with words or women before but-“ Y/n’s brows shot up.

“Ok Jimmy, I think we’re done here.” Y/n told him.

She wasn’t about to sit here and listen to the history of whatever women he’d been with.

“I’m not finished.” He said, looking up at her as she now stood in front of him.

“Yes, Jimmy. You need to be done because I don’t want to sit here and talk about whatever women you’ve been with. I have more important things to do. If that’s it, I’m going now.” Y/n told him, and she walked inside.

“How’d it go?” Sammy asked as she took Big Jim’s plate from him.

“Jim, I’m sorry but your son is a pig. I’ll be in the bathroom preparing it for your shower if you need me.” Y/n said, looking mainly at Big Jim.

She disappeared down the hallway shortly after, leaving the older couple sat there in silence.

It was then that Jimmy walked through the door.

“What did you say to her?” Sammy and Big Jim asked him in unison.

“I don’t know. I started saying that I have never had a problem with words or women before and she cut me off before I could finish what I was saying.” He explained and Sammy hung her head.

“You dunce. She likes you. She doesn’t want to hear about other women.” Sammy said exasperatedly.

“She’s right son. Y/n is a nice girl, and she doesn’t need that.” Big Jim spoke up.

“Well thanks. Tell me how to fix it?” He asked. Sammy and Big Jim looked at each other.

“Just leave her alone for tonight. Come back in the morning and bring double chocolate donuts. They are her favorite. And don’t forget the extra-large coffee with extra creamer and three sugars. Your father and I will stay out of the way so that you, Mr., can talk to her properly.” Sammy told him.

Jimmy huffed but gave her a smile.

“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning.” Jimmy said as he nodded.

The next morning, Jimmy did as Sammy told him and brought a box of donuts and coffee of course for not only himself but for his dad, Sammy and y/n as well.

“Is she up yet?” Jimmy whispered as Sammy ushered him in.

“She’s with your father right now but she should be out soon.” Sammy replied.

“Thank you, Sammy.” Jimmy said, genuinely. The woman smiled at him and led him to the kitchen so that he could plate up the donuts.

It didn’t take long for y/n and Big Jim to emerge from the room and when they did, y/n stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see Jimmy at all.

“Glad you could make it son.” Big Jim said.

“I brought coffee for you.” Jimmy said as he passed a cup to his dad, not realizing that his father wasn’t allowed coffee anymore.

Big Jim reached for it but before he could get the cup to his lips, y/n took it from his grasp.

“Oi you! You know you can’t have that.” She said, making Sammy stifle a laugh at the pout that now sat on her man’s face.

“Humph!” Big Jim grunted.

“I’ll get you settled at the table and then it’s a cup of tea for you and bran flakes.” Y/n told the man. This time it was Jimmy who stifled the laugh.

Y/n got the bran flakes and other breakfast foods ready before bringing the dishes out and setting them on the table. As she set the plate of scrambled eggs down for Sammy, she noticed the plate of double chocolate donuts in front of her chair, as well as an extra-large cup of coffee.

“Oh my god, Sammy. I told you not to.” Y/n teased. Sammy chuckled but shook her head.

“I didn’t buy them.” The woman said as she turned her head to look at Jimmy. Y/n stopped.

“You bought them?” She asked. Jimmy nodded and gave her a hopeful expression.

“I heard they were your favorite.” He shrugged as y/n sat down on the other side of Big Jim and deemed breakfast ready.

“They are, but why?” She questioned.

“Because I wanted to try again, and I was hoping that these would be a good buffer.” He tried.

Y/n glanced between Sammy and Big Jim who had big smiles on their faces.

“Y/n, I know my words last night weren’t the ones you wanted to hear but the truth is, I like you and it’s hard for me to admit that. Honestly, I’ve never done that before.” He explained truthfully.

Y/n gave him a deadpanned expression.

“I suppose you want my candor?” She asked and Jimmy nodded even though Sammy gave her up last night.

“Jail birds aren’t usually my type but-“ She said, pausing just to see what Jimmy’s reaction would be and surprisingly, he was calm, though he did look down as he tried not to show his disappointment.

“But then again, how would I truly know if I’ve never dated one before now.” She concluded, making Jimmy look up at her with anticipation.

“You’ll go out with me?” He asked. She shrugged nonchalantly and motioned for him to lean in.

When he was close enough, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly.

“Yes.” She whispered, giving him her best and brightest smile to which he happily returned.

That was the story of how the jail bird fell in love with the helping hand and they lived happily ever after, or something like that.

“Oh come on. What happens next?” Savannah shouted as her mother tucked her into bed.

“Yeah, what she said.” Olivia bellowed.

Both girls desperately wanting the juicy stuff.

“You asked for one more story and I gave you one.” Y/n told her two oldest children.

“But you always leave out the good stuff.” Savannah pouted.

Y/n chuckled. Oh how that pout reminded her of her father-in-law. She missed him deeply since his passing a year and a half prior.

“She left it out again?” Jimmy sighed dramatically as he entered the girls’ room to bid them goodnight.

“It’s no fair.” Savannah grumbled. She was definitely a Keene.

“Well alright then. I’ll fill it in.” Jimmy said, looking at his wife who rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at him.

“The Prince and Princess got married and welcomed two beautiful daughters and moved into the biggest castle the royal staff could find.” Jimmy finished, tucking both girls under their blankets before placing a kiss on their foreheads.

“What about the baby?” Olivia asked, quizzically looking at her father.

“Yeah, he needs to be added too.” Savannah added.

“What happens to the baby, mommy?” Jimmy asked, hoping y/n would have the answer.

“The baby sucked all the energy from the Princess and made her fall into a deep sleep for the next few hours at least.” She replied with a dopey gleam in her eye.

“And on that note my darling girls, it’s time for a visit to the land of nod where all of your dreams come true, and your wildest adventures will ensue.” Jimmy whispered as he backed out of the room quietly.

Jimmy then took his wife by the hand and led them to their room where he helped her get settled before crawling in beside her, giving her a tender loving kiss.

“The end?” Y/n asked.

“The End.” Jimmy confirmed, closing his eyes and drifting off to the land of nod himself.

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Website used for the sample letter of permission to visit an inmate:

https://www.wordtemplatesonline.net/permission-letter-for-visit-prison/

===

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btawizzle · 3 years

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Guide to : Essentials Career Path in A nutshell

What makes the most sense to you right now for your career development? Since I’m taking a Journalism major in Uni, I really think that the most sense decision I’ve ever thought about ( right now) is being a journalist and a screenwriter. It may sound silly, “you’re a Journalism major, of course you’re going to be a journalist”, but I seriously have many other things in mind when it comes to my job ( I really wanna be in a rock band, you know. I can play the bass or be the front man, but yeah )

And the things I have to do to develop my career will be everything that is related to writing. I can write fiction, children's books, essays, travel and beauty blogs, or maybe write a news/article. Looking forward to it~

What will complement your interests, skill set and the lifestyle that you want to have?

P-r-a-c-t-i-c-e

Okay, since I really want to have an extra boujee-parisian-lifestyle, I really have to work my *ss off. I honestly have many interests in things that’ll make money such as building a business, baking, drawing and also writing, but sometimes I just have 0 interest in practicing them. ( I guess i really have to) but for the things that I’m excellent at and don't really need a polish, that’ll be public speaking and it applies for any speaking related matters, like storytelling, and also speech ( If I have the material, too lazy to do the research)

I really want to work in entertainment, being a screenwriter and producing some work there, being a news anchor or PD at a radio maybe? but then if I finally knocked some sense into me, I guess i want to be a lecturer in a university that writes cool scenarios for their drama club and bake when bored

What do you find to be the most compelling thing to explore at this moment in time?

Honestly, figuring out what I want to do with my life. Maybe practicing some of my hobbies that I wish has a relation with my future career,like how digital video and design are supposed to work (whole adobe thingy), how to write an article/novel/blog/essays, coding? The most complicated thing I know on earth, that I wish I could just understand in a blink and also think about what I am going to do if I want to move to france.

The path you choose to follow will help you develop your career and achieve your ideal job. Therefore, it’s important to explore the different approaches available before you begin. In the next step, you will start to look at some of these approaches.

Do you already have an idea of what your ideal job is?

I really think that the idea of an ideal job is something that gives you enough money to live but not really draining you out of energy. I mean, if you’re that busy you never get the fun anymore in those jobs, the money , it has to be worth the energy that you drained, you know.

People often talk about how your passion should be your source of money blah blah blah, but sometimes, we just don't get the fun anymore if everyone pushes us to make enough money for living everytime we do what is called our passion.

I’m thinking about being a teacher with ok money and then do my hobby/dreams as the side hustle ( you know, if i’m not pass out because m’too tired), that’s my ideal job

But if we’re talking about dream jobs? Oh how I just want to be in a rock band and do gigs until the day I die, or maybe marry Damiano David from Maneskin and become a housewife? Yeah, sounds good.

What do you think the path to it looks like?

Before we finally become a lecturer, we have to-at least- have a master degree. So, because it’s 21th century and the school tuition is not cheap, I plan to take a scholarship, and hopefully I can go to europe.

I plan to be the best at uni, not that ambitious, but just to make sure I graduate on time. Until then, I plan to do my best as a uni student, like joining some organisation , doing some internship, and obviously practicing my writing abilities. I plan to find a part time job that is related to journalism ( applying to a magazine/online zine/newspaper) or something like that really, anything ( photographer, make up artist for newbie models) and keep a little amount of money for future me.

After that, I’m going to take a B1 placement test on my german, and then maybe korean/french? And of course, IELTS so i can go to europeeee for my master studies

Ok then after uni, i want to work at a magazine while I’m applying to those scholarship studies. Ok then I got the scholarship, quit the job, went to Europe having my studies and living my best life. Hopefully I will be able to still work there and get my PR maybe? And then do literally what I want. Lecturing maybe, or get a job on some movie production ? become their screenwriter. yeah

Have you previously considered that there might be different approaches to your career path? Or is this a new concept for you?

Yes, and I am super open to it. I’m just going to try my best and the rest is not in my hands. Whatever happens later in the future, that’s what my work pays off, or that’s just what god wants me to have in my life. I’ll accept it with open heart ( hopefully)

#I really want to be rich and happy.

Before you explore these further, there are a few key areas you need to keep in mind:📷

Career goals

Knowledge

Skills

Personal characteristics

Experience

In order to start on the career path you want for yourself, you need to make a plan about what you’re missing in each of these areas and what you need to acquire. Identifying purpose or focus in this way is called ‘ikigai’ in Japanese. You can read more about ikigai by visiting the links in the See Also section.

Whichever approach you choose to develop your career, these are areas you will need to focus on to see what could be further developed as you build your career.

Now let’s explore five different approaches:

1. Matrix

The matrix approach is about having skill sets in different areas and bringing them together to create a profile that is distinct to you. You may have a variety of interests you want to pursue. With the matrix approach, you can explore how to combine these interests into a role which is unique to you.

For example, someone who would like to study web programming, as well as design, could look to combine these interests and become a web developer for any company or organisation with an online presence.

2. Ladder

The ladder approach is better suited for those who know exactly what career or job role they want. They have a dream job in mind or a dream company they wish to work for, so they’re willing to work their way up the ladder to get there.

For the person that aspires to work in television, that might mean starting out as a runner on set. They may then work their way up to get a role as a director or an executive producer, or whatever that ideal role might be.

3. Entrepreneurial

The entrepreneurial approach is about turning an idea into a business and learning along the way. You apply your current skill set whilst rapidly growing your capacity in all areas of business. It takes a lot of work, patience and courage, but can be deeply rewarding for anyone who finds this path to be of interest.

4. Network

The network approach is geared around building a network of contacts that will be mutually beneficial. For example, if you were at a tech networking event and you met a few founders, this would be a great opportunity for you.

What is key in the network approach is to ensure that you’ve thought through what you can offer someone, so that it’s a mutually beneficial and authentic relationship.

5. Portfolio

Creating a portfolio might be more commonly associated with jobs in photography or graphic design. However, it is both relevant and necessary across many disciplines. Many employers will want and need to have an idea of the type of work you can do, so the portfolio approach is a great way for you to demonstrate your skills.

If someone were looking to build a career in public relations, for example, they would be at an advantage if they had a portfolio of their previous coverage. This highlights not just their contacts but what type of work they are capable of doing.

A portfolio is just as valuable a commodity as your CV, so you should build one in line with the career you are interested in pursuing. It is also a great way to share your work and skills with people beyond a job application. For example, you could add it to your LinkedIn page, website or any other medium.

Summary

Choosing the best approach for your career is an essential component of your lifelong career development. There’s no guidebook or master plan for building your career. You can take a sabbatical, be a stay-at-home parent, or even move down a position.

The important thing to remember is that your approach is your own. If you find that multiple approaches like those mentioned above appeal to you, find a way to combine those to take the right approach for you.

Share your experience:

Have you already been using any of the approaches mentioned in this step?

Can you find any examples of other approaches for developing your career? Not for this moment, but I’ll definitely go with Matrix combined with a portfolio approach. I am building my portfolio in tumblr, wix and wordpress.

Why not have a go at exploring a few of these approaches further? I wish to explore more and I will do it thx.cash

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chelsie-carson · 4 years

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Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan on a sequel, feminism protests, the struggle facing theatres, and her love of animals

Like most in-demand actors, Phyllis Logan’s diary has been unusually bare these past few months. When the coronavirus lockdown was introduced, it immediately closed down film and theatre productions across the world.

But the Downton Abbey star says no matter how busy her future schedule might be, if a sequel is announced to the period drama’s movie spin-off, she would clear the decks to be part of it.

