Curtis and Carol ... Update: Big Picture
. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50167142311_7a59455592_k.jpg Curtis Stevens Update When we left off with Curtis, he and Susan had just failed the 112 Day Challenge. More importantly ......
Forum Discussion
.
Big Picture
You know folks … I wasn’t all that surprised to find out Liam was having
his own kind of difficulties at the lab.
Matter of fact, it’s not uncommon for people to lose their bearings
when their world is turned upside down.
Curtis gave Liam a decent piece of advice, and Liam took it.
He called Mr. Dixson and explained things,
and like Curtis had suggested, he explained it without sugarcoating anything.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341984157_489b6d112e_k.jpg
Mr. Dixson assured Liam that things would be okay
and asked him to come back by the lab when he was ready to go to work.
Liam was a bit surprised to be met by Mr. Dixson when he showed up.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341143883_77a8e03ec2_k.jpg
Liam
”Look Mr. Dixson, I’m really sorry about everything we discussed on the phone.
I’m not certain why you’ll even have me back here at the lab.
I was more worried about stuff than I might should have been.
I knew better, and still gave into the desire to fight the changes.
I don’t know what else to say.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341822951_74ab24e38d_k.jpg
Alexander
”I’m going to tell you something Liam, just a secret between me and you.
You know that book I sent you … Amanda sent that book to me at one point.
You know what else, I did the same thing you did, and threw it back in the box it came in.
I didn’t need to read a silly story, to figure out what I needed to do.
Then she gave me a call and asked if I had read the book.
Well, I’m Alexander Dixson, I don’t need to be told what I need to do …
And that’s pretty much what I told her on the phone.
She said she didn’t need me to read the book so I could better understand the changes
and direction I was taking the company, or the attitude I might have towards anything like that.
She said I needed to read the book so I could understand the crazy mouse.
So I read the book … And low and behold she was right.
I didn’t know what the other people were going through.
They were scared, worried about their jobs and their families.
They were worried about the new bosses and the new requirements.
In some cases, they just weren’t thinking straight, and I can understand why.
No Liam … It’s okay, you know what you did and came clean.
I know why you did it, and you don’t have to explain it.
Some things, you just have to learn them the hard way.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341144158_cd22a12775_k.jpg
Liam
”I know I am going to have to earn back your trust.
There’s still a lot questions I have about the research and what we are doing here.
I know what you want me to do, but I can’t figure out why you want me to do it.
It’s hard for me to lead the people at the facility, when I cannot put purpose to what they are doing …
At least not anymore purpose than the fact DHE is telling us to.
It’s questions like that which lead to suspicion.
What we are dealing with is some pretty wild stuff.
If the samples were to get into the water shed, that would be terrible.
If we are going to keep working on things,
I’m going to have to know why it’s so important.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341822221_f91b98c317_k.jpg
Alexander
”No Liam … You don’t have to rebuild trust with me or DHE.
We never trusted you to start with … And I think deep down you know that.
But … You did come to me, and laid everything you had done out on the table.
It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, and you are a good man.
That in itself is worth trusting.
No, we’re going to bring you onboard with the rest of the project,
but I need you to do something else for me first.
You need to touch base with Martin and mend fences with Cindy.
They’re my people, and you’ll treat them right.
Martin is also the new Regional Director of Science for this region.
This facility and the people who work here are still yours,
but if push comes to shove, he’s your boss.
And ... With what we are going to be working on shortly …
Well, Cindy better be your best friend,
cause we are going to need what she knows even more.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341823291_a0b3a77225_k.jpg
Alexander took some time to look over the data while Liam caught up with the other two.
If he was going to start trusting Liam, he was going to find out how smart Liam might be.
Liam
”I could try and explain everything Cindy,
but the short version is that I was simply out of line
talking to you the other day.
We both know what you did concerning Lot 2 was the right thing to do.
I have no good excuse for blaming you or anyone else for what I did.
I sincerely apologize for being ugly with you
and you didn’t deserve any of it.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341145163_99acd3d397_k.jpg
Cindy
”I can’t say I wasn’t upset Dr. O’Dorke …
But I know you have been under a lot of stress.
Martin also reminded me that where I have been with DHE for a while,
you are new to us, and are still figuring things out.
I don’t hold it against you so much, and it’s water under the bridge.
