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Tomb Raider 4KUHD Review
July 2, 2018 Ascully
Listen To The After The Show Podcast Here
The Movie: 5/10
Lara Croft doesn’t hold a spot in my heart the way she does for a lot of video gaming folks. I just like to enjoy these adventure stories as they are on the big screen, without a controller in my hand 🙂
As for the story, it’s OK, but not that deep or interesting. Our Lara starts as a bike courier delivering food in the city and we find out she’s in a position to inherit a bunch of money and a mansion and a big company, but she chooses to be poor? I think that’s the most hokey way to approach this character, but we moved on quickly from the poverty stage to having unlimited resources…oh but wait she still hocks a necklace that belonged to her late mother? Hmmmm This is some weak story telling, but I can overlook it for this movie, really I can.
I had a good time, even if it was not a well told tale, the big action sequences are the star of this show and they serve their purpose adequately. That’s really what you are buying the ticket for on this one, the action and the adventure, the tomb raiding, and yet there’s not a lot of tomb raiding unfortunately. We get one big tomb sequence, but it has the most gamey feel of any part of the movie. The story is handed to us with just some heavy exposition and it all feels quite shallow. The promise of some magic or mysticism is one of the Lora Croft trademarks, and yet we never get that kind of pay off.
Overall I do like the cast, the action, even the flimsy story because it’s all wrapped in a journey of our leading woman who takes a lot of hard knocks and keeps on going and going and going. I wouldn’t watch it again though. I would revisit the original tomb raider, Han Solo (wink) and have a good long movie marathon:)
Features: 5/10
Tomb Raider Uncovered (7 Minutes) – Studio style EPK with interviews from all the major players.
Croft Training (6 Minutes) – A look at Alicia Vikander’s training to become Lara Croft.
Breaking Down The Rapids (6 Minutes) – A look at the major action sequence in the film.
Lara Croft: Evolution Of An Icon (10 Minutes) – The history of Gaming Legend Lara Croft.
4KUHD, Blu-ray & UV Digital Copy
Audio & Video: 9/10
Tomb Raider is a real looker-on 4K and 1080P sets due to the AVC encode and high bit-rate used by Warner here. Colors are rich and shadow detail is as inky as it comes. One thing I noticed here is there are no gloomy hard to see scenes not even inside the Tomb towards the end of the film. This is a great looking transfer one of the best of 2018.
The disc comes with a Dolby Atmos track and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Both tracks are outstanding and feature surround sound from everywhere in the room during the action sequences. Dialog is clean and always prioritized over other sounds.
Overall Score 5/10
4kuhd blu-ray warner
After The Show 537: Love Simon Podcast
After The Show 538: You Were Never Really Here Podcast
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Lynx, Verde sites close for bald eagles
February 13, 2012 February 13, 2012 by Arizona Heritage Alliance
[Daily Courier, 12/2/2011] Twenty-one sites on Arizona’s public lands are temporarily closing this month to protect bald eagle nesting sites. A portion of Lynx Lake and its eastern shoreline on the Prescott National Forest closed to the public Thursday and could remain closed as late as June 30. Six areas along the Verde River also closed Thursday and will stay closed as late as June 15.
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
A bald eagle sits in a pine tree above Lynx Lake in this Daily Courier file photo.
They include the Verde near Chasm Creek on the Prescott National Forest, and the river below Sycamore Canyon on the Coconino National Forest. People still can float through, but no foot or vehicle traffic is allowed. Aircraft also should stay at least 2,000 feet above the Verde and Salt river drainages, as well as Lake Pleasant and Alamo Lake.
“Bald eagles continue to do well in Arizona, but they are sensitive to human activity during the breeding season and it can take as little as 30 minutes of leaving the eggs uncovered for a breeding attempt to fail,” said Kenneth Jacobson, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program. “Cooperation from outdoor recreationists during the breeding season has been a major reason that the population continues to grow.” The bald eagle was federally listed as an endangered species in 1978. Nationally, the birds recovered enough to be removed from the list in 2007.
In December, Arizona bald eagles begin rebuilding nests in preparation for laying eggs. Bald eagles nest, forage and roost at the rivers and lakes that have become some of Arizona’s most popular recreation spots, and this time of year can be challenging for the birds. Game and Fish’s bald eagle management efforts are supported by the Heritage Fund, an initiative approved by voters 20 years ago to provide for wildlife education and conservation through Arizona lottery ticket sales.
People visiting bald eagle country can make an advance call to the local land management agency (Forest Service or BLM, etc.) or the Arizona Game and Fish Department to help them plan their trip to avoid disturbing bald eagles.
By following these simple guidelines, the public can help ensure that the state’s living wildlife legacy will last for generations to come:
• Enjoy bald eagles from outside the closures, especially during critical nesting times (December to June). These areas are posted with signs and/or buoys, and many have daily NestWatch monitors. A few good places to see bald eagles without disturbing them (during December and January) are at Lake Mary and Mormon Lake near Flagstaff, or on the Verde River Canyon Train in Clarkdale.
• Bald eagles protecting an active nest will let you know if you are too close. If a bald eagle is vocalizing and circling the area frantically, you are too close and need to leave the area quickly. Bald eagles incubating eggs or brooding small young should never be off the nest for more than 15 minutes.
• Help from anglers is especially needed. Monofilament and tackle has killed two nestlings and has been found in two-thirds of all bald eagle nests in the state. Every year, biologists remove this potentially lethal material from nests and/or entangled nestlings. Ospreys, shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds also succumb to this litter. Do not discard any type of monofilament along rivers and lakes, but recycle it at fishing stores. Keep your monofilament fresh; do not use old brittle line. Make sure to use the correct test line for the fish you are trying to catch. Also, do not cut the line when an undesirable fish is caught and return it to the water with the hook and line attached.
The public can help bald eagle research and recovery efforts by reporting any harassment or shooting of bald eagles. Call the Arizona Game and Fish Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement at 480- 967-7900.
Categories Arizona Game and Fish Department, Conservation, Game & Fish, Heritage FundTags Alamo Lake State Park, Arizona Game and Fish Department Bald Eagle Management Program, Chasm Creek, Coconino National Forest, Kenneth Jacobson, Lake Pleasant, Lynx Lake, Prescott National Forest, Sycamore Canyon, Verde River
Symposium to highlight Arizona’s unique trails to international audience
VIDEO: Grady Gammage Jr.: ‘So, what’s the deal with Arizona?’
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B-Metro > Extras > Local > A Rocker Slows Down: Jason Slatton
A Rocker Slows Down: Jason Slatton
His sound: Rocker turned singer-songwriter
For fans of: Neil Finn, Paul Westerberg
Jason Slatton wrote his own headline for this feature: “Guy who used to play in much louder, occasionally faster bands slows down a bit and is perhaps easier on your ears. Perhaps.”
The Athens, Georgia, native once shared stages with Widespread Panic, Bright Eyes, Lucinda Williams, Verbena, and the Drive-By Truckers. He made records, toured, heard himself on the radio, signed autographs, and “barely made a living” with the Lures and Randall Bramblet. In the early 2000s, though, he got off the road to start a “next chapter” of life and eventually married, started teaching literature, and welcomed a daughter into the world.
It was her birth that inspired his new album, We Are Nighttime Travelers. In this season of life, Slatton found himself wanting to make music, but not like he used to. As he says in “And She Goes On”—which he recorded with his wife, Kristi Houk, on vocals too—it’s about “dismantling and then beginning.” “Anyone who has had a child can tell you about literal or figurative nighttime ‘travelling,’” he says. “Maybe it’s also about looking back and taking stock of some things I left in the rearview mirror.”
The album title comes from a short story by one of Slatton’s favorite writers, Ethan Canin. Slatton had already played some “quiet” shows with Janet Simpson-Templin (vocals, keyboard), so he recruited her along with Les Nuby (bass, drums)—who was “literally next door”—and Jason Hamric (guitar, production, engineering), the “backbone” of the album.
Slatton is always drawing inspiration from life, what he reads, and the literature he teaches to write music. What results he leaves up to interpretation: “I don’t want to put too fine a point on what the songs do or say, though. That’s up to the listener. I know what they mean to me, or my wife, but that’s for us. Once it leaves me, I don’t get a say, in my opinion.”
Hear more local artists in our full Magic City Mix 2016.
Eugenius Neutron
The Burning Peppermints
Anna Thomical of Zenosyne
Rashid Qandil
Jason Slatton
Ashley Sankey and Company
Creature Camp
In Snow
Lee Shook
Gary Wheat
Chris Hendrix
Tags: August 2016, Magic City Mix, Music
Posted on Monday, August 1st, 2016.
2 Responses to “A Rocker Slows Down: Jason Slatton”
John Scalici says:
I am so damn proud of my city and all the cool artists who are killing it locally, regionally, and nationally.
Jubal Dalzell says:
This town is full of wonderful writers and musicians and Jason Slatton is one of the best at writing evocative songs. If you haven’t heard his album GO CHECK IT OUT!
Leave a Reply for John Scalici
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Wendy Wilken executed: Walkerville khoi farm
Wendy Wilken (60), killed with a head-shot at their Walkerville Khoi-farm March 21 2011, nothing was robbed: husband Mario ends the business: another 4 black workers without any income. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Man-val-oor-vrou-se-lyk-20110322
Smallholder Mrs Wendy Wilken was killed execution-style with a single headshot in their humble homestead where she and her husband Mario were raising Koi fish for the gardening-market.
“My life is shattered, ‘ said her devastated husband. This was the second armed-attack against his smallholding in the past three years. Other smallholders also suffer regular attacks: Shortly after Mrs Wilken’s murder, neighbour Brain Ubsdell came to offer his condolances. He said he was attacked two years earlier: tied up and tortured with a hot iron.
“My neighbours also were robbed and another one was murdered last year,’ he told Riata Nel, a journalist at Beeld newspaper).
The Wilken couple have lived on the smallholding south of Johannesburg for the past 15 years to start the Khoi Farm as a business. Mr Wilken said he’s now lost all his courage to continue it: thus four black workers and their families now are without an income.
On March 21 2011, three black males attacked the small holmestead shortly after 9am and forced four workers into the house. Mr and Mrs Wilkens were forced at gunpoint into the food-storage area, which is called a ‘spens’ in Afrikaans. “We were forced to open our (registered) safe which is located in the spens,’ said Wilken. “There is nothing in the safe. They demanded money, dragged Wendy from the spens. I heard a shot, opened the door and Wendy was lying there, in a puddle of blood. She was the most generous person, always willing to help others irregardless of their skin-colour,’’ her grieving husband said. Nothing was robbed: after Mrs Wilken was shot execution-style, the attackers left.
Mr Wilken had just returned from Japan to place an order for world-famous, decorative Khoi fish, and was in the airplane home for about three hours when the earthquake hit there. “I just missed the earthquake and now my wife is dead.”“There were a lot of police on the smallholding afterwards. I doubt whether anything will come of this.’ Neighbour Ubsdell also wanted to start a Koi-businesses – but is deeply worried about the increase in armed attacks at the smallholdings in the region.
Mrs Wilken also leaves behidn the couples four daughters and five grandchildren. Original Afrikaans source interpreted by Adriana Stuijt - http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Man-val-oor-vrou-se-lyk-20110322
Labels: Boer Genocide, executed, khoi farm, South Africa, Walkerville, Wilken Wendy
Another white biker killed deliberately
Sasol-cricketer Christo Hattingh murdered in traffic: run over twice
http://www.farmitracker.com/reports/1111/
2011-03-20 In yet another deliberate act of murder in traffic -- very similar to the earlier death of Afrikaans schoolgirl Bernadine Kruger, 15, who was run over twice by black taxi-driver Percyval Matji, 31, enroute to school on her scooter ion 23 February 2009 -- Sasol cricket club's young cricketer Christo Hattingh, 26, was also run down deliberately while riding his bike from Trichardt to his home in Secunda.
He was killed instantly and his body dragged by the car for some distance, reported Beeld newspaper. Then the unknown driver of the Nissan Nivara which had hit and then dragged the Afrikaner biker, stopped, backed up his car over the white man's body before chasing away at high speed.
Hattingh was wearing bright reflective clothing for his night-time bike trip back home. He was a single man, living with friends in Secunda about 10km from the accident scene. He and a few players had stopped by a pub, The Hut, after playing his third cricket-game for the club against IFS Witbank earlier that day. His team-mate Doulas Gird said the accident happened opposite the Albany bakery on the main road between Trichardt and Secunda. The police immediately traced the Nissan Nivara - abandoned.. Its owner claimed it was stolen the previous day - but that he had never reported the theft to the police. The man was questioned but not arrested. The police say they are investigating a charge of culpible homicide. Sasol cricket club team captain Jacques Groenewald said Hattingh had played his third game for the club that Saturday. http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Man-doodgery-na-krieket-20110320
Afrikaans Garsfontein High School pupil Bernadine Kruger was murdered by black taxi-driver Percyval Matji, 31 on 23 February 2009 while the girl was riding her scooter to school on a dual carriageway which was empty of any cars except the taxi on her side. Motorists sitting in a gridlocked tailback on the other side witnessed the scene, photographed it and testified against Matji in court. The school girl was riding her scooter when high-speed, honking taxi-driver Percyval Matji drove up fast, rode her bumper, following the girl from lane to lane. Witnesses testified that Matji was ‘clearly intent on wanting to force her off the road’.. Initially Matji was charged only with culpible homicide – but the Prosecuting Authority agreed with the formal petitions lodged by her mother and the Freedom Front Plus party ‘s legal team to change this charge to murder -- due to ‘overwhelming and convincing evidence before the court’. On Friday, September 11, 2009, Matji was found guilty of murder and reckless driving by a Pretoria magistrate. His defence: he claimed all the witnesses were white racists who were out to get black taxi-drivers. http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/1c793dd123234ef7b48ef00a7f0e526a/10-09-2009%2001-19/Taxi_driver_guilty_of_murder
Taxi driver guilty of murder: said the magistrate: "it was not a mistake. It was not negligence...'
Handing down judgment to Percyval Matji, Magistrate Edmund Patterson said: "It was not a mistake. It was not negligence." Patterson said from the evidence it was determined that Matji had deliberately followed Ms Kruger and "wanted her out of his way". He said Matji had “made a lethal weapon of his vehicle by driving at speeds far exceeding the limit.”
Left: this picture by Beeld photographer Cornél van Heerden shows convicted taxi-driver Percyval Matji, 31, at Pretoria Regional Court. He was found guilty of murdering 15-year-old Afrikaans pupil Bernadine Kruger in Pretoria on 23 February 2009 by running her over deliberately. He claimed in court that ‘it was all a white-racist plot by people who hated black taxi-drivers’. http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/1c793dd123234ef7b48ef00a7f0e526a/10-09-2009%2001-19/Taxi_driver_guilty_of_murder
The murdered girl’s mother, Elsabe Homan, Freedom Front city councillors Dr Conrad Beyers and Advocate Anton Alberts, councillor on the Johannesburg city council, all welcomed the decision by the Prosecuting Authority. The legal experts described it as a watershed-case. “This sends a message to all reckless drivers that they will have to pay a high price for taking someone’s life, ‘ they said in a statement. “This specifically applies to the country’s minitaxi-industry, of which some of its members drive as if they have no responsibility towards anyone else. This decision shows that human life still has some value in our land.’ The Freedom Front Plus assisted Mrs Homan in lodging civil claims against various people involved in this case. ( tel Adv Anton Alberts, tel 083 950 9272 for comment).
Beeld journalist Herman Scholtz quoted testimony by one witness, Mrs René van Zyl, testifying in Pretoria Regional Court on August 13 2009, that she and her 11-year-old daughter saw ‘Bernadine flying through the air” while they were slowly moving ahead in the grid-locked rush-hour traffic. Her daughter watched the event unfold and shouted ‘the taxi doesn’t stop,’ testified Mrs Van Zyl, who said her daughter also screamed: ‘He’s going to hit her, he’s going to hit her..’ as she saw the schoolgirl fly throught the air for several metres, and getting hit by the taxi after she fell on the tarmac. Other witnesses, Hugo Vermaak and Mrs Sanet Venter, also testified, as did Mrs van Zyl, that the taxi-driver was ‘honking his horn loudly, constantly and aggressively as he was approaching the girl on her schooter from behind at high speed. They all saw the taxi hitting the girl in the adjacent east-bound lane while the three witnesses were moving very slowly, stuck in a traffic jam going in westerly direction. All testified that the east-bound lane was clear, with no other traffic next to the taxi and Bernadine’s scooter going in the same direction. http://jv.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2547632,00.html
Top swimmer Natalie du Toit also became disabled in a scooter accident:
Top-swimmer Natalie du Toit also became disabled after she was hit by a car while riding her scooter back to school after swimming practice in February 2001. Her left leg had to be amputated at the knee. As did ‘blade-runner’ Boer athlete Oscar Pistorius, the powerfully-built Boer girl also pursued a sports career by insisting on participating in events against able-bodied athletes. And like Pistorius, she also had to wage a legal battle with the Olympics committee to give her the right to compete with able-bodied athletes. Initially she won gold medals in the 2004 Paralympic Games but then went on to triumph at the Commonwealth games as an 'able-bodied' athlete, and became the first female amputee-swimmer to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2009/08/bernadine-krugers-accused-taxi-murderer.html
Labels: Whites deliberately murdered in traffic South Africa
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Administration Denies Notion Jerusalem Embassy Isolates U.S. in Region
By John T. Bennett
Yucca Mountain’s Lone Ranger Finally Corrals House Attention
Visiting Nevada’s Yucca Mountain in 2011 was like walking through a ghost town, Rep. John Shimkus recalled in an interview this week.
It was the year after the Obama administration surrendered to fervent local opposition and halted work by the Department of Energy to prepare the site to store the nation’s commercial nuclear waste, even though Congress designated it for that purpose in the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
By the time Shimkus arrived, empty desks and cubicles sat abandoned where hundreds of people had worked on those preparations, which included submitting an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“They just locked the doors and told everyone to take their personal items and leave,” he said. “When you went back, there [were] still coffee cups on the desk.”
The Illinois Republican would bring those observations back to Capitol Hill, admonishing DOE officials for what he called a “colossal waste of resources.” His criticism was grounded in the $15 billion the federal government spent preparing and studying the site — an amount the Obama administration was willing to write off in the face of intense local concern, including from then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, over storing waste that would remain deadly for thousands of years.
Like a lone ranger in the Old West trying to right what he perceived to be an illegal action by the administration, the House’s most vocal and intense proponent of turning Yucca into a nuclear waste storage site has visited Nevada five times over the past decade in an attempt to resurrect the project.
Now, eight years after that Obama administration decision, Shimkus’ quest culminated on the House floor, where a comprehensive, bipartisan nuclear waste package passed Thursday, 340-72. It would give Yucca Mountain the needed policy jolt to start moving again.
