#metal roofing distributor near me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sparkledeerfr · 6 years

Text

Sam and Alice

Warnings: Lotta talk about eyes if that’s not your thing. And mentions of previous injuries but it’s fine they’ll be fine. Probably.

Little bit long.

Kylie was walking with Ioseka when she felt the other woman wrap her fingers around her shoulder and grip. “What?” Kylie asked, attempting to listen around to what could have alerted Sefka. Nothing seemed off and Vil’ J was just making low trilling noises, reacting to the sudden mood change of his owner but not knowing the source from which it came. “What? Seer thing?”

“Kylie,” Sefka said in the way of someone trying to remain calm. “I may do a freak out in a moment.”

“Don't say that!” Kylie said, raising her voice and her hands, not knowing exactly what to do. Why did March still have to be with Adeline on whatever stupid trip they were taking? “You’re like always calm! You freak I freak!”

Iosefka didn't quite hear her- most of her attention was being taken up by the sudden presence hovering in her sight. It was large, whatever it was, rolling on the edge of her vision like the forefront of a sandstorm, dark purple black as rain cloud. Iosefka was still not one to be easily shaken, and so she examined this new thing, trying to determine where it was coming from. She could just barely sense Peoria, and the storm cloud was heading straight for them.

Something or someone very interesting was on Jack’s wagon.

“Sefkaaaaaaa,” she snapped back into the present, and Kylie was whapping her on the shoulder with her fingers. “Sefka do I need to get someone?”

“No,” Sekfa said, suddenly standing still and planting her feet with her cane just in the center to straighten herself. “I expect we’ll be moving to the source shortly.”

“What do you-” Kylie started when she felt the ground disappear from beneath her. There was a sudden feeling of weightlessness, as though she were moving through nothing, and then she felt gravity take over once again. Instinct made her reach out to Iosekfa, grabbing around her waist as they landed to steady and protect her. Sefka couldn’t take much of a fall.

Kylie landed on her feet and she recognised the smell of patchouli and sage next to them, and another hand was around Iosefka. “The hell is that?” Cassandra asked.

“Why don’t you tell us, you’re the one with eyeballs,” Kylie grumbled, trying to get her bearings on where they were now. “And what just happened?”

“Little portal trick, don’t worry about it,” Cassandra said quickly. “Sefka?”

Iosefka was looking at what they could not see- closed eyes in the storm cloud fast approaching. Cassandra could see visions and snippets through her pearl, but not as closely and deeply as she could. Sefka steadied herself and stared with her own milky eyes, just the barest hint of Fire orange beneath. “Hello,” she said, wondering if the presence could sense her as well.

Three of the eyes opened, and in her vision they were massive things, staring and assessing and pink just barely ringed in flame, backed by that purple/black cloud. “Hello,” the presence said back in a calm, slightly masculine voice only she could hear. “A seer. My apologies if I’ve scared you. I do seem to have that effect on your type.”

“And you are?” Iosefka said. From the other’s perspective Iosefka and them were at the open front gate, Sefka standing rod straight with her cane held planted between her feet, staring at the sky and talking to no one.

“Samuel. We will be arriving shortly. If you could please help my friend I would appreciate it. She may be hesitant and defensive but she is very tired.”

Iosefka’s mood shifted somewhat. Though the voice had not changed in inflection from rationally calm, the request seemed genuine, and anyone that asked something for a friend first had to at least be considered. “We’ll do what we can.”

“That’s all I ask.”

----

Jack of course noticed them as he rode up in his cart, pulled by a team of iron golems. Having the scryers of the clan waiting out for you was rarely a good sign. “What?” Jack asked, tugging on the reins to indicate a stop and the golems froze, lining up as though they were statues. “What’d I do?” Peoria crawled out from her modified tent on the roof of the wagon and sat cross-legged, waiting to hear what this was about before moving further.

“Pick up a stray?” Cassandra asked, crossing her arms as she still held the crystal that acted as her pearl in one hand.

“Yeah…” Jack said, looking to the back of the cart as someone got out. He liked to think he was decent at reading people (he’d spent most of his life wandering or out on the road, after all, you couldn’t be naive and live doing that), and the girl hadn’t pinged any alarms.

But still, he could always be wrong.

Alice carried a heavy bundle wrapped in a sheet, tied with rope and bits of leather string. She was so focused on making sure that she didn’t drop it that for a moment she didn’t realize what was happening. Then she looked to the side and noticed five people staring straight at her. “Um,” she started. “H-h-hello?” she nervously adjusted the large package. She’d been with Jack and Pea a few days and they’d been nothing but kind (even if Pea had been quiet) so she wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon arrival, but this certainly wasn’t it.

“Please excuse us,” Iosefka said, still standing firmly planted. “Is there no one else with you?”

“N-n..” Alice looked down and scooted away.

“Oh, she’s cute,” Kylie said, already getting tired of this waffling. She walked straight up to Alice and put her hands out. She was just barely able to brush the top of whatever Alice was carrying before she pulled it away, but Kylie felt metal and ridges. “Look we’re cool, we’re just nosy and roll deep. What’s goin’ on? You got a person in a box?”

“What?” Alice asked.

“Is your friend trapped in a box?” Kylie said, clearly enunciating every word. “Do you need help getting them out of the box? I’m good with opening stuff.”

“L-l-look I-” Alice started, then realized she was exhausted and nearing her limits. “I could use some help if...I mean you don’t have to…”

“No, no,” Kylie said, putting a hand on her hip. “Now I absolutely have to. What’s up? Lay it out for us.”

“It’s a bit....” Alice trailed off, adjusting the thing she was carrying again and looking around. “S-strange. D-do you have any doctors here? Or p-people good with electrical equipment? Maybe a….” she trailed nervously off and looked at her feet.

“Mayyybbeeee…?” Kylie cocked her head, prompting the other woman to continue. “Look c’mon, we’re not good at judging around here. Whatcha need?”

“A necromancer?” Alice squeaked, unsure of how this request would be taken.

“That bad, huh?” Kylie said, smiling. “Yeah I think we can wrangle that up.”

----

“Do…” Alice said as she put the heavy package on a table in The Workshop, looking around at those assembled in the space. “D-does there need to be this many people here?” she asked.

“Opeeenn iiittt!” Jack cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled.

Alice looked cautiously to the sheet, her hands shaking as she reached out and began to untie the wrappings she’d put on. Lady immediately noticed her nervousness and got up, helping her. Alice caught her eye and Lady smiled reassuringly.

The sheet fell away to reveal what looked like a squat glass tube with a thick metal rim at either end. Inside the tube was the dessicated remains of a skydancer, floating in a green liquid.

There was a sudden silence until Jack started laughing. Peoria smacked him on the shoulder. “What?” he said, looking over to her. “Am I not supposed to laugh at the corpse fish tank? C’mon that’s like- c’mon. That’s so bad it wraps around to bein’ funny.”

“Either your friend is very dead,” West said, his voice perfectly level as he sat in a chair, his elbows on a table as he clasped his hands together near his chin. He put both pointer fingers out and indicated the tank. “Or you have just shown me a new medical definition of ‘worst case scenario other than death’.” Lady of course was undeterred and was inspecting the tank, her eyes narrowed as she looked over the various things surrounding it. There were two obvious spots where something had once been attached, and something new had been added to the top. She wasn’t much of a mage but she could feel energy being pulled by it- an ad hoc magic converter and distributor.

There was a very real possibility that this person could still be alive in a way. Oh dear.

Of course everyone else realized that when a foot tall pink eye opened over the tank. “Hello,” said a voice from nowhere.

“AAHHHHHHHHHHH!” Sparks screamed and immediately began climbing Gren, who helped her to his shoulders with a smile like she was a bright shrieking parrot. He was used to her eccentricities. “What the hell what the hell?!”

“Apologies,” the voice said, and the eye closed part way as though already bored. “My name is Samuel. I just wanted to make it known that I can in fact hear you.”

Lady of course wasn’t moved in the slightest, nor was Ink, who walked over to get a closer look. “This is a clever retrofit,” Lady said, still inspecting the tank itself. “Did you make the converter?” She looked up to Alice, who smiled nervously and with a little pride.

“Y-yeah.”

“Excellent work,” Lady said, and meant it. “But how has it been powered?” Alice lifted her hands with another sheepish grin, showing that they were fully blackened and wrapped in bandages beneath half finger gloves. Lady also noticed that there were telltale marks of Arcane energy damages in the little bit of skin around her wrists and at her neck that were showing- bruise pink arcs and scars laid flat against her skin. There was likely more that couldn’t be seen that was covered by her clothing, in that case.

Lady looked back down to the mostly corpse in the tank. The Arcane pink eyes still stood out. She glanced up to West, her mouth tight in the way of a concerned and motherly doctor unsure if she should ask some serious questions.

