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Muskets and Mohawks and Long Rifle - Now on sale!
http://www.twohourwargames.com/blackpowderera.html
Chapters Five and Six - Death in the Valley
Three months have passed and it's been terrible so far. Only four months left in the season and Thomas can only hope that things get better. But unfazed the trio continued on. It was getting towards the end of the month and time to check the traps. The terrain was intensely wooded and great care was taken to move deliberately. On the way they ran into two parties of British Irregulars. The first inquired if the party wanted to join them but Blue Shirt politely declined. They were a bit more pressing on Thomas and Joshua but to no avail. Later they met up with another party of British Irregulars who were a bit friendlier. But that was all as they made it to the traps and recovered 8 fur bundles. Not bad for the month. This gave them a total of 12 bundles for the season.
Each trapper can carry up to three times their Rep in bundles. This would be a total of 36 that could be carried before they would have to stockpile them somewhere. Only three more months so that didn’t seem to be a problem.
So ended June…
The hunters encounter two PEFs very close to each other, a potentially dangerous situation.
Rain. The middle of July and a freak downpour covered the hunter/trappers as they made their way towards their traps.
“It will get worse before it gets better, “Blue Shirt said as he looked skyward.
“Feu!”
One of the first words Thomas learned in French was the word for fire. So when he heard it he did, at the fellow who was shouting it! But he missed. The French NCO fired at Blue Shirt but struck a tree instead. Joshua fired and missed while another French soldier drew a bead on Thomas and fired….misfire! The last French soldier fired and missed as well.
More French, this time Regulars.
Blue Shirt raised his rifle and shot down the French NCO who tried to charge. The misfiring Frenchman didn’t have the stomach for bayonet work and stayed in place. The last Frenchman charged and stabbed Joshua in the head with a bayonet, sending him to the ground out of the fight.
The second PEF is revealed and three French Irregulars join the fight!
Suddenly three French Irregulars came screaming out of the bush behind the French soldiers. Blue Shirt charged and was cut down by a musket ball in the chest. The other two Irregulars fired at Thomas but both missed.
Thomas turned and headed away from the carnage at a run.
It all went to hell in a hand basket very quickly.
What was an even fight turned into a five to one battle in seconds. Taking stock of the situation I decided better to run away and fight another day. Except in Long Rifle it isn’t that easy. Running from the table only triggers a Chase Encounter. It was just a matter of figuring out how many would be chasing and setting up the table. Okay, I fudged it and used the same set up but entered from a different angle!
Thomas ran and the three French Irregulars gave chase. After a short time Thomas realized he couldn’t out run them and he turned to fight. Pulling out his tomahawk he waited. The three Frenchmen came into view, halted and drew their axes and knives. With a shout they were upon him. Thomas couldn’t remember much but after it was over he found himself, covered in blood, standing over three dead and dying Frenchmen.
After a near run thing three dead and dying Frenchmen and a thirst for vengeance.
I’m not going to bore you with a play by play of what happened but let’s just say that:
1 – Thomas used his once in a lifetime Lucky Bastard attribute.
2 – He ended up with half of his Star Power dice lost for the rest of the Encounter.
3 – And another time he reduced damage from Obviously Dead to Carry On by some damn fine Star Power rolling.
So now it’s time for him to do another Chase Encounter except this time he’s chasing the French soldiers who may or may not have captives.
Thomas headed back to where the fight had taken place. Joshua’s body lay there and the French had left. No time to grieve, Thomas began to track the enemy. After a long chase he caught up to and in front of the French soldiers. As they turned the bend and into sight Thomas fired at the French NCO and missed! He returned fire and missed as well. A second French soldier fired but missed, the third in the rear behind Blue Shirt could not fire.
Thomas confronts the Frenchmen.
Thomas pulled his tomahawk and the French NCO charged, bayonet at the ready. Thud! Thomas buried his tomahawk in the NCO’s chest. As he fell to the ground Blue Shirt surprised the French soldier next to him and broke his neck. The third soldier fired but missed. Thomas charged forward and retrieved his tomahawk. Blue Shirt picked up a dropped musket and readied himself for the attack that never came. The French soldier turned and ran into the brush.
Here's a brief recap of the events as they went to hell. The hunters activate first and move. Then the other side activated and the first PEF moved into sight and it was resolved as three French soldiers. Blue Shirt (Rep 5) ends up going last with zero successes during the In Sight. In fact he couldn’t even act. At least he shot down the NCO when he was charged. Joshua missed his shot and was promptly bayoneted as the French were active and charged into melee. Once the turn ended the other PEFs moved and the next one was resolved as the three Irregulars.
This triggered another In Sight between the hunters and the Irregulars and Blue Shirt went down. That left three Irregulars and two soldiers against me. See ya! The Irregulars ended up pursuing Thomas and I realized that there was no way to escape as they activated first. That’s when it was melee time. Bottom line if Thomas didn’t have the Lucky Bastard attribute and changed the first OD to a miss he would have been dead in the first combat. The only reason he ended up winning was because of that and the Star Power benefits and it was still a very close fight.
It made sense that Thomas could go after them and rolling on the After the Battle Table left Joshua dead and Blue Shirt recovered enough to move. I switched to a Hunt Encounter and used the Tracking Table. It got me to musket range but they went first. Luckily they missed, Blue Shirt took a successful Challenge to get into melee with one of the soldiers and the NCO charged. Thomas could shoot if he was able so I decided to throw the tomahawk. Lucky hit. After that the In Sight was over and the last soldier failed his morale and ran.
This game is pretty intense at times. I counted this as a lost Encounter as for checking traps. Went back and buried Joshua. Got the fur bundles from him as well and we could still easily carry them. We had 12 and the most we can carry is 27. Only two months left in the season. And so ended July…
Chapter Three and Four Too! Thomas the Hunter
For the first two chapters try
The hunters decided to give it another try. This time they would take more care, staying to the woods whenever possible. Once they reach the edge of the woods they run across the clearing and reach the wooded hill. When they reached the crest they ran into three British Irregulars from the Ohio Valley Rangers. The six spent some time exchanging info, coffee beans and tobacco. The Ranger Leader said that most of the French had been driven from the area. After a rest both parties said their farewells and headed off into different directions.
The first PEF to be resolved were "Friends". Couple of more d6 rolls and it was determined that they were British Irregulars. When you meet friends you swap information and this allows you to count the area at one lower Investment Level for the remainder of the Encounter. This represents info as to where it might be safe or dangerous. As the parties were talking activation moved to the other side. The PEFs were at the other side of the table and now moved. The closest one entered the left edge of the wooded hill and the other followed close behind. Activation dice were rolled and…
Blue Shirt and Thomas kept looking back as they reached the bottom of the hill and into the flat wooded area. "What's the matter?" Joshua asked. "We're being followed," Thomas replied.
Blue Shirt held up his hand. "Better to meet them here than to lead them to our trapping area," he said. The three turned around and held their rifles at the ready. Not obviously aggressive but not at ease either. Three Indians came into view. Blue Shirt and one of the Indians began to speak. Thomas saw Blue Shirt smile and reach into his pouch and hand the other Indian some tobacco. Thomas relaxed. After a few minutes the two groups left in opposite directions. Within minutes the hunter/trappers reached the area they had been searching for and began to set their traps.
The 2nd PEF was revealed to be a party of Neutrals from a neighboring Indian tribe. But just because they were neutral to the hunters didn’t mean that they were hostile to the French. In any case, as with the Rangers before, the interaction with them reduced the Investment Level down by one level to a one. When the Investment Level drops, so does the activity from the PEFs. The hunters easily outdistanced the final PEF, exited the table and could now set their traps. The first Trapping Encounter of the season is only about setting the traps. To see if they caught anything would mean that at least one of them would have to check on them. But I also wanted to do some hunting. Time spent hunting was time not spent checking traps. Maybe I could split the party in two. When this happens you can have more than one Encounter per month but that means someone would have to go alone. That wouldn't be Joshua so it would mean that Thomas would be the one to set out on his own. Well, as the story is about Thomas then let's give it a try. I decided that Thomas would go off to hunt by himself while the others would come back and check the traps. So ended April…
Thomas headed across the river to the north to hunt. Hopefully he would have less chance of meeting anyone. Early on he found some tracks of what appeared to be Elk but these didn’t pan out and the trail disappeared after a hundred yards or so. Thomas continued his hunt and saw some small game but never got close enough for a shot. It is getting late and he is running out of time. He couldn't go back to the others empty handed. Later in the day Thomas spies a pheasant taking wing and brings him down with one shot. As he approaches the bird he spies tracks. "Wolves," he thinks to himself. Thomas follows it around and quickly loses the trail. He heads back towards the downed pheasant and starts to get it ready to transport.
****************************************************************
The first PEF were Elk tracks. In Long Rifle the hunter and the quarry roll d6 and count successes. Depending upon the difference the hunter can get close enough for a shot, the prey can flee, or the hunter can lose the trail, as happened to Thomas. The second PEF was small game and Thomas lost the trail of those as well. The third PEF didn’t move and instead split into two PEFs. The first one resolved was more small game and Thomas got a shot off and killed it. I decided it was a pheasant. Killing small game means the hunt is not a failure but the hunter doesn’t get any Fame Points for it. But at least he wouldn’t lose any either. The last PEF were Wolf tracks, two to be exact. One of the possibilities when tracking is that ferocious prey, if they score 2 or more successes then the hunter will have a chance to ambush the hunter. Wolves, mountain lions and bears are allowed to do this. So when I lost the trail I wasn't too disappointed.
In a Hunt the beginning PEFs are animals but there is a chance for unwanted attention. It has something to do with how many shots you take and even though Thomas only took one shot it generated one new PEF. And it was guaranteed NOT to be an animal.
After each kill it takes a certain number of turns to prepare the kill for transport off the table and to qualify for Fame Points. As Thomas was doing this the PEF moved closer and….
As Thomas is readying the pheasant he hears the brush rustle and a French Irregular steps into view. Realizing that his musket is out of reach and with a tomahawk in hand he charges the Frenchman who fires. Or should I say, misfires! Thomas bowls into the startled opponent and they roll on the ground locked in combat. Evenly matched, the Frenchman rolls away and starts to run down the trail. Thomas retrieves his musket and fires, hitting his target in the leg. Thomas runs over to the Frenchman who is unconscious from the wound. Thomas takes his powder, provisions and axe but leaves him some water. Grabbing the pheasant he starts his trek back to camp.
Okay, this guy is officially lucky. I mean come on, the guy has him dead to rights and the gun misfires? What are the odds of that happening? Okay, they're 1 in 6 but come on. Anyway, it's time for Thomas to get out of here as the shot, you guessed it, generated another PEF. I mean what are the odds? Well with 2 shots it's 1 in 3. If only he can stop shooting. But I've learned my lessons.
*************************************************************************
Before setting off Thomas paused to reload his weapon. Thomas definitely hears something, no make it some things, heading towards him. He heads off away from the trail and towards the high ground where it will be harder to be tracked. Thomas picks up the pace as darkness falls.
Not sure what the PEF would have been but glad I got off the table. Lucky for me the PEF didn’t move one time, but it did split into two PEFs. Using PEFs and not knowing what exactly to expect adds a lot of tension, and enjoyment, to the game.
Thomas didn’t gain any Fame Point but he also didn’t lose any thanks to killing the Small Game. No points were gained for taking out the Frenchman. It may seem strange but Thomas chose the Hunter/Trapper profession. If I wanted to get famous killing people I should have chosen Soldier, Indian Warrior or even Irregular where combat is always an option and a way to gain Fame.
I didn’t want to play out a Trapping Encounter with Blue Shirt as after all its Thomas's story. So I fudged it and let them roll on the Check the Traps Table but with 1d6, and not the normal 2d6, for each one. Three sets of traps, three d6 rolled. Two were successful but one had nothing. For the month the hunter/trappers trapped four fur bundles. I realize now why it would be better to trap in a lower Investment Level territory, more animals are about. Another lesson learned!
So ended May…
Chapter Two - Setting the Traps
The table was mostly wooded with a long wooded hill cutting the table in half. All the PEFs were placed behind the hill in three different sections.
They were moving though a clearing and towards some wooded hills. Just over the hills lay the river and the spot where Blue Shirt wanted to set the traps. As the three of them came into sight of the hills Blue Shirt raised his hand, the signal to stop. On the hill to their front were three Frenchmen heading down the slope. "I see three," Blue Shirt said. "Three what?" asked Joshua who was oblivious to the situation."Three Frenchmen," replied Thomas. "It's a safe bet to think they're not friendly."
Blue Shirt and Thomas ducked into the nearby woods to their right as did the Frenchmen. Joshua stood his ground.
"Get in here!" yelled Blue Shirt. Joshua woke up and ran to join his two partners. Thomas couldn't help but think to himself, "Oh no, not again..."
Like the previous adventure the two groups came into sight out of musket range. After the In Sights were taken all of the participants had ducked for cover, the Frenchmen in the woods on the hill while the hunter/trappers into some nearby woods. And like last time the side that could move first would get the advantage. Non-Player forces are moved by the PEF Movement Table even when they become resolved into figures. After two turns where the hunters couldn’t move and the French didn't the three Frenchmen sprinted toward the woods at a fast move as the hunters didn't activate. Next turn the hunters activated first and moved to the edge of the woods causing an In Sight to be taken all around.
The Frenchmen sprint across the clearing hoping to reach the woods before being seen.
Too late! The hunters reach the edge of the woods and all sides take In Sights. A d6 is placed next to each figure than can act during the In Sight. Blue Shirt, Thomas, and one of the Frenchmen will go first.
The three hunters made their way to the edge of the woods and saw the three Frenchmen as they were still in the clearing. One of the Frenchmen dove for the ground as soon as he saw them. One fired at Blue Shirt and missed. Blue Shirt shot him in the chest. Thomas beat the last Frenchman to the shot and fired, hitting him in the chest as well. Joshua fired at the prone Frenchman and missed. But it was enough as the Frenchman didn’t have the stomach to continue the fight and ran back towards the hill.
"Look!" Blue Shirt said, pointing towards the hill that the Frenchman was running for. "I see three more French."
The 2nd PEF is resolved, more French!
"And there," Thomas pointed."To the right of them, there go three Indians." As the hunters watched one Frenchman went over to the Indians. They could see him pointing in their direction.
And the 3rd PEF proves more trouble.
"Let's go," Blue Shirt said matter of factually.
"We could take them," Joshua said as Blue Shirt and Thomas turned to leave.
"No money in that," Thomas replied. "You want to fight? Go join the army."
After the quick exchange of gunfire the second PEF moved over the hill and into sight. This triggered it being resolved. It came up more enemies, more Frenchmen. Almost on cue the final PEF moved and came over the hill. Neutrals, Indians this time. Because the French were close and in sight they had to resolve the interaction with the Indians. Passing a Challenge Test meant that the Indians, at worse, would not get involved and at best join the French. A 2d6 roll resulted in a pass Challenge. I realized that we weren't here to fight but to trap and hunt. I decided it was time to leave. Did I choose an Investment Level that was too high or was I just unlucky? Mathematically I would say unlucky but all I knew is the one Encounter for the month was wasted.
Thomas didn’t gain any Fame Points as the Encounter was to set the traps, not fight the enemy. So ended March…
Posted by Ed the THW Guy at 08:37 1 comment:
Thomas Howard - Hunter/Trapper - Long Rifle AAR
Long Rifle is the black powder period immersion game where players take on one of six different roles. Set during the French and Indian War , 1754, players try to gain experience, fame and fortune in the wilds of North America, while staying alive. This is the first installment of my Star, Thomas Howard, hunter/trapper extraordinaire!
"It's a big world out there Thomas, and you're only a small part of it." - Mrs. Howard, 1735.
Thomas Howard found himself a failure at business and even more so as a husband. Perhaps because he was a bit too young or perhaps because he was a bit too foolish Thomas left his home in Massachusetts and set out for the West. Some said he was an adventurous man, others, his bankers, said he was a no good dead beat, but no matter how or why, Thomas found himself working for an old Indian named Blue Shirt. Blue Shirt wasn't his real name and although Thomas knew a bit of French in addition to his native English, foreign languages were not his strong suit. In fact, Thomas had yet to find his strong suit. but Thomas worked cheap and he was a fast learner. Blue Shirt had seen what was coming down the pike, a war between the two white men tribes and he figured it might come in handy to have one of them as a friend. In return, he offered to teach Thomas how to shoot, hunt and trap. Thomas realized it would be a rough life but the thought of a fresh start and someday working on his own made him embrace the challenge.
After his first full year, 1753, Thomas returned to the East but not his old haunts. No those days were long gone. Thomas had made enough in his first year to make it through the winter and now it was March. He headed west back up the river to rendezvous with Blue Shirt near Potter's Ford. And this is where our story begins…
Thomas is a Star, hunter/trapper, Rep 4, and has the Hawkeye and Lucky Bastard Attributes. The first he chose. This allows him to roll an extra d6 when firing and also on the damage table, choosing the best results. Lucky Bastard would allow him to change an Obviously Dead result to a Miss but only once in his life. This Attribute was rolled at random.