Shimkus’ approaches over the years have ranged from biblical rage to statesmanlike diplomacy. But despite a Senate roadblock awaiting the bill, he’s pushed Yucca Mountain into the House spotlight.
“He has been all about Yucca, all of the time,” said Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden of Oregon. “I share his cause, but I don’t think I can achieve his level of commitment and enthusiasm, because nobody has. He’s been terrific.”
Indeed, Shimkus was so determined to see his Yucca Mountain bill to the floor, Walden said, that he sent handwritten letters to the homes of House GOP leaders for seven straight days during a recess week to win their support.
No nuclear reactor operates within the boundaries of his district, but Exelon’s Clinton nuclear station is 30 miles from its northern reaches. Illinois has six nuclear power plants with 11 generating units — and about 10,497 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste, the most in the nation.
Those nuclear ties have also come with some significant campaign contributions from Exelon Corp., the Chicago-based company that operates more nuclear plants than any other single company. Since he first ran for office in 1991, Shimkus has received approximately $111,949 in donations from the utility to his individual campaign account and PACs associated with him, according to OpenSecrets.org.
A military veteran and former high school U.S. government history teacher, he says his Yucca defense is also driven by his advocacy for law and order. He was furious, he said, when he perceived that the Obama administration ignored the law — the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Act in which Congress determined that Yucca Mountain should be the nation’s nuclear waste repository.
“To have insider politics, presidential politics break the law, that’s what really got me fired up … just the total disregard for the law by the executive branch,” Shimkus said in the interview.
Despite that designation, the Obama administration called the site unworkable in the face of local opposition powered in Washington by Reid. But even Republicans in the state and on the Hill long complained that radiological leaks at the site could contaminate water supplies and that moving the material to the site could expose citizens to radiation should an accident occur.
[McCain Argues Americans Should ‘Give a Damn’ About the CIA Torturing Terrorists]
Shimkus’ anger about the decision would bubble to the surface during oversight hearings by the Energy and Commerce Committee and its environment subcommittee, which he chaired, a position he said he sought partially because of its oversight of the Yucca Mountain issue. His questioning of key Obama-era DOE officials was aggressive, to say the least.
One of those DOE officials, former Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Peter Lyons, described those hearings “as the low point in my time of public service.”
“The most frustrating part was I was not able to even respond,” Lyons said. “It’s no fun to be yelled at without being able to respond. … He had the microphone and he could yell much louder than me.”
Shimkus said the intense questioning was warranted. The Obama administration objectively broke the letter of the law, he said, and he cited support for his view in the various federal court orders directing the spending of money appropriated by Congress to continue the Yucca Mountain licensing process.
“I think those tirades are, in biblical [terms], we would call it righteous anger,” said Shimkus, a bible study teacher and daily tweeter of biblical verses. “It’s unfortunate that you have to scream and holler to make your point.”
His approach has softened as he has taken on more responsibility as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee. He also acknowledges that with more Washington experience, he has learned how to better work with the other side of the aisle, as is evident in his successful bipartisan update to the Toxic Substances Control Act in the last Congress.
His willingness to work with Democrats helped produce the nuclear waste legislation that moved out of committee on a 49-4 vote. A central tenet of the legislation authorizes temporary sites to store nuclear waste consolidated from multiple plants, a policy identified as the preferred alternative to Yucca Mountain by the Obama administration.
[Six Months Out: The 10 Most Vulnerable Senators in 2018]
“It’s not an easy issue,” said Rep. Paul Tonko of New York, the ranking member of the subcommittee. “It’s a tough issue, but he is driving an issue that he has embraced, and I respect that.”
The legislation softened from draft versions to maintain key state water and air quality permitting oversight in a nod to Democratic concerns. The bill would also provide financial incentives to Nevada.
Shimkus said he has tried to establish a productive dialogue with groups in the state. He has visited Reno twice to make his case, and he has spoken in front of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce annually for the past five years when they have visited Washington.
But to many in the state, Shimkus’ policy ambition interferes with their state’s rights, putting citizens’ health at risk. The fact that the bill would expand the capacity of the Yucca Mountain site has not helped matters.
“We are pretty united in Nevada against Yucca Mountain, certainly in southern Nevada,” said Democratic Rep. Dina Titus. “We got the chamber of commerce, we got the Nevada resort association, almost all of the elected officials, so he’s not a real welcomed person there.”
Titus said that during one of his trips to Nye County, where Yucca Mountain resides, he visited with pro-Yucca local officials.
“He’s not been playing fair with us, we believe,” she added.
That Nevada opposition extends to Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto — both of whom have the ability to scuttle consideration of the bill on their side of the Capitol. And Heller will face a re-election challenge in November from Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen; opposition to Yucca will be a yardstick for most voters.
Shimkus said the House vote is part of the process, along with renewed interest from the Trump administration, in Yucca Mountain’s return. The administration’s backing could put pressure on the Senate to find some type of matching effort on nuclear waste.
“Getting people on record is an important thing to do,” Shimkus said.
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Ryan Talks DACA Solution, Pelosi Says Iran Deal Withdrawal ‘Dangerous’
Highlights of leadership news conferences today include: Speaker Paul D. Ryan said work with the White House and Democrats is a must for him in the search for a DACA solution. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
Analysis: Trump’s Iran Policy Unmoored From Facts
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. government would drop out of the 2015 multinational agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear activities. His White House speech included inaccurate statements and omissions of fact that reflect either misunderstanding of the accord or an effort to distort the historical record.
“At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction, that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program,” Trump said. Actually, it was the concern that Iran might be creating the ability to build weapons that led to the 2015 deal.
Trump then said: “Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents, long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranians’ regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.”
What Trump did not disclose: the Israeli revelations concerned already-well-known Iranian efforts to pursue a nuke more than 15 years ago. Regardless, with the kind of tough inspection regimes contained in the Iran deal, the world does not have to rely on Iran’s word about anything.
Watch: Trump Announces Withdrawal From Iran Nuclear Deal
Trump said the deal has allowed Iran to enrich uranium. He left out that Iran agreed to only enrich to levels of uranium-235 needed to operate a nuclear reactor (3.67 percent) – not to the vastly higher levels needed for a bomb (90 percent).
Trump did not mention that, under the 2015 deal, Iran can only maintain a stockpile of 661 pounds of that lower-enriched uranium, versus the thousands of pounds of the higher-enriched uranium it had before the deal.
Also not included in the speech: Iran limited its plutonium enrichment and its enrichment centrifuges, and has sent huge amounts of uranium and plutonium out of the country.
Trump said the deal’s monitoring provisions are inadequate. No credible other source has made that argument. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has the access that Iran agreed to provide to its nuclear sites.
Trump has previously contended that the Iranians can block access to sites. But that’s only the case with certain non-nuclear sites, and there’s a process for inspectors to get to those, too, in a short period of time.
Most importantly, international inspectors say they have access to many more facilities than they saw before the deal — and access to every single place they say they have needed to see. U.S. intelligence agencies and Defense Department leaders also have consistently and publicly said that visibility into Iran’s nuclear program has increased substantially and that Iran is doing everything it said it would do.
On Tuesday, America’s president effectively said this country would nonetheless not comply with its end of the bargain.
Trump said the nuclear deal is flawed because it lacks any constraints on Iran’s ballistic missiles and its support for terrorism, including the killing of Americans.
But the United States has sanctions on Iran for its non-nuclear behavior. Perhaps those could be ramped up. But why would the president scuttle progress in one area — the nuclear one — in the hope it would lead to better outcomes on the other concerns?
Trump implied that, under the deal, Iran could rapidly break out and attain a nuclear weapon. But it would take longer under the deal for that to happen than it would have without the deal.
Trump has complained that the deal’s provisions will start to expire in 2025. In fact, its most critical terms last until 2030 and inspectors have access to sites for even longer periods.
But if the problem with the pact is that it doesn’t last long enough, then why isn’t the answer to extend the deal — or to reach a better deal that lasts longer?
Trump says the deal’s limitations on Iran are “weak.” Even if that were true, and that is highly debatable, aren’t weak limitations better than the virtually zero limitations that existed before — and may exist again if the deal is abandoned?
The president seemed to suggest that he would have struck a better arrangement had he been at the negotiating table a few years ago. We’ll never know if that’s true. But why couldn’t Trump sit down with Iran now and hammer out what he thinks is a better deal? He says he’s working toward that. But why pull out beforehand?
Whatever the shortcomings of the Iran deal, the comparison that must be made is not Iran Deal vs. Ideal Other Deal. Rather, it is: World With Iran Deal vs. World Without Iran Deal, whether that world is the world before 2015 or whatever world follows Trump’s announcement.
That brings us to the key question: What’s going to happen now?
It depends on what other nations do. If the Europeans, Russians and Chinese keep doing business with Iran — and especially if the United States does not punish their continued trade with Iran — then little may change.
But there is a wild card question: How much will Trump’s move strengthen Iran’s hardliners? Will they succeed in returning Iran to its previous path of accumulating the know-how and material to build atomic bombs, if they were to choose to do so?
Trump said the 2015 Iran pact would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Mideast. But it’s hard to believe that the absence of a deal would reduce that likelihood. Quite the contrary: If Iran reacts to Trump’s move by returning to its pre-deal nuclear activities, such an arms race would almost certainly become more likely, not less.
Ironically, Trump also said Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was en route to North Korea to strike a nuclear deal with that country. Maybe whatever deal the Trump team reaches with North Korea will be much smarter than the one Obama and other world powers struck with Iran.
On the other hand, maybe Trump will learn how difficult such negotiations are. And maybe he’ll see how much harder it is to talk with an actual nuclear power (North Korea) than with a would-be one (Iran). He may also discover how much countries want in return for giving up a nuclear arsenal, the sort of weaponry that gives the United States and other world powers clout on the global stage.
But Kim Jong Un’s confidence in Trump’s word can hardly be bolstered by watching how Trump has treated the Iran deal — a pact that, according to its admittedly imperfect terms, is, by all believable accounts, working.
Frozen, Canned Fruit Could Become Norm for Fresh Produce Program
As the House GOP wrestles with whether to overhaul the food stamp program and tie it to work in the new farm bill that passed the Agriculture Committee in April, other small changes to the previous law stand out that could markedly affect longstanding federal nutrition programs.
Some lawmakers want to add frozen, canned, pureed and dried produce to the menus of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program for schoolchildren.
It’s a proposal Maine GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin says will help American children “be able to eat healthy all year round with nutritious products from across the country,” according to The Associated Press.
Adding packaged and processed fruits and vegetables to the fresh produce snack program is not only “a huge win for our school children,” Poliquin said, but would enlarge the consumer market for blueberry farmers in Maine and other produce industries.
Some Democrats are already pushing back on the proposal to open the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which grants public schools money to purchase fresh produce to provide as snacks for its students free of charge, to more processed goods.
“Once you start whittling away at it, it’s no longer a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program,” former Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who initiated the program in 2002, told the AP.
Harkin is dubious of frozen fruits and vegetables because of the sugar and chemicals added to keep them from rotting too quickly. It’d be better to skip freezing and packaging blueberries and instead send fresh bushels straight to the schools, he said.
“People have wanted to include peanuts and trail mix and God knows what else,” Harkin said. “Now this guy from Maine wants frozen or canned blueberries.”
There is no set timetable for a vote on the farm bill, but House Republicans have said they have the votes and plan to proceed without Democratic support.
Watch: Here’s How Three Ratings Changes Could Help Democrats in Their Quest for Senate Majority
Bishop Wants Answers on USDA Program That Kills Kittens
Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop wants an investigation into the Department of Agriculture’s “secretive and problematic” experiments that have reportedly led to the deaths of hundreds of kittens.
Bishop sent a letter on Tuesday to Secretary Sonny Perdue about the cats’ treatment in the experiments, WTOP reported.
The Michigan Republican’s letter said his office researched a project called “Toxoplasmosis in Cats” being conducted in Beltsville, Maryland.
“I’m shocked and disturbed that for decades the USDA — the very organization charged with enforcing animal welfare laws — has been unnecessarily killing hundreds of kittens in expensive and inefficient lab experiments,” his letter read.
Bishop’s letter described how cats were bred and then fed meat infected with toxoplasma so their feces could be collected to harvest parasites, after which the cats would be killed and their remains destroyed by incineration.
“Any government research program like this one that’s been funded since the Nixon administration needs to be put under the microscope, especially when it involves using kittens as disposable test tubes in harmful tests that most taxpayers oppose,” Bishop said in a statement.
Kim Kaplan of the USDA responded in an email to WTOP that using cats was “essential to the success of this critical research” and that “the estimate of 100 cats used in the research … is a serious overestimation.”
Kaplan also said the cats could not be adopted out because they could pose a risk to adoptive families.
“Women newly infected with toxoplasma during pregnancy and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have severe consequences,” Kaplan said.
Watch: The Congressional War on Flowers— A Brief History
Bipartisan Support for Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Bill — Except in Nevada
The House will take up legislation this week that would help restart the stalled process for making Nevada’s Yucca Mountain a central repository for commercial nuclear waste. After years of false starts and misses, the bill is moving with bipartisan support.
In Nevada, however, there is bipartisan opposition to the Yucca project, and the state’s congressional delegation prepared a series of amendments meant to ensure that the House would consider key safety provisions for the project, which is located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas and adjacent to the land where the government tested nuclear weapons.
The Rules Committee on Tuesday readied, 7-4, a structure rule for floor consideration of the bill. In total, three Democratic amendments, but only one from the Nevada delegation, will be considered on the floor, including a Rep. Dina Titus substitute amendment to require consent-based siting in the approval process.
The bill would tackle a to-do list of pending Yucca Mountain policy items, including a series of federal government land transfers, a revamped economic incentive package for Nevada and a change to the fee collected from consumers of electricity generated by nuclear power.
The legislation would also authorize the Department of Energy to construct an interim storage facility to collect waste from reactor sites across the country and consolidate it in remote areas on a temporary basis while the federal government moves forward on a permanent repository.
The temporary storage option, originally backed by the Obama administration as its preferred alternative to Yucca Mountain, would open a new pathway for the nuclear waste, now stored on-site at nuclear generating stations. It would represent a breakthrough in the nuclear logjam that has flummoxed appropriators for most of this decade. Yucca Mountain would move on a parallel track to any pilot storage program.
“Interim storage was really the big thing that helped move this down the field,” Illinois Republican Rep. John Shimkus, the bill’s sponsor, told reporters.
The nuclear waste issue has been a regular feature of the annual Energy Department appropriations cycle. House Republicans have funded Yucca Mountain but not interim storage. The Senate has funded interim storage but not Yucca Mountain. The result has been that neither option has received funding in more than five years.
“People are ready to do something rather than nothing,” Shimkus said, predicting a strong bipartisan vote on the bill.
Local opposition to the Yucca site has always been strong, but this year two members of the Nevada delegation, Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, are heading toward a close Senate race against each other in November. Both oppose the project.
The state’s resistance extends back to when Congress first officially designated Yucca Mountain as the nation’s commercial waste repository in 1987 as an update to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Dubbed the “screw Nevada bill” by Democrat Harry Reid — a freshman senator at the time — the law moved forward without the support of Nevada lawmakers. Critics complained that the site and shipment of nuclear waste through the state could expose citizens to radioactivity via leaks into the water tables or a potential shipping derailment.
Reid would make the scuttling of Yucca Mountain a central tenet of his time in the Senate. The local opposition, combined with a sympathetic Obama administration, eventually led to the shuttering of the project in 2010. The license application, submitted in 2008, has remained in a suspended state, although it remains pending before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
But with the Trump administration renewing interest in moving Yucca Mountain forward, Nevada lawmakers are seeing the potential for a second “screw Nevada” congressional moment.
“This legislation is Screw Nevada 2.0,” Titus said in a statement. “Nevada is not a wasteland, and I’ll continue to fight any attempt to turn it into the nation’s nuclear waste dumping ground.”
Rosen filed an amendment to the Rules Committee that would hold off any licensing activity for Yucca Mountain until the Office of Management and Budget conducts a study of the economic impacts from alternative uses of Yucca Mountain.
Heller, meanwhile, remains a roadblock in the Senate for the bill moving forward. He is already blocking consideration of two NRC nominees who have voiced support for continuing the Yucca Mountain license process. Those holds threaten to leave the NRC without the needed number of commissioners to hold a quorum by the end of June.
The legislation has the support of the nuclear industry and the DOE, both of which want to see nuclear waste moved from reactor sites across the country.
Shimkus’ bill “would help place the federal government on a path to fulfill its responsibilities and to unburden taxpayers of the ever-mounting liability by establishing a durable program for managing used nuclear fuel,” Nuclear Energy Institute President Maria Korsnick said in a Sept. 27 letter endorsing the bill.
In total, there are some 81,000 metric tons of nuclear waste across 35 states awaiting DOE action. That sitting waste represents about $34 billion in liabilities to the federal government. The United States paid out approximately $700 million in fiscal 2017 to compensate utilities for its failure to take title of the waste under timelines set in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, and those payments are likely to continue for the foreseeable future without action.
Movement on a nuclear waste strategy would also enable the federal government to begin collecting the Nuclear Waste Fund fee again. A federal court stopped the payments over a lack of a coordinated strategy to move the waste, leaving the fund to only increase through interest payments. It currently sits at about $40 billion. Cost estimates place the full construction of Yucca Mountain at over $100 billion.
Watch: Trump and House Leadership at Odds on Legislative Agenda Heading Into May
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Part of Jun 2012 by Groovey
I Got the Hots for TheCoolTv
I hate cable. Do you remember when The History Channel had programming about stuff that happened in the universe before this present moment and not: “WAS HITLER BIGFOOT’S LOVE CHILD!?!” “I just gotta find out!” The answer is always, “ummmm, probably not. Where’s the closest bank? I have to cash this check.” They slap down the cheese, we always leap for it, and then the cold steel bar slaps down on the breaking neck of our collective intelligence.
Or do you remember when The Discovery Channel was about something called “Sci…Sci-uh…Science! Yeah that was the word!” “Whatcha watchin’ honey?” “Well first up is “Ghost Punchers”, then there’s the “Dumpster Painter’s” marathon and then a new show called “Idiot.” “What’s “Idiot” about?” “I guess they figured out a way to mirror the surface of your TV screen from the other side!” “Ohhh I’ll make popcorn!” And don’t tell me the “Premium” channels are worth it. Its 160 hours a week of “Earnest Goes Cross Country Bowling” type movies and then 8 hours of the one show you want to see played once and rerun 7 times. Just buy the DVDs when the season is over and watch at your leisure. Be sure and tell your friends and enemies to shut up when they try to ruin the plot for you. And we all freakin’ know the so called music channels on cable are a cruel joke of reality TV mush.
