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25% Off Code: "RPFMERRYMERRY"
The Nashville Session
Download MP3 | Images | Contact
From their inception nearly two decades ago in Leeds, UK, The New Mastersounds have wholeheartedly embraced the “old school” label—their sound rooted deeply in those classic soul jazz, boogaloo and funk albums on labels such as Blue Note and Prestige by artists like Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and Lou Donaldson. The New Mastersounds’ latest LP, The Nashville Session, takes that devotion one step further by recording in the same tradition that many of those rare groove gems were made.
The Nashville Session, a 10-track collection cut at Welcome To 1979 studio in Nashville, was multi-tracked live onto one-inch tape in a single evening session in front of a small studio audience. Following the performance the recording was mixed down to quarter-inch stereo and cut direct to vinyl lacquers. There are no guests and no overdubs, just bass, drums, guitar and organ—essentially pure New Mastersounds. Hitting the studio at the tail end of their Fall and Winter 2015 cross-country U.S. tour, the band was razor sharp and vise tight. They selected material to record from across their 16-plus year career and ten studio albums. The lone exception being their take on legendary jazz guitarist Grant Green’s arrangement of James Brown’s “In The Middle.”
“We made the decision to record in this context because our older tunes have been evolving over a decade and a half of live presentation.. Once-spontaneous improvised sections have gradually become fixed into the live arrangements. Much of the change has come about since organist Joe Tatton joined the band in 2007,” explains drummer Simon Allen. “It was also the perfect time to capture the cheeky, spontaneous and confident energy of a live show at the point—straight off of tour—when the band was at the top of its game. As lovers of ’60s and ’70s funk and soul jazz, we have never much enjoyed the sound of modern digital live recordings. Somehow the balance of frequencies such recordings deliver is never what we crave; our music just makes the most sense to our ears and to our feet when everything is crunched onto tape, exactly the way the music that first influenced us was recorded.”
The Nashville Session will be released exclusively on vinyl via a limited edition 1000-piece pressing on Royal Potato Family and will not be available in any other formats upon initial release. Top to bottom gritty, greasy and funky to the bone, the collection presents The New Mastersounds at their finest—utterly unadulterated by modern digital technology, full-on analog and unapologetically doing it old school.
© 2016 Jim Mimna
© 2016 Cover Art
Label & Publicity:
Kevin Calabro
Royal Potato Family
kevin@royalpotatofamily.com
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Copyright Year
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You can browse our books easily with any of the following filters, hover over the filters or their titles to see their descriptions.
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New Beech Street Books (8 series)
Black History in Canada (Coast 2 Coast 2 Coast)
Black Canadians have shaped Canadian history since it was first colonized. Black History in Canada explores the struggles many early black settlers faced and how black Canadians have fought throughout history for equal treatment. Readers will learn about the important contributions black Canadians have made from their initial arrival in colonial times through the present day.
Canadian Celebrations (Butter Tarts)
This series explores some uniquely Canadian holidays and the people who celebrate them, including regional variations as applicable.
Disasters in Canada: Prepare and Be Safe (True North)
Disaster can strike at any time. Communities across Canada have felt the effects of wildfires, floods, ice storms, and other natural disasters. Disasters in Canada: Prepare and Be Safe teaches readers the science behind these disasters, how Canadian communities prepare for them, and what families can do to stay safe.
Explorers of Canada
Follow in the footsteps of some of Canada's greatest explorers in this high-interest series. Each title chronicles the timeline of an explorer, explains the motivation behind their journey, and examines their relationship with Indigenous Peoples. A combination of modern and historic maps and colourful images highlight the places visited and discovered by these adventurers.
Indigenous Communities in Canada (True North)
Approximately 1.4 million Indigenous people live in Canada today. They come from a large number of communities, each with its own history, language, and cultural practices. Indigenous Canadian Communities in Canada will explore the lives of Indigenous people, both in the past and in current times.
Indigenous Life in Canada: Past, Present, Future (Coast 2 Coast 2 Coast)
Indigenous peoples have played an influential role in Canadian history and continue to do so today. From the past and into the future, Indigenous Life in Canada reveals the challenges Indigenous peoples face, celebrates their diverse cultures, and highlights the contributions they make in Canada.
Les grandes escapades routières canadiennes
Prépare-toi à explorer le Canada d'un océan à l'autre?! Cette série très visuelle mène les lecteurs sur une escapade routière à travers toutes les provinces et les territoires canadiens. Visite les principales villes et parcours les sentiers battus à la découverte des gens, de l'environnement, de la nourriture, des cultures et de l'histoire de chaque région. Les détours ajoutent des anecdotes et des blagues au parcours, tandis que des cartes indiquent le chemin parcouru.
Understanding Canadian Government and Citizenship
This dynamic series introduces young readers to the three levels of government in Canada and its impact on daily life. It also explores the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Colourful flowcharts and diagrams illustrate government processes, while sidebars examine contemporary issues and invite readers to think critically about modern Canadian politics.
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Tag Archives: Gizmodo
By Scarlett Harris ¶ Posted in On the (Rest of the) Net, On the Net ¶ Tagged atheism, body image, Breaking Dawn, Catherine Deveny, Clementine Ford, disability, Facebook, Feminaust, feminism, girl-hate, Gizmodo, Good, iPhone, Jezebel, Lingerie Football League, MamaMia, manic pixie dream girl, marriage, Ms. Elouise, Musings of an Inappropriate Woman, My Week with Marilyn, New York Times, porn, pro-life, Rachel Hills, rape, relationships, Sarah Ayoub-Christie, sex, sexual harassment, Siri, Stella Young, The Atlantic, virginity, Wordsmith Lane, XOJane ¶ Leave a comment
Post of the week: Catherine Deveny on body love. [MamaMia]
On sexual harassment and “nightclub feminist success”. [Musings of an Inappropriate Woman]
Atheists are just as bad as rapists… and feminists. [Jezebel]
Lingerie football. What do you think? Personally, I’m not a huge fan of playing sports in underwear, but I don’t have much of a problem with it. [MamaMia]
“The Problem with My Week with Marilyn.” [Jezebel]
All long-term monogamous relationships are a transaction, says Ms. Elouise, so what’s the big problem with “paying your wife for sex”? [Feminaust]
Facebook, girl-hate and “I’m a better feminist than you” tête-à-têtes. [Howling Clementine]
XOJane on the message Breaking Dawn sends to virgins.
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope extends to indie films, too. [The Atlantic]
iPhone 4S’ Siri is pro-life, apparently. [Gizmodo]
When hemlines rise, so does bitchiness. [Jezebel]
Stella Young on the disability pension myth. [MamaMia]
Former Wordsmith Laner Sarah Ayoub-Christie tries to reconcile her modern marriage with her traditional Lebanese upbringing. [MamaMia]
“Teaching Good Sex” in school. What a novel idea! [New York Times]
Men in porn:
“The straight male performer must be attractive enough to serve as a prop, but not so attractive that he becomes the object of desire. As [porn publicist, Adella] Curry puts it, ‘No one wants to alienate the male audience’.” [Good]
Image via MamaMia.
By Scarlett Harris ¶ Posted in On the (Rest of the) Net, On the Net ¶ Tagged "Pauly D" DelVecchio, abortion, Angelina Pivarnick, animals, astrology, Barack Obama, Barbie, Brittany S. Pierce, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christine O'Donnell, Cleopatra, Easy A, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, feminism, Feminist Themes, gay rights, geeks, Gizmodo, Glee, hipsters, Jersey Shore, Jessica Rudd, Jezebel, Kevin Rudd, Lady Gaga, Liz Greene, MamaMia, Mia Freedman, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Pandagon, racism, Santana Lopez, Sarah Palin, slut-shaming, Susan Faludi, The Atlantic, The Nation, The View, third-wave feminism, True Blood, vegetarianism ¶ 1 Comment
“A Guide to Eating Food Off the Floor.”
Feminist Themes’ regular “Wait… What?” column features The View co-host, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and her take on the pro-choice versus pro-life debate.
In The Atlantic’s thought provoking piece on “The End of White America?”, Hua Hsu “discuss[es] Obama, football, hip-hop, and the elusive notion of a ‘post-racial’ society.”
Pandagon responds to Susan Faludi’s piece on third-wave feminism (which I haven’t read yet, but expect it to be included in an upcoming On the [Rest of the] Net), in which “she puts out evidence that younger feminists are sometimes unfair and ungrateful to older feminists, and that older feminists are sometimes so afraid of younger women that they go out of their way to exclude them… complaining that younger women don’t care.” Furthermore:
“… she reinforces a jumble of often conflicting stereotypes on younger feminists to discredit us: that we’re obsessed with navel-gazing over activism, that our obsession with technology comes at the expense of actual work, that we don’t know our history and don’t care about systemic issues, that we’re materialist[ic] and unwilling to challenge sexual exploitation for fear of pissing off men, that we’re so busy cultivating our graduate degrees writing about Lady Gaga… that we can’t be bothered to worry about real world issues.”
I do agree with some of this summary of Faludi’s piece, but Lady Gaga’s meat dress drew attention to vegetarianism, animal welfare and gay rights. They’re, like, real world issues, aren’t they?
Liz Greene delivers some particularly poignant points on parental relationships and “the family triangle” in “The Eternal Triangle”.
Buffy is “The Third Wave’s Final Girl”.
Jezebel reasons “Why Glee Still Needs to Work on Diversity”, while Brittany and Santana are “Queer Idols”:
“It wasn’t even until halfway through Glee’s first season that the first hint of queerness was even mentioned… Maybe you’d call it bisexual, maybe you’d call it heteroflexible, maybe you’d call it bicurious: whatever they are, it’s definitely a bit queer… Brittany is, if you will, an equal opportunity slut: one who’s willing to make out with whatever hotness crosses her path, regardless of gender… And among fellow fans of the show, my designation of Brittany and Santana as queer icons has met with some derision: their relationship is played for laughs, I’ve been told. They’re just straight girls making out for male attention… [But]… with the exception of their joint date with Finn, Brittany and Santana have hardly been shown using their relationship to win over boys… For me, Brittany and Santana represent a new mode of queer figure… : fluidly sexual, comfortable with same sex contacts, and more interested in finding happiness than finding the right label. They may not fit into the rigid structures of traditional sexual identities, but they’re comfortable enough with themselves not to care.”
More Jezebel: They’ve really been getting on the “slut-shaming bandwagon”, especially with their endorsement of Easy A. Now, they give their take on the “Ancient Slut-Shaming” of Cleopatra, as well as the “sexual double standards” on Jersey Shore. About the latter, they say:
“… The slut-shaming of Angelina… revealed their thoughts on sexual double standards. (The ‘thoughts’ being that sexual double standards exist, and that’s just the way it is.)… Pauly said about Angelina: ‘She brought all these random people home. She’s a girl. You don’t do that. That’s a guy thing. Guy’s do that, no girls.’… Shouldn’t Pauly and The Situation be grateful for sluts? If there were no sluts then they would never be able to have sex. Do they think for one minute that they would even want to live in a world in which all girls acted the way they’re ‘supposed’ to?”
“Who Stole Feminism?”, asks The Nation. Sarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell and all those right-wing extremists, that’s who!
“Sarah Palin opposes abortion and comprehensive sex education. While mayor of Wasilla she made sexual assault victims pay for their own rape kits. She also calls herself a feminist. Delaware GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell has said that allowing women to attend military academies ‘cripples the readiness of our defence’ and that wives should ‘graciously submit’ to their husbands—but her website touts her ‘commitment to the women’s movement. Pundits who once mocked women’s rights activists as ugly bra burners are abuzz over the ‘new conservative feminism’, and the Tea Party is lauding itself as a women’s movement.
The right once disparaged feminism as man-hating and baby-killing, but now ‘feminist’ is the must-have label for women on the right.”
“Geeks Versus Hipsters” is the equivalent of the passionate versus the apathetic, respectively, according to Gizmodo. And from the hipsters I’ve come into contact with, I’m inclined to agree.
Can Newsanchor Barbie be both hot and a feminist?
Jessica Rudd (yes, Kevin’s daughter) discusses the differences between chick-lit and (the nonexistent) dick-lit in a guest post on MamaMia.
Beneath the “campy sensationalism” of True Blood lies “the weird, seemingly reactionary politics” of “the right’s worst nightmare about post-gay-liberation America come to life.”
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Sioux City Cosmo Privacy Policy
This organization uses ClubRunner for its membership management software and to publish its website, maintain its database, and send email communications.
ClubRunner
At ClubRunner, we're committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose information processed through this website, and our online subscription service (the "Services").
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2 Dec 2019 by Christopher Noessel
Whew. So we all waited on tenterhooks through November to see if somehow Tyrell Corporation would be founded, develop and commercialize general AI, and then advance robot evolution into the NEXUS phase, all while in the background space travel was perfected, Off-world colonies and asteroid mining established, global warming somehow drenched Los Angeles in permanent rain and flares, and flying cars appear on the market. None of that happened. At least not publicly. So, with Blade Runner squarely part of the paleofuture past, let’s grab our neon-tube umbrellas and head into the rain to check out this classic that features some interesting technologies and some interesting AI.
Release date: 25 Jun 1982
The punctuation-challenged crawl for the film:
“Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution into the NEXUS phase—a being virtually identical to a human—known as a Replicant. [sic] The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonisation of other planets. After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on Earth—under penalty of death. Special police squads—BLADE RUNNER UNITS—had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicants.
“This was not called execution. It was called retirement.”
Four murderous replicants make their way to Earth, to try and find a way to extend their genetically-shortened life spans. The Blade Runner named Deckard is coerced by his ex-superior Bryant and detective Gaff out of retirement and into finding and “retiring” these replicants.
Deckard meets Dr. Tyrell to interview him, and at Tyrell’s request tests Rachel on a Voight-Kampff machine, which is designed to help blade runners tell replicants from people. Deckard and Rachel learn that she is a replicant. Then with Gaff, he follows clues to the apartment of one exposed replicant, Leon, where he finds a synthetic snake scale in the bathtub and a set of photographs in a drawer. Using a sophisticated image inspection tool in his home, he scans one of the photos taken in Leon’s apartment, until he finds the reflection of a face. He prints the image to take with him.
He takes the snake scale to someone with an electron microscope who is able to read the micrometer-scale “maker’s serial number” there. He visits the maker, a person named “the Egyptian,” who tells Deckard he sold the snake to Taffey Lewis. Deckard visits Taffey’s bar, where he sees Zhora, another of the wanted replicants, perform a stage act with a snake. She matches the picture he holds. He heads backstage to talk to her in her dressing room, posing as a representative of the “American Federation of Variety Artists, Confidential Committee on Moral Abuses.” When she finishes pretending to prepare for her next act, she attacks him and flees. He chases and retires her. Leon happens to witness the killing, and attacks Deckard. Leon has the upper hand but Deckard is saved when Rachel appears from the crowd and shoots Leon in the head. They return to his apartment. They totally make out.
Meanwhile, Roy has learned of a Tyrell employee named Sebastian who does genetic design. On orders, Pris befriends Sebastian and dupes him into letting her into his apartment. She then lets Roy in. Sebastian figures out that they are replicants, but confesses he cannot help them directly. Roy intimidates Sebastian into arranging a meeting between him and Dr. Tyrell. At the meeting, Tyrell says there is nothing that can be done. In fury, Roy kills Tyrell and Sebastian.
The police investigating the scene contact Deckard with Sebastian’s address. Deckard heads there, where he finds, fights, and retires Pris. Roy is there, too, but proves too tough for Deckard to retire. Roy could kill Deckard but instead opts to die peacefully, even poetically. Witnessing this act of grace, Deckard comes to appreciate the “humanity” of the replicants, and returns home to elope with Rachel.
In the last scene, Gaff hints to Deckard with this unicorn origami that Deckard himself is a replicant.
P.S. This series uses “The Final Cut” edit of the movie, so I don’t have to hear that wretchedly-scripted voiceover from the theatrical release. If you can, I recommend seeing that version.
This entry was posted in Blade Runner (1982). Bookmark the permalink.
← The Design of Evil
8 Reasons The Voight-Kampff Machine is shit (and a redesign to fix it) →
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Banff To The Future
Written by runABC Scotland on Thu 30 May 2013
There's a new arrival on the north east running scene - Banff Road Runners! Founded in March this year, the club has already attracted 40 members with membership set to increase in the coming months. One of the founding runners, Charles Mackintosh, spoke to scottishrunningguide.com about the club's plans for the future.
Charles said: "We started the club to offer anyone and everyone the opportunity to take up running as we felt people would find it easier to do as part of a group. Other reasons were social inclusion, meeting like-minded people, training for events and to get fit. Providing a running club for this area was important as the closest one is about 30 miles away. I should point out that none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for our volunteers whose help has made all the difference."
There are currently two levels of groups running on Mondays and Wednesdays, with the club considering expanding due to increasing interest.
"The beginners are now pushing on to running a full mile without stopping and some are edging closer to join up with the next level of runners. The advanced group have been tackling 5-10 mile routes at the moment, and we will be completing hill rep sessions, time trials and fartlek training over the summer for the more serious runners."
Club members are regularly competing in races around the country and Charles revealed how SCOTTISH RUNNING GUIDE proved an invaluable resource for the club: "We have been distributing copies and encouraging members to check out the race calendar. Two members just completed Edinburgh marathon and another has signed up for next year's event. There are three or four members off to Cornhill Highland games this weekend for the Knock Hill Race. A group of females from the club are about to run in the Race For Life 5K and we are trying to encourage as many runners to participate in the Portsoy Follow the Herring 10K."
An added incentive of joining the club is the financial benefits available to members, Charles explained: "We have received sponsorship from SEAWAY Macduff, providing some of our members with club kit as well as selling our kit and other running equipment at a discount of 10% for members. This discount will be applied throughout the whole store. We are also in talks with Princess Royal Sports about an association that would allow the club to use their changing areas and toilets in the winter and receive a reduced rate for gym and class memberships."
For more information, visit the Banff Road Runners Facebook page.
Banff Road Runners
← Virgin Media Signs Up For Commonwealth Games
Your Chance To Join King Of The Fells →
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Scuttlebutt Europe #4067 - 10 April
A Perfect Start
$161,000 Regatta Watch
Introducing Harken Power3 Ratchet Blocks
2018 Onion Patch Notice of Series Posted
Cowes Classics Week 2018 opens for entries
2019 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race
Saint Lucia Welcomes the Return of World ARC Circumnavigators
The Last Word: John Perry Barlow
Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to
The ninth edition of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille started with a splash today, welcoming 53 teams in the regatta's seven classes.
The entire fleet enjoyed the first day's racing in perfect easterly trade winds between 15 - 20 knots and big swell on the coastal courses - between 28 and 29 nautical miles - with a start and finish right outside of Gustavia port.
For the much-anticipated Maxi 1 Class, George Sakellaris' Maxi 72 Proteus struck first, and is off to defend his overall win at last year's event. However, if today's racing is any indication, that will not be an easy task as Proteus and Sorcha, the TP52 skippered by Peter Harrison, Richard Mille's CEO (of Europe, Middle East and Africa), match raced their way around the course.
Two Maxi entries were last-minute scratches. Yves Montanari's La Bete broke their bowsprit on the delivery from Antigua, and Althane (Maxi 2) withdrew because of transom damage when it struck the dock when returning from sailing over the weekend.
CSA 1
Puerto Rico's Lazy Dog, a Melges 32 skippered by Sergio Sagramoso, a frequent Les Voiles class winner, returned to their place on top of the leaderboard over first time participant Albator, the NMD43 skippered by Philippe Frantz.
Currently suffering at the hand of ratings is TP52 Conviction skippered by Steve Travis, relegated to seventh at the end of today.
The 2018 edition boasts a record number of entries for the Multihull Class, and today's conditions perfectly suited them. Just like in CSA 1, the ratings game created some surprises.
In CSA Multihull, the Multi50 French Tech Caraibos led by Gilles Lamire (winner of The Transat Bakerly 2016) finished well ahead in real time but after correction sits in fifth place.
In first place is Christian Guyader, the skipper of Guyader Gastronomie, who will race the boat in November on the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe. "We had a very bad start, probably one of the worst we've ever had," he said. "Up close, we suffered a little, but we clung to our goal to finish in real time with the big boats. It was great; especially as we made a few speed spikes at more than 20 knots."
Racing begins at 10 am tomorrow, with similar conditions as today expected.
www.lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com
In the lovely Caribbean Sea off the island of St. Barth, the ninth annual edition of the Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille sailing competition is now underway, and to mark the start, Swiss watch brand Richard Mille releases one of the most expensive (non-gemstone-adorned) regatta watches to date: the RM 60-01 Les Voiles de St. Barth 2018 Limited edition Automatic Flyback Chronograph Regatta.
The bright yellow watch is being built in a limited edition of just 50 pieces -- dedicated to the races. Housing the RMAC2 automatic caliber, which is crafted in grade 5 titanium, the 50mm watch is a powerhouse. It offers flyback chronograph functions for timing multiple events, annual calendar with oversize date, running seconds and coordinated universal time (UTC) function. However, like all Richard Mille watches, there is so much more packed into this wrist device.
The bi-directional rotating outer bezel, along with the inner rings and dial, offers everything from indication of the four cardinal points and a graduated degree- and 24-hour scale. These functions enable the wearer to make some navigational calculations and determine current location. For a detailed look at how the watch works and for more of its technical features, visit http://ATimelyPerspective.com. -- Roberta Naas in Forbes.com
Introducing Harken Power3™ Ratchet Blocks
3 sheave options to synch your rigging and sailing style with the day's weather conditions
Is it blowing dogs off chains out there? Is it moderate with big puffs? Or is it light and variable? Harken's new Power3™ sheaves provide three ratchet block geometries and holding power options to optimize performance all across the wind range.
Harken ratchets with standard black sheaves offer 10:1 holding power (hold 10 units of load with 1 unit of effort) and remain the best all-purpose blend of holding power and responsive easing. The new titanium-colored sheaves offer 15:1 holding power. And the new silver sheaves provide massive 20:1 holding power. More ratchet choices allow sailors to fine-tune their set ups in tandem with the level of purchase to give themselves the ideal level of power, responsiveness, and grip.
You can get the sheaves in switchable, shackled Ratchamatic and T2™ soft-attach Ratchamatic® blocks. Power3 ratchets are sold individually. But if you're already sailing with the black sheave, switchable ratchet option on your boat, a two-pack of 15:1 and 20:1 holding power switchable ratchets is available so you can be ready for anything.
harken.com
Two regattas connected by the 635-mile Bermuda Race will once again spotlight the best boats and teams across inshore and offshore disciplines.
The official notice has been posted with the rules and conditions for the 2018 Onion Patch Series and the Onion Patch Navigators Series. These two series for individual boats and teams run in parallel for boats entered in the 164th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, the Newport Bermuda Race, and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta, commencing June 9th and ending June 22nd.
Onion Patch Series competitors are drawn from among boats that sail in an IRC class at the Annual Regatta and also compete within the St. David's Lighthouse or Gibbs Hill Lighthouse divisions in the Newport Bermuda Race.
Onion Patch Navigator series competitors are drawn from among boats that sail in the Navigators Division at the Annual and Anniversary regattas, and from either the St. David's Lighthouse or Finisterre divisions of the Newport Bermuda Race.
All entries will contend for individual boat honors, which include the Henry B. du Pont Trophy (Onion Patch Series) and Richard Kempe Memorial Trophy (Onion Patch Navigators Series). In each series, any three boats from the same country, yacht club or other sailing organization may also join together to be scored as a team and compete for team honors.
See the Onion Patch registration page for race documents and entry information.
Preparation for the 11th Cowes Classics Week is officially underway. With the launch this week of the new 2018 website, competitors can now find information and enter the event. Racing takes place from 23rd to 27th July.
Cowes Classics Week has grown strongly since its inaugural regatta and has in recent years been welcoming just shy of 200 yachts, all of whom meet the qualification of being built to designs drawn up before 1978 or in the spirit of tradition.
For the classes, which include classic cruisers, XODs, Darings, Dragons, Solent Sunbeams, Swallows, metre yachts, Old Gaffers and other classic keelboat designs, the week will once again provide thrilling Solent race courses and evening entertainment.
The afternoon teas, sponsored by Winkworth, for which the organising club, the Royal London Yacht Club is famous, will be available once again. The Royal Victoria YC, Cowes Corinthian YC and the Island Sailing Club are all opening their doors for social events while the RORC and the Royal Thames YC are helping on the water.
For the first time competitors will also be able to exclusively visit the Classic Boat Museum at its new West Cowes location for a post-racing reception and supper. While there they can inspect some of the most iconic boats ever produced.
Regatta Chairman, David Gower, comments "Competitors tell us that they particularly enjoy the first class race organisation and social events based at the Cowes yacht clubs. We are very much looking forward to welcoming both new and returning competitors for a week of Corinthian racing at the spiritual home of British yachting."
www.cowesclassicsweek.org for the Notice of Race, planned events and entry form.
Cowes Classics Week will be held on 23 - 27 July 2018.
The Montego Bay Yacht Club is pleased to release 2019 Notice of Race and announce that registration is now open. The race will start in Miami on January 27, 2019. The Notice of Race is now available and registration is open and can be made via Yacht Scoring.
The Pineapple Cup is once again open to multihulls and monohulls over 30 feet and will be scored under IRC and PHRF. In order to increase the overall enjoyment and reward of competing in this classic tropical ocean race, we have made several enhancements for the 2019 edition.
The biggest change is the introduction of a staggered start. The majority of the fleet will depart Miami on Sunday the 27th of January. This start will be followed by the fastest boats on Monday the 28th of January. This will allow for a concentration of finishers that will allow all to be able to enjoy the renowned welcome festivities at the Montego Bay Yacht Club.
The Pineapple Cup will also be included in the SORC Islands in the Streams Series. Boats entered in Pineapple Cup will be able to use their Pineapple Cup score towards the overall SORC Islands in the Streams Series score. The series includes five races and provides an overall season championship for the Florida winter sailing season. Information on the series can be found at: www.sorcsailing.org
Saturday, 7th April saw the conclusion of World ARC 2017-18 back where it all began in Saint Lucia with jubilant crews celebrating the achievement of sailing around the world. The day was bitter-sweet for the rally crews who have become 'like family', sailing in company to beautiful, fascinating and welcoming places as part of the ultimate 'bucket-list' experience. With memories to last a lifetime, this diverse group of circumnavigators are right to be proud of sailing the world's oceans and completing the dream together.
The Parade of Sail and a special end of rally dinner provided a fitting finish to the adventure. excitement swept through the docks of Capella Marina in Marigot Bay as each crew prepared for the ceremonial last leg to cross the line in Rodney Bay. It would be a special moment for all fourteen yachts to complete a circumnavigation from Saint Lucia to Saint Lucia, eleven of whom had started in January 2017, whilst three had left a year earlier and took a break on reaching Australia before re-joining.
The final dinner of World ARC 2017-18 was held at the Royal by Rex Hotel in Rodney Bay, where the participants were greeted with steel pan music and rum punch, before sitting down for a delicious dinner, interspersed with welcome speeches from Dominic Fedee, Minister of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, and Andrew Bishop, Managing Director of World Cruising Club. The grand finale was an entertaining recount of happenings over the past six months of the second half of the rally, and a short story about each boat before they came forward to receive their World ARC plaque, certificates for circumnavigators, and an evocative commemorative photo book full of memories from their adventure.
"The end of the rally is a happy and sad moment," said Ken Swan from Hylas 51 Aurora. He sailed the full circumnavigation with wife eileen over the course of 16 months, joined by friends and family along the way. "We will be sad to see folks go their separate ways, but happy of the achievement of the circumnavigation. It's been a dream since I have been 12, and now it's checked off my bucket list!"
www.worldcruising.com
Sailors in the UK are enjoying spring racing and looking forward to the summer season, including the varied selection of International Rating Certificate (IRC) Championships which will again be supported by hardware experts Spinlock, now in their 6th season as sponsor of IRC.
As well as enjoying the great racing and social programmes, competitors will be competing for IRC Champion status and the exciting Spinlock special prize package. James Hall, Spinlock Sales and Marketing Manager, is enthusiastic about the IRC Championships:
Regional IRC Championships are held all around the British coast from Scotland to the Channel Islands, as well as a specific event for Double Handed crews, providing a large variety of venues, racing conditions and social events to be enjoyed both on and off the water. Some events will incorporate other classes racing in IRC, for instance the HP30 class will hold its National Championship at Poole Regatta; Scottish Series is a major event in the RC35 annual class championship, and along with the Welsh National IRC Championship is also part of the Celtic Cup incorporating events in Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
The 2018 GBR IRC Championships programme is as follows:
- Solent - 4 events (May-Sept)
- Scottish - Scottish Series (May)
- Southern - Poole Regatta (May)
- Sussex - Sussex Regatta (June)
- South West - Falmouth Race Week (June)
- east Coast - Ramsgate Week (July)
- Welsh National - Cardigan Bay (August)
- Double Handed - Cowes (September)
- Channel Islands - Jersey (September)
- Autumn - Hamble (October)
- Inland - Windermere (November-March)
Cowes-based Spinlock is an independent company widely acknowledged as the world expert in ropeholding. The innovative company also designs and manufactures personal protection equipment such as harnesses and the award winning Deckvest Lifejacket. All Spinlock IRC members worldwide, holding a current IRC certificate, benefit from a 25% discount off all Spinlock products.
Full details of the GBR Championships are on www.rorcrating.com/irc-rating-gbr/irc-regional-champs
Chicago Yacht Club is pleased to announce that Wintrust has signed a five-year extension to be the Presenting Sponsor of the Club's Annual Race to Mackinac, and the Club's Chicago Regatta that raises funds to benefit children in Chicagoland. The extension runs through 2023.
The Race to Mackinac brings together over 300 boats and 3,000 sailors from around the world to compete in the 333-mile Race to Mackinac, now in its 110th year. This year's Race will have starts on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21. Wintrust has been the Presenting Sponsor over the past four years and plays a key role in many of the Race's major events including the kick-off Warning Gun Party in Chicago and the Sailor's Celebration on Mackinac Island.
Wintrust also became the Presenting Sponsor of the Club's Chicago Regatta this past year. This event will take place on September 8th and raise funds for Comer's Children's Hospital, SOS Children's Villages Illinois, and the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation program to expand sailing opportunities for children throughout Chicago communities. The five-year sponsorship extension includes the Chicago Regatta plus two other Cruises hosted annually by the Club and co-sponsored by Wintrust over the past four years, that benefit nearly 200 persons in the Chicagoland area with special needs and visual impairment.
Beneteau is pleased to announce the appointment of Luc Jossel, who has joined the Sailing Yacht Product Marketing department.
Luc Jossel joined the Gianguido Girotti team, on 26 March, as Performance Sailing Yacht Product Manager. Luc Jossel is 45 years old and has 20 years of experience in the nautical industry. Before joining Beneteau, Luc was a pillar of North Sails, in Vannes. In just 15 years, this sailmaker became a centre of excellence in the production of racing sails.
Before this, he started his career with the gear suppliers Spinlock, in England. In the year 2000, he joined North Sails and soon became the sails advisor for the Tour de France a la Voile and the Figaro Beneteau 2 class. He worked alongside champions such as Armel Le Cleac'h, Gildas Morvan and Nicolas Troussel and was instrumental in their success in these races. Then, more recently, he improved his skills in communication, as a european Marketing Manager for two years.
1970 Nicholson 55 Custom - EAGER. 450000 GBP. Located in Lymington, UK.
#1 of this extraordinary class, she was built as LUTINE. The Nicholson 55 epitomises the best of British yacht building in the 1970s and these yachts are still having extraordinary sailing adventures today. Between 2008 and 2010, EAGER was totally rebuilt at Rutherfords in the USA, little of the original yacht remains. New interior, deck, carbon spar which is higher aspect than the original, new machinery, wiring, systems and electronics. Since this rebuild, the investment has continued and she is now offered in gleaming good shape with a current survey with recommendations completed by Berthon. Every so often, we are trusted with the sale of a very special yacht - EAGER is one such yacht.
2006 Spirit 54 - 007 Yacht - SOUFRIERE. 630000 EUR. Located in Howth, Ireland.
Spectacular looking Spirit 54. Epic regatta yacht and also famous as the `Bond Boat' in Casino Royale. Gleams.
TP 52 Constellation. 199,000 USD. Located in Annapolis, MD United States.
CONSTELLATION is a well known TP 52 that was formally called RIO Very little use the last year, she was 4th overall in the 2014 Newport to Bermuda Race. She is in good condition and is ready for more fun racing under IRC or ORC as many of her sister ships have proven time and time again
William Jenkins 410 267 9419 or 410 353 7862 ( cell)
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Amazon now 3rd biggest digital ad seller in US
Amazon is still far behind Google and Facebook, but its advertising business is expected to keep skyrocketing.
Ginny Marvin on September 19, 2018 at 10:43 am
Amazon is set to bring in $4.61 billion from digital advertising this year, according to a new estimate from eMarketer.
That only represents 4.1% of U.S. digital ad spending.
In surpassing Oath and Microsoft, Amazon is now the front-runner to challenge Facebook and Google.
Amazon will surpass Oath and Microsoft to become the third largest digital ad seller in the U.S. behind Facebook and Google. That’s the latest from research firm eMarketer, which predicts Amazon’s ad growth will more than double this year.
As eMarketer notes, the change in projection — up 60 percent from March — is due to a combination of an accounting change and 10 to 12 percent increase in stronger-than-expected ad revenue growth.
The firm expects Amazon ad revenue to increase by more than 50 percent per year through at least 2020. The duopoly’s share is pegged to shrink from 57.7 percent in 2018 to 55.9 percent in 2020 while Amazon’s share is expected to grow from 4.1 percent to 7.0 percent.
While Amazon has a long way to go to truly rival Google and Facebook’s ad earnings, its ad business is still relatively young with lots of runway ahead. Earlier this month, Amazon announced it is making it easier for advertisers to buy ads on and off its properties. It’s introducing more video advertising formats and provides advertising options both on and off its owned and operated properties.
Analysts say Amazon’s advertising business will surpass AWS by 2021
Amazon streamlines ad products under new Amazon Advertising brand
This article originally appeard on Marketing Land.
Ginny Marvin
Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.
AmazonChannel: SEMStatsStats: Spend Projections
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Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label
Hollywood Movie Costumes
GAME OF THRONES: COSTUMING THE GREAT FANTASY
May 15, 2019 christian esquevin Leave a comment
Costuming the HBO series The Game of Thrones is as near a Herculean job as you’ll find in television costume design work. When HBO started production of the series in 2007, there existed a legion of fans that had been reading the book series: George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, since 1996. Four books in the series had already been published and a cult was firmly established around the fantasy series.
Eddard (Ned) Stark, Lord of Winterfell stands at center, his young daughter Arya to his right. His forthright honesty will lose out in the game of thrones. His simple ways are highlighted by his unadorned costume. Courtesy HBO
British costume designer Michele Clapton has designed all eight seasons of The Game of Thrones (GOT) except for Season Six while she designed the series The Crown. This means that she oversaw a crew of about 70 to 100 people that worked with her at any one time. With the diversity of costumes in the Seven Kingdoms, various specialists were involved including embroiderers, dyers, leather workers, printers, fitters, cutters, sewers, armorers, metal workers, and jewelers. Any given show needed about 700 costumes, although the speaking roles got most of the attention. Along the way she has won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Costumes for Season 2, Season 4, Season 6, and Season 7. She also won an Emmy for The Crown that ran in 2017.
Costume designer Michele Clapton at left and principal embroiderer Michele Carragher at right
Almost all of the costumes were made in Belfast, close to where most of the filming was shot. Some of the arms were made in India. Much of the work was also done in Ireland. Michele Clapton told the Los Angeles Times. “We have everything on site: our armorers, our weavers, and our embroiderers. We weave our own fabric with our loom—many of the fabrics are literally made from scratch.” All types of materials are used besides fabric (and jewelry) to make up a costume. The exotic peoples and the locales they live in in the lands of Ice and Fire means that indigenous materials are used in their costumes. Items such as beads, shells, stones, crystals, and feathers are woven or sewn into the costumes. Ms. Clapton usually has a supply of such items that she has been collecting over the years, She was stumped, however, when she needed a variety of bones to accessorize the costumes of the Wildlings, especially the Lord of Bones. But she sourced the bones on eBay. Her team then molded these for reproduction and attached them using string and latex. The Wildling costumes were fabricated using hides, the parts of which were “sewn” together using latex thongs lashing the pieces together. The fur capes of Samwell Tarly and several of the Night Watch (not Jon Snow) were actually made from IKEA Skold sheepskin wool rugs.
Ygritte of the Wildlings who became Jon Snows lover. Her costume shows the crude stitching of furs. Courtesy HBO
Samwell Tarly in the Nights Watch. His costume is his typical quilted jacket and fur wrap. Courtesy HBO.
Arms and armor are their own specialty and the costume designer must work with their makers in coming up with the total look – even for the women. And since both arms and armor become part of the most active scenes, the costume designer must work in collaboration with the stunt coordinators and sword-fight masters. Although The Game of Thrones (GOT) is a fantasy, the purpose of its costume design is the same in this as in all movies or other television dramas: the costumes are there to delineate the characters in the story, to advance the plot by setting the scene, and to help the actor feel the role they are portraying. Since GOT developed over eight seasons, the actors had plenty of time to change over the course of the story, and for some of them, to actually grow-up. The actors’ aging actually helped both the story-telling and the costume designer’s ability to help develop and portray character.
Joffrey’s armor from season 2. Courtesy HBO
Brienne of Tarth in her armor. Courtesy HBO
Good examples of the change of character as emphasized by costume has been seen in the leading female stars of the show. The beautiful and even sexy gowns of both Cersei and Daenerys, from the early seasons, exposed skin and shape. After the death of Drogo, Daenarys wore costumes with deep V necklines, yet she still mostly wore loose pants and boots, a sexy yet commanding figure. The boots and pants still necessary for riding horses. After her conquest of Meereen she began wearing outfits more in the style of a classical queen. In Winterfell she was obliged to wear warmer clothing, and her wardrobe changed to shades of snow and red. But as things deteriorated in the war with Cersei and King’s Landing, the Breaker of Chains turned to the Dispenser of Death, and her costume turned black.
Daenerys wears her Winterfell coat. It’s made of strips of faux fur laid on a corset, with red fabric in between. HBO
Daenerys the Destroyer, season 8, Wearing her three headed dragon chain. Courtesy HBO
Cersei’s form-fitting gowns in Lannister red or mauve color sets off her figure and makes her the center of attention in most every scene. But Cersei changes from King Robert Baratheon’s vindictive but unimportant Queen to a major plotter in the game of thrones. And as time marches on, her enemies grow as her victims mount up. She thus takes on a more war-like and self-protective persona. Her costumes perfectly displays this transition. But as the final season nears its end her confidence has grown to match her ego. She wears no armor or protective costume devices save her long necklace and the medallion that had been her daughter Myrcella’s. She wears it no doubt as a reminder of her need for revenge.
Cersei’s costume in Season 2 at the Battle of Blackwater, with Lannister embroidery. HBO
Cersei in her Coronation costume., displaying strength yet in black in mourning for her children. HBO
Sansa has made a remarkable transition, one that has been filled with sorrow and abuse. Her costumes show how she has grown and changed, from an innocent teenager to a self-assured and self-protective survivor – a learner of life’s skills and of men’s treachery. She too has learned about the game of thrones, becoming a judge of character and a leader of men. Returning as an heir of the House of Stark and as Lady of Winterfell, she is in a position of command, vying with Daenerys for control of the North. Her costume reflects both the tradition of the Starks with the ample use of fur capes (the Dire Wolf is the house sigil) and the obvious need for warm outfits. Her costumes in the final three seasons are accessorized by a necklace composed of a large ring and chain, forming an aiguillette. The ring represents her wholeness forged out of her former enchainment.
Sansa’s season 5 wedding dress in a silver-white color, with a fur cape like her Stark family and the fish sigil clasps at her bodice. HBO
Sansa as Lady of Winterfell. Courtesy HBO
The fur cape style is shared by Jon Snow (though now becoming Aegon Targaryen). His costumes have been shaped by his days at the Wall – amidst all black-clad men nicknamed the crows, with heavy fur collars and capes. This last feature had become almost a standing joke on the set. Whereas several cast members really liked their costumes and some wanted to keep them. Kit Harrington as Jon stated he never wanted to see his furs again.
Jon Snow in his typical fur cape in the Black Watch. HBO
Arya, the younger Stark girl, was always the tom-boy. Her survival skills were a strong instinct that led her from one life-learning skill to another as she escaped from danger to danger. She first escaped the tragedies at King’s Landing and then assumed a boy’s urchin costume for disguise. She wore the costume through several seasons. Her one steady accessory was her short sword Needle. She learned to fight in her early fencing lessons and her lessons in death learned from Jagen H’gar at the House of Black and White, the home of faceless men. Maisie Williams as Arya was thrilled to be finally out of her tom-boy costume and into different costumes. And once back to Winterfell, she had a proper costume befitting her stature, now not only accessorized with Needle but with a dagger made of deadly valyrean steel. But wherever she goes she never seems to get far from Sandor Clegane, alias the Hound. sometimes her tormentor, sometimes her protector, Arya has not grown large but with acquired skills she has dispensed “frontier” justice. Together they make a perfect odd travelling couple, only separated near the very end. Yet she is the ultimate avenger, and the woman of many faces.
Arya;s boy costume. Courtesy HBO.
Arya’s Winterfell costume. Courtesy HBO
The men of GOT are almost all a lusty and warlike bunch. Their costumes reflect their station, place of origin, and their combat readiness at any given time. As in the real armies of the ancient world, they are meant to look terrifying. In those days when combat was almost always hand-to-hand, you often stared at your enemy up-close and had time to become afraid – or confident. Your military costume helped you become more confident. Padding and armor protected you and made you look bigger. Heavy boots not only protected their feet but planted them solidly on the territory they defended or conquered. Shoulder armor made you look stronger. Swords, axes, bows, spears, and spikes showed the opposing side how they would be wounded or killed. Colorful banners with household sigils served as rallying points and showed the other side the powerful enemies they were dealing with. Even outside of combat, the men of rank wore their swords. Their costumes were festooned with leather straps and belts, with exaggerated V-lines in the angle of their torsos. Such a silhouette has been used down to the comic superheroes of today.
Today’s costume designers not only have to design and produce appropriate, character-building costumes for the cast, once they’re made they have to beat them up. Any male costume (with few exceptions) has to look like its been worn in the field for some time. So the costuming staff has to abrade, cut, tear, and even make visually noticeable repairs. Painters also add fading and wear marks to textiles to make them appear old.
Jaime’s armor and costume show definite signs of wear and use. Courtesy HBO
The men of mystery, such as Varys, Peter Baelish and the Maesters wear different costumes than men of arms. Varys the spymaster or Master of Whisperers, served whomever was in power (but always for the greater good of the realm) often vying for influence with Peter Baelish, which he eventually won. He sided with Daenerys along with Tyrion. His costumes reflect a somewhat exotic but simple look, having been born across the Narrow Sea in Lys. His posture was usually to place his hands in his long wide sleeves, traditional Chinese style. This denotes that he not only doesn’t need his hands for work or for combat, but that his doings are mysterious as well. One never knows what he has up his sleeve, or what ring he wears on his finger. Peter Baelish considers himself important with no office high enough for his ambitions. He usually wears a dark belted tunic. The tunic is invariably high-necked, symbolically protecting his throat. The Maesters are scholars and men of learning. They wear heavy monk-like cloaks with heavy metal chains around their necks, each of the metals is different indicating their particular scholarly expertise. There is also a woman of mystery, Melisandre, the Red Priestess. Her costume is invariably a red gown that she once wore with deep decollete, or a long red robe to match her red hair. She is the priestess to the Lord of Light.