Thomas is armed with a musket and a tomahawk.
Periodically I will post game mechanic comments for clarity but as the campaign progresses they may be less needed. My objective is to get Thomas to Rep 5 and finish a complete campaign year. Hunting and Trapping is allowed from March to September with a chance to visit a trading post in October to trade your furs and gain Fame Points (used to increase your Rep and Personal Loyalty value). The Territory Investment Level would be 3. This is used to determine how much activity that can be expected while moving in the territory. Almost none is 1 while high activity is 5 so 3 would be a happy medium. The previous picture shows the first table that Thomas would move over. This would be the rendezvous where Thomas would meet up with Blue Shirt.The objective was simple, cross the table to the ford then over to the other side where hopefully Blue Shirt would meet him.
The terrain was mostly wooded with the river and Potter's Ford in the upper right hand corner. Coincidentally all three Possible Enemy Force markers (PEFs) started there as well. PEF represent potential enemies, friends, neutrals, animals or absolutely nothing at all. The first two turns Thomas did not activate and two of the PEFs moved directly towards him. On the third turn the PEF entered the woods and…
Thomas heard him before he saw him. It was a French Irregular and not a fellow hunter. The scalp hanging from his belt told him as much. Thomas raised his musket as he came into view and got the drop on the Frenchman. Click! The Frenchman stopped in place realizing too late what had happened. Thomas wasn't a murderer and didn't hold no grudge against the French but he wasn't taking any chances. The Frenchman was quick to surrender. Between the little English of the Frenchman and the even less French from Thomas the Frenchman understood. Thomas shoved the Frenchman's musket into the soft dirt clogging the barrel and took away his tomahawk as well. Then he told him to start walking and count to ten before he turned around and if he didn't he'd shoot him, simple as that. As Thomas watched the Frenchman walk away he hurried off towards Potter's Ford.
The first PEF moved into the woods and into LOS of Thomas. Resolving the PEF resulted in "Enemies".
A few quick die rolls saw that it was a Rep 4 Irregular but only one. As Thomas was in British/Allied Indian Territory that made the enemy French. Both took the In Sight Test versus their Rep and while Thomas passed 3 the Frenchman passed 0. My first instinct was to shoot but that could cause problems later on. So I took a Challenge Test with the success being the Frenchman surrendering and the failure being he could attempt to shoot. Luckily I was successful. The rest was just figuring out what to do in real life. I couldn't take his weapon but I couldn’t have him shoot me either. So I figured just clog the barrel and be off.
Thomas leaves the Frenchman none too worse for wear and perhaps a little wiser. That'll teach the Frenchman to be on the lookout when moving through the woods!
Thomas was looking backward when he should have been looking forward. He heard the blast before he saw the shooter. The ball embedded itself in a tree trunk about waist high. Thomas charged the Indian warrior but was knocked backwards to the ground. As the Indian drew his tomahawk Thomas sat up and fired his musket. The Indian fell to the ground hit in the chest. Thomas drew his own tomahawk and cautiously moved towards the downed Indian who was bleeding badly. The Frenchman had surrendered, this was different. Thomas took the Indian warrior's powder and ball, tomahawk and food. He left him some water and that was about it. "He's in God's hands now," he thought as he headed away. He wondered what the French and French Allied Indians were doing so far south in the valley.
The smoke from the Indian's musket hadn't even cleared away before Thomas was upon him. Just as quickly Thomas was knocked to the ground.
The 2nd PEF was resolved as "Neutrals" and again it was one figure, a Rep 4 Indian. With neutrals there's a chance that if you take a successful Challenge they will be friendly. I failed, we went to In Sights and he scored higher. He fired but lucky for me hit the tree instead of my gut. My action was to charge him (go figure). He whipped my butt in melee and scored a knock down result. I rolled and passed 2d6, Stunned, but used my Star Power to make it a Carry On result. But I also lost 2 Star Power dice doing it. No choice but to fire and I did. I hit him in the chest Out of the Fight. The other PEF still remained in place.
Thomas left the Indian and continued on. He would be leaving the woods and could see Potter's Ford in the distance and a figure crossing the ford heading towards him. They saw each other at the same time. Thomas was out of range so he decided to duck back into the woods. When he peered out he couldn't see the other guy and guessed that he had did the same. Now what?
Both sides could see each other so both took the In Sight and scored the same result so would act at the same time. They could fire but were out of range so both ducked back. Lucky for Thomas as he had forgotten to reload! Okay, so I had forgotten to reload. Activation dice were rolled and…
Thomas began to reload still ducked back behind a tree. When he was ready he peered around the tree and saw the enemy crossing the ford. As soon as he saw Thomas he dove for cover on the bank of the river. Thomas sprinted forward and dove into some bushes closer to the river. It was another French Irregular, he just knew it. He cocked the musket and waited. He didn’t have to wait very long as the Frenchman rose up and made a mad dash towards where he thought Thomas was. His mistake, as Thomas fired and struck him square in the chest, the Frenchman dropped like a rag doll.
Game wise the Frenchman started to cross the ford as Thomas was reloading. The Frenchman activated first on the next turn and reached the edge of the river. Thomas popped out into sight and the Frenchman won the In Sight. As he went first and was still out of range he dove to cover to duck back behind the river bank. Thomas's action, now that there wasn't a target, was to fast move as far as possible. He completed his move by going prone in the bushes. Going prone he still could see and be seen. The next turn Thomas activated first and waited. When the Frenchman popped up from the bank Thomas won the In Sight and fired first, lucky enough to hit him in the chest.
As the Frenchman came in to view Thomas fired and down he went.
Thomas took the weapons from the dying Frenchman as well as his powder, water and food. He then proceeded to bury the extra muskets and tomahawks on this side of the ford. He'd come back and hopefully retrieve them at the end of the season. As soon as he finished he crossed over to the other side of the river. Once there he met Blue Shirt and another hunter/trapper, a young boy named Joshua Sims. As they headed up river Blue Shirt told Thomas of how war had been declared between the Whites. He told the Indian about the two Frenchmen and their Indian Ally. "I heard the shots," Blue Shirt said. "That was you?" Thomas nodded and kept pace as the trio headed towards their first stop. A day or two march and they'd be at a point of the river that would be good to set their traps. It was getting dark…
Thomas meets up with Blue Shirt and the new guy, Joshua Sims.
So ends the first encounter for Thomas. Thomas picked up 2 Fame Points for the two enemies he took out. This time period takes some getting used to what with reloading and melee being a very real possibility. Well, I learned lesson one. Stop and take the time to reload! Make that two. Know what your attributes are and use them! I forgot to use the Hawkeye benefits BOTH times. Well, like I said, Thomas is still pretty new at this.
Raid on Christmas Eve - Muskets and Mohawks AAR
Muskets and Mohawks - Figures arrived!
Battle of Johnson's Farm - Muskets and Mohawks AAR...
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Western New England University School of Law (2)
Maurer School of Law: Indiana University (2)
Pace University (1)
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law (1)
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (1)
Selected Works (1)
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How Organizing Collegiate Student-Athletes Under The National Labor Relations Act With The Ncaa As A Joint Employer Can Lead To Significant Changes To The Student-Athlete Compensation Rules, Andrew Gruna Jun 2017
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Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum
This paper will provide an overview of how National Labor Relations Board cases of Northwestern University and Browning Ferris combined with the analysis presented in the National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Memorandum GC 17-01: General Counsel’s Report on the Statutory Rights of University Faculty and Students in the Unfair Labor Practice Context could impact the laws behind unionization, the contracts of university athletes, and, ultimately through contract negotiations, reintroduce the discussion regarding compensation of student-athletes.
Inequality, Discrimination And Sexual Violence In Us Collegiate Sports, Erin E. Buzuvis, Kristine Newhall Jan 2016
Inequality, Discrimination And Sexual Violence In Us Collegiate Sports, Erin E. Buzuvis, Kristine Newhall
While college athletics attract thousands of participants and millions of fans each year, examination of United States college athletics reveals a pattern of inequality, discrimination and abuse, which operates to foreclose women's access and suppress women's interest in athletic participation and leadership. This Chapter examines three gender related issues of integrity in college athletics: gender discrimination in athletic participation and opportunity; barriers to leadership for women coaches and administrators; and the relationship between athletics and sexual violence at college and universities. The Chapter also identifies a number of remedies that can mitigate these problems involving the Department of ...
Varsity Blues: Student Athlete Unionization Is The Wrong Way Forward To Reform Collegiate Athletics, Michael P. Cianfichi May 2015
Varsity Blues: Student Athlete Unionization Is The Wrong Way Forward To Reform Collegiate Athletics, Michael P. Cianfichi
Maryland Law Review
No abstract provided.
Athletic Compensation For Women Too? Title Ix Implications Of Northwestern And O'Bannon, Erin E. Buzuvis Jan 2015
Athletic Compensation For Women Too? Title Ix Implications Of Northwestern And O'Bannon, Erin E. Buzuvis
The NCAA has been relying on Title IX requirements to defend its polices prohibiting compensation for college athletics; it argues that paying athletes in revenue sports, coupled with the commensurate obligation under Title IX to pay female athletes, would be prohibitively expensive.
As a response to the NCAA’s argument, the Author seeks to advance two positions: first, that Title IX would, as argued by the NCAA, require payment of female athletes using some measure of equality; and second, that it is not Title IX that renders the prospect of athlete compensation cost prohibitive, but rather, the fact that college ...
National Collegiate Athletic Association V. Tarkanian: Supreme Court Upholds Ncaa's Private Status Under The Fourteenth Amendment, Repelling Shark's Attack On Ncaa's Disciplinary Powers, Michael G. Dawson Nov 2012
National Collegiate Athletic Association V. Tarkanian: Supreme Court Upholds Ncaa's Private Status Under The Fourteenth Amendment, Repelling Shark's Attack On Ncaa's Disciplinary Powers, Michael G. Dawson
Pepperdine Law Review
Student Gladiators And Sexual Assault: A New Analysis Of Liability For Injuries Inflicted By College Athletes, Ann Scales Jan 2009
Student Gladiators And Sexual Assault: A New Analysis Of Liability For Injuries Inflicted By College Athletes, Ann Scales
Michigan Journal of Gender & Law
This Article will focus on an issue that was probably not on the minds of 19th century educators, nor primarily on the minds of the legions of present-day academic critics of intercollegiate sports. Namely, this Article explores the ways in which big-time athletics- particularly football-normalize and encourage harms to women, including educational and sexual harms. The author’s theses depend upon acknowledging certain open secrets about college football: that it is a celebration of male physical supremacy (measured by male standards); that it is something that society lets males do and have as their sport, for reasons both good and ...
Academic Standards Or Discriminatory Hoops? Learning-Disabled Student-Athlete And The Ncaa Initial Academic Eligibility Requirements, Maureen A. Weston Prof. Dec 1998
Academic Standards Or Discriminatory Hoops? Learning-Disabled Student-Athlete And The Ncaa Initial Academic Eligibility Requirements, Maureen A. Weston Prof.
Maureen A Weston
This Article explores the impact of federal disability laws on the NCAA's authority to apply its initial academic eligibility requirements to learning-disabled student-athletes. Part II provides an overview of the three primary federal laws governing students with learning disabilities. Part III describes the NCAA and the standards and processes it employs to determine freshman eligibility for athletic scholarships and participation in intercollegiate sports. Part IV tracks the judicial responses to litigation brought by students with learning disabilities challenging the NCAA eligibility criteria under the ADA. Part V analyzes the ADA's application to the NCAA and identifies specific instances ...
Why Can't The Football Team Read: The Student Athlete's Right-To-Know Act And The Growing Threat Of Liability, Chris Truax Jan 1997
Why Can't The Football Team Read: The Student Athlete's Right-To-Know Act And The Growing Threat Of Liability, Chris Truax
Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal
The Title Ix Tug-Of-War And Intercollegiate Athletics In The 1990'S: Nonrevenue Men's Teams Join Women Athletes In The Scramble For Survival, Susan M. Shook Jul 1996
The Title Ix Tug-Of-War And Intercollegiate Athletics In The 1990'S: Nonrevenue Men's Teams Join Women Athletes In The Scramble For Survival, Susan M. Shook
Indiana Law Journal
Drug Testing College Athletes: Ncaa Does Thy Cup Runneth Over, Stephen F. Brock, Kevin M. Mckenna, Rhett Traband Sep 1994
Drug Testing College Athletes: Ncaa Does Thy Cup Runneth Over, Stephen F. Brock, Kevin M. Mckenna, Rhett Traband
West Virginia Law Review
Balancing Due Process And Academic Integrity In Intercollegiate Athletics: The Scholarship Athlete's Limited Property Interest In Eligibility, Brian L. Porto Oct 1987
Balancing Due Process And Academic Integrity In Intercollegiate Athletics: The Scholarship Athlete's Limited Property Interest In Eligibility, Brian L. Porto
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Our commitment to AMR
Canada (EN) BD Worldwide Contact us
BD Worldwide
BD solutions to combat antimicrobial resistance
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?
Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or protozoa) to nullify the effects of antimicrobial drugs, resulting in these drugs becoming ineffective1,2 AMR can affect anyone, of any age, in any country.
How does it happen?
There is usually a small number of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics
When taken,
antibiotics kill bacteria causing the illness - but they also kill the good bacteria that protects the body from
The drug-resistant bacteria survive and multiply
Eventually, the drug-resistant bacteria becomes dominant and spreads
SOURCE: The Center for Disease Control (CDC)
1. Antimicrobial Resistance Fact Sheet. WHO. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/
2. About Antimicrobial Resistance. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html
In Canada...
It is estimated that one billion dollars in medical care costs are associated with antimicrobial resistant infections (1)
In 2013, 293 million diagnoses were made by community physicians of which 8% involved an antimicrobial recommendation (1)
For the six most common organisms, resistance rates in Canada can be up to 31% (2)
Each year 18,000 Canadians acquire drug-resistant infections in hospitals (2)
Canada's use of human outpatient antimicrobials was 1.6 times higher than the country with the lowest use (1)
1. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System Report. 2015.
2. Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Report of the Auditor General of Canada — Spring 2015: Report 1: Antimicrobial Resistance. 2015.
700,000 preventable deaths worldwide annually
Source: O’Neill (2014) ‘Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a Crisis for the Health and Wealth of Nations.
1 out of 6 infections in OECD countries is caused by a resistant organism.
Source: OECD (2018), Stemming the Superbug Tide: Just A Few Dollars More, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307599-en
A continued rise in resistance by 2050 would lead to 10 million deaths and a reduction of 2% to 3.5% in GDP.
Source: O’Neill (2014) ‘Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a Crisis for the Health and Wealth of Nations
icon-medical-safety Infection prevention
and control icon-microscope Diagnostic testing and
antimicrobial use Surveillance
and reporting
Healthcare environment
Healthcare settings are high-risk environments for the spread of organisms that cause infections.
7% to 10% of hospitalized patients and 33% of patients in intensive care units contract at least one healthcare-associated infection.1,2
25% of healthcare-associated infections in long-term acute care settings are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.1
All healthcare facilities need to implement sufficient cleaning and disinfection protocols and properly dispose of biohazardous waste in order to reduce the potential for spreading healthcareassociated infections. Improving the quality of these practices and use of advanced decontamination technologies are needed.3
1 Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Infection prevention, control, and surveillance: Limiting the development and spread of drug-resistance. London, England: Wellcome Trust and HM Government; 2016.
2 World Health Organization. Report on the burden of endemic health care-associated infection worldwide. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2011.
3 Boyce JM. Modern technologies for improving cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in hospitals. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2016;5:10.
Healthcare workers and other caregivers can be a source of infection when appropriate prevention and control measures are not taken.
Only 40% of healthcare workers adhere to recommended handwashing practices, although self-reported rates are nearly 100%.1
Consistent hand hygiene is the single most important infection prevention and control intervention in the healthcare setting.4 Antimicrobial hand sanitization products are effective means of hand hygiene that decrease the risk of infection in healthcare settings.5
4 Pittet D, Allegranzi B, Sax H, et al. Evidence-based model for hand transmission during patient care and the role of improved practices. Lancet Infect Dis. 2006;6(10):641–652.
5 Weinstein RA. Controlling antimicrobial resistance in hospitals: infection control and use of antibiotics. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(2):188–192.
Medical devices and surgical procedures are potential sources of infection.
17% of central-line, 14% of surgical-site and 10% of catheter-associated infections are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.6
Catheter-related bloodstream infections account for 10% to 20% of hospital-acquired infections in the UK and are associated with extended intensive care unit stay and increased mortality.7
Training guidelines for proper central-line and intravenous catheter use need to be followed.6 Appropriate antiseptic agents, skin preparation and sterile dressings minimize the risk of surgical-site infections.8 Closed needleless intravenous access ports reduce the risk of microbes entering the patient’s bloodstream.9
6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Making health care safer: Protect patients from antibiotic resistance. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2016.