So a couple years ago I bought one of those cheap flat screens to play Xbox on. That’s all I used it for. Then one day about three months ago I got a wild hare of curiosity wondering if broadcast TV still existed. Rather than simply switch input from my Xbox to the TV I had to call a man-friend for man-support about my man-question. Hey, it’s scary stuff. His answer was, “Wow, I have no idea. Switch inputs and see what happens.” So there we were, struck silent by this adventure, and BAM! No way! All in the Family!
I abruptly hung up and watched Edith Bunker for a good week straight. Then the fateful moment came when I had to take my first baby steps out of the Bunker household and change the channel and BAM! Music video channel. 24 hours a day.
TheCoolTV is based out of Lawrence, Kansas (In an old cabinet shop.) which actually makes sense because Lawrence has a hopping music scene. The channel was founded by Joe Comparato as an outgrowth of his studio and his concert video production company Cool Music Network which is one reason why TheCoolTv has a ton of concert footage some of which is in definite over rotation like the Styx DVD footage which was cool the first few dozen times. The spectrum of videos that are played range from pop to “huh?” to “rad!” and from ancient to “As soon as I’m done with my coffee I will send it over to CoolTv.” I have heard that the programming is tailored to your local areas tastes so if the programming director of your local station is a dunderhead or you live in the polka capital of the world then I guess things could suck for you. There are some actual “programs” which are really just videos of the same theme all clumped together and these range from “Over Easy” to “Dance/Tonic” to the “Big Heavy Rock Hour”. There is one actual show that is a traditional show called “From the Road” which has interviews and concert footage. There’s no VJs getting their hair stuck in the spokes of their egos to deal with and besides a bit too many Time/Life infomercials about CD box sets the amount of commercial breaks aren’t too overwhelming I think mainly because the demographics are all over the place so is all the advertising.
TheCoolTV is currently in a crap ton (technical term) of cities and as usual you can go to their website to figure out your situation and Wikipedia has a list as well. In ABQ it’s KASA-TV virtual channel 2.2 physical channel 27 and in Denver KMGH-TV virtual channel 7.3 physical channel 7. About as well as I can describe the “virtual channel” thing is that there’s actually four channel seven’s in Denver and the third one is TheCoolTv. The videos on this page are three that were played in a row while I was typing this to give you a sample of the programming.
thecooltv.com
Tags:CoolTV|MTV
Read more by Groovey
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Tag Archives: DECORATION
BROCANTE TO LIVE IN PALMA
TICKET 11/09/2018 AARB Magazine Leave a comment
After working for three decades as a banker and lawyer, the German Lothar Wackerbeck left everything to open ‘Decorum’, an exquisite brocante that blends East and West in Palma de…
ANTIQUEBROCANTEDECORDECORATIONDECORUMPALMA DE MALLORCAVINTAGE
APARTMENT WITH GREEN MINT TOUCHES
ART & DESIGN 26/08/2018 AARB Magazine Leave a comment
This apartment had a lot of light and possibilities, you just had to give continuity and spaciousness of spaces, so you chose white, gray and above all, small touches of…
APARTMENTARCHITECTUREART & DESIGNDECORATIONGREENHOUSEINTERIOR DESIGNINTERIOR SPACEINTERIORSMINT
HOUSE WITH FRENCH ACCENT
Gallery 29/10/2017 AARB Magazine Leave a comment
This small townhouse in Aravaca (Madrid) perfectly reflects the personality of its owner. It breathes tranquility, simplicity and luminosity. Feminine but subtle. Minimal but warm. Balanced.
The owner of this house had it for many years but had never lived there since she had worked in different countries for the French Embassy since she was young. Although Spanish has always been linked to that country, “to the point of having an accent”, according to the architect Helena Martín, responsible for the transformation of the home. When she retired, she wanted to live in Spain again and have a home in which to feel recognized. That was the big challenge.
“The original house was quite dark (all the living room and kitchen faces north), very compartmentalized, had a closed staircase lined with wood … and what the owner was looking for was an open, comfortable space that reminded her a little to the spacious and clear houses in which she had always lived, “explains Helena Martín, who, in order to do so, left the ground floor almost completely open and the whole stairway was demolished to make a new, open and light. In addition, in the upstairs plant a bedroom was suppressed to give more amplitude to the others and to be able to create a dressing room in the main one.
In the decoration is where Helena wanted to capture with more closeness the personality of the owner. “I tried to create a neutral base and give soft touches using colors in complements,” explains the interior designer and architect. Salon, chose a large sofa in linen color, vintage Persian rug, a pair of aged mirrors to support the search for light, a wooden table and demolition reddish pink lacquered desktop that provides color.
The house has a small garden and modified the porch to give half to the kitchen and make an office with large windows overlooking the garden, which serves as dining room. For that part, Helena designed a table made of iron lacquered in green, with an envelope in marble, and with a fabric of Ikea made some seats in black and white that soon accompanied with many cushions in the same tones. To give a little warmth, he put on chairs and a lamp with a slightly more country-like appearance. The perfect space to enjoy a good wine with a table of French cheeses.
DECORATIONDESIGNFRENCHINTERIO DESIGN
In Mayfair, the luxury (and expensive) neighborhood of London, the British capital, this floor full of works of art and design pieces fascinates us. Shalini Misra is the talent behind…
ARCHITECTUREDECORATIONDESIGNINTERIOR DESIGNLONDON
LUXURY WITHOUT BRIGHTNESS
Facing the Pacific in Malibu, Kelly Wearstler reinvents his explosive style in the earthy shades of the beach where he sits his summer retreat. Sophistication without brilliance, natural and unrefined.…
ARCHITECTURECALIFORNIADECORATIONINTERIO DESIGNLUXURY INTERIORSMALIBU
BEACH AND URBAN FLAT
Beach and urban flat. Vegetable papers, French furniture from the 50’s and the best Italian vintage. The pampered children of the Monegasque decoration, Humbert & Poyet sign this flat at…
ARCHITECTUREARTART DECOBEACHCITYDECORATIONFRENCHINTERIOR DESIGNITALIAN
WOULD YOU BET IT IS PARIS?
When an interior designer decorates her own home in Paris, the result is always as peculiar as personal. The most fashionable decorator in France, Emilie Bonaventure, showed us in her Parisian flat.
Emilie Bonaventure – founder of the be-attitude agency in 2005 – is all that and her projects prove it to perfection. She is an interior architect, designer, decorator and contemporary art expert, passionate about fashion and gastronomy.
Located in the 9th arrondissement, on the famous street des Martyrs in the district of Montmartre, Emilie Bonaventure’s apartment is his personal refuge but until recently it was also his office. Here, she used to work with her team, particularly in the dining room where the Rose Bakery Team Room concept was born, for example, in the Le Bon Marché store. Today Emilie has an office outside her house, just a few meters from her bright and typically Parisian apartment that has a wooden floor, moldings and fireplaces.
Emilie studied art history at the school of the Louvre and the decor of her home reflects her taste for discipline and especially for objects. “An object is a part of itself, a piece of its own puzzle,” he says. Each element of his apartment tells a story and many were found in the flea market of Saint-Ouen (on the outskirts of Paris). Furniture from the 40s, 50s and 60s coexist with contemporary works of art.
In general, Emilie designs colorful creations with many contrasts. On the contrary, it privileged in its home the neutral tones like the Wimborne White of Farrow & Ball that is combined with some brown and black touches. In the room, he chose pieces from different periods – such as Geoffrey Harcourt’s chair and the neon work of the artist Eric Michel – but with the same types of colors. In the dining room where the table is by Angelo Mangiarotti, the chairs are from the 50’s and the brass lamp dates from the 70’s, the David Hicks wallpaper for Au Fil des Couleurs stands out.
Totally black and gray, the kitchen adorned with works by Pierre Soulages is one of the key spaces. Emilie loves to cook, a passion that was born from her childhood, because her parents own restaurants. “When I was eight, I was fortunate enough to eat with chef Marc Veyrat. I never forgot this experience. The mixture of curiosity, imagination, creativity and professionalism that characterizes it has become a true example for me, a way of thinking. ”
The chromatic palette of the bedroom refers to the living room and provides a peaceful feeling. Interested in people in their everyday universe and their relationship with objects in their environment, Emilie Bonaventure always seeks to generate new ideas to give life to spaces with style.
DECORATIONDESIGNERFRANCEHOMEINTERIOR DESIGNPARIS
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I am back from some more travelling (onshore not offshore) and am catching up with the news from Sydney where Glenn Davies has been elected the new Archbishop (see here and here and here). That means I was not just wrong but very wrong when some months ago I posted with the headline 'Glenn, I would withdraw now'. Why did I write that and what did I miss?
I wrote that because I was impressed with the numbers and the names being marshaled in support of Rick Smith. It looked like 'the establishment' if not 'the hierarchy' of the diocese was naming 'its' candidate. To an extent I think that was so (because an impressive number were from Standing Committee and from Moore College, and the Dean of Sydney, Philip Jensen was among the prominent names). But what I clearly misread was the possibility that the Diocese in its vote would be capable of signalling a change from the direction it had been heading in.
Since I am a flawed interpreter the following sentences may be worthless but I will write them anyway. I suggest that the election was not about either Glenn Davies or Rick Smith (on all accounts very fine men in their character and very equal in their theological convictions) but about the theological character of the Diocese as it moves forward into a new future. The appalling (and I use that word deliberately) attempts in the last few days before the election to cast shadows of doubt on the theological convictions of Bishop Glenn Davies* serves as a salutary reminder that a strong motivation behind support for Rick Smith was the maintenance of a theological purity of a particular 'Reformed Evangelicalism' kind. By electing Glenn Davies to be the next archbishop I suggest the Diocese of Sydney has said, "Enough. We are going to live with a degree of tolerance among ourselves as to what constitutes conservative evangelicalism."
No one should expect (say) the ordination of women as presbyters to come to Sydney any time soon. But should that come to pass in 100 years time, historians will look back on 2013 as the year in which the Diocese indicated it would be open to a wider variety of theological voices speaking into the life of the Diocese than has hitherto been the case.
*Non-evangelical readers may need to understand that within conservative evangelicalism the mere casting of shadows of doubt on a brother or sister's theological standing within the evangelical community can be the death-knell of hopes for appointment, retention of tenure, continued invitations to speak and preach ... It would now appear that these attempts were the desperate attempts of supporters realising that the tide was flowing against them.
A moderated comment from Ron Smith:
"" But what I clearly misread was the possibility that the Diocese in its vote would be capable of signalling a change from the direction it had been heading in." - Peter Carrell -
No doubt, Peter, as you have suggested, the fruits of the election have arisen from a profound reaction to Dean Phillip Jensen's [...] of Bishop Glen's capabilities to lead the Sydney archdiocese into a time of more eirenic and open attitudes to the 'semper reformanda' ethos of traditional Anglicanism.
Had the alternative candidate been successful, it could have signalled a 'more of the same' alliance with the GAFCON Provinces' distaste for openness to new initiatives of the Gospel imperative - towards the consideration of a modern, eirenic understanding of the intrinsic value of women and gays in the Church. At least, that is my view.
With the Provincial Archbishop, ++Phillip Aspinall, my hope is that the new ABS will be more ready to listen to Anglicans in the wider world, in order to enter into a more collegial relationship with the home Province.
Prayers for the new Archbishop!
I have omitted a word because it makes for a phrase which is an inaccurate description of what transpired a few days ago. The Dean did not question, deny or generally run down the capabilities of +Glenn to lead the Sydney diocese. Rather he questioned the theology of the man.
No one should expect (say) the ordination of women as presbyters to come to Sydney any time soon.
They don't even ordain men as presbyters unless there is a parish vacant and the man gets picked to take it over.
Alan Wood said...
Peter, I think your interpretation over-reads the significance of +Glenn's election. In support of this, I'd offer Harry Goodhew's time as Archbishop in the 90s - in the teeth of a strong vote for Phillip Jensen. ++Goodhew was preceded by ++Robinson, succeeded by ++Jensen. I don't think Sydney-dislikers would say that ++Goodhew's election was 'the year in which the Diocese indicated it would be open &c'.
I think that one of "Sydney"'s strengths is that it is evangelical rather than fundamentalist - it values scholarship, and in particular sustained engagement with the Bible text. But to think well (especially in theology), you do also need to listen - so that broadens the field of "allowable" opinions. Sydney's other obvious strength is its size: 270 parochial units, big College (and not just of ordinands), big city, big glebe. But breadth also comes with a larger group.
As a result of those two factors, but not because of deliberate or conscious disagreement and differentiation in theologies, I think there are a 'wider variety of theological voices speaking into the life of the Diocese' than it appears from outside. Sometimes, that allowable breadth is indicated in elections, and can be interpreted as a reaction against narrowness. So, it is an 'enough', but it's not an 'Enough!'
And, it still leaves "Sydney" unacceptably narrow to Julia Baird and others.
I appreciate that insight - thank you. I take your point about the Goodhew 'moment' not being susceptible to the interpretation I bring!
My rejoinder (in a friendly spirit of enquiry rather than of argumentation) is to ask whether 13 years into a new century of rapid social and demographic change, this moment of choosing not to go down one path of (as I would argue) narrowness is a moment of great historical significance than the point when Harry Goodhew was elected.
One day the historians can give us an answer, should the Lord tarry!
PhillRead said...
as a member of the Synod the main feeling was that both were good candidates. The reason you would go for Rick was because he would continue to push mission. The reason you would vote for Glenn was experience.
That's what the debates centred on.
I know you're interacting with the Dean's papers, but I think that this is how many people on Synod approached the matter
It is always good, Phill, to hear that a synod is approaching such an important matter with maturity!
“Non-evangelical readers may need to understand that within conservative evangelicalism the mere casting of shadows of doubt on a brother or sister's theological standing within the evangelical community can be the death-knell of hopes for appointment, retention of tenure, continued invitations to speak and preach ...” Fr. Carrell
This situation seems quite oppressive to me. Almost Stalinist, in fact. But given the denunciatory ethos of much of the American Evangelicalism that I have witnessed during my lifetime, it’s a logical outcome.
Kurt Hill
(Who is glad he is Anglo Catholic)
In Brooklyn, NY
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POP Picks
21CM U
A Brief and Hasty Argument Against Genre
Gabriel Kahane · February 2016
I spent the afternoon talking to a pair of truly intelligent journalists who wanted to know why it is that I so often bristle against discussions of genre, e.g.:
Please, please, please, please, please, stop talking about genre
— Gabriel Kahane (@gabrielkahane) December 17, 2015
I thought it might be a good idea to lay out, briefly, what it is that I object to about genre as a discourse. Here’s the thing: For the most part, everything that is new is a hybrid of two or more things that came before. This has always been the case.
Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Whether it’s Ligeti marrying the rhythms of West African drumming to the pianism of Debussy (with a little bit of chaos theory thrown in for good measure) in his first étude, “Désordre,” or Sufjan Stevens blending the ecstatic folk singing of Judee Sill with Philip Glass’ Music in Twelve Parts in “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades,” progress is often found in the alchemy of disparate idioms. But the thing is, these sources, and the exoticism engendered by the apparent chasm between them, are only as interesting as the craft that’s brought to bear on their marriage. Anyone can put a hip-hop beat under a 12-tone row. The question is: Is it expressive, and is it in the service of something authentic?
What so often gets lost in the discourse on genre is precisely the issue of craft and the extent to which craft is or is not present in these hybrid works. I wish that we could start conversations about a work of art from a place of examining its craft and then, if necessary, work our way back to talking about the component parts or idiomatic reference points that comprise the language of that work. One of the dangers of simply talking about genre qua genre, aside from the fact that hybridity is the order of the day, is that the quality of the work becomes secondary to its stylistic attributes.
If we just call it songwriting, there’s a better chance that more listeners will give it a chance…
But the other thing I find irritating about all of these hyphenated-descriptor-laden genre conversations is that I believe they’re alienating to a lot of listeners. If you describe your work as “art pop song,” you threaten to drive away listeners who may not think they’re sophisticated enough to like “art music” or who generally don’t care for such highfalutin things. As far as my own work as a songwriter is concerned, my credo is to let whatever is sophisticated or complex be a humble and often invisible servant to the primary concern, which is to tell a story or depict a character in as clear and succinct a way as possible. If we just call it songwriting, there’s a better chance that more listeners will give it a chance than if we silo the thing as “art song” or “chamber pop” or what have you.
Now, I know that descriptors often provide a useful shorthand for letting a reader know what something is going to sound like, but in an era where kids are making playlists that run from Kendrick Lamar to Karlheinz Stockhausen, shouldn’t we allow craft, rather than categorization, to lead the conversation?
See the original publication of this article and more from Gabriel Kahane here
Gabriel Kahane is a songwriter living in Brooklyn, NY. His newly released album of chamber music, The Fiction Issue, is available at https://gabrielkahane.bandcamp.com . …more
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Brighton says:
Great post from an exceptionally talented musician. I think the problem is that in 2016 America, the quality of the work is in fact secondary to its stylistic attributes. Audiences don’t listen to convert music, they have a lifestyle experience. Most composers today know that the program notes are more important than the music itself. We’re not composers any more, we’re brands.
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605 S. College Ave. Greencastle, IN 46135 765.658.6737
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Around 700 attend Sunday flea market
April 22, 2012 Anisha Nair
It was an unusual Sunday buzzing in Bengaluru with activities. Colours were all around. Creativity seemed to be at its peak. From perfectly cut wine bottles to make a pot, to neatly sewn fabric wastes forming into beautiful earrings and a lot more. You name it and you have it there.
All this and more was at the fourth edition of "Second to none" flea market held at Jaaga on KH road. "This was the busiest of all the flea markets we have held so far," says Anupama G, the organiser of this market.
"Second to none" (220) flea market is a platform where people come together to sell recycled and upcycled stuff and also some second hand products that are no longer useful to them. Clothes, luggage bags, books and a lot more was on sale at the market. More than 40 sellers came up and sold their old belongings and recycled or upcycled products.
Visitors having a gala time. Pic: Anisha Nair
Bottles made of paper mache. Pic: Anisha Nair
Boxes made of Banana Fibre. Pic: Anisha Nair
Bum bags. Pic: Anisha Nair
Hand woven colourful pen stands. Pic: Anisha Nair
Pots made of waste bottles on sale. Pic: Anisha Nair
Pen stands made of old cassettes. Pic: Anisha Nair
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For some, the products were more out of the time spent with family. For others, it was using waste material to make something new and trendy. There were also those motivated to help the needy.
Every seller had their own story
"For me, it is the time my 10-year-old daughter Anokhi and I get together and do something creative. We come up with ideas to upcycle products and something innovative out of the waste. This is the time we indulge in activities and have fun," says Poornima Bhola, who sold pen stands and holders made of cassettes, button necklaces, message bottles and trendy hair bands made of jean fabric and buttons.
