Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 <- You’re here! - Part 5

(~2,000 words.)

You've always loved the morning air. Something about it was always so.. full of life. You'd been walking through the forest for about an hour now. Following a path engraved in your head. Damp branches cracked beneath your feet. The glow of the sun just barely peaking out from the trees above you. Small droplets would fall here and there from the leaves above. It seemed the rain really did a number on the forest. In a good way, of course.

The smell of oak and damp soil hung lightly in the air, hints of a sweeter aroma- wild flowers, wafted from a few patches nearby. It was something only the rain could bring. You had made your way through the hardest part of the hike, which honestly wasn't too hard since you picked the easiest path. It was a little narrow, being covered with leaves and small brush scattered around, but it was easy to see that the path was now beginning to clear and opening up into a new zone. Your favorite area.

You've seen tons of things coming through this particular path. Small squirrels, a baby fox and their mom, a raccoon, a large centipede, and now... A large deer? No, that wasn't quite right.

There was something there, for sure. You could tell that much from here. But the real question is, what exactly was it? A human? That'd be impossible. No one really came this far out... at least, no one that you've seen. As you got closer you were able to make out a figure, then a color. Okay, definitely not human. Either that, or they were wearing a LOT of yellow right now.

Was there something in your food this morning? There'd have to been, for you to see something like this. But.. you've been completely fine up until now. You were close enough to hear a faint voice. It was so quiet... you could barely hear it- but something was... off about the sound of it. It was then that it hit you that this thing wasn't breathing at all. You were close enough to see scratchy movements, and exposed wires by it's arm. A robot. Animatronic, to be exact.

"Woah," What was an animatronic doing out here, of all places? Civilization was far away from this point, you had made sure of that when you first moved into these woods. But to see something like this...

"What.. are you?" You already knew the answer, but this was amazing! You've never really seen an animatronic like this one. The ones before were pretty much void of any colors, and only gave out automated messages last time you checked... which admittedly had been a while. You're knowledge on robots were pretty limited- if you could call the little info you had on them knowledge that is. But from what you could tell... this one was different. You had heard they were getting pretty lifelike before you moved and left the city- but this, this was something new.

The figure- no, robot  was now looking at you. Maybe you scared it? Was that even possible?? You didn't know, and didn't have much time to think about it either. Because as soon as it saw you- it started moving. In the worst way possible. You watched in horror as it slowly maneuvered it's body to face you. Well, it's upper body. It's lower half stayed still, facing the same direction you first saw it in. You stepped back. Cool or not, you did not sign up for any of those horror movies you had watched on tv.

You glanced at it's arm again. It was holding it, almost as if a child would cradle their wound; Close to their chest, somewhat scared for you see it.

It just sat there and watched you. You couldn't get a read on what it wanted.

You tiled your head. Was it hurt, then? If so, does that mean people started building robots with pain receptors?? but... why?  Why would someone want something like that- and could that even be possible in the first place?? You'd have to think about that later. Whoever built this thing definitely had a lot of money though.

You were beginning to feel uncomfortable with the overwhelming silence. It was still staring at you. Menacingly. It hadn't moved an inch since it first contorted it's body. Just what was this thi- Crackling. Then soft humming. It was very quiet, almost like a whisper... then, "S-ssssorry" It spoke.

Sorry?  You were taken aback. Out of all the things it could've said, it said sorry? But why?? You inched closer, just a bit... If it was willing to communicate then it couldn't be that dangerous, could it? So it technically wouldn't hurt to communicate back... right?

"Sorry for what?" You asked. It seemed pleased with your response, perking up just slightly before slouching back down. It looked like it was fighting to stay awake. The grip on it's arm loosening. What was wrong with it? Well you didn't really need an answer, because it started talking again. Their words were slurred together, but you could just make out what it trying to say. "Plea---se," It began to slump to the floor, earthy forest below surrounding it, "H-h-h-helllp us."

Then... nothing.

Did it just die??? You slightly began to panic. Wait- no, right... it's a robot. Pretty sure robots don't die.. hopefully. So, it's not dead? Then... You snapped your fingers and walked closer to it. Right, things like this needed a charge! It's probably out of battery. Does it need like a.. double A or something? That's always worked for your tv remote.

You knelt down, glancing over it's features exposed by the earth beneath it. Light golden rays lined it's head, and you could see a wide smile plastered across it's face. Okay, this thing definitely wasn't a remote, but.. it'd still have to charge and all that, right? So there were still some similarities... you could work with this. Robot or not, your weren't the type to just leave someone alone, especially if that someone personally asked you for help.  