The actor, originally from Johnstone in Renfrewshire, has been in the primetime series since it started 10 years ago, playing housekeeper Mrs Hughes.

She said: “The will is certainly there with everybody – the cast, producers and writer Julian Fellowes – but no one knows what will happen, especially with this lockdown.

“We’re ever hopeful, so fingers crossed. When it could happen, I don’t know – we could all be in our graves by then if this goes on much longer! But if people are given enough warning then I think most of us would make it a priority, no matter what is in the diaries. I think we would be happy to clear our diaries.”

Phyllis has grown used to fans approaching her to talk about Downton, which saw her character wed Mr Carson, played by Jim Carter, in the final series.

“I enjoy it when people come up and say they enjoy the show, or they like the characters together,” she continued. “It’s wonderful to think so many people have been touched by it in some way. It’s given a lot of pleasure to people and I wish it would continue.

“Although, I do like to think I don’t look like Mrs Hughes off-screen, I’m not quite as fuddy-duddy as her. A lot of people say it’s not me, but my voice they recognise.

“Perhaps that’s why I was given the job in Highland Vet – because of my voice.”

Highland Vet is a new documentary series on 5Select, following the team at the most northern mainland vet practice in Britain. D.S. McGregor and Partners cover Thurso, Wick and Caithness, dealing with farm animals, equine, domestic pets and wildlife.

For animal lover Phyllis, who has had a long association with the SSPCA, being asked to provide the voice-over narration for the series was a perfect job. And, as it turns out, it has kept her occupied during lockdown.

“I didn’t have to think about it for very long when I was approached to do it, because it’s right up my street, and it being filmed in the north of Scotland was the icing on the cake,” she admitted.

“You can tell the vets have great heart in dealing with the different animals and their passion and dedication is lovely to watch. It’s heartwarming, exciting and also sad at times, but you look at it and think how lovely it would be to know a vet like that.

“I recorded the first episode in the studio and then work on the next episode came on the day of lockdown. When I went into Covent Garden it was like a ghost town, a bit spooky. It was just me and the engineer in this vast studio, and from then on I was told they would send equipment to my house for me to record the voice-over from there.

“Thankfully, my husband is good with that sort of thing – he’s been very useful, I have to say. It’s been a blessing to have been able to do this – apart from anything else it’s kept us from going mad and a bit stir crazy. It also means I’m still doing some work and being paid for it into the bargain, which is a real blessing.”

Phyllis lovingly recalled Carlos, the rescue lurcher from Battersea that she and her husband, Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Kevin McNally, rehomed.

“He was a lovely fella, so chilled out and laid-back,” she said. “I used to take him walks to Chiswick House, which had beautiful grounds and a big dog walking park. He would run around with all the other dogs and when he went into fifth gear it was a sight to behold. It would make your heart soar to watch it.

“I was lucky to get to do that for the 10 years we had with him. He was quite irreplaceable. We went a bit mad when he passed four or five years ago, and had a small bronze statue made of him. It looks like he’s flying through the air. It’s very tactile.”

Phyllis has been sharing lockdown with Kevin and their son, 24-year-old David, who is a musician.

Just days before the country shut down due to Covid-19, the 64-year-old celebrated the release of her latest film, Misbehaviour, which became a victim of cinema closures.

The film, also starring Keira Knightley, Jessie Buckley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Greg Kinnear, is based on the true story of the 1970 Miss World competition, which saw protestors disrupt the contest that was eventually won by a black woman for the first time.

“We had a small premiere in a Covent Garden hotel which we all went along to, and it was in the cinema for five minutes before lockdown started, so not a lot of people saw it there, which is a shame because it’s a good film,” Phyllis said.

“I remember watching the real thing back in the day. I would have been 13 or 14, and I used to love watching Miss World. I remember vividly Bob Hope being pelted on stage. It was quite a shocker but now I think I’d be right up there with the rest of them, throwing bags of flour – although if you were trying to throw bags of flour now you’re liable to be mugged, it’s in such short supply!” she added. “It became a much bigger movement but that incident put it on people’s radar.

“I’m looking at what is happening now and I think it’s brilliant everyone is out protesting, even during lockdown. If I wasn’t such a stick in the mud about keeping to my own area then I’d be up there myself.”

Phyllis – who has another film, The Last Bus, awaiting release – is also an accomplished stage actor and fears for the future of theatres.

“They struggle to survive at the best of times and if they can’t open at full capacity you do wonder how they can keep going,” she said. “It’s not feasible unless there is proper government investment to see them through the worst of it.”

While the long-term future of theatres remains in limbo, in the short-term, TV and film production will return, and Phyllis says she’ll be watching on closely.

“It’s going to be a bit daunting for the first ones out the trap, they’ll provide the litmus test for how it’s going to go, and everyone’s eyes will be on it,” she said.

“I’m sure companies will be all over the health and safety aspect. I don’t have any worries – I’d be happy to dive straight back in.

“I’m champing at the bit to return and it’s good that Highland Vet is made, because it gives something new for people to watch rather than the endless repeats of whatever’s on.

“Except for re-runs of Downton Abbey, of course, people can watch that as much as they like because hopefully I’ll still get some residuals from it, which will keep me going while I’m not working!”

Phyllis left Scotland in her mid-20s to successfully crack London, having quickly made a name for herself after graduating from the RSAMD in Glasgow.

Having worked on stage in Dundee and Edinburgh, she won a BAFTA for Most Outstanding Newcomer To Film for her role as Janie in her first film, Another Time, Another Place, in 1984.

Other film roles include the Mike Leigh movie, Secrets & Lies. Prior to Downton Abbey, she was best known for playing Lady Jane Feisham in Lovejoy, opposite Ian McShane.

And while it’s been many years since she last worked in Scotland, she does return as often as possible.

“It’s impossible just now, but I try to come back regularly,” she said. “My sister is in Prestwick, my nephew is in Broughty Ferry and I have relatives in Johnstone. I’m looking forward to when I can come back.

“As far as working on a Scottish production, I’m always open to offers. I’ve been speaking to people working in the production side who had moved to London from Scotland for work, and they’re now heading back to make their lives there because enough is happening in Scotland to make it viable.

“That’s encouraging that there’s work to be had, and hopefully that will continue once we’re over this.”

(x)

#phyllis logan #highland vet #quarantine life #downton abbey

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butterflyinthewell · 4 years

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Parents often report that learning their child is autistic was the most traumatic thing that ever happened to them. Non-autistic people see autism as a great tragedy, and parents experience continuing disappointment and grief at all stages of the child's and family's life cycle.

But this grief does not stem from the child's autism in itself. It is grief over the loss of the normal child the parents had hoped and expected to have. Parents' attitudes and expectations, and the discrepancies between what parents expect of children at a particular age and their own child's actual development, cause more stress and anguish than the practical complexities of life with an autistic person.

Some amount of grief is natural as parents adjust to the fact that an event and a relationship they've been looking forward to isn't going to materialize. But this grief over a fantasized normal child needs to be separated from the parents' perceptions of the child they do have: the autistic child who needs the support of adult caretakers and who can form very meaningful relationships with those caretakers if given the opportunity. Continuing focus on the child's autism as a source of grief is damaging for both the parents and the child, and precludes the development of an accepting and authentic relationship between them. For their own sake and for the sake of their children, I urge parents to make radical changes in their perceptions of what autism means.

I invite you to look at our autism, and look at your grief, from our perspective:

Autism is not an appendage

Autism isn't something a person has, or a "shell" that a person is trapped inside. There's no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person--and if it were possible, the person you'd have left would not be the same person you started with.

This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.

Therefore, when parents say,

I wish my child did not have autism,

what they're really saying is,

I wish the autistic child I have did not exist, and I had a different (non-autistic) child instead.

Read that again. This is what we hear when you mourn over our existence. This is what we hear when you pray for a cure. This is what we know, when you tell us of your fondest hopes and dreams for us: that your greatest wish is that one day we will cease to be, and strangers you can love will move in behind our faces.

Autism is not an impenetrable wall

You try to relate to your autistic child, and the child doesn't respond. He doesn't see you; you can't reach her; there's no getting through. That's the hardest thing to deal with, isn't it? The only thing is, it isn't true.

Look at it again: You try to relate as parent to child, using your own understanding of normal children, your own feelings about parenthood, your own experiences and intuitions about relationships. And the child doesn't respond in any way you can recognize as being part of that system.

That does not mean the child is incapable of relating at all. It only means you're assuming a shared system, a shared understanding of signals and meanings, that the child in fact does not share. It's as if you tried to have an intimate conversation with someone who has no comprehension of your language. Of course the person won't understand what you're talking about, won't respond in the way you expect, and may well find the whole interaction confusing and unpleasant.

It takes more work to communicate with someone whose native language isn't the same as yours. And autism goes deeper than language and culture; autistic people are "foreigners" in any society. You're going to have to give up your assumptions about shared meanings. You're going to have to learn to back up to levels more basic than you've probably thought about before, to translate, and to check to make sure your translations are understood. You're going to have to give up the certainty that comes of being on your own familiar territory, of knowing you're in charge, and let your child teach you a little of her language, guide you a little way into his world.

And the outcome, if you succeed, still will not be a normal parent-child relationship. Your autistic child may learn to talk, may attend regular classes in school, may go to college, drive a car, live independently, have a career--but will never relate to you as other children relate to their parents. Or your autistic child may never speak, may graduate from a self-contained special education classroom to a sheltered activity program or a residential facility, may need lifelong full-time care and supervision--but is not completely beyond your reach. The ways we relate are different. Push for the things your expectations tell you are normal, and you'll find frustration, disappointment, resentment, maybe even rage and hatred. Approach respectfully, without preconceptions, and with openness to learning new things, and you'll find a world you could never have imagined.

Yes, that takes more work than relating to a non-autistic person. But it can be done--unless non-autistic people are far more limited than we are in their capacity to relate. We spend our entire lives doing it. Each of us who does learn to talk to you, each of us who manages to function at all in your society, each of us who manages to reach out and make a connection with you, is operating in alien territory, making contact with alien beings. We spend our entire lives doing this. And then you tell us that we can't relate.

Autism is not death

Granted, autism isn't what most parents expect or look forward to when they anticipate the arrival of a child. What they expect is a child who will be like them, who will share their world and relate to them without requiring intensive on-the-job training in alien contact. Even if their child has some disability other than autism, parents expect to be able to relate to that child on the terms that seem normal to them; and in most cases, even allowing for the limitations of various disabilities, it is possible to form the kind of bond the parents had been looking forward to.

But not when the child is autistic. Much of the grieving parents do is over the non-occurrence of the expected relationship with an expected normal child. This grief is very real, and it needs to be expected and worked through so people can get on with their lives-- but it has nothing to do with autism.

What it comes down to is that you expected something that was tremendously important to you, and you looked forward to it with great joy and excitement, and maybe for a while you thought you actually had it--and then, perhaps gradually, perhaps abruptly, you had to recognize that the thing you looked forward to hasn't happened. It isn't going to happen. No matter how many other, normal children you have, nothing will change the fact that this time, the child you waited and hoped and planned and dreamed for didn't arrive.

This is the same thing that parents experience when a child is stillborn, or when they have their baby to hold for a short time, only to have it die in infancy. It isn't about autism, it's about shattered expectations. I suggest that the best place to address these issues is not in organizations devoted to autism, but in parental bereavement counseling and support groups. In those settings parents learn to come to terms with their loss--not to forget about it, but to let it be in the past, where the grief doesn't hit them in the face every waking moment of their lives. They learn to accept that their child is gone, forever, and won't be coming back. Most importantly, they learn not to take out their grief for the lost child on their surviving children. This is of critical importance when one of those surviving children arrived at t time the child being mourned for died.

You didn't lose a child to autism. You lost a child because the child you waited for never came into existence. That isn't the fault of the autistic child who does exist, and it shouldn't be our burden. We need and deserve families who can see us and value us for ourselves, not families whose vision of us is obscured by the ghosts of children who never lived. Grieve if you must, for your own lost dreams. But don't mourn for us. We are alive. We are real. And we're here waiting for you.

This is what I think autism societies should be about: not mourning for what never was, but exploration of what is. We need you. We need your help and your understanding. Your world is not very open to us, and we won't make it without your strong support. Yes, there is tragedy that comes with autism: not because of what we are, but because of the things that happen to us. Be sad about that, if you want to be sad about something. Better than being sad about it, though, get mad about it--and then do something about it. The tragedy is not that we're here, but that your world has no place for us to be. How can it be otherwise, as long as our own parents are still grieving over having brought us into the world?

Take a look at your autistic child sometime, and take a moment to tell yourself who that child is not. Think to yourself: "This is not my child that I expected and planned for. This is not the child I waited for through all those months of pregnancy and all those hours of labor. This is not the child I made all those plans to share all those experiences with. That child never came. This is not that child." Then go do whatever grieving you have to do--away from the autistic child--and start learning to let go.

After you've started that letting go, come back and look at your autistic child again, and say to yourself: "This is not my child that I expected and planned for. This is an alien child who landed in my life by accident. I don't know who this child is or what it will become. But I know it's a child, stranded in an alien world, without parents of its own kind to care for it. It needs someone to care for it, to teach it, to interpret and to advocate for it. And because this alien child happened to drop into my life, that job is mine if I want it."

If that prospect excites you, then come join us, in strength and determination, in hope and in joy. The adventure of a lifetime is ahead of you.