Two friends got together and decided to do something about the waste keyboard keys and the perfume bottles. Abhishek Agarwal, 35, says they did not want to waste the keyboard buttons and perfume bottles.
"We made finger rings out of keyboard keys and necklace out of the spring underneath. That was trendy and usable. And we enjoyed doing that," says Luis Svarez, 36, who sold cassette pouches, key necklaces, key cap finger rings and more at the market. They participated in the 220 market for the second time and say that the response has been better than the previous one.
Just wanting to make something out of waste
Recycling is not only the need of the hour, it has also become a trend these days is what they believe.
Preeti Maneesh, designer says, "I was once at a tailor’s shop and saw a lot of fabric waste lying there. That’s when I thought of this idea of using these fabrics and making them into earrings. They are not only trendy but also use up the small waste materials." She sold earrings made of waste fabric and papers.
A stall full of incomplete masks was an eye-catcher. Sharwari Tilloo, an artist, made these masks out of paper mache and completely organic and herbal materials like Methi, twigs and leaves. Some feature was missing from every mask. She says, "No person is complete. Nobody is perfect. These masks symbolise the imperfection in every person. Also masks are always in muted colours. So I wanted to give a Kaanjivaram touch to these masks."
Anindita Chakraborty, 29, says she was shifting place and had a lot of stuff to be given away. So she decided to come to the 220 market and sell her belongings. "I am moving elsewhere to pursue higher studies. I have a lot of clothes and books to be given away. So I though of coming to the market and trying to see if I find any buyers."This was the first time she participated and the experience has been overwhelming for her. She sold her clothes and books that she could not take along with her.
Sonia D, a designer selling Bum Bags at the market says, "We have collaborated with NIMHANS where mentally challenged people make bags out of the waste, roughed pair of jeans. In this way, they are able to make some money for themselves." These bags are made out of the waist and bum portion of the jeans stitched and made into trendy handbags. She says this is the fourth time she has participated and the response is increasing with each time.
The stories were never-ending. In addition, it was a sign that people’s minds were opening. Some were welcoming the concept of ‘garage sale’-culture from the West while some others felt it was too early to accept the concept completely.
Still, it surely was a fun market with lot of happenings all around. Not to forget Krishna Panyam’s beautiful Origami structures on display.
What is fun without food!
Flavours like tomato jams were a sure hit. Freshly baked cupcakes were the major attraction. Strawberry cupcakes with chocolate frostings, and chocolate cupcakes also with the same frostings were on demand by kids.
All in all, it was a fun day on a Sunday. About 700 people from all age group visited the 220 flea market on April 22, 2012 and had loads of fun. Anupama says, "The response is very high this time. When we held it for the first time, it was just about 20 sellers and 250 people who joined and participated. This is the fourth time, the numbers are more than double."
Citizen Matters was the media partner for the event. ⊕
Week’s news in brief: Aug 1-7
August 7, 2008 News Desk
This week’s scan of Bangalore’s Kannada dailies includes a number of reports from VIP’s rush to Akka Sammelana to be held in Chicago to cases against 1,500 officials including IAS and IPS officers for providing fake caste certificates.
So, are ‘you’ prepared to compensate the victims of the BBMP demolition?
August 15, 2016 Nagesh Aras
Who would be actually paying the damages? If the government pays any compensation, almost the entire cost would be paid by the Bangaloreans, given that the city generates about 80% of state GDP. Do you like the idea?
Career counseling in JP Nagar
June 3, 2009 Priyanjali Ghose
Are your SSLC or PUC results out and you are not happy with the performance? Or are you confused about career options?
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Cheap TVs - As previously mentioned, both Amazon and Best Buy are going to have some really cheap TVs for Black Friday this year. Amazon will have more off-brand models, while Best Buy will feature premium brands. Expect Amazon to feature another off-brand 32-inch TV for $69.99 and I expect Best Buy will offer a 50-Inch 4K TV for $169.99 and 55-inch 4K TV for $219.99 - both from decent brands.
Amazon has separate retail websites for the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Mexico, Singapore, and Turkey. In 2016, Dutch, Polish, and Turkish language versions of the German Amazon website were also launched.[7][8][9] Amazon also offers international shipping of some of its products to certain other countries.[10]
After the introduction of the September 5, 2018 'Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies (Stop BEZOS) Act', Amazon announced to its workers on October 2, 2018, that the minimum wage paid to salaried workers be increased to $15 per hour.[153] The wage increase applies to about 350,000 workers. It does not apply to the majority of Amazon's employees who are contract workers. Furthermore, Amazon has also removed some grants and stock options.
West Basics via Amazon offers the West Leathers Men's Italian Top Grain Leather Belt in several styles (202 pictured) for $25.99. Coupon code "KQDXI6PL" cuts that to $10.40. With free shipping, that's tied with our mention from two weeks ago, $16 off, and the lowest price we could find. It's available in sizes 20"-36" and 20"-42", although not in all styles. Deal ends November 7.
Make your home environment even smarter with Amazon Echo Show. Echo Show brings you everything you love about Alexa, and now she can show you things Watch video flash briefings and YouTube, see music lyrics, security cameras, photos, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more Powerful, room-filling speakers with Dolby processing for crisp vocals and extended bass response. Make calls to friends and family or make video calls to anyone with an Echo Spot, Echo Show or the Alexa App See lyrics on-screen with Amazon Music. Just ask to play a song, artist or genre, and stream over Wi-Fi. Also, stream music on Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and more What's Included Echo Show Power adaptor 7.4H x 7.4W x 3.5D Cord length: 6-ft... Less
Sous vide is a style of cooking that immerses food in a hot water bath that is heated to the exact ideal temperature of the food being cooked. This allows the food to cook evenly without any risk of over- or undercooking it. As someone who basically cannot cook chicken by herself, I can make a gourmet-quality chicken breast or a steakhouse style steak with next to no effort.
Use Amazon Prime for free 2 day shipping on many items, access to free books through the lending library, free music, and free movies and TV shows! You can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial to see if its a good fit for you before buying a paid subscription. Plus Amazon Prime members get early access to some of the Lightning deals throughout the year!
CamelCamelCamel is a price comparison platform for Amazon. Customers can look through great deals that motivate them into an impulse purchase. The website lists the current price, the average price from various sellers and the list price to show customers the deal they’re getting from buying the product on Amazon. It also features product price drops which can be valuable for store owners looking to get a competitive edge. The great thing about this comparison shopping engine is that if you want to compare amazon prices, you’ll also be presented with “3rd Party New” and “3rd Party Used” product prices, so that you can find the best deals online. That’s why, if you’re looking for a fast Amazon price check, CamelCamelCamel is the right comparison shopping engine for you.
2017 New Quad Core AMAZON FIRE TV STICK with Alexa Remote THIS IS THE DEVICE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! (SEE PICTURES) - DIRECTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED - IN STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPPING WE SHIP THE SAME DAY FREE 2-3 DAY SHIPPING NO MONTHLY FEES OR SUBSCRIPTION COST! This auction is for BRAND NEW AMAZON FIRE TV STICK WITH ALEXA VOICE REMOTE! BUYERS ARE ALWAYS SATISFIED WITH THE PRODUCTS THAT I SELL, CHECK MY 100% FEEDBACK WITH AMAZON FIRESTICK OR THE 4K BOXES Included in the box: Amazon Fire stick 2nd gen in the original box Alexa voice remote AC power adapter USB cable HDMI Extender Starter guide What is needed: Amazon account (If you don't have one yet, it's free to sign up. No credit card needed) TV with HDMI input High Speed Internet (at least 15 Mbps recommended) Satisfaction... Less
template test Product Amazon All-New Kindle 6 2016 Leather Case for Kindle 8th Generation Smart Cover Features Specifically Designed For: All-New Kindle E-reader - Black, 6 Glare-Free Touchscreen Display 2016 Released model, can not fit for Amazon Kindle 2014 7th Gen 6-inch E-Reader Or Other tablet. Slim fit feature covers back and corners, with full access to all ports and functions (Ports and Buttons) Wake or put your device to sleep by opening or closing the cover. Made from durable synthetic leather with soft interior to prevent scratches; Full protection for Kindle E-reader 2016. Service Guarantee: All products by Fintie have 12 months warranty. Friendly and easy-to-reach customer service support are provided by Fintie all the time. Payment We only accept PayPal at this time. PayPal... Less
Yiues via Amazon offers its Yiues Nylon Sport Loop Replacement Band for Apple Watch in several colors (Black/White pictured) for $10.99. Coupon code "I2QA8GDL" cuts it to $5.49. With free shipping for Prime members, that's $6 off and the lowest price we could find. It comes with an Apple Watch case and is available in sizes 38mm and 42mm. Deal ends November 20.
Twitch is a live streaming platform for video, primarily oriented towards video gaming content. The service was first established as a spin-off of a general-interest streaming service known as Justin.tv. Its prominence was eclipsed by that of Twitch, and Justin.tv was eventually shut down by its parent company in August 2014 in order to focus exclusively on Twitch.[104] Later that month, Twitch was acquired by Amazon for $970 million.[105] Through Twitch, Amazon also owns Curse, Inc., an operator of video gaming communities and a provider of VoIP services for gaming.[106] Since the acquisition, Twitch began to sell games directly through the platform,[107] and began offering special features for Amazon Prime subscribers.[108]
One of the pleasures of online shopping is the ease of comparison browsing. With the online-business boom, however, there are now thousands of new stores, and a lot of confusion. Not all Web stores are equal, and hours can be lost--in the pursuit of saving time--perusing Web sites that provide scanty information or complicated procedures or both. And some Web sites turn out to be mere catalog pages and don't allow you to order at all.
Throughout the summer of 2018, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders criticized Amazon's wages and working conditions in a series of YouTube videos and media appearances. He also pointed to the fact that Amazon had paid no federal income tax in the previous year.[170] Sanders solicited stories from Amazon warehouse workers who felt exploited by the company.[171] One such story, by James Bloodworth, described the environment as akin to "a low-security prison" and stated that the company's culture used an Orwellian newspeak.[172] These reports cited a finding by New Food Economy that one third of fulfilment center workers in Arizona were on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).[173] Responses by Amazon included incentives for employees to tweet positive stories and a statement which called the salary figures used by Sanders "inaccurate and misleading". The statement also charged that it was inappropriate for him to refer to SNAP as "food stamps".[171] On September 5, 2018, Sanders along with Ro Khanna introduced the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies (Stop BEZOS) Act aimed at Amazon and other alleged beneficiaries of corporate welfare such as Wal-mart, McDonald's and Uber.[174] Among the bill's supporters were Tucker Carlson of Fox News and Matt Taibbi who criticized himself and other journalists for not covering Amazon's contribution to wealth inequality earlier.[175][176]
To avoid copyright violations, Amazon does not return the computer-readable text of the book. Instead, it returns a picture of the matching page, instructs the web browser to disable printing and puts limits on the number of pages in a book a single user can access. Additionally, customers can purchase online access to some of the same books via the "Amazon Upgrade" program.[citation needed]
Premium TV Deals - Amazon was the winner when it came to the cheapest possible TV deals, but Best Buy offered higher quality TV deals. Last year, it sold a Sharp 50-inch 4K TV for $179.99 (review deal) and a 55-inch Toshiba 4K UHD TV for $279.99 (review deal). Factoring in price and quality, those were arguably the top two TV deals of the year. Unfortunately, both TVs were available in-store only, but it was well worth the trip if getting the best deal was your goal.
As a reader discovered, BJ's Wholesale Club offers the Dyson V6 Animal Bagless Cordless Stick Vacuum in Slate Grey for $199.99 with free shipping. That's tied with last month's mention as the best price we've ever seen for a new unit. (It's a current low by $79.) It features a Dyson digital V6 motor, and includes a mini motorized tool, mini soft dusting brush, docking station, combination tool, and crevice tool.
Prices are provided by the merchants. We assume no responsibility for accuracy of price information provided by merchants. Please alert us to any pricing discrepancies and we will alert the merchant. Sales taxes are estimated at the zip code level. Shipping costs are estimates. Please check store for exact shipping costs. To learn more about why certain stores are listed on the site, click here
In March 2015, it was reported in The Verge that Amazon will be removing non-compete clauses of 18 months in length from its US employment contracts for hourly-paid workers, after criticism that it was acting unreasonably in preventing such employees from finding other work. Even short-term temporary workers have to sign contracts that prohibit them from working at any company where they would "directly or indirectly" support any good or service that competes with those they helped support at Amazon, for 18 months after leaving Amazon, even if they are fired or made redundant.[190][191]
Who doesn’t like to save money on their purchases? Comparison shopping is a habit that customers have developed that helps them find the best deals online. With a tonne of price comparison shopping engines and discount shopping websites, it’s becoming increasingly simpler for customers to find the best deals online. Whether they’re looking to compare flight prices or hotel prices for a vacation, or they’re simply looking to compare local supermarket prices to see where they can get the best deals. Everything is becoming attainable through price comparison search engines.
What’s great is the ability to search for exactly what you want instead of wasting your time scrolling through a list of deals. You can also search by category. Each one has a separate webpage with multiple tabs - including tabs listing special offers, coupons and markdowns taken off the already discounted outlet price! Just keep in mind, this may not be the best the price on Amazon. A search for digital cameras pulled up good deals on both Amazon and Amazon Outlet.
Amazon Device Deals - Last year, Amazon offered the Echo Dot for $29.99, (review deal) the Echo Plus for $119.99, (review deal) the Fire 7 Kids Edition for $69.99, (review deal) the Fire HD 10 for $99.99, (review deal) and the Kindle for $49.99. (review deal). While Best Buy had an impressive selection of Amazon device deals last year (review deals), it is still better to make the purchase from the source. Amazon not only had the largest quantity of its own devices, but it also had special deals that you do not generally see at Best Buy and other retailers. For example, it offered the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition for $89.99 but you saved an additional $10 if you purchased two (review deal).
It's almost the weekend and we all need to a little distraction to get us through those final hours of the workweek. Personally, I like to do a little online shopping during my work breaks. Every day, Amazon has some great deals and price drops on some of our favorite products, but it takes some digging to find them and some research to make sure they're actually a good deal. Lucky for you, I did that work for you and found some great deals on products we've actually tested, so you know you getting your money's worth.
As one of its daily deals, Woot via Amazon offers the refurbished Samsung 28" 4K LED-Backlit LCD Monitor for $229.99 with free shipping. Although it was $10 less for a refurb in August, it's still $65 cheaper than the best price we could find for a new unit today. It features a 3840x2160 4K native resolution, 1ms response time, DisplayPort, and two HDMI inputs. A 90-day Samsung warranty applies. Deal ends today.
Amazon Fire 7 Case - Slim Lightweight Standing Custom Fit Cover Tablet, Black Item Description Designed by to protect and perfectly fit your Fire (only compatible with 5th Generation - 2015 release) Slim design with built-in stand for hands-free viewing in landscape or portrait orientation Full-cover case with magnetic closure keeps the cover securely shut Easy access to buttons, ports and cameras Vibrant polyurethane with a microfibre interior to protect your screen and keep it clean Communication If you have any questions or concerns regarding an item purchased or future purchase please contact us through eBay's message system and we will be happy to assist. Please allow time to reply if contacted outside business hours. Click to message us: Contact Everydayfulfillme ntcom Shipping Your... Less
Sign up for a Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase and earn 40,000 points when you spend $1,000 or more on purchases in the first three months your account is open. You'll also earn 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary. Plus, earn unlimited points that don't expire as long as your card account is open. Cardmembers earn 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. There are no blackout dates or seat restrictions when you redeem with points. A $99 annual fee applies.
Enjoy music in a new way with this crazy looking speaker that won't just look good in whatever room adding a touch of modern design but offer a precise wireless solution to play your music. Newegg is offering these speakers for a $110.99 w/ free shipping but enter the promo code and it drops to just $99.89. Alternatively, I found the same speaker listing for $149.95 on Walmart's site. More Info »
As part of their Deal of the Day, Zojirushi is offering great prices on some of their best products, including the best travel mug we've ever tested. We loved this mug because it literally keeps your drink warm all day long, easily fits into a cup holder, and comes in a few stylish colors. Right now, you can get it Smoky Blue for the lowest price we've ever seen and Slate Gray for just a few dollars more. It's the perfect container to make that switch to hot coffee and save a few bucks (and the environment!) by not going to a coffee shop each day.
Let your children safely experience the wonders of the connected world with this Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet. Kid-proof case helps protect against drops Includes 1 year of FreeTime Unlimited, giving your children access to over 15,000 apps, games, videos, books and educational content FreeTime Unlimited now includes Spanish language content After 1 year, FreeTime Unlimited automatically renews; however, you may cancel at any time by contacting Amazon's Customer Service Easy-to-use parental controls let you set screen time limits, educational goals, filter age-appropriate content and manage web browsing and content usage Sign in with your passcode to enable all features when your children aren't using the device Parental controls can be set on the device or through the online... Less
Found an item at a good price? Before you purchase, check promotional code sites like our own Clark Deals as a final step to see if you can save a little more, or maybe score some free shipping. (Tip: Read the comments under the codes to get additional saving tips from other shoppers — these can give you valuable clues to getting a better deal with that store or item). See Clark’s master list of Deal-a-Day websites and online coupon sites.
New Amazon Fire TV Stick With Voice Remote Case SIKAI Amazon Fire TV Stick Remote Silicone Case for Amazon Fire TV Stick Remote Protector Case with Hand Strap Included (With Voice Luminous Blue) Product Features ! NOTICE: All SIKAI Silicone Products have passed the RoHS test (UK) and CPSIA test (US), safety non-toxic, ensure health, conformity with environmental legislations. Perfect Full edge Design providing 360 Degree protection., But still support the operation of all the ports. Made of environmental silicone, shockproof, skin-friendly, durable, washable, durable and comfortable. With Free hand lanyard, and bright colors, easy fo find, never worry about the hide remote. Product Specifications Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 2 x 0.9 inches Item Weight: 0.3 ounces Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces... Less
Promo codes are a great way to get additional savings at checkout. They can be issued by the seller, as well as Customer Service directly through Amazon. You can also find them on those digital coupon websites, but they are not always an extra discount. Sometimes they are simply the sale price currently being offered on Amazon, so don’t waste too much time trying to track down an extra code.