You gently looped your arms around theirs, careful not to touch the one with the open wires. You huffed and lifted. This thing was quite heavy. Even though you were pretty confident in your strength right now, you doubted you'd be able to carry it all the way down.

So, you did the next best thing. You lifted and decided you'd carry it at least half way, run and get your wheel barrow- somehow put it in, and push it the rest of the way back to your house.

This, was much easier said than done. And you quickly found that out. Firstly, you didn't take in account how tiring it was to carry this thing- plus run back and get the wheel barrow, just to jog it back up to where you left it (luckily it was fine), Then somehow get it in the wheel barrow- (which was very hard but you managed), Just to finally wheel it back down the rest of the way.

Once you actually got back home, all you wanted to do was sleep. But sleep wasn't an option right now. You still had to get it inside. You sighed, lifting one last time to carry it up your porch stairs and inside your house. You sat it down near a wall and flopped on the floor. You stared at ceiling. Home... finally.

You could hear Slinky chitter curiously as she peered at you from her cage. She had witnessed you struggle to carry it inside and lay down on the floor. You lifted a hand and waved at her. "I'm fine Slinky, just tired." You said.

You could see her staring at the hump of metal leaning on your wall from your peripheral. "Had to help a friend." You clarified. Slinky had always been anxious around guests, especially humans. She had her reasons... you knew that. That's why it helped to introduce them as a friend when they first meet Slinky. And family if you're really close to you- like a relative. You could tell Slinky was still tense as she looked between you and the robot, sniffing and moving to and fro in her cage. She was still anxious about it. You sat up to fully face slinky. "Hey... it's okay." You started. "They're a friend, they won't hurt either of us... okay?" You leaned over and rubbed her fur through the cage. She relaxed a bit. You watched as she cast once last glance at the robot before fully settling down. You hummed. This was good. You didn't want to stress her out. Actually, it was the last thing you wanted.

Once Slinky was satisfied with your rubbing, you quietly sat up and walked over to the robot. Okay... now what? You knelt down in front of it, hoping to at least get an idea of what it needed. You hadn't noticed before, but something really messed it up. Did it get into a fight? Something big laid A deep gash across it's chest, and there were multiple other cuts lined on it's body. There were some on it's arms, a few by it's face (though those definitely weren't that deep, more like light scraps if anything), and one more lining it stomach. One you definitely recognized as teeth marks. Yeah, it definitely got into a fight... most likely with a predator.

From what you knew it was still functioning with all this going on... so maybe it was still okay. Something you could handle later after turning it on. It was then that you noticed a tiny little compartment on it's side. It was closer to it's back, so you had to gently bend it over to get a better view.

The hatch was barely visible- actually it was almost seamless, but you could tell there was a tiny screw holding something in place. You got up and ran to your backyard, ignoring how slinky glanced your way before falling back to sleep. You had a screwdriver that was the perfect fit for that. Well, more like a set you could attach to a screwdriver.

It was a gift you were given long ago by a relative who thought you'd like it. You didn't really have a place to put it back then, so you just moved it to the shed in the backyard. the shed was a small thing.. or maybe it just looked that way. There was so much clutter you couldn't really tell.

You didn't really have a lot space to move, but there it was! The screwdriver set! Right where you left it. Satisfied, you triumphantly walked back in the house and sat back down near the robot. You hooked up your screwdriver and started twisting. You really hoped this was what you thought it was... and not something that would just confuse you more.

With one last twist the screw was out. You sat it on a table nearby. You pulled the latch open with anticipation. In the compartment revealed a small cord and a usb plug thing. You knew what this was! Well, kinda. Your tv had something similar. Which meant one thing. You could plug it in! You squealed in what could only be described as joy as you quickly plugged it into a socket nearby.

...

Nothing. Well that's to be expected, you thought. You had only just plugged it in. You knew it'd take way more time for it to turn on than just a few seconds.

You sat up and stretched, a soft yawn bubbled up as you walked over to Slinky. There was still a lot of the day ahead of you two... plus the robot. So you three. But honestly, right now you could use a nice nap. It seemed like Slinky agreed with you, already fast asleep in her little ball she curled herself into. You tiptoed into your room and picked up a spare blanket you kept near your bed. You had others.. but this one was your favorite. It was your favorite color... plus you didn't feel like looking for the other's right now. You walked back into the living room and laid on the couch. Might as well make yourself comfortable. You wanted to keep an eye on the robot. Plus, you wanted to stay with Slinky... you didn't want to leave her there alone. You glanced at the robot one last time, eyelids heavy. As you fell asleep you missed the small blinking light flash across the robots eyes.