We all have a bad day, and I’ll do what I can to keep any day in the future
from being our worst day ever … You can count on that.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341823696_66761353bd_k.jpg
Liam
”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you Martin,
and I am glad you are here now.
I can always use another set of eyes, sorry about the mess,
and I see you have been making a name for yourself.
Look, enough with the monkey business,
I’m here to get the work done,
I appreciate the both of you coming out here to give me a hand.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341985142_4d796b1631_k.jpg
Martin
”Dang Liam, nothing could be any worse than the pineapple-jalapeno
pizza you brought when we were working on that project at SIT.
I’ve seen your research, and was even able to make heads and tails of your notes.
You did it buddy … You are right on track towards what we are looking for.
I know you have questions, and with good reason.
You’ll understand better when Mr. Dixson talks with you about it.
I’m glad to be working with you … Everything will be fine.
We have a good team here.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824366_d48ef7a29a_k.jpg
Alexander instructed Cindy and Martin not to help Liam out for a few minutes.
He wanted to know if Liam could start putting things together if he knew a few more pieces.
He handed Liam a piece of paper with a formula written on it
and told Liam to examine it carefully.
When Liam was confident with his understanding of what was written,
Alexander started asking questions.
Alexander
”So Liam … Tell me what you know about that formula.
Don’t try to figure everything out.
Just get started with what you know.”
Liam
”It’s a fairly complex compound.
Some of it is rare and hard to come by.
It doesn’t like to bond with other things.
It has a lot of undesirable properties.
It seems like it would be both difficult and time consuming to do anything with it.
I also cannot immediately think of any practical use for it.”
Alexander
”Okay, now … What do you think would happen if you could bind
that compound to a human cell?”
Liam thought about it for a moment before answering
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824581_cf05fdbd2a_k.jpg
Liam
”I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing it would kill the cell.
It would starve the cell, dry it out, and deconstruct it in the process.”
Alexander
”Okay … What if you could get it to bind with targeted cells?
Not just any cell, but cells you wanted to get rid of.”
Liam
”Oh, if you could get it to do that,
well that would open up a lot of opportunities.
… You could cure cancer.”
Alexander
”Uh-hmm … That’s what we’re thinking.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341147043_1ccd2c7e64_k.jpg
Looks like Cindy is about to bust …
She knows everything and is fascinated Liam has gotten that far
just looking at a formula on a piece of paper.
She also knows that he is closer to the answer than he thinks,
it just hasn’t dawned on him yet.
Liam
”But what’s any of this have to do with me?
I wouldn’t mind working on a project like this,
but what else do you know?
I mean, it’s a nice dream, but I don’t see it working.
The only way you could get that compound to bind with a human cell,
and even harder, the correct human cells …
You would have to use some kind of protein.
It would have to be plant based to bind to both the compound
and the cell, if I am thinking correctly.
It wouldn’t be a common protein either.
The only place I ...”
Liam stopped at that point as his brain was catching up with what he was saying.
The other three just stood there grinning, as they knew he was about to figure it out.
Liam
”Oh my God … Holy Smokes!
The only place I have ever come across a protein like that,
is in the algae samples you have had me working on.
But … That won’t work, the protein occurs in such minuscule amounts
in the algae, it would take a ton of algae to make one …
Oh … That’s why you had me genetically modifying the algae
so it would reproduce at a higher rate.”
Liam just stood there with a weird look on his face,
while he did what every scientist does when they think they understand something new.
He started trying to figure out what wasn’t going to work,
and what problems they would encounter.
The others started laughing, and gave him a little time to think.
Finally, Alexander brought things back to the discussion.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341825616_78133a82d0_k.jpg
Alexander
”Actually Liam … The best we can currently figure,
it's going to take a little over one and a half tons of algae to make a single dose.
And uh … We’re going to need a couple of thousand tons of algae
just to start preliminary testing.”
Liam
”But there’s a problem with that.
I have been able to get the algae to reproduce at a rate
that we could pretty much replace it as we destroy it to get the protein,
but we would still need a lot of it to work the rotation.
And then there is the risk.
If the modified algae ever escaped our containment
and made it into the water shed …
There’s literally no telling what would happen.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341146443_906c531202_k.jpg
Alexander
”Oh, we both know you are right about that …
That’s why Cindy is here, and Martin as well.
We’re going to build the containment area necessary
to house the production stock.
We're not cutting corners on it either,
and it will be top notch.”