—Jim Sinclair (Website: Autreat)

#AutismSpeaks #LIUB #LightItUpBlue #AutismAwareness #REDInstead #ScrewBlue #BoycottAutismSpeaks #AutismAcceptance #AcceptanceNOTAwareness #AreYouAwareOfMeNow #LoveNotFear #AllAutistics #ActuallyAutistic April 2, 10pm

#boycottautismspeaks #autismspeaks #autism speaks #AreYouAwareOfMeNow #lightitupblue #autismawareness #autism #redinstead #autism acceptance #actuallyautistic #Autistic people are speaking #it's time to listen

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fromatomstogalaxies · 4 years

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I invite you to look at our autism, and look at your grief, from our perspective:

Autism is not an appendage

This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.

Therefore, when parents say,

I wish my child did not have autism,

what they're really saying is,

I wish the autistic child I have did not exist, and I had a different (non-autistic) child instead.

Autism is not an impenetrable wall

Autism is not death

but it has nothing to do with autism. What it comes down to is that you expected something that was tremendously important to you, and you looked forward to it with great joy and excitement, and maybe for a while you thought you actually had it--and then, perhaps gradually, perhaps abruptly, you had to recognize that the thing you looked forward to hasn't happened. It isn't going to happen. No matter how many other, normal children you have, nothing will change the fact that this time, the child you waited and hoped and planned and dreamed for didn't arrive.

If that prospect excites you, then come join us, in strength and determination, in hope and in joy. The adventure of a lifetime is ahead of you.

Jim Sinclair - 1993

#Autism #Jim Sinclair #life is strange

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dontshootmespence · 5 years

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The Fate That Befell Me

Chapter One - Hot Child in the City

Written By: @heycasbutt and myself

The click of heels against the polished cement floor was the only indication that Holden Ford wasn’t alone. He lifted his head from the thick file on his desk to see you pouring a cup of coffee across the room.

“Agent Ford.” You smiled warmly and held out your hand. He took it tentatively as though he thought he would break you. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And you are?” He smiled, rounding the desk and sliding his hands into the pockets of his neatly pressed slacks.

“Dr. Y/L/N,” You stated, taking a sip of the tepid coffee in your hand and perching on the edge of the desk behind you.

“I’m, well, you know my name. You can just call me Holden,” The young agent took a step toward you, his eyes darkening. Probably the lighting. “So, Dr?”

You nodded, “Yes. I just graduated a few months ago from the University of Virginia with my PhD in Psychology and a special emphasis in Abnormal Psychology.”

Holden’s eyes seemed to widen in disbelief as you choked back a small laugh.

“What was it you were looking at when I came in, Agent F-Holden?” You laughed uncomfortably and shifted your weight between your feet.

“Oh, this? It’s the file we have on Ed Kemper. It’s not much, but I think with a few more visits we’ll have something solid to stand on.”

“Why don’t you show me?” You pried, pushing off the desk and sliding the file off of Holden’s desk. The manila was cool against your hands, you slid a stray chair up to the desk and motioned for Holden to sit next to you.

“So..Kemper. He’s one intimidating motherfucker.”

You laughed softly at his slip of the tongue and watched as the young agent went beet red next to you.

“Literally and figuratively?” You quipped.

“Exactly,” Holden laughed, absentmindedly laying a hand on your knee as he dragged his finger down the page.

The comings and goings of fellow agents, the soft clacking of a typewriter, the distant ring of a telephone. It was all background noise as you listened to Holden. Watched his eyes light up when you interjected with an opinion or asked a question. His curiosity, his drive...it was intoxicating.

---

“You’ve interviewed the co-ed killer?! Are you out of your fucking minds?” Shepard exclaimed, vein popping prominently against the side of his neck. “Did anyone sanction this?” He knew the answer. He just wanted you all to dig your own graves.

Holden was a great agent - innovative, bright, driven, but his social graces left a little to be desired on occasion. “Sir, what we are doing can bring us insight into the criminal mind so that we can prevent this kind of thing from-”

“Spare me the bullshit,” he spat.

Glancing to the side, you saw Bill attempting to swallow back whatever he was thinking. Holden on the other hand looked like he wanted to vomit out whatever was going on in his brain.

“You will stop this immediately! Do I make myself clear?” Immediately, Bill nodded, though you could see the hesitation in his eyes. Even Holden agreed, at least to Shepard’s face. But you couldn’t. Not when this would make a difference in the entire field of law enforcement and criminal psychology. As you opened your mouth, you felt Bill put his hand on your shoulder, walking both of you out of Shepard’s office before anything else could be said.

“Bill, what the fuck?” You asked in a hushed whisper as you left the office. “You know this information can change the field. Just because Holden can’t formulate a thought in front of an authority figure doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be lobbying for this.”

Holden side-eyed you, offended. “I can too formulate a thought.”

“Only in front of people you perceive as equals. Then you apply that way of thinking to everyone you meet and not everyone responds the same way.”

You were pretty sure he mumbled bite me under his breath, but you let it go. This wasn’t about ragging on him, this was about making a difference in your field. “We need to lobby for this.”

“Did you see him?” Bill asked, gesturing toward Shepard’s office. “We back talk anymore and his head is going to pop off.”

“Holden?” You asked, hoping he might back you up now.

“Maybe we approach him at a later date.”

“Good to know I’ve got the biggest balls of the three of us,” you replied, annoyed as you turned on your heels and walked back into Shepard’s office without waiting for an invitation.

“If you’re here to talk about those interviews Agent Y/L/N, I will have you transferred.”

“Fine,” you said, not giving a shit. You were tired of men not listening. “But I’m going to say my piece then. You said our job is to put these people in prison right?”

“Yes. That is our job, Agent.”

“But you also said we need to quote, get ahead, of these guys. Well, how do you suppose we do that unless we understand why crazy, depraved people do the disgusting things they do. We can’t. We need to study them. Only then can we figure out what drives the sick and deranged so that we can spot future killers.” You caught your breath, realizing you hadn’t taken a breath since you walked back into his office.

Holden and Bill came up on either side of you, not saying a word as Shepard bit his tongue in thought. “Fine, but you are limited to working on weekends and anything and everything you do will be cleared by me. Understand? You can set up in the basement.”

Vindication. You saw Holden give you a slight smile.

Although by the looks of it you were about to get chewed out by Bill for getting him put away in the basement after more than 20 years in law enforcement.

Oops.

---

To protect and serve. It was so cliche it was almost worthy of vomit. But whatever, it was the truth. When someone came from your background, it was only natural to want to protect others. It was what you’d always wanted - to be part of the FBI. Ever since you were a kid, you knew that was where you were going to end up, because you weren’t about to settle for anything less.

Now that you were here though, you kind of wanted to vomit. Tench was well-known throughout the Bureau, a stand-up family man who worked his ass off and put away some of the worst. Working with him was a privilege. And you had received that privilege. Hopefully, you wouldn’t vomit on his shoe. Tentatively, you knocked on the door, talking through it after he didn’t answer for a moment. “Special Agent Tench?”

“Special Agent Y/L/N,” he greeted warmly, hand outstretched. “Come in.”

He was different than you imagined. Softer. You imagined him having a tougher exterior. Being a hard nut to crack so to speak. Maybe you couldn’t always rely on your own upbringing to figure other people out. Maybe that was judgemental. Well, you weren’t perfect. A work in progress. “Special Agent Tench, it’s-”

“Bill,” he said informally, pulling out a chair for you to sit in. God, you hoped you didn’t blow this interview.

“Bill,” you replied, the name feeling almost disrespectful but it was what he wanted. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity to interview here.”

“We are looking for someone to transcribe our interviews and another to give us a different perspective in a law enforcement capacity. But we need to weed out the people that are here to gawk and stare at the lust murderers and the like. Can you tell me what started you on the path in law enforcement?”

Wincing, you laughed uncomfortably. “Well, Bill. How much time do you have?”

---

Bill lit a cigarette as the heavy metal doors of the elevator opened into the cold, menacing basement.

“Back to the bottom of the totem pole I guess,” he grumbled, picking up his box of belongings and heading towards the menacing green door at the end of the hallway.

You trailed behind him like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Bill turned around, taking in your conscience-stricken features and Holden’s incredulous expression.

He turned the key in the door as his stocky frame began to shake with laughter. “I’ve been here 23 years and never have I seen Shepard make that face. That was priceless. But you owe me a coffee for getting me banished...and not the bullshit Bureau coffee.”

“Fine,” you replied, a weight lifting from your chest.

“But you know I was right.”

“Shut up.”

@stunudo @geekgirlofarchangels @suckdrugsdoass @nicolee-avery @ultrarebelheart @dorianfiftyshadesof-gray @cheesecakewritingappreciation (couldn’t tag your other account) @poppynightingale @starryrevelations @outoftheframework @iammusicaltheatretrash @dreammywitch @ladygrey03 @x-gambit-x @everybodywantstobetouched @santosmariane @cornishdawn-blog @shutupandlearn @mother-of-fandoms-250 @preposterousy @rominatrix

** Please leave feedback consistently (maybe every other or every two chapters). Tagging takes more time than you would think and neither @heycasbutt or I want to take the time if people don’t tell us what they think. @heycasbutt and I wrote this together, so if you like it, tell us! Inbox us and we’ll love you forever.

#the fate that befell me #chapter one - hot child in the city #holden x reader #holden ford x reader #holden ford #bill tench #wendy carr #mindhunter fic #mindhunter fanfiction #mindhunters #mindhunters fic #mindhunters fanfiction #dontshootmespence #heycasbutt

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anastasiaskarsgard · 4 years

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ok but now you're obligated to write about single dad finding a lady it's the law and I will call the police if you don't

This is an old old ask that I never quite liked, but I’m just posting to clear it out

———————————————————

Alison was at a crossroads in her life. She was 25, a college graduate, that was a waitress at Hooters. She’d always said she only worked there, to get through school, but here she was more than two years done with school, still putting on those dumb orange shorts.

She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do next, but she knew that she didn’t want to work Around a bunch of drunk idiots any more. She just didn’t have the capacity or tolerance for their antics anymore.

She decided to take a look online on various job seeking sites, seeing if anything caught her eye. She had a degree in psychology and her dream was to ultimately have her own space to bring people into, that wanted to balance their life, without relying on prescription drugs. Alternative treatments like Equine Therapy, Expressive Arts, Play therapy etc for individuals or families that set goals. Genuinely helping people was the ultimate goal, but she wasn’t quite ready for that yet, so she needed something new. An add for a live-in nanny caught her eye:

Single Professional Parent of two children under five years old seeking live in Nanny with no criminal record, drugs, or smoking. There will be a background check, driving record, and hair follicle drug test run on all serious applicants, to be completed and passed BEFORE meeting children. Email me for more information and I can discuss living arrangements, pay, benefits, children or any other details. I look forward to hearing from you!

Alison figured it was most likely a woman that had lost her old nanny or lost her significant other and needed someone to pick up the slack. She loved children, and she liked that she was adamant about all the tests and checks being completed before meeting the children. That was very refreshing. Her lease was up and she hadn’t signed a new one, so it actually was a great option. She typed out an introduction about herself, her relevant experience and qualifications and decided to just admit to being a waitress. She knew she’d have to include it in her background check, but she’d rather tell the woman in person, rather then be eliminated right away.

She sent it out, and figured she’d carry on with her day, when no more than twenty minutes went by and she had a reply from a Mark V. She was kind of surprised it was a man solely caring for two toddlers, but i guess deadbeat parents could be any sex. She wondered if the mother was possibly deceased. She opened the message:

Hello Alison!

You have no idea what a breath of fresh air your email was, after getting a bunch of crazy peoples’ replies. Let’s just dive right in, and I can tell you what I expect and if you can meet those needs.

I am the sole guardian of a 3 year old boy named Dakota, and an 18 month old little princess named Danielle. Neither one of their mothers is involved in their life which I worry about them, but with your degree, you probably know exactly how to approach that. I work Monday thru Friday 8am-6pm and very rarely a weekend, and would need you to care for the children, prepare their meals, and take them to their activities and classes throughout the week. I already have a cleaning lady, so as long as you’re not a slob, you’ll only need to do your laundry. You didn’t mention if you had a car or not, but I’d prefer you drove my Tesla anytime you have the children with you. I have a truck for myself, the Tesla is safest for kids. It pretty much drives for you and is very safe, so it gives me a false sense of security. Lol. What you do with your evenings and weekends is up to you. I ask that you only ever have very close friends and family over that are willing to get a background check. I pay for everything of course, I just don’t want a parade of unknown people around my kids. You’re room is a large bedroom, with your own bathroom, walk in closet and balcony. It’s not furnished, but I’d be willing to furnish it if you don’t have your own stuff. Pay is $750 per week, as well as full benefit package through my company Life/ dental/ medical/ vision etc at no out of pocket cost to you. You also will be issued a company credit card for any costs for activities you and the children venture out to do, and all the grocery and incidentals shopping. You can eat whatever you want, and I’d like you to feel comfortable. My children need a consistant female figure in their life and I need help. If this sounds fair to you, I’d like to meet you in person and give you the drug test lab forms and get your information to get your driving and background reports knocked out. If you don’t think you’ll pass any of these, please don’t waste my time. My office is at 111 s Main in that new glass office building. We are the entire twentieth floor. It’s 10am now, hoping you’re available at 1pm today. Let me know either way. Look forward to meeting you and hopefully hiring you. (Oh and just so it doesn’t seem like I’m moving too fast, I need a nanny like yesterday but won’t settle when it comes to my children) Although you’re a bit younger than I’d like; your degree, stable work and address history and willingness to take a hair follicle drug test are positive attributes in a person That will play a major role in my kids lives. Mark V. You can text me at 555-123-4567 as well!

Alison stared at the email a bit stunned. The pay, benefits, accommodations and credit card and car all sounded great but it’s a man. She was curious why both mothers skipped out on him or if he did this on purpose. Maybe they weren’t his kids and they were a friend or family member that died or something. Well what the hell. Anything was better than Hooters. She clicked reply

Hi Mark!