7 Gahlot R, Nigam C, Kumar V, Yadav G, Anupurba S. Catheter-related bloodstream infections. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2014;4(2):162–167.
8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic Infection Control and Prevention Plan for Outpatient Oncology Settings. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2011.
9 Blake M. Update: Catheter-related bloodstream infection rates in relation to clinical practice and needleless device type. Can J Infect Control. 2008;23(3):156–160, 162.
Patients can be a source of transmission of infectious bacteria to caregivers, to other patients and often, to themselves.
Up to 30% of individuals carry Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially harmful bacterium.10
Up to 7.2% of hospitalized patients can carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a strain of the bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics.11
Patients' own bacteria cause the majority of catheter-related bloodstream infections and a large proportion of surgical-site infections.12,13
Health systems and healthcare facilities need to establish protocols to screen patients for harmful bacteria using diagnostic tests where available. If patients are found positive for harmful bacteria, then actions need to be taken by healthcare facilities and providers. The spread of infections can be reduced through awareness of outbreaks, appropriate treatment, isolation of patients with resistant microorganisms, adherence to recommended infection control practices and use of personal protective devices and equipment.14
10 Wertheim HF, Melles DC, Vos MC, et al. The role of nasal carriage in Staphylococcus aureus infections. Lancet Infect Dis. 2005;5(12):751–762.
11 Davis KA, Stewart JJ, Crouch HK, Florez CE, Hospenthal DR. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nares colonization at hospital admission and its effect on subsequent MRSA infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;39(6):776–782.
12 Maki DG. Infections caused by intravascular devices used for infusion therapy: Pathogenesis, prevention, and management. In: Bisno AL, Waldvogel FA, eds. Infections Associated with Indwelling Medical Devices. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology; 1994:151–212.
13 Wenzel RP. Minimizing surgical-site infections. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(1):75–77.
14 Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L, Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. 2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2007.
Patient evaluation and initial diagnosis
Upon initial examination, patients are commonly prescribed antibiotics that are either unnecessary or ineffective.
At least 30% of antibiotics prescribed in the United States are unnecessary.15
Most infections in developing countries are treated empirically without the benefit of diagnostic tests, leading to even higher rates of unnecessary antibiotic use.16
When assessing the need for antibiotic therapy, clinicians need to combine the observed symptoms and signs with diagnostic tests for direct or indirect evidence of an infection and adherence to clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis and treatment.17 Countries and healthcare facilities with low resources will need support to increase access to and use of cost-effective diagnostic tests.
15 Fleming-Dutra KE, Hersh AL, Shapiro DJ, et al. Prevalence of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescriptions Among US Ambulatory Care Visits, 2010-2011. JAMA. 2016;315(17):1864–1873.
16 Sosa AJ, Byarugaba DK, Amábile-Cuevas CF, et al, eds. Antimicrobial Resistance in Developing Countries. New York, NY: Springer; 2010.
17 Boyles TH, Wasserman S. Diagnosis of bacterial infection. S Afr Med J. 2015;105(5):419–421.
Microorganism identification
Patients with viral infections are commonly treated with antibiotics, even though viruses do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Diagnostic tests that can distinguish between viral and bacterial infections are either unavailable or not widely used, especially in developing countries.16
Most upper respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses, yet 50% of patients with these infections receive antibiotics.18
Use of diagnostic tests that enable evidence-based prescribing practices needs to become the standard of care. Point-of-care diagnostics that rapidly confirm the type and source of infection can reduce inappropriate over-prescription of antibiotics.16
18 Caliendo AM, Gilbert DN, Ginocchio CC, et al. Better tests, better care: Improved diagnostics for infectious diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;57(suppl 3):S139–S170.
Drug effectiveness
Antibiotic susceptibility testing is important to confirm whether the selected antimicrobial agent is effective or is associated with resistance,19,20 but this testing is uncommon in many developing countries.20
In the poorest countries, < 1% of patients are treated at clinical facilities that have diagnostic microbiology laboratories.16
Susceptibility testing is recommended to determine whether a patient will respond to antibiotic therapy. All countries, including developing countries, need to improve access to basic microbiology laboratory testing and facilities. New automated diagnostics that provide rapid and cost-effective results are needed.19
19 Jorgensen JH, Ferraro MJ. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: A review of general principles and contemporary practices. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49(11):1749–1755.
20 Laxminarayan R, Bhutta Z, Duse A, et al. Drug Resistance. In: Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al, eds. Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank; 2006:1031–1051.
Prescription and treatment
Access to antibiotics for patients who need them is essential, yet prescribing practices vary globally, including over-the-counter access in some countries.
In developing countries patients often present with advanced infections, requiring urgent treatment with antibiotics. Expanded access is needed in certain populations, such as treating children for pneumonia. Health systems need to balance these essential access needs with reducing the excessive overuse of antibiotics that occurs in all countries.
Effective antibiotic stewardship and consistent prescribing practices are needed on a global basis. Initiatives to strengthen national laboratory systems, including expansion of laboratory technician workforces and higher access to simple cost-effective rapid diagnostic tests in remote areas, need to be prioritized, funded and supported by governments, public health agencies, foundations and the private sector.16
Infection surveillance and tracking
Surveillance is key to infectious disease management, but it remains underresourced in many countries.
Due to the lack of coordination and information sharing, gaps exist in antimicrobial consumption and resistance in many regions of the world.21
Surveillance tools need to be used to assimilate information generated by a variety of sources in order to streamline identification of patients who have acquired an infection and may require antimicrobial therapy. The near real-time availability of these data can enable clinicians to optimize treatment decisions and antimicrobial use.
21 World Health Organization. Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance 2014. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2014.
Automated outbreak detection
Thorough surveillance can reveal the presence of resistant microorganisms and identify trends and outbreaks.
In many regions of the world, poor laboratory capacity, infrastructure and data management prevent effective surveillance.22
Effective surveillance efforts need to include an early warning system to detect emergent pathogens, resistant clusters and unusual infectious disease events so action can be taken to prevent or control an outbreak.
22 World Health Organization. Worldwide country situation analysis: response to antimicrobial resistance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2015.
Optimizing therapy selection and delivery
Many areas of the world have access to laboratory data, but the data are not in a format suitable for optimizing surveillance efforts and timely therapy selection.23
Major gaps exist in surveillance data, and treatment guided by such limited data can increase antimicrobial resistance.21
Continuous monitoring of appropriate antimicrobial prescribing is necessary to optimize antimicrobial therapy and patient outcomes. Patient diagnostic information, combined with resistance trends and timely data distribution to healthcare providers, facilitates effective antimicrobial treatment decision-making.23
23 World Health Organization. Surveillance standards for antimicrobial resistance. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2002.
Tracking and reporting antibiotic use and outcomes
Antimicrobial consumption and resistance data can guide local, regional and national interventions.
Most developing countries do not have systems for monitoring antimicrobial resistance and consumption or evaluating the effect of interventions.24
Robust and comprehensive infection control practices need to include measuring the impact of interventions and the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing. Public health authorities need to support infrastructure that promotes transmission of antimicrobial consumption and infection data to facilitate local, regional and national surveillance efforts.
24 World Health Organization. Community-based surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance in resource-constrained settings: report on five pilot projects. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2009.
BD possesses important capabilities that are instrumental in containing AMR. We offer a wide range of medical products utilized to reduce the risk of infection in healthcare facilities, diagnostic instruments to screen, test and diagnose infection, including drug-resistant strains, and medication management and surveillance to support the safe and proper administration and tracking of medications.
Support infection control guidelines
Comprehensive product and service offerings from BD help clinicians improve patient outcomes through the standardization of care and adherence to best practices.
Expand diagnostic testing
Diagnostic tests classify infections and guide therapies, enabling clinicians to implement effective antimicrobial stewardship interventions.
Advance medication management
A connected medication management system comprised of technologies, analytics, and surveillance tools can help ensure that medications are available and utilized appropriately.
Our commitment to combating AMR
BD commits to helping slow the spread of antibiotic resistance by improving awareness, surveillance, infection prevention, and stewardship. We commit to:
AMR Fighter
Improve awareness
by mobilizing the Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition
Support surveillance and research
by collating, in specific projects, MedMined™ data with the CDC to help better understand resistance in the U.S. and track regional differences in important resistant pathogens and antimicrobial use
icon-medical-safety
Advance infection prevention practices
by introducing innovative solutions to support infection control and deploying training programs in collaboration with international organizations and professional societies
Help to extend the useful life of existing medications
through stewardship training and innovative integration of diagnostic testing, microbiology results and medication management workflows
Economic Impact Study of Antimicrobial Resistance at Acute Care Facilities
Study examines clinical and economic impact of Antimicrobial Resistance at acute care facilities
BD named to Fortune’s 2019 Change the World List
Canadian National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey: A Pilot Initiative
Survey reveals Canadians largely unaware of threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
Revenge of the Microbes
BD - Canada signs the Canadian Declaration on AMR
World Antibiotic Awareness Week
Infection Prevention and Control Canada 2019
AMR World Congress 2019
Responding to the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in Canada
The drugs don't work: Sally Davies at TEDxAlbertopolis
AMR Event
UN General Assembly Meeting, September 21, 2016
What every person can do to combat AMR
Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional
Always finish antibiotic prescriptions
Never share or use leftover antibiotics
Don't take antibiotics for viruses, such as the cold or flu (antibiotics only work on bacteria)
Prevent infections by regularly washing hands, preparing food hygienically, avoiding close contact with sick people and keeping vaccinations up to date
Learn more about AMR
Read the real life stories
Faces of Antimicrobial Resistance
Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations
Responding to the Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance
Controlling Antimicrobial Resistance: The Need to Mobilize and Coordinate Public and Private Sector Action — The Center For Global Health and Diplomacy
Impact of two-step urine culture ordering in the emergency department: a time series analysis — British Medical Journal
Antibiotic (Antimicrobial) Resistance — Government of Canada
Tackling AMR and Antimicrobial Use: A Pan-Canadian Framework For Action — Government of Canada
Do Bugs Need Drugs?
BD. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, BD, the BD Logo and all other trademarks are property of Becton, Dickinson and Company.
AMR Event — UN General Assembly Meeting, September 21, 2016
Global collaborations: BD joins a number of organizations in the fight against AMR.
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HSV1 And Alzheimers: The Link is now Proven
Posted on Sunday, December 7, 2008 by Simon Cooke
The team discovered that the HSV1 DNA is located very specifically in amyloid plaques: 90% of plaques in Alzheimer's disease sufferers' brains contain HSV1 DNA, and most of the viral DNA is located within amyloid plaques. The team had previously shown that HSV1 infection of nerve-type cells induces deposition of the main component, beta amyloid, of amyloid plaques. Together, these findings strongly implicate HSV1 as a major factor in the formation of amyloid deposits and plaques, abnormalities thought by many in the field to be major contributors to Alzheimer's disease.
Why does medicine move so slowly in these areas? I've been saying this for a year and a half now - based in part on this team's earlier research. :)
Glad to see we're making headway though!
Next step: We need to officially tie herpes viruses to all of the other diseases that they cause. My list is here: http://www.accidentalscientist.com/2008/01/public-enemy-1-herpes-viruses-as.html
Meanwhile, if you are at risk for Alzheimer's, do the following:
Ask your doctor to prescribe valcyclovir as an off-label treatment. If necessary, lie and say that you have genital herpes and need it for suppression.
Avoid foods rich in L-Arginine, especially chocolate and peanuts. L-Arginine rich foods encourage the virus to replicate.
Supplement your diet with at least 5mg L-Lysine daily - the virus mistakes this for L-Arginine, and produces inert viral particles as a result.
Take Omega-3 fatty acids. I've found the Eskimo brand to be the most effective - the krill version doesn't seem to work as well, and is more expensive. Omega 3 fatty acids change the structure of the cell membrane, making it harder for viruses to enter and exit the cytosome through the lipid raft.
Take Resveratrol supplements. Studies in rats have shown that Resveratrol interferes with the replication of the virus, and may destroy it.
Take Curcumin supplements (or eat lots of foods containing Turmeric). Curcuminoids also interfere with replication of the virus.
Make sure you're taking a good B-complex vitamin, particularly one with the non-cyanocobalmin form of B12. B12 in particular attacks the virus as it replicates.
The most effective of these is, of course, valcyclovir. The others just slow the virus down.
#alzheimer's, #herpes, #cure, #theory
This entry was posted under Medicine. Bookmark the permalink.
Random Chicken Garam Masala Curry
Posted on Friday, December 5, 2008 by Simon Cooke
Tonight, as Darci is out of town in New Mexico visiting her mom, I decided to make some food that she doesn't typically like.
Curry!!!
It turned out great, although it was dicey for a moment there (I decided part way through that it just wasn't working without jalapenoes and diced tomatoes, so I needed to run out and get some). Here's the recipe.
Serves 3-4 (give or take). Total cooking time including prep: About 30 minutes.
1 chicken breast (diced)
1 can diced tomatoes & green chillis
2tsp diced canned jalapenoes
1 medium to large yellow onion (sliced into thin strips about 1.5" long)
5 or 6 fingerling potatoes (sliced into 2cm long chunks)
Rice (to taste)
Boil the fingerling potatoes in some salted water.
Add the coconut oil to the frying pan, and melt over medium-high heat.
Add 2/3rds of the Garam Masala powder to the pan, and stir until it darkens.
Add sliced onions to the pan, and cook until translucent & soft.
Drain oil into a heat-safe container - you'll need it in a sec.
Transfer contents of the pan to a bowl.
Put the oil back into the pan.
Throw the chicken into the pan. Toss the chicken in the remaining Garam Masala powder, and saute until cooked through.
Drain any excess oil remaining (there won't be much) into a can and get rid of it.
Return the onions to the pan.
By this point, the thinly-cut fingerling potatoes should be cooked through, and the remaining cooking will do the rest of the job, so drain them and throw them into the pan as well.
Add the cayenne pepper to the pan and mix well.
Add the jalapenoes, and the diced tomatoes to the pan.
Stir well for a minute or so until everything heats up.
Add coconut milk, stir in, wait for it all to boil while stirring continuously, and then simmer for 5 minutes or so.
Serve with saffron-seasoned basmati rice if you want to. Will make great leftovers.
#cooking, #recipes
New Homepage is up...
http://home.earthlink.net/~simoncooke is the address.
It's nice and Spectrum-y :D
Of course, I still have to redo all of the pages that lead out from there, but it's a start.
#web development
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I Hate Web Stuff - But I'm Doing It Anyway...
Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2008 by Simon Cooke
I've had a homepage on the Internet continuously (well, give or take 2 months when I lost my original host on Jumper.mcc.ac.uk) since 1994.
The last time I revamped it though was 1998, and even then, I didn't do much to it. So it's time for a retread.
The homepage currently looks something like this:
Here's what I'm thinking the new front-page will look like. I'm still working out how I want the rest of it to look - it probably won't be the same theme throughout - but this was too good an opportunity to miss.
The Mara (Movie Screenplay) - The Origins
Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 by Simon Cooke
As a little treat (heh, I guess that depends on your perspective), here's the short story that The Mara (my horror screenplay that I'm redrafting right now) was based on.
Without further ado, I offer for your consideration... Little Miss Litty (originally written in 1996)
Little Miss Litty
“Little Miss Litty, pretty Miss Litty, all drugged up and nowhere to go!” the figure shrieked at her. She tried to shout out from behind the muzzle, to somehow raise the orderly's attention, but all that would come out were incoherent moans. It was back again, and this time she couldn’t do anything to defend herself.
“Fly away Litty, fly away home, your school is on fire, your children are burned!”
She tried to pull at her restraints, but there was no give in them at all, no slack with which to get away. The creature was at the foot of the bed, but it was beginning to make its way closer to her. It gently ran its finger across her ankle, its touch so light it was almost sensuous, and then closed its hand around the strap binding her legs.
Oh God no, she thought through the pentathol haze. Please, not again. Don’t let it happen again. I’ll go insane if it happens again.
“What’s up Litty? Cat got your tongue? Don’t like being tied down like this do you?”
It ran its claws along the inside of the leather restraints and leered at her.
"Jack of all trades, master of none, young Litty fears that her sanity's gone," it chuckled. She could feel herself losing consciousness as it crawled up alongside her, her mind retreating from the grotesque images it was receiving from her eyes.
The thing raked its talons across her face, slashing away the muzzle and gouging deep into the flesh of her cheeks, pulling her sharply back to reality. Blood streamed in rivers down her face and the pain caused her to cry out – the act of crying itself causing her more pain as it opened the wounds further. She began to sob, little moans as tears ran down her face in an increasing torrent, stinging as they seeped into the gashes that the thing had made.