Varys with his costume of wide sleeves, here with Tyrion
The Game of Thrones has been so very complex and so very rich in so many ways. Set aside that as George Martin stated, it really would have taken several more seasons to properly finish the story. The costume designer and staff accomplished their job with high skill and flair. They took us on a journey around the world of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, having us believe in the peoples that inhabited those worlds, and no doubt had the actors believing in them too as they dressed the part – the true role of the costume designer. And as the costumes served their purpose we are lucky that they were not discarded as in the studio days of old. But instead they have been kept for the archives and have been exhibited as they will continue to be. So we can have the chance perhaps to admire up close the art and craft that fueled our fantasy for so many years.
All photos by Helen Sloan
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A blog about classic movie costume design and fashion
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Peter McDonald on MILO ANDERSON: DESIGNER IN THE SHADOWS
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christian esquevin on A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE OLD M-G-M BACK LOTS
Shawn Cullen on A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE OLD M-G-M BACK LOTS
christian esquevin on MGM: 95 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Silver Screenings on MGM: 95 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
christian esquevin on LADY FOR A DAY: FOR CLASSIC MOVIE DAY
Vj on LADY FOR A DAY: FOR CLASSIC MOVIE DAY
The Lady Eve on MGM: 95 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
My book on film costume & fashion designer Gilbert Adrian
GENE KELLY’S DANCE PARTNERS January 6, 2020
Gene Kelly had a storied career as dancer, singer and choreographer. He also partnered with many of the greatest actresses and dancers in show business. He taught dance at his family’s Pittsburgh dance school while attending college and then law school. He gave that up when he decided to act and choreograph on Broadway. He […]
christian esquevin
MGM: 95 YEAR ANNIVERSARY October 14, 2019
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer began in 1924 with the merger of Metro Pictures, Louis B. Mayer Productions, and Goldwyn Pictures. It was a package costing $5 million. The new owner was Marcus Loew who owned a chain of theaters. He had already bought out Metro Pictures and its studio in Hollywood, but was unsatisfied with its productions. Louis […]
MILO ANDERSON: DESIGNER IN THE SHADOWS September 24, 2019
Hollywood’s late costume designer Milo Anderson created looks for the stars that are icons of style. But ask anyone about him and blank stares are the response. His name was simple, as were the styles he created: Joan Crawford’s waitress uniform in Mildred Pierce, Marlene Dietrich’s dark blue trench-coat, skirt and beret in Manpower, Lana […]
Z: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY August 25, 2019
A convergence of world phenomena hit director Costa-Gavras when he harnessed their energies to create his political masterpiece Z in 1969. In Paris and France, students and workers went on general strike and caused civil disorder in 1968. In the U.S. President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy were all assassinated. The Vietnam war caused […]
UNIVERSAL STUDIO’S WARDROBE & DESIGNERS August 6, 2019
Universal Studios has the longest history of the Hollywood studios. It was founded in 1912 in New York by Carl Laemmle and other partners. Like many other film companies, it moved west. By the end of 1912 Universal was in Hollywood and by 1915 it opened its 230 acre Universal City Studio, the largest film […]
ANNOUNCING VIVE LA FRANCE FILM BLOGATHON July 14, 2019
The Vive la France Blogathon hosted by Lady Eve’s Reel Life and silverscreenmodes.com is live for its first day and second days of August 25 and 26, 2019. Links to posts are embedded in the titles in bold below. Enjoy! Sunday, August 254 Star Films | Leon Morin, Priest (1961) Caftan Woman | Paris Blues (1961)Critica Retro | Faces of […]
PARAMOUNT’S WARDROBE DEPARTMENT & ARCHIVES June 15, 2019
This blog post looks back at the history of Paramount Pictures’ Wardrobe Department, its Golden Age costume designers, and its current Archives. An interview with Randall Thropp, the Manager of the Costumes and Prop Archives at Paramount is also included. Movie history permeates the air at the Paramount Pictures Studio Archives. It might be […]
GAME OF THRONES: COSTUMING THE GREAT FANTASY May 15, 2019
Costuming the HBO series The Game of Thrones is as near a Herculean job as you’ll find in television costume design work. When HBO started production of the series in 2007, there existed a legion of fans that had been reading the book series: George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, since 1996. […]
THE KILLERS: THE FILM NOIR CLASSIC April 15, 2019
The film noir classic The Killers, like the Ernest Hemingway short story it was based on, got right to the point. Two men get out of a car at a gas station and enter Henry’s lunchroom. They take a seat. “What’s yours,” George the waiter asks, in the clipped diner-speak of the day. So began […]
MOVIE MEMORABILIA: THEN AND NOW March 28, 2019
Collecting and preserving movie memorabilia is like bottling the river of time. Even the best efforts are fragmentary while the flows continue by. The movie studios themselves made little or no effort in the first decades of movie-making, considering its material objects worthless unless they could be re-used for another production or rented out. To […]
OSCAR BEST COSTUME DESIGN AWARDS 2019 January 27, 2019
Every year brings us five nominations for the Best Costume Design Academy Award. In 2019 the field had great candidates from the 2018 movies vying for the Oscar, with several multi Oscar winners among the contenders. As is customary, the nominations were made by the Costume Designers branch of the Academy, but all members voted on […]
CLASSIC MEN’S FASHION ON & OFF SCREEN January 12, 2019
The era of classic men’s fashion heard a notable crack to its foundation with the announcement that Carroll &Co., Beverly Hills, clothiers to Hollywood stars and professionals for 70 years was closing by the end of January 2019. Carroll and Co., was the last of the quality men’s stores in Beverly Hills, squeezed out by […]
A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MOVIE AT 35 November 25, 2018
The low-budget , unsentimental yet nostalgic movie, A Christmas Story is now 35 years old. And it is, in spite of the low expectations of the studio that produced it, a classic. But as the great and recently departed screenwriter William Goldman said about what will succeed in the movie business, “nobody knows anything.” […]
WALTER PLUNKETT: COSTUME DESIGNER August 12, 2018
Walter Plunkett was there at the very beginning of Golden Age Hollywood. He launched the wardrobe department at RKO in 1927, designing everything from flapper outfits to western costumes. And when he designed the costumes for Singing in the Rain, he was recreating some of the looks he had designed 25 years earlier. Yet he was […]
THE END OF FILM? June 24, 2018
Movies shot on or projected from film have been declared dead or dying for years. Yet some directors and cinematographers still recognize the superiority of this almost 125 year- old technology. Stanley Kubrick’s science-fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey was shot on film in 1968, as were all movies back in the pre-digital days. But […]
LADY FOR A DAY: FOR CLASSIC MOVIE DAY May 15, 2018
TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL 2018 WRAP-UP May 6, 2018
SOME LIKE IT HOT STILL HOT April 19, 2018
POLA STOUT: THE FABRIC OF DESIGN March 24, 2018
THE 20TH CENTURY FOX WARDROBE DEPARTMENT February 10, 2018
OSCAR 2018 BEST COSTUME DESIGN January 29, 2018
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THE ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES: HOLLYWOOD’S MUSEUM December 21, 2017
IN MEMORY OF ALLEN FLORIO, FRIEND AND DEDICATED FAN OF HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND COSTUMES.
Best Costume Oscar Contenders
dual portraits
Helen Rose
Hollywood costume collectors
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Customers getting what they want, when they want it: Automated guided vehicles support the e-commerce industry
Customers getting what they want, when they want it:
Automated guided vehicles support the e-commerce industry
The e-commerce market has been growing in recent years. Customers are demanding the delivery of what they want, when they want it. Meeting such needs requires the establishment of efficient delivery systems capable of speedily delivering a wide variety of available products to the customer's door. At MonotaRO Co., Ltd., a company that has made tremendous strides in the same- or next-day shipment of a broad range of product lines and a large number products, Hitachi's automated guided vehicles play a dynamic role in automation and labor-saving at MonotaRO's giant logistics center, from which tens of thousands or more deliveries are made per day.
Video: Innovation in the field of logistics: A collaborative creation case with MonotaRO
* Produced in January 2018
Doubling productivity at the logistics center through automation and labor savings
MonotaRO is an e-commerce company that handles the consumables, maintenance tools, and other industrial supplies used in various industries. Logistics centers are a key element in the processing of several tens of thousands or more orders per day and in the making of fast and accurate deliveries to customers.
Hitachi participated early on in the building of the Kasama Distribution Center, which is MonotaRO's logistics center for its East Japan territory, located in the city of Kasama in Ibaraki Prefecture. A major issue faced by logistics centers that deal with a wide variety of products is how to increase the efficiency of "picking," which refers to the work of removing products from shelves and sorting them. In general, workers spend over half of their work hours engaged in walking for the purpose of retrieving products.
MonotaRO's approach to solving this issue was to adopt a solution proposed by Hitachi, the Racrew, a compact, low-floor, automated guided vehicle. Since 2014, Hitachi has been offering the Racrew as a logistics solution for the manufacturing lines of factories and for delivery centers in the warehousing and online retailing businesses. The Racrew is an automated guided vehicle that travels autonomously in accordance with instructions to position itself under a shelf where parts and products are stored, lift it out, and then transport it to a designated location.
Kasama Distribution Center
"Racrew" compact, low-floor, automated guided vehicle
Racrew functionality includes the ability to improve transport efficiency by such means as performing analysis and simulations based on data analytics know-how so as to select less-congested transport routes. The use of a distributed system also provides flexibility by enabling one Racrew to take over for another when it is down for some reason.
The Kasama Distribution Center has succeeded in reducing the walking distance of workers to nearly zero by having Racrew robots bring the shelves that contain products right to workers, who then can carry out the picking of products without ever having to move themselves. At present, 154 Racrew robots travel about 1,300 kilometers a day, significantly improving the efficiency of picking operations by doubling productivity. The use of Racrew robots is contributing to the establishment of efficient delivery systems that feature such advantages as reduced time from the receipt of orders to shipping.
In addition to its hallmark advanced services for distribution centers based on the Racrew, Hitachi is striving for innovation in logistics by working on optimized services for the entire supply chain.
Solutions By: Industrial Products Business Unit, Hitachi, Ltd.
Release Date: MonotaRO Co.,Ltd.
Solutions By: Online retailing of industrial supply products
Logistics Innovations behind the Convenience of e-Commerce (Hitachi Review)
Analyzing daily flow, behavior, and the relationships of people to make cities and spaces more attractive
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Merging JUKI production facilities with Hitachi's operation know-how to bring advances to MONOZUKURI workplaces
Predictive maintenance of medical devices based on years of experience and advanced analytics
Hitachi develops artificial intelligence capable of grasping site conditions and issuing work orders
Autonomous mobile dual-arm robots map a path to the near-future of logistics
Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City: Making smart use of local energy sources to build the communities of the future
Developing advanced digital solutions for businesses The goal to expand into the ASEAN region from our base in Thailand
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Republic of Ireland 0 Wales 1: Wilson stunner moves Giggs' side top
Ryan Giggs' faith in Wales' youth paid off as Harry Wilson's superb free-kick secured a Nations League win over the Republic of Ireland.
Patric Ridge
17 October, 2018 02:44 IST
Harry Wilson's free-kick earned a 1-0 win for Wales - Getty Images
Wales overcame the absences of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey as Harry Wilson's stunning free-kick earned a 1-0 away Nations League victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Wilson scored with a wonderful set-piece in Derby County's penalty shootout defeat of Manchester United in the EFL Cup last month, and the midfielder produced a similar moment of magic to light up a tight contest Dublin.
Buoyed by a point against Denmark in their last outing, Ireland had started well, but Cyrus Christie and Shane Duffy squandered the best of the chances Martin O'Neill's side managed to craft.
Wilson made the difference with a wicked 58th-minute free-kick, with Ireland then mustering little in response as Wales moved top of League B Group 4.
Matthew Smith's abysmal touch allowed Christie to pounce in the ninth minute, but Wayne Hennessey made a fine save to spare the 18-year-old midfielder's blushes.
Read: Match Report - France 2-1 Germany
Despite Ireland's fast start, neither goalkeeper would be tested again until 10 minutes before the interval, however, when Tyler Roberts flicked a tame effort at Darren Randolph.
Ireland responded well, Duffy winning a header from Jeff Hendrick's corner, only to direct his effort straight at Hennessey.
That profligacy proved costly just before the hour, Liverpool's out-on-loan star Wilson more than filling the void left by the injured Bale by curling a delightful strike over Ireland's wall and into the top-left corner from 25 yards.
Wales could have put the game beyond all doubt 15 minutes from time – David Brooks having a close-range shot blocked before James Chester headed wide from the resulting corner.
Hennessey did have one more save to make from substitute Scott Hogan, but Wales, who missed a late chance through George Thomas, remained comfortable as they secured a back-to-back win over Ireland for the first time since March 1986.
What does it mean: Giggs' faith in youth pays off
Wales had suffered back-to-back defeats heading into Tuesday's clash, but Giggs' youthful side have certainly had the beating of Ireland over two legs, and they now sit pretty with six points heading into their decisive final match with Denmark.
Ireland, meanwhile, have just one point, and will definitely be relegated to the third tier should Denmark avoid defeat against Wales.
Also Read: Match Report - Brazil 1-0 Argentina
Wilson fills in for missing stars
Ramsey announced the birth of his twin sons just prior to kick-off, while Bale missed this batch of fixtures due to injury, but Wilson more than stepped up to the mark, and it will be hard for Giggs to drop the youngster even when Wales' star duo return.
O'Neill, Keane coming up short
The writing appears to be on the wall for Ireland's divisive duo. With both Bale and Ramsey missing, Ireland had a real chance to get off the mark, but O'Neill seems unable to get a tune out of his dysfunctional side, while Keane's fierce attitude seems to do little in terms of rallying the players either.
Both teams round off their Nations League group campaigns against Denmark, Wales hosting the Danes with first place up for grabs on November 16, before Ireland face Age Hareide's men three days later.
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WikiLeaks Documents Show Failures of Intelligence Gathering Effort at Gitmo
© Wikipedia / Shane T. McCoy
https://sputniknews.com/military/201603291037112907-wikileaks-gitmo-torture-intelligence-terror/
Roughly a quarter of detainees had no recorded affiliation with any terror organization at all, 63% refused to provide any incriminating evidence, and the quality of the intelligence gathered has yet to yield any fruitful results.
The US established the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba over 14 years ago citing the need to detain and interrogate terror suspects captured during the US-led international "war on terror."
© AP Photo / John Locher
Carson: Give Trump the Nomination or Face 'Absolute Destruction'
That effort has failed based on recent research based on WikiLeaks documents covering the interrogations and subsequent intelligence gathered at the US torture facility. Researcher Emanuel Deutschmann of the Bremen International Graduate School, ran an empirical analysis tracking intelligence patterns and the likelihood that the intelligence was correct.
His findings were astonishing. Although 85% of Guantanamo detainees were explicitly brought to Cuba “to provide information,” almost two thirds did not provide any information about fellow detainees at all. This suggests that either the detainees did not have the information that US officials had hoped for or that US torture methods are an “inefficient” method for gathering intelligence.
Despite the ineffectiveness of the torture regime, the practices continued in full with very little oversight or questioning of their efficacy due to a lack of public information. That changed in 2010 when Bradley Manning released Gitmo memorandums on 765 detainees to Wikileaks.
The memorandums contained a thorough data set including factors like age, nationality, health status, supposed affiliations with terrorist organizations, intelligence value, disobedient behavior in addition to any incriminating statements made by detainees.
Interestingly, for nearly a quarter of the detainees, there was no recorded affiliation with a known terrorist organization in their file begging the question why they were there in the first place. Many others were captured fleeing US-led strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq calling into question the accuracy of enemy combatant designations in the wake of chaos and the fog of war.
© AP Photo / Michael Dwyer
After Stealing Democratic Election, Corporate Elites Blackout Bernie
In total, 63% of detainees did not incriminate themselves or any others despite the application of indefinite detention and near constant torture. Nearly a quarter of detainees did implicate a small number of other detainees as being involved in a terror organization and a smaller number implicated anybody and everybody at the facility in what is seen as an attempt to just tell their torturers what they wanted to hear.
With data analytics further establishing that torture and crimes against humanity lack any intelligence gathering value, the question remains whether the 2016 presidential candidates will pay attention to the researchers or continue to play towards voters darker sentiments.
Cruz Comes Down on Islam Despite Efforts to Educate Him on the Religion
#CruzSexScandal: #TheThing May Have Legs
Oops! Obama Makes Pentagon and CIA Clash in Syria
In a Curious Switch, Ku Klux Klan Endorses Hillary Clinton
Chelsea Manning, cyber espionage, Espionage Act, espionage, data leaks, War on Terror, terror, CIA torture, torture report, torture, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Gitmo, Emanuel Deutschmann, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, United States
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Full Game Released 1 Sep 2015
Compatible with PlayStation®3.
Taking place nine years after the events of MGSV: Ground Zeroes and the fall of Mother Base, Snake a.k.a. Big Boss, awakes from a near decade-long coma. The game resumes the story in 1984, with the Cold War still as the backdrop, which continues to shape a global crisis. Snake’s journey takes him into a world where he is driven by a need for revenge and the pursuit of a shadow group, XOF. METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain continues to ambitiously explore mature themes such as the psychology of warfare and the atrocities that result from those that engage in its vicious cycle. One of the most anticipated games of the year with its open-world design, photorealistic visual fidelity and feature-rich game design, MGSV: The Phantom Pain will leave its mark as one of the hallmarks in the gaming industry for its cinematic storytelling, heavy themes, and immersive tactical gameplay.
In-game purchases optional
HDTV screen resolution: 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Network Players 2-2
One time fee for use of downloads on up to 2 activated compatible Home Console systems.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ©2015 Konami Digital Entertainment. Published by Konami Digital Entertainment BV. Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. Powerd By Wwise © 2006 - 2015 Audiokinetic Inc. All rights reserved. This software uses specially-designed fonts created under license from Fontworks Inc. Fontworks and font names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fontworks Inc.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Data Update Ver 1.10
METAL GEAR ONLINE 'BASIC APPEAL PACK'
METAL GEAR ONLINE 'BATTLE APPEAL PACK'
METAL GEAR ONLINE 'DANCE APPEAL PACK'
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Johns Hopkins facility receives American Concrete Institute Award
Their choice of SlenderWall® from Smith-Midland Precast plays an important role in the successful reconstruction of a critical 1970’s medical facility. Announced on April 16th, 2015, The Nelson/Harvey Building has been recognized as an ACI Excellence award winner.
Midland, VA – Smith-Midland Corporation (OTCQB: SMID) – Johns Hopkins Hospital operates a dense, urban medical campus in Baltimore with an outsize global reputation. Nestled amid the pioneering clinical and research facilities is the Nelson-Harvey Building, a 1970s-era modernist structure with narrow ribbon windows and long expanses of brick colored to match the nearby Halstead Building and the 1880s Billings Building, a campus landmark with its classic dome. After opening a major new facility next door, the Zayed Bloomberg complex, the hospital began renovating existing facilities on its East Baltimore campus. The nine-story Nelson-Harvey was next on the list.
After decades of wear, the hand-laid brick envelope of the Johns Hopkins 9-story Nelson/Harvey inpatient facility began failing. “Late in the game, during design development, the client determined that we should also address envelope issues,” said Dan McKelvey, an associate principal and building envelope expert with Ayers Saint Gross, describing the existing, hand laid brick façades with a concrete masonry unit (CMU) backup on structural steel. “There were problems including cracking and deflecting brick, and the window system was outdated. The building had no insulation in the wall system, either.”
The architectural firms Wilmot Sanz and Ayers Saint Gross needed a solution that met two criteria: one, that is was lightweight enough to prevent any need for additional superstructure or foundation costs; and two, that the facility would be able to stay operational during the exterior renovation.
SlenderWall® met the requirements. Its 28 lbs. per square foot specification and unique composite construction allowed for the re-cladding to take place without the removal of the old fascia. The 158 SlenderWall panels (27,164 sq. ft.) were designed with a factory-applied Endicott brick facing, maintaining continuity with the campus and the original 1970’s exterior. Johns Hopkins also chose to include factory-applied closed-cell foam insulation and the proprietary H2Out advanced sealant rain screen system with leak detection. The addition of these options provided not only savings in time and on-site trades, but insurance against future air and water infiltrations, as well as continuous insulation adding significantly to the enclosure’s thermal performance and excellent acoustical STC ratings.
The project is being certified under Baltimore City’s Green Stars program, at a level equivalent to LEED Silver. This is the first healthcare project to seek certification under this program.
In March 2013, Smith-Midland began delivery to the contractor, Whiting-Turner. Completion of the cladding portion of the project concluded in June. The short schedule showcased the benefits of SlenderWall in reduced times and costs for production, shipping and installation, as well as decreasing the need for some on-site trades.
SlenderWall architectural precast concrete panel system uses proven technologies to connect a thin layer of fiber-reinforced architectural precast concrete with an interior steel-stud frame ready for drywall application to create a true composite exterior/interior wall. The panels are also available with optional IECC code compliant factory-applied continuous closed-cell foam insulation and windows, offering savings in time and on-site labor. Choosing these along with the proprietary H2Out advanced sealant system, may qualify a project for a no-moisture intrusion guarantee, giving a true one-call responsibility for the building envelope.
About Smith-Midland Corporation
Smith-Midland Corporation (DE) is a publically traded company (OTCQB: SMID). Smith-Midland (VA) develops, manufactures and sells a broad array of precast concrete products for use primarily in the construction, transportation and utilities industries. SMC has two manufacturing facilities located in Midland, Virginia and Reidsville, North Carolina. Easi-Set® Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Smith-Midland Corporation (DE), licenses the production and sale of SMC developed products around the world. For more information, please call (540) 439-3266 or visit www.smithmidland.com.
media@smithmidland.com
Sales Inquiries: (540) 439-3266
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Setting Up a New Business»
Necessities for Starting a Business»
What Are the Steps to Start a Company?
by Rick Suttle
Obtaining financing is often the first step to starting a company.
handsome managers image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
1 Business Startup Advice
2 What Is a Merchandising Firm?
3 Connect to a Company on LinkedIn
4 What Do I Need to Start My Own Company?
Individuals or partners start companies by solving consumer problems. They also start businesses by offering alternative products or services. Whatever the case, certain steps must be taken before a company opens for business. One consideration is licensing and permits. Most companies will need a vendor's license if they retail products. A company may also need a federal license, especially in the aviation, alcoholic beverage or agricultural industry.
One of the most significant considerations in starting a company is financing. A company owner can finance his business with his savings or a retirement account. He may also borrow money from a bank. Other considerations include forming a partnership or starting a limited liability company. Business owners that start limited liability companies can attract private investors. The procedure is usually completed through an attorney.
Company owners will also need to find a supplier for their business. Owners of retail, mail order or Internet companies can find suppliers locally, through trade publications or by referencing the Thomas Register of Manufacturers. Companies may search overseas for suppliers. Some countries, including China or Mexico, produce products relatively cheaply. Companies that manufacture their own products will need to set up their production facilities.
Steps for starting a company also include hiring employees. A company owner may fill key executive or management positions by hiring an executive search firm. Search firm consultants are often called headhunters. These individuals may search for a marketing executive, for example, by matching the person's qualifications with the owner's job description. A company can also place a want ad in the newspaper or post jobs online. Top online job sites include Monster.com, Hotjobs.com and Simplyhired.com. Company owners will need to have all employees fill out a W-4 form, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The W-4 form determines how many exemptions an employee claims for her paycheck.
Company owners will also need to order supplies for their company. For example, retail stores need counters, cash registers, steam cabinets, refrigerator and freezer units, cookware and utensils. Companies that use offices need computers, fax machines, printers, file cabinets, desks, paper, staplers, pens, pencils and cutting boards.
Company owners will need to determine the best way to promote their business. Some companies use outside sales reps to market their products. Other companies rely exclusively on advertising, such as magazine ads, direct mail campaigns and Internet search engine optimization. Search engine optimization enables companies to achieve high rankings in search engines, including Google.com. For example, a small vitamin company may appear on the first page of Google.com when consumers search for "vitamin distributors."
Entrepreneur: The Four Keys to Raising Capital
Business.gov: Business Licenses and Permits
Internal Revenue Service: Hiring Employees
Business know-how: Find Suppliers for Your Business
Small Business Administration: Target Marketing
Internal Revenue Service: Limited Liability Compan
Suttle, Rick. "What Are the Steps to Start a Company?" Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/steps-start-company-2271.html. Accessed 20 January 2020.
Suttle, Rick. (n.d.). What Are the Steps to Start a Company? Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/steps-start-company-2271.html
Suttle, Rick. "What Are the Steps to Start a Company?" accessed January 20, 2020. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/steps-start-company-2271.html
Objectives of Industry Benchmarking
What Does Attribute Mean in Business?
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The world’s largest annual pilgrimage is not one of celebration, nor is it a gathering of happiness. Attracting record numbers year after year, the world’s largest annual gathering is known as Arba’een.
Literally meaning “forty”, Arba’een marks the forty-day mourning period of Imam Hussain, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, after he was killed on Ashura in Karbala, Iraq. Following his death by the army of Yazid, Hussain’s decapitated head, along with the heads of the soldiers who died alongside him, were pushed onto a spike and marched through the cities. His family, forced into chains at the hands and feet, marched behind him. The fortieth day marks the time his family and his head returned to Karbala, where his head was properly buried alongside his body.
For nearly 30 years under Saddam’s regime, it was forbidden to mark Arba’een publicly in Iraq. To Shia Muslims, and even some Sunnis, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, the pilgrimage of Arba’een was and is a dream that can finally be fulfilled.
The people of Iraqi travel from the farthest cities, some even walking 400 km, until they reach Imam Hussain. Most foreign Arba’een pilgrims begin their journey in Najaf, Iraq, where the shrine of Imam Ali, the father of Imam Hussain and son-in-law of the prophet, is located. From there, millions will walk through desert roads, sometimes without rest, until they mark the 80 km to the city of Karbala, Iraq.
Throughout the journey, the roads are packed with Iraqi citizens offering food, water, a warm bed, or kind words of motivation. Stations and tents are set up where the orphans of Iraq help serve food, volunteer doctors treat travel wounds and illnesses, and old men offer chairs, coffee, and conversation.
When asked, all the volunteers will say the same thing, they are “servants of Imam Hussain and worshippers of Allah”. They will stay up day and night, cooking, cleaning, feeding, and tending to people in the name of Imam Hussein and the 72 martyrs who were killed on the hot sands of Karbala.
After roughly three days of walking, pilgrims will reach Karbala where they pay their respects to Imam Hussain and his brother. Carpets are rolled out for everyone to make their entrance, sleep is forgotten, and cultures are merged for one cause, the remembrance of Hussain and the fight for justice. Mostly, it is a journey where one ends up dressed in black, clutching the cage of Hussain, crying their prayers, sorrows, and hopes for forgiveness. Arba’een is not just a journey for commemorating the death of Hussain, but a journey for the soul that needs to be put at ease. Why else would millions of people, some carrying mothers on their backs, others with infant children, make the long, tiring journey through the desert cities of Iraq?
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Filmography: Inspiration (1972)
Basic Information: Directed: Ishmael Bernal; Story, screenplay: Nestor Torre Jr.; Cast: Vilma Santos, Jay Ilagan, Carlos Salazar, Merle Tuazon, Geena Zabian, Lilian Laing, Richard La Torre, Mercy Sta Maria; Original Music: Danny Subido; Cinematography: Avelino Peralta
Plot Description: Gina (Vilma Santos), a pleasant and witty young lady and Danny (Jay Ilagan), a suave, attractive young lad live parallel lives nurtured by single parents. In series of events, their parents meet and fall in love. Gina and Danny, though despising each other completely, are determined to separate their parents in the desire to win back their parents attention. Despite their efforts, their parents marry leaving Gina and Danny to live under one roof. Will this wreak havoc in the new household or will they learn to grow fond of each other? – Kabayan Central (READ MORE)
An entertaining romantic movie featuring two couples in love. The first couple is an elderly pair, he (Carlos Salazar) who has a possessive daughter, and she (Merle Tuazon) who has an equally possessive son. With the children played by Vilma Santos and Jay Ilagan, one feels he could predict the funny, wonderful ending of this joyous movie. Before the story is concluded, however, it unravels enough unexpected plot twists, and throws zingy one-liners that make the movie a pleasure to watch. Superstar Vilma Santos and Jay Ilagan are appealing actress, who delivers the most impressive performance with her controlled and understated acting style. Also stars Lilian Laing, Richard la Torre, and Gina Zablan. Directed by ace director Ishmael Bernal for Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions. – Trigon Video
Film Achievement: No available data
Film Review: In a musical era of 1970s, “Inspiration” was quite an experimental film, with no musical numbers, better screenplay, well-written characters. Nestor and Bernal works well in establishing the character of Jay and Vilma. Their dialouges are not “corny” and very realistic. There is no over the top dramatic scenes inserted between musical numbers here. The parent played wonderfully by Merle Tuazon and Carlos Salazar were convincing. Although both Vilma and Jay played their roles effectively, Lilian Laing steals the film as Lola Jane. She was bubly and funny, a sex-starved, karate black belter, polo game afficianado, who loves life and considering she playing the old grandma who is also the solution to all the complication in life. Bernal was on his element here, a good story teller, pre-“Dalawang Pugad Isang Ibon, Pahiram Ng Isang Umaga and Relasyon.” Although he is directing a light comedy, written by Nestor Torre Jr., he managed to established all the characters without relying on corny dialouges common in this era. – RV, (READ MORE)
“…Jay was more talented than most. He looked cute as heck, but he also had a lot of depth to him. That unusually compelling combination of stellar attributes wasn’t lost on film people and the viewing public, and Jay went from one stellar assignment to the next with no end in sight—until his unfortunate weight gain. It was a truly tragic turn of events, because even his most avid fans among the country’s top filmmakers were forced to replace him with newer actors. For instance, in Lino Brocka’s “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang,” the male lead role went to Christopher de Leon. And, in “Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag,” it was assigned to Bembol Roco. If the show biz grapevine is to be believed, therefore, it’s no exaggeration to say that, if Jay hadn’t gained all those pounds, there may not have been a Christopher or a Bembol—not as early as when they became stars on the rebound, anyway. We were fortunate to work with Jay in the early ’70s, when we directed him and his “secret love,” Hilda Koronel, in a Lea Productions photoplay. Their love affair was absolutely forbidden by their producer, but they were such good actors that they fooled everybody! Later, we wrote the script for “Inspiration” for Ishmael Bernal, and Jay starred in that memorable movie too, that time with Vilma Santos…” – Nestor U. Torre, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 24 Jan 2014 (READ MORE)
Wikipedia: Ishmael Bernal
Ishmael Bernal (1938-1996)
The Films of Ishmael Bernal Circa 1971-79, Part One
The Films of Ishmael Bernal Circa 1980-94, Part Two
Tribute to Ishmael Bernal
The Films of Ishmael Bernal Circa1980-96, Part Two
Remember The Face: Bernal Film Director
The Bernal-Santos Collaborations
This entry was posted in Filmography and tagged Avelino Peralta, Carlos Salazar, Danny Subido, Filmography: Inspiration (1972), FILMS, Geena Zabian, Inspiration (1972), Ishmael Bernal, Jay Ilagan, Lilian Laing, Mercy Sta Maria, Merle Tuazon, Nestor Torre Jr., Richard La Torre. Bookmark the permalink.
Filmography: Ikaw Lamang (1971)
Filmography: My Love at First Sight (1971)
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Interlude 10
Posted on May 15, 2012 by wildbow
“I’m letting you go,” Regent lied.
He made Shadow Stalker drop to all fours on the ground and forced a grunt from her mouth. With the same ease as he moved his own body, he made her load her bolt and spin to point her crossbow at him. There was no danger of her shooting him; he was fully in control from start to finish.
He could feel her striving and straining to move her finger, to pull the trigger and plant an arrow just above his collarbone. Every iota of her willpower must have been focused on the task.
“There’s a catch,” he spoke. “My power? Once I’ve figured someone out? It’s a lot easier to control them, after. Any time you come near me, I can do this. I can use my power and retake control in the blink of an eye.”
He had her raise her crossbow and point it at her temple.
“Next time I get control? I’m keeping you for a full day. Maybe two, if I feel like pulling an all-nighter. And here’s the funny part,” there was no humor in his voice, “I’m going to do it even if I’m in civilian clothes, if my power tells me you’re in range. You won’t even know when it’s coming. You’re now a liability to the Wards, and you won’t ever know when or where I’m going to get control again…
“Unless you leave. Skip town. Join another team.”
He had her nod, stiffly, awkwardly. He felt her rising heartbeat, the slight increase in her breathing, which he managed, controlled. Her muscles clenched, an involuntary reaction just beyond the scope of his control. She’d realized what he was doing. Rather, she knew what he wasn’t doing.
He wasn’t letting her go.
“Now let’s walk you off to the other end of the city before I release you. I don’t think you’re quite stupid enough to try and follow us, but I think my teammates would be more comfortable if they were sure.” He rolled his eyes.
That said, he turned her around, activated her power and walked her through the door.
Regent looked at the others, shrugged. “Good enough?”
Using the shadow form, she could cover a lot of ground very quickly. For long minutes, he exercised her power, the ability to be as light as a feather, enjoyed it. He even liked the running, too, when he turned off her power and just legged it. This girl was in good shape. He could tell she exercised regularly, that she ran on a regular basis. Running was almost effortless, and it felt good, even with the aches and pains of the recent brawl. Months or years of practice had fine tuned her body.
Fighting had been much the same way, but it had been even better. Her muscle memory had been so primed for punching, kicking, takedowns and evading that he’d almost been able to let her go on autopilot, let her body handle things on its own.
Not that he could, really. But it had been easy. He loved that sort of thing. Maximum reward for minimum effort.
That same philosophy of minimizing the work he had to put in, sticking to what he enjoyed and the things that interested him, it was an advantage here. Brian, Lisa and Taylor had their own dynamic. They were friends. He considered Brian a friend, but it was more along the lines of someone he could play video games with, talk about movies. It wasn’t much different from if they were coworkers or roommates. He smiled at the thought. They kind of were, when it came down to it.
Regent knew he was a background character, for the most part. He played along, he didn’t make waves, he didn’t stand out. He wasn’t close to any of the others.
He was cool with that. In fact, it suited him perfectly.
He was cool with it because it meant that when they were all heading out to meet Coil, nobody noticed that he was distracted, or that he wasn’t joining in the conversation. His control got worse as the distance between himself and his puppets widened, which meant he had to devote more focus to Shadow Stalker and the act of keeping her movements fluid. He ran into the same issues when he controlled more people, and there was the irritating side effect that his own coordination, speech and fluidity of movement all suffered to the same extent that his ‘puppets’ did. Were he to open his own mouth now and speak to Brian or Taylor, he might stutter or slur his words. It was almost more trouble than it was worth.
Almost. He was surprised to realize how much he’d missed this. It was like a high, a whole other set of emotions, of physical sensations. Real life, just being Alec, only Alec? It paled in comparison. It was dull.
He wondered sometimes if dealing with his father had messed up something inside him.
He could remember being young, maybe eight or so, fighting with two of his sisters over the fact that he’d wanted to watch the music channel and they wanted to watch some craptastic stop motion cartoon. They’d outnumbered him two to one, and he’d known he would lose the argument. So he’d thrown a tantrum, started screaming.
The entire atmosphere in the house had changed in a second. His sisters went from argumentative to conciliatory in an instant, changed the channel to the music, tried to give him the remote. One of father’s ‘girls’ came in and tried to quiet him down. When he hadn’t, she’d clamped a hand over his mouth.
It hadn’t been enough. Dear Old Dad had come marching out of the master bedroom. Nikos Vasil. Heartbreaker. Tall, wearing only boxer briefs, with a muscled, lanky physique, long hair plastered to his head with sweat. Father had taken two or three seconds to assess the situation before using his power on Alec, his two sisters and the ‘girl’ with a hand over Alec’s mouth. He hit each of them with stark terror. The kind of fear you experienced when you were claustrophobic and you woke up in a coffin six feet underground.
Then father had gone back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.
It had been around summer when that happened, Alec mused. He didn’t have many ways to tell time, back then, since he hadn’t gone to school, and the days kind of passed. Still, it had been hot, he remembered. Between that summer and Christmas, Alec hadn’t opened his mouth to speak once.
That was only one of a dozen or so experiences that came to mind. So yeah, maybe father had broken something in the process. Maybe it had been the emotional equivalent of staring into the sun for far too long, too many times, being left almost half blind.
Or maybe it was his own power. He could be two, three or four people at the same time, feeling what they felt. By the time he was a teenager, he’d experienced every kind of drug, in someone else’s body, had slept with himself as various boys and girls. How was being just ordinary Alec supposed to compare?
Shadow Stalker wasn’t emotionally dulled. Her emotions were rich, uninhibited. She was passionate in her emotions: angry, judgemental. Even the negative feelings were something he could savor in their own way. He wasn’t really experiencing them – it was more of a very involved spectator role. Her fear was thrilling in the same way a fantastic scary movie was, with the detail and the immersion cranked up to eleven.
He leaped straight up into the air, then activated the shadow state. When she was as high as she would get, he had her grip her cloak in her hands and use it to guide her descent so she could land atop the roof of the gas station. He stopped, stretched her arms. She was breathing hard, but not as much as his Alec-self would be after even half as much running. He could feel the endorphins being pumped into her body from the hard exercise, and he was all the more aware of it because he had his other body to compare to. She was an athlete.
He ran her hands down her chest, felt her breasts, the muscles of her stomach. Stretching once more, he clenched her hands, felt the muscles in her arms flex. He felt her shudder in revulsion.
“Almost forgot you were in there,” he murmured, barely loud enough for her to catch. Not that it mattered. She was as aware of the movements of her mouth as he was. He could mouth the words and she would probably understand. He smirked for her benefit as much as his own.
“So. Bet you’re wondering what’s up,” he commented. “Funny thing about having this control over you, I can feel your emotions, your body’s reactions. Like a really, really good polygraph test. I wasn’t even half done saying my piece back there when I caught on to the fact that you were too pissed and too angry to back down and walk away. There’s no way you’re going to leave town if I let you go, right?”
He felt her struggle to open her mouth and respond. He could have let her, by giving her some limited control over her own movements, but he didn’t.
“Right. So I’m taking it upon myself to ensure this all goes smoothly. My teammates have other shit to worry about, and I’m kind of enjoying flexing my powers. So I’m dealing with this situation myself. You and I? We’re going to go another route.”
He fished in her belt and pockets and began withdrawing the contents. He tossed the things he couldn’t use over the edge of the roof. Billfold, spare cartridges for the crossbow, a small knife, spare strings for the crossbows, bandages, keys and a Wards ID card fell to the ground by the side of the gas station, in and near an overflowing dumpster. There were plastic cuffs in the belt, but he couldn’t be bothered to fish out every last one and throw them all away. At the right hip, he found two cell phones. Success.
One of the phones looked years out of date. The screen was scuffed so badly it was barely readable, and the plastic cover for the plug slot at the bottom was missing. The other was a touch screen smart phone. He didn’t recognize the make or the model, and the interface when he turned it on and touched the screen was unfamiliar. Special issue from the Wards? Whatever. Not important.
The smart phone was password protected. That was more Lisa’s thing, but he did have one trick up his sleeve. Holding her fingers above the keypad, he let them follow through with the most natural feeling sequence of numbers, ingrained into the mind-body connection through the habitual repetition of a sequence of movements over weeks or months. Muscle memory.
It took two tries. The first felt slightly off at the end. The second was spot on, and was rewarded with a vibration of the phone and a menu.
“Contacts,” he murmured, pressing a button, “Weld, Clockblocker, Vista, Flechette, Kid Win… boring. Nothing I can work with, here.” Director Piggot? No. Some potential there, maybe, but she was probably on top of this body-snatching situation. Fully informed.
He scrolled down. Beyond the contacts that had been pinned to the top of the list, there was a short list of contacts that were sorted in order of who had been contacted most recently. At the top of the list was an ‘Emma Barnes’.
He checked the other, older phone. No password. A quick examination showed it was her civilian phone.
“Taking this out on patrol? Is that stupidity or arrogance? What if you lost it?” He shook his head, then offered her a dramatic gasp, “What if it got into the wrong hands?” Her voice was far better for the gasp than his own was. He couldn’t help but chuckle after hearing it.
This Emma girl was listed in both of the phones. Now he had a strong suspicion as to who it was. A quick read of the received texts gave away Shadow Stalker’s name, but he already knew that. Taylor had let it slip, before.
Her pulse was pounding now, and he could feel a growing sense of… what was that? Outrage? She was pissed at the invasion of privacy.
He tried a giggle on for size, to see if he could, and to see if it irritated her. It worked on both counts.
No text messages had been exchanged on the smart phone, so he dug through the archive of old texts on the crummy old phone. Lots sent to Emma. Some sent to a Madison. Others, relatively few, to a mom, a Terry and an Alan.
When he’d gotten sick of paging through the texts in the order that they’d been sent, he went looking for the saved texts, the messages Sophia had deemed important or noteworthy enough to save from being deleted. What he uncovered was telling. He had to do more digging to find the rest of the discussions for each message Sophia had saved, in order to get as much a sense of things as he could. It was hard, when each series of texts was in response to some event he hadn’t participated in.
Some were inane, others he just didn’t understand. Then he found one that gave him pause, that confirmed his suspicions about who Emma was.
Emma: what r u doing with her bag?
Sophia: am in art class atm. was thinking i can fill it with paint when teach leaves room. put it in lost&found. her art midterm is inside so she might look for it and find it and
Sophia: be all yay i found it and then she looks inside and sees its fucked
Emma: lol.
Sophia: what did you say to make her cry? that was awesome. blew my mind.
Emma: (SAVED MESSAGE) crying hrself to sleep for a week? she told me she did after her mommy died
Sophia: you r so evil
Emma: ya ya
Sophia: can i use that one on her? saving that one for posterity btw
Emma: won’t have same bite to it. brilliant bit was the suprise. that slow realization abt what i meant.
Sophia: teach me o master
Emma: lol
Emma: wont be as good but i was thinking of that day. think i remember musc we were listening to when she got the phone call abt her mom.
Emma: we shld wait a while and then see if she cries agn if we play it in hallways or b4 class.
Sophia: and we cant get in trouble for just listening to music
Emma: ya
Sophia: cant believe you were her friend.
Emma: she was lame but not depressing and lame @ same time.
Regent closed the phone, threw it casually into the air, and then caught it on the way down. He did that a few more times, thinking.
“Huh,” he said.
Long seconds passed. He knew he should feel bad for the dork, but he only felt annoyed. He felt worse about the fact that he didn’t feel bad than he did about what he’d just read.
Something to thank father for, maybe.
“You are not a nice person,” he spoke to Sophia with a note of irony in his voice. He could feel her try to respond.
He smiled slowly, “Let’s see…”
He thumbed through the phone’s menus until he found an email option. He verified it could send attachments.
The smart phone in his other hand, he found the web browser and did a search for local high schools.
“Hmmm. What school do you go to? Arcadia? No. Immaculata? No. Clarendon? Nope. Winslow?”
He felt the slightest of reactions from her. A hitching of breath, maybe. And there was nothing she could do to stop it, because the reactions were hers only because they were involuntary.
“Awesome.” He searched for the web site for Winslow High School, and whistled tunelessly to annoy Shadow Stalker as he found the teacher’s emails. He began painstakingly entering them into the recipient field.