You sound too good to be true! I am totally ok with taking those tests, but i feel like I should inform you that I work at Hooters but want to leave. I have given notice that I’m seeking other employment so am free to leave that job. My lease is also up so this works out perfectly. Let me know if you’re ok with where I work and I can come meet you at 1. Hope to hear back! Oh and if I don’t, I’m just going to show up! Lol

Alison Clarke

She sent it and sat there nervously waiting to see a new email. There wasn’t really any problem with Hooters unless they were really conservative. Some of her very liberal feminist friends were very against the place too. She was just about to shut down when a new email arrived.

Thank you Alison!

I think this is going to work out great! I have no problem with chicken wings, and am not judgemental. See you at 1

Mark

‘What if he’s hot? No. I wonder how old he is. The kids are pretty young so he might not be very old. Girl! Forget it! You do not shit where you eat and no matter how hot your boss is, you don’t look at him as anything more than your paycheck.’

Alison jumped up to get ready, thrilled at the possibilities this job potentially presented. The more she thought about it, the more determined she became to see it through. With no bills, and $750 a week, she could save up for her own practice in no time.

‘What if he’s an unbearable asshole?’ She mused. ‘Fuck it. He can’t possibly be a bigger pain in the ass than the guys I deal with now.’

Famous last words.

#mark assassination nation #bill skarsgard mark #bill skarsgard #single dad mark #my writing

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waitformereprise · 5 years

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Your 2019-2020 facts got me curious and also I’m an undergrad considering grad school so if you don’t mind answering a few questions about grad school: What made you want to get a Masters over a PhD? And what was the process like in becoming a TA?

hey!! so this a rly great question that i have an inadequate answer to but i will do my best. so for context, i am currently a masters history student applying for phd programs. ive been in school for about 6 years and i was an undergraduate history major.

i’d hate to restate my entire personal statement here, but long story short, i am currently studying a topic that has been a part of my life for a very long time and is important to me as a person. i did a masters first because when i graduated college, i knew i wanted to go to grad school for history and go into academia but i didnt know what exactly i wanted to study (basically i was interested in “world history” and “diplomacy” and now i know i am specifically interested in latin american/cuban history, migration, diplomacy, and political violence, and my thesis is on a very specific and understudied topic that unites these themes, and this has been influenced in no small part by my being from florida and my fluency in spanish). doing a master’s, i was able to figure that out, do serious archival and oral history research, and now i feel like i have a much more specific geographic and thematic focus than i did when i first finished undergrad, and having that focus is really really necessary when you decided to enter a doctoral program and then academia. i always recommend to people considering a phd to either take a year off or do an MA first—i think you just really need to take time and figure out what your personal interests are and what you want your individual project to be (since thats of major importance for academia). idk if i want to or even will be able to be a professor someday (considering the decreasing availability of tenure track jobs) but i know that i love the topic im researching and want to continue researching it, in whatever capacity is available to me.

as far as becoming a TA, the process was pretty easy. im going on my third semester of doing it, and i basically just told my department the classes i wanted to TA for and they gave them to me, but im also very close with my department, so it might be different at every school. the first two semesters i TA’d for large classes that were basically survey courses, but now i am TAing with my advisor for a small upper-level history class (about cuban history!! yay!!) which i am super excited about. i’d say if you are interested in doing that, just approach your graduate administrator or some professors you are close with and ask about positions—chances are they are always looking for TAs, especially if you go to a big university.

anyways yeah thats what i have to say on that im sry if i didnt answer your question!!! pls lemme know if you have any follow up qs :))

#anna answers #god sry this is so long wtf

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traumantic-a · 5 years

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HOW TO INTERACT WITH JORDAN ( A PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET )

so, you want to write your muse against jordan, but you have no idea what to do? have no fear! plotting can be pretty daunting—I know I always blank on ideas the second I go to approach someone about something, or I’m always afraid I’ll suggest something that’s overdone or that the mun isn’t particularly interested in. hence, this guide! keep in mind everything here is just a suggestion, so if you have ideas that don’t really fit what I’ve put in this guide, that is fine! throw them my way! and happy plotting!

MEET JORDAN RILEY ( aka a really quick character cheat sheet )

she’s a college student. specifically, she’s currently in her junior year as a graphic design student and is also a resident assistant, because it’s the only way she could afford to continue to attend school ( #justcollegethings ). like many students, her preferred study method is coffee and tears, and thinking too far into the future freaks her out, so she copes by screaming inwardly and pushing on even though she needs to relax ( whatever that means ).

she’s also a resident assistant. and surprisingly, taking the job wasn’t all about the money, though that was a big motivator. jordan genuinely enjoys the position; not so much the paperwork and having to enforce rules all the time, but getting to decorate her floor, help freshmen navigate campus life and academics, and plan fun programs and activities for them is something that makes her feel a sense of accomplishment. of course, the perks of having a room and bathroom all to herself make it extra nice.

she’s very involved. if she’s not working on projects, she’s designing layouts for one of the student-run magazines; if she’s not doing that, she’s hosting a radio show with one of her friends; if she’s not doing that, she’s at improv practice; if she’s not there, she’s probably stress crying in the shower, tbh. either way, she likes keeping busy whenever she can; sometimes to a fault.

she hates talking about ‘it.’ not the movie; no, she enjoyed both chapters, even if she hasn’t made her way through the brick that is the novel yet. no, she hates talking about her past traumas, she absolutely hates talking about the whole rothfield murders fiasco and the fact that she was a target because she spoke up about being assaulted, which is understandable, because all of that is shitty. she’s trying to move on from it all; she wishes the rest of the world would, too.

PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ( aka a starting point for fleshing out dynamics )

be a resident in her building. this one is especially great if your muse is a college student; rothfield university is a big school and there are roughly six thousand students living on campus; 250 of those students live in williams hall, split across four floors. while williams hall tends to have a mix of underclassmen and skews heavily toward having primarily incoming freshmen reside there, it isn’t unusual for juniors or seniors to stay in the building because it’s cheaper than trying to rent an apartment on their own, and they don’t have to pay for a parking pass that they rarely use because there’s never any place to park. jordan has to keep in contact with the residents living on her floor, do regular academic and wellness checks, etc.; but beyond that, she genuinely wants to help them adjust to campus and college life, and likes being a mentor.

be a fellow art student/classmate. technically jordan’s major of study falls under the college of communication and information, but she’s on track to learn a bachelor’s of fine arts in graphic design, and she spends a lot of her time in the art building attending studio classes and pouring over projects. she has other courses she has to take to fill requirements for her core classes and the like ( such as art history, algebra, sociology, etc.); if your muse is a college student, why not make them a classmate of jordan’s? especially if they’re in different majors but happen to be taking all the same ‘core’ classes; it’s always great having a note-sharing buddy, if nothing else.

be involved in a club/organization with jordan. she’s an illustrator for a student-run general interest magazine, she has a radio show, and she’s in an improv group, and usually auditions for productions through the school of theater and dance whenever she has the time. make your muse a member of the editorial team on the magazine, or a�� blogger, or a fellow DJ, or someone who enjoys performing; I’m sure they’ll cross paths with jordan somehow, some way!

be one of her professors/mentors. chances are there’s a bullshit course your muse could teach if they don’t fit in ‘traditional’ courses of study like history, economics, etc.; my university offered two different courses on glass blowing; there’s no limit to what can be taught on a college campus to fill credit hour requirements. jordan’s degree of study requires a lot of liberal arts credits and she’s definitely the type to take a course on analyzing tone and message in zombie movies because, what else is she going to do with $800 dollars in grant money? she’s a good student, and tries not to skip classes, and will usually keep quiet in the back if she’s not up to participating. she also attends office hours when she’s not grasping something, and if she likes a class she took because of the professor, she usually tries to take more of their classes.

work at/in rothfield in some capacity. be another resident assistant, work at the coffee shop frequented by students, be part of campus security, be an event coordinator with campus, be that one lady who walks her three rescue dogs on campus every evening; there’s really no limit here ( the lady with rescue dogs was a thing at my school and I ended up befriending her, and she turned out to be the dean of the women’s studies department and is generally the coolest person I know, ANYWAY ); if any of this appeals to you, hit me up and we’ll flesh out the details.

be a townie. whether your muse is a student who graduated and never left rothfield or is a born-and-bred local that can spin a yarn about the history of campus, or just likes showing up at house parties for the hell of it, this is another great way to cross paths with jordan and strike up a friendship.

THINGS I WANT TO EXPLORE ( aka a living document of my wishlist tag )

jordan opening up to someone. jordan’s assault and the trial from her high school years were pretty well-publicized; while her name was never printed in the news stories surrounding the case, it’s not hard to put the pieces together when people find out where she’s from. this only becomes more apparent after the rothfield murders that take place over spring break 2019; being the ‘sole survivor’ of a revenge-murder rampage takes its toll in some unusual ways. it takes time for the trauma of the murders to fully sink in for jordan; initially, she’s relieved that her abuser is dead and gone and she never has to see him again, but that relief is short-lived. it doesn’t change the fact that she hasn’t fully healed from her past traumas and that she needs to be more vocal about her feelings and emotions; she needs a support system, especially considering her family is hours away and the only other person she’s confided in outside of her parents and sister goes to school in another state. I’d love to develop some close friendships where jordan feels comfortable opening up to others she knows she can trust and lean on when she’s having bad days; likewise, she’d do the same for those she loves dearly. she’s loyal at her core and if she trusts you, she will always be there for you.

more to be added as ideas come to me

THINGS I’M NOT INTERESTED IN ( aka...... it’s pretty self-explanatory )

your character ‘fixing’ jordan. through love, through friendship, through whatever; while all of the above can definitely help people dealing with trauma heal, it is not the sole, solitary thing that will get the job done. jordan will never rely on one person to be the sole thing that makes her happy and makes her feel whole again; it’s not realistic and it’s a harmful cliche that I don’t wish to perpetuate here. she absolutely needs friends she can trust, and she is capable of being in a loving relationship, but those are not going to automatically fix all her problems.

toxic ships. I don’t really feel the need to go super in-depth with this; while I’m not opposed to exploring shitty or toxic friendships or relationships, because those do happen, I’m not interested in doing so in the sense of “they’re toxic because they care!” again; very harmful cliches and stereotypes that I do not wish to perpetuate here. if I explore anything like this it’ll likely be with close rp partners I’ve had for a while and know I can trust.

fetishizing/‘fixing’ demisexual people. it’s a spectrum, folks; jordan needs an emotional connection with someone deep enough before she feels comfortable with intimacy. I’m not interested in anyone being the ‘exception’ to this for obvious reasons. if you come to me with anything related to your muse ‘fixing’ jordan’s demisexuality ( which existed before her trauma and was amplified by it, both of which are valid ), I will hard block you.

FINAL THOUGHTS so, I didn’t intend for this to get as long as it did; as far as the last section goes, a lot of that is common sense, but I’ve included it anyway because I’ve had similar experiences on blogs before with people coming to me with plot ideas that were inherently toxic and glorified to be something bigger/better, and felt it would be best to address what I’m not comfortable with and why directly out of the gate. keep in mind that all of this is a guideline, and if you have ideas that expand outside of what I’ve placed here, I’d love to hear them! don’t hesitate to approach me to plot, especially if you want to expand on anything I’ve listed in this cheat sheet. <3

#PSA.#WISHLIST.#ask to tag /

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annoyedfanfiction · 5 years

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Batman x oc (2)

Bruce flittered through the crowd, charming each of the guests with a flattering smile, and a sweeping introduction of – "my son, Timothy, CEO of Wayne Enterprises". The 17 year old smiles, his graduation day at 16 well behind him now, the business world in full swing – not to mention his nighttime escapades. It had taken me a while to put a name to each face behind a mask, but I eventually settled with Tim as Red Robin. Jason was easy, of course, none of the others could have gotten away with the guns, but he'd started before Bruce knew it was him. I had very little patience for events such as these, but I had been trained well, and I knew how to smile at the flatulent businessmen, how to talk up our achievements, how to catch their eye with a well-fitted dress. Stephanie seemed to be managing the same, though with very few business interests to gain. It was practice, I suppose, and the gossip of Gotham's mega-rich would undoubtedly unfold into a few new plots. Still, the girl showed promise.

"You know, you'd make a brilliant CEO one day, Miss Brown," I smiled, as we both retreated from the room at the same time. "It is a tiring game to play," Stephanie answered, "But I suppose it has use. You seem to rather enjoy it." "I cannot think of anything worse," I replied, truthfully, "But the company doesn't run without connections, and without the company there's no charity, and without the charity Gotham's streets are clogged with the bodies of children who don't belong there." Stephanie nodded, just as Jason, Dick, and Cassandra rounded the corner, chatting among one another, Cassandra's hands moving as quickly as the other's voices. She'd found it easier to learn sign language than speech, the art of her body always stronger than her tongue. "Ah, Steph!" Jason called, noticing the two, "Miss Agadhi." "Jay-bird, I've known you since before you tried to steal poor Bruce's hubcaps," I laughed, standing on my tip toes to ruffle the taller boy's – man's – hair. He flushed red a little, sticking his tongue out at me. "Yeah, yeah, Mama B," he huffed, flicking his hair back into place. "No need to rub it in." "No need to call me Miss Agadhi," I retorted, smiling. "Dick, how are you?" I signed my greeting to Cass, and she beamed back, fingers moving in a speedy response. Bruce has been looking for you all evening, you know. The girl grinned, cheekily. Well I haven't exactly been hiding. I laughed, face flushing a slight red. Uh huh, that's why you're lurking back here, then she accused. I came back here to congratulate Steph on her CEO-esque behaviour I protested back. "There you all are!" Damian's voice interrupted. "Father sent me to get you. Commissioner Gordon's getting his award now, you can't miss this. And Dick, Barbara's waiting for you." "Shit!" Dick swore, scampering off. "Thanks Dami!" Damian attempted to glare after him, but the softness in his eyes lessened the threatening effect slightly.