West of course immediately caught on to the look and analyzed the situation. Was there really no one…? He looked at the room around him and realized that either they would be needed to assess the situation, were far too shy to ask the right questions, or they would be far too direct and scare the apparently nervous Alice. West gave an irritated sigh and stood up. Of course Lady knew exactly who to look to.

He walked up to Alice and carefully stood out of her personal space. “Excuse me,” he asked, and she looked to him, assessing him in turn. “Would you like to get something to eat?”

“I should p-probably stay-”

“We’ll likely be at this a while,” he said, cutting her off but trying to put some warmth into his tone. He wasn’t very good at that. “There’s a place that’s quiet, and you look like you could use some rest.”

“I…” Alice looked to the tank, and the ghostly eye still hovering above it glanced to her and blinked. “All right.”

---

“What’s this p-place?” Alice asked as they crossed the whale bone bridge across The Strix. She was staring up at the statues.

“The Bone Garden,” West answered evenly. “We’re not very good with names.”

“Why do you have a b-bunch of bones in a garden?” she asked, putting her hands out to the sides of the bridge to feel the runes carved into it as they walked.

West shrugged. “Bask had some extra time I suppose. If you’ll like this you’ll really be impressed by the unicorns.”

“You have uni-uni-corns?” she said, lighting up a bit, and West noticed that her stutter was not exactly a speech impediment or nervousness. She seemed to freeze for a moment each time it happened, as though she was literally stuttering through time. Interesting.

“Not real ones,” he replied. “They’re made of bone.”

“O-oh,” Alice said, trailing after him. “That’s still pretty n-neat.”

---

She was more hungry than she’d let on, and as they sat at the counter of Morley’s food cart, West found that he was not the only one assessing the newcomer. Morley put a bowl in front of her. “Pork belly ramen,” he said, those dual Water and Arcane eyes looking her over, though his tone was warmer than West could ever hope to be. “Tell me how you like it.”

By the way she dug in she liked it plenty, or she was near starving. The scientist in West knew that excessively depleting one’s magical energy could lead to hunger, and she seemed to have been at that a long while. Of course Alice caught herself and looked up to Morley, pastel and pretty though still quietly cold in the lights of his cart as the day approached night. “S’good,” she said, trying to compliment him though she just wanted to eat. He nodded, satisfied but reluctant. West noted that.

“So,” West said, unsure of how exactly how to come at this particular conversation. “You must have been through a lot with your friend.”

“Suppose,” Alice said, looking at the bowl of ramen and shovelling it into her mouth with chopsticks.

“He must be quite a person, to go through all this trouble,” he tried.

“He’s my friend,” Alice said, still edgy around all these new people, though she didn’t think they had ill intent. Morley noted that she’d shoved it down and without a word slid another bowl to her, this time udon and fried meats. He’d also noticed that Alice had a knife strapped to her side, and was well coordinated despite the burns on her hands. Even if she was more than she seemed, Morley wouldn’t deny a hungry person food.

“If you feel unsafe in any way,” West said, tapping his fingers on the counter. This was definitely not his strong suit. “We can help. If you’d like.”

“Appreciate it,” Alice said, more relaxed and focused now. She was stuttering less and grateful for it.

But a pink ghostly eye opened above her and looked to her. “He’s gently asking if I’m abusing or coercing you in some way, Alice,” the voice West now recognised as Samuel asked. The eye slid to West, who stared straight back. “A reasonable enough assumption. Any good doctor would at least ask, and from what I’ve seen Lady seems to be that.”

“And anyone with nothing to hide would not feel the need to butt in on said conversation,” West replied, crossing his arms. He also did not like that Sam implied that Lady was an average doctor. No one implied that Lady was just an okay doctor, not around him or quite a few others. “Can you do that anywhere?”

“Manifest?” the eye half closed. “No, though I do see your point. Please carry on.”

The eye closed and disappeared.

Morley and West looked to Alice, who slurped a noodle into her mouth. “Look- he’s…..he’s fine. He’s just a bit gifted,” she said, raising those blackened hands with the chopsticks still in them. “C-caused a bit of a problem for him and me, as you can tell. I-I, really, we’d just appreciate some help.”

“That we can do,” Morley said before West had a chance to.

“Though if you do need it,” West said, and the way he said it made Alice look to him. His tone was perfectly cold. “I will knock that jar off the table and pretend it was an accident.”

“Um,” Alice replied. She’d never heard someone’s voice be like a freezer. Generally there was some growl or anger to a threat, but he made it seem like absolute certainty. “No thank y-you?”

#sparklelore #alice #samuel #west #lady #sparks #jack #look everyone all up in here #hopefully posting the first part will motivate me to finish the second part #and the story of the hunt ade's on #my dragons are weird man

4 notes · View notes

z-ayact-blog · 5 years

Text

The Most Hilarious Complaints We've Heard About Concrete Walkways Near Me

Produce customized surface area finishes by urgent small stones or pea gravel into your soaked concrete or by brushing over a layer of sand. Use finish components after the concrete has arrived at its initial set (thumb print tricky) but is still damp—somewhere around a single hour right after placing.

Phone local suppliers to learn about pricing for gravel and ready-blend concrete (The type sent by a concrete truck). For a really smaller walkway, you could possibly take into account shopping for dry concrete blend via the bag and mixing it inside a rented concrete mixer, but at sixty normal bags per cubic property, the number of luggage immediately provides up.

Welcome to Architectural Supply, Inc. We're amongst the biggest all-natural stone distributors inside the country presenting savings on the finest hand carved marble and limestone solutions on the planet.

Ice, snow and in some cases rain might also lead to a difficulty known as the freeze-thaw cycle. The concrete expands and contracts, which lets the moisture get within. This could cause cracking or bring about other minimal and big problems. Restoring stamped concrete is expensive, specifically in the greater ornamental layouts.

For brick and concrete paver patios without artistic capabilities, a homeowner can spend less by performing the repairs. A Do it yourself fix will only cost the cost of the supplies, or about $0.fifty for each paver.

This work, however, really should not be used to attain abilities. Finding some price savings can also be not an assurance as it may even cause an individual incurring more costs if he or she messes up with the operate.

Company and provider of roof items and accessories to the metallic building industry considering that 1964

Broken Paver Patio & Walkway Repairs Pavers are usually less expensive to install and mend. An entire paver patio only runs a mean of $1,500 nationally, about 50 % the cost of concrete.

Also, color that is included tends to fade after some time. Although new shade formulation past extended than they utilized to, there isn't any assured way to stop cement from shedding its coloration. Homeowners should also remember that cement usually takes some time to established, along with the walkway cannot be utilized in the course of that time. This is certainly observed as A serious drawback for prime-targeted traffic areas.

To optimize the payback of your Stamped Concrete Walkway investment decision, use elements and installation high quality suitable for your private home and neighborhood - but be cautious not to in excess of enhance. More affordable solutions to Stamped Concrete Walkways may well offer a improved return on financial investment.

You won’t get NextDay supply on this buy simply because your cart is made up of product(s) that aren’t “NextDay eligible”. In order for you NextDay, we can easily help you save the other goods for afterwards.

Endeavoring to calculate the exact cost of concrete patio installation is difficult because Every undertaking can differ so much in design and measurement. Even unique geographic locations have distinctive typical costs for this support. On typical, homeowners need to hope that the costs of installation by yourself, which excludes the fabric costs listed above, will operate anywhere from $two.

nine Slash PAVERS When you have to Minimize pavers to fit into your required pathway sample, measure, mark and make use of a concrete observed or a damp noticed outfitted with a concrete blade.

youtube

The length of the cement walkway performs a giant purpose in the general cost. The more cement needed, the more the task will almost certainly cost.

0 notes

samsylviasmoustache · 7 years

Text

Happily Ever Afters

Gun smoke drifts across the sand, cordite smell in the air. The horse snorts and stamps, metal clinking as the gunslinger dismounts. Spurs twinkle in the dust as they stalk towards the fallen body. Hat pulled low, face masked. Silver pistol cocked, in hand—

“And cut!” calls Justine, looking up from her camera eyepiece. A bell rings, and the bustle of the set between takes returns. The body of the dead bandit sits up and wipes his sweating face.

The gunslinger pulls down her mask to reveal the toothpaste-advert grin of Debbie Eagan. “Hey,” she says, heading over to the bank of screens and cameras that demarcates the line between Western fantasy and film-set reality. “So, what do you think?”

Ruth is wide-eyed. “Honestly?” she says, blinking in awe. “It’s perfect.”

The house on the hill looks almost exactly as she remembers it.