When he’d done that, he began the process of attaching the texts to the email. It would have been mind-numbingly dull if it wasn’t for that gradually building sense of trepidation he was experiencing from his gracious host.
He typed out a message for the email itself:
found phone. stuff inside is concerning. thought u should see what ur students r doing.
Her thumb hovered over the button that would send the email.
“Nah,” he decided. He felt a wave of relief from his host.
That relief swiftly faded as he turned her eyes to the smart phone and searched for Brockton Bay’s police force.
When he’d added that email to the list, he added another line:
contacting police to make sure something is done
He sent the email.
He felt an explosion of rage from within Shadow Stalker’s body. Her hands even shook with it. He laughed, and her anger mixed with his amusement to create something that sounded unhinged.
Probably was, when he thought about it. She had multiple personalities, in a way.
He stepped from the roof, and waited until the last second to use her power. Her body exploded into a cloud of shadows. As she pulled back together, he felt a strong discomfort. Not quite pain. In seconds, she had condensed back to her normal form. The pain his hosts felt was something distant. It didn’t bother him half as much. He couldn’t be sure if it was because he instinctually prevented it or if it was something else.
He resumed his whistling as he hopped up onto the railing of a bridge and walked atop it. He dialed Emma, felt a mild reaction from his host: Annoyance with a note of anxiety.
Emma picked up on the fourth ring. “What the fuck soph… what the fuck!? It’s three AM!”
“Terribly sorry,” Regent tried to sound convincing, but it came out sounding sarcastic.
“You said you’d call me hours ago, to give me a recap.”
“I’m sorry,” Regent didn’t trust himself to pull off a sincere apology, so he lowered her voice to a hush instead.
“I needed to talk to someone,” he spoke.
“…Are you hurt? What happened?”
“Nothing. There was this brawl at the headquarters, Dragon showed up, but that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”
Regent held his breath, waited.
“Seriously, you’ve got me worried. You’re making it sound like this important thing, and you woke me up at ten past three in the morning, so it had better be important. Dish. Explain.”
“I’m lonely.”
Emma’s voice rose in pitch, irritated, “Seriously? That‘s your issue!?”
“I miss you.” He knew she wasn’t in town from the most recent texts he’d read on the phone.
“This doesn’t sound like you. Are you high, or did you get poisoned or something?”
“I really miss you,” Regent breathed into the phone.
“I’ve been in love with you from the beginning.”
“Sophia, stop. If this is a prank-”
“Why do you think I pushed you to turn on that depressing little shit of a friend, way back then? I was jealous of her.”
“This is retarded. Don’t fucking call me again until you’re ready to grow up,” Emma growled.
“Please,” Regent managed to pull off a pleading tone, but Emma was already hanging up. He heard the dial tone and swore, “Fuck.”
He hopped down from the railing as he reached the end of the bridge. He commented, “Don’t think she bought it.”
Sophia tried to respond, and for the first time, she almost succeeded. The distance between Alec and Shadow Stalker was too wide, now. It would only get worse. He could feel it in his other body, too.
“Let’s see,” he grinned, raising the smart phone. Her hand shook as she held it. “Ooh, maps.”
The map application still showed the last route Shadow Stalker had requested from it, detailing directions from a point in the south end of the Docks to a place downtown.
“Thirty-three Stonemast avenue.”
Again, that slight reaction from her that told him he’d found something.
“That got your attention. Let’s go pay a visit.”
He set the phone to display directions from their current location to Stonemast avenue, and then he ran once more.
Her movements were more awkward, now. Her reflexes were slower, her balance worse. Activating her power was becoming a chore, a slower, harder process. Above all, it required more of his attention. He had his Regent-self put his headphones in and turn on some music. It was an excuse to ignore the others, and to have his attention elsewhere. They weren’t at their destination yet.
Shadow Stalker reached Stonemast avenue before Regent, Tattletale, Skitter, Imp and Grue got to Coil. It was funny, but with the route they were taking, if the timing was a little different, the group could have theoretically crossed paths with Shadow Stalker. At least his control was improving as the gap between them closed.
Thirty-five, thirty-four, thirty-three. It was a residential area. The houses here weren’t in the best shape, and a lot of houses had trash or belongings in the yard. Thirty-three Stonemast avenue had a toddler’s toys sitting on the front lawn. The hedges between the property and the neighbors was overgrown, and the tree at the front of the property looked dead. It might have seemed deserted, but someone had taken up the effort of picking up the detritus the tidal wave had brought in and piling it at the front corner of the lawn, by the driveway.
He walked her through the front door, felt rising anger and worry from his host.
That anger and worry peaked when a young man, nineteen or twenty, stepped from the living room to the front hall, heading towards the kitchen, and saw her. The man stopped and stared.
“Mom!” He shouted.
A tired looking middle-aged woman entered from the kitchen, holding a four-year old girl in her arms. Regent had grown up around lots of kids. He liked to think he was a good judge of ages.
The woman stared at Shadow Stalker, then turned, “Terry, take your sister upstairs.”
“But-”
“Now!” the woman barked.
Terry moved to pick up the child, who was looking increasingly concerned over the raised emotions and the strange person in their hallway. Regent reached out and grabbed Terry’s arm.
“Chill, bro,” Regent was making a guess here. From the way the boy stared at Shadow Stalker, he knew he’d hit the mark.
“Sophia!?”
“Yeah,” Regent grinned behind her mask. “Duh, moron.”
The woman stepped between Shadow Stalker and Terry, a look of fury on her face, “Sophia! Kitchen. Now!”
With a swagger, Regent walked Shadow Stalker into the kitchen. There was a flurry of hissed words between Terry and Shadow Stalker’s mother. Among them was a surprised, hurt, “You knew!?”
Regent sat down at the kitchen table and put her feet up. Dirty water pooled on the table’s surface.
It was nearly a minute before the mother came storming into the kitchen. She pushed Shadow Stalker’s feet off the table.
“Explain!” she demanded.
“What?” Regent lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“We had a deal. You could do this thing of yours, but your siblings were not to know!”
“It’s a pain in the ass,” Regent said. He pulled off Shadow Stalker’s mask and started tapping the edge against the table, idly.
“It’s the rules in my house! If it’s going to keep you out of prison and on the straight and narrow, fine. But I will not have you glorifying violence-”
The mother stopped mid-sentence as Regent opened Shadow Stalker’s mouth in a very real yawn. Funny that his other self yawned as well, in that sympathetic reaction to someone else yawning. The mother slapped the mask from Sophia’s hand. It clattered to the ground. “Listen to me!”
“Whatever,” Regent drew a crossbow and turned it over in his hands.
The mother stared at it. Her voice was hushed as she spoke, “That doesn’t look like the tranquilizer dart the Director showed me.”
Regent quirked an eyebrow, “Oops.”
“What are you doing, Sophia? Do you want to go to jail?”
“I’m bored,” Regent replied.
“You do not have the right to complain about something like being bored! I work two jobs for you three! I put in overtime, I attend every school function, I come into the office every time you get reprimanded because you’ve got anger issues! You aren’t even taking care of your sister, or helping out around this house! What do you think-”
“And now you’re making me even more bored,” Regent cut her off.
The mother slapped Sophia so hard that her head turned to one side. Her cheek burned.
“Don’t you dare,” the mother intoned.
Shadow Stalker stood at Regent’s directions, then pointed the crossbow at the mother. The woman’s eyes widened, and she hurried to back away as Shadow Stalker advanced. They stopped when the mother’s back was to the wall by the kitchen door, with Shadow Stalker’s crossbow bolt pressed against her throat.
“I think I’m done with listening to you whinge,” Regent whispered.
“What are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”
“Like you said,” Regent shrugged, “Anger problems. I promise you, you don’t have the slightest idea of what I go through.”
When in doubt, be vague.
“If you’re talking about Steven…”
Steven. Regent could feel a reaction from Shadow Stalker at the name. “I’m not talking about Steven.” He put some inflection in the name. He dropped the crossbow to one side, stepped away and stretched. The mother didn’t budge from where she was pressed up against the wall. “I’m going to my room. Don’t disturb me.”
He bent down and grabbed the mask, but he didn’t put it back on. He stepped out into the hallway, and saw a vacuum cleaner parked in the corner. An extension cord trailed from it to a neighboring room. An office? He unplugged the cord from the wall and the vacuum, and then headed upstairs, winding the cord into a simple coil.
Shadow Stalker’s body was a cocktail of emotion. Fear, anger, anxiety, worry, panic and sheer fury. Regent staved off the worst of the physical reactions, the trembling and the heavy breathing, and managed to make Shadow Stalker seem calm as she reached the top of the stairs. Terry was up there in the hallway, staring, uncomprehending.
Regent found her room, then shut the door. It was small, old-fashioned, with wood paneling on the walls. The furniture was limited to a twin-sized bed, a vanity with a mirror, candles and cosmetics littering the top, a bookshelf and a combination computer desk and dresser with a computer and a printer perched on top. The wall behind the pictures showed Shadow Stalker with a redheaded girl. There were a lot of photos with them laughing. Emma?
“Emma?” he asked. That slight alteration in her heartbeat and her breathing told him he was right.
He found a picture of Shadow Stalker – Sophia – with her family. Her mom looked younger and far less tired there, and was pregnant. Shadow Stalker looked twelve or so, and her brother looked sixteen or seventeen, sporting a fantastic looking afro and a less fantastic attempt at a moustache. They were clustered around one another, but only the mom was smiling.
Regent’s eyes fell on the man who was cut out of the photo, only his hand on the mom’s shoulder, and a sliver of his torso and leg were visible at the edge of the picture.
“Steven?” he asked. Raw hatred boiled up inside Shadow Stalker, for both Regent and the man that couldn’t be seen in the picture. “Steven. So what did he do do you? Believe me, I’ve seen it all. Hit you? Touch you?”
No reaction from either of those. Verbal abuse? Emotional? Something else? He didn’t care enough to quiz her more.
He grabbed the lighter from beside the scented candles and began pulling the photos off of the wall. Using the lighter, he burned a hole in the photograph where Emma’s face was.
“Well,” he said, his tone dry. He had to cough to keep himself from letting her anger turn his voice into a growl. “You sure rose above that shit, treating your classmates like you do, getting in fights, not helping out dear old mom.”
Again, he had to struggle to maintain control as she exploded with emotion. It didn’t help that his other self was trying to listen to what Coil was saying. Better to avoid testing her.
“You and I are more alike than you’d suspect, I think,” he said. “We’re both arrogant assholes, yeah? Difference is, I admit it, I don’t dress it up and tell myself that I’m a bitch and that that’s a good thing.” He burned Emma’s face out of another photo.
“So, let’s tie all this shit together. I have been working with a goal in mind, believe me.”
He got a piece of paper out of the printer, then found a pen in one of the drawers. He was careful to rely on her muscle memory when it came to the handwriting.
I thought I could manage.
I’m too angry. Too lonely. I hate myself for what I’m doing. Hurting people.
I hurt my mom. I hurt my classmates as Sophia. I hurt people as Shadow Stalker, and I hate myself for enjoying it.
I thought I could manage it. I had Emma. She had my back.
Except she turned me down. I loved her, really loved her, and when I confessed she turned me away. Acted like it was a joke.
This is the right thing to do. I won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.
Terror surged through her body like ice water. When he laughed in reaction, it came out shaky. He littered the burned photographs around the piece of paper, with Emma’s face missing from each, then drew an arrow from the crossbow’s cartridge and laid it across the bottom edge of the paper. It was overdramatic enough to work.
He stood on the chair and began wrapping the extension cord around the base of the light fixture. He grabbed the cord and hung off it for a few seconds to verify it could hold her weight. The light fixture itself was flimsy , but the frame it was attached to was bolted securely into the wooden beams of the ceiling.
He found moisturizers and soaps on top of the vanity. Using them, he rubbed the end of the extension cord, making it slick. Holding the end, he began tying it into a crude hangman’s knot. When he failed to do it right, he used the smart phone to find a video of how to tie one, then turned the volume all the way down.
“Here’s the thousand dollar question,” he mused, as he began following the steps outlined in the video, putting the knot together, “Will your boss tell your mom what happened with me controlling you? If she keeps her mouth shut, well, this paints a pretty ugly picture, doesn’t it?”
A tear rolled down his cheek. He scoffed a little, blinked the tears out of her eyes.
“But if she does tell, if she lets mommy know, then shit hits the fan. It looks pretty fucking bad for her, and if word gets out, it’s as bad as it gets for public relations. Scary, dangerous parahumans. Not just lives at risk, but you could be controlled. Ooooh, scary. Nobody would ever be able to trust their coworkers or neighbors. It’s the kind of stuff they want to keep quiet.”
“Looks bad for me, sure, but you saw the fight earlier. It’s not like you guys are that big a threat. Like I said, I’m arrogant that way.”
He reached to plug the extension cord into the wall, but found it too short. He sighed and went to unplug everything from the computer’s power bar and use that to extend the length of the cord so he could plug it in. He grabbed her alarm clock, stood on the chair, and plugged it into the noose. He put her hood down, and then set the alarm clock inside her hood, blinking 12:00, 12:00, 12:00.
“Any last words?” He slid the noose around her neck. It was slimy with the soaps and other shit he’d poured on it.
He gave her enough control to speak, but retained control of her arms, legs so she couldn’t escape, and held her diaphragm so she couldn’t draw in enough air to scream for help.
“Why?” she breathed.
“You fucked with my teammate,” he shrugged her shoulder.
“Grue? I-”
He didn’t let her finish. “I dunno if I care all that much, but it’s the sort of thing I’ll do because it feels like I should. Dunno. There’s also the fact that you’re dangerous, and you’ve outlived your usefulness, so… unless you can give me a convincing reason.”
“Not that convincing.” He raised one foot, then kicked the chair, hard.
It rocked, but didn’t tip over.
He chuckled lightly, feeling the confusion and the relief from his host. It was a thrill unlike any other. “I think I made my point.”
She wanted to respond, but he didn’t let her. She was bewildered, just as scared as she had been before.
“I’d like to think that you have much less reason to hang around this city than you did an hour ago. Even if she hears how you were controlled by yours truly, mom’s not going to be so comfortable having you around in the future, given the dim possibility of a repeat performance. Things are going to be awkward with Emma there, too. Your career as a hero here isn’t looking good, either. Eff why eye, I was telling the truth about my ability to assume total control faster, easier, if I’ve controlled someone before.”
He fished out a set of the plastic cuffs and put them around her wrists, then worked her fingers to pull the end and cinch the cuffs tight, behind her back.
“I can feel your emotions. I know I’ve convinced you. You leave town, and if you don’t want me paying a visit, wherever you wind up, you keep your mouth closed about tonight. They don’t need to know this was all my doing. Things get messy that way, yeah?”
He gave her limited control, and she nodded, fractionally, as if afraid to move.
“If I do get control again? I won’t pull my punches. Or my kicks.” He tapped her foot against the back of the chair. Her heart leaped in her chest. “You can’t feel my emotions, so you’ll have to trust that I’m capable of it. You know I’m Heartbreaker’s kid. You know I’ve killed before.”
Again, she offered a slight nod. She tried to speak, but he didn’t let her. No need, he could guess, from what she was feeling. The anger was gone now. There was only fear.
He glanced out the window. There were flashing lights. A PRT van? Or maybe a police car.
A chuckle escaped her lips. “Well, I’ll leave it to you to get out of this situation. When you do? Get the fuck out of my city.”
He let out a breath, and then relinquished control of her body back to its owner.
This entry was posted in 10.x (Interlude) and tagged Grue, Heartbreaker, Regent, Shadow Stalker, Sophia, Tattletale, Taylor by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
259 thoughts on “Interlude 10”
Ivan Ronical on May 15, 2012 at 00:16 said:
Regent may be a dick, but this was some awesome payback. Great chapter.
One small thing: eveyr -> every
Djay on December 15, 2015 at 08:10 said:
She is NEVER going to recover from that!
And I think he want a little bit overbored don’t you think?
ScaerW on February 13, 2016 at 22:27 said:
It was rather messed up, though satisfying enough a read.
Alex on June 2, 2017 at 14:34 said:
Really. I love this book but I hate the undersides.
kaida tong on January 11, 2017 at 20:20 said:
Did you just say “overbored”
that reminded me of how she told her mom she was making her bored.
TheShadow on August 5, 2017 at 15:26 said:
Yeah. Sophia is a sociopathic bitch, who’s killed people, and practically ruined Taylor’s life for a significant amount of time…but that…Jesus, Alec. WTF?
If this is Regent pulling his punches, I don’t want to see him go all out.
I mean, I guess he pulled one punch there at the end…At least he understands that Sophia wasn’t enough of a dick to go that far.
He still has work to do in figuring out when he should go as far as he did, and I don’t think he has anyone who pays enough attention to give him the kick he needs to learn.
Twi on May 6, 2016 at 12:51 said:
Oh, yes. Awesome payback, saddling her with 18 different forms of PTSD, cutting every safety net she has, and dooming her to either homelessness or becoming a pariah if she ever comes forward, because we KNOW there’s no chance anyone will believe her when she says she was coerced into all that. She’ll probably kill herself for real before too long, since she has literally NO ONE she can turn to for help. Yes, that’s awesome payback. Regent is in no way a monster and this isn’t fucked up at ALL.
Andreas Kill on June 14, 2016 at 16:17 said:
Chill out. First of all, you must not have been paying attention to the story up to now because you seem to have missed the fact that SS is a horrible cunt who deserves (almost) everything she got. Secondly, everyone will believe her about being “coerced” (you’re an SJW aren’t you..) at least within the context of her secret identity because EVERYONE (within the PRT at least) knows what Regent can do and that he was controlling her. Same goes for her turning to people for help (not that Sophia would ever do that in the first place. again, you haven’t been paying attention). Thirdly, if your comment was a troll i commend you because it worked!!
coachskau on November 12, 2017 at 20:25 said:
Doesn’t matter if anybody knows Regent did it, seeing/hearing what Regent did coming from Sophia herself will leave a lasting mark, not to mention all the actual bad things she did being sent to the school faculty and police. And as for civilians being told that she was being puppeted, that’s not going to happen. Regent was right, letting civilians know that there are real-life body snatchers out there would be too big a clusterfuck to make any peace of mind it’d afford the few people affected worth it.
Andreas Kill on November 12, 2017 at 20:50 said:
its going to “leave a lasting mark”? so what? as if she didn’t leave lasting marks on any of the people she terrorized over the years? And why would civilians need to be told that she was being controlled? other than her mother and Emma she didn’t interact with any civilians, so her story would not become public. (police + PRT are not civilians, and they probably kept the whole thing under wraps) We never do find out if her mother is informed of the situation, so in the end she is the only “innocent” victim in all of this – and i don’t think what she goes through is any worse then what Danny Hebert was put through due to the antics of Sofia and her friends. not really sure what the point of the comment was, although it is good to see people still debating this despite the number of years since its publishing 🙂
gregb on June 22, 2016 at 18:09 said:
Did you forget about her being a murderer? Or the fact that she put Taylor through a living hell for years on end to the point where she probably would have killed herself if she hadn’t gained powers? This is nothing in comparison.
That’s never a valid argument – wrong is wrong.
Them doing something horrible to you then you doing something (arguably) less horrible to them doesn’t make you right – it just means two people are being horrible rather than one.
Now if you have to engage in a lesser horror to prevent a greater one, that’s defensible. But as far as I can tell that never even entered Regent’s thinking here. It was payback, pure and simple.
Trying to be the lesser evil is a losing game – you’re still being evil.
A) “wrong is wrong” not really. The entire point of worm is about perspectives. And that is not even mentioning moral relativity.
B) Most people are not arguing that what regent did is “right” (morally and legally), merely that it is permissible in that his victim is not an innocent. Again, perspectives. I shed no tears when murderers and rapists are tortured or killed; I have a limited number of fucks I can give and i choose to spend them on people who are innocent. Your opinions and moral values may differ from mine on that account.
C) I don’t think anyone debates that regent is a very fucked up individual. He is no better than SS (in my eyes) but i don’t think that has anything to do with whether or not we should feel sorry for SS.
The two people above me seem to be trying to excuse Regent’s actions by arguing that SS deserved what she got.
I don’t believe his actions were excusable.
Worm is about perspectives but I don’t believe that even at its worst it intended to imply that morality is entirely relative.
Morality IS entirely relative (unless you believe that there is a being in the sky that decides right and wrong; if you do then this argument will go nowhere)
The interesting thing about most people who are saying SS deserved it is that they are not trying to justify Regents actions (they might think they are) but rather their feelings about his actions. i.e. they were happy to see SS get tortured, so they have to justify it – not for regent but for themselves, by telling themselves that she deserved it.
Regent doesn’t need his actions excused. He is a villain who has been doing horrible and fucked up thing most of his life. At this point in the story the readers have two perspectives towards Regent: either they accept what he has done, who he is and what he will continue to do and like him despite that (or because of that) or they reject him and decide that they cannot handle what he has done and will continue to do. Either way no excuses need to be made since he is a villain; he doesn’t wear a white hat and pretend to be the good guy (unlike SS i might add) so you needn’t make excuses to go on thinking he is the good guy. Although again, good and bad are matters of perspective.
No, I don’t believe that there is a being in the sky that decides right and wrong (and if there was I’m not convinced that being God automatically gives them moral authority).
What I *do* believe is that, as human beings we have a common mental biology. We have commonalities and two of those shared commonalities are empathy and compassion. These act as a universal basis for morality amongst human beings (there’s a reason so many different cultures have come up with some variant of the Golden Rule).
If we ever have to deal with non-human intelligences (be they alien, AI or something else) we may have to re-evaluate the objectiveness of morality, but amongst human beings morality is clearly not purely relative.
I agree with you about the god thing, although if you believe that it created right and wrong as well then I suppose it would have moral authority. But I digress.
I’m not sure that i agree with you. Yes humans have a common mental Biology, but compassion and empathy are (partially at least) learned traits. Children generally have to be taught that hurting others is wrong, rather than being aware of that by instinct. As for morality being decided by a collective, shouldn’t that mean that things like homosexuality are morally wrong, seeing as the majority of people believe that? I think you are confusing things. Yes lots of people have similar moral codes, but that is because they are influenced by society similarly ( .i.e their parents and their religion believe that being homosexual is morally wrong and so they think so too) it does nothing to prove that morality is somehow objective.
And if it is, then whose sense of morality should we be going by? The once who believe that eating meat is murder? The ones who believe that stoning people to death for adultery is acceptable? (just to name a few) Human being disagree over everything, especially the subject of right and wrong.How can one person say that their moral code is somehow better or more moral than another persons? No; the only thing that makes sense is to accept that everyone has their own code of conduct, and that their morality/immorality are decide by how well they keep to it.
That being said, one can still be determined as good or bad according to the Law; but laws exist to ensure that we act in ways that are conducive to consolidating a functioning society. And many lawmaking parties agree that certain actions are NOT conducive to that end; murder for example. (this last part is in response to the golden rule comment)
Neurobiology shows that we (and other primates at least – not sure about other species of mammals) have mirror neurons. These are what enable us to ‘put ourselves in the shoes of” another person. It’s why when guys see another guy take a blow to a *cough* sensitive region, we instantly wince as though we ourselves have been hit. How this correlates to “having to” teach kids empathy I don’t know. It’s possible such teaching isn’t as necessary as we assume, or its possible that it’s a feature of more fully developed brains (in which case teaching may or may not help children reach that stage faster). Personally I suspect the latter.
You’ll note that I said that morality is not *purely* relative. There are core human values which are objective, or close enough to. Basically all societies consider human life is valuable and should be respected. Ditto property, freedom and so on. We’re also a very tribal species though, and many cultures throughout history consider morals to apply to full citizens, not to outsiders – which could include everything from slaves to foreigners to women.
The further you get away from universal human experience and values the more subjective morals become. Homosexuality is an example of this – most people can’t envision wanting to sleep with someone of the same sex. It seems icky and wrong. In some ways morality against homosexuality is actually a misapplication of the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you – and I would *not* have others do that unto me”. Of course the other way of looking at that is to realise that under the Golden Rule I would want others to let me live my life any way that makes me happy and doesn’t harm anyone.
What rights animals should have is also comparatively subjective and comes down to how tribal our outlook is – are animals outsiders not deserving of rights like us? Or are they living beings just like we are who we should grant the same rights to life and happiness that we apply to ourselves? (I sit at the morally undefensible “probably, but they’re yummy!” position. >_>)
In summary I would say that human morality varies from a firm objective core where shared human experience and perspective overlaps, out to entirely subjective at the edges where situations are so unusual or complex that people are having to essentially invent the morality to cope with it on the fly. Most issues fall somewhere in-between – there are universal or general moral principles which serve as guidance in decision-making but how strongly a given principle should be weighted in a particular situation involves personal interpretation (especially if there are multiple principles involved – is it reasonable to kill someone who’s trying to steal your property, for example).
I feel that we have strayed far from the original topic; not that I mind, the discussion has still been engaging.
While mirror neurons may enable us to put ourselves in the shoes of another person, they exist alongside our aggressive and destructive tendencies. The fact is that both are needed (or rather, were needed) in order for a society to function. Case and point: Chimpanzees (our closest relatives and therefore the best example of what early human behavior would have been like) are regularly see displaying compassion and empathy to each other; whether it be consoling an injured troop mate or what have you. But this does not stop them from regularly beating each other to death, and yes, in some cases, even raping each other (and no, not just the members of other troops). The point of what I’m saying is that having empathy does not negate or automatically make violence wrong; apes apparently do both and have no real sense of right and wrong. In essence, because of social evolution, humans no longer need to struggle as much (for food, dominance, or mates; there are places where this is not true and we generally tend to find that the people who live there are far more comfortable with violence) and as such we have discarded those violent acts and thoughts as being of no real use. Instead we now prize empathy and compassion, but this does not indicate that either side is inherently right; merely that one side is more useful and constructive to the way our society currently works.
“The further you get away from universal human experience and values the more subjective morals become.” This is excellently put, but, unlike you, I feel that rather than this causing some group of morals to become objective, it simply makes certain moral codes more common. Gravity is objective. It acts according to a set number of observable rules that remain constant; that is what it means to be objective. Morality on the other hand, shifts constantly; you put this down to people “othering” those who are different to them, but does that truly matter? If 2000 years ago the vast majority of people on earth believed there was nothing morally reprehensible about slavery and nowadays nearly everyone believes otherwise, does that not show a shift in moral reasoning? The fact that moral codes have changed in regards to slavery, homosexuality, rape, and murder over the years. Proves that even the so called “core” of moral believes is subject to altercations and subtle influences; the reason why this moral shift occurred is inconsequential.
But this is all irrelevant because even if every single person in the world agrees that something is right, it does not make that thing right. Even if a large group of persons have a similar “core set of morals” what makes said set right? The problem with morals is that they are leftovers from religion: a being writes an indomitable law into the universe that says certain actions are good while others are bad. That being then backs said moral code with cause and effect: An action that is good sends you to a happy place when you die, while and action that is bad sends you elsewhere (you can substitute this with “causes you to be judged” in any way you like). But without this being there is nothing to hold the belief in place. Why is killing someone bad? Because it hurts other people. But what if I refute the belief that hurting others is bad? The point is that moral right and wrong are like god; one cannot prove their existence. One also cannot prove that their version is the correct version.
I feel like this last post of mine does a very poor job of eloquently explaining my point but alas, I find the abstract to be difficult to explain in general. That being said I agree with you on most things, especially your degrees of variance view on moral subjectivity/relativity. The farther one gets from commonly shared human experiences the greater number of opinions on what is right and wrong there are. I simply don’t follow it to the same conclusion as you, as I simply do not believe that there is any moral beliefs that can be truly absolute.
Please (@alexman695) on January 3, 2017 at 02:23 said:
“Yes, that’s awesome payback.”
Glad you agree. This was satifying
JJ Jameson on May 25, 2017 at 17:31 said:
If you mess with best you better not miss baby, she deserved what she got, Regent is the most suave motherfucker in the group and I won’t stand the slander of his respectful name.
Fanboy Akyso on October 12, 2019 at 14:07 said:
Regent I like. Mostly because his detatched, rude and as he said asshole behaviour is something that I myself use as a cope. So yeah. Regent. Badass.
I thought Wildbow was amping things up to the point that even the most Sophia-hating readers would realize Regent went too far. I guess there’s a parallel to Poe’s Law about immorality, or at least vengeance. “No matter how nasty you make something, someone will think it’s badass.”
Man. One door opens, another closes for Taylor.
Mr. Walaa on May 15, 2012 at 00:32 said:
Damm she got her comeuppance in spades and it could not have gone to a more deserving person. To say that I was not totally drawn in by this chapter was an understatement.
Drunkfu on May 15, 2012 at 00:37 said:
I kind of sort of DON’T want her to leave town because of all the potential she has to mix things up, and absolutely want to read about her trying to explain what happened to see how she deals.
pinmalken on May 8, 2018 at 15:17 said:
This may seem strange, but getting some insight into the origins of her disfunction… was one of the most satisfying things about this section. Gaining some understanding that she was, in some fashion, abused, by this ‘Stephen’ — that she was -preyed- upon… She was twisted by it, sought to regain her lost control by excercising abuse, dominance, control over others around her (Taylor, random criminals as SS).
It does not excuse anything she did, but It’s wonderful to gain some more… understanding, of the story behind it.
Loki-L on May 15, 2012 at 00:44 said:
Well, so much for the Undersiders not getting on the heroes bad side if this gets out. I think this sort of behaviour is exactly the sort of thing that will prevent Taylor from ever being on friendly terms with any hero if the need arises, it is taking Glory Girl’s sister hostage magnified a lot. And some people might skip this whole not using lethal force even if it means the villains get away the next time it comes up.
I guess it is a good thing that there are no threats on the horizon that will require cooperation or at least that the heroes trust the villains enough to take them seriously when they talk about the end of the world. Chances of this not coming out and coming back to bite anyone are practically zero.
frozen chicken on May 15, 2012 at 00:53 said:
Hmm. I hadn’t realised Regent knew all about Taylor. Tattletale? General deduction?
Now, I…kind of don’t really like this ending. There’s no closure for Taylor. Yes, she’s rid of one of her primary antagonists, but she had nothing to do with it, and it happened in a way that she likely wouldn’t be comfortable with. That’s not really the best resolution.
*necrocomment!*
Taylor told the entire crew about the bullying at Fugly Bob’s when she told them about her trigger event. Shell 4.3. Not much deduction required — although there may be a bit of “so *that’s* why she was okay with kidnapping Shadow Stalker!” going on.
Darker on October 18, 2017 at 13:45 said:
Taylor is definitely not okay with what Alec did. Back in the same chapter she expressely told them that she wants them to NOT get involved :Ü™
because it was her problem to handle which has been stated more than once. she didn’t want anyone intruding on her life because she felt it would only make it worse. the only reason she hasn’t done anything worse to sophia is because she doesn’t want to go down that road and lose what little morality she has, she has however contemplated it and forced herself not to hurt sophia on multiple occasions. if you look back to the situation in the book store she was ready to fight sophia with grue at her back but failed because she was delayed by the racist book store owner.
Richard on May 8, 2018 at 21:18 said:
At this point in the story, none of the Undersiders except Taylor know that Shadow Stalker is Sophia. Only Taylor and Grue know that Sophia is one of Taylor’s bullies, but Grue does NOT know that Sophia is Shadow Stalker.
What the Undersiders DO know is that Taylor knows Shadow Stalkers real identity, and they know that Shadow Stalker tried to murder Taylor. I believe that THIS is what this entire chapter is in retaliation for. If Regent knew that Sophia was one of Taylor’s bullies as well as Shadow Stalker, he probably would have ended here here.
megasolipsist on June 7, 2019 at 05:25 said:
Regent worked it out in this chapter.
“He knew he should feel bad for the dork, but he only felt annoyed. He felt worse about the fact that he didn’t feel bad than he did about what he’d just read.”
By the end, he knew exactly who she was.
afifakhan2001 on May 15, 2012 at 00:54 said:
‘Were he to open his own mouth now and speak to Brian or Alec’, possible mistake there. did you mean lisa or taylor? anyway interesting chapter as he is a character that stands around in the background, so much more depth give to his character in this chapter and also it was nice to see shadow stalker squirm some more.
Good eye. Fixed.
MadNinja on May 15, 2012 at 02:26 said:
Regent the parasite.
Nah, let’s work on some titles here.
Regent the Mindripper
More like Regent The Body Snatcher. Since the victim’s mind is still there own but not there bodies.
Regent the Mindcrusher
I like throwing mind in there and going for something fearsome. That’s why I’m not saying something like “Regent the Bodyjacker.” That, and Bodyjacker just doesn’t sound right, even if it sounds like he’s done dirty deeds dirt cheap with those other bodies.
I think “Regent the Bodyjacker” is just right.
Fjolnir on February 21, 2015 at 20:59 said:
Hilariously, “Regent” is a pretty solid title for a master like this, the person who controls a kingdom on behalf of another?
Nix on February 21, 2015 at 21:41 said:
Quite. His name seemed… odd to start with. Why would someone whose power is to make someone twitch called Regent rather than Cramp? And then we see what his power can really do…
(It’s appropriate for another reason, too. A regent can’t just waltz in from outside and take a kingdom over — he has to plan and prepare. Regent’s power is just the same, though it only takes an hour or so rather than years.)
Jinx on May 15, 2012 at 02:57 said:
I had to stop reading halfway through. Simply because of how horrific Regent’s power is. The nightmarish possibilities of what he could do were too much.
Oh, I kept reading. I wasn’t too sure about what he did to her at the time, but I’ve come around to it as I wrote this.
I mean, here we have her get her comeuppance, and then some. So the scales are somewhat balanced when it comes to her, Emma, and Taylor, as well as her and Grue.
Her time as a hero is over, though. I’d like to say that means she stops completely, but she’s going to keep on doing stuff whether she’s got approval or not. Ignoring that she was controlled at the time, there’s finally proof implicating her and Emma with the bullying. That’s not going to do much yet, since the school is sleeping with the fishes, but it keeps Emma’s dad from weasaling her out of it and it’s troublesome for Stalker’s probation. This is someone who doesn’t need to be in power. Neither does Regent, but at least he’s somewhat capable of doing the right thing despite his psychopathy (and I might be using the term accurately there).
Of course, all this was secondary to the real purpose. He wanted to make sure she was absolutely convinced that leaving the city was in her best interests.
Because the fact that someone randomly could take control of her at potentially any time wasn’t enough of a reason. I guess we know why he had to be so blatant about it.
So, from deep down in the bottom of my heart, I would just like to say about Sophia: “…and the horse you rode in on!”
Crap, now who are we going to have fun hating on in the story?
Oooh, I know, y’all can all hate on me for being the annoying guy who talks about himself a lot and fails miserably at being funny!
Sophia IS the horse he rode in on.
If only she was an entire horse. She’s more like just the horse’s ass.
einargs on October 10, 2014 at 12:09 said:
I dunno, throughout the whole thing I was cheering for regent. At the end I was so annoyed that he didn’t have her suicide, because it would have been hilarious seeing Piggott and Taylor’s reactions. I might be a bit messed up, but I always fantasized about doing this my bullies. Preferably with a flourine capsule with argon to keep it from burning through down their stomach… ah their insides would literally be on fire, and in the end they’d have a cauterized hole through there stomach and anus, if I added phosphates. No, I’m perfectly sane, why do you ask?
Alli on April 18, 2016 at 00:53 said:
I think theres two ways how bully victims feel about death; wanting to kill the bully (to end the bullying and hurt them how they hurt you) or wanting to kill yourself (to cause them horrific guilt and end the bullying). Honestly, I was the latter when I was bullied, and I still think this way because fucking someone over psychologically about death means they have to live with that, whereas death just ends it for them.
You could argue that Regent has just provided the best of both worlds, here. Hurt them how they hurt [others], cause horrific psychological trauma (possibly even guilt if she does some introspection, but I’m not holding my breath), and end the bullying.
Can’t really blame Regent for abusing his power like this. Especially since in his place I’d abuse it more.
Though is this thing he did here doesn’t backfire I’ll eat my ham sandwich.
Considering that they now have solid evidence about Sophia’s and Emma’s bullying, the police are going to want to get in contact with the girl they bullied and who tried to bring it up, Taylor, to build a case. That will lead them to her tendency to skip school and eventually leaving it altogether. With her in the system as a troubled girl with a traumatic experience (mental institution records) she might set off some warnings set up by Dragon that are used to investigate if someone’s had an experience that causes superpowers, prompting them to look more into those absences if they can. Also, as a missing teen, they’ll want photographs of her which might wind up matched by advanced programs with clear photos of Skitter.
Mainly, the police will be looking for her as a civilian, but not in a hostile manner considering that her absences were, as far as they’d know, the result of that bullying behavior. She would be low priority right now.
Brockton Bay is in ruins, and Taylor’s Dad doesn’t know where to find her. Cops won’t spend much effort there. Things will not be quite so comfortable for Emma and Madison after this, though.
PandaGrill on May 9, 2014 at 07:46 said:
It is funny reading this comment when reading the second time through. I wonder what your reaction was during that chapter.
FYI, gang, I’ve updated the cast page to reflect the new status quo.
I urge you guys to point out anyone I’m missing, and to feel free to poke me to add details on any newly introduced character (or details about a character as of yet undescribed). Too easy to slack on that front, in any case.
Hm, I noticed that Faultline seems to have gone ahead with recruiting Shamrock…
Had the voting turned out differently, Arc 9 might have featured Faultline’s crew and the recruitment, and many more details would have been revealed about the Case 53s. Sophia’s interlude chapter would have been the interlude between arc 9 and arc 10.
As is, all that same stuff happened in the background.
Josh on September 3, 2013 at 21:17 said:
Legend is still not on the non-spoiler list.
Jake on May 15, 2012 at 10:13 said:
Wildbow, excellent post. I don’t know if I’ve ever read such a convincing sociopath. Regent is… disturbing.
I doubt it’d work though, because Weld knew Sophia was being controlled and all that stuff about each person’s M.O. and when something doesn’t seem to fit
It wouldn’t except for all those text messages archiving her bullying. Sophia is *screwed*; there is no way the Wards won’t lock her up, and she needs them to corroborate the “I was body-jacked” story.
THF on May 15, 2012 at 10:19 said:
I usually try not to swear on the internet,but holy fuck, I think that was one of the scariest things I’ve ever read.
Wow. Quite a compliment, that.
alextfish on November 27, 2013 at 19:03 said:
…Yeah, I’m pretty much with you there. And I thought it was unpleasant in 9.6 when we were inside Sophia’s head. Wow. That’s nothing compared to this.
Incredibly disturbing. Very effective, wildbow.
Oh, hey. This happens to be the 100th chapter of Worm. Woohoo.
100 chapters.
1,689 comments.
125 tags (I tag recurring characters so their names appear at the bottom of the posts, so ~125 characters)
Somewhere between 375,000-400,000 words written.
Amusing search terms people have used that led them to Worm:
(AKA, people don’t know how to search, or they do and they’re looking for porn)
“had the toe rings”
wear we can find wildbaw meet in dandenong
rock staddy grue
“full body pantyhose” “performed ” -porn -sexy
wall worm physique file missing
faultline – describe the movement of dance cigarette
weight stability mouse leviathan
the undersiders book flake (hope that’s not someone implying I’m a flake. ;))
“muscles began to” “teenager” superheroine
grue stomach growls
grue moon cartoon
giantess shrink machine beat father pantyhose (I don’t even know)
menja shat.nl
man makes howling sound after concussion
lifts superheroine over his head crotch
a folded ink blot. rigid transformation? yes no if yes, which type of
i think a worm fell from my ceiling vent
long white spear shaped worm in cats poo
dreams stainless mesh and worms in wrist
he believed he had a different type of world and couldn’t understand why god put him in grue
who was the leader of tattletales in seven spiders spinning
tied lisa arms and legs to her body with metal wirs, pointed her from head to feet
parasites on face a worm climbed out of my mouth (There’s a lot of these)
estocasticom on May 15, 2012 at 13:58 said:
hehe, weird searched…awsome novel.
To the page archivement i will add a TvTroope page and a Wiki (work in progress). I can see a Wikipedia page in the future once you began publishing in dead-trees.
By the way: 125 characters, Wow, in the wiki we only have a page for 13 of them so far. We have a lot of work ahead…i like it.
Same deal as I made with Valran for the chapter summaries/entries. If you’ll put together the character pages, I’ll see about adding tidbits of information & trivia for the ones you get done. Won’t do them all, but I’ll see what I can offer.
Not sure about the wikipedia page. Worm isn’t that high on the Notability count.
Noticed a link to it from Legion of Nothing. Felt like bringing the sheer terror of Psycho Gecko commentary down upon another great story. Read my works, ye mighty, and despair.
…nothing beside remains.
Happy 100th.
A surprising number of people have searched for Psycho Gecko, interestingly. Someone trying to track you down? Or just a fan, wanting to follow your mad ramblings?
I have no clue. I’ve searched maybe three times to see if people have been saying things. It feels good to have people say good things about me here and at Jim’s site, but I also worry if someone just sees me as trying to hijack the stuff(Quoth the Robot Devil: “You can’t have your characters just say how they feel! That makes me feel angry!”). Instead, I’ve seen an increase in people talking about pet geckos and using the term psycho. There’s also some spamming there from this one website thing that manages guilds, including a Supergroup I’m in on City of Heroes (Now free to play!). Since my Global in the game is @Psycho Gecko, it pops up a little. Unfortunately, someone else seems to have grabbed that with DC Universe online, but I don’t play that anyway.
I don’t have any kind of blog or site of my own. I briefly did try to blog about whatever came to my mind under a different name, but I got about three posts off and haven’t been back to it since. My posts as Psycho Gecko and stories featuring me are on Legion of Nothing and here. Generally they’re small one-shots that are either making a point, poking fun at things, or have what I felt were funny references to the story. Or combinations of those. Three consecutive Thursdays, I posted parts of a story in Jim’s comments at LoN. Psychonomous Gex! The Rise of Psycho Gecko, if anyone wants to search for that. More of a present day summary.
I’d like to tell the full backstory on its own sometime, but that’s quite a task. If I wanted to share it, I’d need a site, and who wants to stop by just for a short story like that? I’d feel bad dropping it in yours or Jim’s comments too. I felt embarrassed enough that I went through with that one over on LoN. It didn’t help that I made an error in one part that made an entire comical list gag useless. At least you get to correct your mistakes.
Aside from that, I do have some writings that are about different characters from City of Heroes on a couple of other sites, not necessarily under this name because of them being Supergroups. My gas-mask wearing mad bomber woman predates yours, Wildbow.
In our top coincidence news, there’s some wierd relationship between something called Psychonomics and something called Gex or gEX. Had no clue about that one. Also didn’t know about Xolotl and Axolotl until real recently and that was also kinda freaky, especially given that the Psycho stands for Psychopomp and that one of the things he uses his powers for is rapid regeneration. Regeneration is such an overdone power, but he’s no Wolverine or Deadpool. Well, some people I know have drawn comparisons to Deadpool, so I try to avoid reading him. Don’t want any inadvertent (or advertant) cross contamination while writing.
JN on October 20, 2012 at 22:36 said:
I’m boring. I saw it mentioned on the LON comments and googled: worm superhero.
Pft. I simply googled “worm”. Suppose you’ve come a long way, Wildbow. Congratulations.
Ilutu-Lili on May 15, 2012 at 13:03 said:
Really good writing here. Has Imp been mentioned on the cast page yet? Her power is interesting to me.
Added Imp.
thewarriorofmanyfaces on September 3, 2014 at 10:56 said:
The irony.