Liam
”But facility improvements and a containment area
necessary to handle something like that,
and at that level of sophistication …
Well, , it would cost billions.”
Alexander
”You’re working for DHE …
We’ve got billions …"
Cindy
”The question is never ‘if we are going to do what we want to do’ …
It’s ‘how are we going to do what we want to do’.”
Martin
”Welcome to DHE!”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824581_cf05fdbd2a_k.jpg
It was starting to sink in with Liam, and he was getting excited.
He decided he might offer another suggestion.
Liam
”You know, I understand you pulling me off the
other projects I was working on …
But I do have some experience writing grant applications.
I know some people, that would just jump on the opportunity
to help us get approved for a project like this.
We’d have access to a lot of money, personnel
and some pretty state of the art equipment and technology.
It wouldn’t be hard, and …”
Alexander cut him off mid-sentence …
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341825251_d1a613411f_k.jpg
Alexander
”So Liam … How much of what we just talked about
could be weaponized?’
Liam
”Well, if you say it like that …
I guess all of it could really.
But, we are talking about the cure for cancer.
Surely the government …"
Alexander cut Liam off again …
Alexander
”No Liam … I don’t trust them …
And I’m dang sure not giving them my research.
They may eventually figure some things out on their own,
but I’m not giving it to them …
And it ain’t about the money.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341986867_b0bf4e91b4_k.jpg
Cindy Breaking in
”Liam … I know you care.
I think you are a good guy, but not everyone is like you.
At DHE, we do what we can within the confines of what
we can accomplish by ourselves.
What we end up doing with the cure,
if it actually works the way we want it to ...
We'll figure that out when we get there, and there is still a ways to go.
If you ever find yourself wondering about our motives …
Just ask one of us, and look around.
DHE will put effort, resources and dedication towards
our research, as well as just doing business.
You and I both know that if we come up with a cure
very few people could afford it at cost.
The rest of our businesses and activities, will subsidize it though.
We’ll find a way … That’s what we do!”
You know folks ... I am just about slap- confused.
Our little story is taking all kinds of twists and turns ...
and ain't nothing seems like it should be.
Thanks for stopping by again,
and I look forward to next time.
Y’all have a lovely day!
To Be Continued ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe3CQamF8k
Happy Simming!
.
Big Picture
You know folks … I wasn’t all that surprised to find out Liam was having
his own kind of difficulties at the lab.
Matter of fact, it’s not uncommon for people to lose their bearings
when their world is turned upside down.
Curtis gave Liam a decent piece of advice, and Liam took it.
He called Mr. Dixson and explained things,
and like Curtis had suggested, he explained it without sugarcoating anything.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341984157_489b6d112e_k.jpg
Mr. Dixson assured Liam that things would be okay
and asked him to come back by the lab when he was ready to go to work.
Liam was a bit surprised to be met by Mr. Dixson when he showed up.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341143883_77a8e03ec2_k.jpg
Liam
”Look Mr. Dixson, I’m really sorry about everything we discussed on the phone.
I’m not certain why you’ll even have me back here at the lab.
I was more worried about stuff than I might should have been.
I knew better, and still gave into the desire to fight the changes.
I don’t know what else to say.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341822951_74ab24e38d_k.jpg
Alexander
”I’m going to tell you something Liam, just a secret between me and you.
You know that book I sent you … Amanda sent that book to me at one point.
You know what else, I did the same thing you did, and threw it back in the box it came in.
I didn’t need to read a silly story, to figure out what I needed to do.
Then she gave me a call and asked if I had read the book.
Well, I’m Alexander Dixson, I don’t need to be told what I need to do …
And that’s pretty much what I told her on the phone.
She said she didn’t need me to read the book so I could better understand the changes
and direction I was taking the company, or the attitude I might have towards anything like that.
She said I needed to read the book so I could understand the crazy mouse.
So I read the book … And low and behold she was right.
I didn’t know what the other people were going through.
They were scared, worried about their jobs and their families.
They were worried about the new bosses and the new requirements.
In some cases, they just weren’t thinking straight, and I can understand why.
No Liam … It’s okay, you know what you did and came clean.
I know why you did it, and you don’t have to explain it.
Some things, you just have to learn them the hard way.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341144158_cd22a12775_k.jpg
Liam
”I know I am going to have to earn back your trust.