"Congratulations, Jim," I smiled, making my way over to Jim, Dick, and Barbara near the stage. "I think that's the first time I've seen an officer in Gotham given such a high award by someone whose payroll they aren't on." "You have always been far too cynical for your own good, Billie," he answered, warmly, as I planted a warm kiss on each of his cheeks. "It is difficult not to be, today," I replied, "And yet, you still manage to find the good in this city and it's people." "Says the woman who scraps about with the gutter kids," Jason retorted, approaching from the other side. "Children learn," I answered, "Take you, for example, Jay-bird. From haunting gutters and stealing hubcaps to the second son of a billionaire. I maintain that you should get back to Uni – you would make an excellent face for the Martha Wayne Arts Foundation." "He's still very good at stealing hubcaps," Bruce frowned, appearing beside them, "He just also reattaches them after a few days." "An improvement nonetheless," I chuckled, stepping back to allow him to join the circle. His pressed black shirt and jacket were doing a strong job of hiding his injuries, but I could see the blood soaking through the dark fabric. "Whatever you say, Mama B," Jason laughed, just as the band launched into a classical song. "I haven't seen either of you dance all night. Go on, off you go." He shooed us both off to the dance floor, and I wasn't sure whether to thank him or to cuff him over his unnecessarily tall head. "May I have this dance?" Bruce chuckled, exasperatedly. "Just this one, and then we need to do something about that," I answered, taking his hand. He nodded, reluctantly, and led me onto the dance floor.

I think it was harder to be able to escape the room without starting rumours than it was to drag Bruce through the halls of the hotel. Bruce left first, excusing himself to go check on the kitchen staff, while I remained stuck in conversation with one of the duller businessmen. Stephanie and Tim made the mistake of walking too close behind me, and I grabbed Steph's wrist, hauling them both into the conversation. "Have you met Stephanie, sir?" I inquired, innocently. "She'll be working with the company, probably even as CEO when I step down onto the board." Stephanie caught herself in gawking at me, but quickly introduced herself to the man, as I drew Tim forward as well. "And, of course, you must know Timothy? He's CEO of Wayne Enterprises now," I explained, letting Tim slip on his CEO role as easily as Stephanie had. The conversation flickered for a few moments, before the man was drawn so in depth into Stephanie and Tim's antics that I could slip away, excusing myself politely.

"I saw Glenn Thompson catch you," Bruce laughed, waving away my apology as I entered. "You saw and you didn't think to help me?" I cried, melodramatically, as I rifled through the contents of his med kit. "You're the one who didn't want to start any rumours," he teased, smirking. "Well, I just started the main rumour for the night anyway," I considered, impatiently gesturing for him to unbutton his blood-soaked shirt. "Any rumour about us would be small fry compared to that." "What'd you say?" he asked, wincing as I pasted antiseptic over the seeping wound. "I introduced Stephanie to Thompson as my successor as CEO," I answered, easily, not looking up to meet his eyes. "You what?" he questioned, and I could feel his incredulous stare burning into me. "She's very good at taking on a role, that girl," I continued, absently, "I'm going to sit on your lap now, otherwise it's going to be damn near impossible for me to stitch this." "You introduced Stephanie Brown, dating-Tim-Drake-CEO-of-Wayne-Enterprises Stephanie Brown, as your successor as CEO to a business partner?" he queried, as I settled on his lap to restitch the wound on his chest. "I intend to follow through on it, don't worry," I continued, carefully digging the needle into the wound. "I didn't give the girl false hope. She's very good at this." "Fuck, those two are going to rule the world," Bruce sighed, pinching his nose. "You're actually going to make Steph CEO of Agadhi Fashion?"

"Woah, I did not need to–" The door swung open, revealing Tim and Steph. "I'm stitching a cut on his shoulder, Tim," I called back, as he retreated behind the door again. "It's safe, don't worry." It creaked back open, and Steph led the way in. "'Have you met Stephanie? She'll be working with the company, probably even as CEO when I step down to the board'," she mimicked, desperately. "What the fuck Billie?" "Well, I meant to ask you in an official capacity but it was an emergency!" I apologised, tying off the stitches. "Wait, what? You were serious?" she jumped back, staring at me with wide eyes. "You're going to make me CEO of Agadhi Fashion?" "Yes," I nodded, calmly, rinsing some of the blood out of Bruce's shirt as he reached for a new one. "I told you, you would make a very good CEO. It is only fair I give you that chance." "Did you put her up to this?" Steph asked, spinning to face Bruce. "Is this you trying to test me again? I thought we'd established that I don't like being tested." "He didn't put me up to this, Steph," I assured her, tossing Bruce's shirt over the towel rack to dry and taking her by the shoulders. "I swear, this has nothing to do with Bruce. It's about your potential, and what you can make of yourself. Hell, you've already made yourself a crime-fighter, why not a billionaire CEO?" Stephanie stared at me, suspiciously, then her face broke into a beautiful smile. "Oh my god! Thank you so much!" She leapt forward, encasing me in a strangling hug. I smiled, gently wrapping my arms around her. "You earned this for yourself, Steph." Tim looked a lot less uncomfortable than he had when he opened the door, as his girlfriend returned to him, grinning widely.

"And you, Timothy Drake. I can't believe you accused me of sneaking away from a business partner to have sex!" He winced, scrumpling up his nose. "It was a very compromising position," he defended himself, "You were sitting in his lap!" "I was stitching him up! Would you have preferred I just did a shit job of stitching?" I asked, folding my arms. "No, but...ugh..." He stuck his tongue out at both of us, wincing. "It's not my fault you two have been pi–" "Tim!" Bruce interrupted, folding his arms as well. Tim huffed, rolled his eyes, then pulled the door open again. "Well, we're going back to the party," he announced, imperially, "Are you two going to join us?" "If it'll end this conversation, I'll talk to Thompson for an hour," I replied, sweeping past him with a grin, and leading the way out of the room. Tim, Stephanie, and Bruce all gaped after me, before scrambling to catch up.

"How long are you staying in Gotham for, Mama B?" Jason asked, curiously, before scooping up a huge chunk of lamb. "I'll be here for a while," I replied, thoughtfully. "The headquarters are moving back to Gotham, so I'm looking to buy an apartment." "Why are you moving the company back?" Steph queried, quietly. "I've got business I need to attend to in Gotham, and I'd like to spend more time with the charity here. We seem to be letting people down," I answered, smiling sadly. "How so?" Jason asked, just as someone at the end of the table cleared their throat, tapping gently against the wine glass. I caught Bruce's eye with an internal groan, as Glenn Thompson stood, glass in hand, drivelling about one achievement or another.

#batman x oc #batfam x oc #batfam #batbros #batboys

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delicatelyrainystudentunive-blog · 6 years

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The most effective method to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-precedents

Your marriage gathering will assume a colossal job in your big day festivities, going about as an emotionally supportive network (and additional arrangement of hands!) when you require them. So why not acquaint them with whatever is left of your visitors with a unique yell out on your wedding site?

Wedding party profiles have turned into a sweet method to customize your wedding site, as well as break the ice before the huge occasion. Be that as it may, with regards to composing a portrayal for every one of your wedding party individuals… well, where would it be advisable for you to really start?

In case you're as of now taking a seat to compose your wedding site areas and searching for some wedding gathering bio precedents and thoughts, you're in the opportune place!

Continue perusing for some bridesmaid and groomsmen bio guides to draw motivation from, and our supportive wording tips and manners rules to kick you off, as well.

the most effective method to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-examples Photo via Cara Robbins Studio

Why Include a Wedding Party Bio?

Allows first get clear on the real reason for including wedding party profiles on your wedding site. I'm not catching their meaning, and would they say they are extremely essential?

Wedding party depictions are basically a short presentation for your bridesmaids and groomsmen, displayed on your wedding site for visitors to peruse before the day. While it may appear to be anything but difficult to skirt this segment, we by and by believe it's an imaginative method to present the key individuals from your festival and make them feel somewhat uncommon!

The principle motivations to consider including marriage party bio's on your wedding site include:

Breaking the ice with visitors who might be new to various individuals from your wedding party

Enabling visitors to comprehend your association with every wedding photography in Delhi gathering part and how they fit into your life

What's more, in particular, demonstrating your appreciation and gratefulness for the general population who are assuming such a major job for your extraordinary day!

Not exclusively are wedding party bio's a handy method to acclimate your visitors with each other, however they additionally enable you to express profound gratitude to your bridesmaids and groomsmen, as well. Many wedding web architectures incorporate an instant area for marriage party bio's at any rate, so why not exploit it!

the most effective method to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-examples Photo by Ashtyn Brooke Photo

What to Include in Your Wedding Party Bio's

Presently how about we burrow somewhat more profound and discussion about what to incorporate as you take a seat to expound on your wedding party.

The principle focal point of these short depictions ought to be your association with every individual. How precisely do they fit into your life? What sort of history do you share? How might you depict this individual to an outsider?

Rather than basically posting viable actualities like age, occupation and area, center around the more close to home side of things like recollections, encounters and identity characteristics.

You should need to begin with a brisk meeting to generate new ideas for every individual from your wedding party utilizing the accompanying prompts:

Attempt to concoct a couple of dab focuses for every one of your bridesmaids and groomsmen. This will give you a lot of material to work with as you push ahead with the following stage!

the most effective method to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-examples Photo by wedding photography in Delhi.

The most effective method to Write Your Wedding Party Bio's: Tips and Examples

When you've conceptualized a few points for the individuals from your wedding party, you would now be able to begin pulling these together to finish each bio.

Try not to stretch – marriage party portrayals are best kept quick and painless! Like your "About Us" story and welcome message, your wedding party profiles extremely just should be a couple of sentences long.

You may pursue an organization, for example,

first sentence: How you met and how your relationship created

second – third sentence: Favorite recollections and encounters shared together, amusing tales or peculiar certainties

fourth sentence: Personality qualities you cherish about them, what's in store from them at the wedding

You can compose your wedding party profiles in first or third individual – pick whatever feels the most normal for you. With regards to tone and wording, it's best to keep things cheery, grateful and amicable. Fusing some cleverness is likewise an incredible method to make these portrayals engaging and drawing in for visitors!

So what does this look like in real life? Look at the accompanying marriage party bio guides to kick you off:

"Jenny and Sally initially met in London amid a University trade program and rapidly ended up indivisible – holding over their mutual love of lychee martinis and outdated R'n'B! In the wake of exploring through India together and a 5-year stretch as flat mates, it's protected to state Jenny knows Sally superior to anybody. We adore Jenny for her enormous heart, shameless comical inclination and capacity to locate the amusing side of each circumstance!"

"Johnny is Harry's more youthful sibling, and the person you'll discover in a large portion of his movement collections on Facebook. From snowboarding treks to angling rivalries and surfing safari's, there's very little this adrenaline-adoring team haven't done. Johnny is additionally one of the quirkiest individuals we know – and with moves like his, we have no uncertainty he'll be the first up on the move floor at the wedding!"

"Jemima isn't just my future sister-in-law, yet in addition one of my dearest companions. From the minute we met, she greeted me into the family wholeheartedly and made me feel comfortable! We've since shared a lot generally night karaoke sessions, sushi dates and unscripted television long distance races (with a lot more to come!). She has an irresistible snicker and can generally make us laugh out loud with her senseless jokes."

"Saskia is my more established sister, closest companion and all-around astounding human. She's likewise one of the most astute individuals on earth, as of late graduating best of her class with Honors in Engineering. Sally wants to banter about everything without exception, so make sure to discover her on the day in case you're up for a decent discussion (that is in the event that you can keep up!)."

"Craig has been my best mate for about 10 years now after first gathering in secondary school. Sharing an affection for angling, footy and climbing, I likewise have Craig to thank for setting us up on our first arranged meet up – and rapidly turning into our privileged "awkward extra person wheel" for the numerous dates that pursued. Craig is a standout amongst the most faithful individuals I know, and I couldn't be more joyful to make them remain close by on the day. Listen up for his best man discourse, which will no uncertainty be loaded up with humiliating stories from our school days!"

Keep in mind, you picked every individual from your marriage party which is as it should be. So just bring an outing through a world of fond memories and compose from the heart!

step by step instructions to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-examples Photo by Alex Lasota

Imaginative Wedding Party Bio Ideas

Wedding party profiles don't need to exhaust. Truth be told, they can be a standout among the most engaging components of your wedding site through and through!

Get innovative with your marriage party profiles to truly customize this area and draw in your visitors. In case you're hunting down some fun wedding party bio thoughts, think about the accompanying:

Ask your wedding party individuals to compose a bio from their point of view

Utilize an idiosyncratic heading on your wedding site, for example, "The Bride Tribe", "Meet the Gents", "Our I-do Crew"

Present every part with a slogan that mirrors your relationship, similar to "Sly accomplice", "Most loved previous flat mate" or "Head angling pal".

Incorporate your most loved photograph together (with their consent)

Commission a stationery craftsman to make a portray or cartoon for every individual

Host your wedding gathering answer a "becoming more acquainted with you" test

Incorporate your pet as a privileged wedding party part with their own special bio

There's no lack of imaginative approaches to put your very own stamp on your wedding party depictions. Try not to be hesitant to have a fabulous time with it!

the most effective method to compose your-wedding-party-profiles wording-tips-and-examples Photo by Valorie Darling Photography

Wedding Party Bio Etiquette

Before hitting "distribute" on your wedding party profiles, it's critical to remember some behavior rules. While we're in support of making these portrayals engaging, recollect that your whole list if people to attend will have the capacity to peruse them, as well. The exact opposite thing you need to do is humiliate or affront anybody inadvertently.