“Couldn’t let you get away that easy, Litty. That would end the game before it begins,” it said with glee. “And I do know how much you like our little games."
“No, please… no… don't," she cried.
The creature waved an admonishing finger at her.
“Little Litty lectern, sitting in the school, now she's broken the golden rule…"
“What do you want from me?" she gasped at it. The creature smiled.
“The game!” it shouted, dragging its claws across each of her arms, cutting her wrist restraints. Arterial blood gushed up from the slits that the talons left. “All I want is the game. You should at least remember that by now. Every time it’s the game. Nothing less, nothing more. The same game I played with little Anna. You remember Anna, don’t you Litty? She was a pretty thing, but she didn’t play fair.” It grinned, showing its glassy, shard-like teeth.
She moaned, the memory of the little girl and what had happened to her proving painful even now after all she’d been through.
“She didn’t play fair Litty. She could have, but she didn’t. And now it’s your turn. Your turn to play the game with me.” As it said this it scowled, its eyes glowing red momentarily. It lashed out. “But … You … Don't … Know … How … To … Play!” it screamed, slicing deep into her body with each word.
She gave a guttural cry from the shock of the action – the pain wouldn’t hit her for some time. All she could feel was a wave of heat emanating from where it had cut her.
Blood welled up from the wounds the creature had made, spreading in a warm crimson pool across her body. It began to soak into the sheets and drip onto the floor from her right arm which lay hanging over the edge of the bed. With every pulse there was a rhythmic splatter as more blood rippled out of her and into the lake forming below.
As the pain washed over her, Sarah Littern slipped mercifully into unconsciousness.
“Awww…” the creature mocked. “Little Litty gone to sleep, joining Bo to count her sheep.”
It looked at her with glints of pleasure in its eyes. Now was the best time, between awareness and death, before it faded, before she slept too deeply to sustain its presence.
It jumped to the floor, landing surprisingly quietly for its apparent size. It put its mouth to the pool of blood and began to drink, its tongue lashing out into the warm liquid.
Sated, it rose and moved to her head. It bent over her, moving its mouth to hers, and then it kissed her, slipping its long, forked tongue into her bleeding mouth. As if hearing something in the distance, its ears twitched and it sat up, breaking off from the kiss. It pressed a finger to its lips and then to hers, sealing the pact.
It grew transparent, then more so, only its jagged smile hanging in the air, and then it had gone completely.
"So, Sarah, can you tell me where you got the razor blade from?" the psychiatrist said to the foetal ball in front of him. It didn't have any effect, the same way that it hadn't had any effect the last ten times that he'd asked her. She just carried on rocking back and forth, making murmuring sounds.
"Sarah, you lost a lot of blood this time, much more than the last. If you keep cutting yourself then a time is going to come when an orderly won't get to you in time, and you'll die. You don't want that, do you."
She seemed to speak, but too quiet to be heard.
"I'm sorry, Sarah. I can't hear what you're saying."
"It's…" she said hoarsely. “It's not me. It's the creature. The creature does it."
She began to uncurl, looking around tentatively as if searching for something.
"You still believe in this creature then, Sarah?" he asked her calmly.
"Yes!" she said emphatically.
"How did it cut you? What did it use?"
Sarah looked down at herself, at the bandages around her arms and wrists. It had been much worse this time.
"It used its claws. It has sharp claws at least two inches long, six on each hand. It scraped them across me and cut me." Her voice wavered as she began to verge on hysteria.
Doctor Forrester shook his head slowly.
"Sarah, if it used its claws on you, why were you clutching a razor-blade in your hand when we found you? Are you sure that you didn’t obtain it somehow off another of the patients here, or one of the orderlies and hide it in your room to use later?”
Sarah shook her head. “No!” she shouted, “No! No! No! It was the creature. I don’t know where this razor came from! You have to believe me! You’ve got to!”
She got up from her seat and started hammering on the table, shouting “It’s real!” over and over. The two orderlies who had been standing back on the Doctor’s orders moved to restrain her, but Forrester waved them away.
“Sarah…” he began quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders. She ignored him and carried on screaming and hitting the table with her fists. “Sarah!” he shouted. “Stop that this minute!”
Oddly, this snapped her back into focus.
“It’ll be back. I don’t want to go back in there alone. It always comes when I’m alone. It’ll want to play the game again, but I don’t know what it is! I just don’t know!”
She began to sob. Forrester made a motion to the orderlies to take her back to her room, and they moved towards her in unison.
“Sarah, we’ll talk about this more when you’ve calmed down a little. But just to make you feel happier, I’ll ask Mike here to keep a close watch on you and make sure that this demon you insist exists doesn’t attack you in the night.”
She nodded slightly, as if she were a small child being told by her father that the boogey-man didn’t exist. It was a nod which had a certain indefinable quality about it, one which explained that even though she didn’t believe what she was being told, she’d play along.
Forrester called one of the orderlies over and whispered to him. “Twenty cc’s of thorazine, another five if she gets restless. Keep an eye on her, Mike? I don’t know where she got that razor blade from, and I know that you turned the place over from top to toe, but she got one in, so she could have got another. I’d feel happier if at least for tonight there was someone watching her.”
He looked over at Sarah and smiled at her.
“Sarah, I don’t believe in this demon of yours, but we’ll see what we can do. It may take time, but we’ll get rid of it eventually. You’ve got to help me though – I can’t get rid of it alone.”
She looked pleadingly at him as she was led off out of the room and down the corridor.
Forrester looked down at his notes. Sarah Littern had been here for nearly a month now, and the incidents had been getting more frequent and more… disturbing. The latest of these had occurred two days ago. She was being taken to a recreation area by Denise Carter – one of the orderlies – when she’d panicked and started to scream about the creature again. She’d wrestled herself free of the woman, and had run down the corridor. When Denise caught up with her she was sobbing, crouched in a foetal ball against one of the doors, blood on the floor nearby. As Denise tried to comfort her, Sarah lashed out, clawing, scratching, kicking and biting. It had taken three orderlies to get her back under control.
Forrester slowly shook his head. It was still touch and go as to whether or not Denise would regain her sight, and she would need reconstructive surgery on her face regardless.
He would have felt a lot better if he could work out where she’d got the razor blade from though. The fact that something like that could be smuggled by an unstable and dangerous patient into a highly secure area was very worrying indeed.
Sarah slept fitfully, even with the drugs in her system. The creature’s image wouldn’t leave her mind. She rolled over in her bed and moaned a little. The orderly at the door heard the noise and opened the viewing panel to find out what the cause was.
Mike looked in through the hatchway and shrugged. Bad dream, he thought. I’m not surprised with what she’s been through. If I’d killed a school full of kids I’d be having them myself.
He closed the hatch and sat back down on the chair with a sigh. A few more weeks of overtime and he’d be able to take his wife on a second honeymoon. But in the meantime, more overtime. Which meant late, solitary nights on corridors in E Ward. Still, at least this one was quiet at the moment. He’d worked on C Ward once – never again. He shuddered at the memory.
In the room, Sarah slipped into REM sleep. Beneath her lidded eyes she began to dream, images flitting across her visual cortex as her brain assimilated the day’s memories and events. With this increased activity the creature, previously dormant, took form, the images providing a hook, a way in while she was still unconscious. Still intangible but not impotent, it delved into her naked brain, pulling and twisting neurons, raking at her ego and id, bringing the precise images it required to the fore. It controlled the show – all Sarah could do was lie back and watch.
With a smirk the creature pulled its presence from her mind, its work done for now. It sat back on the periphery of her subconscious, watching the drama it had invoked unfold.
Sarah screamed. Abruptly she found herself in a dark passageway, the walls damp and dripping, the ceiling impossibly high. She reached out to the wall nearest to her – it was cold and there were handholds, covered in a fleshy moss that pulsed under her fingers. She drew her hand back quickly, not liking the feel of it. It was too much like flesh for her to bear, as if the wall itself were alive. Her breathing, louder now with fear, echoed between the two walls, acoustic reflections confusing her senses. She walked along the corridor, trying to find an end to the walls, but there was none. She looked back – a dead end. Where there had been infinite corridor stretching off into the dark there was now another wall.
She looked in the other direction – darkness to infinity. She looked back. Now the wall was against her side, cold and wet, the stone almost grinding into her shoulder. This was too much. She screamed, turned and ran. Her breathing became hoarse with exertion, but she kept running. She ran until the pain in her legs and chest became unbearable. She bent over, her head down by her knees as she gathered her breath back. The pain in her chest from the running subsided, and she chanced a look back in the direction she had come from.
Her cheek, nose and forehead scraped across the wall. Some of the moss detached as her face rubbed across it, clinging to her lips. She screamed, and as her mouth opened some of the moss fell between her lips. Her screaming increased in urgency and amplitude as the moss began to rhythmically contract and stretch across her tongue, making its way to her throat. She turned from the wall, bringing her hands to her mouth, desperately trying to grab the foreign body before it was too late. She grabbed one end of it, but it was too slippery. Its peristaltic motion increased in vigor at her touch, and it slipped through her larynx, past the opening to her bronchial tract, forcing open her esophagus. She gagged, the moss making her want to vomit as it filled her throat. It slipped down past her heart and lungs, a small writhing body, pushing its way down past the movements of her muscles as she retched.
Sarah doubled up in pain and dropped to the floor as it swelled on its way to her stomach. It made its way in, falling into the cavity. It was unaffected by the acids it found there; in fact, it began to feed on them, growing in size as it ingested the hydrochloric acid. It settled there, a heavy weight on her intestines. She moaned, sobbing to herself, trying to expel the intruder which was raping her body from the inside, trying to bring it up and out of her.
She heard a noise and looked down the corridor. Roughly fifteen feet away from her there were two yellow points in the darkness. She started to try and drag herself away from them, and then realized that behind her was the solid wall. She knew better than to try facing it again – after the last time, she could not begin to imagine what it would be like, what damage it would cause. She curled into a ball in one of the corners, the flesh-moss undulating across her back and neck. The points moved nearer to her, and the moss in her stomach suddenly expanded, causing her to breathe in sharply with pain and to dig her nails deep into her arms where they were folded across her abdomen.
“One, two… buckle my shoe…” the voice behind the lights said. “Three, four… knock at the door…” As the voice began to move into the light, she could make out the form of its owner. “Five, Six… pick up sticks…”
Sarah pushed herself back against the wall as she realized what it was. The moss yielded under the pressure, and then began to creep across her back, probing and following the contours of her flesh.
“Seven, Eight… Litty meets her fate…” the monster said, moving forwards. It was completely visible now, the mottled red of its skin contrasting fiercely with its luminous eyes. “Nine, Ten…” The demon smirked at Sarah, and moved so that its mouth was near her ear. The smell of sulphur was thick in the air as it breathed on the side of her face. She tried to move out of the way, to somehow get past it, but as she did so it grasped her arms and held her fast with preternatural strength.
“Nooooooo!” she screamed. It began to scream in unison with her, mocking her, and then clamped one of its hands firmly across her mouth.
“Nine… Ten… Let’s play the game again!” it shouted gleefully. It released her, leaping backwards away from her into the darkness.
In her stomach, the moss which had temporarily been dormant began to pulsate. Already filling her stomach to capacity, it stretched her stomach lining. Sarah buckled over in pain, clutching at her stomach. Tears streamed from her eyes and she screamed, the throbbing pain increasing with each cycle of expansion and contraction. The lining of her stomach tore, blood and the acid which the moss had not absorbed mixing in her body cavity. The acid began to eat through her intestinal tract and her lungs, the pain amplifying horribly. She did not lose consciousness, rather the pain made her acutely aware of the sensations around her. She began to gag, coughing up blood and stomach acid, mixed with small pieces of the flesh-moss. The moss in her stomach continued to grow, squashing her lungs and internal organs, making it hard for her to breath.
The imp looked on from the darkness at the form of Sarah’s body as she convulsed involuntarily on the floor, blood dribbling down her lips as she coughed it up. It smiled, and clenched its fist.
The flesh-moss which she had coughed up moved together and coalesced into a single entity in her mouth. It pulled itself caterpillar-like along her tongue until it reached her throat, at which point it started to squeeze its way past her palate and into her nasal cavity, seeking her brain.
This was all lost on Sarah, she was concentrating too much on trying to breathe, her lungs being eaten away by acid and compressed by the moss.
In the darkness, the demon reveled in what it had created, but its control over the situation was waning. Sarah’s pain was beginning to awaken her, to override its control over her dreams. Well, it would let that happen. But it would give her something more worthwhile to wake up to first. It drew its hands apart, and then pounded its fist into its palm.
Inside Sarah, the moss stopped its incessant shrinking and growing. According to the demon’s command, now it grew without stopping.
Moss oozed out of her nose as it started to make its way up into her brain, compressing the delicate matter within. In her chest, the moss there expanded also, crushing her heart quickly, reducing her liver and lungs to a pulp. The pressure continued until her rib cage could no longer contain it. The ribs tore apart, splintering as they opened, her sternum still attached to some of them as they ripped through her skin, spraying blood into the air.
The sound of violent choking ripped through the silence that had moments ago enfolded the corridor. Mike ran to the door. Through the window he could see Sarah convulsing violently on the bed. Shit, he thought, not tonight. He grabbed the keys from his belt loop, fumbled briefly with the lock, and ran into the room. A thin trail of vomit ran down Sarah’s neck from her mouth. Quickly, he held open her mouth, feeling for the blockage in her throat. He pulled it out – a strange, pulpy mass – and threw it out of the way. Grabbing her head, he tilted it back so that he could create an airway, and then, bracing himself against the smell of vomit, he blew precious air into her lungs.
Suddenly she coughed, vomit welling up in her mouth, flying up into Mike’s own. He broke away, spitting it out all over the floor, trying to get rid of the invading material. Oh God, he thought – I think I swallowed some.
He checked that she was okay, and went to wash his mouth out. He didn’t notice that Sarah’s stomach had swelled to twice its normal size – nor did he see it quickly shrink to normal size when he left the room.
Inside his stomach, a tiny fragment of glowing, flesh-like moss gently pulsed in the warmth.
Anna was a quiet girl; a golden-haired four-year-old who was kind and generous, and who had the most piercingly blue of blue eyes. She had a face that would light up when she found something funny, and an odd little frown that curled over her forehead when she was doing something that required concentration. All in all, Anna was a cute little princess… you couldn’t help but to like her.
… but for some reason, all of the other children in the class shied away from her. Sarah couldn’t work out why; it was as if they were afraid of something – it wasn’t as if the girl was cruel, or nasty – but no-one would play with her.
Anna smiled up at the teacher, noticing that she was standing over her. “Please Miss… I’ve finished it!”, she beamed.
Sarah looked down to see what she had drawn, her breath halting for a moment in shock. The little girl’s picture was technically brilliant; a drawing of what she assumed was the Cheshire Cat (either that or Garfield) that could have been copied from a wood-cut illustration found in most copies of Alice in Wonderland. All of the elements were there – the grin, the stripes… -- but it was the other things that worried her. Such as that the cat had bulbous yellow eyes with no pupils, and its teeth were covered in red crayon, as if stained with blood.
“Anna… I’m curious sweetheart… what are these?” she asked, pointing to the red… claw marks? … in the middle of the paper.
“That’s where it used its claws,” the girl said, pointing at them. “It likes to use them a lot.”
Anna nodded to her teacher matter-of-factly. “That’s what it does”.
“What do you mean Anna?”
“It wants to play the game,” she said, pausing to look into her teacher’s eyes. “I don’t know what the game is, but it wants me to play with it.”
She picked up another red crayon -- having worn the last down to a small nub – and started to draw more claw marks on the paper.
“But it uses its claws? Anna?”
Possibilities were running through Sarah’s mind about exactly what had happened to the child… had she been abused at home? Some kind of traumatic experience in her past? Children just didn’t draw pictures that looked like something out of a Clive Barker movie… not unless they were terribly disturbed.
“Only when I don’t play the game right.”
#fiction, #story, #writing
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My dream in your probability, your probability in my dream
I got over a mental block and managed to say "this game's done!" in design terms at least, so it was time to introduce Cosmic Zap to some intrigued people at Spelens Hus.
I've decided to collect the characters used in playtest so far, made up by me or by others, as well as a couple more by me, as pick-up-and-play for the game. Original character design is an option for later in the text. That's not because people can't do it - to the contrary, the player-authored characters are generally spectacular - but because I'm trying to cut down on the learning and prep curve drastically for this game especially, and I've observed players to adopt pre-generated characters for it unusually quickly.
So in this case, I brought nine player-character sheets for them to choose from, some of which were altered slightly from forms you've seen already, such as Sweet Jane, Azimuth, and Blue Streak. We began with three players in addition to me, but then Peter joined us. Unfortunately we'd already staged the camera, and due to certain hassles couldn’t re-do it, so he's only partly in-shot throughout.