The Amazon sales rank (ASR) provides an indication of the popularity of a product sold on any Amazon locale. It is a relative indicator of popularity that is updated hourly. Effectively, it is a "best sellers list" for the millions of products stocked by Amazon.[134] While the ASR has no direct effect on the sales of a product, it is used by Amazon to determine which products to include in its bestsellers lists.[134] Products that appear in these lists enjoy additional exposure on the Amazon website and this may lead to an increase in sales. In particular, products that experience large jumps (up or down) in their sales ranks may be included within Amazon's lists of "movers and shakers"; such a listing provides additional exposure that might lead to an increase in sales.[135] For competitive reasons, Amazon does not release actual sales figures to the public. However, Amazon has now begun to release point of sale data via the Nielsen BookScan service to verified authors.[136] While the ASR has been the source of much speculation by publishers, manufacturers, and marketers, Amazon itself does not release the details of its sales rank calculation algorithm. Some companies have analyzed Amazon sales data to generate sales estimates based on the ASR,[137] though Amazon states:
Buying a tech gift this holiday season? Download BuyVia to your iOS or Android device. It compares prices at national and local outlets and lets you set up alerts (including location-based) for products. At a store and unsure if the price on the shelf is the lowest you can find? Use the UPC barcode scanner to get an answer on the spot. BuyVia also simplifies the tech jargon for gift buyers and quotes reviews (including PCMag's) in its product descriptions, recommending who it would make a good gift for and how they can use it.
In November 2015, Amazon opened its first physical bookstore location. It is named Amazon Books and is located in University Village in Seattle. The store is 5,500 square feet and prices for all products match those on its website.[149] Amazon will open its tenth physical book store in 2017;[150] media speculation suggests Amazon plans to eventually roll out 300 to 400 bookstores around the country.[149] Amazon plans to open brick and mortar bookstores in Germany.[151]
On Amazon, the basic search lets you filter returns on the left side-rail by product specifications, brands and reviews. Once you start to narrow your search, you can define it further by price and discount. The fewer restrictions you put on your search, the higher the number of returns. For example, many people mistakenly only search for items with “Free Shipping”, which could exclude better deals.
Shopping robots like camelcamelcamel, the tracktor and Online Price Alert can help you track prices on Amazon, but you have to be patient. Set up an account, then simply copy the URL for the exact product you want from Amazon’s website into your account. The Camelizer and Tracktor chart out the recent price history so you know if it is going up or down. All three sites alert you when the price matches what you designed as the price you will pay.
Junglee is a former online shopping service provided by Amazon that enabled customers to search for products from online and offline retailers in India. Junglee started off as a virtual database that was used to extract information off the internet and deliver it to enterprise applications. As it progressed, Junglee started to use its database technology to create a single window marketplace on the internet by making every item from every supplier available for purchase. Web shoppers could locate, compare and transact millions of products from across the Internet shopping mall through one window.[114]
Footrest reflectors provide greater low-light visibility, comes with an extra large storage basket, lightweight rugged steel frame construction and JPMA certified. Product Care and Maintenance – To clean the seat pad, use only mild household soap or detergent and warm water on a sponge or clean cloth. Check your stroller for loose screws, worn parts, torn material or stitching on a regular basis. Replace or repair parts as needed.
Protect the investment you've made into you electronics with a simple, cheap way that provides the ideal solution for any home or office even if it just being used as a backup… Newegg is offering these power strips for a messily $2.33 w/ free shipping. Alternatively, I found the same one listing on Amazon for the same price as an add-on item. More Info »
As one of its daily deals, Jos. A. Bank discounts a selection of its Jos. A. Bank men's dress shirts to $19 $19.97 (Traveler Collection Slim Fit Dress Shirt pictured). Plus, Bank Account Rewards members get free shipping. (Not a member? It's free to join.) It's not the lowest price we've seen on most of these shirts, but each style is still discounted by a substantial $51; stock is also better than usual for these sales. Deal ends today.
Instead of sending to your doorstep, you can pick an Amazon Locker in over 50 U.S. cities. Just go to 'Manage Address Book' in the settings section of your account, click 'Enter a new address,' and search for an Amazon Locker location using the search fields shown. You can search by address, zip code, landmark or Locker name. You can also add an Amazon Locker to your address book by scanning the QR code on the Locker screen itself.
Contact us at webmaster@best-topliste.com | Sitemap xml | Sitemap txt | Sitemap
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FOR A BETTER WORLD
Maxar brings together Earth and space technologies that enable unprecedented capabilities to observe, analyze and monitor, and communicate across our planet and throughout the solar system.
Solving Problems in Space
At Maxar, we develop technologies essential for sustainable exploration of deep space. With our on-orbit servicing capabilities we can solve problems, add capabilities and refuel space vehicles—the pit-stop services (hundreds of miles up) that enable a new era of exploring and understanding the universe—and Building a Better World.
Maxar Missions Video Series: Robotics in Space
Episode 1 is the story of how two Maxar companies, MDA and SSL, are developing technology that will change the satellite market with robotic servicing including refueling and repair.
Now is the Time for On-Orbit Satellite Servicing
The combination of on-orbit satellite servicing and assembly could drastically change the industry. SSL's Richard White explains to Via Satellite.
A Look into NASA's Dragonfly Program
Dragonfly is a robotic assembly-in-space program designed to provide flexibility with building and operating structures in space.
Canadarm2 Makes 30th 'Catch'
“We didn’t come close in terms of envisioning the amount that the arm would get used over the years … or all the things that we ended up using it for.” -Layi Oshinowo, Director of Robotics and Automation for MDA
SSL Partnering with NASA to Develop Space Exploration Tech
Maxar's SSL is collaborating with NASA to accelerate the development of high efficiency solar electric propulsion and in-orbit servicing and refueling.
What is on-orbit satellite servicing?
Learn more about this process that involves approaching a spacecraft in orbit, and modifying, repairing or refueling it in space.
How MDA played a big part in the success of NASA’s space shuttle program
Neptec (now part of MDA) and MDA itself have provided key instrumentation used on the space shuttle to construct the International Space Station and complete cutting-edge science experiments.
MDA to provide sensors for the SPACE DRONE on-orbit servicing spacecraft built by UK's Effective Space
Capable of extending the life of ageing satellites by as many as 15 years, the SPACE DRONE spacecraft uses MDA’s LIDAR and infrared camera to confidently and safely approach and dock with orbiting geostationary satellites.
In "Endurance," astronaut Scott Kelly shares an inspiring message for future generations about his record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station.
SSL Aims to Parlay NASA, DARPA Work into Viable In-Orbit Repair Business
SSL is investing in on-orbit servicing because “mission extension is a game changer. It's going to revolutionize how we treat the space domain.” -Michael Gabor, advanced programs director for SSL Government Systems speaking to Space News
What's it like to operate Canadarm2 on the ISS?
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If I Were Crazy, Would You Still Call Me Superman
It's Not Easy
That is pretty much the word that best describes the most recent session of our Champions campaign, 'The New Age of Champions' (based on my friend William's 11 year tour De force Champions game, 'The Age of Champions').
To begin I would like to note that our friend Corey, who has participated in a few weak and false start games with us, finally got to be in one that rocked. Fitting and ironic, since now he is moving away, out of state, and it will likely be the last time we play together.
His moving wasn't a surprise. We knew a while back (way back when we first met actually) that this would eventually be the case. Now, having had running a game that included him and was pretty darn awesome, I am feeling a bit of sadness and regret that as a friend and GM I didn't figure out how to make his inclusion work sooner. Oh well. Life goes on and an open invite to our table remains should he ever find his way back to the Big Apple.
Corey, it was a blast. Good luck and godspeed.
The game as a whole keeps on trucking and keeps getting better. The successful inclusion of Corey's character Ballistix to the continuity puts a very interesting and somewhat powerful Superhero in the Philadelphia, PA area which it kind of needed (the other two or three PA heroes are cool but not overly mighty).
Thanks to some quick thinking on Corey and my part we found a way to insert Ballistix in flawlessly to what was going on in the story.
If you'll recall (and even if you don't), Marcus' character, The Power, was recently fired from the superhero division of the United Nations SHIELD type organization UNTIL for insubordination, recklessness and, well, generally acting like a nut. His last recorded position was a train station outside Philly. Ballistix, a Philly based hero who works with UNTIL's Project: UNITY is sent to bring The Power back to base. It's one part apprehension, one part rescue and the powers that be at UNITY New York think that maybe, just maybe, The Power didn't come right back because he might be in some kind of trouble. Maybe he even ran afoul of some or all of the escaped super-criminals who recently broke out of Stronghold (the Super-Max Super-Bad Guy prison).
Pocket Full of Krytonite
Now sometimes players have these plans that seem, y'know, a little bit crazy. Occasionally, they're crazy like a fox. Sometimes they aren't. No, sometimes they're just batsh*t crazy. We're talking crazier then Sh*t House Rat.
Ninjette: "Don't you mean, "Crazier then 'A' sh*t house rat?"
Thugboy: "No, I mean what I said..."
Marcus had a plan. In his head, it was a great plan.
Basically, it involved capturing the currently on-the-loose AI of the arch-villain Mechanon, who is essentially an evil machine god, and trapping it in a new body that the team could then shut down. This is a good idea. Difficult to be sure but a good idea. It's been part of Mechanon's M.O. in the past to build a new, more advanced body to inhabit each time he returns. The idea of baiting him by letting it be known that someone recently developed some awesome new robot would be pretty enticing to someone like Mechanon.
He's where is starts to break down...
His first thought was to contact the evil technological conclave called ARGENT and get them to do it. Hmmm...I guess if you're pretending to be a villain making the request and offered them a lot of money or resources it might work. But then how do you know they won't double cross you or worse yet, make an awesome robot body for Mechanon that he will then possess and use to kick the crap out of everyone.
His second plan was to find one of the escaped criminals, a villain called Think Tank, and get Mechanon to possess him. Think Tank is a telepathic human brain inside a large robot body. Marcus' theory was that is Mechanon tried to enter Think Tank, the two consciousnesses would be locked in conflict and the heroes would be able to capture them both. In a single body no less!
Again, nice idea but waaay too chancey. Think Tank is a upper mid-level villain. Mechanon is, did I mention 'evil machine god'? 'Cause yeah, evil machine god. Do we want an Ultron with telepathic and psychic abilities kids? No we do not.
I Am Superman And I Can Do Anything
So the other problems with his plan(s), aside from those issues mentioned above, were that he saw the end results but had not clearly thought out how to achieve them.
He didn't take into account the fact that Think Tank had escaped with 4 other villains, one of whom was basically Superman with Captain Atom's nuclear powers.
He decided to get himself fired in order to go it alone, hoping to investigate and spare his allies the dangers of the plan, when in fact they could have helped immensely. A lesson learned early in the campaign by another PC apparently fell on deaf ears..."This universe is tough. Heroes are not guaranteed to win. You need friends and you sometimes need their help just like they need yours."
I had one NPC say, "The team isn't called The Champions anymore. It's not the Freedom Force or the Justice Avengers. We're called UNITY. There's a reason."
Really, I think he just wanted the glory, a win that said, "I, The Power, captured this major mojo, bad guy Mechanon."
Somebody Save Me
In the end, The Power found that the villains who escaped Stronghold were on a freight train bound for Upstate New York. They had commandeered the train, attaching a series of Inertial/Kinetic Energy Field Generators to their conveyance that enabled it to travel much faster on much less fuel.
When The Power snuck onto the moving train, he passed a conductor/train worker fellow who was terrified, saying that the villains were in the front car.
When The Power entered the engine car he was immediately attacked by a villain called Mako, a shark themed, underwater Wolverine type. The Power's psychic force field barely prevented Mako from biting his shoulder off. At this point, Endurance wise, The Power is running on fumes. He is down to the very bottom of his Endurance Reserve, not having rested since a battle with villains the day before and flying all over the USA all morning trying to track these criminals down. Also, he has a weakness that his Flight takes more Endurance then Flight normally does.
The Power asks Think Tank and the other villains to call off Mako in hopes of talking, when he is hit with a stun beam from behind. The Conductor. In truth he was a shape-shifting villain (a former hero actually but that's another tale) called The Outsider. Ya'see...
How did 5 villains escape Stronghold without anyone busting in, busting out or any alarms going off? Why spring only these five dudes? Who was behind it all? Well, as it turns out, some mysterious head honcho villain hired Outsider to do it. He shifted into one of the Stronghold guards after knocking the guy out and taking his security access card. He used devices supplied by his employer to mess with the Stronghold security cameras and speed up the train. He got the drop on The Power.
Luckily, help was on the way whether Power wanted it or not. Ballistix, having found no sign of The Power at the coordinates provided, figured the train barrelling through at well over two to three hundred miles an hour might be a clue to something suspicious...
Posted by Adam Dickstein at 8:09 AM 3 comments:
Labels: Art, Champions, RPG, Superheroes
New Age Heroes - Part 2
I realize that the previous post may have been a bit confusing without certain frame of reference elements. As noted, there are past posts that reference the ups and downs of our Champions game. Essentially, after the initial story arc, Jeff got married and wasn't able to come around and play on our scheduled day. We took a short break, originally thought to be a long and/or even indefinite one, only to miss it and try to resurrect it some time later with a few new players added.
The first attempt to pump new life into it was a one shot that really didn't pan out well. A second attempt was made a bit later after a little tweaking and it turned out much better. While not quite up to its former glory yet, the game shows continued potential.
Now, three sessions after the restart, Jeff returns! He will be available on and off, roughly every other session, so his character has become more of a support character with an eye toward helping facilitate several projects that may radically change the background and setting. Woohoo! I am so excited I can hardly wait to see what the heck he's going to do.
If you will recall in my previous post, The Power had gone off half-cocked to investigate several instances that the team had learned about just prior to his making a fool of himself and getting canned from Project: UNITY.
When Jeff's character Revenant (formerly known as Siphon Zero) returns from a black ops mission in Afghanistan and discovers what happened, he decides to have a heart to heart talk with NPC group leader Night Force. Revenant brings up some great points and spouts some solid philosophy and the next thing you know he's convinced Night Force to give The Power another chance. Revenant contacts The Power on his cell (they were pals outside of the team as well as on) and talks him into waiting for a lift back to New York and UNITY's base.
Only...The Power doesn't intend to 'wait' exactly. He is going to try and check into what's going on before heading home.
Meanwhile, Dave's alt character, Silver Sun, met up with Britian's Ultramarine while saving the international space station. A huge fan of Ultramarine's, Silver Sun asks if he can fly with him back to England. Ultramarine agrees and the two fellows end up talking shop and comparing notes. Finally arriving in London, Silver Sun gets to meet the entire British super team. Silver Sun decides to hang out with them for a bit and he and several members go for breakfast and of course, tea.
Now Conrad was out Saturday, so we didn't do much with his character Makeshift, a mysterious android found inside a bunker-like base belonging to the high-tech, anti-supers villain Paradigm Shift. Shift was our main nemesis in the first story arc and now here in the second, some of what he left behind after being sent to prison is continuing to make life heck for the heroes. Is Makeshift one such element or is something deeper at work here? Time will tell.
Much, much more happened in the roughly 8 hour session but that should suffice for now.
As always, more to come,
Labels: Champions, RPG, Superheroes
The latest session of our rejuvenated 4th Edition Champions campaign (simply titled, The New Age of Champions*) was also one of the best sessions of anything we've had in a while.
Although there was not a bit of combat and no direct adversary, the game felt more meaningful and full of activity then the two previous ones, which were chuck full of hero vs. villain full-contact craziness.
What made this session so special (And it was special. There is no other word for it.)?
First, and perhaps foremost, it featured a slight change to the Player roster. Ray and Conrad were absent and Jeff made a return guest appearance. This changed the dynamic considerably. Jeff was there at the beginning of the campaign and he had a big impact on the story and style of the game. Also, Jeff is a very unusual type of player. He is the kind I grew up with but don't see a lot these days. Jeff gets into his PC's head and his PC lives in this campaign setting. He is not merely going on the adventures and fighting the bad guys and seeing how much xp he received. Jeff, and by association his PC, cares about the people, places and events as if they are a part of him and he them. It makes even minor actions and activities seem to have weight. It's extremely refreshing to see that mindset return.
The other thing Jeff's presence seems to do if spur on one or more of the other players to get proactive and appreciate the campaign the way Jeff does. This meant we saw a lot more interaction between the PCs and the NPCs, the PCs and each other and the PCs and the various organizations that make up the setting.
Secondly, without a direct threat, the PCs have the chance to explore the consequences of their recent actions in previous sessions. Honestly, after saving an international space station full of astronauts of varying accents, the rest of the "adventure" was mostly talk and investigation.
After congratulating the team on a job well done in saving the astronauts and the station, Night Force (Major NPC) dropped some intel on some new situations that developed while we were occupied averting the aforementioned potential disaster in orbit. This was immediately followed by a one-on-one with three of the PCs.
Night Knight (Dave) was confronted about the somewhat excessive use of force during the the group's previous outing on an opponent who didn't really warrant it (in Night Force's opinion). Night Knight agreed it was regrettable and a bit excessive. This somehow turned into a philosophical debate between the two characters (Dave as Night Knight, me as Night Force) about the differing mindsets of the Captain America or even Superman hero (highly moral boyscout with a black and white world view) and the stop-crime-by-any-means-necessary mindset of a Batman or Daredevil type character. Neither was advocating a kill-them-before-they-kill-us/Punisher approach but Night Knight came close a few times. The two men came to an understanding but only time will tell if they can hold on to their compromise.
Next, The Power (Marcus) was called in by Night Force, who was joined by Omni (another Major NPC and a mentor like figure to The Power). A session or two ago, The Power went on a solo mission that he didn't tell the team about. In addition to the mission being unsanctioned, The Power decided to contact Superhype!, a 24 hour TV and Internet cable channel that covers anything and everything Supers, from news to entertainment, etc. A film crew from Superhype followed him in a ride along a la' COPS as The Power tried to uncover and capture a ring of high-tech weapon smugglers. In the process, he threw a couple of cars, a small truck and managed to set part of a city owned housing project garage on fire. The two higher ranking heroes simply approached Power with a nice, calm, "WTF! What the hell were you thinking? Who is paying for the vehicles and the building damage. Don't think we are. It was an unsanctioned mission meaning no government help to cover damage to public property. What's wrong with you man?!"
Now Marcus, the player of The Power, is normally pretty good at bluffing or getting himself out of tight spots be they physical or verbal. Yesterday however, something bizarre possessed him and he just started having The Power act like a total as...jerk. He went on mouthing off to the veteran heroes, getting all egotistical and just generally making himself out to be a glory seeking loose cannon. So...Night Force discharged him. Yep. He was made to turn in his supergroup ID and hand in his communicator. Fired.
Upon being escorted out of the secret base, Power flew skyward and went to investigate some of the recent reports of trouble on his own. At this point he believes there may be a connection between several seemingly unrelated incindents. He hopes to prove he can solve these mysteries on his own and then, quote, "They'll be begging me to come back to the team".
Finally, Arcane (Lee) is approached by Night Force and Omni and thanked for all he's done so far. He has had an excellent track record in a short period of time. A new addition to the team, he was nonetheless very helpful in defeating several pretty tough villains and saving the space station.