There’s still a lot questions I have about the research and what we are doing here.
I know what you want me to do, but I can’t figure out why you want me to do it.
It’s hard for me to lead the people at the facility, when I cannot put purpose to what they are doing …
At least not anymore purpose than the fact DHE is telling us to.
It’s questions like that which lead to suspicion.
What we are dealing with is some pretty wild stuff.
If the samples were to get into the water shed, that would be terrible.
If we are going to keep working on things,
I’m going to have to know why it’s so important.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341822221_f91b98c317_k.jpg
Alexander
”No Liam … You don’t have to rebuild trust with me or DHE.
We never trusted you to start with … And I think deep down you know that.
But … You did come to me, and laid everything you had done out on the table.
It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, and you are a good man.
That in itself is worth trusting.
No, we’re going to bring you onboard with the rest of the project,
but I need you to do something else for me first.
You need to touch base with Martin and mend fences with Cindy.
They’re my people, and you’ll treat them right.
Martin is also the new Regional Director of Science for this region.
This facility and the people who work here are still yours,
but if push comes to shove, he’s your boss.
And ... With what we are going to be working on shortly …
Well, Cindy better be your best friend,
cause we are going to need what she knows even more.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341823291_a0b3a77225_k.jpg
Alexander took some time to look over the data while Liam caught up with the other two.
If he was going to start trusting Liam, he was going to find out how smart Liam might be.
Liam
”I could try and explain everything Cindy,
but the short version is that I was simply out of line
talking to you the other day.
We both know what you did concerning Lot 2 was the right thing to do.
I have no good excuse for blaming you or anyone else for what I did.
I sincerely apologize for being ugly with you
and you didn’t deserve any of it.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341145163_99acd3d397_k.jpg
Cindy
”I can’t say I wasn’t upset Dr. O’Dorke …
But I know you have been under a lot of stress.
Martin also reminded me that where I have been with DHE for a while,
you are new to us, and are still figuring things out.
I don’t hold it against you so much, and it’s water under the bridge.
We all have a bad day, and I’ll do what I can to keep any day in the future
from being our worst day ever … You can count on that.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341823696_66761353bd_k.jpg
Liam
”It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you Martin,
and I am glad you are here now.
I can always use another set of eyes, sorry about the mess,
and I see you have been making a name for yourself.
Look, enough with the monkey business,
I’m here to get the work done,
I appreciate the both of you coming out here to give me a hand.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341985142_4d796b1631_k.jpg
Martin
”Dang Liam, nothing could be any worse than the pineapple-jalapeno
pizza you brought when we were working on that project at SIT.
I’ve seen your research, and was even able to make heads and tails of your notes.
You did it buddy … You are right on track towards what we are looking for.
I know you have questions, and with good reason.
You’ll understand better when Mr. Dixson talks with you about it.
I’m glad to be working with you … Everything will be fine.
We have a good team here.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824366_d48ef7a29a_k.jpg
Alexander instructed Cindy and Martin not to help Liam out for a few minutes.
He wanted to know if Liam could start putting things together if he knew a few more pieces.
He handed Liam a piece of paper with a formula written on it
and told Liam to examine it carefully.
When Liam was confident with his understanding of what was written,
Alexander started asking questions.
Alexander
”So Liam … Tell me what you know about that formula.
Don’t try to figure everything out.
Just get started with what you know.”
Liam
”It’s a fairly complex compound.
Some of it is rare and hard to come by.
It doesn’t like to bond with other things.
It has a lot of undesirable properties.
It seems like it would be both difficult and time consuming to do anything with it.
I also cannot immediately think of any practical use for it.”
Alexander
”Okay, now … What do you think would happen if you could bind
that compound to a human cell?”
Liam thought about it for a moment before answering
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824581_cf05fdbd2a_k.jpg
Liam
”I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing it would kill the cell.
It would starve the cell, dry it out, and deconstruct it in the process.”
Alexander
”Okay … What if you could get it to bind with targeted cells?
Not just any cell, but cells you wanted to get rid of.”
Liam
”Oh, if you could get it to do that,
well that would open up a lot of opportunities.
… You could cure cancer.”
Alexander
”Uh-hmm … That’s what we’re thinking.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341147043_1ccd2c7e64_k.jpg
Looks like Cindy is about to bust …
She knows everything and is fascinated Liam has gotten that far
just looking at a formula on a piece of paper.