With regards to what not to incorporate into your marriage party profiles, we'd prescribe avoiding subtleties like:

Regardless of how happy your jokes may appear, it's simple for things to be misjudged on the web. Spare the cheekier jokes or increasingly enthusiastic feelings for your wedding photography in Delhi discourse and keep your profile's warm and positive.

You may likewise need to convey your profile's to every individual from your wedding gathering to get their endorsement before hitting distribute. Along these lines you can guarantee everybody is in agreement, without unsettling any quills.

Observe Your Wedding Party

While composing your wedding party profiles may appear to be an overwhelming errand, it's unquestionably advantageous. All things considered, these are the general population will's identity remaining close by on the greatest day of your whole life – so why not praise them!

Just keep these wording tips and wedding party bio models at the top of the priority list to enable you to make something your marriage party (and your visitors) can appreciate. You have this!

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theliterateape · 3 years

Text

The Partnership

by Wayne Lerner

9:30 am. It was already 95 degrees with a 1000% humidity. And it was only mid-June.

When I moved to St. Louis from Chicago in 1990 to take my first CEO job at The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, I traded a lousy winter for an unbearable summer. 3 dress shirts a day to go with my suit. One more when I had an evening function to attend.

I was gazing out the office window past the busy 4 lane Kingshighway bordering Forest Park, a public oasis within the city, larger than Central Park in NY, when my assistant, Jean, came barging in.

By nature, a very complacent person, she was bouncing out of her shoes with excitement. A cup of coffee in one hand and the mail and my phone messages in the other, she handed me a letter, shouting, “You have a letter from the White House! You need to open it right now. It might be important.” The daydream about taking a walk on one of the 3 mile paths constructed around the park’s two golf courses would have to wait.

An understatement, for sure. Jean was known to the staff as Miss Reserved. She downplayed whatever crisis we were currently facing. Nothing fazed her. This time was different.

I looked at her like she was crazy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she exclaimed.

“Why would the White House send me a letter?”

“Open the damn letter already! If you don’t, I will!”

I opened the letter. Sure enough, it was an invitation from the First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to visit the White House.

Unknown to me, Mrs. Clinton had developed a close relationship with the First Lady of Latvia. She was going to be in DC to attend a special athletic event for people with cognitive and physical disabilities, representing her country.

Mrs. Clinton’s letter asked us to come to the White House for a signing ceremony initiating a partnership between healthcare centers in the United States and Latvia. The US partners included The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis; our parent organization, the BJC Health System; and our affiliate, Washington University Medical School.

About a year prior, several members of our medical staff took it upon themselves to convince our management team and Board to establish a relationship with The Jewish Hospital of Riga, Bicur Cholim. The hospital had been seeking international partners to help it meet the pressing needs of its patients.

As a Republic of the Soviet Union, businesses, including hospitals and medical schools, were owned and operated by the government which spent little time or resources on the health of its population. When Latvia regained its independence in 1991, these organizations reverted back to community oversight. Given our Mission and commitment to the ideals under which our hospital was founded, we readily agreed. We would be working with the Republic Children’s Hospital, the City Maternity Hospital and Bicur Cholim to address daunting Maternal and Child health needs.

As you might imagine, we were not given a lot of time to prepare for this amazing event. The signing ceremony was to take place in 4 days.

Jean and I spent the day making phone calls to invite selected individuals to join us in Washington. We could not bring everyone who wanted to attend as the White House gave us a firm limit. Thus, our focus had to be on the physicians who initiated the partnership idea and a few leaders from the hospital and Medical School.

To avoid any travel delays, we flew to DC the night before the signing. Checking into the hotel, our excitement got the better of us. Sleep did not come easily after a night of eating, drinking and lots of laughing.

Much to our surprise, some of the Board members were actually quite funny fellows. The chairman of the board went out of his way to needle the CEO about his attendance at work. “You know, Frank, I am convinced that you have never missed a meeting held out of town. In fact, I think you’re a magnet for national and international meetings. I sure hope you’re taking vacation time for all of these boondoggles.”

Frank just smiled as he turned crimson. After all, what else could he do? The truth was the truth. And we all roared in delight to see our boss being taken down a few notches.

Prior to the signing ceremony and at the request of the Latvian Ambassador to the United States, we were to attend a celebratory lunch at the Hay-Adams, a well known and classic hotel.

Arriving at the hotel, we were shown to the Private Dining Room. A long table was set in an elegant style with more silverware and glassware than one normally saw at lunch. We walked past the US and Latvian flags to our seats where engraved name cards had been placed. Each was embossed with the Latvian seal. Candles burned bright from the elaborate candelabras even though it was mid-day. With a view of Lafayette Park and a grand ornamental fireplace dominating the room, each of us felt a sense of awe about the event soon to take place.

When the time drew near for the lunch to begin, we stood behind our chairs as the Latvian delegation entered the room. The First Lady of Latvia and the Ambassador led the entourage followed by various governmental officials.

The First Lady and the Ambassador asked us to be seated as they welcomed us to the luncheon. They thanked The Jewish Hospital physicians for their foresight in initiating the partnership and then spoke, in sweeping terms, about the great things they hoped would happen.

Due to underfunding and in attention by the prior government, healthcare services were disorganized which allowed significant health issues to arise. Infant mortality had skyrocketed, women were not able to receive adequate prenatal care and children were not able to get the requisite immunizations which made them prone to many diseases. The challenges to fixing the system were daunting.

Before lunch was served, The First Lady asked each of us to introduce ourselves and talk about how the partnership could bring benefit to both countries. The First Lady and the Ambassador were the last to speak.

The First Lady gave an emotional speech about the historical problems of delivering high quality Maternal and Child health care in Latvia and expressed her delight at what was likely to happen as a result of our new relationship. Then, she turned to the Ambassador who introduced himself and began to give his prepared remarks.

“Welcome, colleagues, my name is Ojars Kalnins. I am thrilled to be here to witness the beginning of a major undertaking for our two countries.”

Ojars Kalnins! There can’t be two people in the world with that name!

I was in shock.

The blood drained from my face and I turned pale. The Chairman of The Jewish Hospital Board leaned over and, in a whisper, asked me if I was ill. I was unable to speak.

If I was right, the Ambassador and I attended Austin High School on the westside of Chicago in the mid 60’s. He was the captain of the track team for both his junior and senior years.

I don’t remember anything he said that day. I was in another world. I looked at him and tried to roll back the years to see if I could recognize him from so long ago.

What are the odds that I, a lifelong Chicagoan, would leave to take a job in St. Louis; that the Latvian government would move to independence from the Soviet Union around that time; that a partnership would be established between our hospitals and countries; that we would be invited to the White House for a signing ceremony; and that one of the Latvian senior officials hosting the event was someone with whom I had gone to high school many years before?

Are things pre-ordained or was this fate, serendipity, karma?

I don’t think it really matters. What was really important is that, through our collective efforts, we were joining together to improve the health of moms and babies in a country which needed our help.

After the luncheon, I approached Ojars and asked, “Mr. Ambassador, what was Austin High School’s mascot?”

He looked at me, puzzled. He did not recognize me. I laughed and explained our connection. Ojars and I were not close friends, just classmates. It took a minute, then smiles all around, we began to reminisce about our experiences on the west side of Chicago in the ‘60’s.

“What happened to you during the riots?” I asked. “How did you end up becoming the Ambassador? I have a thousand questions.”

“I was able to avoid the aftermath of the riots because my family moved out of the area about the time I began college at Roosevelt,” Ojars said. “You may not remember but I graduated 6 months before you. While I was born in Munich and came to America when I was 2, my family roots were in Latvia. After getting my degree and working in various capacities, the opportunity came that I could help Latvia establish a new government. As they say, the rest is history. What about you?”

“We didn’t move out of Austin until 1969 when we were finally able to sell our house. We were the last white family on our block. Living there got increasingly dangerous for my family. Needless to say, the impact of the riots are always on my mind. I went to Illinois and then to Michigan for graduate work. How I became a hospital administrator is another story.”

About that time, we had to leave for The White House. The ceremony in the East Room proceeded without incident. Many pictures were taken with our new partners and Mrs. Clinton which were picked up by the national and international media. We were the first such US health care partnership of this kind. I was sure I would never hear or see Ojars again after the ceremony. He said he had to go back to Latvia and I was headed back to St. Louis.

Now, there’s a lot more to tell about the event at the White House, like how the CEO of the system and I stole monogrammed matches and towels from the White House bathrooms and what happened when I asked the Marine Band to play some Grateful Dead or Moody Blues when I entered the special guest entrance at the White House, but those will have to wait for another day. As will what happened when Ojars and I reestablished our relationship through the Austin High School alumni website just a few months ago.

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expatimes · 4 years

Photo

Nigeria’s bus drivers battle thugs, a union and police in Lagos

Lagos, Nigeria – It is 7pm on a Wednesday in late September. Afeez* has just left a bus park at Iyana Isolo, a small busy road near the popular Ojuwoye street market in the district of Mushin.

In a leased danfo – the privately run yellow and white minibuses that serve as unofficial public transport in Nigerian cities – the 32-year-old plies through the busy streets, breaking off before traffic signals, in a rush to get his passengers to the nearby suburb of Oyingbo.

“I am in a hurry to return to the park and do more trips,” the driver explained. His conversations with passengers are terse; he has no time to listen to their complaints. “I have to deliver [the rental fee] to the owner of the bus tonight.”

The only thing momentarily slowing him down along his route are the agberos – the motor park touts he hands 100 naira ($0.27) bills to every time he passes their junctions. Some run after the bus, demanding their due.

In Yoruba, agbero means “to carry passengers”, but this does not connote what the agberos do. These men, mostly clad in white and green uniforms but sometimes in plain clothes and carrying sticks or canes, collect dues from motorcycle, tricycle, and danfo bus drivers on behalf of the drivers’ union – a toll that allows them to pick up passengers.

The cost of dues can vary. But drivers say they generally pay three types: “booking” is paid so they can start work at the motor parks every morning; before each trip, they pay a “loading” fee, which is usually a sum equal to the fare of two passengers; and “tickets” are undefined charges which are paid once or twice a day depending on the parks they use.

Some drivers told Al Jazeera they hand over about half their daily earnings to the agberos, and altercations sometimes occur if dues are not paid.

A bus conductor and an agbero engaged in an aggressive tussle over payments, in Sabo [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

“I have had countless fights with them, we fight often,” Afeez said. “It is trouble if you don’t give them money.”

Early in August, he was involved in a brawl with some agberos at Fadeyi, a bus stop along the route he was taking to Oyingbo.

“It was close to noon that day and the particular agbero was asking for afternoon due,” he recalled. “My conductor said it was not afternoon yet … and that we needed to work more before paying.

“I was at the steering wheel and I heard their argument. I told him when we go on one more trip, we would pay. The argument continued and all of a sudden he stabbed my conductor in the face with a key. He wounded him and I could not take it; I came down from the driver’s seat and we fought each other.”

The agbero was joined by his friends and a big fight broke out until they were all separated by other drivers, Afeez explained. “In the end, nothing happened because the chairman … did not get involved, it was just me and their boys,” he added, expressing relief that he did not encounter a union boss at the bus park.

The union

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is an independent union that oversees all danfo bus drivers, commercial motorcycle drivers, and tricycle drivers.

In its own words, it “serves the interests of transport workers in the road transport sector”. But according to many drivers, the union only serves itself.

Unlike regular unions, NURTW is amorphous and without a defined and transparent structure. Its membership mainly comprises people who are not drivers, but rather motor park attendants. They started off as touts, canvassing passengers onto buses and maintaining order at motor parks. But over the years they have assumed total control of Nigeria’s informal transport sector.

The union has now become exclusively for “outsiders who have no business in driving”, drivers told Al Jazeera, at least in part because of what some say is a troubling alliance between union leaders and state officials. One driver who identified himself as only Tunde said the top echelons of the union are people who are rewarded by politicians for their service.

Union stickers seen on the windscreen of a danfo bus in Lagos. This allows drivers to pick up and drop off passengers at select motor parks in the city [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

The problems with the union have long been a point of national discussion. In Oyo, another state in southwest Nigeria, Governor Seyi Makinde banned NURTW “to maintain peace and tranquillity in the state in order to engender commercial and human development” following “alleged security breaches and factional clashes of the union member in some areas of Ibadan, the state capital”. Since then, the state government has taken control of the bus parks in Oyo.

Some analysts say the challenges in the transport industry are rooted in the evolution of Nigeria’s socioeconomic landscape, and that the steady rise in unemployment after the country’s gradual economic downturn in the 1980s led to the birth of the agbero phenomenon.

Agbero originally grew out of “area boys”, a slang term usually used to refer to loosely organised groups of teen street gangs. These young male residents of a particular area would casually lay claim to “ownership” of that location, extorting money from passersby and serving as informal security in the hope of some compensation. In later years, the area boys, who were already mostly unemployed, found refuge within the largely unregulated transports system, economists and public policy analysts have said. They have grown into the more sophisticated association known as agbero today.

Nigeria as a whole has no policy that guides the transport sector and in high population density cities like Lagos, with a rising scourge of unemployment and consistent migration from other states, the transport system has become a mine of quick, daily cash for young people without work.

According to Professor Gbadebo Odewumi, the dean of the school of transport at Lagos State University, the public transport system in Lagos has been infiltrated by unskilled, illiterate youths ready to do the bidding of well-known thugs at the helm of the union because the state government has refused to implement standard policy guides that have been drafted by various commissions.