The two veteran heroes think Arcane can help undo some of the public relations issues The Powers activities might have caused. Also, since he is a former 'graduate' of the Scaramangler Foundation, he is the perfect fellow to strengthen ties between the superheroes of Project: UNITY and that organization. Omni hopes that by carefully handling their public image and maintaining the public's current approval rating of superheroes, he may be able to reinstate 'The Champions', the premier super team that disbanded some 20 years ago in disgrace.
But wait! What about Jeff's character Revenant? Where is Dave's other (alternate) PC, Silver Sun! Who is Makeshift?
Find Out Next issue...
Storming Heaven
I was talking to one of my players about how he wanted to spend his experience points in our Champions campaign and after he told me what he was thinking of doing I said, "Very logical."
He replied with a "Thank you Captain" and for a brief moment neither of us said a word. This pause in our Champions conversation was immediately followed by his request that, one of these days soon, I run a one-shot or short campaign of FASA Star Trek.
I am on such a superhero kick right now that pretty much the only thing you could tempt me with would be Star Trek. And FASA Star Trek at that! While I dearly love the Last Unicorn Games ICON system edition, there is a very special place in my heart for FASA Trek as any long time reader of this blog knows.
If you don't know this or are not a long time reader (Hey, it's possible. Not everyone is as lucky and privileged as you are), please check out some of my earliest entries on the subject or follow the label marked Star Trek.
Will I be accommodating my good friend's request? Most assuredly. Soon? Perhaps. Right now I need to finish the current adventure in our Champions game and reestablish the flow of the campaign before I consider dabbling in something else.
It's funny but it just some happens that I am currently reading Storming Heaven, the latest and last book in the Star Trek: Vanguard series of Trek novels. Picked it up the same day my pal asked about playing Trek. Surely it's a sign.
Labels: Champions, FASA, RPG, Star Trek, Star Trek: Vanguard, Superheroes
Supers And Their Supporting Cast
As usual, a little sad my last post didn't solicit any comments even as the previous one, which inspired it, did. Oh well. They say timing is everything and perhaps my timing is a bit off with the weekend approaching (and now here as of this writing).
Still and all I think some of the ideas I put forth are worth a look. Please take a gander when you get the chance.
Now then...
One of the under used elements of the Supers genre among many Superhero gamers and GMs (myself included from time to time) is the use of an effective supporting cast in the heroes' costumed and secret identities. In Champions especially, the 'Dependant NPC' Disadvantage is only a disadvantage if the NPC is truly dependant upon the PC. If Lois Lane is never in trouble or even around, Superman has less to worry about and as we all know, that's not as fun.
The problem for me is, more and more, my new and younger players don't really think about plucky reporters, dear old aunts and best buddies who try to figure out their identities. Most are reading Marvel comics where the secret identity and double life traditionally attributed to the superhero is sort of passe'. The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, Luke Cage and many other Marvel heroes have publicly known 'secret' identities. It doesn't hinder them in the least because their supporting cast, once an important part of the comic book soap opera milieu, now consists primarily of other costumed super beings.
This conversation is not out of the question:
Hawkeye: "I'm worried that if they find out my secret identity, they'll go after my girlfriend."
Spiderman: "Um...dude. You're dating Spiderwoman. She can kick your ass. And mine. And likely theirs who ever 'they' are."
I do have one player, the always awesome Dave, who has an interesting Dependant NPC for his Champions alt character, Silver Sun. Silver Sun adopted a young boy who has evidenced super powers of his own and with the help of the Scaramangler Foundation (a sort of global, non-profit Xavier's School For Gifted Youngers meets the Red Cross), the kid is learning to handle his abilities while Silver Sun learns to handle having a kid.
Again however, the kid has powers. He is not a normal child who has no means of defending himself at all against an attacking supervillain. That dynamic is simply not often as evident as it once was.
Now, as to a supporting cast of Supers and those who can hang with them...
I can create Superhero concepts at the drop of a hat and as such, I tend to. For my Champions campaign I am actually showing a huge amount of restraint, as part of the setting is that the word has considerably less Superheroes than Marvel or DC comics.
New York City for example, often depicted as the mecca of all superhero activity in mainstream comics, has just over a dozen Supers. What I have done is given the team, individually or as a group, the chance to move around and see the rest of the country and even the world. As such, they have forged relationships with Supers from other states and discovered just how hard their jobs can be.
For example, Georgia, former home town of Silver Sun before he moved to New York, is protected by only three other heroes. Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming appear to share not but a handful of costumed do-gooders between them. This makes each one stand out more and gives the players a reason to not only help but to get to know them. Sometimes they become friends, sometimes they rub each other the wrong way. It makes for good TV as they say.
Finally, taking a cue from current Marvel as well as my old Villains & Vigilantes days, the government agents, SHIELD types and other law enforcement officers and officials round out things nicely as people who can handle themselves but still need to call in the heroes for the big jobs. Here more than anywhere else you get the people who can either love or hate the PCs and NPC heroes in a big way and have enough clout to make things easy or hard for the supers. Some agents are honored to fight beside these gifted individuals. Some would prefer the freaks would stay out of the way and let them do their job. You know the drill.
So those are some of my supporting cast thoughts. Not all of them mind you but enough for an early Saturday morning. No game today as personal stuff takes precedent but back to the fold next week.
Oh and just a quick heads up...June 30th is the next RECESS game event! I'll be there and I hope, if you can, you will too.
Laters,
Labels: Champions, Comic Books, Marvel, NPC, RECESS, Superheroes, Villains and Vigilantes
Saving The World Proactively
In response to my last post, wherein I stated..."Unless really, really into the game, my players can be a bit lazy. This means they are not proactive in the game and I have to do all the work."
"It seems they are most proactive in Champions, actually generating plot and subplot ideas themselves and often pursuing exploration of the setting."
Justin Davis of the visually brain-blasting A Field Guide to Doomsday commented...
"You mention how your players aren't proactive enough. Perhaps you could elaborate further...?
Because what you're touching on is one of the fundamental issues of superheroic gaming itself. If the villains don't act first, what are the heroes supposed to do?
(I'm not busting your chops. As I've mentioned before, I've paid my dues GMing the funnybook genre.)"
Justin is quite right in his assessment that proactive adventuring seems counter intuitive for most Superhero gamers. Indeed, the genre itself seems to enforce the practice of a crime being committed, someone or something alerting the heroes and the heroes then responding.
Comic book Superheroes don't usually go hunting for criminals. Or do they? It's certainly been done. Punisher does this from time to time but the argument can be made that he isn't really a 'superhero' in the traditional sense. The Authority are certainly more proactive then most superhero teams.
The truth is there are lots of ways for heroes in the Supers genre to be proactive and many of them can lean towards new adventure ideas and a much more involved campaign.
For example...
Ways To Incorporate Pro activity In A Supers Game:
Invent Something.
Take a cue from Prof. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Many issues of the Fantastic Four begin with Reed having just invented some bizarre device or interdimensional portal that leads the team on a crazy, Kirby Krackle-filled adventure.
If you're the 'Tech-Guy' on the team, build stuff. Don't wait until you need to build an Anti-Time Dilation Device...start the game trying to make one just in case you need one some day. Maybe, after having had a hard time stopping the villainous Baron Barometer again and again, you decide to try a construct a Weather Control Machine of your own. If the Baron gets wind of this (weather...gets wind of it...heh, I kill me) he will surely try to steal this invention. Instant plot.
Suffering Speedsters people! Why doesn't anyone go on patrol anymore? I remember myself and many of my old Supers GMs starting the game with the time and the day and "Where are you?". My answer, "Out on patrol". What's really cool about this isn't just the idea that you might randomly run into crime but think about what out on patrol means for different types of heroes.
Spiderman out on patrol is swinging through the city with his Spider Sense alerting him of street crime or gang violence. Superman out on patrol is flying overheard and using his X-ray vision if he hears something odd with his super-hearing. Next thing you know he is swooping out of the sky toward an apparently abandoned warehouse which hides a high-tech weapons building operation.
Now go further...What is out on patrol for Silver Surfer? Aquaman or Sub-Mariner? Supernatural characters like Dr. Strange, the Spectre or Ghost Rider?
One of my players has become proactive in finding the next generation of Superheroes.
It seems that new heroes are popping up here and there and with the superhero community having suffered some recent losses, the chance to increase the ranks of the good guys is well worth investigating. Dave's character Night Knight hopes to not only recruit and train some young heroes but also get to them before a like minded villain makes a similar move.
Explore/Investigate The Setting
The Superhero world(s) I run often have mysteries built in. Whatever happened to that World War II patriot hero who seemed to turn coward when we needed him most? Each time we meet Lady X her powers are different and even her personality seems to change. Why? Last adventure we fought Dr. Vicious and, while we all know villains seem to escape death all the time, we were absolutely certain he was killed in that explosion three months ago. Is this the same guy or a copy cat?
I love it when players look at these things and go, "I'm going to look into this."
I have some more ideas on the subject and a few other often overlooked areas of Superhero gaming which I want to address in the near future. THIS is why I like getting comments. It spurs me on to answer not only your questions but some of my own.
Posted by Adam Dickstein at 10:11 AM 3 comments:
Labels: Comic Books, RPG, Superheroes
Hi all. Miss me? I missed you.
I didn't post much in March because, this year, that particular month had it in for me something fierce. I spent the last two weeks of it very sick and the vast majority of it strapped for cash as business was very up and down.
This month, Galactus willing, I am going to try to make up for lost time by redoubling my efforts to give you a break from your every day gaming blogs (i.e., stuff about Dungeons and Dragons*), focusing instead on Sci-Fi, Muppets and of course Superheroes.
In the last four or five weeks I have played or ran sessions of Champions 4th Edition, Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition and Marvel Heroic, which I am still very excited about.
I have also attempted to incorporate both new and old players into my different campaigns with varying degrees of success (and terrifying, abject failure). Going forward and trying to figure out which game best suits my group, there are several factors involved.
1) Unless really, really into the game, my players can be a bit lazy. This means they are not proactive in the game, and I have to do all the work. I don't mind working hard on a good game, heck I love it, but I don't like feeling that it's all on me. In our recent M&M 3E game I felt that way. We haven't played Marvel Heroic for more then a one shot so I can't say how they would take to it as a campaign. It seems they are most proactive in Champions, actually generating plot and subplot ideas themselves, and pursuing exploration of the setting.
Winner: Champions.
2) Some of the players are kinda old school, some are kinda new school and the setting that works best seems to be the Champions one. I think I made M&M 3E/Freedom City too Silver Age-y feeling. Again, unfair to Marvel in this case 'cause we haven't really played it enough to know if the Marvel universe setting and tone might be just the mix we need.
Winner: (By Default) Champions.
3) My players...
Conrad is not really feeling his M&M character. Not sure why. I love it and think the character has the potential to be awesome. His Champions character concept is...well brilliant...but hasn't he gotten to really play him yet. Ray likes his M&M character but the character is really a thinking character. Sometimes he's in the thick of things and sometimes he's more in background.
Ray has no problem with this and neither do I do one of the new players perceives it as contributing to a slow game (more on that in a bit). Ray has not made a Champions guy yet.
Dave loves his M&M guy and I like him a lot too but we both think his Champions character Night Knight is AWEsome! This Capt. America/Daredevil type guy has caused the most powerful villain in the setting to stop, think and then depart on two occasions. His secondary Champions guy is also very fun and very different from his first guy.
Marcus...oh Marcus. I like both of Marcus' guys and I must say his M&M character has a fantastic backstory, arch-enemy and his fights are always interesting. Hid Champions guy took an intriguing turn in the latest session though and I want to see where it goes.
Lee jumped back in with us for the latest Champions session and did really well despite the fact that after coming up with two different characters and everyone encouraging him to play character A he went with character B. That's Lee. His character is pretty cool but his power source is a bit, well, let's just say he's not the only one in the setting with that source by a good margin. I see potential though.
Corey...now Corey is our new guy who I believe I've mentioned before and he throws a wrench into the works a bit. I like the guy, quite a lot actually, but he is a very different kind of player from the rest of the group. Not being as big comic book fan as the rest, some of my favorite approaches and references simply have no meaning to him. Likewise, his tastes in adventure and gaming style differ from what the rest of us seem to enjoy. He creates character whose comics I wouldn't read. That are way too Iron Age/90's/New 52. They are cool, don't get me wrong. They just aren't my cup of java. In each session his been in, he complained that our style seems slow, we sidetrack too much and waste a lot of time. He is not wrong. It is something I have brought up with the guys before (though I have not had to address it in a while) and again recently. However...last Saturday's Champions session we got a lot done. Corey did not attend as he had something else he had to do. Makes me wonder why the dynamic changes so with him there to something he doesn't like. Hmmm.
Winner: Champions (With Conditions).
So Champions takes the gold in this particular analysis.
If I can incorporate Conrad and Ray into the Champions campaign I may have found my all inclusive, ultimate Supers campaign. Unfortunately, it may only be ultimate because it's currently just Dave, Marcus and Lee (and Jeff when he his schedule allows).
What about Corey?
The battle rages on...
* I hope you didn't actually believe my last post. Surely not. April Fools everyone!
Labels: Champions, Marvel Heroic, Mutants and Masterminds, RPG, Superheroes
My Return To Dungeons And Dragons
Sorry I've been gone so long loyal fans, friends and faithful followers but I had to let this place lie fallow for a while so I could announce my newest endeavour.
Dungeons and Dragons - The MegaDungeon known as...
The Crypt of Neppah Ot Gniog Reven, The Lord of A Zillion Chambers!
I can't wait. I've gotten everyone together, we've created a host of PCs strictly by the book using Labyrinth Lord mixed with 1st Edition AD&D and we expect few if any to survive. So excited!
So as to save time better used listening to pop music, I have created a series of over 100 random charts that will tell me everything from what the rooms in the megadungeon look like to what monsters will be encountered and of course, which PC dies in that particular session. I even have a chart to randomly determine which chart to use at any given moment. What could be better?
Anyway I am so jazzed to be back and I'll be blogging about this new campaign as soon as we get started. I have posts on new forms of initiative (using a D30 and a D20 and an additional random chart), house rules for weapon speeds (because seriously, who isn't interested in how quickly you can swing a Guisarme at a Shambling Mound? Am I right?) and my favorite, the Ecology of The Giant Turtle.
Come back soon and join in on all the excitement!
Forsooth!
Posted by Adam Dickstein at 11:39 PM 3 comments:
Labels: April Fools, Dungeons and Dragons, Humor, Personal, RPG
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KBSNA
Westminster Handbook to Karl Barth
Burnett, Richard E. ed. The Westminster Handbook to Karl Barth (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 272 pp. $40.00 (paperback).
Reviewed by J. Scott Jackson (March 26, 2019)
The theologically curious, many of whom have read little if any of Karl Barth’s work, occasionally will ask where the great Swiss theologian discusses a particular topic. Anyone who has spent some time poring through Barth’s writings knows how tricky such questions can be. Rather than sending these interlocutors scrambling to the now numerous standard, introductory works or to the imposing fine print in the index of the Church Dogmatics, I might rather point them to one or two articles in the Westminster Handbook to Karl Barth, ably edited by Richard Burnett of Erskine Seminary.
This volume aims to define and contextualize the key terms, ideas, and figures that shape Barth’s work, and to do so concisely. Within the limitations that inevitably hamper such an ambitious project, it succeeds remarkably well. Moreover, as a compilation of short pieces from an international team of 65 scholars, the Handbook serves not only as overview of the key themes and concerns that permeate Barth’s daunting corpus, but also as a precis of the state of Barth studies in the early 21st century to date. Contributors hail from the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, and Croatia (the editor himself acknowledges the lack of contributions from thinkers from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America is a weakness of the text).
Articles in this text are written by established experts who have published on their respective topics—so, among many notable examples, there are essays by Bruce McCormack on “Revelation,” Kimlyn Bender on “Church,” and by Kathryn Sonderegger on “Israel”—such that the articles often serve as an entree into a particular scholar’s own body of work. The research value of the book is enhanced by all-too-brief bibliographies at the end of each entry, and a summary bibliography at the end; Barth’s works in German and in English translation are also listed near the front.
An exhaustive compendium of the Barthian lexicon, Burnett admits, is impossible in one slim volume, but it does achieve an admirable comprehensiveness, nonetheless. There are nearly 100 articles—from “Actualism” (Paul Nimmo) to “Worship” (Michael D. Bush)—ranging from 500 to 2,500 words. 19 of these articles, particularly those on issues of biblical interpretation and historical criticism, were authored by Burnett himself. As he points out, the breadth, scope, and depth of Barth’s corpus can be intimidating, not only for the neophyte taking her first plunge into the material, but also for seasoned scholars seeking to summarize complex theological topics in such a compressed format. Nonetheless, as Burnett quips, “Life is short. Barth is long,” (p. x), and a roadmap such as this one might help the explorer on the long journey through the caverns of this theological oeuvre. A number of contributors reported that writing their assigned articles with such brevity was a singularly vexing task. Some writers approach their topics more genetically, whereas others take a more synthetic approach; many writers touch upon not only bellwether works such as The Church Dogmatics and the second edition of Romans, but they also draw upon early lectures, sermons, and other material published and/or translated in recent decades.
A few articles are devoted to other theologians whose work shaped, impacted, or intersected with Barth’s work directly, including Luther and Calvin, Harnack and Hermann, and Bultmann and Brunner. However, there are no articles on younger contemporaries such as Bonhoeffer or Gollwitzer. The authors that address Barth’s theological Sitz im Leben by and large share the consensus of most recent researchers that Barth’s vexed relationship with the 19th century’s mixed theological legacy was complicated. For example, Christophe Chalamet, in a piece on Wilhelm Hermann, notes the lines of continuity between Barth and his esteemed teacher that persisted throughout his dialectical and dogmatic work: thoroughgoing Christocentrism, the independence of theology from philosophy and the natural and social sciences, and the self-authenticating character of Christian faith.
The more thematic articles are, quite naturally, weighted toward Barth’s overriding preoccupations; I count at least eight articles that focus directly on the person and work of Jesus Christ (and many more that do so indirectly), and a bevy of pieces pertaining to Barth’s actualist theological ontology, his aversion to speculative natural theology, and his dynamic view of Biblical inspiration and interpretation. For example, Garrett Green, in his entry on “Faith,” insists on the event character and ineluctably mysterious nature of the human encounter with God.