1%... 16 hours until fully charged.

Couldn't agree more. I wish I could buy a thing and then decide I didn't want to pay, but that's not how the world works.

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What does this say? That's it I'm getting the mirror...

my sibling just started playing fnv for the first time and they keep saying swank like swonk

Bruno, what do you think of pizza lady? It looks like you had a good experience with her before, since you like her so much

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Reblog if you swonk ful harde

DR. PATRICK SWONKE, DDS

Swonke Family Dentistry was founded in 1988 by Orthodontist and Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Patrick Swonke.   Dr. Swonke earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at the Houston School of Dentistry. He then went on to complete his training at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Studies. He was recognized as "America's Top Dentists" per the Consumer's Research Council of America in 2011, awarded the Patient's Choice Award in 2012, and named "America's Top Dentists" again in 2014. 

He has been committed to providing his dental patients the most exceptional General, Cosmetic, and Orthodontic dental care. He is a certified Invisalign provider and one of a handful of dentists in Texas to provide Propel orthodontic treatment. Not only is Dr. Swonke a family dentist and orthodontist, he also provides cosmetic dental procedures. Veneers, Implant Crowns, Bleaching, and Cold Laser Treatment are a few of his specialties. He has also been trained in Botox administration. He excels in meeting patient's expectations in maintaining a comfortable and caring environment in his dental office. Dr. Pat is a family dentist to the full extent of dentistry.

Dr. Patrick Swonke lives with his wife, Tracie, and has three adult sons. Tracie is the owner of Anything Bling Boutique in Vintage Park and four other locations. Dr. Swonke enjoys traveling, watching movies, and playing the drums, of which he used to be a percussionist-drummer.

Jimin, sweetie, I just saw your video for Like Crazy. I don't know why I didn't watch it before, but some of the things you sing in it and dance. Oh! My heart! There's talks of being drunk, and going for a ride. I hope you mean in a car, young man!

Come see your mother once in awhile, and remember I have seaweed soup for you when you do come. I am so proud of you. I hope you don't have any more tattoos!

--mom!

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芝加哥2023年開年就業市場--科技公司裁員其他公司會跟進嗎？

芝加哥2023年開年就業市場–科技公司裁員其他公司會跟進嗎？

（芝加哥時報/快訊）隨著科技行業巨頭的裁員在秋季成為頭條新聞，美國雇主在11月增加了26.3萬個工作崗位，失業率保持在53年低點附近。隨著消費者習慣的改變，芝加哥一些公司比其他公司更能感受到這種痛苦。芝加哥論壇報報道，畢馬威美國首席經濟學家黛安·斯旺克(Diane Swonk)說:“疫情的贏家突然變成了輸家。 (more…)

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Fed expected to hike rates by three-quarters of a point again, but its forecast may matter most

It’s not what the Federal Reserve does, but what it says it could do in the future that will be most crucial when the central bank ends its two-day meeting Wednesday. The Fed is expected to fire off another three-quarter point rate hike — its third in a row. It will also release quarterly forecasts for inflation, the economy, and the future path of interest rates Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. The Fed’s projections are always important, but this time they are even more so because investors have been trying to game how high it will raise interest rates and how much officials expect their actions could affect the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaks at 2:30 p.m. ET, and he is expected to emphasize the central bank will do what it takes to fight inflation and it is unlikely to reverse its rate hikes anytime soon. “I think he puts up a bulletin board behind him that says ‘Inflation Has to Come Down,’” said Rick Rieder, BlackRock chief investment officer for global fixed income. “I think he’s going to talk tough.” The new forecasts also come as the central bank moves into a rate hiking zone that some economists expect will be more restrictive and could more seriously impact the economy. “It’s not what they do, it’s what they say. This is our first actual tightening road map. We had theoretical road maps up until now, but from the Fed’s point of view, they’re crossing into a world of tightening. That’s an important thing,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. The Fed has been lifting rates for seven months now, and will now be moving its target rate above what had been considered the neutral zone when inflation was low. Neutral is considered to be the interest rate level where Fed policy is no longer easy but not yet restrictive. The Fed has considered 2.5% to be neutral, and if it raises by three-quarters of a point, the fed funds rate will be in a range of 3% to 3.25%. “This is really moving into restrictive monetary policy territory. We will be moving into no man’s land,” Swonk said. “We actually haven’t tightened policy to fight inflation since the early 1980s. Their goal is for a prolonged slowdown that grinds inflation slowly down and only gradually increases the unemployment rate. Whether they get there is another issue.” Rate expectations jumped Economists have been ratcheting up their forecasts for how high they expect the Fed to take the fed funds target before stopping the hikes. That level is called the terminal rate. Expectations for Fed tightening increased dramatically in the past week, after a surprisingly hot August consumer price index report. Fed funds futures on Monday were pricing in a terminal rate of 4.5% by April, up from just around 4% before the inflation report was released last Tuesday. The CPI rose 0.1% in August, while economists had expected a decline. Original Article Here: Read the full article