“First of all, there is no policy framework. Sanity can only begin with policies. Without policies, nothing can work,” Odewumi told Al Jazeera. “That is why there is this level of extortion and violence. Do you know how much the government makes per day? There is serious money in transportation. I mean billions.”

A NURTW member collects morning dues from a driver in Oshodi [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

Although not formally connected with the government, the union has become one of Lagos’s – and much of the southwest’s – social mainstays as they are a visible presence in the daily experience of millions of commuters.

A Premium Times report in 2019 said that most of the money being generated on the street is disbursed into the pockets of union leaders owing to the informal structure of the financial relations between the union and the government.

Al Jazeera approached some of the union leaders at Oshodi, a transport hub in the state, for their response to these and other claims, but they refused to comment.

“The union leaders just reap from the chaos of the system and enrich themselves,” Odewumi said.

“The relationship is parasitic; each component is taking advantage of the other with the drivers at the base. The government takes advantage of the union and uses them for what they want, like using them to challenge political opponents during elections; the union takes advantage of the drivers.”

‘You are at their mercy’

“As a driver, I am in the union because the union is for those who are transport workers like me,” said Muyideen*, a danfo driver and father-of-three who ferries passengers from motor parks in Mushin and Oshodi every day.

“What is sad is what the union has become.”

The 61-year-old has a diploma in business administration but began working as a driver in 2001 after he could not find a job in his field. Now he is on the road from 5.30am to 9pm every day. But his income, he said, averages just 5,000 nairas ($13) a day.

“I am a father of three grown children and I need to struggle to make sure they don’t end up with this kind of job,” Muyideen said. “They need to go to school and be well-off; this is not what I want for them. Not all drivers are illiterates as people think, I am a graduate but due to unemployment, I found myself in this job.”

He has grown weary of the shady, unaccounted charges he pays the union for every trip he makes. The charges are not official and could be invented at any time, he lamented. And his inability to challenge the exorbitant levies, he said, lies in the free rein the government has given the union leadership to operate public transport in Lagos state.

“The union is mainly for thugs and the government is not doing anything about it. Nothing is being done with the dues we pay, we just pay,” he said.

A union worker collects morning dues – armed with a rubber pole [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

Muyideen starts out every morning paying a 1,700 nairas ($4.59) booking fee at the motor park, and the dues pile up from there. Although he can make about 700 nairas ($1.89) from a single trip at full capacity, before he is able to pocket the cash, between 200 and 300 nairas ($0.54-0.81) – almost half – go to the agberos.

“Once you are driving [in public transport] in Lagos, you are at their mercy. Drivers are silently suffering because most of the reward of our labour goes to them,” he said, pointing to a union official lounging on a bench on the other side of the road.

“And you cannot do anything. They can do whatever they want at any time,” he said, dejectedly, before looking around to see if it was his turn in the queue. “If you fight them, you will suffer for it. You will either be beaten or be sent away from the park.”

Informal transport sector

Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, is the most populated state and also its smallest. Public transport accounts for 98 percent of the traffic in the state according to Professor Odewumi, but the system is “chaotic and terribly organised”, he explained.

Nigeria’s public road transport system is predominantly informal and that part of the sector is largely regulated by the NURTW. According to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), there are 75,000 minibuses in the state and 50,000 tricycles according to a 2020 report by Techcabal.

Commuters shelter from the rain at a BRT bus stop in Lagos [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

In 2008, the government tried to improve Lagos’s formal transport sector with the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system. However, there are just 474 BRT buses available and they only work on main highways. The BRT system does little to meet the demands of the eight million commuters who use the road network in the metropolis daily.

BRT buses, with off-board ticket purchase, only have a capacity of 40 to 85 passengers and are usually more expensive than the minibuses. They use dedicated lanes on main highways so do not have the flexibility in routes of the minibuses.

That is why many passengers choose commercial shared transport like danfo or smaller tricycles that carry a driver and just two passengers.

Tricycles, popularly known as maruwa or keke, are used to navigate feeder routes and penetrate the inner crevices of the city by using the streets rather than main roads. Tricycle riders are also governed by NURTW and are subject to the same demands as danfo drivers, only they pay a cheaper toll as they carry fewer passengers.

A series of misfortunes

One morning in August when the lockdown had just been lifted, tricycle rider Yusuf Hassan decided to help two middle-aged women who could only afford to split a single passenger fare between them, by letting them share one seat. Locally, this is called lapping, where one passenger carries another on their lap – and Yusuf understood that it did not contravene regulations because even though there were three passengers, only two seats were occupied.

He was halfway through the trip when another tricycle with three policemen approached and stopped him. “Before I knew it, they were all over me. The three of them speaking at once, accusing me of disobeying the state government’s regulations.”

He said they ignored his explanations, seized his keys and pushed him out of the vehicle, taking it to their police station in Mushin.

A danfo bus and tricycle park on a road at Onipanu [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

“When I got to the station, they refused to attend to me, saying I had violated the law. It wasn’t until I involved a union executive … that they bothered to attend to me and they said I had to pay 10,000 naira [$27.02] before it could be released to me.”

The amount was reduced after a union representative negotiated on his behalf, and Yusuf finally paid 4,000 nairas ($10.81) to get his tricycle back, because it was all the money he had.

When asked if the union had helped him pay the fine, he shook his head. “Which union?” he smirked. “The executive was only there to talk to the policemen, to negotiate the bribe. His presence only helped reduce it.”

The police seize vehicles instead of arresting drivers for these offences, he said. “Why would they arrest you? They need the money, not you. So it is your bus or tricycle that will be driven to their station.”

This was the first of a series of “misfortunes” that Yusuf says has affected his business. In the middle of September, he misjudged a traffic signal which seemed to malfunction and moved ahead.

“All of a sudden, I noticed I was being chased with a motorcycle,” he said. It was a plain-clothes policeman, but instead of stopping, Yusuf sped off, and a chase ensued.

“I thought if he chased me for some minutes, he would let me go but we both kept going and going. And he was faster, being on a motorcycle. When I knew I did not stand a chance, I looked for a place where there were a lot of people by the roadside and parked the tricycle there.”

Danfo buses pull into a filling station to pick up passengers in Onipanu [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

Yusuf beckoned passersby to help him, and some tried to reason with the officer, saying the young driver, who is in his 20s, was a relative of theirs. Finally, the policeman agreed not to arrest him, but called him aside and insisted on some money instead.

“He said I had to pay 15,000 naira ($40.54) for him not to take my tricycle.” Again, Yusuf was able to negotiate, eventually paying 3,000 nairas ($8.1) on the spot.

“Up till now, I can say I have not fully recovered because the series of arrests interrupted my plan and I can’t pay back the microfinance,” Yusuf explained, referring to the 970,000 nairas ($2,622) loan he had to take to buy his tricycle.

He pays back 17,000 nairas ($46) weekly. But more than a year later, he is yet to pay it off.

“There is no sense in working for the police because that is what it is,” he added about the fines and bribes.

Threats from law enforcement

Although most commercial drivers centralise at motor parks, there are some who choose not to, and instead, drive around the city looking for passengers. Although this reduces their dues to the union, it also has challenges, Afeez explained.

These drivers still pay the agberos who stop them along the way, and they are more at risk of getting unwanted attention from law enforcement. “They [police] don’t come into the parks to arrest drivers, only outside on the road,” he said, explaining that the parks offer drivers at least some protection.

Drivers complained about problems with law enforcement agencies like the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), the police and the government’s Task Force.

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offenses (Task Force) was created in 1991 by military edict when Brigadier General Raji Rasaki was the military governor of Lagos state. Over time, the edict has been redesigned for various purposes which now includes arresting and prosecuting “violators of the provision of the Road Traffic Law 2012”. Among the drivers, the task force has become widely notorious for arbitrary arrests and huge bribes the officers demand.

“You want to talk about the task force? Where do you want to begin because there are a lot of things to say,” Afeez said, sitting in a leased danfo at the park in Iyana Isolo one rainy Tuesday. Despite his numerous encounters, one stands out because it cost him the most.

A danfo bus waits for passengers close to a motor park in Onipanu [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

“It was the task force that made me lose my former bus,” he said, explaining that it was seized and he was arrested three times in the space of three weeks in August and September. He had to spend all his earnings extricating himself from either task force or LASTMA officials – as well as paying 8,000 nairas ($21.6) to get the bus back – which meant he was unable to make payments to the owner and lost the bus.

“We are often arrested because there are no designated bus stops along this route, so we usually use the roadside to drop and sometimes pick [up] passengers. But that is considered an offence,” Afeez explained, saying that officials were “very aggressive” and there was no way to talk to them about the charges.

“Sometimes they beat drivers; a lot of drivers who challenge them have been beaten,” he said.

Afeez started driving 10 years ago but has never owned a bus of his own. He has been on the streets fending for himself through odd jobs since he was a teenager, but managed to take out longer leases on buses in the past. Now, after losing the certainty that came with the previous bus, he rents vehicles on a day-to-day basis; on days he cannot find one, he does not get to work.

“I don’t have my own now, so I look out for friends who may not be driving on a particular day and use their bus to work. I pay them after work,” he said.

The last arrest left a mark on him. He is now afraid because he cannot afford to be arrested with a borrowed bus. He splayed his palm on the dashboard in resignation. “We work in fear; it is as though we are thieves. We are always on the lookout for task force, the police and LASTMA officials; you never can tell which one is around.”

Muyideen also fears law enforcement officials – even more than he does the union. When asked why, he said the fines they demand are far higher than what the union will collect if he is arrested.

Several drivers from different routes have also alleged that Task Force officers use agberos they personally employ as decoys, to make arrests. “They [Task Force officials] are government thugs,” Muyideen lamented.

Agberos chase after danfo buses for morning payments in Onipanu [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

“The enforcement agency is a hopeless thing. Who will enforce the law?” Professor Odewumi said. “Any laws made, rather than the enforcers looking to enforce them, they are looking to exploit them. Anytime in the day, 70 to 80 percent [of the enforcers] are on the road not enforcing anything but collecting money.”

Muyiwa Adejobi, a superintendent of police and the public relations officer for Lagos Police Command, responded to the allegations about “decoys” in a phone interview with Al Jazeera.

“Using decoy by the police force is not a problem. It is acceptable in the force. Not all personnel in the task force are police officers, there are also paramilitary personnel [that work in the task force],” Adejobi said.

“In fact, according to the law [Administration of Criminal Justice Act of Lagos], even individuals are permitted to arrest offenders; the only thing is you can’t detain the offenders.”

“Although, we have deviants within the police force … we have said it and we reiterate that we have zero tolerance for corruption. It takes two to tango … the drivers should stop giving bribes to the police officers. We have told them to identify the [erring] Task Force officers and report them to the [disciplinary] mechanism we have set up in the police force,” he added.

A history of violence

According to Odewumi, the union is loosely organised and populated by people who have a history of violence and, as a result, politicians have been able to utilise them as political tools for their own agendas.

Often, riots that have broken out in the ranks of the NURTW have caused widespread vandalism and the killing of innocent people. These riots are usually the result of an internal leadership tussle in the motor parks.

“They could be violent. Their number can unleash violence,” Odewumi said.

A driver pays his dues to an agbero in Oshodi [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

The union is registered under the National Labour Congress (NLC) and as such is subject to government oversight through the ministry of transport. While the relationship between the NURTW and the ministry is not entirely clear, the political links between politicians and top union leaders are known and usually manifest during elections.

“Agberos have become political. They can determine who becomes the commissioner or governor. During elections, who will be used to snatch ballot boxes and disrupt the electoral process?” Odewumi said. “They are now political tools, the instrument of winning elections. That is the problem.”

The commissioner for transport in Lagos State, Frederic Oladeinde, was contacted for a comment on this article, but he was unable to speak “due to the lack of clearance by the state’s Ministry of Information” for him to talk to the press at the time.

When Al Jazeera visited his office in Ikeja, Lagos, on August 31, 2020, an interview was not given due to the aforementioned reason. Subsequent calls and emails directed to the deputy director of public affairs at the ministry of transport were not acknowledged.

Strengthen the 98 percent

Numerous attempts have been made to modernise Lagos’s ailing public transport system over the years, including things like the imported, modernised BRT system. But the implications of this for public drivers and passengers are increased route restrictions and rising fares.

“It is laughable when you say you want to eradicate the carrier of the 98 percent. We should regularise and modernise the buses, rather spending the millions of dollars spent on psychedelic ones which make no impact,” Odewumi told Al Jazeera.

“With all those innovations, they are just impressing themselves. The idea is to phase out agbero and danfo drivers but it won’t work. The government should rather strengthen the carrier of 98 percent [buses and tricycles] and provide a framework for it to operate efficiently,” Odewumi added.

“The yellow [danfo] buses have higher frequency than the BRT, they are more flexible and move into routes that the large BRT cannot move into, they adapt with demands. The highly modernised buses have no taproot in our technology.”

A bus with words in Yoruba that translate to ‘hard work does not guarantee money’ [Anthony Obayomi/Al Jazeera]

Tricycle driver Yusuf used to work as a barber before he decided to venture into public driving. He thought it would help him make a better living.

One year after starting, he has changed his route due to the increasing charges demanded by the union and the police along his former route. Frustrated with the official rule changes made during the pandemic that greatly affected the transport business, he is considering changing jobs again.

“At the end of the day you check the money you have earned and you see it is nothing. You ask yourself if this is all I have worked for since daybreak,” Yusuf bemoaned.

“On days that I wake up late, I always decide not to go to work again. I must start working as early as 6:30am to meet up the demands of the union and earn something tangible for myself. If I start work by 8am, I can’t meet [targets] for the rest of the day.