The volume on the whole focuses on exposition of Barth’s work rather than plumbing the contemporary issues and controversies it has spawned. Nonetheless, one does find words of critique. For example, in a perceptive and otherwise appreciative article on “Christian Life,” Joseph L. Mangina echoes a common criticism that Barth’s ethics is sometimes deemed lacking in the arena of concrete application: “At times one longs for him to descend from those long, looping trains of thought in the large print, and even from the riches of Scripture in the small print, into the realm of the empirical and practical,” (p. 30). Such critiques notwithstanding, several articles do situate Barth’s theological and ethical commitments within the matrix of the practical socio-political struggles of his day. Thus, in his entry on “Liberalism,” Georg Pflederer argues, “Barth’s antiliberalism and antimodernism played a key role in the fight against National Socialism and its theological devotees,” (p. 139). Yet Pflederer also shows that such a stance of “antipluralism” was rooted not in a wholesale rejection of the modern Protestant tradition but rather stemmed from the early (pre-dialectical) Barth’s intensive engagements with socialist praxis during his Safenwil pastorate. Moreover, Stephanie Mar Smith (“State”) shows that Barth views civil authority—not uncritically, to be sure—but positively as a structure intended to preserve the freedom of the church to proclaim the Gospel—a role that was viciously abrogated by the idolatries of National Socialism. As someone interested in such matters, I would have liked to see more articles exploring Barth’s political theology and practical engagements, a fertile field for much contemporary research. Articles by George Hunsinger (“Justification”) and Timothy Gorringe (“Freedom”), two scholars who have explored the relationship between Barth’s dogmatics and his politics in depth, do not focus on these issues in this volume. Gorringe does, however, argue that Barth conceives God as identifying with the oppressed in their concrete struggles, though the human quest for liberation inevitably falls short of this ideal: “Barth thought the revolutionary could be an agent of God, but revolutions cannot accomplish real freedom,” as the fundamental existential problem of sin cannot be overcome through social struggle alone (p. 79).
This Handbook would serve as an excellent resource, especially for graduate students (or advanced undergraduates) pulling together a term paper on Barth’s theology as well as for more advanced scholars who seek a refresher. A pastor friend, who has read a decent amount of Barth, tells me he has found the volume full of grist for the mill of his sermon preparations. One caveat, though: as the articles can be dense at times, given the complexity of the material, I would not necessarily recommend this book as the text best suited to be the student’s initial foray into Barth’s work. For that task, the many fine surveys now available, coupled with focused primary text selections, might still make the best route for the beginner—though there is much serviceable material here to use in tandem with other introductory texts. Still, the Handbook is a superb resource for the reader with at least a little background in Barth and modern theology.
J. Scott Jackson, Independent Scholar
The views expressed here are strictly those of the author; they do not necessarily represent the views of the Center for Barth Studies or Princeton Theological Seminary.
Bibliographies & Collections
New & Forthcoming
Center for Barth Studies at
Princeton Theological Seminary
e: barth.center@ptsem.edu
© Princeton Theological Seminary
Who is Karl Barth?
Resources & Collections
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More Details on LICH Deal, but Questions Remain
By Claude Scales on February 21, 2014 10:59 pm in Cobble Hill, Government, Health, Legal, News
Update-update: See Mary Frost’s Eagle story for a detailed summary of the agreement. The latest date for a SUNY exit is May 22. Also, the issue of the Othmer bequest is still open.
Update: Capital’s Dan Goldberg confirms that LICH “could temporarily close” if a deal is not finalized with a new operator by May. Goldberg notes:
Closing the hospital, even for a short time, would seem to fly in the face of everything community groups and politicians have fought for during the past year. Their argument has always been that LICH needs to remain open to save lives.
News 12 Brooklyn reports “new details” on the agreement between SUNY and the community groups and unions opposing SUNY’s plan to close Long Island College Hospital that was reported to have been reached yesterday. It does not say if the agreement has been approved by Justice Johnny Lee Baynes, which is a requirement for its effectiveness. It says there will be an “expedited bidding process to find a new operator” but does not say, as “sources” were quoted as saying yesterday, that only those proposing to operate LICH as a full service hospital could have their bids considered. It says that SUNY will–this seems to be a “hell or high water” provision–stop operating LICH “by May.” There is, however, no provision as to what happens if there is no acceptable new operator by then, just over two months from now. Finally, it is said that “the community will have a 49 percent say in choosing a new operator for LICH.” But who has the other 51 per cent? Are the unions considered part of “the community”? If not, and they have a separate “say,” there is an assured majority for keeping LICH a full service hospital. If not, then it’s important to know how the remaining 51 per cent of the “say” is allocated. Our guess is that it’s divided among SUNY, the Governor, and the Mayor. Since the Governor can be presumed to ally himself with SUNY, the Mayor’s “say” becomes crucial.
Bargemusic This Weekend
11201, Capital, Dan Goldberg, Justice Johnny Lee Baynes, lich, news 12 brooklyn, SUNY
Who Needs Groundhogs? You Can Have Your Own Shadow!
Tough Overtime Loss To Robert Morris Doesn’t Dampen St. Francis Brooklyn Spirits
Monty1
This is what I don’t get, the neighborhood does not need a full service hospital as Lich sits well over half empty everyday. Plus there is not one person defending the quality if the care there. So what’s the problem with downsizing the care functions to something the community actually needs, freeing up space to build much needed amenities in that neighborhood and widening the tax base while adding much needed affordable housing. Yes SUNY did a terrible job handling this process but let’s move on now and get a good equitable deal done. Not everyone will get everything they want, but we’ll all benefit from that area being redeveloped.
To Monty1 — Stop stop these destructive lies already. LICH was NEVER 1/2 empty until SUNY forcibly cleared as many patients out as it could, discontinued the residency programs, refused to renew doctors’ contracts, illegally closed medical operations and procedures. LICH has always had over 90% occupancy rate. Our community and the others in Brooklyn have always used LICH and have fought to continue to use it.
As far as quality of care is concerned, US News and world Report named LICH the no. 2 hospital in Brooklyn in terms of quality of care.
But you probably know all that and are just another real estate shill. So go build your condos somewhere else in Brooklyn. In a few more years, Brooklyn will be almost a over-built has Manhattan.
People like Monty1 may indeed be shills for the greedy RE interests, or simply misguided by the news reports that foster the mininformation fed them by SUNY, Continuum Partners (CP) and Cuomo. CP has mismanaged the hospital , sold off many of its properties, closed its satellite clinics, and, worst of all,shut down its successful departments such as OB-GYN, to CREATE the impression that the hospital is hoplessly underused, etc. Politicians and the special interests that support them ($$) are very good at getting their phony talking points out there in the media. And people like Monty! obviously don’t bother to do some basic research for themselves before they offer an uninformed (if not deliberately misleading) opinion.
Agreed. Thank you.
It appears that the Governor is on the side of the real estate developers.
Hopefully the Mayor can be counted on for his continued support. Both of them should be held accountable for their positions on this important neighborhood issue..
The 2 best hospitals in Bklyn for decades were LICH and Maimonides — until Continuum Partners arrived to “manage” LICH for those who saw the profit possibilities of replacing it with luxury housing. Get it now?
Summary of Settlement Details from Cobble Hill Association (as tweeted to #SaveLICH.
Summary of Settlement Details from Cobble Hill Association — as tweeted to #SaveLICH.
obviously the main reason why the last mayor and the real estate interests wanted desperately to close down LICH is because it has a site with water views. That is like crack to the real estate industry. Never mind that it is a well respected and much used hospital never mind that the community relies on it, it has WATER VIEWS!
I am very glad that the new mayor understands the value of local hospitals and is at least attempting to preserve some sort of health facility there. The irony about living in hot real estate markets is that the libraries, the churches, the hospitals -all are seen as soft sites. We will be left with nothing except expensive condos, which by the time they open will not be desirable because the area has no amenities left.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton
“the neighborhood does not need a full service hospital” That statement clearly makes you an idiot.
Here is the video of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press conference about the LICH settlement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Px8Qs8UZMhU#t=3354
And here’s to a new operator for LICH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V82xgyxl-Kk&feature=youtu.be
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#Discussion: Top 5 Reads of 2018...So Far!
Today I’m going to tell you about my top 5 reads so far since we are half way through the year… I had a tough time figuring out which ones I would pick for this since I've actually read a lot of good books so far this year, but these are the ones that have left as lasting impact!
THE NAVIGATOR’S TOUCH
Author: Julia Ember
Series: The Seafarer's Kiss #2
Source: eARC from Author
Publisher: Duet Books, a YA imprint of Interlude Press
My Review! (To come in late August!)
After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family, and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.
She petitions the Jarl in Skjordal for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?
Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, this companion novel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption.
Why it made the list...
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ONE. This was so good. It allowed the characters to grow and change together and apart.
THE WITCH DOESN’T BURN IN THIS ONE
Author: Amanda Lovelace
Series: women are some kind of magic #2
My Review!
2016 Goodreads Choice Award-winning poet Amanda Lovelace returns in the witch doesn't burn in this one — the bold second book in her "women are some kind of magic” series.
The witch: supernaturally powerful, inscrutably independent, and now—indestructible. These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and marginalize her, but the witch doesn’t burn in this one.
This had a great message and flow to it but I felt like it got a little broken up at the end in the last section that pulled me out of the "poetry" and it didn't read as smoothly as the rest of the book. However, I would definitely recommend this one. I think it is really empowering and I am probably going to get the poem I included in my review tattooed onto my ribcage because yes. I can't wait to read the rest of the Women Are Some Kind Of Magic poetry collections that Amanda Lovelace produces.
DEAR RACHEL MADDOW
Author: Adrienne Kisner
Source: ARC via Raincoast
Publisher: June 5, 2018
Publication Date: Feiwel & Friends
In Adrienne Kisner's Dear Rachel Maddow, a high school girl deals with school politics and life after her brother’s death by drafting emails to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow in this funny and heartfelt YA debut.
Brynn Haper's life has one steadying force--Rachel Maddow.
She watches her daily, and after writing to Rachel for a school project--and actually getting a response--Brynn starts drafting e-mails to Rachel but never sending them. Brynn tells Rachel about breaking up with her first serious girlfriend, about her brother Nick's death, about her passive mother and even worse stepfather, about how she's stuck in remedial courses at school and is considering dropping out.
Then Brynn is confronted with a moral dilemma. One student representative will be allowed to have a voice among the administration in the selection of a new school superintendent. Brynn's archnemesis, Adam, and ex-girlfriend, Sarah, believe only Honors students are worthy of the selection committee seat. Brynn feels all students deserve a voice. When she runs for the position, the knives are out. So she begins to ask herself: What Would Rachel Maddow Do?
I am a fan of Rachel Maddow, which is why I requested it when I saw the title on Raincoast Books' mailing list form. It sounded good - and I love books written in different formats - so I was really happy when I saw it was included in my package.
But the book you wrote was better than I could have ever anticipated. DEAR RACHEL MADDOW broke my heart, rebuilt it to whole, only to break it again and leaving me realizing how amazing you are as an author, how important it is to have someone to talk to, and what it means to have someone on your side. Plus there was complex and great f/f relationships that made me really happy to read about.
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orïsha #1
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
This was such a fantastic debut that I read all 600 (!!!) pages of ARC in one sitting (sorta - I stopped to watch ice dancing for a bit). I thought there were a lot of elements that were really well done and this was a good character study. However, I had one complaint but it definitely isn't enough to really bother me while reading.
CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE has a lot of your typical fantasy tropes in it but it puts them together in such a way that you don't feel as though you've ever read them before. I liked that Adeyemi spun how I thought about all these things I've read before. I knew some of the things and situations that were about to come but they were executed brilliantly and left me breathless.
SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS
Author: Alisha Sevigny
Source: ARC via Publisher
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Julia Ducharme is ready for a fresh start. Her little brother has finally recovered from a serious illness, and now she just wants to enjoy peak season at the campground her family owns. Maybe this will be the year her annual summer fling with Dan Schaeffer becomes something more?
But her summer dreams are quickly shattered. First, Dan arrives for vacation with a new girlfriend in tow, and then Julia discovers this may be her last summer in the only home she's ever known.
Crushing medical bills have brought her single mom to the brink of bankruptcy, and a wealthy developer is sniffing around the campground. He sees what Julia sees: lush woods, a pristine lake, miles of trails for adventure. Unlike Julia, he thinks this is the perfect spot for a casino resort.
Heartbroken and afraid, Julia looks to the stars for some perspective. Taking her telescope down to the dock one night, she has a chance encounter with a guitar-playing boy who offers some helpful advice. Too bad this handsome stranger is the developer's son, Nick Constantine.
As plans for a resort move forward, Julia is desperate to find a solution that doesn't mean leaving the lake. Nick, in turn, is desperate to separate himself from his father's aggressive business tactics. He promises that, together, they can thwart the sale.
But can Julia trust him to conspire against his own father? And could she ever she trust him with her heart?
SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS is a story of lost summers, hidden treasure and love written in the stars. It is also a thoughtful reflection on what it means to love --- and leave --- one's childhood home.
SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS has everything you need to be satisfied with a summer, contemporary, romance novel so I do hope you pick it up. The family relationships were amazing. I loved seeing how much Julia, Caleb, and their mother cared about one another - and how familial relationships went beyond blood to Red. Everyone looked out for everyone and I just realized how grateful I am for a family relationship like that - and how much I wish everyone had that.
What were some of the best books you've read so far this year?
top five reads
Tags: 2018, discussion, top five reads
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Home » best-of list • live shows » Best Asheville Concerts of 2015
Posted in best-of list, live shows By Bill Kopp On January 13, 2016
Best Asheville Concerts of 2015
I’m always amazed and grateful that despite being a comparatively small market, Asheville draws high-end touring talent. 2015 was no exception. Among a long list of local shows, these are my Top 5 for this year:
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas – The Grey Eagle, March 12
Hernandez got her big break when she wowed on one of David Letterman‘s last shows. Hers is a gritty, soulful, Detroit-flavored take on the kind of music Amy Winehouse made. “Sorry I Stole Your Man” is sexy, smart-alecky, and supremely catchy. The Grey Eagle show was sparsely attended, but Hernandez and her Deltas played as to a capacity crowd. Read my review of Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas’ Secret Evil.
Jaga Jazzist – New Mountain, June 23
On paper, the idea of a large ensemble playing a trip-hop influenced rethink of big band jazz reads as all head, no heart, and not all that much fun. The reality is quite different. This Norwegian experimental jazz group has seven albums to their credit (2010’s One-Armed Bandit is their best to date), and their wordless music is engaging and positively entrancing. The enthusiastic crowd at New Mountain agreed. Read my full review of Jaga Jazzist’s 2015 Asheville concert.
World Party – The Altamont Theatre, July 6
Karl Wallinger and band played Asheville in 2014, but that was a drummerless show. For this intimate performance, World Party was once again a full band. The bigger sound and smaller venue equaled a near-perfect show that showcased the group hits and near-misses, and was marred only by some sound issues that were due to late arrival and a too-brief sound check. Read my 2015 feature/interview with World Party’s Karl Wallinger.
Pugwash – The Altamont Theatre, September 4
After years of trying, Irish classic pop group Pugwash is beginning to enjoy commercial success commensurate with their critical acclaim. Sounding a bit like Electric Light Orchestra crossed with late-period XTC, the group’s Thomas Walsh turns out the sweetest of ear candy. And like all the dates on this tour, for the Asheville show Pugwash played with borrowed gear. Read the second of my two interviews to date with Thomas Walsh of Pugwash.
Fred Wesley and the New JB’s – RiverMusic, October 9
This season’s successful RiverMusic series wrapped with legendary band leader Fred Wesley. Mere days before this show, the band was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That likely means that their live fee will be higher when it’s time to bring them back to town, but this outdoor show’s rapturous reception makes a return likely (and a good value no matter the cost). Read my review of Fred Wesley and The JB’s The Lost Album featuring “Watermelon Man.”
Tags:asheville, fred wesley, jaga jazzist, jessica hernandez, karl wallinger, omnivore recordings, pugwash, thomas walsh, world party
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Category: environment
San Gabriel River is flowing deep this spring
San Gabriel River at the East and West Fork Junction, click to embiggen
All that glorious rain that fell this winter made a dent in the 9+ year old drought through out the Los Angeles Basin. The impact of those rains is most evident in the San Gabriel Canyon. Both major dams are way up…and where the river was a barely a trickle where the East Ford and West Fork of the San Gabriel River meet the water is at near historic highs. All that water will eventually work its way down to recharging out depleted water tables.
To get there to see it and the wild flowers in bloom take the 210 towards Azusa, exit CA Highway 39 and head north into the Canyon. Word of caution, grab your Adventure Pass at the Rangers station at the mouth of San Gabriel Canyon to avoid a ticket for not having a permit.
Sac to LA County and Cities…here is a bill, figure it out
LA County Due Bill…click to embiggen
Where exactly to start. The California State Water Resources Control Board decided to that LA. County doesn’t do enough to capture rain water and cycle it into our water supply. Fair enough. This group of appointees, not elected officials came up with a plan to use “green streets” and parks to capture rain and get it into the ground water tables and our water supply. The cost? A tidge more than $20BILLION with no provisioins for funding. They dropped that bombshell due bill on the county this week and left it as figure out how to pay it. Full plans HERE
I learned of this from community leaders as it was a topic of conversation at this weeks Council Meetings that my little corner of L.A share of this some $250M. The city can’t afford it and was told by the county, state board either add it as a tax (Approx $2.000 per household) or as a fee to monthly water bill of $200/mo per household. Indefinitely. Needless to say the mayor and council don’t want to do either option.
This affects every homeowner and renter in the county and various cities. No one was left untouched. To save you the look up, Los Angeles share is $8.7B and I know Mr Garcetti doesn’t have a slush fund to cover that.
The turds dumping this on us say the normal 2/3 vote required to pass a tax can be circumvented through loopholes provided in State Initiative 15-0116,
I know my corner of L.A plans of fighting this as we just can’t afford it. I’d imagine other cities and the county will resist as well. Do check with your city council, representative to see what actions if any they are taking.
Help the homeless in DTLA with tarps and tents
Screen grab from the Crowdrise donation page.
Its sorta the lull between storms and the homeless are getting a bit of a break from the rain, but not the cold so much. I got this email from former BLA’er Dave Bullock and thought I’d share it with you all here. Its a campaign to raise funds to buy tarps and tents for the homeless on skidrow. Help if you can.
People are dying from exposure in Skid Row and there is something we can do about it.
My long time friend, community activist Don Garza, has been walking the streets of Skid Row before and during the rain storms and handing out tarps and tents to the homeless who don’t have adequate protection from the elements. He needs our help to buy more tarps and tents that he can hand out. Please consider donating and sharing to your friends and social network:
https://www.crowdrise.com/TentsAndTarps
Don and I really appreciate your help.