Um the Muse on May 15, 2012 at 13:53 said:
Various typo’s, with corrections in square brackets:
enough and try to follow [enough to try and follow]
eveyr [every]
We’re going [to] go
whinge [British spelling; American spelling is without the g: whine]
but it’s the sort of thing I can do because it feels like I should [? Maybe remove the “can”]
That was an intense and interesting chapter. I kind of always felt that Alec was hiding a sly, conniving mind behind his devil-may-care attitude. I admit that I thought he was a spy or traitor of some sort, though.
I can easily see how having that kind of control could be addicting. I think that it says a lot about him that he was able to give it up. I wonder why he did, though. Was it out of a sense of duty? An abhorrence of his father?
Changes made. I think I made a few of those hours ago, though? You start compiling the list & then put it down for a long while?
Keeping whinge, though. It fits with where Alec came from (he was born & spent more than half his life in an area where many anglophones had some strong British/Scottish ancestry/identification, and his father lived in the United Kingdom for some time, so Alec could have easily picked it up somewhere, growing up.)
Why did he stop using his power? It’s been hinted at, but the primary reasons were that Tattletale knew it would scare Taylor off, it’s problematic to use, it’s the sort of thing that brings the heroes down on your head, if you’re not careful, and lastly, he wanted to fly under the radar and not draw his dad’s attention.
Oh, yeah. I get your newest chapter e-mailed to me and then I read it through the day when I feel like taking a break from my work. Sorry if you already made the corrections.
Also, I realize that Regent had a lot of good reasons to keep this a secret and to use the power sparingly. That said, I could see this being something that would be hard to stop once you started, no matter how irrational that would be.
Makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to alert me.
Out of curiosity, how do you pronounce “whinge”? Is it just like “whine,” or is it pronounced differently?
wildbow on October 13, 2013 at 10:11 said:
(h)winj.
Like the ‘wh’ from whip and the ‘inge’ from hinge.
Hm…I wonder if Sophia’s mother ever realized that Sophia didn’t quite sound right…
“So what did he do do you?”
Second “do” should probably be a “to”. Unless Regent is slurring his words oddly or something.
merdinus on January 15, 2015 at 23:21 said:
‘Whine’ and ‘whinge’ are not the same word. Whining more closely refers to higher pitches like when a dog is scared; whinging is specifically complaining, with the word being used mostly when you’re implying that the complaint is petty and inconsiderate. In usage, though, when you hear that someone was whinging, you consider it a given that they were using a specific tone of voice, usually a whine.
Sarah on May 15, 2012 at 15:00 said:
I’ve been reading for a while but this is the first time I’ve commented because it’s the best chapter so far! On the one hand the potential uses for Regent’s power are horrifying but on the other is is so satisfying to see Sophia finally brought down but on a third hand I feel like a sociopath revelling in that. But it is Sophia…. Why am I so conflicted?!? Take that as a compliment to your character development skills 🙂
Congrats on 100 chapters!
You’re conflicted because you have a conscience.
name_not_required on January 19, 2013 at 18:46 said:
Gosh… for a moment I thought he would do it… By that, sealing his own fate and that of his team members…
Even what he already did (emails to police & school, weirding out Emma and especially scaring her family) may have been a bit too much… If she ever talks about it, seriousness will be some levels up, which means: The Birdcage for him and the Undersiders. *shudder*. Hm… thinking again… he is already bound for the Birdcage, for killing. But still…
I think I need to calm down before I go to sleep.
On the other hand, there is no evidence that it was him that sent the e-mail, and it would take the PRT admitting that the other actions could have been done by Regent to give them much chance of getting caged for that.
Besides, Coil’s taking over the city; taking over one hero isn’t that much, by comparison.
esran on March 14, 2013 at 14:29 said:
at the beggining i felt that the chapter inspired postivie emotions,with shadow stalker getting what she deserved, but as the chapter went on i stopped thinking she deserved it and starting thinking reagent was going too far, by the end i felt sympathetic for shadow stalker, and started to realize that reagent really is a sociopath. he probably didnt realize he was doing something wrong, and felt like he was doing the right thing, but it was also clear that he enjoyed other poeples pain and would, if he could without risk, control as many people as possible and do stuff like this to all of them, deserving or not.
Max on September 19, 2014 at 20:39 said:
The thing I find the scariest about Regent is that he DOES seem to know what he is doing is utterly wrong and fucked up. And he just doesn’t care. He is so screwed up from his upbringing that practically nothing brings him any feeling and he gets more pissed about not having feelings than anything that should cause those feelings. It’s scary as hell to know that the only thing that keeps him from going all out is loyalty to his team (partly because he feels he should be loyal than actually needing to be loyal) and he knows if he pushes it too far than the heroes will gun for him as a priority.
The only time I felt bad for Sophia was when he threatened her mom actually. I knew bullies like her, was bullied myself and I know of at least one person who killed themself to get away from bullies. So I have very little sympathy for people like Sophia. If you drive someone as far as they drove Taylor, then you deserve every amount of Karma she received here and more so. One single horrible awful bad day does not make up for over a year of shear torture. Because that’s what the trio did. Torture. I’m amazed that Taylor didn’t snap and either kill herself or kill them prior to the start of the story. Sophia deserved this.
baufenbeast on October 3, 2014 at 23:41 said:
I believe it’s mentioned earlier that Taylor herself thought that she had been travelling down that road; if her power hadn’t come in to distract her and give her a superhero life to look forward to, she might have turned suicidal. It’s scary to think about how it actually makes sense, and more so that this kind of stuff actually happens in real life.
Mike on May 2, 2013 at 10:29 said:
The first time I read this, I remember thinking that this was terrifying and Alec was a huge dick. Re-reading it now, Alec is a dick, but he’s also a pretty swell guy considering his background and personality. That line about him feeling worse about not feeling anything is subtle, yet powerful in that context.
I felt similarly — but you’re right about the ‘considering’. His morality hardware has been burned out, but he’s trying to emulate it in software.
God on May 26, 2013 at 07:33 said:
Man. So regent basically raped a bunch of people with his power? I know its is dads fault that he’s fucked up but damn he really is a fucking sociopath.
Still kind of fun watching someone be evil with their powers and have fun doing it.
But yeah this chapter kind of makes Regent terrifying.
TinkerTailor on June 30, 2013 at 18:55 said:
Back when I first read this chapter, I honestly thought Alec was going to do it, and I felt really bad for Sophia. She has ridiculously bad karma, but doesn’t deserve being made to hang herself. It was a very suspenseful chapter, with a real sense of growing dread. I was very releived by the time the chapter ended. Kudos to wildbow, for prompting that sort of emotional response for a character as unlikable as her.
On my reread, I was more able to pick up on some of the hints as to her backstory, too. Interesting stuff.
Kailen on October 15, 2015 at 13:55 said:
I felt really bad for Sophia. She has ridiculously bad karma, but doesn’t deserve being made to hang herself.
No, what she truly deserves is for the last thing she ever sees to be Skitter saying, “you want to know why?” *takes off her mask* “This is why.” And then Alec causes her to step off of a nice, tall building and makes sure she doesn’t go shadowform for the next few seconds.
Did you know that if you stepped off a 14-story building, it would only take about 3 seconds before you reached the ground, in which time gravity would accelerate your body to 60 MPH? After those 3 seconds, her body would impact against asphalt or concrete and decelerate back to 0 again in much less than 3 seconds, causing her to splatter.
Like a bug.
She is a murderer, an unrepentant murderer at that, and moreover an unrepentant superpowered murderer, and that’s before we even get into any of the things she’s done to Taylor. that’s exactly what she deserves and I’m kind of disappointed it didn’t end that way. I really am.
Takashoru on April 5, 2016 at 14:40 said:
Man, that would have been great. I think Sophia would have had to have done something worse for Taylor to have gone for that, but just the idea of that scene gives me chills.
Actually, leaving her in shadowform might be worse assuming she falls into the ground and just keeps going…
While she probably *deserved* to be hanged, at this point it would be overkill. Her life is ruined.
DefiantPotato on July 2, 2013 at 03:43 said:
Been waiting for an idea of Alec’s “fuckedupness” for a while. Great chapter
mdman1 on August 7, 2013 at 03:26 said:
Oh my god, this chapter… just this chapter…
I’ve been archive binging up to this point and intend to go on further but wow, amazing writing. It evoked so much emotion, without a doubt one of the best chapters in the story I’ve read so far.
Regent is scary, but you wrote him in a way that gave me so much schadenfreude that I pulled muscles from laughing so hard during the early antics. Sobered up a bit later but wow, really fitting for Sophia, karma is a bitch. Just an awesome story (first comment).
I started this expecting that it would make me hate Regent, or at least dislike him rather than generally be annoyed by him and suspicious of him. Then, I was totally into it. By the end I wished he’d killed SS. No reason to let her live, really, other than doing what he said he would to the group. But he could make up an excuse to get around that. I’d think she’s more trouble alive than her death would create.
Still, fast thinking on his part.
I noticed that in the past few chapters you’d used the word “grunt” a lot, and in places where it didn’t fit right. I was surprised that in this whole chapter the word didn’t show up after the second sentence – which was just a restating of what happened in the last chapter.
The problem with killing her is that it would bring the PRT down on him and the Undersiders. The group is more of the underdogs at the moment. Nobody really puts priority on them besides Coil because while they are annoying they haven’t done anything worth putting big resources into hunting them down like ABB or EEE. Blatant murder would rocket them straight up in the priority whether or not it was with their consent.
Nim on August 24, 2013 at 08:14 said:
It’s the little things that really sell this short. Stuff like Alec pausing to check youtube because he doesn’t know how to tie a noose. Keeps things grounded, reminds you that whatever else he might be, he’s human. Helps the reader to stay connected and empathize, which only ratchets the horror of his actions that much higher.
I don’t think “sell this short” means what you mean (cf.), but you’re right — it’s a good touch.
Hmm, yeah the context is a little awkward, go with “sell this arc,” instead.
Irrevenant on March 24, 2014 at 15:55 said:
I had the same reaction to the comment too, but it’s actually correct as is. “Short” is a common abbreviation for a short story or film. Nim was saying it’s the little choices that help sell this short story, and he’s right.
The language ambiguity is unfortunate. That’s one of the dangers of English. Its flexibility and ambiguity is brilliant for writers (and comedians. 🙂 letting them express things in a nuanced, layered way. It also makes it very easy to inject double meanings where you weren’t intending to.
Not to mention all the double-meanings that get injected in the years after, when new words and language-constructions are introduced into the language. (Obligatory TV Trope.)
trebar on April 4, 2017 at 17:54 said:
I get what you’re saying, but I would still argue that you are wrong. “Sell [something] short” already has a meaning independent of your explanation, and it is actually the opposite of the intended meaning. To sell something short is to get less value that it deserves. For example, if you sell yourself short you do not have confidence in yourself. The saying derives from the concept of “short-selling” a stock, which is when you borrow stock to sell it now in the belief that the price will drop later.
The idea they are trying to convey is fine; they are saying the short story sells itself really well because of the little details. But the phrase “the details really sell this story short” would mean that the details themselves are getting in the way of the story and preventing it from reaching its full potential. This is the opposite of the intended meaning.
Holy sh*t.
I’m not exactly sympathetic towards Shadow Stalker
(as per comment on SS’s Interlude, she’s one of the few characters I actually find myself hating with no sympathy at all)
but this is scary.
I still don’t feel sorry for her. At least, not in any rational sense. Regent completely screwed her life over and probably psychologically damaged her for life, and I feel bad about the idea of that happening to someone in the abstract, but I still think she deserved it, in the context of what she already did.
My main reaction to this isn’t sympathy for Sophie, it’s fear and awe. Regent just jumped several rungs closer to “favorite” and “scariest” characters in this story. He took over this girl’s body and used that to destroy her life while she watched from inside, which to me is much scarier than even the Endbringers…
…but he did it because she deserved it, and because she had hurt his teammate, which to me makes him a lot more likable, by some twisted reasoning.
I’m going to have so much fun getting to sleep tonight. Keep up the amazing work, Wildbow.
I agree on all accounts. Regent is far scarier to me than the Endbringers. They will kill you but they will kill you fast and you will see it coming. This guy makes your mind a prison and can use your own muscle memory to damn you. It’s scary as shit.
And yes I love how he basically fried his hard drive and runs a simulation of what should be there. And that he did this to her because of Taylor. So glad he is on the protagonist’s side!
I like Regent now. 🙂
I’m not a sociopath like him but I can imagine doing something similar myself (particularly enjoying an athletic body with powers).
EF on September 23, 2013 at 12:34 said:
I have not been able to stop obsessively reading this story since I discovered it a few days ago, and I just wanted to say that WOW this is by far my favorite chapter. More than a bit disturbing and sociopathic, but awesome and fantastically written. I’m a bit disturbed by how exultant I was the whole way through. Also now I’m alarmed at the disappointment I felt when he DIDN’T kill her. Like other commenters have said, I suddenly find myself really liking Regent. Great work!
Tom on November 7, 2013 at 16:24 said:
“I think I’m done with listening to you whinge,”
I think it should be “whine”, unless that was intentional and I just don’t know the slang.
wildbow on November 7, 2013 at 17:04 said:
Whinge is a word.
Whinge is also a *word* word, not slang. (As in, it is so much a word in the UK that I had no idea until now that it wasn’t universal in English-speaking countries. It has been used many times by relatively non-slangy sources such as BBC News, the Financial Times and the Economist.)
The OED traces it to late Old English /hwinsian/ (‘whine’ traces to the related /whinan/). Its complaint meaning is actually *older* than the similar meaning of ‘whine’, which dates in that sense only from the 1520s. Both long predate any English colonization of the American continent.
Given that, I wonder why it dropped out of use in the USA? Maybe it was less common in Ireland and the parts of the west country that sourced so much US immigration…
Bgbg on November 15, 2013 at 14:57 said:
Regent just went from a relatively unknown character to taking the lead as my favourite. This chapter was awesome.
I’ve been loving this so far, and then this chapter, oh my gawd! That was intense. I’ve been reviewing this as an option to have my book club read, and it’s just so unique I think I can sell them on it easily. So much good writing, but this chapter really stands out. Wow.
ceb1970 on November 21, 2013 at 18:27 said:
Just read up to this point over the last week based on the recommendation of the HPMOR author and I am totally hooked. I think this is a perfect spot in the story thus far for me to take a break and smoke a figurative cigarette.
Any speculation about Steven? No matter what Steven put Sophia through that made her such a cruel person (assuming she wasn’t before) it can still be argued that she deserved some sort of punishment for her behavior, though this is obviously extreme. But I wonder if some of us will have to temper our “enthusiasm” for this payback once we learn more about Sophia’s fomulative events.
s on April 3, 2018 at 17:38 said:
Ya know, it might be a nice trope aversion if Steven didn’t really do anything wrong, but just left in a sort-of “no reason to stay” way.
Up to here, the character I’d had the worst opinion of was Bakuda. One of the few people I thought actually deserved life in a one-way deathtrap like the Birdcage, or *maybe* being put down as a precautionary measure.
Regent, though, needs to be *executed*. Publicly, if possible. Yes, Sophia was a bitch. Yes, she was a horrible person. She did not deserve this. *No-one* deserves anything like this. A fucking Endbringer attack would be preferable to allowing Alec to live once he has proven capable and *willing* to do something like this. His father, too, from what we’ve heard so far.
draconian139 on February 24, 2014 at 11:22 said:
Really? I found it justified if not light treatment considering that she attempted to murder Skitter(as well as Grue for that matter) and was not going to let things drop. This is the bigger factor to me, most people seem to have focused on the bullying but that’s just because we read more about it.
I mean lets look at his options as he sees them.
1.Let her go while knowing she’s already tried to kill one teammate
2.Make her commit suicide and try to make it appear like she left town.
3.Keep her hostage indefinitely.
4.Frighten her into leaving town.
Letting someone with no compunctions against murder and a vendetta against you go free when they’re at your mercy requires either a death wish or a noble but stupid outlook.
Option two is worse than what he actually did in my book.
Option three is questionably even worse than two morally speaking. Plus there’s a risk that she’d get free of whatever restraints they used during periods that Regent slept.
I’m fine with option four and really don’t see much wrong with it other than him getting enjoyment out of it. Sophia clearly has mental issues and it would take a lot to frighten her to the extent that he needs to. There could be an argument as to whether he needed to go quite that far but it would be easy to not go far enough.
I’m not sure that anyone’s disagreeing that it was the best tactical move available (though getting Sophia being her lovely murderous self on film and releasing it to the media should work to get her sent to the Birdcage pronto – she’s already on thin ice. If the issue of whether she was being controlled pops up, we’ll Armmaster can detect lies, no?).
What Mouse (and I, for that matter) are saying is that it’s a move that only a monster would actually execute.
I can understand how such a power could be seductive and addictive. And feeling lessened when only on a single body would be horrible. But those other bodies are *inhabited*. Being powerless over your own body and your own life is about the most horrible thing that can happen to someone. Having your enemy control them is worse. (Arguably murder is worse still, but at least a murdered person isn’t still suffering).
Regent seems to be so messed up for good reasons and this action helped out the Undersiders but that doesn’t change the fact he’s a horrific monster.
Dragon on October 15, 2014 at 02:40 said:
Why “executed”? If we execute everyone that is even capable of upsetting the status quo, then soon no one will be left. On the other hand, those who completely abuse their powers (not necessarily super) need to have the capability to use their power taken away. Taking one’s agency to use their power away is the most effective form of punishment, worse than any death penalty.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I support your idea of killing or punishing people like Alec. I mean, everyone is capable of terrible deeds in their own way. The fact that he chooses to channel his power towards benefiting people, even indirectly, by destroying the lives of evil people, rather than destroying innocent lives for his amusement, which he is capable of with his power, is definitely a redeeming factor. Being able to separate what is good from what is evil is pretty much all the morality that is necessary. I wouldn’t say Alec is completely amoral, at this point in the story. In fact, I’d even say he tries to be a good person to his.. well.. colleagues.
Taking a person’s past actions into account is all well and good, but it’s also necessary to give more weight to the person they are trying to be now. Alec has changed his motives, if not his actions, and doesn’t use his powers for personal pleasure anymore. Shadow Stalker, on the other hand, has displayed multiple reasons to be “put down”. If given more power, she’d pretty much enforce her “prey-predator” view upon the entire world. She’d abuse, ruin or even take away the lives of everyone she deems weak, without remorse or doubt. So yes, she very much deserves to have the equation of power turned on her.
Fuck, I can think of hundreds of people who deserve to have their capability to act taken away, just as Regent does. I don’t know why you can’t.
MadScientist14159 on November 24, 2013 at 09:46 said:
I always love reading from the perspective of psychopaths/sociopaths. They always do such *interesting* things in stories, where neurotypical characters would be boring and predictable. I hope there are more chapters from Regents POV.
Curious George on November 28, 2013 at 02:50 said:
Watch that first line, folks, it’s a doozy. Seriously, it stood me on my head with one word. “lied.”
Very happy to learn more about both Shadow Stalker and Regent, and this chapter definitely accomplishes that. And as terrifying and wrong as this is, I’m a bit disturbed to admit that it was also very satisfying, partly because of the way he turns her own nature and past wrongs against her, and partly because seeing her powerless and afraid is a bit of poetic justice. As far as wrongness, though, the way he turns her unconscious reactions against her is almost worse than his outright control of her body. It means that she can’t help betraying herself in small ways, effectively giving him clues about how to hurt her the worst. That would add to the terror a lot, I think.
All in all, extremely troubling – but a great read. I’m not sure whether dying or surviving is worse from SS’s perspective, mainly because I think she’s extremely prideful and each option hits her hard, in significantly different ways. I definitely think that pressuring her not to admit Regent’s responsibility for much of what just happened was a masterstroke, in terms of finding a way to hurt her – this night could well have ramifications for the rest of her life, and she’ll be reminded of what he did every day, most likely. Anytime something makes her think of her family, or school or super-work. Her entire life is probably tainted by this, now, even if she never again sets foot on the same continent as Regent. It’s a hell of a blow. Maximum effect for minimum effort, indeed. And despite the horrific things he does, I still end this chapter feeling more sympathy for Regent than when it started. That is quite an achievement.
I do feel a bit bad for Sophia (though not as much as I probably should) and also for her mother. In a nicer and less logical world, she and Danny Hebert would meet in a local support group for parents of superteens and help each other through the nastiness, or something. Parents of supers often get a raw deal, it seems to me. Even the decent ones.
It’s not spelled out, but I noticed that Mom was pretty quick to fall back to smacking Sophia, showed plenty of anger, little fear, although she knows her daughter is healthy, strong, impulsive and violent. I have a feeling that Sophia had a lot of help digging the hole she’s in.
Jerden on October 12, 2015 at 12:52 said:
Mother slaps daugher with very little provocation, and wonders why her little girl is so angry and violent.
Delta on November 30, 2013 at 18:49 said:
That was… amazing and horrifying. The wham “I lied” line at the start, the guilty amusement as she admits her misdeeds then the increasing unease as she’s forced to do things she wouldn’t then more and more horrible as we see her home and near-suicide. And how this is Alex trying to be good.
Something that occurred to me was that this is in some ways the same as Taylor or Ender’s approach, the willingness to inflict fear or pain if it is necessary and the best way to resolve a situation.
If the rush of controlling people is like a drug to him it’s scary to think what he might start doing once he has his own team and the others can’t keep an eye on him as much.
Jenny Creed on December 17, 2013 at 09:13 said:
“The anger was gone now. There was only fear.”
My favorite part of this very good chapter. It’s neat to have this literal insight in what a character feels, cause it makes it so clear that Alec’s thing works. Probably not in the way he intended, but still: He manages to break Sophia’s illusions of immortality, or superiority. Now that she understands that she’s not better than everyone else – that she can be beaten, and even killed – she can begin to connect with the rest of humanity. Maybe even develop empathy. I think, in her position, a person can only choose to completely embrace other people, care about them and hope that they care about her in turn and try to avoid making people want to do this sort of thing to her again, or reject other people completely and go live in a cabin in the woods.
In either case, everyone wins.
Not that I’m advocating abusing people to the point where they fully believe they’re going to die as a solution to antisocial behavior or anything. It may have worked for me, but I don’t want anyone to go through the same. But speaking as we are, sure about the facts a) exactly what she’s feeling and b) she didn’t die, in Sophia’s case, I think what Alec did helped her.
xGD on December 18, 2013 at 23:42 said:
Or she defines predators as better than prey and defines her abuser as a predator. A belief in her superiority to the majority would then be reinforced.
Or she reasons that while they may be dangerous if given a chance and the right conditions, that’s a motivation to be more careful. There are many ways of mitigating risk.
More than two potential responses to fear down the line.
I haven’t said this yet, so let me say it now: this is an excellent story, one of the best things I have ever read.
Suffice it to say that this is the most disturbing thing I have read in a long, long time. Especially the part where he almost hangs her.
J on December 24, 2013 at 11:27 said:
Yes! Finally Regent gets his on chapter 🙂
I loved this one and I hope we get more Regent in the future.
Henry on December 26, 2013 at 04:18 said:
Katie Cohen on December 26, 2013 at 12:07 said:
Typo alert: “I think I’m done with listening to you whinge,” Regent whispered. I believe it should be “whine.”
Glassware on January 11, 2014 at 19:48 said:
anKLJ on January 30, 2014 at 15:59 said:
I agree that “whinge” is a word; a very Anglo word that Alec would know and use, but …
it is obviously sticking for many USA readers, and is probably NOT a word that Sophia would use. so the question is — would Alec make the little “slip” of putting it in her mouth in front of her mother?
May want to consider that in an edit for publication, Wildbow.
HOLY. CRAP! did I have Regent under-estimated until now! He is SERIOUSLY powered and scary! Amazing character development!
Sky on December 28, 2013 at 22:01 said:
God. Friendly little pet sociopath they’ve been keeping around.
Taylor knows that Tattletale misses things. It would be smart of her to start asking Tattletale more specific questions about horror scenarios like this, which she seems better at imagining.
swiftmockingjay451 on January 5, 2014 at 17:14 said:
I always kind of liked Regent, especially his costume design, all about deception. It was a bit annoying how you were giving all the characters these awesome backstories, but kept skipping over Regent, leaving him in the background. Now we get a whole chapter of Alec/Regent psychopathic goodness, and I must say, I really, really enjoyed it. Not sure what that says about me, but I wished he had killed Sophia. At the very least, publicly revealed her as Shadow Stalker? The bitch got what was coming to her. I wonder what happens with the suicide note, though, because she didn’t actually commit suicide…?
Alec is quite a scary character now.
rahlian on January 30, 2014 at 01:41 said:
Second time reader first time comment or. Good job asusual wildbow. As a sociopath myself. I couldn’t stop giggling. Would have like to see her die but whatever. I will say that I preferred Alec keep her as his personal meatpuppet but Taylor is too much of a hypocrite for that to ever happen. Still gj wildbow.
WildShipperAppeared on February 1, 2014 at 17:40 said:
Everyone else: lol sophie got what she deserved
holy crap holy crap regent is freaky as shit!
So Alec is bi? This shall have interesting effects on the ships.
I have no idea why but I’d already assumed that he was.
KhorneFlakes on February 13, 2014 at 07:31 said:
Cirno on March 14, 2014 at 07:19 said:
Too rude. Scare her? Break her? Mess her human contacts? Too rude.
What would she think? That she met even bigger bully than she is?
Alas. I hoped she will repent somehow and make perfect pair for Brian.
We’ve talked about what Alec did to Sophia but I’m a bit surprised that noone’s brought up how comfortable he is deliberately deceiving the Undersiders.
He ostensibly punished Sophia on Taylor’s behalf, but even that seemed more from a sort of general “I can’t let you get away with messing with my associate’ principle than any genuine concern for Taylor.
He seems happy enough to be part of the Undersiders for now, but he doesn’t seem genuinely attached to any of them. If a better deal came along, I suspect he would turn on a dime.
J C on March 29, 2014 at 05:38 said:
Fuck me. That was the most stressfully amazing thing I have ever read.
cyphis on April 19, 2014 at 05:51 said:
that was awesome
Olivebirdy on April 29, 2014 at 16:56 said:
Typo alert-
So yeah, maybe father had broken something in the process. -Father
“What the fuck soph… what the fuck!? It’s three AM!” -Soph
“Seriously? That‘s your issue!?” – the ‘s is left out of the italics
Thirty-three Stonemast avenue had a toddler’s toys sitting on the front lawn. -Avenue
The hedges between the property and the neighbors was overgrown -were
So what did he do do you? -to you
Schrodinger's Hat on May 24, 2014 at 00:27 said:
I’m just wondering out loud here. If Sophia gets exposed in school as being shadow stalker, which I’m sure is going to happen in one of the upcoming chapters, then it sure as hell is going to do one hell of a lot of damage to the Wards reputation, which means that Piggot will have to ensure a stricter recruitment policy.
Coz the people in Winslow sure as hell know what a sadist Sophia really is. Then again, if they prevented her from being expelled, and just suspended maybe the authority really are a bunch of insensitive assholes.
This is my second time through, and I think this is my absolute favorite chapter. Yes, there are some where Skitter pulls off some pretty badass shit, and points of delightful foreshadowing and irony, but there’s just something about a well-written socio-pov chapter…and this is one of the best I’ve ever read. My compliments to the author.
After reading everyone’s reactions to Regent here, I can’t wait to see how they react to some of his later actions!
Holy…wow. Okay I have to say that was awesome and extremely well played and I am soooooo glad to see at least one of the trio get their comeuppance. But I have to say that dear lord Alec scares the shit out of me! He strikes me a more dangerous Dexter. He knows pretty much without a doubt that he is a fucked up sociopath who doesn’t really feel things the way that he should but it doesn’t change that he is a fucked up sociopath. He has the potential to be one of the scariest nightmares in the closet of almost anyone shown so far in my opinion. Thank god he works with the main characters and thank god he didn’t decide to go after Taylor before. It was a wonderful pet the dog though fucking with Sophia so much partially on account of her, especially since she only just started to patch things up a few days prior.
Also I have to say that the entire situation with Alec is a perfect example of what I had commented on a few chapters back in 9.something. Sophia is a evil bitch who might or might not have a sad backstory but it doesn’t matter. She is psycho but not nearly to the extent that Alec is. And Alec had an even more horrible past almost guaranteed. And yet here he is being nice to his teammates, helping out previously even when it hurts him, knowing he is fucked up and sorta kinda working around it, and all around having redeeming traits despite being screwed up and kinda evil. He is a bastard but he is a bastard who understands that and doesn’t go out of his way to be a bastard just because he can. It’s pretty cool. Doesn’t change the fact that he scares me shitless though.
Thanatos on September 22, 2014 at 19:22 said:
Alec is the ultimate dom! If he ever finds a girl who likes BDSM, he can make her really, really happy.
Rob on September 14, 2015 at 06:40 said:
Or a guy.
I think I just understood why Alec’s cape name is Regent. O_O
Martin Skullerud on October 22, 2014 at 22:17 said:
“Comeuppance”? “Awesome”? “Justified”? What the fuck is wrong with all the people lionizing Regent? I haven’t read farther than this but he deserves to be dumped in the deepest darkest part of the Birdcage more than any other character we’ve seen so far.
Really? You think that a man taking revenge on someone who has tried multiple times to murder a not one but two of his teammates, at least once in cold blood, deserves to go to the Birdcage? Is Regent a bit unhinged and the worst person on the team? Sure. But he at least is attempting to be civilized and was screwed over by his father from the time he was born. Sophia has no supervillain parents to give a convenient excuse for being a psychopath. She has been shown to have no thought for her teammates at all, her family didn’t seem particularly invested in her and she executes people who are inconvenient or annoying. Regent has been holding back with few complaints and even in this chapter he held back. SS never held back and acted far worse than he did.
On top of that we know exactly how she was acting out of costume with outright torturing to Taylor. I’ve been bullied myself. Thankfully it wasn’t to the degree shown in this story but it was bad enough I hated going to school. If I had been subjected to the torture (and that’s what the bulling at the beginning of the story was, not abuse, torture) shown earlier, I wouldn’t have made it as long as our hero did. I would’ve snapped and either killed the bullies or myself. Sophia deserved far worse than what Regent did to her in this chapter. I have no delusions, Regent is a sociopath. But to me, for giving Sophia just a small amount of the karma she has earned, he is my hero.
Yes, Regent deserves to go to the Birdcage. The keyword is “revenge”. Regent wasn’t acting in self (or other) defence – he went out of his way to use his powers to mentally torture someone.
This argument that “Oh, but Sophia is worse!” doesn’t hold much water. That doesn’t excuse Regent’s actions – it just means they *both* belong in the Birdcage.
Yes, he’s doing the best he can with the upbringing he had. How often do we tell dangerous criminals “Oh, I didn’t realise you had a terrible childhood. You can go free then.”?
Regent is understandable, even sympathetic. He’s also a major menace to society.
I can agree that he is a menace and probably should go to prison but I don’t believe he deserves the Birdcage. He should go to regular prison with rotating guards and get therapy.
I just get annoyed when people suddenly decide Regent is a bad person because of the Sophia thing. He’s shown he has a screw loose quite a few times. My biggest problem with him is honestly the part with Bakuda when he was honestly praising some of her antics which creeped me right the hell out. I’ve been a little set against Regent since then. I’ve come to terms with him being the Token Evil Teammate.
I disagree somewhat. Sure desire for revenge (on behalf of a teammate) was a factor in tearing SS apart, but the main reason was to ensure she didn’t come after them like the trigger happy sadistic murdering torturer she is. Were his motives pure? No. Is he a good person? Gonna have to say no there as well, though he is trying and doing pretty well for a supervillain largely or entirely lacking the capacity for empathy or guilt. But this case was largely in defense of himself and his team.
Steve Neiman on November 16, 2014 at 18:30 said:
My compliments to Wildbow. It takes a lot of skill to craft a character unlikable enough that I wouldn’t feel bad about something like this happening.
>It was funny, but with the route they were taking, if the timing was a little different
>The light fixture itself was flimsy , but the frame it was attached to was bolted securely into the wooden beams of the ceiling.
Space between clause and comma.
I like Regent. Maybe that paints a bad picture of my ego, how my favourite characters appear to be Coil and Regent, the two a lot of people would probably call the most evil characters in Worm so far.
I don’t find them to be such, though. They’re both supremely self-interested, but evil? It’s not like either of them go out of their way to hurt people, like Kaiser would, or go about their business in a despicably unscrupulous way, like Heartbreaker, or are just incomprehensibly violent, like the Endbringers. They just do their thing; as it happens, their thing occasionally involves hurting others, and they don’t really care. Aye, a man of my heart, this Regent.
I’m sad he didn’t make Sophia kill herself, and I don’t think it fits his personality not to. Sure, his team would probably have reacted with revulsion if it ever came out, but the way he set it up, it’s unlikely it ever would have. From Regent’s perspective, I see no reason not to kill her. It would’ve been a more complete job – only drawback is he wouldn’t have been able to see it.
That… was way less satisfying to read than I thought it would be.
End result? I like. Her hero career is over, at least in that city and under that name. Her relationships are gone.
But that body control power… wow…
I think it creeped me out too much for me to really enjoy it.
laghjla2013 on January 31, 2015 at 23:52 said:
As much as Alec is a fucked up sociopath (I don’t deny that in the least!), since the beginning of the story, although I’ve always gotten the sense he was clearly evil, I’ve found him just a fascinating character. His powers are undeniably awe inspiring, even if he uses them in fucked up ways. I guess a part of me deep down is attracted to how screwed up and evil he is, which sort of disturbs me.
As someone who had a friend bullied (If not to the degree Taylor was, but still cruelly) when I was in high school, knowing the effects on his mental health for years afterwards, I can be glad of SS’s fate. As much as I know Regent acted not out of loyalty to Taylor, I still like that Shadow Stalker ‘faced the music’ so to speak.
All in all, if in real like someone i knew acted as Alec does, I suppose I’d probably be incredibly terrified and freaked out. But as a story, the sociopathic character is just so interesting and compelling that I can’t help but like him. Wildbow, I congratulate you on a truly fantastically crafted character.
You have to admit, moral issues aside, Regent does have a very cool costume.
Dragon on February 2, 2015 at 09:32 said:
What if I said that just because Alec used to be an evil psychopath, it doesn’t mean he’s always evil ever after? I mean, he does keep his… psychopathy.. under control a lot of the times. In fact, outside combat situations, there’s rarely any scene (other than this particular one) where he grinds his enemy’s face into the dust purely for his own entertainment. To get the job done, sure he does, and maybe he enjoys it. But he never goes out of his way to find someone to torture.
Also, he’s literally the one guy the Undersiders can depend on to not let emotions cloud his judgement. If there’s one guy who can genuinely compliment an enemy (Bakuda) in order to buy time without letting guilt at being an asshole get in the way, it’s Regent.
Doesn’t it all come down to whether the person he’s going to be a psychopath with is also an incorrigible (incorrigible is a key word) psychopath who would never change her mind about killing them all and, figuratively, bathing in their blood?
laghjla2013 on February 3, 2015 at 00:48 said:
I agree entirely. Although it mentions him using his power in evil ways in the past, throughout the story so far, he hasn’t used the full extent of it where it wasn’t deserved or necessary.
axle on March 1, 2015 at 01:17 said:
Damn. Alec was always my favorite Undersider. Hell, he’d even be the kind of guy I’d like to kick back with every once in awhile. I thought his attitude was just a laid back personality, I didn’t think he was an actual sociopath! During that tattletale interlude, the moment tattletale read him as “sociopath” I went an instant “NOPE” and realized Alec is not the type of guy I should be cheering for.
This chapter has me at mixed feeling for him. On one hand, he’s absolutely a sociopath. On the other, he tries to maintain a “code” to a certain degree. He considers the Undersiders his friends even though he doesn’t feel anything for them. The actions he did in this chapter were a mixture of “I need to scare this girl out of town” “Karma’s a bitch” and “I love fucking with people”
Unfortunately, he acts upon his personal desires over anything else. At least he’s willing to admit it. For now, Alec is still cool in my book, he just creeps me out on a whole new level.
slider214 on March 1, 2015 at 01:59 said:
I agree though truthfully after this chapter I was less creeped out than before. His comments during the whole Bakuda thing really made my hair stand on end in addition to a few other things here and there. This gave me context and let me feel a bit better about his particular version of crazy.
I mostly read Alec as a sorta Dexterish character. He is a guy who truly believes he is completely incapable of feeling anything, is mildly bothered by that and still sorta tries to act somewhat normal most of the time. Coupled with he does seem to actually have some feelings but doesn’t particularly recognize it himself I actually really liked him a lot more after this chapter.
lovebooksandblush on March 29, 2015 at 02:19 said:
Oh, wow. Hahaha. That bitch deserves it. I feel kinda bad, but that shit in her phone about Taylor? Emma and her actually plan out the bad shit they want to do to her, which in hindsight is obvious, but shows how truly evil that girl is. Loved this chapter!
Jay on May 3, 2015 at 08:24 said:
Wow, this was somehow the most riveting (and terrifying) chapter yet. Incredibly well done! Bad people doing bad things to other bad people… It’s almost as interesting to read through the comments and see the different levels of reactions.
TrevorBurns on June 3, 2015 at 00:12 said:
Outdid yourself on this one Wildbow. May be your best chapter yet in my humble opinion.
deltadelivers on August 5, 2015 at 09:21 said:
Even on a second read-through and knowing it was coming this was pretty disturbing. Like many others here I’m actually disturbed by how satisfying it was to see Sophia/SS get, well I was going to say “her comeuppance” or “just desserts” but I don’t really agree with that.
Since reading a book on evolutionary psychology and getting used to the idea of emotions as basically suspect, designed to help us survive rather than out of any greater purpose or tapping into some kind of basic truth, that I’ve become skeptical of the ideas of retribution even in its fairer guises of “fairness” or “justice”. It feels instinctively right and good to see bad people be punished, but that instinct could well exist so we make an example of those who cheat or harm us rather than because retribution is actually right (and punishing unfairness is usually to our advantage since we’re biased to calculate things in our favour anyway).
For me punishment can be justified on utilitarian grounds (to aid rehabilitation or deter others), but punishing for its own sake, even if motivated by ideas of fairness or justice, is just increasing the amount of suffering in the world. I feel Regent’s “scare ’em straight” approach could possibly be justified on these grounds (even after the Wards fight Sophia wanted revenge, and in the circumstances breaking her spirit might have been the only way she could be removed as a threat), but if say you found out Sophia was living on a deserted island somewhere, with no prospect of or opportunity to harm others there would be no reason to go and harm her just because “she deserves it” for her misdeeds.
Totally agree. Regent went way over the line.
The hypothetical I think of is “If X could be cured of their violent/criminal tendencies with 100% success, would you be happy to see them set free and returned to society tomorrow?”. Why/why not?
That’s a good way of looking at it, ideally everyone would be given however much time and therapy they needed to mend their ways. Everyone deserves that chance and it’s a tragedy that our resources and time are sometimes limited (e.g. when the person is about to harm someone) mean sometimes we can’t always give people the mercy they deserve.
As for Regent though, I’m not sure if I’d say he went *way* over the line. The fact he enjoyed it is reprehensible and maybe that impure motive taints the whole enterprise, but I wonder if you could make a utilitarian argument at least partially justifying a similar “scare ’em straight” action if the motivations behind it were different.
You could argue his power gives him enough knowledge of Shadow Stalker’s emotions to know she won’t let this go and will come after his friends again unless he does something. This puts him in the position of having to choose whether to harm her or risk harm to the other Undersiders (or possibly unrelated parties). While she still deserves mercy, would the extent of her misdeeds (murder and torture) make her less deserving of it than an innocent or someone with less bad misdeeds, meaning if we had to choose to save her or the other we should choose the other?
This justification would only apply if he knew for sure she was likely to harm others (something we’d have trouble knowing in real life), if he couldn’t think of some less horrible way of stopping her doing so and if protecting others rather than revenge was the primary/sole motive for Regent’s action.
Does that sound fair? I’m not an expert on morality or ethics so it’s possible I missed something important here, and the action still feels pretty questionable.
C.C x Lelouch on August 25, 2015 at 04:37 said:
Daw he didn’t kill her…….. ;-; (been waiting for her painful demise since we found out she was a “hero” it built up so well but nooooooo~)
You know what always scares me the most whenever I read this chapter? I know I should be absolutly horrified by Regent systematically destroying Shadow Stalkers life. I know I should be. But so much of me is just finding him sorta charming, and hates Sophia so much for the shit she did to Taylor…. Well Shadow Stalker should be Glad Regent wasn’t feeling more ambitious about ruining her life.
I really enjoyed this chapter!
Regent doesn’t scare me. If he were real, he totally would and I’d want him to go to the Birdcage, but as it is, I really like this power.
Not even because he’s fucking up Sophia. The bullying scenes were long ago and I don’t quite hate her, and I have a hard time connecting her to her superhero identity.
Just…the possibilities.
(And no, I don’t think anyone should feel scared by this. You don’t have an obligation to feel any one way. 😛 )
almostNEET on September 28, 2015 at 10:03 said:
HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!
This was one intense chapter, Alec with his sociopathic tendencies freaked the hell out of me. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, since the first line. Good thing he didn’t cross that line though.
Laz TheUndead on September 29, 2015 at 04:43 said:
Ah mildblow not many authors can make me laugh like a madman while I watch someone be psychologically tortured, but you…you do it’s spectacularly. You have my unwavering respect
I’m worried, because I think I enjoyed this interlude as much as Regent did, and I don’t like what that says about me as a person.
inventorfrog on October 21, 2015 at 11:25 said:
““I think I’m done with listening to you whinge,” Regent whispered.” That should be ‘whine’.
Nix on October 21, 2015 at 12:56 said:
Not so. That’s a Britishism (and Canadianism), not a typo, from a Scottish dialectical form of OE “hwinsian”.
And Australianism…
Ah. Thank you for clarifying.
Really only us Yanks as they like to call us don’t use it.
Man, this chapter gets me. As much as I hate Sophia, no one deserves this kind of psychological trauma. I’m starting to hate Alec about as much.
Emma deserves it. Emma deserves worse. As someone who has been bullied, I would much rather be killed than slowly tortured for years. Especially by someone who used to be my best friend. Sophia may have issues and Alec might have been a bit extreme but I have pretty much zero issues with what happened in this chapter. And I fully feel that Emma deserves far worse than this.
When you start to think this is over the top remember how the story started. Taylor was forced to eat lunch in a BATHROOM STALL to try and escape her torturers. And it still wasn’t enough. These ‘people’ deserve every ounce of karma heaped upon them.
Y’know, it’s not incompatible to believe someone deserves to be punished horribly and still recognise that someone willing to actually inflict that horrible punishment on someone is a bad person.
I never said that Alec isn’t a bad person. He’s certainly not good by any stretch. He may be acceptable (pushing the bounds really at this point since most of my examples of his better behavior is from later chapters) but he is definitely not good. I was mostly commenting on Sophia and Emma having this coming.
Okay, I understand where you’re coming from. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to shit on your experiences. I definitely don’t feel *sorry* for her.
I stand by what I said about Alec. Just like with Sophia, no matter how he was raised, it doesn’t excuse the grievous crimes he admitted to committing, and seems to have even less qualms about hurting people than her.
No worries, I just get annoyed at all the people who look down on bullying as not really being as bad as the victims make it out to be. It really is a form of long term psychological torture that most perpetrators simply never get punished for because “they’re just kids”. My own experiences were nowhere near as horrible as those depicted here but it still hits close enough to strike a nerve.