She shuts the car door quietly, following Justine and Debbie towards the porch. The grass on the front lawn is more manicured than her first visit and someone has hung hummingbird feeders from the window. The front door opens and her stomach clenches, not unpleasantly, nostalgia carried on the sweet smell of floor polish.

“Sam?” calls Justine.

He’s in the kitchen, attending to an enormous paella. There’s something strange about seeing him in such a domestic role, prodding at rice with a spatula. The same scowling intensity he used to bring to choreographing a fight. “Hey kids,” he says, turning to welcome them.

Brown eyes find blue. Her mouth twitches at the corners, eternally optimistic she can crack his frown. “Hey, Sam,” she says. It comes out squeakier than she intends.

“Hello, Judas,” he replies, folding his arms. “How’s New York?”

She smiles, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. He’s still an open book, thank God. “Fine, thanks.”

“Mmm. So, what brings you back out West?”

She knows he knows; Justine has told him. “An audition.”

“Oh, I see. Real drama didn’t work out the way you thought, huh—?”

“Jesus Christ, Sam,” cuts in Debbie, somewhere between amused and exasperated. “Can you just… not? Honestly, you’re more actress-y than the actresses.” She moves to take a plate full of paella and a seat at the table.

“Help yourself,” he huffs, shaking his head.

The others follow suite and there is near silence for some minutes as they dig in, starving after a day on set. “This is really good,” says Justine thickly.

“Yeah, I know.” He is the only one picking at his rice, resisting the urge to pick a fight instead. “So, what’s the audition for, anyway?”

“A TV show,” Ruth replies, smiling at Debbie’s rolled-eye exasperation with his thinly veiled curiosity. “Science fiction. Set on a space station in the far future…”

“Sounds terrible.”

“Anyway,” Justine tries, “how was the distributor meeting?”

“Also terrible.” He stabs a prawn with his fork. “Tell me it was better on set today.”

“It was better on set today,” they chorus in unison.

Her watch beeps midnight. She really should be trying to sleep. Instead, she’s watching the glow of the city in the sky and panicking. A flicker of light down in the garden catches her eye. Sam, lighting a cigarette. Unthinking she slips on her shoes and out to join him.

“Hey,” she says softly.

“Hey,” he replies, calmer now after an evening of editing in his office. “Not sleepy?”

“Kinda nervous.”

“Don’t be.” He takes a drag. “You’ll kill it.”

“Ah, not sure about that.” She casts about for a change of subject. “It’s nice that you do this. Have dinner.”

“Well, normally there’s a few more of us, but Cherry’s filming in Toronto, Tamée’s out of town…”

“I picked a busy week.”

“Mmm.” He blows smoke skyward. “I think Justine does it to prove a point. I told her once that all jobs are a crap shoot. Losing touch is inevitable. The world just… moves on.”

Ruth smiles to herself. “It’s good for you, her living here.”

“Yeah, I know.” His moustache twitches. “Thanks for helping me pick it.”

“That was a weird day, right?”

“Weren’t they all?” He stubs out the cigarette. “Do you miss it?”

“What, GLOW? Yeah, of course. Every day.”

And if there is anything else loaded into that exchange, anything more personal, they ignore it in the silence.

“I thought you’d stay with Debbie,” he says, as they wander back towards the house. “You guys seem on pretty good terms these days.”

“Um, yeah.” She can’t quite find the words to articulate why she can’t accept the offers of a place to stay when they come. She wrecked Debbie’s home once; it feels somehow crass to come under the new roof she has made for her family. Like it will rake over the destruction of the old one, undo the years of bridgebuilding they have worked so hard on.

He puts on a pot of coffee in the kitchen. “Let’s see them then.”

“What?”

“The sides.”

“Ah, you don’t have to…” She stops. “Okay.”

She ghosts about the room while he reads, cataloguing the changes to the space from when they first arrived. Sam was tweaking, she remembers, strung out on coffee and cocaine. Self-medicating the stress of something going right in his life for once, and about to drop money barely earned from their successful first season on some ridiculous neo-Gothic confection. She still isn’t quite sure how she managed to talk him into this sensible three-bedroom home instead.

“Which one are you reading for?” he says, bringing her back into the present.

“Uh, uh, my agent thinks the science officer.”

“Intelligent as she is beautiful,” he reads, “Killian is fresh from the academy and unprepared for the everyday reality of life on the edge of the human frontier. Huh.”

“What?”

“No, I guess I can see it.”

She puts her hands on her hips, frowning at him. “Which part doesn’t fit, huh?”

“No, it’s not that— Look, we know you can play a giant nerd with a hard-on for the rulebook convincingly. It’s not a stretch.”

“But…?”

He shrugs. “But so can a lot of people. What about the first officer role?”

“Terra?”

“Yeah – a former commander of the Novak Resistance, damaged by years of bitter conflict. Terra struggles to find her place amongst the bright and hopeful Alliance citizens.”

She blinks. “You think I should play the haunted ex-terrorist role?”

“Yeah,” he says, “I mean, she’s a fish out of water; she doesn’t fit in. She’s brittle with loneliness, hiding it under her pride. Plus, they’re looking for an actress with fighting skills who wouldn’t mind wearing alien prosthetics.”

“They mean like, kung-fu or something. Not wrestling skills.”

“So, prove them wrong! You sold stuff in the ring no one would believe just looking at you.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.” She rubs her forehead. “I haven’t— I don’t even know the lines. I have to do this in like, eight hours from now. It’d be crazy to change my audition at this point. Wouldn’t it?” She takes in his face and swears again. “Give me some of that coffee.”

“Hey.”

A long silence on the crackling line across the continent. She can practically hear him rolling his eyes. “Are you really going to make me ask?” he grouses.

“You were right.”

“Yeah, I know that. About what?”

“Terra was the better part for me.”

“So, it went well?”

“Yeah. It um… it looks like I might need a place to stay again in a few weeks. Screen tests. I mean, if-if that’s okay—”

He laughs, a genuine chuckle of mirth and mingled affection. “Sure Ruth. That’ll be fine.”

#fanfiction #netflix glow #au #after the show ends #debbie eagan #justine biagi #ruth wilder #sam sylvia

4 notes · View notes

snaparug-blog · 6 years

Photo

Metal Roofing Distributors Near Me Even though there are some well-which means homeowners who try to mend the problem themselves, it could be substantially additional exceptional to obtain specialist enable as an alternative.

0 notes

buildingcontractors32 · 5 years

Text

Building Contractors Near Me

For over long years, MOG Improvement Services has been providing building supplies to Acworth, GA, and USA states. With us, you have access to the best Lancaster County manufacturers have to offer. We also stock international brands with a reputation for building excellence. Our goal is to stock everything you need so it is ready for immediate shipment for when you need it yesterday. And because we are a top-level distributor in fasteners, metal roofing, roof clamps, etc… we’re able to use our purchasing power to get you amazing discounts. More Info: Building Contractors Near Me

MOG Improvement Services is a leading Manufacturer and Supplier of Quality Building Supplies. See product details below for more information, or contact us to speak to one of our knowledgeable sales representatives.

Building Contractors Near Me Road: 1006 Fairwood Lane NW,Acworth, GA city: Georgia Zip: 30101 Phone: (770) 912-3564 Mail: [email protected]

0 notes

roparoofing · 5 years

Text

Compelling Ideas to Achieve Significant Metal Roofing Cost Reduction in Denver CO

Metal roofing is an industry that will never subside. Every Denver CO homeowner needs a roof to install, repair, or replace. However, the metal roofing cost they deal with often sends them away from the idea of using metal roofs for their property.

The thing is, metal roofs are effective roofing materials that can last for decades, withstand the strongest storms of rain, wind, and snow, and even numerous hailstorms. If there is any way to save from huge metal roofing cost, then more homeowners will gladly consider using it. In fact, if you think metal roofs are expensive, then you haven't seen the market's effects on all roofing materials. Roofing Calculator has a great description about it.

Why Metal Roofing Cost Is Increasing Along With Other Roofing Materials

youtube

Back in 2008, I used to buy TAMKO steel shingles from ALSIDE Supply. Unfortunately, they no longer carry Tamko products in RI and MA, so I had to switch suppliers. But back then, I was on good terms with my salesman, and one time he sat me down at his desk to fill out some paperwork. I noticed that right in front of me was a document that showed ALSIDE’s material cost, which was only 60% of what they charged me! Turn percentages around – that is a 67% markup on materials!

I was enraged! Sure – a business needs to make money, and I have no problem with it. But, typical markup for distributors in ANY industry is 40% or less. This is enough to cover costs and make a VERY good profit...(continued)

The idea to reduce metal roofing cost is as follows: do away with the idea of using aluminum and copper. While aluminum is highly durable, it is quite expensive and can do as much as steel roofs can in non-high salt air neighborhoods. Denver CO has a low salt air level, which makes steel rather than aluminum a better and affordable choice. Meanwhile, copper is quite an expensive yet unreliable roofing material -- which makes them excellent as cosmetic features rather than a full-functional roof.