“You pay the union in the morning, afternoon and evening … And sometimes you don’t even know the reason, you just pay.”

While the likes of Yusuf, Afeez and Muyideen work daily to eke out a meagre living for themselves and their families, union leaders live lavish lives. The income generated from the dues they collect cements their place among the socialites of Lagos.

“Almost all the money you make from this business leaves you in the end,” Muyideen said.

“You take a bus on hire purchase and pay back to the owner, you pay agebro, you pay the police and others, you buy petrol … repair the bus and – in the end – only little remains.”

* Names have been changed to protect the drivers’ identities.

#world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=11888&feed_id=9905

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ledenews · 4 years

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Corey Murphy: Tackling Education From All Angles

Wheeling’s Corey Murphy has spent a lifetime in education. From teaching to coaching and eventually school and district-wide administration, the current deputy superintendent for the Brooke County school system has worn many hats in the world of parochial and public-school education. He had stops along the way as dean of students, teacher, and athletics director at Wheeling Central. He served as assistant and then principal at John Marshall High School before jumping to county administrative duties as the assistant superintendent. Then he made his most recent move to Brooke County Schools. He’s served on both the WVSSAC and OVAC executive boards and has coached basketball at every stop along the way. He currently coaches his oldest daughter’s West Virginia Elite basketball team and helps parent a tight-knit, blended family of four daughters along with his wife Lauren. Safe to say, there’s not much Murphy hasn’t experienced. That’s pre-pandemic naturally, a phrase many people will use as the year’s pass when talking about their life experiences. Now, Murphy has been part of a team having to shift an entire educational program on the fly, not only in his professional life, but also his personal life. He’s also heard his fair share of “whys” and “whens” coming from parents, students, players and family members. He gives them the best and up-to-date information he has available, but in these unique times, that information can change rapidly. The pandemic has also afforded Murphy more time to spend with his family and gain a greater appreciation of the important things in life.

You serve in an administrative capacity for the Brooke County School District, along with having four kids in the house. How often are you getting the unanswerable questions of when and why, not only internally from the family, but also externally, from parents in the district, parents of your players, etc. It seems you’d be getting it from all angles.

In times of crisis many people look to their school leaders to have many of the answers to help them get their families through the uncertainty. As a district leader we have strived to stay ahead of the game, and this has required many long days planning and implementing to make sure our staff/students/families have what they need to get through this crisis. We have been working with our teachers and assisting in any way we can as they move their teaching to remote learning. This has consisted of many teleconferences to help facilitate their needs as they meet with students on a daily basis. I can say with much pride our staff has hit it out of the park in their efforts to keep our children educated. In the same breath, of creating a county wide approach teaching we must still feed our kids. This has been the challenge we received from the state governor and we have been working since day 1 of the closure to ensure our kids get basic nourishment. We have been packing food weekly and delivering food to those kids who do not have transportation to come to the school to get it. During all of this staff and parents ask questions daily wanting to know when we will get back to normal? Will we go back to school? Our response is we just don’t know. We just let them know our staff will continue to work and feed with our kids. In times like this we just listen and be compassionate to what our families are going through and do what we can to make life a little easier during the closure. As a parent, my wife and I have had many conversations with our four daughters answering questions about what is going on and what they need to do to stay safe. During this time kids still need structure. We still set bedtimes and get the kids up by a certain morning hour to work on school assignments. It is still important for physical activity, so we spend time daily walking or riding bikes. If one thing positive has come out of this time at home is the strengthening of our family. It has allowed us time to talk more and reflect on our busy lives and see what is really important.

The slower pace of life has allowed Murphy a chance to enjoy the closeness with his family.

In terms of the district, how quickly did the plan to move from the classroom to remote learning come together? Was there already the framework of a preliminary plan in place, or was there a lot of thinking on the fly? How quickly was the administration and the teachers able to put something together. How has it worked thus far?

This was a very fluid approach from the beginning. School systems have never seen anything like this and although we do have plans for snow days there was never a long-term remote learning. With that being said, our educators responded quickly and impressively with what they created to still educate our kids. On March 12th/13th we spoke to other districts in the panhandle to come up with a coordinated approach and then met with our principals. Expecting to be out for a few days we asked our staff to prepare their snow packets for the first week to see where we go from there. While this was being prepared, we had to coordinate our food distribution, and this was our bigger challenge. Our educators are professionals and we knew they would rise to the occasion to meet the needs of our kids. During this week of snow packet assignments this gave us the time to hold many teleconferences with principals/teachers to help craft our long-term plan. Since that time, we have been able to communicate with our families via Facebook and website to launch our learning plan. This approach has been a success because we have many online platforms our students use daily and teachers can craft assignments to those platforms. During these unprecedented times there is thinking on the fly. Daily we hear of issues or receive suggestions from parents on how to make this easier and we evaluate and look to improve for the kids. Our staff and families have done a nice job of acclimating to our new environment and making the best of our current situation. Our next task is how to give our seniors their senior events. We have pushed back prom, senior awards, and graduation to mid-summer to see if at that time we are permitted to hold a ceremony. If this is not permitted, we have created a plan B to honor our students. At this time, were in a holding pattern because we are doing whatever we can to make sure our kids get what they deserved.

One of the few bright spots is that you’re probably getting a lot more time at home with the family than you ever have during the school year. Do you feel like you’re getting to know everyone all over again, or is there still a lot of schoolwork to be done for your job? Also, do you feel like you’re adding teacher to your growing list of responsibilities helping with the remote learning for your own children?

Spending more time with my family has been a bright spot, but it has been challenging because my job does require a good bit of time on a daily basis. My wife and I divide and conquer with schoolwork for four kids. I normally take my five-year-old twins and help them with their Kindergarten work on a daily basis. I commend their teachers for the quality of work that has been provided and I have gone back to my roots as a teacher in helping them learning remotely. My wife works with our third grader and our sixth grader has done a nice job being responsible for her work. It has been fun to see how different they are in their learning styles and what works best for them individually. This pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for our family to slow our lives down and realize what is really important to us. We have spent many hours taking walks, teaching the twins to ride their bikes without training wheels and one of the most popular activities has been a fire in the yard making Smores. Through all of this I have realized that we still need a schedule. We have set mornings as our school time, so in the late morning and afternoons can be spent taking care of things for my job. A school administrator must be flexible because so many things change on a daily basis. We continue to hold zoom conferences with principals and teachers, plus weekly conferences with the WV Dept. of Education as well as our normal board meetings and making sure we are feeding our kids. It is still a busy time in the school district and still working from the office and now at home has given me a new perspective on my family and how to manage all of the responsibilities.

Murphy coaches his oldest's W.Va. Elite basketball team. They were able to get two tournaments in before going on hiatus.

For your basketball team, you’ve already had practices and competed in at least one tournament. Are you encouraging your players to get as much work in at their homes as they can so as not to get rusty for when the season finally does resume? Have all the tournaments been canceled, or are they more postponing than canceling?

It has become very unfortunate for our W.Va. Elite team that we only were able to participate in two tournaments before the shut-down occurred. We have a good group of girls who love the game of basketball and although were not able to practice I have seen many of our girls still with a ball in their hands shooting at home or doing some type of workouts. We hope we can salvage this season, but if we cannot, we will look to next year. Elite basketball has become special to my family and I know many of these girls love to play.

As someone in education, is there a fear of this becoming almost a lost school year? Distance learning is taking place, but there’s no substitute for in-class instruction for students and, naturally, not all students are receiving the same help at home. If students don’t return until the fall, they are going a full nine weeks, plus the summer, without that schooling. Do you anticipate having to play a lot of catchup the first nine weeks of 2021-22, not just in your own district, but across the board in all districts?

We had this exact discussion this morning on a zoom conference with the department heads of Brooke High School. This is unprecedented times and there is concern from teachers that the rigor of being in the classroom is being missed in this remote learning. Many honors/AP classes have been able to still provide the pace/rigor needed for these courses and we are encouraging our students to continue on with the test. Our general classes will take some reviewing when we do get back into school, but many courses may not look their normal course because teachers will have to improvise to help students. One thing educators do well is improvise and adjust as they go. We will continue to monitor curriculum and get guidance from the WVDE, but we have experts in our classrooms who know what these kids need to move on, and we will provide resources to help them. I have complete confidence in the teachers of our county that once we do return the plans we are working on now will be implemented to help our kids succeed and if they need modified to help our kids ease into their new grade level they will be modified to help the child. Read the full article

#Basketball #BrookeCounty #CCHS #MarshallCounty #OVAC #WVSSAC

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themigrantprofessor · 7 years

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A letter to my students as they enter my classroom each semester. From a sociologist.

College (or university) is not a means to an end. It is an opportunity to grow intellectually such that you have the intellectual, personal, and social skills to succeed in a professional environment upon graduation. What this means is that college is not a means to an end nor does college serve the purpose of job training. Job training is the purpose of vocational schools. University education serves students in a different capacity. It serves to elevate intellectual capacities, to allow time to reflect on various fields of inquiry, engage with different approaches to knowledge, and to develop as a person through exposure to diversity of thought. The education one receives in a college or university is very much a space of social exclusion based on race, class, and gender (among other axes of inequality and privilege). The costs of attendance at university are prohibitive for the majority of this country’s people and even more so for people of other countries. The United States has one of the highest costs of university education in the world. It is a privilege to attend university and you should take every opportunity available to you.

Being a student is your job. It is a form of work you signed up for. You should view yourself as an employee in the classroom. Treat the classroom like a workplace. Most students are taking on incredible amounts of debt—a form of negative income that you will work for a wage for years, if not a lifetime, to pay off. You are not a customer of the university. Customers can do whatever they want with the products they buy. As a student and employee of the classroom, you are gaining a skill set denied to most of the worlds people and in not embracing the opportunity you diminish the quality of the institution you attend and the institution of higher education. Wage-paying employers do not want uneducated customers turned employees, they want professionalized individuals with the skills to help their business succeed.

Developing the intellectual skills required in the waged workplace requires you go through a period of learning where you earn a negative wage (debt) that is intended to prepare you for an income-based job. Bridging your time as student in the required public education system (or privately acquired public education as the case may be) is the college experience. You have much more freedom in college. You are free to choose to go to class, to use electronics, to go to the bathroom. These freedoms are important but as the axiom goes: with freedom comes responsibility. Show respect for yourself, peers, and the professor by not using electronics in the classroom, except when asked. Remove headphones, avoid consuming food, and spend time thinking about the subject prior to arriving in the classroom. You are responsible for your education. Your final grade in this course will be interpreted through the education-is-a-job frame of thought wherein you are evaluated based upon your ability to adhere to professional standards associated with classroom conduct. This breaks down into social and intellectual components. It means coming to class on time, prepared to discuss course readings, having done independent research as necessary, having identified difficult concepts and ideas, prepared with a discussion question, able to identify important points, and with a personal reflection on the subject matter under investigation.

My classroom is a communist space. You have power over your learning, individually and as a group. I seek to create a learning community, where diverse voices have the opportunity to express themselves. Even so, if you are advocating oppression—tacit or explicit—and someone calls you out, accept the critique with poise and grace. Avoid defensive behaviors or assigning blame. Your voice matters. If you think something is worth spending time in discussion, be prepared to explain what that point is and how you understand it. Bring a question to get students thinking about that point. I am a guide, a facilitator of your learning. This is how I teach. I do not have dominance over knowledge; I am an authority in my field of expertise. I can help you understand that material and the data behind a sociological analysis but I cannot dictate how you understand or interpret sociological data. If you want to change the trajectory of the course by delving deeper into a certain subject, bring it up to the class so that as a community we can determine whether that is the best course of action for your learning. As facilitator of your learning, I am open to altering the course structure in ways that better serve student interest and ability.

Intellectual honesty is a virtue. It must be buttressed by expertise over the subject matter, an understanding of diverse perspectives, and effective communication. Knowing your audience in the immediate but also respective of the diversity that exists in society broadly is important to effective communication. Being precise in your use of terms demonstrates clarity of thought and helps others understand you. Make use of theoretical concepts as appropriate. Some concepts are intended to frame how we think about the subject matter, other concepts are intended to be used in the course of conversation. Professionalism in the classroom means acknowledging your colleagues, addressing your colleagues, and not exclusively relying on affirmations from the professor. You are bright people! If you are misguided and colleagues do not correct a misinterpretation I will interject. Do not assume you are wrong. Do not engage in self-deprecations. Study to the extent that you are confident in your abilities. Discuss ideas in class to deepen your understanding of concepts and ideas that you are less confident with.

As a student in a sociology course, you are expected to practice the discipline of sociology through your ability to communicate the subject matter in the professional context of the classroom. Sociology is not a course rooted in the memorization of facts. Many sciences rely on the memorization of facts and inserting data into formulas for several years before they introduce the rigors of analytical thinking necessary for data interpretation. Sociology utilizes facts for analytical thinking from the start. Data is important, facts are important. The foci of sociological analysis are meanings, practices, characteristics, qualities, and behaviors. These can be researched using qualitative or quantitative methods. The profession of sociology thus utilizes empirical data collected with the intention of demonstrating the existence of phenomena (the more quantitative side of sociology) and explaining why it exists in the way it does (the qualitative side of sociology). As with all academic scientists, sociologists are subject to peer-review which maintains the professional standards of the discipline. In the classroom, peer-review manifests as collective engagement with course materials as we work through the information and develop a critical understanding of the social world.

#academics #professionalism #smashthepatriarchy #smash capitalism #shitstudentsneedtoknow #studentsareworkers #workersoftheworldunite #gettingstudentstostudent #studentthings #anticapitalism #mycommunistclassroom #commielife #solidarity #bettertogether

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