I agree, Alec is screwed up. I can’t even really defend him all that well at this point as his primary redeeming factor is that he does truly seem to do this more out of “you screwed with one of my few friends” rather than just wanting to “play”. He certainly enjoyed his antics far more than is comfortable. While I cheered for the karmic retribution I did still get the willies from Alec. Between here and his reaction to Baccuda, he is an exceptionally creepy and disturbed guy.
The one thing I can give to Sophia without any reservation at all: she does well and truly believe her own philosophy and follows it.
That’s one of the things I love so much about Worm; the portrayals of abuse and bullying are so real and the effects/treatment of abuse are not remotely sugar-coated. Representation for victims of bullying is an important thing. But I 100% understand that it must be uncomfortable to read.
I agree fully. It really makes Worm so much more powerful!
It was but that was part of why I feel this story was so amazing. It’s rare to find literature that takes something totally unrealistic like superpowers and not only makes it sound perfectly reasonable but also blends it with well portrayed real world issues.
That combination is probably my very favorite way of story writing and Worm does it flawlessly 🙂
Augh. See, this is the Sophia chapter I wanted, except it’s about Regent. (Does that make sense? I want(ed) a chapter that gets is inside Sophia’s head the easy this one gets us inside Regents’. I see where this one was necessarily easier to write, because we already have some context for Regent.)
That… *shivers*. Yet we know Sophia earned every bit of what he did to her. Whether she deserved it is a slightly different thing.
Steven Quach on March 14, 2016 at 23:32 said:
This chapter left me shaking, just because of how awesome it is.
Miguel on April 8, 2016 at 17:13 said:
I FUCKING LOVE REGENT. He is definitely my new favorite character. He has so much more depth now and you have done an excellent job of conveying how much of a sociopath he is. And hes still likeable for it IMO since it is pretty much his dad that made him that way. If you believe in nurture > nature anyway.
autismprism on April 18, 2016 at 18:08 said:
I just want to finally comment… I have been absolutely AWESTRUCK and CAPTIVATED at this entire series (book?!)…
Whoever the author is – first, my most sincere apologies for not knowing as I’ve been unable to tear myself away from reading this for more than sleeping (recovering from surgery)…second, holy shit – why don’t you have some sort of publisher and print this?! This is the kind of brilliant writing that deserves to be PAID for…have to say I’m glad it isn’t for my own sake (broke single mom), but I would maneuver some bills to buy this with the way I’ve been hooked like a damn junkie, just sayin!
Huge kudos to you, this is absolutely one of the best things I’ve read in a LONG time…more interesting to me than Harry Potter or Twilight (hope that isn’t offensive, but I think we can all agree that those things got tons of press).
And last…wow…I have to say I only feel a slight bit sorry for Sophia, as sick and twisted as that may be…she totally deserved it!
Twi on May 13, 2016 at 16:53 said:
Uh, no she didn’t. There are precious few people who I would say deserved what she got, and Sophia is not one of them. This was MAJOR overkill and Regent is a sick fuck for doling it out.
slider214 on May 13, 2016 at 17:01 said:
The girl had no qualms with attempting to kill people simply because they either annoyed her or got in her way. She was also one of the ringleaders in a progressive bullying campaign that had a high school girl steps away from suicidal. This was bad but it was not caps worthy “MAJOR” overkill. It was karma coming all at once instead of spaced out.
Regent is screwed up yes but Sophie was nowhere near innocent. I actually hate Sophia more than some of the true crazies in the setting. Murderers are horrible but Sophie and Emma were straight up torturers. As a victim of bullying myself, I cheer watching her get some comeuppance in this chapter.
Look, here’s what Sophie did versus what Regent did to her.
-Physically bullied Taylor
-Directly caused her trigger event
-Was an accomplice to emotional bullying
Regent….
-Physically tortured her
-Took control of her body, which I read as a metaphor for rape
-Forced her to fight against her teammates
-Gave her false hope and immediately snatched it away
-Forced her to out herself to the police
-Forced her to assault her own mother
-Forced her to falsely out herself as a lesbian
-Taunted her with preparations for her own suicide
-Released her into the wild
I count the last one because her life is fucking RUINED. She has no safety net. She can’t turn to her family, her friends, or even the police. This girl probably has PTSD similar to those of rape victims/survivors, and she has nowhere to turn. She will be homeless for the rest of her life, probably unable to rely on even other homeless people for help, for fear they’ll recognize her and turn her in, if a reward for her capture is posted. The chances of her being sexually assaulted while out on the streets is high. And when I say “the rest of her life,” I mean “the next few months, at most,” because this girl is probably going to kill herself. And when she does, will she be vindicated? No. Fucking. Way. She’ll be remembered as an unstable cape who lost control, probably had deep-seated mental issues, and killed herself as a result.
If you still don’t care about her fate, think of her family. Her parents are going to have to fight off the press for the rest of their lives. They will probably receive hate mail and threatening phone calls, being the parents of an unstable cape and all. They’ll be blamed for something she didn’t even want to do. In the midst of this, they’ll always wonder why she did what she did. They’ll never have any peace. Regent’s “payback” didn’t only affect Sophie; it affected her family. I’ve been bullied. I’ve been abused. And this is not justice. This is SICK.
All because she bullied the protagonist, who, by the way, has the Undersiders for support and nifty superpowers to show for her trigger event.
Jeremy on May 14, 2016 at 11:31 said:
Too. Seriously.
Read the rest of the book before you give any more empathy to this character.
Things you missed in the “what she did”
-Tried to murder Gru
-Tried to murder Skitter
-Purposely goes out of her way to hurt people (remember how she
let those men start assaulting that woman so that she would have an excuse to go all out and injure them as badly as she wanted?)
-Has a fucked up philosophy about everyone being either predator or prey and fights to enforce this on those who don’t “stay in their place”
– Has LITERALLY (see i can use caps too, isn’t this exciting?) killed multiple people
Now from what i can see, your first mistake is reading too much into the story “Which i read as a metaphor for rape” Regent has actually raped people, so there is no reason to imagine that this is a metaphor for that. Now to address everything else you said point by point:
– She has no safety net? Have you been paying attention? She hates almost everyone or despises them for being weak at the very least. She doesn’t rely on other people. ESPECIALLY as shoulders to cry on.
– As for the PTSD, perhaps but i doubt it. she was angry instead of scared for the majority of the episode. Anger does not (despite what many people who are easily “triggered” might tell you) create PTSD
-Why would she be homeless, and why would there be a reward for her capture posted? You seem to be thinking that people would not realize that she had been taken over by Regent, but this is NOT the case (It took the wards less than five minutes to figure out that she was being controlled so…)
-Her being sexually assaulted? are you high? first of all, attempting to sexually assault her would be as pointless and laughable as trying to rape the wind. Second of all she is far too capable and aggressive for that to ever happen.
– Her killing herself is not an option given the way she thinks about strength and weakness. (for her it would be an unforgivable weakness to admit to being damaged by killing herself)
-Who do you imagine will be blaming her parents, and for what? the general public does not know what happened, and never will unless her family tells them, so no. And they will never have to “wonder why she did what she did” because the PRT will almost certainly tell them. Stop acting like she committed a mass shooting in her school or something.
So that’s that. Also as a final note, the website has a trigger warning at the beginning to tell sensitives like yourself to steer clear. but you obviously haven’t read the beginning have you.
autismprism on May 20, 2016 at 06:27 said:
It IS just a story…but I concur, I see how someone would not believe anyone deserves punishment of any kind, as it is merely perpetuating violence, and what’s the point in that? But I agree, Regent was pretty sick.
lablebiblog on May 13, 2016 at 09:32 said:
Fucking awesome, one of my favorite chapters so far
keithioapc on June 1, 2016 at 22:47 said:
Wow, this chapter.
Also I guess I’m more of a sociopath than the sociopath, since I really wanted him to kill her.
Guy on June 2, 2016 at 03:51 said:
Wow. Just wow. This is the first time I’m replying to one of your posts, Wildbow. You probably won’t see this but I had to say something. I have already read all of Pact first and then decided to read this one. I have been loving every word from the beginning. I loved Pact as well. This though. This is something else. Never before in writing have I felt such a concoction of emotions. Happiness at a ruthless bully, murderer, and all around bad person getting some well deserved comeuppance. Unhappiness and a bit of pity at an overly unfair punishment. Happiness again when I think of what she’s done and how she really does deserve this. Joy at the creative punishments for a vile person. Fear when I’m unsure if Regent is going to kill her, which I think would be a bit overboard. All of these emotions were flowing through me at the same time while I read this interlude. The whole story culminating in this at this point is masterful work, sir. I’m floored by this writing. Now I can’t wait to see the possible aftermath of this course of events. I would be a little sad if this was never touched on again but I’m sure it will be. You’re not one to leave plot threads hanging. Pun intended. You’re currently my favorite writer which may not mean much since I don’t read many books but gosh.
Also I’m conflicted that this punishment didn’t happen to Emma who it seems like would be more deserving of this type of thing and who I really wanted to see get it after her awful personal attacks against Taylor. This is still good though. In a truly just world the whole posse would see an equal punishment. After I’m done reading this story I will be very excited to read Twig. You’re two for two on phenomenal writing and I doubt any future developments in this story could ruin it as I know you’re a skilled writer. Anyway enough gushing. Thanks for writing cool stuff.
You: hey!
Regent: what?
You: go f*ck yourself!
Regent: sure (takes over your body and starts f*cking himself).
Valaun The Fallen Prince on July 18, 2016 at 12:43 said:
I recently discovered this web serial, and have since fallen in love with this story.
I’ve been reading as much as I can every time I get a chance.
Fantastic writing and concept, and your delivery is spot on.
Of everything I’ve read so far, this is my favorite chapter, hands down. It was such a blind side, and seeing what Regent could and would do because of her, “Fucking with his teammate”, and simple boredom is beautiful.
Certainly made me like the character a lot more.
Jack Atkinson on August 21, 2016 at 12:06 said:
The world is so fucked up. People are just too good at doing only the stuff they can get away with. Honestly I’m a nice guy but I was hoping throughout this series that they would get their comeuppance, so glad it happened even though Emma deserved something like this instead.
An Offclassing Philosopher on August 22, 2016 at 14:05 said:
I knew Regent was messed up, but I didn’t expect to see something this cold-blooded.
Props to Wildbow for the effortless changes in perspective. It feels like a totally new character each time.
bananaman3773 on December 25, 2016 at 13:23 said:
That was perhaps the nastiest thing I’ve ever chanced upon the idea of. I love this story so far, but goodness that leaves a sick feeling in my stomach. Man do I hate Regent now.
Not_a_robot on December 30, 2017 at 11:36 said:
Wildbow is really>/em> good at writing viscerally unsettling stuff with no obvious distinction between the right and wrong things to do because he knows perfectly how to mix the ordinary with the extraordinary. To anyone reading this, you’re all in for a treat.
David DeLaney on December 29, 2016 at 05:12 said:
naq V’z fvggvat urer gubebhtuyl rawblvat, va zl erernq, gur hafrra-ng-guvf-cbvag sberfunqbjvat bs jung unccraf jvgu Gnlybe va gur raq.
–Dave, cryptical13ly
Summer on May 13, 2018 at 07:39 said:
abg zvaqpbageby, obql pbageby.
Andreas Kill on December 31, 2016 at 12:42 said:
This is still one of my favorite chapters, even on my 4th reread. one of the things I love is how it divides the audience into those who now love alec more and those who absolutely hate him. Did SS deserve it? yes. did regent go a little overboard? also yes. but he is a villain, doing “bad” things and going overboard are the villains prerogative. I think a lot of the readers who are whining about regent going too far and ss not deserving it just don’t understand how damaging ss’s bullying really would be, and what a truly terrible person she is.
Kotawa on January 8, 2017 at 17:36 said:
Oh man did Alec go overboard.
I don’t think SS deserved all of that, but I was so FUC…, I mean, frigging disapointed when Regent didn’t knock over that chair that I’m considering seeing a psychologist for a check up.
>JUST
Matthew on March 20, 2017 at 02:24 said:
Holy fuck. Holy fuck.
I don’t know what else to say. Forget Skitter’s bugs, forget Grue’s darkness, Tattle’s infotheft and Bitch’s dogs – Regent is absolutely terrifying. Jesus Christ.
I’m glad Sophia finally got what was coming to her – it was disproportionate, but her helplessness mirrored Taylor’s so there’s an element of eye-for-an-eye there.
I’m worried now that Regent’s re-realized how much fun his power can be. Who’s he going to go after next? And will we be aware when he does?
I guess I’ll find out!
Also wondering if Sophia will work out that Skitter = Taylor through Regent’s telling her she “fucked over a teammate” when he read her texts to Emma earlier. Might be a bit of a stretch – but if there’s any hint of emotional feedback the other way, Sophia would have noticed a lack of response when she thought he was referring to Grue.
Probably my favorite chapter so far, and that’s saying a lot because there’s been some doozies.
That was.. hard to read. I hope subsequent chapters gives us some clue into what happened to her and her family. I hope it gets resolved to some degree…
Or if she’s likely to cause more suffering than her life is worth, that she gets a swift and dignified death. Or jailtime to keep her from doing damage, if that’s possible.
The comment section reminds me of a video I saw on FB, where someone was torturing a person for posting a video where he abused a dog. The comments were all “YES!” and “I wish I could have been there!”
A grim reminder about how most people are wired from birth.
slider214 on March 23, 2017 at 21:00 said:
Honestly I think that comparison is a bit lacking. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully against torturing animals and don’t really have many moral issues with someone getting beaten because they abused a dog…But I am also a victim of bullying and there is a difference between hurting an animal for fun and hurting a human for fun. I understand that a lot of bullies only hurt others because their life sucks and they are taking control however they can but it doesn’t matter to the victims WHY they do it, all that matters is that they push us to the very brink. A lot of victims are pushed OVER the brink. Thankfully I never had to deal with the suicidal thoughts or behaviors instigated by consistent, severe bullying, but I do know people who have. There was a girl at my brother’s school who didn’t make it through that issue. So would I be a bit uncomfortable watching that video you described? Yes. Would I have any issues at all if it was the situation presented here in this chapter? No. Not at all. I think I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think Regent went far enough. Why? Because Sophia isn’t going to see this as being done due to her hurting Taylor. She’s going to see this as being on the receiving end of losing to villains. It’s not comeuppance for torturing a girl to the point that she had a mental breakdown and very nearly became suicidal; Sophia just lost a fight and has to deal with the consequences.
That was a long winded way of saying, Sophia deserved that. Emma deserves worse. Sophia was a random bully who tortured a classmate to the brink for no real reason. Emma was personal. (I’d say more but I don’t remember where the spoilers start so I’m cutting this thought here.)
I don’t see a problem with bullies getting a small taste of the freaking HELL they put us through every. Single. Day. You say it’s a grim reminder about how we’re wired; I say it’s the victims celebrating one of our tormentors finally understanding why we cringe when they walk into view.
Anne on March 23, 2017 at 21:41 said:
okay, I read a lot of the comments, and I can see these are big discussion things. I am just going to put out there a couple of things
one, yes I think this was morally wrong. NO I do not want to go into circumstances, that will take too long. hers, his, any of it. In general, morally wrong, bad whatever.
two, I liked it anyway, acknowledging that.
most people dislike ‘evil’ and such, but as it said at the home page, this is not a happy story. I have enjoyed it. And lots of other people do too, despite the fucked up shit that goes down.
I am pretty sure that most of the people (please note the pretty sure and the most, this is in general, not every single person, so if not you please don’t get on my case about it.) Who read this are also not of the sunshine and smiles type, and enjoy seeing this. Reading it, whatever.
So yes bad, and yes I like it, and yes I am probably not a good peraon, but then I am going to hazard a guess that most of the readers aren’t either. And that they enjoyed this as well, probably with some kind of acknowledging of this being bad.
jmdlugosz on April 7, 2017 at 16:36 said:
«“I think I’m done with listening to you whinge,”» “whinge” is completely unknown to most Americans, and is British. An Amarican girl would say “whine”.
Regent’s dad was European & later Anglophone Quebecois. Upbringing/background.
Oh, that works. For the most part your characters don’t talk differently and all have _your_ word choice. This alglo speaking ought to show up more in Regent’s chapter where he has more lines than the rest of the serial to date. (BTW, I’m really enjoying the serial.)
Vadelent on May 11, 2017 at 10:02 said:
Best way I can think of her to get out from under his thumb is to ask for help and confess. Okay, technically she already “confessed” but admitting it herself and showing True remorse might help. But more specifically she needs to get help from Dragon. In other words someone who can provide something that will jam and interfere with Regents power. I’m thinking a collar.
So rereading this chapter and reading the comments I would like to point out one thing… SS mother didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Now I’m not saying what Regent did wasn’t wrong and slightly satisfying (More than slightly if i’m being honest) however it is the fact that the mother takes her daughter breaking a agreement by coming home in costume, hearing the mother’s thoughts on the reason SS does things, and not finding it out of character to point a friggin crossbow at her head that raises a flag. This means her mother could see her doing these things if she wasn’t controlled. And her reactions are more telling about how much karma SS deserved than anything else.
Based Regent god bless him
Anmol on July 3, 2017 at 03:13 said:
Man I shouldn’t be enjoying what happened to shadow stalker quite THIS much. I’m a bad person.
RhupsodyX on July 16, 2017 at 07:15 said:
I got confused. Did Alec made boys and girls sleep with him, or made boys and girls sleep with each other?
Both, probably. He grew up in a near-total moral vacuum.
Selene Drakane on July 29, 2017 at 23:26 said:
I don’t often post on stories like this. However, this is my first time reading through, and I gotta say that the portrayal of Regent’s personality/”condition” feels very on-the-mark, or accurate. I say that because it’s very easy to relate to his character in some ways because I’m mildly “Psychopathic”, myself. I find it hard to even pretend to care when someone close to me dies or falls seriously ill, such as when my family’s dog of 14 years had to be put to down due to various health problems a few months ago. I dug the grave myself, and a family member asked me if something was wrong with me when I, in a sudden fit of “lack of sense”, told them that I didn’t feel anything in response to the event.
So, I just wanted to show that I can view Regent from a different perspective of someone who can see themselves in his shoes, even if I would never do what he does. Over the course of the story from the beginning until now, we see that Regent is only really animated when doing things that interest him, such as playing video games, playing around with his power, or maybe reflecting on himself to some degree.
In my opinion, the most striking example of something that I can relate to from him in this chapter or any other previous to it is this part here:
That type of self-reflection is the kind of thing that is almost word for word what I sometimes feel about myself, although Regent appears to present a more serious… “case” when it comes to his mental disorder (I hate to call it that, but it’s probably what most people will use to describe his mind state.)
I hope that what I wrote was easy to follow, as I don’t normally talk about this anywhere.
P.S. You might think that Regent is my favorite character after I said all that. Nope. Tattletale forever.
ArkhCthuul on August 8, 2017 at 19:20 said:
Just as scary, awesome, nauseating and exceptionally written the.second time around. 🙂
Shiki Seiren (@ShikiAkaitsuki) on October 23, 2017 at 19:10 said:
Holy shit, that was intense. It was pretty damn fucked up, but I have to admit if he stopped after sending the evidence and then shot her with her crossbow through the leg and called the Heroes so they’d find her with lethal weapons, the only problem I’d have with what he did is that it wasn’t Taylor who got her revenge personally. My issue is more with dragging the family into it.
And still, this type of power is the reason my D&D characters and main characters for little story snippets I think up are almost always undead, because they are completely immune to mindfuckery, and to this type of sh*t too because there’d be no neural signals no latch on to.
Sithoid on November 23, 2017 at 04:40 said:
WOW, this is deliciously fucked up. And I thought *Sophia*’s imagination was disturbed…
When he took the cord from the vacuum cleaner, I had a genuine OH SHI– moment. Like, oh my god, he can totally suicide her right now, and even if the puppeteer thing surfaces, he’ll have witnesses who ‘know’ that she had already been released and was just probably having PTSD.
Still wishing he followed through though. Not that anyone deserves that – just for the sheer degree of horror in this story.
Slaaneshi on November 28, 2017 at 03:38 said:
This chapter… is the best chapter this series has to offer. Way to write a 100th chapter.
Also, I guess this is why a friend of mine suggested I should read this series. He knew I’d enjoy every piece of it and the emotions I went through while reading. First the validation of Alec’s actions as just and right, and then slowly succumbing to the idea that he went slightly overboard… and then the cord noose scene. I did think he’d do it. Alec’s killed before, so it wouldn’t be past him.
Hats off, Wildbow.
What I would enjoy more is if Taylor was somehow actively involved into this kind of retribution or at least on board with it. It doesn’t seem to me she’d be all too happy about it if she ever finds out (and she most likely will). After all, possession and\or paralysis are her greatest fears… Inflicting this kind of PTSD-inducing experience is something she’d definitely want to avoid, even if it’s SS on the receiving end imo.
After this I have really high hopes that Worm would have more chapter with this kind of suspense and emotional investment from the reader, especially to the most unexpected character (come on, has anyone expected they’d feel for SS at any point?).
I’m absolutely enjoying this read with all its emotional highs and lows.
Midasonna on December 6, 2017 at 21:26 said:
I love this story. It would make an AMAZING TV series. I would watch the fuck out of it.
Densaugeo on December 16, 2017 at 20:16 said:
Okay, I’ve tried to post this 4 times now. I don’t know wtf is wrong with this site.
Anyway, this is one of the most intense terror scenes I have read. Made more so by Sophia being such an unsympathetic character. It’s interesting when people can disagree about whether a character is a hero or a villain.
I like the way Alec explains his reasoning. Sophia was using lethal weapons and intending to continue going after them, and he found a way to make her leave town without killing her. You can argue about whether he saved her life or traumatized her (he likely did both), but either way he is becoming a much scarier character.
qwpanda on January 8, 2018 at 14:18 said:
.. i ship Taylor and Alec now. i love this chapter xD huehe she got what she deserved
mintmittens on January 19, 2018 at 03:13 said:
Loved the tension build up, and a chapter dedicated not only to sweet, cold revenge, but Alec! Nicely accentuated
TheAnomaly on January 25, 2018 at 17:05 said:
Eons late now and hoping it gets answered as I read further but how the hell is Alec not marked as a target for the birdcage and bringing down a lot more heat on The Undersiders? The Protectorate clearly has files on him from his time with Heartbreaker and knows he’s killed before and at least some idea of how terrifying and dangerous his powers are. Is he getting some kind of leeway because he was young and possibly cult influenced and hasn’t really done anything birdcage worthy since or do they just not know how strong he is which seems unlikely considering their precautions and his blatant control of Shadow Stalker in front of the Wards even if this chapter’s misdeeds aren’t known?
It just seems odd to me that um Canary I believe it was in a previous interlude got birdcaged for almost killing someone by telling him to “Go fuck himself” and yet Alec who can do far worse isn’t on the must kill/birdcage list. Even if they underestimated his powers the recent events in front of the Wards I think would be enough to warrant some sort of threat upgrade.
Anyhow rant aside, I still absolutely love this story. Onward march!
GenEngineer on January 29, 2018 at 12:38 said:
Mostly because Regent’s originally showed up as a separate cape-identity, who only made people trip up and such – Armsmaster had to do some digging to piece together who he really was.
Separate from Daddy and suddenly being less nasty puts him lower on the radar, but now that he’s going back to his old tricks…
TheAnomaly on February 15, 2018 at 22:42 said:
I did take that into consideration as i mentioned in my comment but I still think considering how they reacted to the Canary situation that some sort of reaction or reason for lack there of should have been made especially with the wards chapters being a good way to get someone on their side of it.
I don’t want to say whether it gets brought up later and satisfactorily answered or not to potentially spoil anything but I do still think it should have been addressed sometime before or in this chapter especially considering this is where we truly realize how dangerous he is because it’s the kind of detail that Wildbow normally addresses adequately before someone can claim it to be a plothole, or people behaving out of character just to move the plot along or keep the main character’s group out of trouble.
Amelie on January 30, 2018 at 11:04 said:
Well, you’ve proved to the abuser “””predator””” there are bigger abusers than her out there. Some might call that justice, or necessary. I don’t think it’s going to help Sophie make better choices or anything, but as a way to get her off the team’s back you’ve got to admit it’s the most effective non-murdery solution anyone could have.
Eli on February 24, 2018 at 12:41 said:
What regent did was horrible and monstrous. That being said, as the despicable human i am and having read what not only Taylor but others around Sofia had to go through, I savoured this chapter to the extreme
grassbloop on April 8, 2018 at 08:37 said:
Honestly I feel like she deserved it. It’s a wake up call for her especially after what she did to Taylor with the period pads (just thinking of that disgusts me, i cant imagine living through it)
Jason on April 20, 2018 at 22:55 said:
I didn’t really care about Regent before, but I love him now. The only thing I could think of before was having Taylor bite her legs with Brown Recluses (since running is so important to her), but this was so much better
ugh, I feel so bad for Sophia.
W on May 31, 2018 at 14:17 said:
Wow!!! Just wow !!!
Uthoryan on June 20, 2018 at 05:22 said:
My favorite inerlude, by far. That’s so interesting that the character who is presented as the least powerful is in fact a dangerous psychopath. Regent can perfectly control a human body.
I hope there are more interlude with Regent ’cause i love this character and his psychology. He wants to avenge Taylor whereas he did not seem to care before. And he liked doing horrible things to Sophia.
Nier Mier on June 24, 2018 at 12:59 said:
Everyone has their own opinions about what Regent did here and I respect all of those opinions. I hope that those who felt this chapter was too much can at least accept when I say that I was VERY satisfied to see Sophia’s comeuppance. When he said “Nah,” I was sad… and then I scrolled down a tick and had to get up from my chair to leave the room, letting my chuckles subside. I don’t doubt that Regent would have killed her if he sensed that she was still too stubborn to be quiet and leave the city at the end of the chapter. Still, Regent said it best, he knows he’s fucked up and he admits it, embraces it. If you think what he did was wrong, well, Regent probably agrees; he was just okay with crossing that line where other people wouldn’t be.
Regent’s character is so interesting based off of his actions here. He wasn’t angry about when he saw the evidence about what Sophia and Emma did to Taylor but he WAS annoyed that he didn’t feel anything; as though he wanted to but simply couldn’t. His father’s power and his own may be important factors as to why he couldn’t feel anything but another is that, well, he’s probably done worse to people on orders of his father multiple times.
What I’m really curious to see is how Taylor reacts. There’s no way she can’t suspect and want to confront Alec on this matter.
I am really curious to know if Skitter would be able to user her bugs normally if she would be under his control.
Regent may be able to control the body , but Skitter´s power are controlled by her mind. So maybe she would be able to freely control them.
KuroOkami on August 31, 2018 at 09:53 said:
I really LOVED this chapter. But Regent could have kicked that chair. I just HATE this Bitch. (The other Bitch too, but that’s for another time)
night on September 26, 2018 at 09:54 said:
Good job Regent. One bully down!
SDK on October 29, 2018 at 19:43 said:
I finished Worm and two days later started reading again from the beginning. This chapter was on my mind the entire time. I knew it was coming, and felt both dread and excitement at getting to read it again. I never felt quite sure just how far Alec was going to take it, from the extremely brief hint of sexual assault, to the bullying, to her family, to the suicide… Such a nerve wracking chapter. I have honestly never read fiction as good as this. Thanks, Wildbow.
Super interesting to read the comments here too! Some share my view that Alec took this plenty far enough, but it’s strange to see so many wishing he’d actually killed her. Either way, plenty were touched in a variety of ways here. Well done.
Ethical on November 2, 2018 at 10:32 said:
Are you aware of the ongoing sequel Ward? Would highly recommend
bundleofstrings on October 31, 2018 at 14:29 said:
This chapter…
This is my second read through, my first was in 2014. I wanted to reread it back in 2017 but every time I tried starting i remembered this chapter and stopped. There are several Worm scenes that occasionally keep me awake since my first read through and this one is the most prominent one.
It’s probably the casual mention of rape and sexual assault (Regent groping her), and the reference to suicide.
I’m not saying they should be removed, the story is probably better for them – it does colour Regent’s attitude a certain colour, and it being disturbing is probably intentional. It just struck a nerve.
Going through arc 9 it’s very tempting to focus on how horrible she is and how she needs some form of comeuppance. It took me conscious effort to remember that she’s a child and that she needs therapy and rehabilitation, not karmic retribution.
In any case, I just want to say that I love Worm and that it affected me. Thank you for writing it.
In previous arcs I continually wondered about Regent, as he had the least attention of the Undersiders.
Now I know. Regent is terrifying.
I can’t feel sorry for Shadow Stalker/Sophia after her past actions, but I can’t excuse Regent’s actions either.
That said, I think from the heroes’ perspective, say, most of the Wards, all of the Undersiders would seem terrifying. Swarms of bugs, monstrous dogs, inhibition of sight and sound, all your secrets revealed… Each with a different type of fear, perhaps only increasing with their continual victories against the Wards. It’s only different for the readers since we get to see their more humanizing interactions.
Regent knew he was a background character, for the most part.
I bet he’d get along with Bakugo pretty well. Or Sophia, if they were on the same team somehow. He’d make one heck of a crony for either.
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Crushed 24.2
Posted on June 11, 2013 by wildbow
If I’d had any doubt it was Alexandria, it was banished when she followed up the attack. Behemoth started to rise to his feet, and Alexandria struck. It wasn’t a punch with a great deal of wind-up, and she only crossed fifty or sixty feet before driving it home, but the impact was undeniable.
Behemoth absorbed the blow, and redirected it into the ground. He didn’t move, as though the blow had never struck home, but the ground around him shattered like the surface of a mirror. Fragments of rock and clouds of dust flew up around him, and a three-story building on its last legs tumbled over. The damage to the ground made him sink a fraction.
I could see the change in the Endbringer’s demeanor. Before, he’d been wading forward, as if Legend, Eidolon and the metal suits were little more than a strong headwind. He was moving with purpose now, with an opponent that was veering in and out of easy reach, one he could hit, without Legend’s speed or Eidolon’s personal shield.
She had told me that they knew how to fight each other, and I could see that at play, here. Part of the change in Behemoth’s approach might have been that interaction at play.
It was a fight involving four individuals who couldn’t hope to do substantial damage to their opponents. The dragon suits and other capes were a peripheral thing. Alexandria circled, just beyond the perimeter of Behemoth’s kill range, her teammates and their supporting cast bombarding him in the meantime. They destroying the ground beneath his feet, trying to get him when his focus was elsewhere and his ability to redirect the energies of a given attack was reduced.
He couldn’t keep her in mind at all times. She waited until he focused on a different combatant, heaving out lightning or creating flame to attack the ones in the air, and then she struck. Nine times, he simply deflected the strike into the ground, as a rumble and a series of spiderwebbing cracks in the streets, or into the air as a shockwave. Again and again, he came within a heartbeat of getting his hands on her in retaliation, not even flinching as she struck him, reacting with an unnatural quickness as he reached out, to try to pin her using his claws, to strike her into the ground or to time the collapses of buildings to briefly bury her, so he could close the distance.
The times her strikes did get past his defenses, her tiny form in the distance with the black cape trailing behind her lunging into his kill range to deliver a blow or a series of blows, Behemoth stumbled, caught briefly at the mercy of physics.
In a fashion, she was doing the same thing the lightning rod had been, buying all of the rest of us a small reprieve. There was no guarantee, and there wouldn’t be any until he was driven off or we moved a hundred miles away, but she was making the rest of this just a little easier, reducing the destruction just a fraction unless he specifically took the time to work around her.
Was she being more cautious than she needed to be? I saw her pass up on a handful of opportunities I might have taken in her shoes, when his back was turned, his attention sufficiently occupied. Was she aware of something I wasn’t? Was she a convincing fake? Or was she just a little more afraid, after what my bugs had done to her?
However effective the distractions, he was still Behemoth, still implacable, a living tank that could roll over any obstacle and virtually any individual, unleashing an endless barrage of artillery at range. He reached the lightning rod and shoved it to the ground.
I was reminded of my teammates, descended to the ground, where they were still getting sorted. The chains that led from the dogs to the harness had tangled.
“What the hell was that?” Tecton asked.
“Alexandria,” I said.
“You murdered Alexandria,” Regent commented. “Remember? You’re a horrible person, doing things like that.”
“You leave her alone!” Imp said, uncharacteristically. “She feels so bad she’s seeing things.”
“Can we try to stay serious?”
“Don’t be too hard on them,” Tecton said. “Some people use humor to deal with bad situations.”
“It’s true,” Regent said, affecting a knowing tone.
“No,” Grue responded. “They’re just idiots. You two keep your mouths shut. The adults are talking.”
Imp raised her middle fingers at him.
He turned to me, “It’s Alexandria? You’re sure?”
“Can you ever be sure of anything? Clones, alternate realities, healing abilities… there’s any number of possibilities.”
In the distance, a glowing orange sphere flew into the sky. It reached a peak, then descended, crashing into the distant skyline.
I reoriented myself and flew up to the edge of the roof to peek at the battle. Behemoth had melted down part of the metal arm and fashioned the melted metal into a superheated lump. A second lump, cooler and not yet fabricated into an aerodynamic shape, was sitting beside him. Alexandria tried to strike it away, but he caught it with one claw. He superheated it, shielding it from Legend and Eidolon’s fire with his body, then heaved it into the air. The projectile flared intensely as it left his kill range, following nearly the same path as before.
Lasers from capes in the distance sliced the second sphere into shreds before it could strike its intended target.
Grue tugged the chain. He looked at Rachel, who only nodded.
And we were moving again.
I returned to my recon position, scouting to ensure the way was clear, keeping an eye on the fight and ensuring that there weren’t any attacks coming our way.
Behemoth was glowing, his gray skin tending more towards white, a stark contrast to his obsidian horns and claws. The heroes were backing off a measure, and Behemoth was taking advantage of the situation to stampede forward, tearing past buildings and barricades.
“Grue!” I shouted. The noise in the distance was getting worse. If Behemoth was continuing the path I’d seen him traveling, he was wading through a series of buildings. Grue didn’t hear me. I raised my voice, waited until the noise died down, “Radiation! Use darkness!”
He did, and we were cloaked in it. I continued navigating, using my bugs this time. Only a small handful ventured forward at a time, checking for fires. I was flying blind, scouting without the ability to see.
It delayed me when a fire did present itself, and I was delayed even further when I faced the issue of trying to communicate it to the team.
“Fire!” I shouted. I knew he could hear me through the darkness, but he couldn’t hear me over the sounds of toppled buildings. I was no doubt drowned out by the sound of the sled scraping against the road, the crashes in the background and the rushing of the wind.
I changed direction, aiming for the sleds, and flew forward. A little off target. Didn’t want to knock someone off the sled. I made a slight adjustment with the antigrav, and landed on the front edge of the sled, between Grue and Rachel. Grue very nearly let go in his surprise, and I caught the back of his neck to keep him from falling off the sled.
He left the darkness to either side of us intact and created a corridor.
“Fire!” I said, the instant I was able. “Just over that hill! Go left!”
He cleared more darkness, and we turned sharply enough that the sleds swung out wide. I held on to the lip of the sled, but I let myself slide back, using the antigrav pack to keep myself from falling to the road.
The sudden movement had shifted the occupants. The design of the sled made it difficult for anyone to fall out, but they’d slumped against one side, and one man was hanging halfway out. With only one usable arm, he wasn’t able to maintain a grip.
The sled went over a series of bumps, and I reached him just in time to give him the support he needed, one hand and both feet on the lip of the sled, the other hand holding him.
Once they were on course, I helped ease him down to a better position.
He said something that I couldn’t understand, his words breathless.
I took off.
A shockwave ripped past us, harsher, briefer and more intense than a strong wind, not quite the organ-pulverizing impact it might be if Behemoth were closer, or if there were less buildings in the way. I ventured up to a rooftop where I might be able to see beyond the darkness.
The shockwave had parted the clouds of smoke, but they began to close together once again. I could make out a form, maybe one of the Indian capes, swiftly growing. Ethereal, translucent, his features vague, the light he emitted only barely cutting through the smoke cover. He slammed hands into Behemoth’s face and chest.
Behemoth parted his hands, then swung them together. I didn’t wait for them to make contact. I ducked behind cover before the shockwave could hit me directly. All around me, the smoke was dashed out of the sky by the impact’s reach. With the front of my body hugging the building, I could feel not only the shockwave, but the vibrations that followed it, as buildings fell and debris settled in new locations.
He delivered shockwave after shockwave, and I was forced to abandon the cover of the building for something a little more distant.
He wasn’t irradiated any more. Or, at least, the glow wasn’t there. He’d been buying himself a reprieve from the assault of the heroes, a chance to cover more ground. Now they had resumed the counter-offensive. The noises of the fight followed me as I got ahead of the Undersiders.
Another obstacle. A crowd, this time.
I landed on the sled once more and ordered a stop. It took a second for the dogs to slow down enough.
Locals stood in our way. Some had guns. They ranged the gamut from people a step above homelessness to businessmen.
“Leader?” one asked, his voice badly accented. He was younger, very working class, which surprised me. I’d anticipated that someone older and more respectable would be taking charge.
“Me,” I said, using a small boost from the flight pack to get ahead of the group.
“Stealing?” he asked me, his voice hard.
“No. Injured.”
He gestured towards the sled, taking a half-step forward. I nodded.
I didn’t like wasting time, but I was hoping he’d give the a-okay and the group would get out of our way. I watched as he studied the people lying in the sled.
“We take,” he said. “We have doctor, hiding place. You go fight, help. Is your duty.”
I could sense a group approaching from Behemoth’s general direction. Two women in evening gowns, a girl in a frock, another girl in costume.
No time to dwell on decisions. I asked the man, “You sure?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Cuff, Annex, kill the chains. Leave sleds behind. Wards, stay with me. Grue, I’ll direct you guys to the Ambassadors. Take the dogs. Leave us some darkness for cover so we’re safe from any more radiation.”
It took only a few seconds to get organized. By the time the Undersiders had departed, we had a team of people pulling the sleds.
“Message from Defiant,” my armband declared. “Alexandria confirmed gone from PRT custody.”
“Message from Defiant. Stay out of her way until we know more. Behemoth’s approaching the first perimeter. I will keep you posted.”
“Tell him thank you.”
“It’s a good thing,” Grace said. “Maybe not in the long run, but for now-”
“For now it’s an unknown factor,” I said. “And there’s one really big known factor that’s tearing through this city, and we should be devoting all our attention to it. To Behemoth”
“We can focus on both,” Tecton said.
“That’s how you get blindsided,” I told him. I hauled on the chain, and the sled moved. Cuff seemed to be doing the lion’s share of the work, standing between the sleds and ushering them forward. Though it screwed up the direction the sleds were facing, making them veer left or right, it gave us enough momentum that we only needed to work on keeping it going.
We reached a squat building with signs featuring unintelligible writing and cars. Some hurried forward and opened a garage door, and we kept the sleds on course to lead them inside.
Their ‘hiding place’ was an underground corridor, leading beneath and between two hoists for the cars. Annex had to reshape the sled to fit, and we found ourselves on a general downward incline. People shifted position to the sides of the sled to keep it from getting away from us and running over the people in front.
I saw the man who’d done the talking glance down at the wounded. His eyes caught the light in a way that reminded me of a dog, or a cat.
Capes. At least some of these guys are capes, I thought. The ‘cold’ capes, the underworld’s locals.
It was an ominous realization, as we descended, to know that we were outnumbered by parahumans I knew nothing about, with unknown motives.
The armband’s crackling was getting steadily worse. “Message from Grue. Rendezvous is fine. On way to your location.”
“Message received,” I replied.
“Message from Grue…”
The voice devolved into crackling.
Too much ambient electromagnetic radiation, and the amount of ground that was between us and Grue probably didn’t help.
It was hard to gauge how deep we were getting. We reached a point where a fissure made moving the sleds more difficult, but Annex, Tecton and Golem shored it up in moments.
We descended deep enough that I wasn’t able to access the surface with my bugs, then deeper still.
The more isolated we were, the more ominous the uncostumed capes around us seemed to become. My bugs followed us down the corridor, just far enough back that the ‘cold’ parahumans couldn’t see them, close enough to help.
“This tunnel was made by a cape,” Tecton said.
Don’t bring it up, I thought, suppressing the urge to react.
“No,” the man with the eyes said. He didn’t turn our way.
I reached out and touched Tecton’s arm. He, naturally, didn’t feel the contact through his heavy armor. Tecton continued, “I’m pretty s-”
My nudge became a shove as I moved his arm enough to get his attention. He looked at me, and I shook my head. Tecton didn’t finish the sentence.
“Oh so pretty,” Wanton offered.
“Don’t you start,” Tecton said. “The Undersiders are bad enough.”
I could see the Wards change in demeanor as we descended well beneath the city. Tecton’s head was turning now, scanning the people around us. Wanton hunched over, as if the surroundings were weighing on him, a pressure from above. Cuff had her arms folded, hugging her body, a defensive wall, however meager, against an attacker from above, and both Annex and Grace had gravitated closer to other team members, as if unconsciously adopting a loose formation.
Golem, odd as it was, seemed to fall more in line with Tecton and I, watching the surroundings, eyeing the strangers who accompanied us. It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid; everything else about him suggested he was. It was more that he was wary in a natural, practiced way.
How had he picked that up? He was supposed to be a rookie.
I held my tongue and used my bugs to scan the surroundings.
The area opened up into an underground living space, crowded with weary and scared people. It was dim, with lights alternating between floor and ceiling positions, tight corridors with what seemed to be tiny apartments carved out of the rock. My prison cell had more space than these quarters. At least there was room to stand straight up in the jail. These rooms were stacked on top of one another, two high.
But it was space nonetheless.
“Is it stable?” I asked Tecton.
“I can’t see enough to tell,” he said. “Maybe? Probably?”
“I don’t know if I can leave people here if it’s a deathtrap,” I said, as I eyed the people emerging from the rooms.
“Pretty risky up there,” Wanton said.
Up there there’s a chance. I was counting hundreds or thousands down here. My bugs could sense corridors, and I was left wondering if this was only one area of many.
Some of the residents stepped forward to help, hands on weapons or simply watching us, undecided on whether we were threats or not.
The leader, who I was mentally labeling ‘Cat’s Eyes’, said something, and they relaxed a fraction. He said something else, and they started helping the wounded. None used or displayed any overt powers.
“Done,” Cat’s Eyes said. “You go. Fight.”
Defiant had said we needed their assistance. “We need your help. You and any of the others with powers.”
He narrowed his eyes. Except that wasn’t the sum total of the change in his expression. His face hardened, drew tighter, high cheekbones somehow more prominent in the dim, lips pressed together. “No.”
“Not our duty. Yours.”
“It’s everyone’s duty.”
“We handle enemy you don’t see, you costumes help enemies above ground. Scare Prathama away.”
Like it’s that easy. “We need your help. Everyone’s help.”
“No. We show ourselves, and all ends badly. We fight subtle war. Better to lose today and fight subtle war tomorrow.”
Better to let Behemoth win than to show themselves and lose whatever edge they hold against their current enemies?
“You see me, I am done. Finished. You see all of us, they are done. No.”
Maybe India had its own share of capes, on the same scale as the Slaughterhouse Nine. Cleverer capes who worked in the background.
Or maybe they were just deluded, too set in their ways, afraid to fight and searching for excuses.
“Go. Defeat him,” he told me.
Grue was waiting. Or Grue was coming down here, maybe, with Rachel and the others. If they saw him, an intruder without invitation, would they act?
“Okay,” I said. “We need a vehicle if, um…”
I trailed off as I mentally registered what my bugs were sensing.
A rush of cool, air-conditioned air in a space that had no right to have any, off to one side, the appearance of a person where there shouldn’t be any.