MetalRoofs.org confirms that steel roofing is the best way to reduce metal roofing cost while providing the best benefits for homeowners. Even Denver CO's finest roofers with in-depth metal roofing experience and knowledge will agree that steel is the best for most homes. Learn more about it here.

Reducing Metal Roofing Cost for New Roofs

It goes without saying that metal roofs can be made out of different types of metal, but what many homeowners don’t know is how greatly the price for these different metals may vary. The cheapest (but also lowest quality) Galvanized corrugated steel starts at $175 per square.

The next BIG step up in quality is Architectural steel, which starts at $300 per roof square (100 sq. ft.) for metal shingles and $350 per roof square. for standing seam.

The next upgrade is aluminum, costing, $350+ per roof square for metal shingles and $425+ per roof square for standing seam.

Aluminum Shingle Roof

Premium metals, such as copper and zinc are outrageously expensive: $900-1400 per roof sq. The smartest financial move is to go for a steel shingle roof, because it offers architectural quality and style at a cost close to corrugated metal panels...(Continued)

Lastly, you can choose to install or replace your metal roofing with a new one. However, DIY is a huge contributor to metal roofing cost than using a roofing contractor. First, you'll need to invest in industry-grade equipment. Second, homeowners have to learn the skills needed in the trade to achieve their intended results, which will take some time.

However, many companies can claim to be excellent contractors. It can be easy to find dozens of roofers offering their services. The problem at this point: how can you narrow down your list and reduce your metal roofing cost? GAF's blog has an excellent guide to help you find the ideal roofing contractor for the job.

How to Find The Best Metal Roofing Contractors Near You

Get local referrals

There is less chance of potential issues or scams when you choose a contractor from your community. They are more familiar with local rules and code regulations and have a relationship with area crews and suppliers.

Look for manufacturer designations

Manufacturer designations are considered a badge of honor because the contractor must pass certain minimum requirements to be factory-certified (although, some manufacturers have more stringent requirements than others). GAF strictly enforces their top designation by only allowing 2% of roofing contractors per market to be recognized as Master Elite® Contractors. (Unlike other manufacturer designations, Master Elite® Contractors cannot use this top designation in another territory, only in the location of the storm. Find a Master Elite® Contractor near you. (Continued)

If you have yet to find a reliable roofer or wish to add the very first contractor to consider for your metal roofing needs, Ropa Roofing is here to help. We have more than 10 years of industry experience and only focus on providing top-quality roofing services for all types of materials. Contact us today!

Originally Published Here: Compelling Ideas to Achieve Significant Metal Roofing Cost Reduction in Denver CO

Ropa Roofing 795 McIntyre St. Suite 303 Golden, CO 80401 (720)4416331 https://goo.gl/maps/DzC7kmfwj1mf4URo6

0 notes

stone-man-warrior · 5 years

Text

August 6, 2018: 12:04 pm:

August 6, 2018: 11:51 PM:<br><br>I have come to the conclusion that the &quot... StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T15:02:26-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-06T15:04:10-0400

(4-4-2019: Authors Note: Most of the links to the posts I made have been striped from the archive downloaded from Google+. The removal if the information was done by hand, selectively, by Google terrorist operatives in attempt to hide circumstances surrounding the #SAGcoup, and Google’s involvement in the coup terror activities. The links were striped manually. The evidence of that can be shown by looking at the archived download. Available by request from National Security personnel.)

August 6, 2018: 11:51 PM: I have come to the conclusion that the "Diary of Ann Frank" is a false document. I have not concluded any thing else about the the work, only that it is fictitious. The next thing to consider is a "means to an end", and what group of people scripted the work for a means of achievement, and to what desired end? The same questions remain unanswered, and other, more important questions remain unasked. The most important consideration seems to be: What questions are the most important ones to ask about the falsification of the Diary of Ann Frank? And, What questions will provide answers that will benefit the most people, and in what beneficial capacity? That is the easy part. What knowledge can be gained from a notion that the Diary is false that will provide and maintain Freedom for the most people?

Shared with: Public

+1'd by: DC Frameless Glass Shower Doors

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T18:52:28-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-06T19:29:53-0400

August 6. 2018: 3:45 PM: New Terrorist assassins at 445 "Mystreet". Ford. Stepside. Crew-Cab. Gun-Metal-Gray. Matching Shell. Weird Wheels. Rubber Band Tires. Goofy-Looking. The New Goofy Gun Metal Ford terror-truck with matching shell was no Match for StoneMan. The treasonous bastards scurried away like Dysneyland Fairy-Tail Creatures, as if from a Quentin Tarantino Movie Cast with Tim Burton Characters.

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T19:25:41-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-06T19:26:27-0400

Monday: 4:26 pm: The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T19:53:11-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-06T21:40:59-0400

Monday: 4:32 pm: 507 "MyStreet" is the center stage for terrorist activity of the Flock. All of the local terror-town murderous bastards go there regularly. There is one regular, one of the usual suspects, that I have not mentioned. I don't know much about them, but they drive a red van. It's a low profile sort of van, mini sort of van, flat roof, perhaps a Chevrolet. There is always two old Sod-Farmer Seventh Day Adventist Flocking Terrorist bastards in the van. I think they are called "Sunflower". There is a terrorist cell on Russell Road called Sunflower, you can find it by looking for the gigantic fence that has a painting of a Sunflower on it near the corner of Russell and Jess Way, or you can listen for the sound of screaming victims mixed in with the Peacock birds they use to cover the sound of the screaming victims. Have you ever heard a Peacock call? They sound horrible, as if Matt Lauer raped Katie Couric while plunging down the log ride at Dysneyland on Fright Night. Horrible. The birds make cover sounds for the screaming victims at Sunflower and have been doing so for about twenty-years. 20 years. Rip Van Years. A generation of years have passed and no help has come to the cries for help. The Red Van goes to 507 regularly, where the Harrold and Joan Phillips terrorist Screen Actor Guild Seventh Day Adventist family lives. Nothing says Heroin Distributor better than a name like "Joan Phillips", or to spell this out for any DEA agents that might be interested in fighting some kind of nominal crime.. "Jones Fill-Ups". OK? These people are old school terrorists and have been doing terrorism since before there was a State Police name replacement Impostor service. They made up their own names. Harrold means "King", and a King is a Superman. Hello? Are there no anti-terrorist agents besides me? "SuperMan Jones Fill-Ups." Available at 507 "MyStreet". Careful, they have contraptions there too. The flat-roofed red van could be used as a rolling news paper in terrorism. Vehicle descriptions, in Seventh Day Adventist Secret Code are different than in American English. I am no good at reading rolling Bill Boards News Papers, which is also refereed to as "This Just-In", like a news reporter says. Red van deciphering as follows: It's red, it has a flat top. It's long and low. It's a jar-head. Or could be a Jarred, of "Subway Sandwich", which translates to Pedophile. This could mean that they have a child available for sale in Seventh Day Adventist Secret Code. If Jarred, then to whom is the advertising directed? The advertising, Jarred-Pedophile-Child-Sex-Slave-Sale-Service is directed at Screen Actor Guild member and Government Officials visitors who come to the area for entertainment on a "Club-Med Junket Service" provided by Doctor Joseph Savino or Doctor Brett Quave of Medford Oregon. Both Doctors can provide entertainment for famous people. Dr, Quave is famous for providing Custom-Ordered-Human-Beings-That-Have-Been-Surgically-Altered-For-Personal-Pleasure-Service, or "Partners from the Pleasure Dome". The Pleasure Dome is protected by an army of Men-Who-Wear-White-Hazmat-Suits-And-Have-Thompson-Machine-Guns-With-Drum-Magazine-Services. The Pleasure Dome is also protected with Mustard Gas, caution is advisable. Back to the Rolling Billboard reading... So the Club-Med-Junket-Person stands outside somewhere and different kinds of services are offered through Drive-By-Rolling-Billboard-Services, and can include Drug-Delivery-Services. I am no good at reading this, but this is how it is done. If a Jar-Head, it's a soldier. A horizontal one because it is a long and low van representation of a soldier, a Jar-had because of the Flat-Top on the van ... a fallen soldier, a fallen terrorist soldier. If a fallen terrorist soldier, than who? Where? The answer is "nearby the Red Van" and "The soldier that was doing take-out assassination services nearby the Red Flat Top Van". That would be a soldier of the Gray-Ford-Step-Side-Crew-Cab-With-Matching-Shell, rubber band tires, and goofy looking wheels that was nearby just a short while prior to the red Van Rolling Billboard service, or, "This-Just-In" service. Terrorists in terror town provide services for other terrorists, both local ones and imported ones from out of town, like the ones today. Services include News Update Service, such as what I think happened today with the Red Van. Services also include "Evac-Service" where on the sound of a vacuum cleaner outdoors, like the ones used to clean out your car, in your driveway, that sound will prompt a terrorist "Evac-Service-Provider" to come to the location where the vacuum cleaner was heard. The Service provider will ask the Vacuum operator where the Evac Service is required, instructions will be provided, and Evac of a fallen terrorist soldier, or, an American Victim will happen at that location. Evac Service Providers often bring small, wheeled carts and dogs with them, and are followed by House-Keeping Service providers who bring household cleaning supplies if necessary. And these are some of the reasons why hobbies and fun pass-time activities are forbidden. Normal noises interfere with terrorism noises. This is complicated stuff to write about in a clear and explanatory way. An interview would be so much more productive, and would speed up the process of eliminating the terrorists from the USA, and the world. Until I get some help in fighting the terrorists, progress will be slow. I have no help, no family, no friends, no money, no equipment, no back-up, no training, no communication, no law enforcement, and no way to keep any terrorist prisoners if I catch them alive. I have no way to help victims of the terrorists when they ask for help. There is no hospital available if I am injured. And attempting to purchase food is a guarantee that a swordsman armed with poison gas will try to kill or capture me at the checkout at the grocery store. All I have is a Bic Lighter, a Fingernail Clipper, and a Pair of Reading Glasses for fighting terrorists in a Socio-terrific Dystopian environment, and the reading glasses are broken. So, remember, if you are reading this, and you are a federal agent, it's not my fault that you do not like the information that has been provided for you for so long. It's not my fault when agents are killed. It's not my fault that you cannot do your own job. And it's not my fault that your favorite movie star or rock star will not give you an autograph today. Asshole. This information is real. This is not the kind of terrorism that is on television. This is good, and useful information. It brings me great sorrow to know that agents who do anti-terrorist work are not interested in the real terrorist activity and insist on hunting down and killing dark skinned people with black beards. Dark skinned people with black beards are the fake kind of terrorists. You can tell that it is fake because it is presented on television. The people on television all are Screen Actor Guild Members and a SAG card is required for anyone to be depicted on television. This is not a joke. The terrorists on television News media are SAG members, and have SAG cards, and are in good standing with the Union. If you want to find those kind of terrorists, simply enter their physical descriptions into the SAG casting Database and you will be presented with a short list of people who fit that description. Then, you can make false arrests, and play fake anti-terrorist agent, but if you do that for more than one month, they will demand that you sign-up for a SAG card and pay your dues in full.