The learning curve was really steady for this group, beginning with almost complete uncertainty (but willingness) and proceeding to user-interface with each new rules option, because I intentionally introduced them step by step. You can see that we wear out almost entirely near the end, taking a brief break but pretty tapped out, but the system itself was in full blast.
A couple of my mistakes are significant. I mis-handled the ties in the first couple of exchanges, giving the marginal victory to the wrong person.The order of player roles is set up so that no one can be both Featured and Interesting before everyone gets to be Featured, but I screwed it up. I don't know how I managed to think that the Featured Player role proceeds to the left in turn, like a card game, instead of the right way, but that's why William ended up having to wait to long before taking that part. The other errors are minor (if annoying to me), like forgetting that augmented abilities aren't eligible for increases.
The player dialogue was very good, some of which I cut out because it was too mixed up with snacks and other topics to include. People immediately grasped that they could be adverse as the Interesting Player without griefing, and they liked the notion that anyone could choose to play a genuinely adversarial player-character role if they felt like it, but also that no one had to if no one wanted to. I thought their collective grasp of the aesthetic and potential themes was fantastic; it really was like the OMG open for some of the better comics and animated films of this kind.
I'd really like to continue with this group, but my current scattershot, even bonkers play-this-play-that practice isn't helping. It might be time to settle into something for a while as a dedicated group, and this game with these folks would be a top choice.
Spelens Hus
The Internality of All Realities.pdf
Submitted by Ron Edwards on Thu, 11/07/2019 - 02:47
Runeslinger
I imagine it is quite a relief to reach this stage of 'done'. I am quite curious about this project, so I am looking forward to viewing the session~
Ron Edwards
My only frustration with the
My only frustration with the session is that it necessarily devotes so much time to introducing and teaching the game, instead of showcasing it through play alone. The HeroQuest system, originally for Hero Wars, is genuinely fascinating and powerful, but (like Circle of Hands combat) seems fiddly because the effort is in unusual positions. It's not actually any more effort than other RPGs and provides more bang per buck than most, in the depth of imagined outcomes, but while you're learning it it seems strange and full of "now subtract this, now compare that" steps.
One of my goals in this session was to introduce the system piece by piece, showing foundational procedures in the first contest situation, then adding a couple of the options in the next, then adding pieces as needed as we go along. We got pretty far - all the way through, I think, with the exception of the Extended Contest mechanic which is very much not for first-session use anyway. My hope is that it was fun enough for these players to want to continue, at which point we'd see things like new abilities popping up all over, which means much more intense setting-and-situation, and a lot of familiarity with one another's sheets as a collective resource.
I would particularly like to see the moment when a player realizes the potential for the Personal keyword content for the Internality of All Realities. I just attached that sheet to the main post, so check it out.
Good to see this move forward
In between the rest of life and gaming, I've been thinking about how to a run a "this-or-something-like-it" game quite a bit. I'm also glad that rules-clarity is evolving - the gap between my personal fiction-joy and rules-joy in the back-then playtest lingers as an annoying memory.
Seriously. For our game
Seriously. For our game especially, in which whole sections changed between sessions.
On the plus side, the histories of all my games, and many good or better ones, are littered with the corpses of teeth-grinding playtest. I maintain that real playtesting is about finding what works in the current design, with the photo-negative presence of what doesn't being all too much more present in our vision. This is exactly the opposite of most playtesting, which presumes excellence and is stress-testing for minor flaws - and for role-playing games, results in absurd or useless engines with plenty of logistically-tight but meaningless parts.
I'm really happy with the current version and I'm pretty sure no actual rules are going to change from here.
The proper order
This is how it was supposed to go. The order of Personal keyword values was Sweet Jane at 20, Azimuth at 17 (but with the tie-breaker score at 1w, or 21), the Internality at 17 (with the tie-breaker score at 18), and the Blue Streak at 13. So that's the order of the Featured player role; position at the table has nothing to do with it.
The Interesting player role begins with the holder of the character with the highest Cosmic keyword value, which in this case was unequivocally the Internality.
So we were correct to begin with Odin (with Sweet Jane) as Featured and Peter (with the Internality) as Interesting. But then the Featured role should have shifted to William, then to Peter, and finally to Nate, with the former Featured becoming Interesting at each step.
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Resulting in posts galore! Many finished, many on the way.
Fantasy adventure emerges, bright and harsh
Author: Ron Edwards
Department: Actual Play
Session 4 of our RuneQuest game! I wrote up a summary handout for them this time – see attached. It...
Keeping them all together.
Author: LorenzoC
During one of my consulting sessions, I told Ron one of my major design concerns regarding my...
Turning Young People to the Dark Side (i.e., introducing them to rpgs)
Author: Dreamofpeace
Ok, so I had the pleasure of introducing my 13 year old niece and her stepsister to rpgs this...
Cold Soldier: Home for the Holidays
Author: robowist
After the opening of Christmas presents, my daughter (home from college) and I sat down to play our...
The Sodden Lands of Sian Mer
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Legendary Lives Debrief
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Standing On Shifting Sands
Posted by arts_louisville | Mar 24, 2017 | Theatre | 0
Brent Gettlefinger, Katherine Martn, David Galloway, & Heather Green in Time Stands Still. Photo courtesy The Liminal Playhouse.
Time Stands Still
By Donald Margulies
Directed by Tony Prince
Reviewed by Keith Waits
Entire contents copyright © 2017 by Keith Waits. All rights reserved.
Relationships are fluid, organic things. The changes can be difficult to navigate for the most ordinary among us, but the challenges are thrown into high relief when our lives turn on the events of war and tragedy. Sarah (Heather Green) is a photojournalist who survived an explosion in Iraq that killed her guide. Her boyfriend, James (David Galloway) is a journalist who feels tremendous guilt because he had left Iraq a few weeks before the incident. They are welcomed home by their friend and editor Richard (Brent Gettlefinger), and his new, much younger girlfriend, Mandy (Katherine Martin).
Richard and Mandy are in many ways an intentional cliché, the May-September romance, and Mandy is written, in stark contrast to the worldly Sarah and angst-ridden James, as eternally upbeat and optimistic, and played with a fine sense of the balance required by Katherine Martin. Mandy never quite seems to fit in, and Ms. Martin milks the laughs with consummate and endearing skill, but the play and the performance also demand respect for the character so that it doesn’t feel trapped in sophomoric comedy.
It is likely that playwright Donald Margulies would have us imagine Mandy will become more cynical with time, so that the complications that have beset Sarah and James and placed their relationship in jeopardy await her, and by extension all of us, for Mandy is most certainly the audience’s surrogate. There are plenty of raw emotions, as the two further expose their true feelings and insecurities. Sarah is anxious to return to work with all that risk that entails, while James takes a patronizing, overprotective attitude towards Sarah during her convalescence. Infidelity and betrayal are important themes here, allowing us to more readily identify with the conflict.
Margulies uses structure and devices that are common enough: the fish-out-of-water character of Mandy, the slow reveal of history and secrets that illuminate the heart of the issues. We’ve seen such ideas in many plays, but Time Stands Still uses specificity and well-grounded observation to touch on universal experience. It has the taste and good sense to trust the audience to do its part in connecting to these characters, and rewards us with meaningful insight and pathos.
Director Tony Prince has fashioned performances that alternate subtlety and big emotional moments with fair transition. The text charts a shifting dynamic that peels back layers until we are forced to realize that the changes may be inexorable, and Ms. Green, Mr. Galloway, and Mr. Gettlefinger, for in many ways this is a ménage a trois, display a fine understanding of the quicksand these characters find themselves in.
Wes Shofner provides a solid and well-detailed set, and Theresa Bagan lights it perfectly. Shane Estes costume work is most notable in capturing Mandy’s bubbly style and personality. And Liminal makes good use of its secret weapon of Producing Director Richard McGrew’s skills as a composer and musician, once again boasting an evocative original score, simple but filled with portent.
In a conversation after the opening with an actor not involved in this production, we pondered the challenge of serious plays such as this finding audiences for local companies. Do theatregoers imagine that professional companies can only give full justice such material? While the Humana Festival unfurls six new plays with great fanfare and marketing muscle, Looking for Lilith revived its lauded, world premiere production of Robin Rice’s Alice in Black & White to less-than-full houses, and now The Liminal Playhouse gives a Louisville premiere to this worthwhile American play. It might be said that all of Liminal’s choices are not easy to market, but our city can boast several companies devoted to ferreting out some of the best dramatic writing in Western theatre, and players talented enough to fully render them; audiences should give them a chance.
March 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m
March 26 and April 2 at 2:00 p.m.Tickets: $18 in advance, $20 at door
The Liminal Playhouse
At The Henry Clay Theatre
604 South Third Street
Theliminalplayhouse.org
Keith Waits is a native of Louisville who works at Louisville Visual Art during the days, including being the host of PUBLIC on WXOX-FM 97.1/ ARTxFM.com, but spends most of his evenings indulging his taste for theatre, music and visual arts. His work has appeared in Pure Uncut Candy, TheatreLouisville, and Louisville Mojo. He is now Managing Editor for Arts-Louisville.com.
PreviousAlternate Incandescent Reality
NextKentucky History Brought To The Stage
Hard-Boiled and Funny, But is it Superhero Enough?
Have Fun Storming The Castle!
Murder In Limbo
He Lives In You (Broadway In Louisville)
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Liminal 2017-18 Season Announcement
Posted by arts_louisville | Apr 1, 2017 | News and Arts Education, Theatre | 0
Victoria Reibel & Gerry Rose in the fall 2016 Liminal Playhouse production of Venus in Fur.
Entire contents copyright © 2017 Arts-Louisville.com. All rights reserved.
The Liminal Playhouse launched itself three years ago with a name designed for open-ended suggestion. Liminal means, “relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process”, so where does that leave the company as it announces the 2017—2018 season?
With a consistent venue, for one thing. Besides expanding to four full-stage productions, Liminal joins Bunbury Theatre and Pandora Productions in a partnership as the third resident theatre company at The Henry Clay Theatre.
But if the company, led by Artistic Director Tony Prince and Producing Director Richard McGrew, is coming of age, can it still be “liminal”? Certainly the answer must be yes, for any artistic endeavor must be forever moving forward and changing, always liminal. Season three for The Liminal Playhouse, all Louisville premieres, builds on the strong reputation for contemporary plays executed in thoughtful and intelligent fashion.
The season will open with Hir by Taylor Mac running August 31—September 10, 2017. Like Liminal’s currently running production of Time Stands Still, Hir begins with someone coming home from the war in Iraq, but things take a decided turn for the absurd in this dark comedy that explores complex issues such as domestic abuse, transgender identity and PTSD.
Next up will be Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park. Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park explores our ongoing struggles as a country to unite and live harmoniously together given our racially divided past…and present. Norris’ uncomfortably hilarious and merciless play spares no one. It won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. Clybourne Park will run October 26—November 5, 2017.
The third production of the season will be Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason. Eason’s erotic comedy explores complex issues of romance and identity in a world in which our online selves and our physical selves may not be quite the same. Show dates are March 29—April 8, 2018.
The season will close with Philip Ridley’s The Fastest Clock in the Universe running May 24—June 3, 2018. Rarely performed in the United States, it is considered a contemporary classic in Britain, twenty-five years after it shocked London audiences in 1992. Thirty-year-old Cougar Glass is celebrating his 19th birthday…again. Captain Tock is throwing the party, and the only invited guests are Foxtrot Darling (originally performed by a very young Jude Law, his breakthrough performance in London’s West End) and octogenarian Cheetah Bee. The unexpected appearance of Foxtrot’s girlfriend Sherbet Gravel throws a wrench into the works and hilarity and tragedy ensue.
All performances will be at The Henry Clay Theatre, 604 South Third Street, Louisville, KY.
PreviousThe Bitch Of Living
NextWords And Labels
You Can Repeat Every Word I Say (University of Louisville)
Magic That Never Grows Old
Searching For Lost Women
Walden Theatre Challenges Audiences with Country of the Blind
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Real Chalk — Performance Hacks w/ Ryan & Yaya — 34
This is a special episode, where Ryan and Yaya cover performance hacks on Ryan’s couch after they have done a sensory, deprivation float at FloatEasy in Orange County, CA.
Every day is a new opportunity to have the perfect day, and even though we might fail every day, it is the perfect opportunity to implement to...
The Bledsoe Show w/ Jonathon and Baldo of MSW Lounge - Limitless Injections Are Here! #92
Jonathan Mendoza is Owner and Chief Practitioner at MSW Lounge (@mswlounge). Jonathan has an extensive education, and has been trained in: Sports therapy with olympic and professional athletes, physical medicine & rehabilitation, pain management, family medicine, urgent care, and functional medicine.
Baldomera "Baldo"...
Doug and Anders Catch Up With Bledsoe - Episode 325
The Strong Coach — Being the Steward of Your Client’s Dreams w/ Michael Cazayoux — 6
Michael Cazayoux is co-founder of Brute Strength, and host of Brute Strength Podcast. At the age of 17, Michael moved from a small town in Louisiana to Utah for drug rehabilitation. It was that experience that led him to fall in love with CrossFit and helping others through coaching and mentoring. Prior to coaching...
Feed Me Fuel Me — Whatever I Want w/ Beau Ash — 97
It has been said, "the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." Our guest this week, Beau Ash, has taken many first steps as his life has unfolded into the chapters of his story.
Beau went through a journey of acceptance and self-love. One of the hardest concepts to grasp as we move through life, is the idea...
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Story - News
Apr 17, 2008 3:58 PMPublication: The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press
More discussions revolve around eruv
> Eruv Settlement Approved In Westhampton Beach Jun 7, 2016 3:44 PM
> Westhampton Beach Village Expected To Sign Off On Eruv Settlement Next Month May 18, 2016 12:52 PM
> Eruv Proponents Offer Deal To Westhampton Beach Village; Board Is Considering Offer Mar 31, 2016 7:44 AM
> East End Eruv Association Plans To Install Lechis In Quogue Within Two Months Mar 16, 2016 12:18 PM
> Settlement Allows Jewish Religious Boundary To Expand East To Quogue Village Mar 9, 2016 11:50 AM
> Southampton Town Will No Longer Contest Boundary's Expansion To Westhampton Sep 9, 2015 9:56 AM
> Eruv Opponents Criticize Westhampton Beach Board For Lack Of Communication Aug 11, 2015 12:20 PM
> Search Continues For Elusive Eruv Markers In Westhampton Beach Mar 18, 2015 1:18 PM
> Westhampton Beach Village Board Discusses Eruv In Closed-Door Meeting Jan 21, 2015 9:42 AM
> Court Upholds Eruv Ruling; Boundary To Stay In Place In Westhampton Beach Jan 14, 2015 2:10 PM
> Hampton Synagogue Blesses, Celebrates Eruv In Westhampton Beach Aug 20, 2014 10:42 AM
> Jewish Religious Boundary Goes Up In Westhampton Beach Aug 14, 2014 4:08 PM
> Westhampton Beach Village Has Spent $75,000 In Attrorney Fees Fighting Eruv Jun 25, 2014 1:13 PM
> Federal Judge: Westhampton Beach Village Cannot Block Religious Boundary Jun 18, 2014 11:54 AM
> Southampton Town ZBA Denies Eruv Application Aug 7, 2013 10:03 AM
> Group Seeks Southampton Town Zoning Board Approval For Religious Boundary In Westhampton Apr 10, 2013 9:12 AM
> East End Eruv Association To Challenge Southampton Town'S Sign Ordinance Apr 3, 2013 1:09 PM
> Judge Tosses Lawsuit Filed By Group Opposed To Creation Of Religious Boundary Feb 6, 2013 2:09 PM
> Decision On Religious Boundary Lawsuits Could Come This Year Jan 19, 2013 2:35 PM
> Lawsuit Filed Against Westhampton Beach Regarding Eruv Aug 8, 2012 1:11 PM
> Quogue Village Rejects Application For Religious Boundary; EEEA Plans To Sue May 23, 2012 10:58 AM
> Attorney Warns Quogue Village Not To Reject Eruv Application Mar 21, 2012 12:49 PM
> Judge Denies Injunction That Would Have Allowed Temporary Religious Boundary Nov 9, 2011 1:38 PM
> Group Wants A Say Regarding Proposed Religious Boundary Aug 24, 2011 8:29 AM
> Court Hearings Expected To Conclude Wednesday On Application For Temporary Religious Boundary Jun 29, 2011 2:08 PM
> Court Hearing On Symbolic Religious Boundary Now Set To Begin On Wednesday Jun 15, 2011 1:03 PM
> Court Hearing On Temporary Religious Boundary Now Set For June May 24, 2011 2:55 PM
> Eruv Association Heads To Court Seeking Temporary Injunction May 4, 2011 10:39 AM
> Letter Suggests Synagogue Had Sights Set On Larger Religious Boundary Nov 3, 2010 11:24 AM
> Westhampton Beach Eruv Proposal Moves Forward Oct 27, 2010 1:48 PM
> New proposal for religious boundary on public roads spurs questions in Westhampton Beach Sep 1, 2010 2:02 PM
> Westhampton Beach quashes discussion on proposed religious boundary Oct 23, 2008 2:46 PM
> Hampton Synagogue files legal brief on proposed religious boundary Oct 21, 2008 2:20 PM
> Group opposed to eruv urges petitions Oct 12, 2008 1:02 PM
> Legal opinion on eruv is likely a precursor to lawsuit Sep 18, 2008 5:08 PM
> Meeting on religious boundary leads to shouting match Sep 5, 2008 12:00 PM
> Village considers hiring outside counsel Aug 19, 2008 1:10 PM
> Tenafly eruv battle resonates in Westhampton Beach Aug 18, 2008 1:50 PM
> Crowd storms out of meeting at synagogue Aug 14, 2008 10:37 AM
> Community eruvs Jul 28, 2008 4:04 PM
> Eruv facts Jun 19, 2008 1:40 PM
> Not-for-profit registers name associated with anti-eruv advertisement Jun 17, 2008 4:04 PM
> The Hampton Synagogue withdraws its application in Westhampton Beach for special religious boundary May 23, 2008 11:42 AM
> Much ado about an eruv May 13, 2008 8:36 AM
> Mayor unable to gain support for religious boundary at Westhampton Beach Trustee meeting May 2, 2008 11:14 AM
> Eruv planners make another pitch Apr 4, 2008 3:05 PM
> Eruv Might Face Roadblock Mar 25, 2008 3:13 PM
By Jessica DiNapoli
Westhampton Beach Village Board members could approve the creation of an eruv in the municipality at their next meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 1, despite additional concerns regarding the project that were raised during last Wednesday night’s work session.