US Job Openings Rose in July as Hiring Accelerated

U.S. job openings rose in July as employers scooped up workers in a tight labor market. The Labor Department on Tuesday said there were a seasonally adjusted 11.2 million job openings in July, up from the previous month’s upwardly revised 11 million. Job openings have remained elevated and above 10 million since the summer of 2021. The number of times workers quit their jobs edged down to 4.2 million in July from the prior month’s 4.3 million. Layoffs and discharges fell slightly to 1.4 million in July from the prior month’s level. Hiring slowed slightly to 6.4 million, down from 6.5 million in June. The jobs market remains strong, but some signs have pointed to slowing momentum as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to tamp down inflation running near a four-decade high. The average pace of job growth in the first half of the year was slower than in all of 2021, and new applications for unemployment benefits have hovered near the highest point of the year in recent weeks. Later this week, the Labor Department will report how many jobs the U.S. economy added in August and say whether the unemployment rate held at the 50-year low reached in July. The August employment report will include updated figures on wage gains, a factor driving high inflation. Job openings still greatly exceed the number of unemployed people seeking work, and separate private-sector estimates show that labor demand remains high, but is slowing as the broader economy loses steam. Jobs site ZipRecruiter estimates there were about 10 million job openings through mid-August, down from the seasonally adjusted 11.2 million openings in June. Jobs Gap Openings continue to exceed the number of unemployed people seeking work. Rocketing Ratio The ratio of opening to the number of unemployed people looking for a job is near its highest since records began in 2000 Several companies, including Ford Motor Co., Walmart Inc., Robinhood Markets Inc. and Redfin Corp., have said they are laying off workers or plan to shrink their workforce as they face declining business activity and rising interest rates. “It looks like the Fed raising rates is killing demand across all sectors,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist of ZipRecruiter. “It’ll become easier to hire in the coming month while candidates become more likely to accept a job offer.” The high level of job openings means that it remains easy for laid-off workers to quickly land a new job. But Ms. Pollak said that some job seekers have become more concerned about job security and more are worried that a job offer they received might be rescinded. The share of job seekers who have said they felt financial pressure to accept the first offer they received has also increased, she added. Ms. Pollak said she expects the number of times workers quit their jobs, which reached 4.2 million in June, to remain elevated as a result of the impact of remote work. Quitting picked up in 2021 as job openings increased. “Any person looking for a job before might have been limited to the three job openings in their neighborhood, but now they can apply for 3,000 remote job openings within their occupation nationwide,” Ms. Pollak said. While the U.S. economy in July had recouped the 22 million jobs it lost at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the labor force remains smaller than it was in the beginning of 2020. The labor-force participation rate—the share of the population 16 years and older working or seeking work—also fell to 62.1% in July, below the 63.4% in February 2020. Businesses are still dealing with staffing shortages, which could limit layoffs, said Diane Swonk, chief economist of global audit and consulting firm KPMG LLP. “A lot of places are still understaffed, so even as the economy slows, that doesn’t necessarily mean that businesses are going to fire as many workers,” Ms. Swonk said. George Pfeffer, a management committee member at DPR Construction, said hiring hasn’t slowed down as the company of roughly 10,000 workers tries to fill about 300 vacancies. Mr. Pfeffer said demand for commercial construction projects remains robust and that his construction company expects to be chipping away at a backlog of work in the coming years. He added that his company will likely hesitate to lay off workers even as economic growth slows. “Keeping our workforce employed for when things turn back up is way more valuable than laying them off and trying to find them again later,” Mr. Pfeffer said. Read the full article

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