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T22:17:07-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-06T22:19:24-0400

Monday: Black Pearl Jam From their debut album: Ten 1991 Hey... oooh... Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay Were laid spread out before me as her body once did. All five horizons revolved around her soul as the earth to the sun Now the air I tasted and breathed has taken a turn Ooh, and all I taught her was everything Ooh, I know she gave me all that she wore And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds of what was everything. Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything... I take a walk outside, I'm surrounded by some kids at play I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear? Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head, I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning, how quick the sun can drop away And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass of what was everything All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything... All the love gone bad turned my world to black Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be... yeah... Uh huh... uh huh... ooh... I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky, But why, why, why can't it be, can't it be mine? Aah... uuh.. Too doo doo too, too doo doo [many times until fade] Songwriters: Stone Gossard / Eddie Vedder Black lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T23:16:59-0400

Monday: 8:00 pm: Core Thank You.

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T23:48:49-0400

Monday: 8:40 pm: There is good music with good messages out there. Some music is thought provoking. Some is Driving. Some makes you cry. Some brings chills. some of it seems like someone painted a picture of me, or of you, and colored it with melody. Some is just crazy. Seal Future Love Paradise From the album: Seal 1991 But if only you could see them You would know from their faces There were kings and queens Followed by princes and princesses There were future power people From the loved to the loveless Shining a light 'cause they wanted it seen Well there were cries of why Followed by cries of why not Can I Reach out for you if that feels good to me And the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise No the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise Paradise yeah Don't you know that racism has a minimum future kids Can only lead to no good to no good Besides your sons and daughters already know how that feels One day (One day) All the queens will gather round Spreading love and unity so it can be found Well then all the riders say it's all to do with drugs Well inject me With your love Inject me with your love alright And the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only drug they'll find is paradise Future love paradise No the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise Future love paradise No the riders will not stop us paradise The only love they'll find is paradise Paradise yea Love paradise One in and out is gonna make you feel good paradise Coming at you like a hurricane would paradise Stay close to me I'll always be by your side Save paradise Save it baby you know that it's all right You remind me of a girl I knew paradise So beautiful once inside you paradise You make me feel like I need your love love love Want to fill me with your love Fix me with your love all right And the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only love they'll find is paradise is paradise Future love paradise No the riders will not stop us 'Cause the only drug they'll find is paradise Oh we'll belivin' in a paradise The riders will not stop us 'cause the only love they'll find is paradise Future love paradise They will never make you feel surely Like you've felt never felt before I'll Give myself To you And if you change your mind I'll do anything Just to make the world peaceful Just to make life wonderful I will drown all your sorrows In a future love paradise Future love paradise Future love paradise They will never make you feel surely Like you've never felt before I'll give myself ============================================== from the album Seal B-side "A Minor Groove""Violet" Released April 1991 Format CD7"12" Recorded 1990 Genre Soul Length 4:19 (album version) 5:31 (EP version) Label ZTT Songwriter(s) Seal-Henry Samuel Producer(s) Trevor Horn

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-06T23:53:08-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-07T00:50:12-0400

Monday: 8:50 pm: Seal From the Album: Seal 1990 "Crazy" In a church, by the face He talks about the people going under Only child know A man decides after seventy years That what he goes there for, is to unlock the door While those around him criticize and sleep And through a fractal on a breaking wall I see you my friend, and touch your face again Miracles will happen as we trip But we're never gonna survive, unless We get a little crazy No we're never gonna survive, unless We are a little crazy Crazy yellow people walking through my head One of them's got a gun, to shoot the other one And yet together they were friends at school Ohh, get it, get it, get it, get it no no If all were there when we first took the pill Then maybe, then maybe, then maybe, then maybe Miracles will happen as we speak But we're never gonna survive unless We get a little crazy No we're never gonna survive unless We are a little crazy No no, never survive, unless we get a little bit Oh, a little bit Oh, a little bit Oh Oh Amanda decides to go along after seventeen years Oh darlin' In a sky full of people, only some want to fly Isn't that crazy In a world full of people, only some want to fly Isn't that crazy, crazy In a heaven of people there's only some want to fly Ain't that crazy Oh babe, oh darlin' In a world full of people there's only some want to fly Isn't that crazy, isn't that crazy, isn't that crazy, isn't that crazy But were never gonna survive unless, we get a little crazy No were never gonna to survive unless we are a little But were never gonna survive unless, we get a little crazy No were never gonna to survive unless, we are a little, crazy No no, never survive unless, we get a little bit And then you see things The size of which youve never known before They'll break it Someday, only child know Them things The size of which youve never known before Someday... Someway... Someday... Someway... Someday... Someway... Someday... Songwriters: Guy Sigsworth / Seal Samuel Crazy lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, BMG Rights Management ============================================ From Wikipedia: From the album Seal B-side "Sparkle" (7" single)"Krazy" (CD maxi) Released 23 November 1990 (UK) 24 May 1991 (US) Format CD7"12" Recorded Sarm West Studios, Northwest London Genre Electronic dancesoulfunk[1] Length 4:30 (single version) 5:57 (album version) Label ZTT (UK)Sire (US) Songwriter(s) Seal (lyrics)Guy Sigsworth (music) Producer(s) Trevor Horn

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-07T00:17:37-0400

Monday Evening: Modest Mussorgsky / Maurice Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition =============== Track #7 11:14 : Bydło Ox Cart ===============