“Weaver?”
I’d stopped talking, my attention caught by this visitor. She was close. All of the details matched the person I’d sensed inside the Kulshedra. The clothes, the hair, the dimensions, even the way she moved.
Purposeful, unhurried.
“It’s her. The one who took Pretender.”
Everyone, myself included, tensed as she approached. The foreign capes did it because she was an unknown variable. The Wards and I did it because she was a known threat.
She was older, but not old. Maybe my dad’s age, maybe a little younger. Pretty, in a very natural way. She didn’t wear any obvious makeup, and her black hair was somewhere between wavy and curly, a little longer than shoulder length. Her features French or Italian, if I had to guess. She wore only a simple black suit that had been tailored to fit her body, with a narrow black tie and a white dress shirt. What got me were the eyes. There was no kindness in them.
She spoke, but she spoke in a foreign language, and it wasn’t to me.
Cat’s Eyes hesitated, then gave her a reply.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked the woman.
She glanced at me, and her gaze went right through me, as if I were barely there. She turned her attention back to Cat’s Eyes, said something else.
“You work for Cauldron,” I said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t taunt the bogeyman,” Wanton chimed in.
“Bogeyman?” Cuff asked.
“She’s a hitman,” I said. “Takes out anyone asking too many questions about Cauldron. Or she was. Apparently she’s gone after a lot of powerful capes, walked away without a hitch.”
My bugs gathered. I could see the underground capes reacting, preparing for a fight.
“No,” Tecton said, “The truce.”
“I don’t think she gives a damn about the truce,” I answered.
“Until she breaks it, we don’t break it.”
I didn’t take my eyes off her as I murmured, “Fun fact about life or death fights between capes. You start letting your enemies make the first move, your mortality rate triples.”
“I gave the go-ahead for you to be acting leader,” Tecton said. “Cool. Lightning rod was fantastic. But if we start a fight here and shit goes down, my ass is on the line too.”
“You’re vetoing my order?”
“You haven’t given an order yet, and no. You’ve fought her, I haven’t. But I’m advising you here. Back off. She hasn’t done anything aggressive.”
“She will,” I said.
“Maybe,” he said. “It’s your call.”
I didn’t give an order. I watched instead.
She was speaking to Cat’s Eyes in a low voice. He was nodding unconsciously as she spoke.
Then she met my eyes.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Go, Weaver. Take your team. We have no business with you anymore.”
“Anymore?”
She only stared at me in response.
Damn, being on the receiving end of that stare was like being opposite Alexandria or Faultline in a bad mood. I was starting to settle on the idea of her being a thinker.
She looked at Cat’s Eye, “It’s time. Tell them not to be afraid, and this will go smoothly. Tell them to pass on the message so everyone hears.”
He nodded, then called something out in another language. Others took up the call.
“Hold on,” I said, raising my voice.
They didn’t listen. Why would they? I barely had any clout. The bugs around me were minor, all things considered.
I brought them closer, so they gathered at my feet. She didn’t even flinch.
One by one, portals appeared, rectangular doorways that were so bright they were painful to look at. The smell of flowers, fresh air and nature flooded into the underground. Every pathway and every available surface soon had one. Nearly a dozen in my field of view alone. My bugs could sense two dozen more in my range.
“No!” I called out, once I realized what was happening. I thought of what the Eidolon clone had said, about them experimenting on people, kidnapping people from alternate worlds. “You can’t trust her!”
But the people here were scared. Once the first few people tentatively made their way through, they ran for safety, running out into the open field, disappearing behind tall wild grass.
Cat’s Eye turned to leave.
I reached for him, to grab his wrist before he could disappear.
The woman in the suit deftly deflected my hand, batting it aside.
“What the hell is Cauldron doing? Do you want to start a war?”
She shook her head. “No war. But we need soldiers.”
That was all the confirmation I needed.
“Wards!” I called out. My bugs and my Wards converged on her.
It mattered surprisingly little. She stepped away from me, which I took as an excuse to close the distance. If she wanted to get away, I’d get closer. I worked to close the distance, using both the flight pack and my own two feet to draw in. She stepped back out of the way, just out of reach of my strikes.
She swept her hands by the sides of her belt, and she was suddenly armed, if I counted a stiletto knife no longer than my finger and a handkerchief as weapons.
In the moment my swarm drew close, she stabbed the knife into a wall-mounted fire extinguisher. The pressurized contents spewed out in a plume, collecting on my bugs and blocking their path. It disabled the largest ones and killed the smallest, eliminating a good ninety percent of the bugs I had in reach in an instant. I was forced to back off, so I didn’t get the spray across my lenses or the fabric at my mouth.
She’d managed to avoid getting dirty, even. I watched her from the other side of the spraying canister. The direction of the plume and the hand with the handkerchief left her virtually untouched as Tecton drew close. She danced back out of reach of his attack as he plowed past the spray. Wanton had transitioned to the form of a localized telekinetic storm, and Annex had slipped into the ground, closing the distance to her.
If she was a thinker, someone relying on craftiness to win a fight, then I’d turn it into the kind of fight she didn’t want to participate in. Tecton had power armor, Grace had super strength and Cuff had her metallokinesis.
I cranked up the flight suit and charged. It was reckless, and it was hopefully the last thing she’d expect. The goal was simple. Close to melee, keep her occupied long enough for someone to trap her. With that done, we’d call each of the people she’d just contacted and bring them back to safety.
Assuming she was someone along the lines of Victor or Über, a combat-oriented thinker, she’d try to do something like a Judo throw, redirecting my forward momentum to toss me to the ground. I countered that particular maneuver by bringing myself to an almost complete stop before she could grab me, slipping to one side as Tecton closed the distance.
He punched, and she stepped back. He extended the piledriver, a second punch without an instant of warning, and she evaded to one side.
A precog?
I wasn’t even finished the thought when she stepped around to Tecton’s side. He tried to body-check her, but she had a hand up to rest on his side, using the contact to brace herself, to push against him and leverage herself away. She crossed one leg over the other to maintain an upright position, then brought herself into arm’s reach of me.
Bugs exploded from the interior of my costume. Spiders, hornets, wasps and beetles. The only parts of her that weren’t covered by the suit were her head and hands. The hands were clasped behind her back before the swarm reached her. A sharp toss of her hair swept them out of her way as she invaded my personal space.
Her hands, protected from my bugs by the simple obstacle of her torso, reached out, avoiding the worst of my swarm. One caught the concealed flap of my mask, where it overlapped the neck of my costume, and pulled it down. The other pressed the tip of the stiletto knife to my jugular.
My team, just a moment behind me and Tecton in their intent to engage her, froze.
Fuck me, I had ten thousand bugs here, easy. How had I not found an opportunity to even bite or sting her?
“Wards, back off,” she said. “Grace, Cuff, I want you out of sight, or Weaver bleeds.”
The two girls looked at me, and I nodded. They backed away and stepped around the corners.
“Send your bugs away,” she ordered me.
I started to open my mouth to protest, but she cut me off. “No tricks. You have two seconds.”
Something about the fact that she was a known killer and her no-nonsense tone suggested she really was going to follow through. I banished the bugs.
“The hell is she?” Wanton muttered.
“She’s a precog,” I said, “Something in that vein.”
The woman didn’t respond. The knife shifted locations, no longer touching my bare throat.
Was she distracted? I controlled the insect-like limbs on my flight pack. They were simple, weak, but they were also weapons. The end of the claw stabbed for her face, for the general region of her right eye.
She turned her head, and it grazed harmlessly against her temple. The blade of her knife turned around, and she caught it in the hinge of one mechanical arm.
I pulled away, but the knife being wedged in the gap of the joint gave her a measure of leverage over the mechanical arm. She twisted it as though she were wrenching my arm behind my back. The arm didn’t give any, and I was forced to bend over a fraction.
Golem reached out from one wall, trying to seize her hair or neck, but she used me as a body shield, blocking the reaching hand. Annex struck from below, attempting to ensnare her feet, but she threw me down into the reaching tendrils. In the process, she got ahold of my wrist, twisting it much as she had the mechanical arm.
“Coordinate!” I said, my voice tight. I activated the thrusters on my flight pack in an attempt to tear way, but she wrenched me to one side, tilting my upper body while using one leg to block my lower body from following suit. The end result was that the thruster only pushed me into the wall. I managed to avoid slamming my head against the surface, but I was now pinned against a solid surface. She still had my wrist behind my back.
Dodge this, I thought. I commanded my bugs to attack from every direction.
The Wards were taking my order seriously, attacking simultaneously. Annex was looming, a spectre in the ground, raising up to try to engulf her, Golem was beside a wall, already reaching into it, and Tecton was kneeling, pressing his gauntlets against the ground. Cuff and Grace had heard my order, and were stepping into view, advancing from behind the others.
The woman laid her free hand over the hand she was twisting behind my back. Then she pressed my own fingers down into my palm, hard.
The control mechanism, I thought. Too late. My bug was already moving towards the off switch when the thruster kicked in. She swept my feet out from under me, and the thruster drove me into the ground. The bug touched the off switch, but the impact had locked up the controls.
I hit Annex on my way down, buying the woman time to step back out of his reach. The bug managed to turn off the thruster, but I was already sliding across the floor, right through the lower half of Wanton’s telekinetic storm body and straight into Tecton’s gauntlets.
The piledrivers fired into the ground a fraction of a second after I bumped into the gloves. He’d likely aimed to place an effect directly beneath her, but my collision with the gloves had knocked his aim off by a fraction. It was directed into a wall, creating a crack ten feet high.
The crack, in turn, summarily severed Golem’s outstretched hand of granite.
The woman pulled her suit jacket off and held it out, sweeping it through the air to catch the thickest collection of my swarm within. She folded it closed, simultaneously breaking into stride, heading right for Wanton. Grace and Cuff were just behind him, with Tecton directly behind them, and Golem and I off to one side. Annex was still pulling his spacial-distortion body together into something more useful.
“Stand down, Wards!” I called out, before Wanton could make contact with her. I was still pulling myself up off the ground.
The woman slowed her pace, coming to a stop. Wanton materialized a few feet in front of her, swiftly backing away. I dismissed the bugs that were closing in to attack.
“This goes any further, she’s going to stop going easy on us and she’ll murder someone, maybe murder all of us,” I said, not taking my eyes off her. “Because it’s the only way she’d be able to stop the bugs from surrounding her, the only way to really stop Wanton once he closes the distance.”
She didn’t speak.
“What the hell are you?” I asked. “What’s your power?”
She gave me a look, up and down, and then settled her eyes on mine. Throughout the entire fight, she’d looked unconcerned. She wasn’t even breathing hard. Except for a fleck of foam from the extinguisher here and there on the bottom of her pants leg and at the very end of her shirtsleeve, she wasn’t even particularly dirty.
She spoke, “I win.”
“I gathered that much,” I said.
“What I mean is that I can see the paths to victory. I can carry them out without fail.”
I felt my heart skip a beat at that. She’d volunteered an actual answer?
“The fuck?” Grace asked.
“She’s lying,” Wanton said. “That’s ridiculous. It’s not even close to fair.”
Powers aren’t necessarily fair, I thought.
“It doesn’t matter,” the woman said. “What matters is that there are other enemies you should be fighting.”
“Enemies, plural?” I asked.
“We’re approaching an endgame. The end of the world, the sundering of the Protectorate. Most of the major players know this, and the truce has effectively dissolved in every respect but the official one. Those in positions of power are making plays. Now. Today.”
“And Alexandria showing up, that’s a part of that?” I asked. “Someone’s ploy?”
“Cauldron’s or someone else’s?”
“Yes,” she said. A noncommittal answer.
“And you’re telling us this why?” I asked.
“That should be obvious.”
“Okay,” I said. I wasn’t sure it was that obvious. “Just two questions, then. Those people you just took-”
“Are gone,” she said.
Gone. And there wasn’t a thing I could do to change that. I was almost certain I couldn’t beat her, and I couldn’t utilize whatever it was that was managing the portals to get access to them. At most, I could survive long enough to report this to someone who could.
“Gone temporarily or gone permanently?” Tecton asked.
“I don’t expect anyone on this Earth will see them again, barring an exceptional success on our end.”
“You can’t use your power to get those successes automatically, huh?” I asked.
She didn’t venture an answer.
“Right, that wasn’t my second question. What I want to know is why the hell you haven’t used a power like yours to figure out how to beat the Endbringers.”
“My power is a form of precognition,” she said. “Unlike most such powers, other precognitive abilities do not confuse it. That said, there are certain individuals it does not work against, the Endbringers included.”
“Why?” Tecton asked.
“No way to know for sure,” she said, “But we have theories. The first is that they have a built-in immunity, something their origins granted them.”
“And the other theories?” Golem ventured. “What’s the next one?”
The woman didn’t respond.
I suspected I knew what the answer was, but declined to speak of it. It would do more harm than good.
“So you’re blind here, useless,” Grace said, a touch bitter.
The woman shook her head. “No. I can consider a hypothetical scenario, and my power will provide the actions needed to resolve it.”
“And we are doing just that,” she said. “Doorway, please.”
She wasn’t speaking to us. Another gate opened behind her, and it wasn’t to that sunny field with the tall grass. There was only a hallway with white walls and white floors, a cool rush of air-conditioned air touching our faces.
“Doing just what, exactly?” Tecton called out after her.
She turned back to us, but she didn’t respond. The portal closed, top to bottom.
“Vehicles,” I said, the instant she was gone. “I can sense some at the end of that path. It’s the fastest way back up that ramp. Go, go!”
Things had gotten worse in the thirty minutes we’d been gone. Whole tracts of New Delhi had been leveled, and where the buildings had been tall and mostly intact while we collected the injured and met the ‘cold’ India capes, only half of them stood even a story tall now. The other half? Utterly leveled.
It was a small grace that the fires had burned intensely enough that they’d exhausted the possible fuel, and the smoke was mostly gone, but that wasn’t saying much. I couldn’t take a deep breath without feeling like I needed to cough. Ozone and smoke were thick in the air, and the residual charge in the air was making my hair stand on end.
The Endbringer’s path of destruction had continued more or less in one general direction, but beyond that, the damage was indiscriminate, indeterminate. Behemoth’s location, in contrast, was very clear. A pillar of darkness extended from the ground to the sky. Plumes of smoke and streaks of lightning slipped through the darkness on occasion.
The Chicago Wards rode bikes that were somewhere between a scooter and a motorcycle in design. The vehicles might have been indistinguishable from normal road vehicles, but Tecton had quickly discovered that they had some other features. There were gyros that allowed them to tilt without allowing them to fall, and the engines were electric, with only the option of a generated sound, to appear normal.
Near-silent, the Wards zipped down the streets, zig-zagging past piles of rubble and fissures. I flew above the group.
“Armband,” I said, touching the button. “Status update.”
The ensuing reply was too distorted to make out.
Grue had gone ahead, though he’d no doubt had information on our whereabouts. Bitch’s dogs probably could have sniffed us out. He’d gone ahead. Why?
“Armband,” I said, still holding the button, “Repeat.”
I thought there might have been an improvement, as we got closer, but it was miniscule enough that I might have been imagining it.
I dropped down, settling on the back of Wanton’s bike. The wings were already tucked away, to minimize damage from the electromagnetic radiation, but I didn’t want to push my luck further.
We passed a cluster of dead capes, alongside a series of massive gun turrets that had been mounted on hills and rooftops. The heroes had made a stand here, or it had been one defensive line of many. A number had died.
Had it been foolish to descend to the cold cape’s undercity? Should I have told them to take the wounded beneath, damn the consequences, so we could have helped more?
I hadn’t thought it would take as long as it had, hadn’t anticipated a fight with the woman in the suit.
I hoped I wouldn’t regret this, that the absence hadn’t cost our side something. We weren’t the most powerful capes in the world, but maybe we could have made a small difference here or there.
I’d learned things, but did that count for anything in the now, with tens, hundreds or thousands of individuals dying where they might have lived if we’d stayed? Another lightning rod? Something to slow him down and give them a precious extra second to form a defensive line?
The second defensive line, another collection of the dead. Whatever method they’d tried here, there was no trace left now.
We were getting closer.
The third perimeter. A giant robot, in ruins. As many dead here as there had been at the last two points, all put together.
And just beyond this point, Behemoth, in the flesh. He glowed white, marking the radioactive glow, and Grue’s darkness wreathed him, containing it. The ground beneath Behemoth was tinted gold, vaguely reflective, and geometric shapes were floating in the air, exploding violently when he came in contact with them.
With all of the obstacles he’d faced to this point, he looked less hurt than his younger brother had for his one-on-one fight with Armsmaster. He didn’t limp, or slouch, his limbs were intact, his capabilities undiminished. The tears and rents in his flesh and the gaping wounds here and there didn’t seem to have slowed him down in the slightest.
And with that, he managed to fight his way forward, out of Grue’s darkness, striking out with bolts of lightning. Forcefields went up to protect the defensive line, but only half of them withstood the intensity of the strikes.
“Armband,” I said, and there was a note of horrified awe to my voice, “Status update.”
The A.I.’s voice crackled, but Grue’s darkness might have been suppressing the electrical charge, because it was intelligible. “Chevalier is out of action, Rime is present commanding cape for field duty. Legend is out of commission. Capes are to assist defensive lines and fall back when call is given. Earliest possible Scion intervention is twenty-two point eight minutes from the present time, estimated Scion intervention is sixty-five minutes from present time, plus or minus eighteen minutes.“
I clenched my jaw. I’d committed to doing something, but I had no idea what that could be.
I felt a sick feeling in my gut.
“Armband, status of Tattletale?”
“Out of commission.“
By all rights, I should have reacted, cried out, declared something. I only felt numb. This was falling apart too quickly.
“Status of the other Undersiders?”
“Two injured. Parian and Grue.”
Which would be why Grue wasn’t replenishing his darkness. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to find my center, feeling so numb I wasn’t sure it was possible.
Citrine’s effect seemed to be maximizing the effects of Alexandria’s attacks, because Behemoth wasn’t able to channel them into the ground.
He swung his head in my general direction, and I could see the steel of Flechette’s arrows in the ball of his eye, clustered. Holes marked the point where the bolts had simply penetrated.
Other capes had managed varying degrees of damage. The Yàngbǎn had formed a defensive squadron, using lasers to cut deep into Behemoth’s wounds, and other capes clustered close to them, adding to the focused assault.
And yet he advanced. Inevitable.
A blast of flame caught the defending capes off guard. Their forcefields and walls of stone blocked the flame from reaching the capes, but did nothing to stop it from spreading as it set fire to nearby buildings, grass and the stumps of trees that had been freshly cut, if the sawdust was any indication.
As if alive, the fires reached forward, extended to nearby flammable surfaces, and cut off a formation. They started to clear the way for retreat, and Behemoth punished them with a series of lightning strikes.
Golem was already acting, bringing stone hands up to block Behemoth’s legs, two hands at a time. Tecton moved forward, striking the earth with his piledrivers. Fissures raced across the road, breaks to keep any impacts from reaching too far.
“Antlion pit!” I shouted.
“Right!” Tecton reported.
And my team was engaging, finding the roles they needed to play. Grace, Cuff and I couldn’t do much, but there were more wounded needing help getting out of the area. Annex began reshaping the ground and walls to provide better cover. Wanton cleared away debris from footpaths.
This particular front hinged on one cape, a foreign cape who was creating the exploding, airborne polygons. I could see, now, how each explosion was serving to slow time in the area around the blast. Had he actually been the inspiration for that particular bomb Bakuda had made?
Eidolon had added his own abilities to the fray. He had adopted something similar to Alexandria’s powerset, fighting in melee, ducking in only long enough to deliver a blow, then backing away before Behemoth’s kill aura could roast him from the inside. Eidolon was using another power as well, one I’d seen him deploy against Echidna. A slowing bubble.
Cumulative effects. Cumulative slowing. Each explosion added to the effect, and Eidolon’s slowing bubble was a general factor to help them along. What did it really do if you tried to walk forward, and the upper half of your leg moved faster in time than the bottom half? How much strain did that create? Was there a point where the leg would simply sever?
If there was, Behemoth hadn’t quite reached that point. Either way, it seemed to be a factor in how slow Behemoth was moving. He was getting bogged down. Bogged down further as one foot dipped into Tecton’s antlion pit.
Until the Endbringer struck out, targeting one group of capes with a series of lightning strikes so intense that I was momentarily left breathless.
And the explosive polygons disappeared.
He lurched forward, and even a direct hit from Alexandria wasn’t quite enough to stop him. The shockwave dissipated into the air, rather than the ground, and flying capes throughout the skies were driven back.
The Endbringer broke into a run, insofar as he could run, and nobody was quite in position to bar his way. He ignored capes and struck out across the area behind them, hitting a building with two massive guns on it, a clearing, a rooftop with what looked like a tesla coil. Fire, lightning, and concussive waves tore through the defensive measures before they could be called into effect.
We don’t have the organization. Our command structure is down. Tattletale is gone, either dead or too hurt to fight.
He struck one area with lightning, and explosives detonated. A massive forcefield went up a moment after they triggered, and the explosion was contained within, a cumulative effect that soared skyward.
For a solid twenty, thirty seconds, the sky was on fire, and the Endbringer tore through our defenses, making his way to a building with capes clustered on the roofs. They weren’t, at a glance, our offensive capes. They were our thinkers, our tinkers, the ones our front line was supposed to be covering.
The woman in the suit had declined to share the other reason her power wouldn’t let her simply solve the Endbringer crisis.
The answer I’d declined to share with the other Wards was a simple one. She had the ability to see the road to victory. Maybe, when it came to the Endbringers, there was nothing for her to see.
This entry was posted in 24.02 and tagged Alexandria, Annex, Bastard, Behemoth, Bentley, Bitch, Contessa, Cuff, Eidolon, Grace, Grue, Imp, Kid Win, Legend, Regent, Taylor, Tecton, Theo, Wanton by wildbow. Bookmark the permalink.
415 thoughts on “Crushed 24.2”
wildbow on June 11, 2013 at 00:02 said:
Hoping it isn’t too sloppy. Had a three hour train ride home today, screaming baby to my right (in the other aisle) the entire way.
Thanks for reading. Votes on Topwebfiction appreciated (we’ll never let Diary of a Runner take first, never! Bwahaha)
Rika Covenant on June 11, 2013 at 00:03 said:
*snrk* We’ll ensure it doesn’t.
three rights make a left. on June 11, 2013 at 00:27 said:
Diary of Runner is my second favorite web serial. Worm being my favorite obviously.
But I’m a zero sum vote there 1 for Worm 1 for Diary of a Runner.
Psycho Gecko on June 11, 2013 at 00:31 said:
Wildbow, I have no idea why you were on a train screaming the word “Baby!” repeatedly to your right, but it sounds like fun and I’d like to meet people polite enough to let that go on the whole time.
Pandemonious Ivy on June 11, 2013 at 01:40 said:
Everything about this reply is perfect
En on June 11, 2013 at 09:55 said:
I would guess he was on the train alone.
I’m wondering whether he was screaming at the other aisle freely because there was no one around to shut him up, or there was no one around because they steered clear of the madman screaming at an empty seat.
Either way seems a fun way of passing the time while commuting.
Jerden on June 11, 2013 at 15:40 said:
Brilliant Gecko. Just brilliant.
theant87 on June 11, 2013 at 05:00 said:
The Yanban seem to have an abundance of capes for the moment, and they have to deal with a time rewinding asshat as well. Considering the title of the arc, I think they’ll be crushed as well in the next chapter or two.
negadarkwing on June 11, 2013 at 07:24 said:
Depends on where they are in relation to the Yangban. Also if the Yangban have any brains they won’t take anyone who has distictive powers as that would immediatly give away that they are abducting forign capes.
Charles Borner on June 11, 2013 at 00:03 said:
randomsoul2 on June 11, 2013 at 00:12 said:
“For a solid twenty, thirty seconds, the sky was on fire, and the Endbringer lay waste to our defenses, making his way to a building with capes clustered on the roofs, behind .”
I think it’s “laid waste”? And there appear to be missing words at the end of the quote.
Bobby on June 11, 2013 at 00:22 said:
They destroying the ground beneath his feet
were destroying / destroyed
comickry on June 11, 2013 at 00:58 said:
“I wasn’t even finished the thought when she stepped around”
hadn’t
“gave her a measure o fleverage”
measure of leverage
Asmora on June 11, 2013 at 05:16 said:
Pretty sure “the times” should be “the other times” or something like that.
Never mind. Grammatically correct as it stands, but a bit awkward. The long participial phrase between the subject and verb makes the sentence lose focus. Maybe move that phrase’s information somewhere else.
Ristridin on June 11, 2013 at 07:58 said:
and we should be devoting all our attention to it. To Behemoth”
Missing period.
xdrngy on June 11, 2013 at 12:07 said:
“communicate it to the team.
“Fire!” I shouted. I knew he could hear me”
“he” should be “Grue” (it’s pretty obvious, but there is an intervening paragraph between the last time ‘he’ was used to refer to him)
“gap of the joint gave her a measure o fleverage over the mechanical arm.”
misplaced space
Passin' Through on June 11, 2013 at 19:33 said:
Bit of a run-on and/or weird clauses.
Freak King on June 12, 2013 at 15:48 said:
Don’t know if anyone mentioned it yet, but “o fleverage” should be “of leverage”.
This here’s a typo.
Was re-reading the chapter and I noticed that “They Destroying” still needs to be fixed.
I also see that Bobby mentioned it on Tuesday.
Lotusfox12 on January 22, 2014 at 12:15 said:
“They destroying the ground beneath his feet, ”
Typo there: first should be something along the lines of “They were,” and “attack was reduced.”
Noticed this as I was reading through for the first time. I love the work, Wildbow! HPMOR sent me here when I was looking for something to read while I waited, and I haven’t regretted reading as single chapter.
sarabina on February 4, 2014 at 17:37 said:
Me too… haha.
Gopher on February 15, 2014 at 15:16 said:
“I wasn’t even finished the thought”
Something wrong here…
–> hadn’t even finished the thought
oliverwashere on November 12, 2017 at 20:56 said:
in an attempt to tear way,
in an attempt to tear away,
Josh on October 23, 2019 at 16:15 said:
Typo: “They destroying the ground beneath his feet,”
Gabe on June 11, 2013 at 00:09 said:
So I’m running out of books to read during the summer and finding new interesting stuff is always hard. Since there are so many different tastes when it comes to literature, it’s very hard to know which recommendations to trust.
Thus I had an idea. Seeing as the people who read Worm obviously have great taste, maybe ask recommendations in the comments section.
So what books do you think would be good summer reads? Try to steer away from those landmark series that everyone knows.
To kick the ball off, the last book I read was Megan Whalen Turner’s “The Thief”. I quite liked it, it had a very simplistic approach to plot and characterization which actually let the good writing to stand out more.
Althalus on June 11, 2013 at 00:15 said:
How about the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher.
SlayerIssac on June 11, 2013 at 00:57 said:
Love Jim Butcher’s work, but I was bored to tears by the time I finished that series.
Bic on June 11, 2013 at 02:28 said:
I second that, I couldn’t finish them, I got through I think three and moved on to something else. Dresden files isn’t perfect, but I prefer it to CA.
Llum on June 14, 2013 at 14:56 said:
I strongly recommend NOT reading these. I thought they were some of the worst pieces of drivel I’ve ever read in my life. As good as Dresden is, Codex Alera is utter complete garbage. The entire series is so bad that I wouldn’t piss on Jim Butcher if he was on fire.
Well, thankfully opinions differ. I enjoyed it.
Someguy on June 11, 2013 at 00:23 said:
Animorphs by K.A Applegate
Beware the walking salad shooters. And the TV show. I think I checked once and there are a lot of Animorphs books on Epubbud.
We DON’T SPEAK of the tv show. Get out.
(But yeah animorphs is great)
underwhelmingforce on June 11, 2013 at 00:23 said:
If you like nice epic fantasy, I cannot recommend The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear higher- both by Patrick Rothfuss.
I’m a fan of the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. I started with Reaper Man, though I also recommend Going Postal, Making Money, The Hogfather, and Unseen Academicals.
The 1632 series by Eric Flint isn’t bad either, and the first couple of books are available for free online legally at the Baen Free Library.
House of Leaves isn’t too bad and is rather unique as far as literature goes.
John Dies at the End is good if you like a humorous take on Lovecraftian themes, though it starts to get a little slow there near the end when they split up. I won’t spoil the ending for you though.
Nevermind, missed the no landmarks thing, so have to throw out Discworld.
Well, how about Mankind: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks instead?
Sorry, that’s Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks.
wash17 on June 11, 2013 at 00:30 said:
If your going Jim Butcher, check out the Dresden files. It has fights and scenes both epic and personal in the same manner as good old worm.
Anything by Brandon Sanderson, or the old hard Sci Fi masters like Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke and others.
Alexander The So So on June 11, 2013 at 01:52 said:
Hmm, i made the assumption the person already studied their HACK. (Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, King)
Which one of them wrote the libertarian-leaning story where a guy reveals to the world an easily-made laser capable of cutting through the earth?
I only ask because I really want to find that guy and laugh at him. Hard. With pictures of people like Charles Manson and Bin Laden behind me.
It’s been my dream for years.
Landis963 on June 11, 2013 at 11:25 said:
Sounds like Clarke or Heinlein to me, although I don’t know the story in question.
Something about a big rancher getting called up to some Congressional committee.
Chiro on June 11, 2013 at 09:47 said:
Seconding anything by Brandon Sanderson. Maybe Mistborn.
Thirded Brandon Sanderson. Almost everything he writes is pure awesome. The underlying cosmos he’s building is rich and even his YA novels are superb. Steelheart doesn’t even feel like YA even though it’s marketed as such.
Hopefully this is still relevant.
You really can’t go wrong with Brandon Sanderson. I have yet to be less than delighted with anything he’s written. Warbreaker is probably my personal favorite of his works.
rathum on June 11, 2013 at 00:53 said:
I’ll go the Urban Fantasy route, since that’s what I mostly read.
Here’s some of my favorites:
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
The Hollows by Kim Harrison
Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
RazorSmile on June 11, 2013 at 00:59 said:
For something vaguely similar to Worm in the sense of weird superpowers used cleverly albeit in an almost urban fantasy-ish United Kingdom, I highly recommend The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. It’s a very British book with all that that implies.
Stereo on June 11, 2013 at 18:01 said:
If you’re looking for weird super powers in the United Kingdom, the Laundry Files series by Charles Stross – [i]Atrocity Archives, The Jennifer Morgue[/i], etc. is another good series.
If you’re looking for an epic sized novel series (that’s not Wheel of Time), I’d recommend Tad Williams’ Otherland series. It’s a Fantasy by way of Sci-fi set in the near future. There’s a pretty large cast of characters spread out across the world who get caught up together because of (unspoiled plot device).
Anyway, this series really shaped how I think of Computers and the Internet as I was growing up, so forgive me if I’m a bit biased.
If you’re looking for a Tad WIlliams’ book a little less epic in length, The War of the Flowers is a standalone fantasy novel that’s quite good. The Dirty Streets of Heaven is the first of an Urban Fantasy(ish) series dealing with angels, heaven/hell, etc, and none of those are doorstoppers yet either.
Moving on to the doorstopper series, the above mentioned Otherland is really good, set about 50-100 years in the future. For fantasy, there’s Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn which was good, and the Shadowland (?) books, which I didn’t like as much.
Reveen on June 11, 2013 at 01:25 said:
Sooooo… should I just recommend whatever?
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Also heard good things about China Mieville, Gene Wolfe, and Nalo Hopkinson (Canadian resident authors go!), among others.
Also, I supposed GRR Martin recs are inevitable, but as far as A Song of Ice and Fire Goes I was only positive through and through about the first book, ambivalent through the second and third, and then I stopped giving a shit.
Hydrargentium on June 11, 2013 at 13:08 said:
+1 for In the Skin of a Lion
-the Walking Chaos series, starting with The Knife of Never Letting Go (By Patrick Ness)
-Enders Game/Enders Shadow (By Orson Scott Card)
-Prince of Thorns/King of Thorns (By Mark Lawrence)
-And for something a little denser, and more High Fantasyesque: The Wars of Light and Shadow, starting with Curse of the Mistwraith (By Janny Wurts)
The Black Company by Glen Cook. It’s… well, it is as if the regular fantasy stories are the propaganda written after the fact. It’s great, really, and there are omnibus editions out collecting the books. Plus, it’s finished.
MrVoid on June 11, 2013 at 07:29 said:
Technically, there are still two books left to be written. The main character up to this point’s story has ended, but there is still more to be written.
Technically, yes. Something like Tears of Steel rings a bell as a continuation, but the way it is now is also very… fulfilling? Well, there’s a distinct limit of loose ends. Pretty tightly woven at the end.
Oh, I don’t often see people talking about the Wars of Light and Shadow. I loved them when I was in high school. They are very… dense, though. The prose is getting into the purple zone.
The Bazil Broketail series for fantasy.
Landmark, but no one reads them, get the Stainless Steel Rat series by the late great Harry Harrison. Gadgetry supervillian turned supercop.
I will always suggest harlan ellison to anyone. Start with Deathbird stories. There is a warning in the forward of the book, to only read one a day. I heartily suggest you follow this. The emotional rollercoaster of reading the book in one sitting left me shell shocked for a week.
Catastronaut on June 11, 2013 at 02:24 said:
So Ursula K. Leguin is pretty “landmark” in many circles, but even a lot of her fans haven’t read her trilogy, “Gifts”, “Powers”, and “Voices”. I think I may have the order wrong. I think the trilogy as a whole is called Annals of the Wester Shore or something like that.
Also, if you’re not familiar with her, I recommend most of what she’s written, but particularly “The Dispossessed” and “The Left Hand of Darkness”.
The Dispossessed is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
eduardo on June 12, 2013 at 22:31 said:
The Dispossessed is also one of the best books I`ve ever read.
taliesinskye on June 11, 2013 at 03:04 said:
The Culture series by the sadly passed on Iain M. Banks, who died this week. I recommend starting with Look to Windward or Excession. You can read them in any order.
…He did? ;~; That was such a good series.
If you are willing to try anthologies, I know a few you might like.
Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut is more focused on his experiences as a POW during WW2 in a little town called Dresden. I particularly liked Guns Before Butter, The Commandant’s Desk, Spoils, and the titular story. You may not want to finish Spoils and just pretend it doesn’t end like you know it does.
Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov is interesting for giving you insight into the experiences of political prisoners sentenced to a Siberian prison work camp due to Stalin’s purges. You may not want to finish the one with the dog and just pretend it doesn’t end like you know it does.
Masked is more what you’d see for us here. It’s an anthology of superhero stories. My picks as particularly good stories are The Non-Event, Message from the Bubblegum Factory, Downfall, and A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too).
Now onto the books.
For another good Russian work, I very much recommend The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. It might fit with the idea of Urban Fantasy. In it, a mysterious man named Woland and his companions, including a large talking cat named Behemoth. I can’t seem to find my personal copy, unfortunately, which irks me. And thou shalt never irk the Gecko!
The Life of P.T. Barnum, Written by Himself is also pretty good. Gives you a good insight into a real life wily character from America’s past. If you ever visit his museum, I recommend the Egress exhibit as the first thing you should see.
Another good book to take a look at for personal enjoyment (especially when it gets to the guy who pranked Nixon) is The Museum of Hoaxes; A History of Outrageous Pranks and Deceptions by Alex Boese. It also has a website. Beware China’s Sibuxiang Beast!
You might check out Robert Van Gulik’s Judge Dee series. I’ve only read The Chinese Gold Murders, but I enjoyed it. It is set in maybe the mid 600s or so in China in which Judge Dee was appointed magistrate in order to help figure out some strange happenings, including a murder. Yes, it’s a detective story set in China in the 600s.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my damn Bulgakov.
Since I got too caught up trying to find my Bulgakov to talk about the book, I’ll do that here.
The Master and Margarite has a man named Woland, who claims to be a magician, show up in Moscow with his companions, Hella, Azazello, Behemoth the cat, Fagotto, and Abadonna, claiming to do a show to expose the lies of so-called black magic. What he really shows is some of the parts of the USSR’s citizenry that the government does not like to admit. The titular master is an imprisoned writer whose lover, Margarita, gets caught up with Woland’s group who are generally causing a bit of havoc in Moscow.
Remember, manuscripts don’t burn.
MrThorSir on June 11, 2013 at 04:56 said:
Two words; Alastair Reynolds. If you havn’t read them and you understand relativity, you should read them. If you don’t understand relativity, get a physics textbook and read them anyway. Some of the best books I have read. Probably best to start with the revalation space trillogy.
I’ve read just his short story collections and they stand alone nicely too, even without Revelation Space.
Jessie Laurent on June 11, 2013 at 09:34 said:
I would recommend the sequals as well. I admit, there are people that like the first book of the series Turner makes far more than the others, but in my mind, they are all good. I can’t actually tell you too much about the next books, since there are in-built spoilers…in a similar way to the big twist of ‘The Thief.’
Actually, another recommendation: read through “The Thief” again and find all the foreshadowing and hints he left in for his identity. It’s quite an exercise, and Turner does a very good job of hinting without telling…
Yeah, I actually guessed the twist like one third of the way into the book, due to having had the series recommended to me by its name which in itself is a spoiler. It was quite enjoyable to spot the foreshadowing hints and even with being a bit spoiled, the book managed to get a few good surprises in there that I didn’t expect.
And thanks for the recs everyone, I’ll look into them when I have a bit more time.
endgame on June 11, 2013 at 09:47 said:
Well, there are a couple of things I could recommend. One is a young adult series that (IMO) is enjoyable at any (or at least most) ages, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan. The action’s great, the plotline’s interesting, the character’s are well written, and the humor’s amazing. I could also say the same thing about its in-progress sequel series, The Heroes of Olympus, and its spin-off, The Kane Chronicles.
Hard Magic by Larry Correa
And it also has passengers or something similar.
Admiral Skippy on June 11, 2013 at 10:20 said:
The Lies of Locke Lamora is very good, and the start of a great series.
Also, if ya like comics I can recommend stuff like Garth Ennis’s run on the Punisher both the Marvel Knights and MAX versions, the Authority as written by Warren Ellis and Dan Abnett, and I’ve heard very, very good things about Ellis’s Nextwave.
It’s hard to get ahold of outside the internet, but I loved Charley’s War a 70’s British WW1 comic. It has a whiplashtastic funny/lighthearted/depression ratio that should be envy of grimdark fantasy writers the world over.
If you haven’t hit your depression limit with Worm Maus by Art Spiegelman is a very good semi-autobiographical comic involving the Holocaust. That’ll send you over the threshold.
Also, I replied to Skippy’s comment for some reasion. Roll with it.
Seconding the Gentlemen Bastards series. Very good.
Sun Dog on June 11, 2013 at 10:22 said:
If you like unusual superhero stories, maybe check out Wildcards, or Soon I Will Be Invincible.
Sci-fi I’d say March Upcountry and Honor Harrington are worth checking out. If you like Psycho Gecko, the Posleen War series by John Ringo has the same sort of crazy awesome unrestrained by anything like reality. I’m also fond of Weber’s Safehold series, which has an android in a 16th Century sort of setting. The Culture is good for a mental workout, but some of the books can get a bit slow, plus the author Iain Banks just died.
Fantasy I’d suggest Oath of Swords, Runelords, and the Black Company. Plus anything by Diana Wynne Jones, particularly the Merlin Conspiracy and Dark Lord of Derkholm, one of my favorite books of all time. Also, check out the Prince of Nothing trilogy: the Darkness that Came Before, the Warrior Prophet and the Thousandfold Thought. Artemis Fowl went downhill as a series, but the first 4 books are absolutely worth your time.
Patrick Reitz (@dreamfarer) on June 11, 2013 at 10:45 said:
A caveat about Wildcards – it starts out “dark and edgy” and moves fairly swiftly into the “grimdark torture porn” realm. Off hand I can’t think of any “trigger warnings” that wouldn’t apply to it.
I heard that the exact same Caveat apply to Scott Bakker’s stuff as well. Someone mentioned those Whatever of Thorns books, so ditto for them too.
AMR on June 11, 2013 at 10:57 said:
While Bakker’s work might offend some people’s sensibilities, I still think it’s one of the best fantasy series out there and that the worldbuilding is enviable.
As for the Thorn series, the protagonist is actually at his worse in the first book, so if you can stomach that one, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Wish you could edit your posts…
Wanted to add: While I love and recommend Bakker’s fantasy series, do not, for the love of God, read Neuropath. That book sure IS disgustingly offensive to anyone’s sensibilities.
Which reminds me of whoever recommended Garth Ennis. The first couple of volumes of The Boys is ok (especially Wee Hughie’s scene with his girlfriend in his arms right near the very beginning, that’s hilarious), but you’ll probably want to stop by Herogasm.
Instead, if untimely suprahuman savagery, executions, and ejaculations strike not your fancy, this one’s superlative recommendation is Empowered starring the omniscient overlord, the Demonwolf, and its housemate, the fetchingly bespectacled and begartered Librarian Sexy!!
I’ve also heard good things about DC’s Secret Six (Bane intimidating a stripper that’s taking out his surrogate daughter, Scandal Savage, stands out) and I particularly like The Flash’s Blackest Night Special. I’ve been looking for Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge for some time too, as I anticipate its awesome villainy.
If you prefer Marvel, go with Nova. He’s dead now, but it was a good series in the time I read it after Annihilation. Also, some fantastic cover art.
Very true. Still, no matter how bad Wild Cards got, and it got very bad, it did have some clever views on how superheroes would impact on society. For example, a comment below wondering how superpowers affected the caste system in India, reminded me of how in Wild Cards’ South Africa during the apartheid white Jokers(read mutants) were considered black, but the reverse did not apply to black Aces(read standard superheroes).
Yeah, as an anthology series there were some “ups” even during the worst of the “downs”. Not a series to walk into blind though.
How many novels into the series before it becomes crap?
Hard to say, they’re sort of mosaic books. Short stories by many authors in the shared universe, each linked by a theme or contributing something to the over-arching plot.
Where the line gets drawn… I’d say you’re good to Dead Man’s Hand, which was crap. Ace in the Hole was edgy for me, but the overarching theme (superheros meddling in politics) was enough to keep me going. Reitz would probably have a different opinion. I’d say read, and as far as you get is as far as you get. But Reitz is right, good catch you should know the dark parts are really freaking dark.
johnwedd on June 12, 2013 at 21:59 said:
George rr martin wrote a large part of it, so things die alot.
Eddie on June 11, 2013 at 10:37 said:
Joe Abercrombie, author/superhero!
Even if you read nothing else, read his latest standalone book Red Country. It is a triumph. I recommend all his stuff, he needs more publicity.
After that, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer and it’s sequel The Detective, by Johnathan L. Howard.
I should also mention The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, and The Daylight War, by Peter V. Brett.
Patrick Rothfuss writes some enjoyable books.
For a change of pace, you could try Morgue Drawer Four, Morgue Drawer Next Door, and Morgue Drawer For Rent, by Jutta Profijit.
Psychogecko mentioned John Dies At The End, by David Wong. It was the first book I’ve asked for as a present. It’s….unique. Also, there is a movie version of it with Paul Giamatti. Good for a laugh or two.
If you want something a bit more serious and postapocalypse style, try The Union Creek Journal. It’s a webseries.
I’ll stop now before this gets carried away.
I keep doing this, I try to build up a buffer of Worm, but then I end up staying awake until 2am reading everything.
A few suggestions from stuff I’ve been reading recently:
Lois McMaster Bujold – pretty much anything by her. If you like Taylor for her genius at planning, look for the Miles Vorkosigan books for another protagonist who’s physically underpowered compared to his foes and makes up for it by being damn clever and a little crazy.