“Based on what I have observed, I believe the trustees will adopt the resolution for the eruv,” said Richard Haefeli, the attorney acting on behalf of the Hampton Synagogue, which is proposing the eruv. The synagogue is located on Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach.
But at least one board member said she is still undecided about the issue. Trustee Joan Levan said that, as of earlier this week, she was still fielding calls from residents.
“When I hear from everyone and what they’re going to say, I’ll decide,” Ms. Levan said. “It’s a tough decision. There’s people against it and for it.”
Mayor Conrad Teller also said he could not say for certain whether the measure would be approved, though he is leaning toward the board signing off on the project. He added that board members would need a “real compelling reason not to do it, and we haven’t come up with anything like that, nor do I think we want to.”
Mr. Haefeli went on to explain after last week’s meeting that before the synagogue can mount black plastic piping on utility poles within the village—the piping will demarcate the boundaries of the proposed eruv—it must obtain approval from the village. Gaining approval from the local municipality is a requirement in Jewish law that dates back 2000 years, he said.
The Village Board has been discussing the establishment of the eruv, a zone in which Orthodox Jews can participate in certain activities, such as pushing baby carriages and carrying change in their pockets—things they are usually not permitted to do on the Sabbath—since early March.
The black plastic pipes must be mounted on Verizon and Long Island Power Authority poles to demarcate the boundaries of the eruv which, if approved, will be slightly less than one square mile in area. The eruv will run from Montauk Highway south to Sunswick Lane, with Griffing Avenue and Seafield Lane serving as its eastern border and Potunk Lane and Oak Street marking its western border. Synagogue officials have indicated at previous board meetings that they plan on expanding the boundaries of the eruv in the future.
Jacqueline Sprotte, a resident of Dune Road, an area that would not be included in the eruv, asked board members during last week’s meeting to poll residents to see how they feel about the project. She also suggested that any decision on the eruv be postponed for several weeks until the summer residents arrive.
“It’s pointless to have a community vote,” Mr. Haefeli said. “There’s no authority in the law to have a ‘community vote.’” Approval from the village is different from approval from the community, Mr. Haefeli said.
“We don’t need approval from the community. The community votes in the trustees, and the trustees undertake the actions the village undertakes,” said Mr. Haefeli in a interview after the meeting. “The trustees have all the authority, not the individual residents.”
Mayor Teller said the board will not hold a vote. He added that the village will not seek additional input from summer residents.
Linda Dick, a resident of the village since 1972 who noted that she is not Jewish, said she does not support the board dividing the village into sections. “I’m extremely opposed to the village being divided into zones,” she said. “I’ve always found the village low key and laid back and the eruv would change the tone of the village.”
Even though some residents voiced their disapproval of the project last week, Westhampton Beach Village attorney Bo Bishop explained that, based on past court rulings, the village is obligated to allow the eruv to move forward. For example, the Borough of Tenafly in New Jersey was embroiled in a battle for years before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled on the side of a local synagogue there.
“I’ve talked to the mayor of Tenafly, New Jersey, who had a six-year battle over an eruv and has now had an eruv for the past two and a half years,” Mayor Teller stated during last week’s work session. Mayor Teller stated that Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin told him that his borough did not experience any significant changes following the establishment of the eruv.
Mayor Teller said board members have been encouraging discussion over the proposal to get feedback from residents. In an earlier interview, Avraham Bronstein, an assistant rabbi at the Hampton Synagogue, said synagogue officials want the community to feel comfortable with the proposal.
The issue of the separation of church and state came up during last week’s discussion. Mr. Bishop explained that there are already many religious symbols on display in the village, such as crosses and Christmas trees, and that the village typically makes accommodations for religious events. He likened these symbols and events to the establishment of the eruv.
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Sanghas
KFD Public
The truth of dukkha
TOPIC: The truth of dukkha
The truth of dukkha 24 Apr 2015 14:57 #98473
As long as you draw breath, there is dukkha. It's not because you are doing it wrong. To misunderstand this is to misunderstand Buddhism.
This is my opinion. What is yours?
Kenneth Folk
What this pointer piques in me is a reminder to question motives to use practice to fix my life.
Kacchapa
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kenneth Folk
I respectfully disagree. I think it is possible to eradicate one's suffering completely while one is still alive. The Four Noble Truths seem to agree. Where is the misunderstanding?
Jake Yeager
I find that I suffer less when I don't have expectations that I can eliminate suffering. It's paradoxical, but not really, because a lot of my suffering came from needing to "fix" myself. This doesn't mean I don't have things I need to attend to. I need medical care, for example. My son needs guidance and positive role models in his life. At all stages of life, people need constructive interactions with others.
Laurel Carrington
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, Jake St. Onge, Kenneth Folk, Jake Yeager, Derya Anderson
I wonder if these 2 views are necessarily mutually exclusive, or if the former could be a skillful means toward the latter? It's an important point that you raise, I'm really interested. (Laurel, didn't see your post. Yeah, I was wondering if it could be a seeming paradox but not necessarily? But it may also be a legitimate challenge.)
Last Edit: 25 Apr 2015 10:30 by Kacchapa.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen
Riffing on the idea of paradox (which means simply something that appears self-contradictory, not something that is self-contradictory), and along the lines of my current ruminations on "what makes the first truth, that of suffering, 'noble' as opposed to simply factual?"
It seems, both in practice and in some of the teaching stories that have been handed down, that we're being invited to look and see if it is not true that everywhere we look, within ourselves and in the larger world, there is gross suffering or subtle unsatisfactoriness. Some of the teaching points to the impossibility of attaining a permanent state of perfection, even if we are lucky enough to have a perfect moment, or a series of them; some of them point to the universality of pain and loss.
Spending time with open eyes and hearts taking in the truth of suffering, paradoxically releases us into compassionate awareness-- the antithesis of a major source of suffering: the tight bonds of "me versus them/it." And it is not a matter of undergoing a rigorous regime to set a wrong right: it is a matter of allowing the snake to un-knot itself, the truth to reveal itself.
Off the top; so far.
Kate Gowen
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge, Kenneth Folk, Kacchapa, Laurel Carrington
Kate, you said what I meant, only more completely.
Jake Yeager:
I think it is possible to eradicate one's suffering completely while one is still alive.
This discussion gets nuanced and thus definitions of our terms are helpful. So, Jake, when you use the term "suffering" what do you mean? My observation is that there are several distinctly different meanings of the word "suffering" so we will need to discern that before we can go much further. This request would apply to Kenneth's original comment, too.
Chris Marti
Last Edit: 25 Apr 2015 13:48 by Chris Marti.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge, Jake Yeager, every3rdthought
Jake Yeager wrote:
Hi Jake,
This is one of my favorite discussions, because it cuts to the core of Buddhism. What's more, understanding it has huge implications for pragmatic dharma. In other words, we can reasonably ask what the early Buddhists were trying to say, and whether they were right. If they were right, how can we benefit from their ideas and instructions in our own lives? If they were wrong, how can we improve upon their ideas and instructions?
Here is one interpretation of the Four Noble Truths:
1. There is dukkha.
For the purposes of this discussion, let's translate dukkha as "unsatisfactoriness, stress, suffering."
2. The cause of dukkha is tanha.
Let's define tanha as any sense whatsoever that you'd like this present experience to be other than it is.
3. There is an end to dukkha, namely nibbana.
My working definition of nibbana is absence of experience.
4. The recipe for nibbana is the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is a fairly comprehensive set of instructions for both getting off the "wheel of death and rebirth" and for mitigating unecessary suffering while one remains living.
I like this simple formulation because it all hangs together. It assumes that the early Buddhists knew what they were talking about, because by these definitions they are not asking me to believe anything I cannot verify in my own experience. My observation is that tanha is an essential component of a living organism. We move toward things that tend toward individual and species survival, and away from things that tend toward individual death and species extinction. We can see this behavior even in bacteria, and we can see a kind of proto-tanha in plants as they move toward the light of the sun. In humans, tanha can be said to be unsatisfactory, stressful, and even suffering. Hence, dukkha. Since this constant reactivity to our environment is baked into us at the very deepest levels, it is implausible to expect it to stop while we continue to draw breath.
When I put all this together, it seems straightforward enough; dukkha and experience are inseparable. So the only way to be free of dukkha is to have no experience. Absence of experience is called nibbana.
This, however, does not leave open the possibility of eradicating dukkha while still living, and this can seem harsh, even offensive to modern sensibilities. Still, I appreciate the elegance of a conceptual framework that is internally consistent.
Finally, there is the fact that I've never met anyone who did not experience unsatisfactoriness, stress, and suffering, even though I've spent a reasonable amount of time in the company of advanced practitioners of Buddhism and other contemplative practices. Contemplative adepts often experience profound changes in the way they experience their lives over time, but they don't eradicate tanha or dukkha. In the rare cases where people have claimed such a thing, further exposure to them has led me to the conclusion that they were mistaken, and perhaps pathologically delusional.
Taken together, this leads me to a very down-to-earth view; awakening is possible and almost unimaginably beneficial for individual humans. There may also be societal benefits. Eradication of dukkha, however, where dukkha means unsatisfactoriness, stress, and sufffering while still alive, was never on the table and could not be, given the basic biology of the human organism. And that is fine with me... or at least I am willing to acknowledge that it is this way, even though I may wish it were otherwise. I would even go so far as to say that the more I am able to acknowledge that things are not the way I wish them to be, the more enlightened I feel, with a nod to the irony that what I used to think of as enlightenment seems a bit cartoonish from my current perspective, and that from that former perspective my current views seem a giant step backwards.
The following user(s) said Thank You: David Adriance
Here's my (practical) take on the four truths:
Dukkha is having the identity as being "socially inadequate" or "physically wounded"
Tanha is instinctual craving that dependently wants to both "have a problem, so I can fix the problem". This creates an endless stressful cycle of being and wanting and being and wanting which is almost impossible to see in perspective.
Nibbana is the cooling/extinguishing of the assumption that >sensations< of inadequacy or woundedness means an >identity< of inadequacy or woundedness
The Eightfold Path is living in a way that minimizes external "triggers" for feeling of inadequacy or woundedness, to help support practices that investigate and release the confusion of "sensations vs. identity" of inadequacy and woundedness. It can't just be a hobby because we're basically hacking the instinctual survival mechanism of "finding what's wrong and fixing it". Practice helps us see how entire worldviews arise dependent on sensations that imply an identity "I'm afraid because I feel afraid" or "I'm powerful because I feel powerful", etc. When we have insights into the tautology of worldviews and when the sensations of the survival instinct is seen through, we realize that concerns about survival (impermanence), comfort (suffering), and identity (no-self) cannot be fixed, yet they have been seen through so we don't get confused for these drives being our identity. Our survival, comfort, and identity needs are not what we >are<.. Life continues, nothing changes, but everything has changed.
Dang, not bad! That's been ruminating in my noggin for a while... Hope it adds to the conversation!
shargrol
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge, Elizabeth
Kenneth-- I was with you, up to defining nibbana as the absence of experience. Maybe that reflects my lack of study of Theravadin interpretations; in Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings with which I have more familiarity, it is made clear that emptiness/absence of experience is never more than a provisional goal-- access to the "pause" button, if you will, rather than a permanent full stop. Otherwise, there are various ways of achieving oblivion that are more accessible than dharma practice.
My teachers have said that the ultimate nonduality is the nonduality of samsara and nirvana. So far, that seems both true and apprehensible.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge, Jake Yeager, Laurel Carrington, every3rdthought, Rod, Deklan
Yeah, I was going to say something along those lines, except that I'm of the "don't know" school when it comes to figuring out what nibbana is. I like what Kate says, even if I don't really understand it.
Chris Marti wrote:
Hey Chris. I would define "suffering" as any emotion that arises due to attachment to the "objective" world. The objective world includes all phenomena that are or can be objectified by the "I," such as the body, sensations, thoughts, mental images, emotions, beliefs, friends, family, the natural world, froyo, etc.
Kate Gowen wrote:
So, it seems we can bypass the question of nibbana given that the Theravada and Mahayana interpretations of the word essentially cancel each other out.
We're left with the question of whether it's possible to walk around without dukkha, which seems to me to be a highly practical question. I think I hear you saying "no, I don't believe that." Am I reading you right? Laurel seems to also be saying "no." Jake says "yes." And Shargrol is defining dukkha in a unique way, but hasn't said whether he believes it's possible to live without it on an ongoing basis given his definition.
I think the word dukka tends to be use in both the sensation sense as well as the identity sense. I can imagine a zen guy saying:
There is dukka that is not dukka,
and there is dukka that is dukka.
The dukka that is not dukka is known as dukka,
whereas the dukka that is dukka is dukka.
My answer to the question "is it possible to live without it on an ongoing basis given my definition?" is sometimes yes, sometimes no. To create a world view where there is an entity called dukka which goes out of experience, exists somewhere where it is not experienced, and comes back into experience again would be a perfect example of creating an entity/identity out of a sensation (the sensation of dukka implying the identity of a entity called Dukka).
Last Edit: 25 Apr 2015 18:07 by shargrol.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, Jake St. Onge, every3rdthought
I think emotions, "good" and "bad" and all shades in between, are part and parcel of our humanity. I don't believe we can rid ourselves of them, nor do we want to (having no emotions would rob me of a lot of the beauty of being alive, frankly). That, then, leaves the more practical question of what the Buddha meant when he said that there is an end to dukkha. I know there are many explanations and variants but it appears obvious to me that dukkha is not emotions, per se. So, Jake, I believe I can have emotions of all kinds and not be attached to them or allow them to have me attaching to objects. And... that also squares nicely with my experience.
One more reply:
The objective world includes all phenomena that are or can be objectified by the "I,"...
The "I" is an object (really better described as a whole plethora of objects depending on circumstances) but it's just like all the others you named, so it isn't really the "I" that is objectifying things. This, too, is my experience.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, Jake St. Onge
"We're left with the question of whether it's possible to walk around without dukkha, which seems to me to be a highly practical question. I think I hear you saying "no, I don't believe that." Am I reading you right?"
Um, no, I don't think so. I don't think we define 'dukkha' the same way: you are defining it as a kind of self-existent, problematical 'thing'-- or so it seems to me-- whereas I would say that it is a quality, a coloration, of experience. As such, it can be changed by practice and insight. The way in which it is changed is not by ending it by obliviating, but by opening up our subjectivity to understanding both our own nature and that of experience. Meditation is the means by which this happens: and it effects a transformation in the quality of experience-- even of the same phenomena.
That all sounds-- unfortunately-- extremely abstract, but that reflects more on my own limitations of expression, than the felt texture of experience.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge, Russell, every3rdthought
I think emotions, "good" and "bad" and all shares in between, are part and parcel of our humanity. I don't believe we can rid ourselves of them, nor do we want to (having no emotions would rob me of a lot of the beauty of being alive, frankly).
I was about to write a response to this and then I realized, nah, I don't have the experience so I'll just shut up!
I agree with this. There appears to be objectification going on, but who is doing the objectifying? Using the word "I" here was my clumsy attempt to assign the act of objectification to some "thing," but objectification does not require a "thing" I guess!
I hope I'm not trying everyone's nerves if I persist in responding to this excellent question.