StoneMan .Warrior - 2018-08-07T02:41:56-0400 - Updated: 2018-08-07T15:46:51-0400

Monday Night: 11:22 The Vatican in the music. I think Amy Lee is a Vatican soldier Like Mr. Dio and Mr. Iommi. The name of the Album is Fallen. The Album was recorded approximately one year after the WTC towers fell, and was made-available-for-Christmas-time-Service in the United States afterwords. AFTERWORDS. AFTERSWORD This song brings me chills every time, and personally, I think Amy Lee is the best female singer I have ever heard, perhaps with the exception of Ann Wilson. Amy Lee brings chills and emotion. Ann Wilson brings power and drive. They both bring men to their knees. I knew Ann and Nancy Wilson personally when they formed a band called "White Sail". The funny thing was that they advertised for a show in a parking lot at Topanga Plaza and had truck trailers for stages. The ad for the show said "White Sail at Montgomery Wards Parking Lot". It was 1968 or 1969, and on show day, a whole bunch of house-wife type ladies showed up and were looking for the sale on linens. Sheets, towels, wash clothes, white fabric goods. They changed the name to Heart shortly after that, I think I might have helped them choose the new name for the band. The power of suggestion in this song by Evanescence is apparent. I wonder if the Vatican was successful with gaining victims simply through the suggestive power of Biblical reference, and conveyance of self doubt through the power of the music? In terrorism, there would be a group of people who would apply pressure and wedges and fear at someone, a potential victim. Then, suggestive remarks in a friendly advice kind of way, the kind of advice that suggests that one can commit suicide to end problems will be offered. Then, after fear and wedges, and friendly suggestion are consumed by a potential victim and delivered by fake friends, such as Seventh Day Adventist soldiers who portray themselves as friends, and have made certain that the potential victim has been through very bad circumstances, then, this song will be played over, and over, and over again... and a copy of it will be given to the potential victim along with a lethal dose of some kind of drug. Perhaps a drug prescribed by a Club-Med Doctor who is in the business of taking victims. This is real terrorism, not the kind you see on television. This kind of terrorism is equally as terrifying as a backpack bomber, and even more so, since this is real, and backpack bombers are not real. This song is a Back-Pack-Bomb-Service provided by the Vatican. It comes on the heels of tragedy-fear-division-suggestion-more-fear-and-Club-Med-services. When this bomb explodes, your children die. This song comes from beneath the Pope's Pointy Hat and is carefully placed into the back-pack of the high-school children of America by some Vatican-soldier-Seventh-Day-Adventist-terrorist-bastard-who-pretends-to-be a-friend-service, and is accompanied by some Club-Med-Drug-Planting-in-the-Back-Pack-at-the-School-by-a-Teacher-Service and comes with a brand new shiny electronic music listening gizmo from the students parents at Christmas time, because it was advertised on sale... service. There is no escape from this back-pack-bomb. The student Victim will either endure "Chip-away-at-the-stone" and survive for a while, or the parents will find the planted drugs and the child will endure "division wedge into the guts of family", or will endure "under arrest for possession of drugs by fake police", or will not survive, and follow the suggestions in the song, or will endure all of that, and feel hated by everyone, including real family and fake friends and phony school teachers (the Principle), predator fake police... and real boogie man that is under the students bed and there is no one who will believe it when the student complains to the ones who are supposed to help. There is no escape from this. No matter how a person responds to this back-pack-bomb, it is absolutely devastating and terminal. Bus terminal when that child/student runs away from... all of it... service. This always makes me want to go to church with a stack of fifth amendments when I think of it. Service. ==================================================== Evanescence: Tourniquet Amy Lee Vocals From the Album: Fallen Lyrics: I tried to kill the pain But only brought more (So much more...) I lay dying And I'm pouring Crimson regret and betrayal I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming Am I too lost to be saved Am I too lost? [Chorus] My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation -- Do you remember me? Lost for so long will you be on the other side or will you forget me? I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming Am I too lost to be saved Am I too lost? [Chorus] My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation -- (Return to me salvation) I want to die!!! [Chorus] My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation My God, My Tourniquet Return to me salvation My wounds cry for the grave My soul cries for deliverance Will I be denied? Christ Tourniquet My suicide ================================ Category Music Music in this video Learn more Listen ad-free with YouTube Premium Song Tourniquet Artist Evanescence Album Fallen Writers Rocky Gray, Ben Moody, David Hodges, Amy Lee Licensed by BicycleMusicCompany (on behalf of The Bicycle Music Company); Capitol CMG Publishing, EMI Music Publishing, Reservoir Media, Sony ATV Publishing, ARESA, CMRRA, Adorando Brazil, SOLAR Music Rights Management, and 23 Music Rights Societies

0 notes

metalroofingsupplyu · 5 months

Text

Metal Building Kits Arkansas | Metal Roofing Supply

if you are looking Metal Building Kits Arkansas Metal Roofing Supply is a manufacturer and distributor of metal supplies in Arkansas. They offer metal fabrication, metal building kits, metal building framing, insulation and components, carport kits, . We aim to be your go-to manufacturer and distributor for all your residential metal, commercial building, and component needs. Providing metal supplies at an affordable price. Visit us now:- https://metalroofingsupply.org/

#metal roofing #commercial roofing supply #online roofing supplies #metal sales fort smith ar #metal roofing supply #metal roofing supply near me #metal roof supply #metal roofing supplies #metal roofing supplies near me #metal roof supplies near me #metal roof supplies #roofing metal supply #metal building supply inc #metal building supply #metal roofing distributor near me #metal suppliers near me #metal roof supply near me #metal roof supplier

0 notes

eddiejpoplar · 6 years

Text

Sputtering from Bavaria to Serbia in a 1984 Yugo

The color was nicknamed “non-metallic pus” by the toothless gas station attendant with the red Partizan Belgrade cap. The turgid upholstery could have been cut from a wizened hermit’s bathrobe. The mocha brown all-plastic dashboard epitomized the fine Yugoslav art of brittle discoloring. So how come this frail-looking econobox on tricycle-like 13-inch tires got more thumbs-up, more video clips on Instagram, and more friendly pats on the roof during our 780-mile journey from Bavaria to Serbia than a gold-plated McLaren P1? Because for every Eastern Bloc truck driver and every Serbian expat, the Yugo brought back memories of Josip Broz Tito’s protracted effort to keep the multiethnic Yugoslavia together.

On the far side of the heavily guarded border between Hungary and Serbia, our pale two-plus-folding-rear-bench-seater awaited, an apparition that long ago earned its reputation for breaking down at random or rotting away at warp speed. Built by the former arms manufacturer Zastava, which only added cars to its portfolio of cannons and howitzers in the early 1950s, the Yugo was, shortly after its 1981 launch, almost unanimously rated as the world’s worst automobile, inferior even to that uncrowned king of four-wheeled craptacularity, the plastic-bodied Sachsenring Trabant. After a week at the helm, we came to fervently disagree with this gross misjudgment. True, the baby Zastava is not a quality piece of work, but it oozes affability, simplicity, and approachability. This car wants to be your friend, even if the odd specimen was, without a doubt, a habitual troublemaker.

Victor Hugo (our Yugo) was delivered new to Belgium, where a steadfast Serbian-born pensioner kept it for 32 years before selling it to me for 2,000 euros, or about $2,350. A couple of weeks later, I had collected additional bills running to roughly $3,350 for mandatory repair work, licensing, and third-party insurance. Although the retro-funky 55L arrived in Germany with a European Union declaration of roadworthiness, roadworthy it certainly was not. For a start, it needed new tires and fresh brakes—and a Saint Christopher plaque on the dashboard to protect us from evil, both within and without. When it tiptoed off the flatbed in the middle of the night in a bright yellow sheen and covered in ADAC (Germany’s AAA) stickers, it reeked of gasoline and soon misfired to a puffing halt.

Initially, the fuel gauge showed empty when the tank was full, and consumption worked out to a Porsche-like 23.5 mpg. But to be fair, things did get better by the mile.

Two hours later, the engine started. Three hours later, it actually ran, firing order 3-1-4-2 counting down. Four hours later, it even idled without stalling the instant you attempted to put it into gear. The first leg of this epic journey from Munich to Vienna was thus, kind of, OK. Initially, the top speed leveled off at an indicated 65 mph, the fuel gauge showed empty when the tank was full, wind noise challenged road noise for lead vocals, and fuel consumption worked out to a Porsche-like 23.5 mpg. But to be fair, things did get better by the mile.

As Vienna’s trademark Ferris wheel rotated into sight, top speed climbed to 80 mph, and with the engine having cleaned itself out a bit, the entire 59 lb-ft of pulling power was now on call to twist the driveshafts with something resembling mild urgency. Having said that, smoking was out of the question due to low-octane fumes that filled the cabin (and which took three washing cycles to clear from our clothes). As for the rest, the battery light warned of impending electrical doom, the aftermarket radio’s loose wiring sizzled the speakers to stubborn silence, aero drag kept flattening the door mirror, and the driver’s seat backrest adjuster had seized in an excessively laid-back position. Everything else worked spot-on, though, absolutely spot-on.

Other than the broken radio, balky seat back, battery warning light, and noxious gas fumes, all was well in the cabin. The fire extinguisher was a good call.