The Martian by Andy Weir – an astronaut is trapped on Mars and has to figure out how to survive until he can rescued. Essentially a hard science version of Robinson Crusoe, or in other words another story where the protagonist survives based on their wits and cleverness.
Jack o’ Lantern Girl, Fable of the Swan and Unclean Legacy by Jenna Katerin Moran. See also Nobilis. See also Chuubo’s Marvel Wish Granting Engine. It feels a little weird to be promoting the work of one of the other commenters here, but these are really good and well worth checking out.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. If you want to study a master of dialog, you really can’t go wrong with reading Jane Austen. The book is engaging read even apart from that though.
Switch Flipped by Greg Stolze. A different take on modern day “super heroes”, much closer in character to Unknown Armies (the RPG) than a comic book but nonetheless highly engaging.
The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (series). Call of Cthulhu meets information technology meets underpaid secret agents.
I Am Not A Serial Killer, Mr. Monster and I Don’t Want To Kill You by Dan Wells. A boy diagnosed with sociopathy who is determined not to let himself become a monster encounters a real monster that is killing people in his town. Neither grimdark, nor depressing (note: I’m in the camp that says Worm is neither grimdark nor depressing, take that as you will).
Notes on June 11, 2013 at 22:58 said:
The white book (Nobilis) remains one of the most striking and elegant attempts to fuse form and function. Still utterly remarkable.
Alexander on June 20, 2013 at 00:13 said:
I just read some of Jenna Moran’s short stories and bought one of her books based on this. They really are amazing. Thanks for the recommendation!
The Martian is also noteworthy for both its humor and the fact that it is one hundred percent scientifically accurate. If you’ve seen the movie, the book is better.
Mulindwa on June 11, 2013 at 12:28 said:
two books That I greatly enjoyed are “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. Which is a combination of ancient and modern mythology with a modern fantasy. The other one that I loved that is very different is “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak. It is narrated by death and is the story of a girl in Nazi Germany.
Both well worth the read.
So, books that you might not have heard of…
Try to hunt down a copy of Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg. One of my all-time favourites.
LeGuin’s The Dispossessed (as someone already mentioned).
I don’t know if this is now “landmark”, since they made a movie out of it, but Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie is well worth the read.
And just in case you haven’t read it, I urge you to check out Haldeman’s The Forever War. Anyone who considers themselves at all interested in Science Fiction should read that.
Also, just about anything by Spider Robinson. Oh yes.
You know, with all these books… my wishlist kind of tripled. *sighs*
Not that I’m complaining, but there is a limit to how much time one can spend reading, especially if there are other things taking time.
Ok, so for the second third of the summer…
I cannot over-recommend Fine Structure by Sam Hughes. You could read it either on the authors website or at Everything2. everything2.com/title/Fine+Structure
I would also reccomend Storm Thief by Christopher Wooding, the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, and Midnighters by Scott Westerfield.
I would also recommend Everlost by Neal Shusterman.
+1 Fine Structure
It was one of the more engaging reads and I occasionally happen to think on it still. Anything I want to read more than once is worth taking note and Fine Structures would be at its fourth read next – without me feeling bored.
“I am Mordred” by Nancy Springer.
Hivemind on June 12, 2013 at 19:17 said:
I can recommend karen miller’s kingmaker knigbreaker duo, about mage’s and magic. It’s a very good read. also has a follow up duo called the fishermans children.
ok here i go in a super hero thread, you have been warned;
Confessions of a D-List Supervillain by Jim Bernheimer (its very similar to worm and the characters are kinda awesome.)
After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn (its a nice objective take on the silver age transition. and the author also does the Kitty Norville urban fantasy series which is a nice balance of funny and serious)
Blackjack Villain (The Blackjack Series) by Ben Bequer (gritty hero story of redemption, you should read both books in the series, the second one is a tearjerker at the end)
Velveteen vs the Junior Super Patriots by Seanan McGuire (a great webserial turned novel from a pro-writer. much like wildbow, only different.)
the whole Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series by Jennifer Estep (while technically an urban fantasy title, it’s has more of a comic book semi-noir feel to it and i would recommend it wholeheartedly, no matter what genre you love.)
I’m relatively new here, so I’ll throw out a more recent author: Brent Weeks. The Night Angel trilogy is very good and a little dark (first book The Way of Shadows), the Lightbringer series (first book The Black Prism) is great and has a magic system worthy of Brandon Sanderson. On that note, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I cannot recommend Brandon Sanderson highly enough.
Ok one last rec that’s relatively unknown but quite good. Sci-fi series following a heroic mercenary woman in powered armor. First book is Fortune’s Pawn.
slider214 on July 24, 2017 at 15:16 said:
Saying that the Night Angel trilogy is “a little dark” is like saying that “water is wet”. If you’re looking for a series that will inspire you to go on murderous rampages against fictional characters and sob quietly in the corner about how utterly unfair life and the universe in general is then Night Angel is fantastic! If you’re looking for a badass character that only gets better as the story moves on then read the trilogy! If you’re looking for something that is only minorly grimdark stay the heck away because this world will make your heart bleed lol.
biostras on November 6, 2017 at 13:23 said:
Not really relevant anymore, but here are my recommendations for those browsing the comments:
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Semi-landmark, but don’t let that stop you. High fantasy with dragons, werecats, elves, Urgals, dwarves, and a war to save the realm of Alagaesia from the evil king Galbatorix and restore the Dragon Riders. A little Star Wars-esque, but worth a read as it diverges from Star Wars in many areas.
As mentioned above, Animorphs by K. A. Applegate is a good read. If you want to delve deeper into the universe she built, I recommend getting the Chronicles books that supplement the series, along with Megamorphs, which are integral to the main story and often referenced, as well as the CYOA Alternamorphs. You may need to go to Amazon for these – I’m uncertain if they were reprinted along with the main series in 2011. (The series was originally published from 1996-2002.)
Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall is a good one. The first book in the upcoming Sherwood’s Doom trilogy, it is a darker take on the classic Robin Hood.
I also recommend The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky. A high fantasy tale of tribes of shapeshifters, it is the first book in the upcoming Echoes of the Fall trilogy, though, as one review noted, it works well as a stand-alone novel. Told from the perspectives of four characters with two plot lines that converge, it is full of plot twists that will keep you guessing.
Not sure if these would be considered “landmark” though they are classics since they’re not read as often in schools, I recommend Jack London’s The Call of the Wild and White Fang. They are probably some of the best animal POV fiction out there, as they do not have the animals speaking or thinking in words per se, but you see how they perceive and react to the world. (And yes, they do get a bit…gory at times. Maybe that’s why they’re not read in the classroom.)
I also recommend the two-book series of Seraphina and its sequel, Shadow Scale. The first author I mentioned, Christopher Paolini, said that the dragons in this high fantasy are “some of the most interesting…I’ve ever read.” The first book is fairly light-hearted, but the second one gets much darker.
tiffuh on March 7, 2018 at 19:21 said:
Fifth-ing Brandon Sanderson. Everyone has their favourites, but I think everyone would agree to start with Mistborn.
Contessa: “Meh, I could take her.”
Everyone: “You know, saying that is kind of a-”
Contessa: -wipes the floor with Skitter and her temporary team- “Like I said. Meh.”
The Sandman on June 11, 2013 at 00:22 said:
Genre-Savvy Audience Member: “Of course you realize that, seeing as how you’re just the Big Bad’s lieutenant and Skitter’s the protagonist, all you’ve done is pissed away your guaranteed first-fight victory on a fight that didn’t matter, thus ensuring that the second fight (where she beats you into the ground) will happen when your defeat would be the most devastating for your side?”
Her ability is powerful, but there are opponents who are simply too powerful for her a baseline human to kill, or there might be a lack of options/someone she can’t predict. The doormaker also makes it almost impossible to trap or weaken her. If she starts to get tired, or her options get too limited she simply takes a portal away.
Vincent on June 11, 2013 at 00:59 said:
It depends on how far into the future she can see. Maybe she sees far enough to avoid legend. To step into the shadows at just the right time.
Or perhaps out of all the billions of possible actions available to her, she chooses the one path where she hides in the right corner to hit him with some sort of poison dart (as he’s practically bulletproof). Then escapes with Doormaker’s help.
It seems like a pretty scary power to me. I mean, she could have killed Alexandria as well with an exploding containment foam cannister (an explosion at just the right angle to enter her throat and nose), like she got Taylor’s bugs. Then immediately escape. Victory achieved.
Like I said, a scary power.
Gnarker on June 11, 2013 at 01:16 said:
Actually, containment foam is porous, so Alexandria wouldn’t choke on it.
Ah, forgot about that. Maybe she’d use a different substance then. Getting killed by an exploding glue gun or something would make for a rather ignoble end. Nonetheless, ignoring the containment foam faux pas ;), I think my point still stands.
I know what you can toss at her!
O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate
VX, as it’s shortened to, is an area denial nerve agent, meaning you just spray it in an area she’s likely to go into and let it do the rest. Better yet, spray as much of it on her as you can.
Or maybe you want something from the G series instead?
Sarin is well known, but Soman could work pretty well too. And even if they get Contessa cured, there’s the whole “permanent neurological damage” thing that ought to make it difficult for her to do a lot of winning.
Scolopendra on June 11, 2013 at 13:03 said:
It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again. Xykon the lich’s quotes about power: “Only two things matter: Force, in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. And in a pinch, style can slide. In any battle, there’s always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed.” That said, I’m fairly sure Taylor could have at least hurt Contessa a bit near the end, but it would have probably cost some or all of them their lives.
Forum Explorer on June 11, 2013 at 20:57 said:
Yeah that’s basically how you beat a ‘perfect’ precog. You make it so the only possible future is their death. I even think Skitter could pull it off. If Contessa didn’t have unlimited access to Doormaker. Really that guy is what makes her so impossible to beat.
But anyways Skitter could theoretically grab a massive swarm, order it to kill Contessa while staying at a very large distance, and then just leave. Let the swarm kill her while staying an impossible to close distance away.
Another way to beat Contessa is to attack her indirectly. Doormaker is her trump card? Figure out a way to wreck his wagon. She’s obligated to protect DM? Attack DM in such a manner that the only way for Contessa to save her is to sacrifice life and limb. Another way is to create multiple simultaenous crises that Contessa is forced to respond to with no possible way to resolve both. I think this falls under the Xanatos Gambit trope.
Ehm, Doormaker is inside a cell in Cauldron’s facility which is not only one of the most secure places to ever exist but also in another dimension which can only be reached thanks to Doormaker himself.
I can already think of how to handle Doormaker. Lure Contessa out of hiding and sneak Imp through the portal. I am not sure if Cauldron has a way to handle her unique abilities (though to be fair, there are way too many people who seem to be able to counter her in this setting.)
Motion sensors, termal scanners, stranger-trumping powers. Cauldron has plans to stop THE SIMURGH from breaching their facility again and has lots of powerful capes with weird powers. (We have no idea, for example, what the Custodian can do. I believe one of the prisoners called him/her/it a spirit or something similar.) Alternatively, maybe Contessa’s power is powerful enough to stop her from taking such a course of action, even without knowing why. There are still too many variables.
Nah, she used the first-fight win while snatching Pretender. This is a possibly unprecedented second fight victory by the villain’s Chief Minion.
Disagree — the snatching of Pretender was our hero’s first glimpse of Contessa, not an actual fight with her. This was their first fight.
Belatedly: I believe the trope in question is Heroic Rematch, although Hopeless Boss Fight or even The Worf Effect could be candidates.
(Actually, I think I better add The Worf Effect to the page, come to think.)
Which warrior type character is being defeated to show the badassness of other characters, pray tell? Taylor?
I don’t think The Worf Effect actually applies here for a couple of reasons. The main one is that the Worf Effect is an *ongoing pattern* of the show’s designated badass having their posterior repeatedly handed to them by the monster of the week. A key point of the trope is the badass decay that the character suffers as a result: Worf ceases to look so tough when everyone he meets lands him on his butt.
The other reasons are that Taylor has:
(a) clearly been facing a series of *escalating* threats and rising to the challenge. ie. she’s Goku, not Worf. :D, and
(b) she’s always been kind of a glass cannon. She’s brilliant and kicks butt (especially at range) but there’s always an element of tension when she’s within range of a dangerous opponent.
Loki-L on June 11, 2013 at 00:24 said:
To be fair, Taylor has already figured out one way to negate her power: Make it so that there are no paths to victory. Now she just needs to get control over an Endbringer and force Contessa into a corner.
I would add that with her description-if it is honest-requires conscious use to activate. If you can take her out in one hit by surprise, you win.
Also, her power seems to work similar to the way Number Man uses his ability; meaning that if you are sufficiently unpredictable, it might overwhelm her ability like Jack Slash did to Harbinger
Coil was pretty much unbeatable with his mulligan power, and where is coil now?
Taylor can take her, but it’ll take a lot of planning and setup. Probably some really impressive bait to.
Coil’s power didn’t make him unbeatable. It was Coil’s clever, cautious use of his power ,combined with Dinah’s prescience, that made him maximise his victories. All it took was for Coil to use his power at the wrong time at the wrong place to ensure his downfall. Coil knew this, hence he only used it when safe in his lair, and Tattletale knew that he knew, hence the need to engineer a situation where Coil would be sure of his invincibility.
Naeddyr on June 12, 2013 at 09:57 said:
I’ve been rereading, and went through and got the explanation for the coin toss exhibition in the limousine, so I’ll try to show why Coil is actually pretty vulnerable.
Coil’s power is to create two branching timelines and then choose the one he likes the most. The usual way for him to use it is to have a timeline where he does nothing, and a timeline where he does something: goes on the attack. This way, failure is something he can avoid, as long as he is in control of the situation. That is what he did with the coins: he would speak or check on whether someone was ready to catch a coin, or somehow delay throwing in a Safe timeline and actually throw in the other.
But this safety breaks down as soon as he enters a situation where he can’t hold back his hand in both dimensions. Let’s take the coin toss exhibition, and presume he is forced to throw a coin in both dimensions: he is not allowed to hold back and not throw the coin, he has to throw it. The point of the coin tosses was that he would end up tossing the coin many times, and always end up with the same value, Heads or Tails. But that becomes something he can lose at when he has to throw the coin in both dimensions, because he can end up with a situation where he throws a bad throw in both dimensions. With the coin tosses, he has a one in four chance of getting unfavourable throws in both dimensions (two Tails in the story), and if he has to do this enough times, the chances are going to catch up to him sooner or later and bam. Two tails, Coil is dead, game over. That’s basically what happened when Coil was taken of in the story: both dimensions came up tails, because the Undersiders went on the offensive and forced his hand in both.
DasNiveau on June 11, 2013 at 01:12 said:
Contessa is propably a hell of a poker player, too.
Personally I like the think that when she got back to Cauldron HQ, Contessa wiped her brow in relief.
Ok the previous thread still has book recommendations on my mind. A good series for Combat Clairvoyance (and the regular kind) is the Alex Verus novels. Urban Fantasy. Or if you like Sci-fi (and because I can’t seem to stop) Theirs Not to Reason Why is very very good.
soulpelt on June 11, 2013 at 00:16 said:
Good chapter Wildbow.
baochou on June 11, 2013 at 00:18 said:
So the trick for dealing with Contessa is to try to arrange a situation where she can win and then have some way of changing it to one where she can’t once she’s already committed.
Easier said than done, admittedly.
Although the Regent-Imp tag-team might actually be able to take her.
Most other methods I can think up involve some sort of deliberate sacrifice, whether that means taking a hit from her or having a cape walk into the fight intending to lose in such a fashion that it also kills her.
Or surrounding her with other Thinkers and then going in for the kill.
A lot depends on just how far ahead her ability can see, and whether it can pull out information on things that other people are deliberately hiding.
Yeah, a good stranger power like Imp’s could do a lot, unless it was capable of compensating to keep her alive even in the face of stuff she could have no knowledge about.
Rendering all victories Phyrric with could also work, the problem is how to set it up.
A cape with a good stockpile of chemical warfare agents would do well against her, handkerchief or not.
The main thing is how far ahead she can see. Infect an opponent with Ebola or something, and she’ll see herself winning but hopefully not contracting the disease and dying from it later.
Unless she comes to every fight with a hazmat suit, a number of chemicals would take her out just for arriving on the battlefield.
Her power probably functions as a hazmat suit to some degree. Meaning if it’s a fight where there is the possibility of getting dosed in something unpleasant she either won’t go there or she’ll show up in a hazmat suit to begin with.
Clarvel on June 11, 2013 at 00:24 said:
Situations where you need to lose arent too uncommon either.
That’s not the most obvious way to win a fight with an unbeatable precog. The most obvious way to win a fight with an unbeatable precog is to recruit the precog to your side.
Of course, the easiest way to do so is to arrange a situation where that is the only way the precog can win.
Pit Tattletale & Dinah against her in an endless loop of I Know You Know I Know.
The most obvious way to win a fight with a precog in an underground space is good placement of demolition charges.
*presses a button, the ceiling collapses on everything before anyone can call for a Doorway*
Though I think this is the only time we’ve ever been presented with the idea that she’s actually sentient. All this time I put her down as being brilliant with her power but otherwise not much going on up there in that noggin.
Of course, it just means that she only told Taylor things that benefited Cauldron, given her power.
If they can find a way to surprise her, one hit would do it.
mc2rpg on June 11, 2013 at 00:39 said:
………… That is an utter ridiculous statement to make about such a powerful precog.
her use of it is mentioned as a conscious act-she has to think about it for it to work.
Good catch — assuming she’s not simply lying. 😛
manitou on June 11, 2013 at 04:42 said:
No, Taylor assumes this, there is no statement a that she is correct form anyone else.
Carniver on June 11, 2013 at 03:51 said:
also hatchet face being nearby would allow nearly anyone to take her on
Bonesaw’s on it!
Wasn’t Hack Job dead (Hatchet Face + Lungs teleporting flunky via Bonesaw), though?
Clones, remember?
*facepalm* I obviously didn’t. I really, really hate it when people don’t stay dead. One reason like Alexandria even less now.
Lerron Atris on June 12, 2013 at 15:39 said:
Am I the only one who questions if genetic clones of a powered individual would have powers as well? I see no reason to assume that they would.
You aren’t. Blasto’s interlude implies his chimera clones having some mixture of their parent’s powers, though, so it stands to reason they are cloned as well or easy to induce. Especially with Bonesaw’s expert knowledge about the specific cerebral region…
Congratulations, Simurgh and Myrddin. Our unique form of artificial insemination has worked. Are you ready to meet your child?
*thud*
Congratulations, it’s a braindead hermaphrodite. You two have a teenager from the 80s!
Surprise nothing. Just drop a massive bomb on her location and that should kill her.
What if she hides inside a lead refrigerator?
Then she’s trapped in a bad movie and that’s a fate worse then death. 😉
To paraphrase Pip… No way.
Yog on June 11, 2013 at 01:21 said:
A lot depends on what “win” means. On how her power works. If it provides her the path to victory over the opponent without her direct input (i.e. it gives her a list of actions she has to do to win without showing her the actual consequences of her actions), then you can arrange a situation where the only path to victory would result in her death and your non-lethal defeat.
So then the only thing that she’s weak against is… Stranger Danger?
ba dum tishhhhh
Shhh…I’ve set a trap for Contessa. It’s this van right next to an elementary school and- Hey! I didn’t do nothin’! I didn’t do nothin’! I’m not under arrest, you’re under arrest!
BRB, gotta run.
Well that is… not good. But then I suppose none of us really expected anything good to happen in this chapter- even the arc name…
Cauldron though, is almost definitely up to no good. Confirmation of Contessa’s precognition is nice, though. Pretty much what I expected.
A note- Theo is tagged, but hat means less than it used to, what with Wildbow getting wise to our tactics.
Here we see one of the Nile’s tributaries. It’s still going strong, all this way.
Theo is Golem. Every other Ward is tagged except him and his power and description fit.
Lis on June 11, 2013 at 08:06 said:
And he’s chubby.
And he’s got that same mixture of fearfulness and alertness.
k4rv3r on June 11, 2013 at 22:37 said:
Now we just need to know how he will change the entire world with his power. My theory that is not really a theory is that he will grow his power until he can make his whole body into a substance not just an arm. Step 2 is to hug an endbringer who are superdense and physics breaking material. Then the universe collapses.
Do we know what happens if someone breaks a finger off of a Golem-finger while his hand is still in it?
It’s not an experiment I’d want to conduct.
Robert on June 12, 2013 at 02:17 said:
Contessa just broke a whole hand off. Theo didn’t seem to be in any pain from it.
@Robert: I see — thanks!
At least his power gives us the unique opportunity to study what it looks like when someone breaks their foot off in another person’s ass.
Hey, maybe Theo can go by Assimilator?
Jack Slash’s power involves extending the cut of his knife through the air distance. Theo’s power is to extend his limbs a distance through material other than air. Not only is it a power almost designed to counter him, but the similarity is interesting.
Oh, happy happy happy, see, isn’t it a happy happy happy story? The apocalypse monsters are unstoppable, Taylor can’t beat Contessa, Grue might be dead, the truce is universally acknowledged as toilet paper, Cauldron just recruited the New Delhi cold capes, and Alexandria appears to be back, though the alternative is a lookalike and some creative grave robbery (I’d blame the Malkavians again) and Scion’s still not here to save the day.
You forgot that Tattletale had her windpipe crushed and the one person who could potentially come up with a plan to prevent the end of the world is (probably) dead.
Oh yes, that’s right. But remember, this isn’t supposed to be a depressing story, says some people. Tra lala la la!
Oh sure it looks bad now, but it’s aways darkest before the dawn. Taylor’s going to realize she’s the one, go super sayian and open the Autobot matrix of leadership.
Unless we do get the downer ending. But I hope not.
It’s always darkest just before your eyes adjust.
Than you see the monster.
Technically speaking, it’s darkest with a sufficient contrast for your eyes to go by. Total darkness is relatively mellow, perceptionally speaking.
There is a bit of a middle ground there between “depressing story” and “Worm, now suitable for Teletubbies!”
Understand, when I say Worm’s not “grimdark” or “depressing”, I’m not saying that it’s awesome that Tattletale got her throat crushed or that millions of New Delhi residents are probably dead or dying. Those are bad things, but not so bad that I’m cheering for Behemoth.
Heartily agreed.
The world of Worm can be dark, there is evil there, and there are monsters in it- but there is light as well, things worth protecting, and there are heroes who stand up to protect them, in even the unlikeliest of guises.
I agree as well. Worm is realistic in it’s darkness. It sort of sets up the world and points out that yeah you can expect corruption, incompetence, and favoritism. But at the same time you get heroic villains, genuine redemption, AI’s that love humanity, and true friendship.
I can’t possibly understand how Worm can be considered grimdark, because when I think of that word I think of a narrative that not only has alot of fucked up shit and suffering, but twists the plot and characters in knots to accommodate as much of it as possible as if the universe goes out of it’s way to punish people for not being miserable. Worm is dark but it certainly doesn’t do that.
Grimdark also brings to mind of a narrative that reads in a callous, exploitative, or unemphatic way, either by tone or through the characters. Skitter actually has active empathy and human suffering is treated as human suffering instead of furniture so that’s out too.
Seconded. To me ‘grimdark’ basically means that a setting is hopeless and cruel and depressing for the sake of it. (Apparently Warhammer 40k is the trope namer, which makes sense). Worm is dark and depressing for the best possible authorial reason – to explore how people deal with it.
It reminds me a little of Stephen (“Oh hey, let’s drop a mysterious impenetrable dome over a town just to see how they cope”) King’s approach. Though honestly, I think Wildbow’s handled it better, sorry Stephen…
Alathon on June 12, 2013 at 03:03 said:
Alexandria, to the press afterwards, “These usurping cowards took me with an assassin’s blow. The need to stand up against Behemoth brought me back. Behemoth and those who would strip an entire world of even a hope of victory if it be not on their terms.”
Who they gonna believe, a bunch of scrubs or Alexandria?
Well, the “scrubs” in this case include Chevalier and Miss Militia, so there’s quite a lot of clout on both sides. However, I’m not sure Cauldron’s interested in spinning this anymore. We’re quickly getting to the endgame of the comic (The proverbial cosmic deadline of *checks FAQ* 30 chapters, the S9000 gun has yet to be fired, The Birdcage gun has yet to be fired, none of the Endbringers have been defeated beyond driving them away, Number Man and Contessa are tag-teaming field missions for unknown purposes, etc., etc., etc.), and what Cauldron has done since sending Number Man into the field, (kidnapped a bodysnatcher who’s somehow better for their purposes than Regent (otherwise, why not grab Regent) and ushered a whole mess of Indian refugees into another universe, never to return, as well as taking steps to maximise the powers granted by their formulas) seem to scream “gathering weapons and creating contingencies for final showdown.”
First thoughts:
* If Cauldron is really done with Weaver, why leave witnesses? Unless they gain more value from spreading terror than they do silence.. which would sorta make sense now that the latter isn’t really an option. And that “this earth” line sorta makes me think they’ve already written this one off.. maybe it’s a resource for the defense of the next one, now.
* Fuck the Yangban.
* I was betting on save-scumming for Contessa’s power, but “victory” or “I win button” were maybe.. 7th or 8th on the list? Bah, I wouldn’t even get a medal at a swim meet.
* I wonder what Revel has gotten up to, she’s potentially Weaver’s new boss. Assuming the Protectorate doesn’t get de-funded or suspended pending investigation or something. Contessa doesn’t seem to think they’re long for this world, and that’s a baaaaad sign.
Can they even defund the Protectorate at this point? It would leave America and all the foreign teams they support pretty screwed at this point. Without a viable alternative I just don’t think that is an actual option.
You don’t read the news much. When Congress is involved, screwing people over isn’t just an option, it’s the first choice.
That statement alone is probably enough to earn you a degree in political analysis.
acediamonds on June 11, 2013 at 13:47 said:
Maybe they’re not completely finished with Taylor. IIRC, she was needed by Cauldron because she was the criminal leader of BB, they’re probably keeping her around in case she returns to the position.
It would fit, but I always figured their/Coils plans for the Undersiders were more subtle, something about developing powers, what with the “master” and “thinker” heavy roster. Could Cauldron have really predicted the portal being in Brockton Bay? I suppose they could have at the very least predicted that Brockton Bay is or will be a high value location.
A lot of what Cauldron has done since Skitter’s arrest has been to maximise their potential weapons and plan contingencies for catastrophic failure (see also: Number Man+Contessa in field, new Universe full of Indian undesirables). Keeping Weaver around, a skilled master in her own right, is simply another weapon in play. Whether that weapon is pointed at Cauldron or elsewhere depends on where the danger to civilians lies.
Did Cauldron just seed another universe with humanity? A few generations down the line with a bunch of capes in the genepool from the start should provide Cauldron with a very effective army.
Or it means that they are simply going to force feed the raw formula to a larger group of people to keep up their numbers. More case 53, more deaths, but a similar number of useable parahumans for them. Though the doormaker makes me question Cauldron. Why stay in the wormverse? Their identity is outed, they have lost control of the PRT, and the Endbringers are there. I somehow doubt, despite all the shit they tell themselves about the greater good, they are trying to help the wormverse. Why not go the Traveler’s dimension and set up shop there?
I think it is faily obvious that these people aren’t intended to be used as case 53’s, or at least not ones that will be brought back to Earth. Unless Cauldron wins in a spectacular way those people aren’t being brought back which says to me they are a backup.
I wonder if capes taken to other world would have children who could become capes? From what we’ve seen the Omni-Worms are heading for Taylor’s Earth in particular.
If the passengers are fragments of them (which I think we have evidence for right?) then I’m not sure if new passengers would show up on an alternate Earth necessarily. It might depend on how “close” in a metaphysical sense the other Earth was to Earth-Bet.
Frankly, they could. Even taking into account we don’t know the origin of Numbers Man and Contessa (Cauldron or natural), Rachel has been to Gimel and back and it is highly implied she used her power for her dogs there. Furthermore, the Travellers who went back to Aleph probably retained their powers, and gained them on Bet. By formula, granted, but I see no convincing reason why newborn children should not as well.
The more prevalent hypothesis is there being quite a few passengers, not only two. They connect to one or more humans.
Though I can see your reasoning, MM’s interlude made me think the flakes discarded by passengers were where powers come from.
I was figuring that existing parahumans would retain the bond they had with their passenger. Essentially they’re already spot welded together and simply traveling to a different world world wouldn’t change that.
The question is would there be any passengers hanging around on Earth-Sigma (or wherever) to connect with the children of parahumans who move there?
Next Earth would be named Daleth, based on hebrew letters. (Aleph, Bet, I proposed Gimel for Rachel’s stomping ground)
That’s what I was hoping at first, that they were seeding alternate dimensions, preferably with some time travel involved to maybe allow them to grow into their own in time to provide material aid against the Endbringers (if they’re willing….) or at least some place to run to. But.. good money says they got ground up for Research Points. Maybe one of them gets lucky like that Kudzu-clone but I’m not holding my breath.
I think they’re a backup in case of catastrophic failure (i.e. Cauldron is crippled somehow by Jack Slash’s end of the world).
I knew he was Theo before, but this is the clincher. It’s actually heartening how much he resembles Taylor of six months earlier, given what he needs (or believes he needs) to do.
Would make sense with how he was brought up with Kaiser
Kaiser and Purity both.
So BEHEMOTH earns his nickname of herokiller and we find out why Contessa is a bitch to fight. I also think we can add inferred holocaust to the tropes page considering the damage to the city, New Delhi’s population, and the fact that they couldn’t evacuate everyone. Someone made the prediction that the bodycount might be at least 6 figures after this is over, but I’m guessing it will probably be higher considering how fast the fire spread, and the lack of defense against radiation for the civilians. Dragon really needs a Scion signal built.
Seamus on June 11, 2013 at 00:38 said:
radiation kills are debatable whether they count as this hour, or next day or week, which is when they’ll actually die.
At the time lethal dosage was given. Everything after that is just prolonged suffering.
I’m guessing eight figures. The evacuation was unfinished, the fight has been a rout, and barring Scion it looks like Behemoth will be free to make any big move that it wants to.
Damn, perhaps several million. Then there is the economy of india, all the dead bodies rotting, the industry, etc. I wonder how long the PRT stays after an Endbringer attack? After a smurf attack, they have to build a wall, but India might need humanitarian aid for months, maybe years.
Happy happy, joy joy, happy happy, joy joy, happy happy, joy joy, happy happy, joy joy….
The total population of New Dehli on our Earth is about 16 million, so breaking into 8 figures would mean around 2/3rds of the entire city was lost. Maybe possible but given the warning they had I wouldn’t expect quite that many people to still be remaining in the path of destruction. Even the death tolls in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were way less than that (about 33% and 25% respectively).
Total population of the city is up to 22m in our world, and I’ll speculate that it’s higher in Earth-bet where many major cities have been attacked or destroyed outright; populace that wasn’t destroyed has to go somewhere, and I expect people have gravitated to the cities they felt would be the most heavily defended. Worst of all, there was no evidence of massive infrastructure investments that would let them evacuate tens of millions in less than an hour, and that was all the warning they had.
I dunno. As a couple of posters have suggested, people may be spreading to smaller population centres in the Wormverse since the big cities seem to be Endbringer and S9 bait…
Contessa is remarkably talkative in her encounter with Weaver and even Taylor saw that she was taking it easy on them. Why.
It couldn’t have been because she thought the few wards with Taylor could make a major difference in the Behemoth fight and in any case she was willing to draw away the cold capes from the fight too. Maybe there is still a place for Taylor in whatever plan Cauldron has.
Maybe her powers do let her see a path to victory against some of the other enemies going around upstairs and Taylor is the best tool to get there?
In any case with the command and control being inoperative and Behemoth about to take down all the remaining strategists someone needs to take charge and organize things. Someone with a clear view of the battlefield and the ability to relay messages throughout the area. It might be time for Weaver to shine.
Another possibility: she’s so talkative because that’s her best path to success in this fight. You saw how close Weaver and the Wards came to taking her down — if she hadn’t warned them off, perhaps they would have defeated her (even if it meant taking significant casualties).
Interesting. It probably has to do with her passenger. Even if she kills Skitter, her bugs might still swarm her and she isn’t agile like Mannequin to dodge them. So instead of killing her and dying/badly hurt, she talked her down.
I concur with this. The conversation, every word she doled out, was calibrated to keep the fight from resuming.
Of course it was. Plus all of the facial cues and body language — even tone of voice.
I say we enter her into a contest where the goal is to see how many straight women can be convinced to try the other side of the bedsheets.
That way, she can share the win with all of us.
Matthew on June 11, 2013 at 00:36 said:
It’s weird having Taylor constantly physically fly around to get a view on things. I’ve gotten used to her being able to monitor everything with her swarm, but I suppose great as her range is, even that would be too close.
Willy (@Willy591) on June 11, 2013 at 00:37 said:
I liked the fight between Taylor and Contessa and thought it a wonderful display of an interesting power. The effortlessness that Contessa displays throughout is awesome.
I’m curious about the ‘individuals’ that Contessa is not effective against other than the Endbringers. I definitely think Scion is one of them. The scene where Legend is meeting with Doctor Mother and the others and Contessa seems actually wary and anxious, as if he might be a threat, makes me think that she’s not as guaranteed to win as one might think. There’s only so much you can do against a laser that can level a building and a man who can reach you before you’ve even recognized his presence.”
But I did find it a little unrealistic. I find it strange that not a single bug was able to sting Contessa throughout the whole fight. I didn’t expect a win by Taylor, or even a respectable loss, since her power is victory, but to avoid the thousands of bugs I’m sure Taylor had at that moment doesn’t actually seem physically possible within that limited space.
In regards to the Endbringers: they don’t seem completely unbeatable. I mean, The Siberian could have ripped any of the Endbringers apart at sufficiently close range, though the Simurgh might interfere with the control of Manton over the projection. But repeatedly, Siberian was shown to have zero limits in projection form in terms of offensive capabilities. She was literally unstoppable and indestructible, to a much higher degree than Alexandria.
This is all useless speculation since P. Manton is dead, but still, Taylor’s speculation on the Endbringers being literally unstoppable seems untenable.
And I guess that raises the issue of the Endbringers possibly simply regenerating from what seems like catastrophic damage.
Can’t wait for more.
Great chapter 🙂
I got the impression that she was stung, just not much.
I got a matrix vibe when she shouted, “Dodge this.” If the wormverse has a version of the matrix anyway.
Wildbow has stated explicitly in the comments that The Siberian COULD NOT defeat an Endbringer.
I’m guessing simply because they’d be able to tell his true nature, and then would just go murder him.
But apparently no Endbringer ever showed up wherever the Nine were causing conflict to face off against Siberian. It’s almost as if Endbringers don’t want to kill Cauldron capes.
Giving the 9-clones, I’d say Manton won’t be dead for much longer. (maybe)
I wonder how Bonesaw induces trigger events. Unless the clones gestate already with their powers or the memory transferral accomplishes that somehow.
Transfer the memory of the trigger event for the ones that had triggers. For the Cauldron ones, maybe the alterations were enough to stick after cloning.
Then again, they’re cloning Manton himself. If he can remember his own work, or piece it back together using the memories and abilities of his other clones, they’ll just be able to make the kind of Cauldron juice that gives someone a power like Siberian.
Isn’t that a lovely thought.
Trusting on June 11, 2013 at 00:38 said:
hmmmm new puzzle pieces to assemble ..I still going with Alexandria actually being the Las Vegas body jumper that cauldron made off with , also its intresting that Cauldron needs a army and essentially recruited the india cold capes who where more combat oriented or more okay with doing dangerous blood thirsty things .
I also think Tattletale will go missing and thus no one will know that chev and accord were killed by the yangban(cody ) aside from the yangban and whomever takes tattletale (im guessing cauldron ) as they seem to be making off with useful people .
man I love worm so much simply because it allows for so much wild mass guessing .
oh also thanks for another great chapter wildbow
TheSpudFather on June 13, 2013 at 17:00 said:
I think Alexandria faked her own death: she really did play Taylor: she played her to the extent that she forced her to “kill her”.
Still a great story – thanks Wildbow. The only web fiction I really look forward to, even when I know it will be a total downer!
pallandrome on June 11, 2013 at 00:40 said:
Actually, I suspect Taylor’s powers would have let her obtain victory, but her aggressive instincts failed her. Swamping the Contessa with a continually growing swarm while staying as far away as possible to minimize her choices seems like a potential path to victory. It’s like how you take out spider-man. You’ve got to make him put himself in a position where his defenses aren’t going to save him.
If Taylor had focused on grabbing as large a swarm as possible before attacking, kept her distance, and ordered the Wards out to remove variables, I think she’d have a shot. Alternate response? One of Kid Win’s laser rifles. Since she doesn’t seem to be ACTUALLY precognisant, a lethal attack, faster than her highest potential movement speed, without warning, might be enough to do the job.
Other thoughts: Who are the other factions? Cauldron is one. The Yangban, obviously another. I’m presuming whatever force or urge directs the Endbringers is a third, if potentially inhuman. Who else?
Wouldn’t work b/c she had ready access to a doorway. The buildup would have easily been defeated by just walking away.
If Taylor had focused on grabbing as large a swarm as possible before attacking, kept her distance, and ordered the Wards out to remove variables, I think she’d have a shot.
Nah, she’d have just put the knife to someone else’s neck instead and ordered Skitter to withdraw the swarm. Square One.
Or Countessa wouldn’t have been there in the first place. Meaning if Taylor could have put together an effective attack against her then Countessa’s power might have said “the win strategy for today is: take a trip to Rio and enjoy the sun”.
Unless we get an Interlude from her perspective, we don’t really know how much Countessa’s power limits her actions.
Contessa’s power is to contain copious amounts of win. I am both terrified, and ok with this.
I would it if Contessa’s power told her to tell Taylor all of that, but that would be optimistic of me-which clearly means it’s wrong.
hitherbydragons on June 11, 2013 at 00:40 said:
The idea that there’s no route to victory fits together with Lung’s reaction—a little. And thematically, if not literally, with the increasing density towards the core. An idea that superficially these are things that can be fought; superficially, they are monsters—but at a certain point that illusion dissolves.
How does that make sense, though?
One option is that there’s a psychological phenomenon. That’s a good possibility for the underlying metaphor, and it’s also a conceivable possibility for the actual thing. That they can’t be defeated because they embody something that people can’t defeat, or that can’t be defeated by defeating it. That they represent, say, the breaks in your own psyche, when you get down to the fundamental nuts and bolts of them, and that’s going to rule out practically any triggered parahuman beating them and be pretty difficult for a normal human or Cauldron-born. There could be an extra layer in there that would break a Cauldron-born or trigger a human en route to any potential victory, too. Or maybe they’re psychological arguments about the futility of violence bundled up in daikaiju forms, which would just be a mean thing for a great teacher to do.
It could be physics. That the Endbringer victory is in some sense hard-coded. That’s really problematic since . . . ideas like victory and defeat aren’t normally the kinds of things that physics *can* limit. Physics is usually statements on the world as a thing, rather than the world as an experience, if that makes sense. But if the world is a mental construct of some sort of passenger-related entity then it’s possible that the goal-neutral physics we’re used to is just a product of not previously meriting the substrate’s conscious or subconscious attention.
. . . it still seems off. I don’t think you can have an objectively, physically impossible victory without making it all too easy to tweak by getting a mind-controlling cape to reset your victory conditions. “We can’t ever beat the Endbringers!” “Curses! There’s nothing that we can do to stop them from suddenly leaving Earth forever to do a Morris dance on Mars for the next billion years!” “Nooooo!”
It could be spiritual, a judgment enforced by something stronger than humanity or para-humanity. That’s plausible given the story we have so far but it’s also a little off—I wouldn’t think Lung would be suddenly defeatist just because a deity or angel stood in his way.
It *feels* like it’s psychological, though. I don’t think we have enough information to be sure, but it feels like . . . what has to be going on here is that the Endbringers are somehow evoking or modeling or manifesting the limits of a person’s capacity. That Behemoth relates to the inevitability of death, Leviathan to erosion or time or nature’s endlessness, Simurgh to the finiteness of our ability to resist corruption and our worst selves, and Scion . . . I’m not sure. Possibly the inexorability of grace? One could hope that he fills the role of engineering or human achievement in this morality play, although it’d be a little strange for him to be so thoroughly disjoint from actual attempted human achievement. So I’d be more inclined to suspect grace.
But in all the cases it feels like what might be going on, that only a few capes have sufficiently absolute powers to discover, is that grappling with the Endbringers is like trying to beat the inevitability of death, or conquer nature, or become absolutely untwistable, undeceivable, and incorruptible—you can help someone who’s dying here, you can build a building or dam a river there, you can make a practice of intellectual honesty there, but if you want to actually WIN the fight you’re always going to see another vista, another level, more to do.
I guess that since this is also the story of the despised little people banding together behind a relatively compassionate former victim, it’s also possible that instead of representing actual absolutes the Endbringers may represent social absolutes: not the inevitability of death but the inevitability of oppression; not the infinite sprawl of nature but the tendrils of . . . haha, Perlman’s Leviathan*; not the inevitability of our vulnerability to corruption but simply extraordinary pressure to participate in a corrupt system. In which case their invulnerability might be an illusion.
* pokes at wikipedia and Hobbes but lacks the free time to read Hobbes’ Leviathan and Hobbes’ Behemoth right now to see if that’s where Worm is going.
Philippe Saner on June 11, 2013 at 02:41 said:
My reading was a lot less philosophical than that.
I just figured that the Endbringers are physically tough enough that nothing Contessa could do would ever significantly injure them.
So Contessa’s power can’t give her a victory path against them.
But maybe if someone like Legend was able to use Contessa’s power, they’d see a way to drive off an Endbringer. Probably not a way to kill one, since an Endbringer’s core is probably about as tough as the Siberian, but a way to make one retreat.
Or perhaps someone like Grue, Perhaps Grue+Contessa. It depends on if his healing factor works exactly like crawlers, which in theory, it should. Then he just has to become immune to all the ways the endbringer can kill him, and stall them until scion arrives.
Okay, why does Grue have a healing factor? His second power is siphoning powers of capes in his darkness, I get that. Crawlers power was adaptive survival or something, and a good first step is a healing factor. Does this mean he now has a minor healing factor, i.e. higher resistance/immunity to illness/cancer and less time necessary to heal in general?
It’s something people have been saying. Grue briefly copied Crawler’s power, which wasn’t just healing, but healing better than he was before. Immune to whatever hurt him. Some people believe that means Grue should heal faster now, or his chest should be resistant to blades.
Yeah, that’s why I at best give him a minor healing factor. But with the way powers in Worm seem to be geared to maximize the downside it might just might have given him a higher tolerance for pain or something. Or higher physical resistance on his nerve paths.
Oh wow, I didn’t expect to see you here, but perhaps I should not be surprised.
This is the author of Nobilis 🙂
Indeed! I was pointed here by the RPG.net thread long ago. ^_^
(I used to be able to comment under my google name, I think, rather than my wordpress account, but, still, I am the same me either way.)
Lost Demiurge on June 11, 2013 at 14:34 said:
Doctor Moran? Oh my! Love your work, glad to see you enjoying Wildbow’s current magnum opus.
Come to think of it, you could do a pretty good job of playing a Worm-like game with a slight reworking of Nobilis. Or perhaps Chuubo’s, if it works like I think it does…
Hey, just picked up 3e. Good stuff! I adore the Lifepath system.
In response to your comment, it actually does feel more spiritual to me. Almost as if there’s one rogue passenger handing out powers to psyche’s that touch it’s own, and perhaps other passengers that seek to eradicate this race that can glomp on to their psyches. Of course, time will tell.