Dave and Don
BMW Loans i3 EV to Los Angeles Police Department for Evaluation
A detective loses his Dodge Patrol car with a hemi and cries…
Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck announce a year long test of a BMW i3 electric vehicle at a City of Los Angeles press conference in Los Angeles, Sept. 11, 2015. Photo by Danny Moloshok/Newscast courtesy BMW PR
I could add a few more snarks, but bottom line a few electric cars in the LAPD make sense in the right applications. No I can’t imagine them used in a high speed pursuit, but contrary to local TV that is not a constant occurrence. There’s plenty of things they do that involves just slogging around town and idling in traffic that an electric car and its zero emissions at the tail pipe make sense. Detectives cold calling witnesses and victims on follow up doesn’t need speed nor lights flaring. Parking meter slugs idling around town issuing tickets is another area that kinda makes sense.
Regardless of what you think of the EV, they make sense in some applications and if we can save some gas money swapped for electrons cheaper off the grid to power these little beasts its better for the cities bottom line.
Personally, I like the BMW i3, Drives very much like what you expect from BMW, with its aggressive regeneratvie braking systems a quick lift of the throttle feels more like downshifting a gasser than just idle coasting. My full review from a few years ago HERE that included an interview with the BMW i project manager.
Free subscription to blogging.la for the first person who captures a pic of the BMW i3 in action on the streets of L.A.
Hahamonga and the San Gabriels, discussion tonight
Flyer – click to embiggen
I wish I had more information for you, but I just got notice and no press release with a lot of details. Altadena Heritage is putting on the discussion with 3 speakers on the importantance of Hahamonga and the Arroyo Seco river system that brings rain water from the San Gabriesl to the ocean. The speakers are:
Dave Douglas, PhD, Geologist and Dean of PCC School of Science and Mathematics
Tim Brick, Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation
Josephine Axt, Army Corp of Engineers, Planning Division
If interested please RSVP to [email protected]
Deets: February 19,2015 7-9PM Alta Dena Community Center, 730 E Altadena Drive, Altadena CA 91001 MAP HERE
Dogs Are A Crime On The Lake Hollywood Loop
It was with not a little fanfare less than two years ago that the road around the reservoir known as Lake Hollywood was reopened to walkers, runners and cyclists, a scenic route that had been closed since landslides during those crazy rains of 2005.
Little did I know that when my wife Susan and I drove over there this morning and set out with our faithful — and needless to say well-behaved and leashed-up — border collie mix Ranger to explore that roughly 3.3-mile loop for the first time, we would be greeted by this sign at the north gate and again at the east gate:
Being that I’m law-abiding to a fault I dutifully turned us around and we made our way to the far more enlightened Parc du Griffith where dogs are not a crime. Soon we found our way along a loop that included a rigorously vertical set of dirt steps carved into the hillside and leading to the oasis that is Amir’s Garden.
While one part of me is all “Thank you!” to the dog-banning powers that be at Lake Hollywood for allowing us to discover a previously unknown aspect of Griffith Park, the other part is all “You dog-banning powers that be at Lake Hollywood totally suck!” And it was that latter half that got all googly once I got home in searching out the specific statute — LAMC 64.06 — authorizing the prohibition. Turns out it’s an ordinance designed to prevent water contamination that reads a little somethin’ like this (on the other side of the jump):
Continue reading “Dogs Are A Crime On The Lake Hollywood Loop”
Final effort for the “No Big Dig” to save Hahamonga
Time is limited and the citizens in Pasadena aligned against the counties plan to rape, scrape and gut the Hahahmonga watershed need your help. All efforts to bring reason and preserve the area have fallen on deaf ears.
Their “Hail Mary” plan is to resort to litigation and they need our help. They have a crowd sourced fund raiser going on indiegogo to raise the funds to litigate and bring a stop to the Counties plan. Please donate today. They’ve got 9 days left to raise the funds.
Preserving Los Angeles history one building at a time
Broadway Arcade in DTLA, click to embiggen
The good folks at Esotouric Bus Tour Adventures, Kim Cooper and Richard Schave do a lot more than give really nifty tours of the city. They are historians with a major heart on for the city. In the best way of course.
This weeks newsletter outlined the winners and losers in their efforts to help preserve the cities architectural history. It outlines 25 things this year, good bad and ugly, that happened in terms of historic preservation.
The most exciting bit was the passing of city ordinance 13-1104 requiring public notification when any building more than 45 years is to be demolished. Why does this matter? It will give preservation groups around the city the chance to speak up and stop the destruction of those building with a history or architectural significane from being trashed in the name of progress and a new high density mixed use project. Not all buildings need to be preserved that are that old, but many should as it is part of the texture and character of the city that shouldn’t be trashed for a new parking lot or apartment jungle.
Pic by me of the Broadway Arcade while on an iphone safari. Click to embiggen
Hiking Fish Canyon
Fish Canyon is open, and the waterfalls are flowing.
I want to write that first line in all BOLD CAPS.
Because that hasn’t been said in 30 years.
Fish Canyon, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa and Duarte, used to be humming with people. Cabins were scattered along the trail and hikers posed next to the stunning triple waterfalls.
But the cabins were destroyed in one of the many fires that flash along the mountains, and then the mining company who owns the canyon, closed the entrance to the public.
But in a deal with the city of Duarte, in June of 2014 the Vulcan Materials Company opened access to the valley for the first time since it was closed in the mid-1980’s. I went on this hike in June when it first opened, and it was hot and dry, the only water standing lonely in sad dirty little pools. At the peak of the hike, where the waterfall should be, was just a towering cliff face standing bleak and empty of water in the summer sun.
But now the rains have come and the valley has come alive with the sounds and sights of tumbling, churning, splashing and falling water.
In the summer, when everything was hot and dry, this canyon did not feel so special, but now with the falling water, it’s easy to see why it was once a haven.
It is a wonderful little river valley, with standing oaks, sticky cactus, a gurgling stream and the occasional birdcall.
But the real treat is the waterfall. It falls in three sections…. Continue reading “Hiking Fish Canyon”
Posted on December 5, 2014 December 10, 2014
Hike To LA’s Abandoned Dawn Mine, aka, Attempted Murder by Squirrels
There are three ways to hike to the abandoned Dawn Mine above Altadena.
The first is closed, the second is overgrown, but the third, in a metaphorical bear sense, is just right.
John W. Robinson, in his book “Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels,” calls it “the most storied gold prospect in the front range.”
But that’s not saying much.
Because no one has made their fortune from gold in the mountains overlooking the San Gabriel Valley, that doesn’t mean that a bunch of people haven’t tried.
The prospectors started to scratch the surface of Millard Canyon in 1895, and one of those prospectors, Bradford Peck, named the area near the top of the canyon after a friend’s daughter, Dawn Ehrenfeld.
It wasn’t until 1902 that the real mining began. Michael T. Ryan, an Australian, began the first tunneling into the cliffs on one side of the tiny stream, creating the tunnel that we can still enter.
But he came across one problem. How to carry the tons of ore, that needed to be crushed to extract the gold? Hiking the two and a half miles down boulder strewn Millard Canyon was difficult and time consuming. So he forged a trail up the side of the mountain to the Mt. Lowe Railway. Once there he loaded the ore onto the Mt. Lowe train and it headed down, via the funicular, to extract that beautiful gold.
After Mr. Ryan gave up, realizing that he, like the others, was not going to make his fortune, the mine changed hands many times. In the 1950’s the area became derelict, littered with mining equipment and abandoned shacks.
Over the years they became covered with graffiti and run down. Eventually all were removed except an old engine, which still sits as a marker to the mine entrance.
To hike Dawn Mine, drive up the road called Chaney Trail (which is “closed” sunset to sunrise). Chaney Trail tees off West Alta Loma Drive, between Lincoln Ave and Fair Oaks Ave in Altadena.
Chaney Trail is a small winding road that leads up into the San Gabriels. At the end of this road is a car park — don’t park here, because this is the entrance to the closed section of the trail. Park instead at the highest point of Chaney Trail. It’s where the fire road leads up into the mountains. Parking is a problem, because there are so few spaces. It is usually full on weekends, so if you can, go on a weekday, or pray to the parking fairies.
Hike around the fire road barrier, past the water tank and then make a left after 0.4 of a mile, according to my phone, which obviously knows everything.
The turn is the sign posted for The Sunset Ridge Trail. This trail leads down into Millard Canyon.
Note: There is a fork on this trail, but keep left, down toward the canyon floor. At 1.05 miles from the car park, the path reaches the gently flowing stream at the bottom of the canyon, which was, in this October 2014 drought, really just a trickle. The mine is near the top of Millard Canyon, so head upstream, north, away from civilization.
Note: Downstream from here the trail is closed, which leads to the car park you are not supposed to park in, as the forestry service is attempting to rehabilitate it after the Station fire in 2009.
My first attempt to find Dawn Mine was a failure, because I went the wrongway. Although on the plus side, I did come across a stunningly beautiful three tiered 40-foot waterfall.
Where is went wrong was not making a right turn, although it is probably worth it just to see the waterfalls.bIf you do want to see Dawn Mine make a right 1.25 miles from the parking lot. Or to put it another way, make a right 0.2 miles after reaching the tream; Once making this turn, follow the river another 1.6 miles upstream, or 2.85 miles from the parking lot to the mine itself.Note: Downstream from here the trail is closed, which leads to the car park you are not supposed to park in, as the forestry service is attempting to rehabilitate it after the Station fire in 2009.
My first attempt to find Dawn Mine was a failure, because I went the wrong way. Although on the plus side, I did come across a stunningly beautiful three tired
40-foot waterfall. Where is went wrong was not making a right turn, although it is probably worthnit just to see the waterfalls.
If you do want to see Dawn Mine make a right 1.25 miles from the parking lot. Or to put it another way, make a right 0.2 miles after reaching the stream. Once making this turn, follow the river another 1.6 miles upstream, or 2.85 miles from the parking lot to the mine itself.nAlmost all of this 1.6 miles is hopping over rocks, clambering over boulders, or ducking under fallen trees.
Note: While doing all this hopping, clambering, and ducking, pause for a momentnand enjoy the peaceful miles-away-from-the-city burbling stream, squirrel and bird sounds.
From here on out it is practically impossible to get lost, just follow the stream.nThere are spray-painted arrows along the way, but they are not really necessary; just follow the stream.
Because this is not a well traveled path a number of the stones are loose so be careful of twisting an ankle, but that is not the only danger. When the cliffs were towering on one side of the valley, there was a huge cracking noise 50 feet ahead. A stone the size of my head had fallen from the cliff face and I just saw it bounce and settle with the other stones in the stream bed. Sitting on a tree limb, near where the stone fell, were two squirrels staring at me.
Because I can speak to the animals, here is a translation of what one of them was saying: “Damn it Bob, you pushed it too early, I told you to wait, I get to push it next time, then we get to have hiker for dinner.”
Because of all the clambering the trail seems longer than it is, but keep going, and then eventually there is an abandoned piece of machinery up to your left. It’s an old engine, with a flywheel attached to each side. The entrance to the mine is hidden just the other side of the engine. On hands and knees, the first view into the mine is what everyone expects when looking into a mine, the classic wooden posts holding up a crosspiece. Althoughnlater, thinking about it, I think this is part of a door to keep people out, and just thenjamb is left. But I could be wrong.
Barring entrance to the cave is a small body of water, people had helpfully thrown in pieces of wood and tree branches to create a slippery unstable walking surface. But I was told by another hiker I met that day, when he had visited the mine the
previous year and had decided to not enter as the water was too deep. I don’t know if this was because of the drought, but like those signs at amusement park water rides, You Might Get Wet.
Thirty feet into the tunnel, just past the pond, is a dry area splitting off into two tunnels, with a huge open gallery above. The light grey rock is splattered with yellow, which reflects in the second pond. There are holes drilled for dynamite still visible in the rock.nYou will need a flashlight, as the mine is pitch black even so short a distance inside. I didn’t go any further than this, as mines and underground scare the hell out of me, but just this short distance inside it was cool and peaceful, in a I-might-die-from-a-cave-in, sort of way.
But remember kids, abandoned mines are dangerous, and while I went alone, anfriend knew where I was going, and was waiting for my back-to-civilization text.
Now the facts: Starting elevation: 2000 ft. Ending elevation: 3135 ft. The total time of my hike, from car to car was three and a half hours, with a total of 5.7 miles,
all according to my phone. When hiking up Millard Canyon to Dawn Mine, it feels like sprawling Los Angeles is hundreds of miles away, with the silent trees and the burbling stream and the imposing canyon walls and the murderous chattering squirrels it’s a moment of quiet in a noisy city.
P.S. I mentioned that there were three ways to reach Dawn Mine, and just for balance sake, I will mention the abandoned trail, although I don’t recommend it, unless you like long hikes in the sun and wielding a machete. It is the trail that the Australian forged from the mine up to the Mt. Lowe Railway. Start at the same place, but follow the tarmacked fire road up the ridge of the mountain for three miles. Unlike down in the shaded valley, it is in the harsh sun all the way, but the road is smooth underfoot,neven if it is steep uphill most of the way. After the three miles there is a historical marker pointing out that this was a stop of the Mt. Lowe Railway and passengers used to disembark and hike down to Dawn Mine.
I attempted hiking down the trail, but after 50 feet it was almost completely overgrown and difficult to discern, so I left it for someone else, with an adventurous spirit, and a machete.
Street Seen: L.A. Bus Stops Can Be The Loneliest Places
L.A. Auto Show starts in 5 weeks….I’ve got a promo code
L A Auto Show logo…
Although I can’t help with a freebie…this promocode AUTOTRADER2014 good through 11/15 will get you discounted tickets good for admission 11/24-27.
I’ll try not to throw too many superlatives at the event, but this year I think they are going to be able to outdo what they’ve done the last several years.
On tap are 60 reveals for this show, 30 of which will be Global Reveals…or reveals for the first time anywhere for the global market. Those are always pretty spectacular as the manufacturers really want to get our attention.
In addition to the Green Car of the Year, Green Truck of the Year and Green Fleet of the Year awards are going to be awarded at this years Los Angeles Auto Show. Smell us…we’re really a big deal.
As always I’ll be there for press days and blogging what happens along with the oddities of the day that regular show goers don’t get to see. I’m even going to a few of the Manufacturer private after parties which are always fun. Last year Hyundai had Ziggy Marley as the entertainment and the wait staff was all dressed as zombies. Too. Much. Fun..
Watch This: I Live In The L.A. River
One woman has spent the past 15 years living at the bottom of the L.A. river, this is her story. From the team at BuzzFeedYellow.
Lamp offers mental health care and other services to homeless people.
http://m.lampcommunity.org/give.php
Friends of the Los Angeles River is a non-profit set up to restore the natural habitats of the river.
http://folar.org/
Solar powered cars – what will they think of next?
While the rest of the city was chasing #hiddencash I was doing something a lot more entertaining yesterday. I learned about solar powered cars. Then again, I nerd out on technology and cars so this was a double win for me.
I spent a nice chunk of yesterday listening to Mike Tinskey at Fords Los Angeles Regional office talk about the future of electric cars. Mike is the Global Director of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure so he knows a few things on the topic. Continue reading “Solar powered cars – what will they think of next?”
Camelopardalid Meteor Shower to peak Friday Night
Reports on this meteor shower are all over the board. In short from what I’ve been geeking out over is that this is the first time we will be crossing this debris field from a some forgotten comet. The potential is that it will exceed 100 meteors hour at its peak here Friday Night. Maybe even be a full fledged meteor storm, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
Venerable JPL in Pasadena is hosting an open house of sorts Friday evening for the public to view it. Their facebook page HERE. They predict peak viewing for us will be Friday 11PM to 1AM Saturday. The meteors will appear from an area of the barely visibile Camelopardalid constellation. Easiest way to remember is that this is between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper in the North, North Eastern sky.
Those of you sitting in traffic on points east or on your way to Las Vegas in the middle of the desert may get a great viewing as well. Since I’m in the foothills with no city lights or street lights for that matter, I’ll simply set up some lawn chairs in the front yard and hope for the best. To add to the nerding out over this…I”ll be out there with a camera hoping to capture one or two of them zipping across the sky. I’d much rather be out at Joshua Tree for this, but too much is going on this weekend to do that.
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« Do Tricky Monkeys Lie to Their Companions to Snag More Bananas? Naturally Produced Hydrogen Peroxide Summons White Blood Cells to Wounds »
What Does GM's Bankruptcy Mean for Its Much-Hyped Electric Car?
By Eliza Strickland | June 4, 2009 3:07 pm
The electric car under development at General Motors has been heralded as a potential savior of both the American car industry and the environment, but in aftermath of the automaker’s bankruptcy filing many questions are being raised about the Chevy Volt’s future. GM executives swear that the cutting edge vehicle is still on track to reach auto dealerships late next year: GM executive Jon Lauckner says that the bankruptcy filing “has no bearing on the Volt, quite frankly…. We’re not anticipating any changes. November 2010 remains our date with destiny” [Wired.com]. Lauckner added that engineers have already begun assembly of the pre-production Volts that will be used to test handling and durability, and for crash tests. But some outside experts wonder whether bankruptcy courts will permit the expensive Volt program to continue.
The Volt could revolutionize driving for many commuters, allowing them to cruise to and from work without ever stopping by a gas station to fill up. Different than traditional hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles, the Volt can go 40 miles on a single charge on the electric engine and then a smaller, gasoline-powered combustion engine generates electricity for the motor, acting as a range extender [GreenBiz.com]. GM has said that the Volt should be able to drive 400 miles on a full charge and a full tank. The car is expected to sell for around $40,000.
But before the Volt can revolutionize anything, it must get over a big bump in the road: profitability. The high cost of the new technology means that the car will most likely lose money for at least the first several years of production. And as GM sheds workers, factories and dealerships, the bankruptcy court could question the wisdom of manufacturing the expensive new vehicle [Politico].
While the Volt certainly fits with the Obama administration’s mandate for greener, more fuel-efficient cars, some experts note that the U.S. government is not entirely bullish on GM’s electric car. Earlier this year, the White House released an assessment of the automaker that concluded that the Volt will cost too much to make to be a commercial success. From the report: “GM is at least one generation behind Toyota on advanced, “green” powertrain development. In an attempt to leapfrog Toyota, GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt. While the Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable” [Technology Review].
80beats: Obama’s Orders: Detroit Must Build Fuel-Efficient Cars—Starting Now
80beats: Tesla Unveils a “Mass Market” Electric Car, but It’s a Long Way From the Sales Lot
80beats: U.S. Battery Makers Team up to Tackle Their Big Challenge: Electric Cars
80beats: Chrysler Jumps Into Electric Car Race With Three New Vehicles
80beats: The Electric Car Isn’t Dead! Here Comes the Chevy Volt
Image: flickr / JMRosenfeld
CATEGORIZED UNDER: Environment, Technology
MORE ABOUT: alternative energy, cars, electric cars, green technology
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