Austrians love to go shopping in Hungary, where salami is half price, a fresh hairdo costs as much as an iced coffee back home, and dentists charge market price for new teeth. On the A1 autobahn infested by bargain sharks, eastbound traffic eventually came to a halt, and the Yugo’s engine felt first inclined to overheat and then reluctant to restart. To avoid embarrassment, we fled the highway and followed Google maps on bumpy but mostly arrow-straight B-roads last surfaced when Hungary was still a monarchy. With a meager 54 hp at the disposal of a foot used to several times that, overtaking semis was an equation with multiple unknowns, including suicidal stray dogs, deep potholes, enormous speed bumps, and packs of motorbikes driven by MotoGP wannabes approaching from behind.

Contrary to the propaganda, we were actually rather impressed by Victor’s mile-munching abilities. Although the dodgy thermometer suggested cabin temperatures in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, opening the quarter panes had almost the same effect as switching on an only mildly dysfunctional A/C. Despite their dilapidated appearance, the seats were upholstered with horsehair and real springs for what turned out to be acceptable long-distance comfort. Likewise, although aero efficiency was evidently not part of the design brief, the upright Pocky-like roof pillars barely cluttered the good all-around visibility. Lack of performance is only a problem if you ignore what’s happening in the rearview mirror. Keep your eyes peeled in both directions, and the narrow-track econobox displays an unexpected swiftness not unlike the original Mini.

Why the look of concern, Georg? Victor Hugo made the trip, um, interesting.

Stuck in a nerve-wracking three-hour traffic jam at the Serbian border, the featherweight Yugo preferred being pushed to the roadside as opposed to creeping along with the pack. When we finally headed for Belgrade a couple of heart attacks later, a monsoon put the wipers to the test. This should have been a piece of cake for the brand-new Uniroyal rain tires; unfortunately, the communist crate started hydroplaning at just 40 mph, a disconcerting trait encouraged by the bonsai wheelbase, which is closer to the Smart Fortwo’s than, say, the Toyota Yaris’. While it rained, the brakes were on strike, too, juddering and droning in protest.

But who cares? At the end of the 10-hour day, no more than 20 cars had passed our econobox en route to its birthplace. We had spotted about the same number of Zastavas stranded on the hard shoulder, waiting for DIY talent, professional help, or last rites. The Serbian Yugo population increases with poverty; there are precious few Zastavas to be seen in big cities, but they still splutter in droves through rural areas, ranking fourth in the mobility hierarchy, after donkeys, prewar tractors, and scooters.

The display near the welcome monument at the northern entrance to Kragujevac read 10:47 p.m. and 77 degrees when we finally arrived. Hot, exhausted, and a little wounded, the Yugo would now stall at every set of traffic lights, limping home on two or three cylinders to the bed and breakfast across the railway track from the Fiat factory located on the site where Zastavas were built. The morning after, the engine didn’t start, and that’s when local wrench Rocky and his team took over.

The stout Serbian spanner wrestler welcomed Victor like a long-lost son. Chewing consonants with an impatient mutter, Rocky held one ear close to the engine while fumbling with greasy fingers on the carburetor until the idle speed dropped from 2,000 to 750 rpm. While he was at it, he caulked the fuel tank, fixed some wiring, and adjusted the handbrake’s travel. In the meantime, his son had dashed to a nearby accessory store for an air filter and a distributor cap. Probably lured by the German patient’s charismatic pinging noises, other Zastavas started to creep out of their holes. Their owners marveled with emphatic gestures at our car, praising its original paint job, ultra-rare L specification, and the slickness of the notoriously balky transmission. This impromptu gathering stimulated the national pride to the effect that we agreed to meet again at 7 p.m. for food and drinks.

When things started to go south, former Zastava racer Rocky and friends all pitched in to help.

That evening we were introduced to Slato and his bespoilered one-off 600 (Fico) convertible, Aleksandar in a barely street-legal stealth 120-hp Yugo 55, and Vladan at the wheel of a Zastava 600 on steroids with bordello-red velour upholstery and a roof trimmed in black leather. Before everyone started hitting the sauce, the three Yugoista offered to give their newly found brother a thorough checkup. The next day at 8 a.m. sharp, the timing belt, distributor rotor, spark plugs, head gasket, and oil and filter had been changed in less than two hours. The charge? Around 100 euros, including parts. The labor rate came to 18 euros, which compares favorably to the average Serbian hourly wage of 7 to 10 euros.

When the Yugo plant thrived, some 30,000 employees worked three shifts, and in its best-ever year, Zastava built roughly 230,000 cars. But in April 1999, NATO troops attacked Kragujevac and almost completely destroyed the factory. Although the last Yugo rolled off the makeshift assembly line in 2008, the company never recovered from the aftermath of the war.

Fiat eventually bought the ailing carmaker, razed the old buildings, and erected a bespoke new assembly site where 5,000 workers put together the 500L microvan. Ten years later, Fiat pays workers 250 to 300 euros per month, and because the average pension barely comes to 200 euros per month, DIY is the name of almost every game.

When we told them that the original plan was to donate this mint piece of Serbian motor history to a local charity for auction, awkward silence spread. “Don’t take it personal, but in Kragujevac we have more than enough Yugos, and even the best ones are worth almost nothing,” said Slato Bataveljic, the chairman of the Zastava owners club. “I value your car at approximately 600 euros. After all, it is still possible to buy brand-new models for 4,000 euros or less. In terms of street cred, a Yugo ranks right at the bottom. Everyone who can afford it drives an import.”

Unloved, unwanted, and underrated in its hometown, Victor Hugo retained its German plates, made a U-turn with considerable steering effort, and headed back north to photographer Tom Salt’s Old Car Nursing Home in Ratzeburg, near Hamburg. Even though the actual mileage may after all be closer to 113,000 than the claimed 13,000 kilometers, and despite full-throttle emissions capable of knocking birds directly from the sky, the world’s worst car is still good enough to spend its second life as an economical, practical urban runabout.

There are plenty of better cars in the market than this oddball Zastava, but in the course of the pending paradigm shift from big engines to electrification, this light, compact, and nimble underdog doesn’t stray as far from the new road to the future as its banjaxed image suggests.

IFTTT

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

0 notes

jonathanbelloblog · 6 years

Text

Sputtering from Bavaria to Serbia in a 1984 Yugo

Initially, the fuel gauge showed empty when the tank was full, and consumption worked out to a Porsche-like 23.5 mpg. But to be fair, things did get better by the mile.

Other than the broken radio, balky seat back, battery warning light, and noxious gas fumes, all was well in the cabin. The fire extinguisher was a good call.

Why the look of concern, Georg? Victor Hugo made the trip, um, interesting.

When things started to go south, former Zastava racer Rocky and friends all pitched in to help.

IFTTT

#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4

0 notes

jesusvasser · 6 years

Text

Sputtering from Bavaria to Serbia in a 1984 Yugo

Initially, the fuel gauge showed empty when the tank was full, and consumption worked out to a Porsche-like 23.5 mpg. But to be fair, things did get better by the mile.

Other than the broken radio, balky seat back, battery warning light, and noxious gas fumes, all was well in the cabin. The fire extinguisher was a good call.

Why the look of concern, Georg? Victor Hugo made the trip, um, interesting.

When things started to go south, former Zastava racer Rocky and friends all pitched in to help.

IFTTT

#IFTTT #Performance Junk WP Feed 4

0 notes

acoolchristianchick · 6 years

Text

INDIA Biometric SYSTEM

ASIA

India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say

October 1, 20182:06 PM ETHeard on

All Things Considered

LAUREN FRAYER

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

FURKAN LATIF KHAN

Ashok Kumar (foreground) works at a food ration distribution shop in Jharkhand. He uses a small machine to scan people's fingerprints and check them against Aadhaar ID numbers.

Lauren Frayer/NPR

India has 1.3 billion people, and no equivalent of the Social Security number. About 4 in 10 births go unregistered. Less than 2 percent of the population pays income tax.

Many more are eligible for welfare benefits but may never have collected them, either because they can't figure out how or a middleman stole their share.

To try to address these issues, the Indian government rolled out the biggest biometric ID system in the world. It's voluntary, but in just eight years, India has managed to collect the fingerprints, photos and iris scans of more than 1.2 billion people.

ASIA

For India's Undocumented Citizens, An ID At Last

The government says this system, called Aadhaar — "foundation" in Hindi — has helped to distribute welfare to the country's neediest; streamline the civil service; purge hundreds of thousands of names from voter rolls; and allow for people to move between states without losing benefits.

But privacy advocates are alarmed that the government has collected so much personal data. And advocates for the poor say some technical glitches have actually led to denial of benefits — even costing lives.

Collecting biometrics

Here's how Aadhaar works: An applicant goes to an Indian post office or ID enrollment center and shows proof of address and identity. (In cases where people don't have a fixed address, or any ID, another Indian can legally vouch for them.)