It occurred to me that I can get around the philosophical abstraction quandry if I ground this in the teaching story that came to mind at the outset: the one where a woman whose child had died sought out the Buddha for help...
"The Mustard Seed
The reputation of Buddha Shakyamuni had spread far and wide. Not only was he renowned as a great, compassionate and fully enlightened human being, but also as a skilled teacher and a miraculous healer who could even bring the dead back to life.
One day, a woman approached him after a teaching begging that he do something to restore her dead child to her. The Buddha listened patiently to her plea and saw how great was her despair. He said to her, "Mother, if you bring me just one mustard seed from any household in which no person has died, then I shall revive your child."
The woman was greatly encouraged by the Teacher's words. She traveled from door to door throughout her own village, but could not find even a single residence in which no one had died. She went out of town, wandering to this hamlet and that in search of the tiny seed that the Buddha had requested. Days later, muddy and footsore, she returned to the place where the Buddha and his followers were passing the rainy season.
She was ushered into the Teacher's presence worn out, but not discouraged. "Master, try as I might, I could not locate the token you requested as an offering. But I have come to understand that death visits every household and eventually, every single one of us. I would like now, to 'enter the stream' and work towards the liberation that the teachings provide."
So-- if by 'dukkha' you mean the fact that the child was dead, or that the mother felt grief-- we agree: there is no end to it.
But Gautama must have meant something else when he described the 4 Noble Truths, because he proposed a path beyond suffering, a path that did not include a miraculous change in objective conditions like death, loss, bereavement. Nor did it include a permanent end to experience in toto.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jake St. Onge
Kenneth Folk wrote:
I don't think this is so - I don't think the Theravada definition of nibbana is absence of experience, and I'd be interested in being pointed toward any Pali canon reference that would back up that interpretation. For example according to Lily Da Silva backed up by a thicket of canonical references, nibbana is characterized by "happiness, moral perfection, realization, and freedom" (reference here). We can discuss whether these are realistic/achievable but it would be a different question to the present one about dukkha which interprets nibbana as absence of experience.
I concur with Chris that the question here is actually the definition of 'dukkha.' To know what 'Buddhism' thinks about this and what is an accurate understanding of 'Buddhism' - if indeed we could reach such a thing - for me the best question to ask is, what did the Buddha do and say after his awakening? (noting that I come at this question from a Pali canon perspective). He definitely still experienced physical discomfort that he'd prefer to get away from, e.g. when his back was sore after teaching for a long time. He also seemed to find some things a hassle meaning, all things being equal, he would prefer not to do them, as when deciding to teach or not after his awakening ('beings have lots of dust in their eyes and teaching them will be a hassle').
Also, when deciding these questions I find it useful to notice clearly how we order paradigms of truth - e.g. Kenneth in your post above, evolution is given a higher truth status than Buddhist teachings, so when the two conflict, for you evolution ('we are inescapably programmed to go toward what has survival value and away from what doesn't') trumps canonical Buddhist teachings. On this note, it would also be worth asking how the evolutionary paradigm deals with the problem of altruism.
Kenneth, I identify with your point that also for me, my earlier imaginings of what nibbana might be now seem cartoony - basically, the idea that I will never feel negativity or aversion of any kind. However it's slippery, because what I often find these days, wherever I might be on any sort of trajectory (a model that has its own problems), is that states that previously I would have found to fall into this category - sadness, anger, that 'I don't want it!' reaction - are still there, but now are inhabited fully and/or seen as teachings, and sometimes seem even beautiful rather than undesirable. So, are they actually 'the same' as previously, and are they 'aversive'? Hard to say.
I am open, though, to the possibility that other people - maybe rare and exceptional? - actually have the 'cartoony' experience I've described above. But that doesn't seem to be exactly where my practice is leading as it unfolds, nor a good/useful goal for me (indeed, one thing that happens is that goals increasingly drop away). On that note, I concur with the paradoxical quality pointed out by Laurel above - excellent reminder!
every3rdthought
Last Edit: 25 Apr 2015 19:24 by every3rdthought.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, Jake St. Onge, shargrol, Ona Kiser
I'm not sure if I'm missing something here or going off-topic, but I'm gonna need some definitions to understand... How are you defining 'awakening' as you use it? How do you define 'getting off the wheel of birth and death', in your own interpretation or even your own interpretation about Buddha's interpretation? And, what's precipitated this change in view about the definition of nibbana?, if you don't mind answering
And, for getting to the bottom of what-this-path's-all-about this table might be useful. As he admits, both are caricatures but I think it might prove useful for this discussion, at least for identifying/examining caricatures of two sides.
meaningness.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/sutra-vs-tantra/
Deklan
objectification does not require a "thing" I guess!
This is actually exactly it, believe it or not. Over time, this insights dawns on us, more and more, until Oh!
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, Jake St. Onge, Jake Yeager
I like this simple formulation because it all hangs together. It assumes that the early Buddhists knew what they were talking about...
Does it have to ‘hang together” and make sense to the logical, rational part of our minds?
What if they deeply and intimately knew exactly what they were talking about but that something was difficult, even for them, to put into words that made sense? Hence a list that doesn’t quite hang together so that there are gaps to slip through into the experience they can point to but not describe?
I'll throw something else out to consider: if no dukkha = having no experience, then there is the question of who is having experiences. I can suggest that stuff can be happening, but not to anyone. For example, in a few minutes I'm going to post on my thread, and there will be a litany of experiences, but they do not seem personal. Yet I don't wish to die (at least not yet). I can't see how "no experiences" is nibbana, or otherwise we would all be advised to die ASAP.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kate Gowen, shargrol, Andy
Lots of great points in this thread and I hope to respond to many of them, but I want to answer this one right away, because it is fundamental to the discussion:
Deklan wrote:
what's precipitated this change in view about the definition of nibbana?
There is no change in my view about the definition of nibbana. This is the only definition of nibbana I ever learned from my Theravada Buddhist teachers, both Burmese and American. Nibbana means extinction. LIghts out. I know this is shocking to many people in modern times, but it's a fairly generic Theravada Buddhist understanding.
Take a look at Thanissaro Bikkhu's translation of several references to nibbana here. Without overlaying any preconceptions about what nibbana ought to be, just take it at face value. The simplest interpretation of nibbana is the end of experience. Any other interpretation requires some dancing.
My point is not to insist that nibbana as extinction is the Right Way to Think, but rather to establish it as one bookend within the conversation. Without this admittedly extreme view, with all its scary implications about the value (or nonvalue) of human existence, I don't believe we can have an informed conversation about Buddhism.
I find that Buddhist teachers often soft-pedal nibbana when speaking to contemporary audiences, especially Westerners. This is understandable given the mind-boggling clash with our pre-existing cultural values. But it does lead to this odd situation in which even people who have identified as Buddhists for years are shocked to learn that nibbana bears no resemblance to Christian ideals of Heaven or Hindu ideals of union with Brahman. I simply would point out that without this bookend concept of nibbana as extinction, nothing about early Buddhism makes sense, and that pragmatic dharma practitioners can learn a great deal by opening to the possibility that the Buddha was almost unimaginably more radical (and scary) than they ever realized.
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Stellar Evolution
What Color is a Brown Dwarf?
Brown dwarfs are extremely low mass stars. They have masses only slightly larger than that of the planet Jupiter. Because a star's temperature depends on its mass (with smaller stars having cooler temperatures) brown dwarfs are extremely cool.
We know that as the temperature of a hot dense object decreases, it glows an ever duller red color. You can see this by watching an electric stove burner when you turn it off.
Are brown dwarfs such a dull red? Well, not quite. They are so cool that dust can condense in their atmospheres and mingled with the dust are sodium atoms. Sodium atoms absorb yellow light very strongly. If you take yellow light away from a dull red star, the star looks purple or magenta.
So brown dwarfs are actually purple!
Formation of High Mass Stars
Astronomers have known for many years that when a high mass star is born, the material falling on to the forming star heats it intensely. The resulting high temperature creates a very intense flood of radiation from the young star that pushes outward, creating a strong radiation pressure. The outward push of the radiation pressure makes it difficult for additional matter to fall on to the star. Thus, the star's mass can not increase indefinitely.
Computer studies of this process show that the radiation pressure is most intense near the star's poles and is relatively weak near the star's equator. Material falling inward, therefore, accumulates in orbit around the star and forms a rotating disk above the star's equator.
This rotating disk grows "spiral arms", much like the spiral arms of some galaxies, but on a much smaller scale. Gas in the disk flows inward toward the star along the arms and can gradually build the star's mass to larger values than were previously thought. Moreover, the disk may develop "lumps", much as we saw occurred in the Solar Nebula when our Solar System formed. In the case of the massive star, the lumps may be so big that they may merge into a second star. Thus, a forming high mass may create a partner star in orbit around it. In fact, a very high percentage of massive stars show exacvtly such a companion.
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B&G EPS4.
Out of the darkness appeared two glowing eyes. It appeared right on the car. "Let her go" the voice broke out of the extreme darkness, the eye had not come alone, it came with a speaking body.
"Who the hell are you" the man said, he let go of Elle and he faced the direction where he had seen the lustrous eyes. Elle scrambled to her feet she held her torn blouse together so it would cover her.
"How dare you stop m....." he was forced to seal his lips as a thick fist scrunched his nose, he fell to the ground holding his nose, the glowing eye had vanished. Blood dripped out of his nose, he attempted standing up but he felt to the ground again, he held his nose hermetically and he laid on the ground for some second, his heart thumped faster, he tried scrambling to his feet but he ended up falling into the ground again, finally he gave up trying. he laid gloomily on the ground.
The street light went on, tega stood a little meter away from where the man had fallen, he took an arched posture, and he gnarled angrily staring at the man. Elle was no where to be found. "Bastard!!!" tega mumbled, he spat out and he walked away.
Zitch sat in a dark a room, it was cold and he seems pleased with the extreme murkiness, his eyes was shut closed. He had gone long, climbing up the meditation ladder. his hands were placed on the arms of the chair he sat on, and his nostrils were flaring.
Out of the darkness appeared the glowing eyes again. "you came late tega" Zitch proclaimed, his eyes were still closed. "sorry lord, I had to take care of something" tega's voice scaled out into the aphotic atmosphere.
Zitch opened up his eyes and the light went on, his eyes shimmered bright. Tega was positioned, hunked on the window frame. he jumped down and he walked towards Zitch. "I have announced my self. My lord, they will be out looking for us as soon as possible." Zitch snarled his ear stood and his hair began to rise, he stared at tega from a long range. Tega walked towards him, he knelt in front of him and he awaited Zitch hands to find it way to his head. He gnashed as Zitch hands fell on his head, it was like something was been extracted out of him. Then he stopped struggling. Tega fell into the ground as Zitch let go of his head. Blood flowed out tega's ear.
Zitch tightened his fist in anger, he closed his eyes and the whole room went out of light again, it was like the whole light had gone into him. He opened up his eyes and it glowed, sharp and bright, it was like he had absorbed all the light flowing into the room "Who is she" he asked glowering. "didn't I warn you not to relate with anyone." Zitch sounded angry. "I am sorry my lord" tega pleaded. "I read her mind, she has a link to the ISG maximum prison, we can reach tega through her".
There was an hush in the atmosphere, Zitch eyes glowed in the dark. "That doesn't mean you should relate with her" Zitch spoke up again, "pardon my lord"tega pleaded he had fallen on his kneels.
The lights went on again, Zitch eyes had gone dark, deep inside of him was terror.
Tega cripped briskly till he was near Zitch and he fitted his head into his open hands. He drooled and his ears kept emitting more blood.
Zitch sat on an old study table, right in front of him was an old brown leather, containing some lines and diagram, it looked like a map, that had been drawn 100 of years ago.
"It is 200 years now, and you haven't been able to decode this map." a young lady on a frame less bed adjacent his table said. "Tega will help me reach his father." Zitch replied "The map would be read and we will find the Gold for our self." he faced the lady then he continued "I trained his father, I received him that night in the coffee shop. I did ever thing for him. Just for him to share me his secret. Then he betrayed me, he refused to read out the map" "then you snatched the map from him, stole away his son and you sold him out to the police. You sold out our weakness to sterl just for a cave of Gold!!!" she exploded. "do you think tega will kill his father, for you." she continued. "Tega is loyal to me, I control him I am in his head. he cant betray me, he is not 20 yet." Zitch snarled. He folded the map, opened a drawer attached to the table and he laid the map in there then he locked it up.
Zitch pushed back the chair stood up and he walked over to the bed. he pulled off his shirt and he laid beside the lady. She placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat. "He has potentials, he bares his father's name. he might betray you like his father did. Remember you once controlled his father." she said in a low and frequent tone. They both closed their eyes and the light in the room went off.
Their eyes glowed in the dark as they opened it up again. "Morlin, boris wife is next on target. with her we can get an access into ISG, get to meet tega, get the map read and get the Gold" "you talk cheap dear, pale will never let that happen. remember he is also after the Gold. He arrested tega, remember. He knows our weakness" "That, I have planned. Young tega is smart enough. You know how strong he his, Tega is not just any name, only the first son of the LEVA clan bears that name, they are strong" "you talk to me like i know nothing about all of this" "I only wanted to remind you." the room went calm as Zitch paused, his eyes glowed in the dark, the lady had her eyes closed. "I will bring an end to the whole LEVA clan and soon no body will bare the name tega. The gold is mine" he chucked and soon it turned into a wild laugh, his eyes shone brighter like a burning fire.
Just wedded
Home coming
Funny Meme: Concoction
Fuunypix_me when I arrive a party
Funnypix_The chicken
(NEW MUSIC UPDATE) Too Much by Seyi
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Bill Higgins' Blog
« HTTP caching options
links for 2007-05-25 »
the Uncanny Valley of user interface design
17 May, 2007 //
There’s a theory called ‘The Uncanny Valley’ regarding humans’ emotional response to human-like robots. From The Wikipedia entry:
The Uncanny Valley is a hypothesis about robotics concerning the emotional response of humans to robots and other non-human entities. It was introduced by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970 […]
Mori’s hypothesis states that as a robot is made more humanlike in its appearance and motion, the emotional response from a human being to the robot will become increasingly positive and empathic, until a point is reached beyond which the response quickly becomes strongly repulsive. However, as the appearance and motion continue to become less distinguishable from a human being’s, the emotional response becomes positive once more and approaches human-human empathy levels.
This area of repulsive response aroused by a robot with appearance and motion between a “barely-human” and “fully human” entity is called the Uncanny Valley. The name captures the idea that a robot which is “almost human” will seem overly “strange” to a human being and thus will fail to evoke the requisite empathetic response required for productive human-robot interaction.
While most of us don’t interact with human-like robots frequently enough to accept or reject this theory, many of us have seen a movie like The Polar Express or Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within, which use realistic – as opposed to cartoonish – computer-generated human characters. Although the filmmakers take great care to make the characters’ expressions and movements replicate those of real human actors, many viewers find these almost-but-not-quite-human characters to be unsettling or even creepy.
The problem is that our minds have a model of how humans should behave and the pseudo-humans, whether robotic or computer-generated images, don’t quite fit this model, producing a sense of unease – in other words, we know that something’s not right – even if we can’t precisely articulate what’s wrong.
Why don’t we feel a similar sense of unease when we watch a cartoon like The Simpsons, where the characters are even further away from our concept of humanness? Because in the cartoon environment, we accept that the characters are not really human at all – they’re cartoon characters and are self-consistent within their animated environment. Conversely, it would be jarring if a real human entered the frame and interacted with the Simpsons, because eighteen years of Simspons cartoons and eighty years of cartoons in general have conditioned us not to expect this [Footnote 1].
There’s a lesson here for software designers, and one that I’ve talked about recently – we must ensure that we design our applications to remain consistent with the environment in which our software runs. In more concrete terms: a Windows application should look and feel like a Windows application, a Mac application should look and feel like a Mac application, and a web application should look and feel like a web application.
Obvious, you say? I’d agree that software designers and developers generally observe this rule except in the midst of a technological paradigm shift. During periods of rapid innovation and exploration, it’s tempting and more acceptable to violate the expectations of a particular environment. I know this is a sweeping and abstract claim, so let me back it up with a few examples.
Does anyone remember Active Desktop? When Bill Gates realized that the web was a big deal, he directed all of Microsoft to web-enable all Microsoft software products. Active Desktop was a feature that made the Windows desktop look like a web page and allowed users to initiate the default action on a file or folder via a hyperlink-like single-click rather than the traditional double-click. One of the problems with Active Desktop was that it broke all of users expectations about interacting with files and folders. Changing from the double-click to single-click model subtley changed other interactions, like drag and drop, select, and rename. The only reason I remember this feature is because so many non-technical friends at Penn State asked me to help them turn it off.