She also knows that he is closer to the answer than he thinks,
it just hasn’t dawned on him yet.
Liam
”But what’s any of this have to do with me?
I wouldn’t mind working on a project like this,
but what else do you know?
I mean, it’s a nice dream, but I don’t see it working.
The only way you could get that compound to bind with a human cell,
and even harder, the correct human cells …
You would have to use some kind of protein.
It would have to be plant based to bind to both the compound
and the cell, if I am thinking correctly.
It wouldn’t be a common protein either.
The only place I ...”
Liam stopped at that point as his brain was catching up with what he was saying.
The other three just stood there grinning, as they knew he was about to figure it out.
Liam
”Oh my God … Holy Smokes!
The only place I have ever come across a protein like that,
is in the algae samples you have had me working on.
But … That won’t work, the protein occurs in such minuscule amounts
in the algae, it would take a ton of algae to make one …
Oh … That’s why you had me genetically modifying the algae
so it would reproduce at a higher rate.”
Liam just stood there with a weird look on his face,
while he did what every scientist does when they think they understand something new.
He started trying to figure out what wasn’t going to work,
and what problems they would encounter.
The others started laughing, and gave him a little time to think.
Finally, Alexander brought things back to the discussion.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341825616_78133a82d0_k.jpg
Alexander
”Actually Liam … The best we can currently figure,
it's going to take a little over one and a half tons of algae to make a single dose.
And uh … We’re going to need a couple of thousand tons of algae
just to start preliminary testing.”
Liam
”But there’s a problem with that.
I have been able to get the algae to reproduce at a rate
that we could pretty much replace it as we destroy it to get the protein,
but we would still need a lot of it to work the rotation.
And then there is the risk.
If the modified algae ever escaped our containment
and made it into the water shed …
There’s literally no telling what would happen.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341146443_906c531202_k.jpg
Alexander
”Oh, we both know you are right about that …
That’s why Cindy is here, and Martin as well.
We’re going to build the containment area necessary
to house the production stock.
We're not cutting corners on it either,
and it will be top notch.”
Liam
”But facility improvements and a containment area
necessary to handle something like that,
and at that level of sophistication …
Well, , it would cost billions.”
Alexander
”You’re working for DHE …
We’ve got billions …"
Cindy
”The question is never ‘if we are going to do what we want to do’ …
It’s ‘how are we going to do what we want to do’.”
Martin
”Welcome to DHE!”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341824581_cf05fdbd2a_k.jpg
It was starting to sink in with Liam, and he was getting excited.
He decided he might offer another suggestion.
Liam
”You know, I understand you pulling me off the
other projects I was working on …
But I do have some experience writing grant applications.
I know some people, that would just jump on the opportunity
to help us get approved for a project like this.
We’d have access to a lot of money, personnel
and some pretty state of the art equipment and technology.
It wouldn’t be hard, and …”
Alexander cut him off mid-sentence …
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341825251_d1a613411f_k.jpg
Alexander
”So Liam … How much of what we just talked about
could be weaponized?’
Liam
”Well, if you say it like that …
I guess all of it could really.
But, we are talking about the cure for cancer.
Surely the government …"
Alexander cut Liam off again …
Alexander
”No Liam … I don’t trust them …
And I’m dang sure not giving them my research.
They may eventually figure some things out on their own,
but I’m not giving it to them …
And it ain’t about the money.”
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50341986867_b0bf4e91b4_k.jpg
Cindy Breaking in
”Liam … I know you care.
I think you are a good guy, but not everyone is like you.
At DHE, we do what we can within the confines of what
we can accomplish by ourselves.
What we end up doing with the cure,
if it actually works the way we want it to ...
We'll figure that out when we get there, and there is still a ways to go.
If you ever find yourself wondering about our motives …
Just ask one of us, and look around.
DHE will put effort, resources and dedication towards
our research, as well as just doing business.
You and I both know that if we come up with a cure
very few people could afford it at cost.
The rest of our businesses and activities, will subsidize it though.
We’ll find a way … That’s what we do!”
You know folks ... I am just about slap- confused.
Our little story is taking all kinds of twists and turns ...
and ain't nothing seems like it should be.
Thanks for stopping by again,
and I look forward to next time.
Y’all have a lovely day!
To Be Continued ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe3CQamF8k
Happy Simming!
.