An Aadhaar enrollment worker scans applicants' irises, takes their fingerprints and photos, and assigns them a unique 12-digit number. The biometric data are stored on government servers. Several weeks later, an ID card arrives in the mail.

Article continues after this message from our sponsor

The rollout was accompanied by a big patriotic PR campaign, with TV ads showing smiling elderly people using Aadhaar to collect state pensions and villagers using it to collect food rations.

It was geared especially to India's poor.

Helping the poor

"In India, you're nothing without Aadhaar," says Manisha Kamble, 17, who is homeless.

Kamble is from the Dalit community — formerly known as untouchables. She, her widowed mother and about 25 other street children sleep every night on the asphalt in a circle, under a highway overpass in Mumbai.

She had no address and no birth certificate. She was basically invisible to the state, until the charity Save the Children helped her enroll in Aadhaar.

GOATS AND SODA

India Aims For The World's Biggest Health Care Overhaul

It has helped her get into a decent school. She is looking forward to turning 18, when she can use her Aadhaar to register to vote.

Kamble says she is proud to be counted, to become official, to feel equal to other Indian citizens, regardless of caste.

"I want to study and make sure that there are no more Manishas like me, who have to struggle like I did — and I want to take care of my mom," she says.

Kamble studies at night under streetlights and got the highest marks in her class last spring.

Uses for Aadhaar

Aadhaar can be used to verify your identity when you do anything involving the government — get married, pay taxes or draw welfare — and also when you open a bank account, sign up for a cellphone contract, or set up an e-wallet online. It's mandatory for some state health benefits.

GOATS AND SODA

India Wants To Go Cashless. But It's Easier Said Than Done

The system is designed to cut fraud — after all, it's hard to counterfeit your irises.

But it requires electricity to scan people's biometrics, and Internet access to check them against government databases. You'll find those in India's big cities. In poorer places, you often don't.

Technical difficulties

In Jharkhand, one of India's poorest states, Aadhaar is mandatory for food rations. A long line forms outside a tiny stucco booth, painted lavender, with a corrugated metal roof. It's a government food ration shop. Inside, the distributor scoops out rice, weighs it and delivers it to customers.

More than half of Indians are eligible for free or subsidized food. In rural Jharkhand, the figure is 86 percent.

The government says Aadhaar has helped eliminate nearly 30 million fake or duplicate food ration cards.

Ashok Kumar distributes government food rations to customer Leela Devi at his shop near Ramgarh, in India's Jharkhand state.

Furkan Latif Khan/NPR

At this ration shop, Ashok Kumar, 57, scans people's fingerprints with something that looks like a credit card machine. It runs on batteries and needs a 3G or 4G cellphone signal.

But the network is shaky. Kumar walks across the street, lifting his machine up overhead, until he finally gets a signal. He sets up shop instead on the steps of a Hindu temple.

One by one, he types people's Aadhaar numbers into the machine and then asks them to place their fingers on a small scanner. The machine checks their numbers against biometric data on government servers and prints out a receipt for food rations — bags of rice.

But one customer isn't so lucky. Karu Bhuiya, 48, has done manual labor all his life. His fingertips are worn. Kumar tries to scan them five times, but gets an error message.

The machine here is rudimentary, and only scans fingerprints — not irises. So Bhuiya is turned away. He goes home without food.

Pushed to starvation

Technical difficulties like this are blamed for pushing some of India's poorest into starvation. Jean Dreze, a Belgian-born economist who lives in Jharkhand, says he has counted a dozen such deaths in recent months. He provided NPR with a detailed list of their names and circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Women harvest rice in rural Jharkhand, one of India's poorest states, where at least a dozen people have died from starvation amid glitches in welfare distribution.

Lauren Frayer/NPR

"I would actually prefer to call these destitution deaths, because they're all cases of people who went hungry for days, who would have survived if they had had some resources," Dreze says. "See, this is the unfortunate thing: that the most vulnerable people are those who are also more likely to be excluded by this system."

When Aadhaar scanners break down, there's supposed to be a backup system on paper. But at the ration shop NPR visited, near the town of Ramgarh, the paper log was blank — unused.

Aadhaar's architect

"Nobody should be denied benefits — either for lack of Aadhaar, or for lack of authentication," says Nandan Nilekani, the key architect of the nation's Aadhaar system. "There have been some challenges, but that doesn't take away from the enormous benefit of empowerment, mobility and savings this project has given India."

Nilekani is the former CEO of Infosys, a big Indian IT and consulting company. He is a tech billionaire who left the private sector to create Aadhaar for the Indian government.

In an interview in May, Nilekani told NPR that the benefits of Aadhaar far outweigh any glitches.

POLITICS

Facial Scanning Now Arriving At U.S. Airports

"Our whole goal is to give people control. They should be able to get their digital footprint from their smartphone, from their payments, from whatever," Nilekani said. "I'm using my own data to make my life better. That's a fundamental inversion of how you think about data."

Nilekani is from Bangalore, India's version of Silicon Valley. His critics questionwhether a private sector "move fast and break things" approach is appropriate for a government program like Aadhaar. They argue the fundamental job of government is different — to protect the most vulnerable citizens, rather than race to be the most high-tech.

That debate was underway when suddenly reports of data breaches began.

Data privacy

In January, investigative journalist Rachna Khaira discovered that the laptops of some Aadhaar enrollment workers — those who scan irises and take fingerprints — had been hacked. Khaira managed to buy access to up to 1 billion people's Aadhaar data — for less than $7.

After her report, the government agency behind Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India, took legal action against Khaira, accusing her of cybercrime.

"I am not against Aadhaar," Khaira says. "My only concern was this: that if we implement this project, it should be foolproof. We should not be scared. We should not be feeling jittery about giving out our Aadhaar numbers."

PARALLELS

Facial Recognition In China Is Big Business As Local Governments Boost Surveillance

Keeping people's Aadhaar data secure is not just a job for the Indian government, though. One of the ways it managed to enroll so many people was by partnering with banks, utilities and cellphone providers, many of which require Aadhaar.

So now people's data reside with all those companies as well. It's impossible to know how many data breaches have occurred. In India, the newspapers carry reports of them almost daily.

"When it comes to Aadhaar, it's the Wild West out there in India. Millions and millions of people have been compromised by the process," says Nikhil Pahwa, a privacy activist and founder of the digital news site MediaNama. "I see this as a major national security risk."

Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker, has also criticized Aadhaar, calling it a mass surveillance system that will lead to "civil death" for Indians.

Supreme Court weighs in

Data privacy advocates have taken their concerns all the way to India's Supreme Court. Last year, the court ruled that privacy is a fundamental right.

Then last week, it ruled that private companies can no longer ask for people's Aadhaar data. It also said schools can no longer require biometrics for admission.

THE TWO-WAY

Indian Supreme Court Declares Privacy A Fundamental Right

But the information is already out there, being used by marketing companies — and possibly by political parties.

In August, the Unique Identification Authority of Indiaintroduced new directives to enhance security, including two-factor identification using facial recognition.

A small number of residents of India, including the economist Dreze, have nevertheless refused to enroll in Aadhaar.

In India, though, data privacy is still mostly a concern of the educated, urban class. People in the food ration line may not be as worried about their digital footprint. They have more dire concerns.

Those most vulnerable

Not far from the ration shop NPR visited in rural Jharkhand, migrant workers huddle in sagging thatch huts covered with blue tarps, during the monsoon rains. They are members of India's tribal Adivasi community, who are among the country's poorest citizens. They often migrate between states, with no fixed addresses.

In June, one of the men in their community, Chintaman Malhar, died at age 50. Relatives say he hadn't eaten in days. Based on his field work, Dreze, the economist, concluded that Malhar had lived in a "state of semi-starvation."

Nisha Devi lives in a rudimentary hut covered with a tarp near Ramgarh, in India's Jharkhand state. She believes hunger led to her uncle's recent death before he could get an Aadhaar card. The rest of the family has scrambled to enroll since his death, but Devi has been unable to draw welfare benefits so far.

Lauren Frayer/NPR

Malhar died before he could get an Aadhaar card. After his death, his relatives and neighbors all rushed to try to enroll.

"A local official came and advised us all to enroll in Aadhaar," says Malhar's niece, Nisha Devi, cradling her toddler. "He told us it would help us get residency, and finally have an official address, and get benefits."

She believes hunger killed her uncle, and she wants to avoid a similar fate.

Devi hasn't yet been able to collect any food rations. She is still mired in bureaucracy.

But she hopes that Aadhaar — perhaps the world's most sophisticated biometric system — might one day help her.

PLANET MONEY

Episode 770: When India's Cash Disappeared, Part One

PLANET MONEY

0 notes