Another game-changing technology of the 1990s was the Java platform. Java’s attraction was that the language’s syntax looked and felt a lot like C and C++ (which many programmers knew) but it was (in theory) ‘write once, run anywhere’ – in other words, multiplatform. Although Java took hold on the server-side, it never took off on the desktop as many predicted it would. Why didn’t it take off on the desktop? My own experience with using Java GUI apps of the late 1990s was that they were slow and they looked and behaved weirdly vs. standard Windows (or Mac or Linux) applications. That’s because they weren’t true Windows/Mac/Linux apps. They were Java Swing apps which emulated Windows/Mac/Linux apps. Despite the herculean efforts of the Swing designers and implementers, they couldn’t escape the Uncanny Valley of emulated user interfaces.
Eclipse and SWT took a different approach to Java-based desktop apps [Footnote 2]. Rather than emulating native desktop widgets, SWT favor direct delegation to native desktop widgets [Footnote 3], resulting in applications that look like Windows/Mac/Linux applications rather than Java Swing applications. The downside of this design decision is that SWT widget developers must manually port a new widget to each supported desktop environment. This development-time and maintenance pain point only serves to emphasize how important the Eclipse/SWT designers judged native look and feel to be.
Just like Windows/Mac/Linux apps have a native look and feel, so too do browser-based applications. The native widgets of the web are the standard HTML elements – hyperlinks, tables, buttons, text inputs, select boxes, and colored spans and divs. We’ve had the tools to create richer web applications ever since pre-standards DOMs and Javascript 1.0, but it’s only been the combination of DOM (semi-)standardization, XHR de-facto standardization, emerging libraries, and exemplary next-gen apps like Google Suggest and Gmail that have led to a non-trivial segment of the software community to attempt richer web UIs which I believe we’re now lumping under the banner of ‘Ajax’ (or is it ‘RIA’?). Like the web and Java before it, the availability of Ajax technology is causing some developers to diverge from the native look and feel of the web in favor of a user interface style I call “desktop app in a web browser”. For an example of this style of Ajax app, take a few minutes and view this Flash demo of the Zimbra collaboration suite.
To me, Zimbra doesn’t in any way resemble my mental model of a web application; it resembles Microsoft Outlook [Footnote 4]. On the other hand Gmail, which is also an Ajax-based email application, almost exactly matches my mental model of how a web application should look and feel (screenshots). Do I prefer the Gmail look and feel over the Zimbra look and feel? Yes. Why? Because over the past twelve years, my mind has developed a very specific model of how a web application should look and feel, and because Gmail aligns to this model, I can immediately use it and it feels natural to me. Gmail uses Ajax to accelerate common operations (e.g. email address auto-complete) and to enable data transfer sans jarring page refresh (e.g. refresh Inbox contents) but its core look and feel remains very similar to that of a traditional web page. In my view, this is not a shortcoming; it’s a smart design decision.
So I’d recommend that if you’re considering or actively building Ajax/RIA applications, you should consider the Uncanny Valley of user interface design and recognize that when you build a “desktop in the web browser”-style application, you’re violating users’ unwritten expectations of how a web application should look and behave. This choice may have significant negative impact on learnability, pleasantness of use, and adoption. The fact that you can create web applications that resemble desktop applications does not imply that you should; it only means that you have one more option and subsequent set of trade-offs to consider when making design decisions.
[Footnote 1] Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a notable exception.
[Footnote 2] I work for the IBM group (Eclipse/Jazz) that created SWT, so I may be biased.
[Footnote 3] Though SWT favors delegation to native platform widgets, it sometimes uses emulated widgets if the particular platform doesn’t provide an acceptable native widget. This helps it get around the ‘least-common denominator’ problem of AWT.
[Footnote 4] I’m being a bit unfair to Zimbra here because there’s a scenario where its Outlook-like L&F really shines. If I were a CIO looking to migrate off of Exchange/Outlook to a cheaper multiplatform alternative, Zimbra would be very attractive because since Zimbra is functionally consistent with Outlook, I’d expect that Outlook users could transition to Zimbra fairly quickly.
Categories ajax, design
104 comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL
Spirited Machines: The robots of acclaimed high-tech artist David Bent | KurzweilAI says:
Johannes P Osterhoff - Uncanny Valley says:
[…] find almost-but-not-quite-human CGI characters to be disturbing or creepy. Started in 2007 by Bill Higgins and in 2010 fueled by Apple’s iOS Human Interface Guidelines that encouraged designers to […]
Mobile Web App Considerations | Fabwire says:
[…] & behavior consideration: the Uncanny Valley of user interface design. Don’t try to make the mobile site look like a native app bc users will have expectations […]
Dean Grizzaffi says:
There might be zero problem together with property brew recording; Truly also been doing the following pertaining to concerning the season.
Theme: Wu Wei by Jeff Ngan
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Meet Jeff Hunt: Taylor's heir-apparent
Submitted by Drama Queen on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 16:37
At Saturday's Karl Rove Memorial 11th District Republican convention, no one could answer the question: "Will Taylor step aside?" So, of course, no one would answer the question: "If he does, who will run" against Democrat Heath Shuler?
However when Screwy Hoolie and I finally pinned him down, District Attorney Jeff Hunt, admitted that if 8-term former Congressman Charles Taylor doesn't run in 2008, "I'm at least looking very closely at it."
Watch him discuss his potential candidacy in this short video and hear him talk about why Republicans lost the Congressional seat they'd held for 16 years. You'll want to listen to the end to where he brings up the H-word and proudly compares Republicans to termites.
Also of note: Hunt tops the list of the Board of Directors of a new federal registered PAC called West Wins. Too young to have filed FEC financial disclosure reports, this is from the groups' website:
West Wins is a group of Republican workers who are dedicated to winning the 2008 governorship of North Carolina, winning back the 11th congressional seat, keeping our other congressional seats and our US Senate seats and winning offices from the Courthouse to the White House!
West Wins recognizes the need for Western North Carolina to unite to accomplish these goals. We are currently operating with a skeleton staff and dedicated volunteers. Our expertise and experience is well rooted in successful campaigns of WNC Republican candidates.
In case you're inclined to dismiss this organization due to its youth, consider these facts:
Its board includes Republican leaders from all three Western North Carolina DistrictsIncumbent
5th District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx keynotes their May 5 "Campaign Kickoff Reception and Dinner (i.e., fundraiser)
They've mass mailed donation requests that start at $200 and range up to $2400.
They've instituted a sophisticated district-wide letter-to-the-editor campaign.
And, whether Taylor runs again or not, Hunt clearly plans to continue to be a major player in the upcoming Congressional race. Now one question remains: Will Taylor step aside early enough to give Hunt enough time to build name recognition -- his biggest deficit in this potential contest against the increasingly influential Shuler.
Drama Queen's blog
A swarm of termites
Submitted by momoaizo on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 16:53
eating away at this country's infrastructure. Boy-oh, that'll GOTV. Interesting that they say that Clinton will energize the Republic's to vote....interesting.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Progressive Discussions
They have no freaking clue
Submitted by Blue South on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 17:01
This is what I was saying to my mom about Elizabeth Dole earlier, and it seems to be doubly true for this guy.
The fact that Bush is still so highly regarded amongst core Republicans is incredibly telling. People like Dole cant fathom that anyone would not support Bush and not support the war, and they are surrounded by people who literally are dumbstruck by the opposition to Bush.
This guy just gave a bunch of reasons why Chucky lost, and not one was an issue or character comment. It wasnt the fact that Chucky was a lying POS. It wasnt Abramoff, or the blue wave or Iraq or anything. Voter Registration??? Seriously? You dont win by that many points with voter registration.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Liddy 44 Brad 33
Great report
Submitted by James on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 17:19
It's good to know who the potential enemy is. And make no mistake, this guy is the enemy.
I had a funny teaser but
it doesn't show up when I click on the post . . . should I edit my diary to include the teaser? I'm confused about the teaser thing. If it doesn't show up what's the point?
News of the 10th district: See Pat Go Bye Bye,
Don't worry I fixed it
It was dull without the teaser stuff. Plus the photo is missing . Oh well. I'll figure it out one day.
I have teaser problems every day
I think I used it once productively . . . the rest of the time it's been more like torture.
I'm glad you said so
I spent so much time on it, I felt really bitchy about it and then wondered if I was burning all my bridges with you guys! I guess I'll just copy the photo to the post and be done with it!
Excellent reporting!
Submitted by NCDem Amy on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 19:32
Did he know you had your camera rolling or was it hidden in a bag? LOL.
He sounded pretty ticked the Democrats turned out the vote---he said, "they may be just one time voters." And, justified why they lost another big chunk of votes saying about how 'about half of those people usually vote for us." Was he referring to Black people, as "those people?"
he was saying independent voters
n/t
NCDem: he meant that
the newly registered Dems might be one-time voters, but for "those" people, he meant unaffiliated types.
He saw the camera. Contrary to rumor, I have never videotaped anyone with a hidden camera OR the camera from a cell phone! I just didn't have time to get the tripod higher so I went with what I had. It was really really close to him. Notice how he zooms in when he says Hilary Clinton's name. It was freaky, he was so close.
Front-paging this one
Submitted by Gordon Smith on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 22:01
any objections?
Scrutiny Hooligans - http://www.scrutinyhooligans.us
That's a good call.
Very interesting. I am convinced that "those people"
Submitted by Ashevillein on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 23:04
is the new code word speak for "black people" and "spanish people" here in the Evil Empire of the People's Republic of Asheville.
I hear that a lot, and from people who mean exactly that.
I do not think it a coincidence that this man uses that phrase.
I also think it is amazing that all these people bad mouth Asheville for our diversity, yet ask one where they are from, and see what answer you get.
Asheville.
I think almost anyone not him
Submitted by Drama Queen on Mon, 04/30/2007 - 00:16
is "those people."
So just the other day
Submitted by cm1165 on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 23:26
I ate lunch with this dingbat. It was at the Western North Carolina Crime Victim Coalition Luncheon that happened in Down Town Asheville. He was up with a big group from his office. I was less than impressed with him then and there. Not to mention, there was a lot of influence, power, and money in that room, and he took no opportunity to work it. It strikes me that he would be a bad match to the fairly likable Shuler.
There was one woman there though that I would bet money on to be running for something at least. She is a former State Rep or Senator (I can't remember which) from, I think Henderson. I unfortunately didn't pay real close attention as I was chowing down on really good food that I was getting for free. (Hey I am a college student, what do you expect). Anyway, this woman apparently stepped down a few years ago, but she was still working the room like a pro. Came over and rubbed all up on Hunt and even introduced herself to us, a group of college students from the hippie school.
Now that I think about it, it makes so much sense now the way that Hunt's face fell when we sat down at his table and told him that we were from Warren Wilson. I guess he was hoping for some Montreat faithful.
The Great appear great because we are on our knees – Let Us Rise!
-- “Big Jim” Larkin
Since I posted this, I've heard that the DA is a "moron, lazy," and has "pissed of a lot of people." He seemed to have an attitude of expectant privilege. He didn't seem to have respect for the rank-and-file Republicans at the event, much less anyone else! I'm sure he didn't think much of you hippie freaks!
So, maybe he would be fun opponent for Shuler. There's just a lot of Republican money floating around to be too complacent.
What else did you learn at the luncheon?
There is not much more to say
Submitted by cm1165 on Mon, 04/30/2007 - 01:22
At the time, I really didn't know who he was. I mean I thought that he was a goober and all, but other than that, I really didn't pay him much attention. All I remember was that he didn't think that it was fair or something that we had come from the east and gotten there on time and "his people" were having to come in from the south and were stuck in traffic. Seriously, that was all he could talk about for, I'm serious here, 20 mins.
Two things: 1) Van Duncan (the new Democratic Sheriff) was very well spoken and seems like he is all business and about actually helping victims while respecting the rights of the accused.
2) Beverly Perdue's General Counsel, Will Polk, was the key note speaker. While I am sure that he has done good work for the crime victims of NC (I think they said he was in the AG's office before he was in the Lt. Gov's) he was not an extremely strong public speaker, and that reflected poorly on the Lt. Gov. even though Mr. Polk had been asked there when he was still in the AG's office. He was fine when he stuck to script, but anytime he tried to get off it, he would wonder off into some far field, frolic with the goats for a while and then wonder back. It was painful, and to be honest I felt a little sorry for him and for the Lt Gov for, as I said, it reflected poorly on her. (I don't mean to be mean spirited here, but I think that Mr. Polk's speech could have been more focused and more concise)
That is about all I got out of it. Take it for what its worth.
Oh PS-- there was a whole lot of fire power in the room, what with all the cops etc. It was most likely the safest place in Asheville for that 2 hour window.
Now it is time to write this 5-8 pager I have been putting off all weekend....
Thanks for the report
I'm glad to hear Van Duncan impressed.
Isn't it amazing how many public officials send bad speakers to represent them? I'm constantly dumbfounded. "Frolic with the goats . . . " You're funny. Have fun with your paper.
Come to Drinking Liberally sometime. It's on Coxe St. near the bus station. It's THursday nights at 7. Or have I already met you there ???
Nope, youve never seen me there
Although in NH in 2004 I met (and actualy shared a room with) the guy from NY that got the whole off the ground a few years ago.
After I get graduation behind me (3 weeks!) I will more than likely start making the rounds.
BTW, you know anyone in Asheville hiring recent college grads to do political organizing? Either that or know any rich folks willing to give me money and let me do as I will with it?
Just thought that I would ask.
Not exactly hiring season
What's your experience? You want to do issues or a candidate? Not that I know anyone or group hiring . . . But you might as well get some practice braggin'
Well let me tell you...
I have done field work for a presidential in NH (Clark), as well as field work for other issues and candidates. To be honest, I like issues better than candidates because to work for a candidate I have to really believe in them. It is easier for me to believe in issues over people. Not to mention issues rarely come back to bite you in the ass. People often do.
I mean I got the whole resume thing going, and I got a couple of possible leads, so I am working it like it is the Sunset Strip.
And keep in touch . . .
I like the lead on the West Wins site. Here is one for our version:
The party of Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, and Paul Wolfowitz is not the Party for Western North Carolina!
This is fun...lets think of some more. I could list them all day!
I think someone's paying attention
Submitted by Gordon Smith on Mon, 04/30/2007 - 11:11
Scrutiny Hooligans was full of House.gov hits on this post all morning. Thanks for reading!
thanks for doing this
Submitted by Jerimee on Tue, 05/01/2007 - 08:23
thanks for putting this together and posting it
it's great that he was willing to talk candidly
http://twitter.com/Jerimee
I don't think he understood
Submitted by Drama Queen on Tue, 05/01/2007 - 22:04
who we were.
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Remarkable organizations for youths
Mrittika Kabir
publish : 17 Apr, 2016
PrintAA-A+
We, Bangladeshis have always taken immense pride in our youth. The very creation of our country is largely credited to their valiant efforts and sacrifices. Their invaluable contribution during the liberation war set up a bright example for the youth of the whole world to follow. Even after the formation of the country, the energy of the young people was evident to establish a sound socio economic infrastructure of a war torn country. And today, we see our young generation taking the country forward astoundingly.
As Bangladesh is disaster prone and vulnerable to climate change, the role of our young people in volunteer activities is really mentionable. “JAAGO” is one such volunteering organization which is run by an inspired team of young employees aiming to eliminate poverty from Bangladesh through catering to the educational needs of the under privileged people of the country. Korvi Rakshand, the founder of the organization says that JAAGO moves forward with an aim to establish at least one free of cost JAAGO literacy centre in each of the districts of Bangladesh. Starting with only 17 kids, the incipient tin shed room has turned into a well structured building with a playground. It renders service to 550 students today.
Another such youth driven organization is Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center which is the country's first leadership institute. It work to bridge gaps in society by uniting youth from diverse backgrounds, equipping them with leadership, problem solving, and team building skills, and engaging them in community-service. They intend to remove poverty as well through a team of home grown leaders and are successfully running different programs on that aspect. Last year BYLC has organized literacy programs across Dhaka city with a lot of young people volunteering for the program.
Youth’s Voice is another example of the inflaming growth of youth power. An organization which started with only the function of collection and distribution of clothes among the destitute has now reached a stage where its functions cannot be counted any longer. It advances towards a glorious tomorrow mainly by preaching education and awareness. Whether by distribution of proper meals or of medical treatment, it always bears the condition of the underprivileged in mind. Also it renders days of entertainment to children who are highly deprived of it by miscellaneous arrangements.
These remarkable contributions of the youth of our country give us a lot of hope regarding the prospects of a positively growing nation. It is obviously a good sign that the country is being benefitted so hugely by its youth today. Hopefully, there will come a day when we won't have any more mouths to feed by voluntary service and that can be credited to the young generation of our nation. Long live Bangladesh, long live its indomitable youth.
Writer: Assistant Editor sahos24.com
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N. B. – All the comments of the comment section are no how connected to the editorial policy of Sahos24.com. The liability and responsibility regarding the comment are none but of the respective commenter.
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