There’s also the possibility that it’s a result of some sort of mechanistic fate. Powers like Contessa’s and Dinah’s detect a potentially finite number of possible futures. If the universe only has a finite number of possible outcomes, it’s possible that none of them contain scenarios in which the Endbringer(s) is(are) defeated. If there are infinite possible futures, as science is pretty sure is the case in our universe, maybe the ones that include Endbringer defeat are simply so unlikely that they don’t show up among the options Contessa’s power considers. Alternately, their own power or some other agency could just be shielding them.
Her power could also be a transitive consciousness, with her jumping from universe to universe depending on how she fares against anyone. Looks the same as always winning, but she’d leave multiverses behind with dead versions of herself.
A la Coil, then.
Ohhhhhh, prediction time: what if the formula that gave Coil his power was based on Contessa’s?
Sort of, yeah. Though Coil was aware of his double life, while Contessa wouldn’t. We don’t know if she can see the way she ought to move to ‘win’, just has feeling or is kind of actively pulled. It isn’t even relevant for the narrative, so I don’t expect it will be expanded upon, but you see how of the top of my hat there could be three versions of the apparantly same power be running around.
The third being? Number Man’s? That one seemed to be pure Awesomeness by Analysis/Combat Clairvoyance* cranked up to absurd (in a good way) levels.
Or are you referring to someone else?
*I apologise for my unrestrained use of tvtropes lingo.
Okay, a quick rundown:
1) Switching realities/universes
2) Knowing when/where to move
3) Seeing probablities (i.e. Numbers Man)
4) Short time precog
5.) Long term precog with a specific limitation of “winning at the goal that I specify”.
I like that one because it offers an explanation for why 50 guys with machine guys can’t kill her -> she never winds up in a situation where she’s facing 50 guys with machine guns. (Or if she does it’s because there is an unexpected win strategy open to her, like blowing up the plane their all on or something).
6) Total spatial awareness in immediate vicinity + experience + quick reaction time
Curtis on June 11, 2013 at 13:56 said:
The Endbringers as a psychological phenomenon. I like the implications of that. I think I can take that a bit further and actually point at them and say what they would be in that case: true monsters. Trigger events given physical form. They would be concepts with bodies, which would be why they are impossible at their cores. Behemoth is The Bully, Simurgh is Paranoia, and Leviathan would be exactly what Lung called it: a natural disaster.
Those of you who have paid attention in high school english might recognize those 3 conflicts. They have just been given monstrous form.
To kill an Endbringer in this case would be to save all of humanity from one of those conflicts. Scion IS trying to kill an Endbringer (Leviathan – the Endbringer who could be stopped the easiest) by attempting to remove the fear and pain caused by natural disasters.
Here’s a question… Would defeating the endbringer that embodied the trigger potential of that particular situation negate future trigger events from that sort of situation?
Using this reasoning? Yes. If only because those situations wouldn’t occur in the first place anymore, as that would be the only way to kill the Endbringer.
Ok, seems the worst is over, surely *now* Skitter can save the day?
Right, guys?
… right?
After beating Dragon, Lung, and Alexandria I can’t underestimate her. Still the prospects look pretty bad. They could use some help right about now.
This is the act 2 of this arc, our protagonist is firmly in the down and outs, the world seams to have taken a collective dump, etc. Thankfully, this is about the point in which Taylor thrives. She’ll find a way to survive, not sure if she wins; but defiantly survives.
I know Skitteris a badass and all, but I don’t expect her to actually save the day here. At this point I kind of expect a resounding Behemoth victory.
Even if Taylor were to pull off something amazing, I think this one goes in the “win” column for Behemoth given the damage done, the loss of life and the duration of his rampage.
Pretty much have to agree. Unless she or Scion kill him there is no way to call this a win.
frozen chicken on June 11, 2013 at 09:46 said:
Certainly. The ‘crushed’ in the title refers to Leviathan. Obviously, somebody is going to have a second trigger event here, and will give them abilities specific to stopping Behemoth. Then Weaver will get a promotion, and it will turn out that Simurgh is fatally allergic to peanut butter.
*I mean Behemoth, not Leviathan.
I really don’t think we want to see what someone who triggers with powers sufficient to stop Behemoth looks like. Even if this wasn’t Worm, that could so easily be an “out of the radioactive frying pan, into the reality warping fire” sort of situation.
Depends on what the power is. For example if it’s open a big portal under BEHEMOTH, with the other end on, say Mars that’s not so bad.
And since this is Worm, BEHEMOTH would make Olympus Mons erupt with such ferocity and timed in such a way Earth would soon be pelted by very big rocks…
Imagine Contessa’s power being always on and her subsuming every desire/personality to Doctor Mother… then she’s effective a win-doll. Give her any objective and she will accomplish it, due to her power, but with her at the same time being trapped in a decision loop. She knows the perfect way to win, the perfect way to success, so why should she deviate?
That though is actually kind of sad. I can see Contessa being a slave to her power, with her merely setting goals and then moving and acting on autopilot.
Depending on the exact workings of her power, she doesn’t even have to be aware of what she needs to say to further her goals. She might not even have understood what she told the Cold Capes, only yapping her mouth in such a way it formed words convincing them in their own language.
Conversely it’s got to be frustrating for her to be balked by her power in some cases. Fighting the Endbringers for example. Other people go knowing it’s a fight they might lose. Countessa’s faced with her power telling her that it’s a fight she absolutely WILL lose.
And the Endbringers aren’t the only ones.
She was merciful with Taylor and the Wards. She was merciful with Faultline’s crew. She works for a monstrous organization, but for the mercy she’s shown I’m not willing to write her off as wholly monstrous herself. Given that, I could see how the limits of her power might be a pretty painful curse.
For the moment I consider her akin to a golem – deadly in the orders it can be given, but very little to no initiative beyond that. That’s based on my interpretation of her power, though, i.e. her being kind of a slave to it.
Well, now we pretty much know why Cauldron was so interested in jailbreaking Pretender – the body snatcher. Disturbingly enough, based on what we’ve seen of his personality, I somehow doubt that this is even the first time he’s stolen a woman’s body.
Oh wow. Good call. Do we know if Pretender took on the powers of the body of a cape?
I guess we’re about to find out what Bambina was going to do with that foot.
– what, “Cat’s Eyes” doesn’t warrant a tag? 😉
– I’ll say one thing for Theo’s upbringing: having Night and Fog as your babysitters will put hair on your chest
– who the hell are the cold capes fighting that is more important than BEHEMOTH?
– “No war. But we need soldiers.” That suggests the Earth she’s sending them to is inhabited … perhaps by hunter-gatherer-level beings who will be summarily enslaved and/or slaughtered to make lebensroom. Me so punny. My name isn’t Godwin by the way.
– who wants to bet Number Man is doing the exact same thing somewhere else in the world?
– “That should be obvious.” Because all the shit has hit all the fans and very few secrets matter any more. I see a reread of every Cauldron-POV interlude in my near future.
– Contessa miniboss battle. I actually cued up “Yell Dead Cell” before reading that fight
– I was wrong. Wildbow did eventually tell us what her power was. A few people including myself guessed it correctly. Of course, given how much shit was flung at that particular wall …
– so is she claiming there are other factions on this Earth that rival Cauldron’s breadth/power? A fifth column of interdimensional invaders? Alternatively, an internal schism *within* Cauldron?
– BEHEMOTH is fucking unstoppable. They really need to rig up a Jimmy Olsen signal watch for Scion, man. This shit is too bananas
– Okay, Skitter Weaver Taylor Spy, this is your moment. Time to bug everyone and everything and multitask like a motherfucker. Let’s go!
The agenda is taking form. More pieces to more puzzles. Here are a few things I strongly suspect/am almost completely certain of now:
– pretty sure Alexandria (OR her body double) is being run by Pretender. Skitter’s observations imply this
– the Endbringers are neither former-humans nor ex-animals, they are waldoes. Someone is (remotely) piloting them. Their combat tactics aren’t … kaiju-style. They’re more the sort of thing a Spacebattles member would do if he were controlling one.
– that and they seem rules-based. Like video game characters, complete with having to switch between power-ups like some kind of third-person action RPG with on-the-fly resource management. Especially notable with BEHEMOTH’s limitations on how many and which attacks he can use per unit time. To my eyes, that suggests technology as opposed to parahumanity (even if it’s more like theotech than anything else.)
– the Endbringers, I think, are the creations of an Earth where parahumanity caused/is causing a disaster so vast in scale that the only logical response was to build all-powerful monster kaiju and invade the realities where parahuman population has yet to hit critical mass.
– Doctor Mother, Contessa and Alexandria know about this
– the cold capes of India know something. Could they be fighting … Endbringerspawn?
– Project Terminus involves moving a breeding population to an Earth where the Endbringers can’t follow.
– Project Terminus has already begun. Cauldron’s given up and is pulling up stakes.
– the S9000 will be making a move soon or not at all.
Adam on June 11, 2013 at 21:23 said:
My theory for a long time has been that the Endbringers are equivalent to a program. They operate within strict parameters, sort of like Dragon used to, no one explicitly running them, no actual intelligence, just going through the motions they are hardwired to do. I have no idea who or what created them, though I’m pretty sure I know what Cauldron’s gig is.
Indigo on June 11, 2013 at 01:25 said:
Great chapter as always and for a good book the,the Leviathan triogly by Scoot Westerfeld is great, book two Behemoth is the one I like the most.
camo005 on June 11, 2013 at 01:34 said:
*Throws another bucket of shit at the fan*
Another chapter another bucket…
Contessa might well be lying – at the very least about her execution being inherently flawless. Even if she’s telling the truth, she’s constrained by her understanding of what victory means – a distraction covering a real attack somewhere else seems quite plausibly effective. I’d consider it highly likely that her speaking was part of her ‘path to victory’. I’d also consider it likely that she’s ill-suited to an extended engagement – her emphasis has, here as with Faultline’s crew, as with Lung’s meeting, literally every time we’ve seen her – been on a very swift nonlethal resolution to the fight. She chooses her fights – perhaps quite literally – very carefully. But consider Wanton – a mobile, sentient, telekinetic storm. If he closed with her, her only out is Doormaker or taking a hostage – he’s not something that flawless human hand to hand skill can defeat. Ditto Taylor’s swarms, if she’s not personally in range of Contessa. Imp’s surprise could likely trouble her; Regent’s tripping trick could wreak utter havoc on her precision. Tattletale face to face with her might well see something… interesting. And Grue, of course, could try to use her power himself.
Note that while she got away clean, she didn’t wreck the team, as she did Faultline’s crew and Lung’s crew. Couldn’t? Didn’t want to? Too early to tell. She also has only ever used her hands, or melee weapons or tools – thrown knives against Faultline’s crew. A limitation on her powers? Likely. Note also that she has very little force of her own – she used Tecton to deal with Theo’s stone hands, for example, and the account of Lung’s fight, as well as the evidence of her fight with Faultline’s crew, suggests that her style relies on using her foes against each other. A single enemy with perfect coordination could perhaps be a real problem for her – and Taylor’s well set up to be just that.
Note also that Taylor hit Contessa with one of her jump pack arms – had Defiant engineered the arms as he plans, that could have been a concussion or even fatal. She can be touched, when distracted. She demanded that Cuff and Grace back off – specifically those two. Why? Both of them have enhanced strength and durability – though Contessa took down Faultline’s crew, and Gregor both had that too. The evidence there suggested that she used Spitfire against Gregor. Contessa simply might not have the force to stop a brick without a teammate to throw in their way – and the Endbringers only ever come one at a time.
Possible alternate explanation for why she was talking – Taylor (or Theo) may be one of those whom she cannot simply autodefeat – what she does simply doesn’t work on certain capes (if she is to be believed).
And, on the upside, crushed probably refers to the Protectorate rather than Taylor personally. Alexandria, be it Pretender in her corpse or the true Alexandria taking the death of her double in stride, can afford to discard the the protection of being thought dead if Cauldron is deliberately discarding the Protectorate in favor of gathering their own army. And yet – if those capes will not be seen in this dimension again… whom will they be fighting? Contessa said she wanted soldiers. Are the Endbringers staging into this Earth from another? Will Sundancer and Ballistic be fighting an invasion by Cauldron, and call for help? Or will Cauldron attempt to take and hold the vacant earth on the other side of the Brockton Bay portal?
Tentative conclusion that Coil/Skitter’s importance to Cauldron relied on their control of Brockton Bay and the portal therein, which fits with the current implied evacuation that Cauldron’s doing – implying that Cauldron always planned on that portal being there. Precognition on their part? Did Tattletale see the bones of their plan to put the portal in place, and pick it up as her own?
The sheer numbers of the ‘cold’ capes are extremely disturbing, if everyone in that warren was parahuman. Taylor sensed thousands? Thought this might be one area of many? That would easily be more parahumans than we have ever seen in one place before, Endbringer fights included, even if the ratio was merely 1:10. At 1:100, you’re still looking at a sizable fraction of the capes who showed for the Endbringer fight above-ground. Was that his target? Why would they assemble there to NOT fight Behemoth, or does every major city in India have hundreds or thousands of capes in catacombs? Cauldron being Cauldron, even the ones who weren’t already parahumans… could be shortly. We know from Number Man’s interlude that they’ve had at least 3,016 subjects, and currently retain at least 2,048 (in total, or on one of the denser floors, depending on how you read it – it’s clearly a chosen number, 2^11, and is plausibly either the number above which Cauldron starts autopsying or the full number of cages on subbasement 2). Any way you look at those numbers, this Indian influx is a staggering increase in whatever Cauldron’s doing.
As for Behemoth… looks like he crossed the final defensive line. And if he gets in aura range of the squishier capes, this could have an unprecedented cape kill-count.
Best idea yet is to stick Theo in the middle of the Yangban for the power boost and try to grab Behemoth’s ankles and – let’s face it – that’s not a great idea.
Kytin on June 11, 2013 at 05:03 said:
Minor nitpick: The term you want is vivisecting, not autopsying. Autopsies are done on dead people.
There was an assumed intermediate step of execution… but you’re right, Cauldron is unlikely to be above vivisection. I was taking my cues from the Number Man’s explanation to the attempted escapee about how his death would help advance science.
Vivisectors online. This will only hurt for an eternity.
Notes as always provides useful notes food for thought.
As for the sheer numbers of the ‘cold’ capes and the existance of the catacombs, read up on B. R. Ambedkar’s works regarding the discrimination, trauma and tragic effects of the caste system in India and add how superpowers are traumatically induced for true 1st gen capes into the mix. The ‘cold’ capes being treated like Untouchables and marginalised by the rest of Indian society is not surprising.
Rascal on June 11, 2013 at 05:10 said:
Do we know if Theo’s power works on Endbringers? A good plan could be to tear a chunk off Behemoth (yes yes easier said than done just go with it), then have Theo shove his hands into it and start broggling around.
The Manton effect would probably stop his power working on a person, but Endbringers don’t seem to follow the same rules as humans. It probably wouldn’t work, but it’s worth a shot.
My guess on the “soldiers” bit is that they’ve decided colonizing Earth-aleph makes more sense than rolling their own civilization in some other dimension. They’ve got mighty big carrots, too.. just imagine how quickly our politicians would sell out to them if they could get no-shit superpowers for it. They need enough bodies to fill out the ranks of their Mirrorshades, the ones who show up when a client gets uppity, having one or two professionals just doesn’t scale once secrecy is no longer an option.
The only plus point of Aleph is the preexisting infrastructure. Everything else is an argument against that course– inhabited, able to field resistance, already low on easily accessible ressources, cape community, …
Earth-aleph has the most useful resource in the post-Hero era: civilized human population. Minimally defended, aware of the threats the universe has to offer but not yet able to engage them (insofar as we know), they’re theoretically ripe for the plucking. Straight military invasion would be hard, but there’s no need for that, not when you can corrupt or coerce all the decision makers with ease.
And weak heroes…mwahaha.
I might be wrong in my assumption, but if it came to an all out war of parahumans against vanillahumans, I’d put my money on the vanillas.
“Meh, I think we could take the crazy people in the tights.”
ereshkigala on June 11, 2013 at 03:40 said:
Superstrength – real superstrength, with all the secondary powers and ramifications, not the “superstrength lite” of comics – would be easily capable of taking out Contessa. You wouldn’t even need that much of it – someone capable of lifting and throwing around 10 tons could do it. Why?
1) Toughness. A human-sized body capable of exerting that kind of strength without damaging itself would be tougher than a tank.
2) Speed. A human-sized body propelled by that kind of strength is fast because its own inertia is almost meaningless in comparison to their own strength. Imagine someone that can jump a hundred feet or run at three hundred miles an hour, for example. Or someone that can punch or kick just as fast as they can type letters on a keyboard – any move, even the largest, completed about as fast as they can think it.
3) Accuracy/balance. For the same reason as speed. Balance on a single finger. Aim blows as easily as you can turn your eyes or point a finger. Compensate for being off-balance effortlessly.
4) Damage. Realistically speaking, if someone that hits as hard as a wrecking ball jumps up to you and punches you twenty times in under a second, you’ll be a greasy smear on the floor as soon as the fight starts.
It doesn’t matter if Contessa can predict how to best dodge. She still needs to move her body aside with only human strength and if you can swing a half-dozen times for every time she can dodge, she’s toast.
It doesn’t matter if she knows how to beat you by something that is in the other side of the room or escape through a doorway. By the time she starts moving towards her goal or asks for a doorway, you’ll have crossed twenty feet in a single small (for you) step and punched several times.
It doesn’t matter if she partially dodges a blow and you only land a finger. Fingers that can treat concrete like soft clay would dig gaping wounds through a body casually.
Have fun getting her in position to take advantage of that vulnerability. Especially when she has a teammate that can open dimensional doors at will.
A lot depends on whether she ALWAYS has that stiletto and handkerchief or if she brought them with her because she was going to need them.
If she brought them with her because she was going to need them, then any solution of the “no one can beat this with skill alone” variety is unlikely to be helpful.
If she had them because her power told the cosmic GM “it’s reasonable that I’d have a stiletto and handkerchief, right?” then that’s even worse.
senevri on June 11, 2013 at 10:16 said:
…Isn’t that Alexandria’s power? Speed, Strenght, Toughness?
Then again, it depends on how her “I Win” works, precisely – on a larger scale, she’ll never be in a situation where someone can use their overwhelming ability against her.
Whenever she uses the ability it may very well just tell her, welp, time to change the continent, no paths to victory here.
Yeah, just like when Darwin faced the Hulk and his power to survive any situation gave him the ability to teleport to the next state. Contessa instead can teleport in another dimension.
Seriously Number Man/Contessa+Doormaker is a gamebreaking combo and Cauldron knows it.
I actually like that. A conspiracy like Cauldron has been depicted to be needs some good “degenerate combos” to feel believable in a world with super powers as diverse as Worm’s are.
That way, their success is less “Author’s fiat” and more “leveraging these horribly game breaking abilities we have”. The primary difference between the two is that in the first case they can only be overcome by more Author’s fiat and in the second you just need to figure out a way to break the combo.
Yeah, mine wasn’t a complaint (albeit re-reading it does seem to come off as that), just an observation. It makes sense that a power-making faction keeps the good ones for themselves.
In that vein, Citrine is C-C-C-C-COMBOBREAKER!
Their minmaxing and stacked odds will only make it soooo much more satisfying when they finally get the Inglourious Basterd treatment.
Taylor faces Contessa. “It’s six against one, meh we can take her.”
Every reader everywhere:”Nooooooooooooo!!”
On a related aspect, the first time we saw Contessa at work, I briefly speculated wether her power was actually simply “winning fights”, but dismissed it because I thought, just like Grace, that it would be a bit too overpowered. Guess I should have realized, as Taylor so aptly put it, that some powers simply aren’t fair. 🙂
I kinda facepalmed when she told about her power.
I can so see a group that looks as power-elitist and intoxicated with hubris as Cauldron using her power to determine their plans.
Her power might be useful on a small tactical scale, but “Win” as the only strategic objective… seriously, that’s the kind of reasoning the Silastic Armorfiends of Stiterax would employ. And we know how it ended up for them and their supercomputer.
As for her power not working on the endbringers, “the only winning move is not to play” I guess. Either that or since every power is multi-dimensional in origin, and the endbringers are only on Earth Beth, hers does not have a sufficient statistical breadth do do a good analysis.
(cannot edit, so doublepost)
Btw, it seems Contessa’s power either is focused on the immediate, or does not work if the opposition is indirect.
I doubt she would have provided Tattletale with so much information about their plans if one or both were true.
argh… I really wish for an edit funcion.
*Tattletale and Dragon with a recording that could provide so much information.
second edit: Aw, kid win is in the tags, and there are a lot of dead capes near gun emplacements.
It must mean he infiltrated the Indian capes unnoticed, right?
Yeah, that must be it…
Do we get tags for characters killed offscreen? Surely Wildbow would never….aww damn.
Or he’s in the crowd of Tinkers and Thinkers that Behemoth gets to at the end. Not looking good there either…
Welp, Contessa’s (stated) power is what we suspected.
And oh deary me, things aren’t going very well.
If wildbow has Tt survive Cody’s attack only to be killed off-screen by Behemoth, or disappeared by Cauldron during his attack on the headquarters, then that would be GRRM levels of hillarious dicking. : D
To clarify, I meant that in a positive way, sort of. Not that I wouldn’t be mildly traumatised inside if it happened haha, but I’d be traumatised in the sort of way that good fiction can achieve, if you see what I mean.
Lightguy on June 11, 2013 at 07:05 said:
I have a theory: Perhaps the beings that are the source of capes’ powers are the war that Cauldron is gathering soldiers for? The passengers in capes could be eggs of sorts, and the beings are migrating to the multiple Earths in existence to “hatch” the eggs, causing Bad Things to happen to the various Earths?
At this point anythings possible. The vision with the passengers I find the most interiguing is the one where it seems they want to go to earths with potentially interesting futures. How does that factor in with the whole apocalypse thing? Are they going to cause it? Or do they find post apocalyptic settings interesting? Or is something else trying to cause the apocalypse so they will lose interest in that earth?
>> She was speaking to Cat’s Eyes in a low voice. He was nodding unconsciously as she spoke.
>> Then she met my eyes.
>> “Who the hell are you?” I asked.
and later,
>> I hadn’t thought it would take as long as it had, hadn’t anticipated a fight with the woman in the suit.
>> Should have asked her name.
Minor error, or perhaps an artifact of reality alteration?
“who are you?” can broadly mean “what is your purpose here?” in a situation like this.
I may be missing something, but how are Contessa’s motives for exposition “obvious?”
Unless, of course, she means it benefits Cauldron down the line for Taylor to know, or that’s how she wins in this context.
And a warning that some players are making plays under the cover of the truce. We know the Yangban, and Cauldron. Who else is making the moves?
My guess is that her power is telling her that they are.
I do however think that she screwed up there, assuming the radiation does not corrupt the video recording too much I think Tattletale will be able to gain a lot more information out if it that Contessa thought she was giving.
I thought it was Contessa’s way of telling Taylor to get her shit together. The last arc Taylor was mostly doing unimportant things, getting settled with her new position, when she should be looking at the big picture.
I think Cauldron knows Taylor has the potential to be a major player in this game and she’s not going to live up to her potential if she’s busy talking to a bunch of elementary schoolkids when the end of the world is on the horizon.
Man, I hope if Chevalier is crippled from the laser wound down, he at least gets a bitchin’ combat hovercycle as a steed.
sarah penguin on June 11, 2013 at 17:07 said:
Wow, bleak note to end on.
Yeah I’m starting to wonder if “Crushed” refers to Taylor’s (and the readers) optimism!
huh. Yanno, I wonder if Contessa, at some point, asked herself “How do I beat the Endbringers?” and her power said “Well, step one is joining these Cauldron fellows…”
Ummm… Guys, remember the camera Dragon stuck on Taylor back on the ship? The recordings of Taylor & the Chicago Wards’ encounter with Contessa is going to make an interesting After Action Report for the Protecterate & PRT
As I said a few posts above, I’m waiting for the recording’s analysis by Dragon and Tattletale.
That should finally shed some light on Cauldron’s motives and possibly location.
beyondperformant on June 12, 2013 at 02:06 said:
Hmm.. what is that implying? Alexandria came back from the dead. Now that is pretty extreme and requires an explanation.
It’s looking more like Cauldron simply opened a portal into the Morgue & took her body so Pretender could use it as a sock puppet.
alexzombie? If Pretender can control dead bodies then he must be in high demand on Halloween.
That’s a pretty good theory and explains why they wanted Pretender alive, and looks all the better with the body gone. Another possibility is still the body double working for Cauldron with similar powers, and still stealing the body.
Either way, Alexandria herself is not likely back to life, given the brain damage she’d be suffering from. Even if she could somehow heal that, there’s still all the data she’d lose out of the ole-noggin, even if we’re in a world where clones somehow retain memories from their originator.
Regarding Contessa’s powers and her weaknesses.
We know that her power helps her see the path to victory, but we don’t really know much about its scope.
Based on her appearances we can make some speculations though.
So far she has only ever appeared alone and direct conflicts.
Maybe one of the weaknesses for her power is that it doesn’t take into account her wishes and priorities: “So you want to defeat that bear chasing you? Ok, first step is to trip your slowest teammate, once the bear starts mauling them kick him to the head…”
Contessa is always fighting alone because she can’t really instruct her powers to consider certain secondary objectives beyond merely winning. (Her stint as Doctor Mother’s bodyguard would speak against this)
Another factor might be that she so far has mostly engaged in physical brawls. Would her power allow her to play chess really well or would it just say “You have to knock over the board and punch the other guy in the throat while he shields his face from flying pawns.”
Could she do strategy and direct other capes with her power?
I think Contessa’s weakness might simply be that she is limited to winning actual physical fights and coming out of them totally unscanted.
One obvious solution is to put her in a position of conflicting priorities. Her powers show her how to win the fight she is currently in, but she knows that something more important is at stake. Maybe try to make her sacrifice herself for Cauldron and Doctor Mother.
I figure Contessa is something that they just can’t deal with until they can get at Cauldron directly, ice the motherfuckers execution style, take Doorman out of commission, and then when they find her again have Dragon carpet bomb her ass into a smoldering pile of war criminal pissant charcoal.
I’d love to see her face when that happens.
Well, since Tattletale has already proven she can figure out how to work around tricky, reality-modifying powers using careful, long-range planning (i.e. Coil’s), I imagine, given enough time and resources, she couldn’t figure out a scenario that causes Contessa’s death too.
Heck, if Accord was still alive, he could probably come up with and construct a perfectly viable solution to the Contessa problem as well.
pidgey on June 13, 2013 at 00:36 said:
I kind of wonder how different Accord’s power and Contessa’s are. They both tell them how to execute a plan to succeed. The difference only really seems to be that Contessa’s power relies strictly on things she has absolute control over (her body, her clothes, her weapon) where Accord’s power seemed mostly to account for things that he had little control over.
In both cases, their probable weakness is in letting them be aware of their situation and use their power to define a way out. Accord died because he didn’t really believe his life was in danger before he could contemplate a solution. It seems likely that Contessa’s defeat will be similar. Just don’t give her an opportunity to be aware of the threat before it’s over. Sniper fire should be pretty effective, for example.
Guile on June 12, 2013 at 09:39 said:
Focusing on multiple things at once is the way to get blindsided? I’m not sure Taylor said that right.
Because if you let your attention slip on anything, you will get blindsided by the thing you let slip. And if you choose not to focus on something, you could get blindsided by that. It’s not focusing on multiple things that’s the problem, it’s accidentally slipping your focus on one of the multiple things.
If they focus on both, they’re not focusing on anything, not really. People love to say they multitask, but their inability to talk and drives competently suggests otherwise. People love to say how they’re great at it too, how it’s just fine as long as it’s bluetooth hands-free, but they’re not, they’re just really bad at judging how much their performance is impacted while their attention is split.
Actually, from what I’ve read, I think I remember that research shows that you can never really concentrate on two things simultaneously, instead you just switch attention very rapidly and otherwise let reflexes, unconscious thinking, and short-term memory do their thing.
Also, the more you train to multitask, the worse you get at it, because you really train to cfocus on one thing.
Except that it’s Taylor, who does not appear to have any limit on how many thousands or millions of bugs she can simultaneously, individually, and independently sense, sense through, and control, saying this.
This (above).
Taylor is pretty much the top example of secondary powers becoming the primary factor in a rise to power. I would say Amy would be a secondary example with maybe one or two others tossed in as well. Taylor’s primary ability is her bug control. Her secondary which she only really acknowledges once or twice is being able to effectively multitask every single action and reflex of those under her control. At once. Without any mental issues or lack of focus. Also without disregarding her main body. Her power would be basically useless without the secondary multitasking aspect.
Wouldnt it be great if Grayboy’s power was being unable to lose. Then we could have the old “spear that pierces everything versus the unpierceable shield” cliche.
Well we got a hint in that Cauldron was said to have “sold powers” to greyboy.
Oh, and Wildbow? Just wanted to state for the record that I did spot the part where the cold cape referred to BEHEMOTH as ‘Prathama’ the Sanskrit word for ‘First’. Makes sense, seeing as BEHEMOTH was the first reported Endbringer, yes?
Stephen M (Ethesis) on June 12, 2013 at 20:07 said:
— “We handle enemy you don’t see, you costumes help enemies above ground. Scare Prathama away.” —
Chilling, as is the thought Cauldron needs soilders in a war that they do not expect to go well enough that the dark capes will ever be seen again.
Individuo on June 13, 2013 at 00:05 said:
Awwww, no extra chap today
I know. I’m jonesing for my worm fix.
Anticipated I wouldn’t have time and I was right. Traveled home Monday (wrote Tues chapter), writer’s circle took up my time from 4:20pm to midnight (traveled to next city over, since usual meeting place was a no-go), and just unpacked/got reacclimatized today. Would’ve stressed & produced something shoddy if I tried to squeeze it in.
That’s totally cool man, I think we’d all much rather you were happy and at your best than killing yourself trying to pump stuff out, even from a totally selfish perspective.
Hope the move went okay and you’re settling in well : )
Great Greedy Guts on June 13, 2013 at 01:39 said:
No worries. I always check on Thurs, myself, just in case… but I also check the site Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I don’t know why. I’m just compelled to come back.
Do not worry. For one, it’d’ve been an extra update anyway and for two, I prefer quality over quantity. Not that you’re lacking in any of these apartments, mind you…
I honestly stayed up an extra hour after I wanted to go to sleep just to check if there was going to be an update, how sad is that?
Same here, dont stress yourself Wildbow, because we know saturday is gona be awesome
Don’t worry you weren’t the only one. Not sure I’ll do that for Saturdays though. On the other hand not much I haven’t seen on the cartoons so it’ll be a fine way to spend the morning. Hmmn, Worm as a Saturday cartoon.
Crack is less addictive.
Me too lol. Just shows how much I love worm 😀
Thank you, James, for the donation.
A thought occurred to me…
If Contessa only needed to ask for a doorway to receive one, this implies a sort of communication to Doormaker. Multiple explanations, some with good and some with bad implications, arise:
* Doormaker is on Bet and she radio’d him. (Actively or by surveillance, who knows)
* Doormaker is in another universe and Cauldron has some kind of interuniverse communication. (Technological? A parahuman?)
If Contessa didn’t have some kind of transmitter, this implies some pretty powerful interuniverse listening/spying capability. As if Cauldron wasn’t already powerful enough… Or Doormaker had a portal running in some nook for them to look at the situation at it unfolded.
* Contessa’s request for a portal was timed and only appeared to be on demand.
Doormaker appears to be able to upkeep portals indefinitely (see the Number Man’s interlude). Easy enough to run some wires through. The Number Man was also handling his money stuff from Cauldron’s world, so they’ve done that sort of thing before.
There’s also mention, in the Number Man’s interlude, of another of theirmessed up parahuman working in tandem with Doormaker. Someone capable of seeing all universes at once, I believe, so coordinating multidimensional transport shouldn’t be that much of a problem
Kimmi on June 13, 2013 at 09:34 said:
Ha. It’s the bodysnatcher, isn’t it? Pretender finally got someone awesome to play with.
Hey, here comes an option of butterfly to use:
http://eol.org/pages/559418/overview
Nothing dangerous, but certainly will obscure the view of any adversary.
Cool. And for those American readers who are metrically-challenged, 300 mm is close enough to twelve inches as to make no difference.
Yeah, that’s one big butterfly. You’re going to need a bigger net.
So roughly a sub sandwich
I had to google it, but it’s always nice to learn about new kinds of food.
So a “sub” is basically a normal sandwich made out of half / a third of a baguette?
Sometimes it’s more like a whole, but very short, baguette — perhaps a baguettette — but yes.
Worm gets a mention in the Epiguide Podcast here (Spoilers for other web serials, including LoN, Animal Kingdom and Bad Influences).
Nothing much there, they spend more time criticizing me about being sparse with details/spoilers than they do talking about the serial, haha.
Good, if the only thing they get to criticize is the lack of details (which is a selling point for me btw, and so far you neatly avoided arc fatigue) it must mean you’re getting even better at writing.
Personally I find the style improvement is getting noticeable in the last few arcs btw, practice makes perfect 😉
Oh, if you listen, I don’t think either of them actually read the series.
It also sounds like they want other people to do it for them by giving them recaps with spoilers.
Well, I kinda loathe podcasts, (never understood why, but I get really annoyed with those things. does not happen with audiobooks) so your recap is the only thing I know about their recaps… of something I’m actually reading… urk, the recursion is making my head spin now.
I also hate spoilers with a passion, so thanks for the heads up, and thanks to Packbat for putting on the red shirt for all of us 😉
Glad that my misfortune had some positive benefits, at least.
*clicks “play”*
*gets distracted for a moment*
*starts listening again*
…Oh, god fucking dammit. Wildbow, could you add a big gigantic SPOILER WARNING to your post? Because people like me who are still slowly trawling through, say, the Legion of Nothing archives might not appreciate being given great big spoilery plot summaries straight up right at the top of the episode.
Good call! Shit, I’m sorry.
Thanks muchly. At least now I know to turn on my Tattletale-senses when dealing with unfamiliar podcasts, review sites, and so forth — ten seconds spent contemplating the implications of advertising “recaps” (or even your comment about the hosts’ complaints) and I could have dodged that bullet. Easy to forget how cavalier some people can be about spoilers when those in your social circle go to great effort to avoid dropping them.
Oh yeah, was it all about how Rocket fought the Giant Tiger over London to save General Commando from the evil Flames of Eschaton?
Colonel Commando – he doesn’t get promoted until the end of the chapter. *eyeroll*
GuesssWho on June 13, 2013 at 17:06 said:
I hope Tattletale’s okay.
I just realised, with the rust colour of his armour and pile bunker weapons, Tection based his power armour design on the Alt Eisen didn’t he?
I dunno. Alt Eisen isn’t rust colored. And I think that Tectons weapons would be more like Rumble and Frenzy’s piledrivers.
Thank you to Megan for the generous donation.
And an especially big thank you goes out to Phillipe. I’ve queued up another donation for a later date.
Holy carp. Well, we know a little more about Cauldron, a bit more about how screwed the world is, and suspect that Tattletale is dead (although unconscious/immobile are still possibilities).
Taylor should have used a MAD situation when the precog had her by the throat. If she stabs she gets full of poison and dies in seconds.
“The woman pulled her suit jacket off and held it out, sweeping it through the air to catch the thickest collection of my swarm within. She folded it closed, simultaneously breaking into stride, heading right for Wanton.”
If only the thickest collection was caught then there should still be plenty left that are now on her.
This would be checkmate except the rest were swallowed by a plot hole (annoying how common those are becoming).
“Because it’s the only way she’d be able to stop the bugs from surrounding her”
She CANNOT stop the bugs as they continue attacking even without Taylor concious.
Perfect moves are nice and all, but they don’t help if you’re playing chess against someone who is playing by Accelerated Absorption Crazyhouse rules (hey Endbringers :)).
That one was obvious enough that I saw it, and endorsed the fanon that “Contessa’s plan of victory was to make Weaver surrender before it mattered”.
Why does everything keep catching fire and burning? I know that things would burn but if he’s blowing a great gout of flame at a building I’m pretty sure the Oxygen would be used up as everything flammable would be incinerated, and if everything was so easy to catch fire then New Delhi would be a nightmare.
And thousands dead, really? I think we’re talking a little bit more than that Taylor.
• Municipal corporation 249,998
• Density 5,854.7/km2 (15,164/sq mi)
• Metro 21,753,486”
Isn’t having a non-mobile command centre against Behemoth one of the most stupid things that anyone could do?
Why do any of the thinkers and non-combat strategists have to be near the front? Just look through a video camera or a sat feed or a recon drone feed.
Aren’t they meant to have had hundreds of fights against these monsters? 2 a year for the last 30 years? They certainly don’t seem very intelligent at all, it’s like they’re trying to get killed. How has no one analysed the Endbringer’s and formulated some, any kind of battle plan? I can just imagine any of these capes involved in a war it would be laughable, it’s like they saw a history record of the Battle of the Somme and were like, let’s do that over and over again until all our capes die.
Where are the Generals of this world?
“thousands dead”because BEHEMOTH hasn’t killed everyone yet and lots of people evacuated
As for why the thinkers aren’t on a safer position…I got nothing.
Beowulf on November 16, 2013 at 02:37 said:
typo- fifth paragraph
“They destroying the ground beneath his feet, trying to get him when his focus was elsewhere and his ability to redirect the energies of a given attack was reduced.”
I heartily enjoy that s
greatwyrmgold on December 4, 2013 at 16:22 said:
I wonder what powers Eidolon is using. He has flight, super-strength or a Striker ability, the ability to not perish from a brief time in Behemoth’s aura, and the slowing bubbles. That’s four major abilities, so two of the first three are presumably the same power. Maybe tactile kinesis, durability, and the bubbles?
And, considering other holes in Contessa’s ability, I’d imagine that the “no path takes you to victory” thing is likely. The assumption that Contessa’s power lets her do the obvious–held by some fans–always bugged me. I mean, the improbable, sure. The million-to-one chance, sure. But what if Contessa tried to figure out how to set up a lunar colony with nothing but a can of beans, while stuck on a desert island? What would her power tell her then, considering that it isn’t sentient enough to call her an idiot?
jlebar on December 21, 2013 at 23:22 said:
If you’re still editing the story for future publication, you may want to audit your “and I”s (and probably the “and me”s too). For example, “Golem, odd as it was, seemed to fall more in line with Techton and I” should be “and me”. I’ve noticed one if these every few chapters.
It seems insufficient to say thanks for the story so far, so I’ll just say that it’s been a fun ride, and I’m looking forward to the rest.
Damnit, I basically picked Contessa’s power and never actually said for fear of spoiling. xO
I figured she had the ability to automatically do the most effective thing in any given circumstance rather than precognition in the Dinah sense or worldshifting like Coil.
This chapter still hasn’t made it clear though whether Contessa consciously acts on information her power gives her or acts as a puppet to it. I suspect the latter to at least some extent. Even if a normal person were being drip-fed the perfect course of action, I doubt they could act on it fast enough for it to be useful.
Oh god I’d read/watch The Regent and Imp Show any day of the week! Those two really are perfect for each other! They both exist solely to piss everyone else around them off, and excel at it!
Wow so Contessa is real fucking broken isn’t she? Simultaneously more so and less so than I had originally thought. She seems like there is no way to effectively beat her in a fight barring a wide area attack before she is engaging anyone or anything. But at the same time she is probably useless against the Endbringers/Scion barring using cheating methods like “if I assume the Endbringer attacks with a lightning blast here than what should I do to beat it?” which I can imagine would work rather well in most situations but it would be too darn risky to chance losing her before the end. I’m glad that Weaver grew a brain there. They were so outclassed it’s not even funny. I guess we should consider it a win that Weaver managed to get her hesitating long enough to start answering questions.
stsword on July 13, 2015 at 18:18 said:
Anyone else wondering what would happen if Grue tried to siphon off an Endbringer’s powers with his darkness?
Arachnophobic on January 22, 2016 at 08:15 said:
Gotta say, this makes for a very interesting chapter, sitting here in New Delhi. I can almost imagine the city getting leveled around me, and Behemoth towering in the distance, a force of destruction like no other.
Okay, back to mindless reading. I expect to remain a Worm-zombie for a week more, while my real life goes to hell around me.
storryeater on January 23, 2016 at 08:27 said:
Its downright impossible to read Worm mindlessly, pal. Even if you do not think enough to catch everything, it still makes you think.
AnotherLostGuy on May 3, 2016 at 18:26 said:
Missing a period at the end.
Joline Henandez on November 28, 2016 at 17:35 said:
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dbdatvic on March 17, 2017 at 18:38 said:
Hey, Wildbow? The comment above this one seems to be spam…
–Dave, markov-chain spam at that
«I was reminded of my teammates, descended to the ground, where they were still getting sorted.» grammar! I think you mean “…so I descended to the ground…”.
«he couldn’t hear me over the sounds of toppled buildings» what does a toppeled building sound like? I would have thought that a pile of rubble would be silent.
«He wasn’t irradiated any more.» you mean “irradiating”?
Interesting to note that Contessa says her power doesn’t work on *some* individuals, *including* the Endbringers. Meaning that, most likely, there’s other individuals it doesn’t work on.
Someone else probably noticed before me and commented already, but hey.
Really hope to see how the YangBan gets crushed.
Fanboy Akyso on November 7, 2019 at 06:11 said:
Right not sure if my comment will be mostly ignored but usually control of metal is called ferrokinesis.
Ferro dies actually mean iron but it’s used as a blanket term while discussing metal based powers here in my geek group.
Do tell if I am wrong.
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Hometown Bake Shop officially opens its Patchogue doors
The doors to Patchogue’s newest bakery have officially swung open, and the village is more than excited to grab a fork and dive into one of Hometown Bake Shops famous pies.
“Last year we sold over 3,000 pies out of the Centerport location for the holidays,” said the bake shop’s owner, Danna Abrams.
This is Abrams’ second shop, originally establishing her luncheonette-style bakery in Centerport back in 2016. The bakery has been a hit with its kooky, but classic, creations that are pretty enough to post on social media, and she’s thrilled to be bringing her treats to the South Shore.
“We’re extremely excited,” she said. “I have a great team working with me and I love Patchogue… it’s a great place to open our second location.”
The process didn’t take long, she said. She found the space, (which was once occupied by the former Artisan Kaiser bakery at 16 Havens Avenue in the New Village Apartment complex) and wouldn’t let it go. She added that within a few months, the space was set up and ready to go.
“We were really fortunate,” she said smiling.
And while some Long Islanders may be familiar with the tasty treats and savory snacks that Hometown Bake Shop sells in Centerport, Abrams assures customers that the Patchogue location will have the same goods, but will also cater to the different crowd.
“We’re going to bring some of our classics here,” she said, “but we also want to cater to the public and we’ve noticed that they want different things than in our other store.”
One difference, she noted, was that the Patchogue location would sell more personal sized pies, sweet and savory, whereas the North Shore location is more known for its larger ones.
But her famous egg sandwiches will still be on the menu here because they’re one of the top sellers in Centerport.
“It’s the same quality,” she said. Everything in the shop is made from scratch with the freshest ingredients and the highest quality, just with an innovative spin.
On Nov. 9, dozens of people gathered at the bakery to celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We’re very excited to have this come to Patchogue,“ said David Kennedy, executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. “The reputation that they bring from their Centerport location and the quality that they’re known for is a great addition to the village.”
Even Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri stopped by, and he couldn’t help but check out the case filled with sugary deliciousness.
“Just what I needed… another place loaded with calories,” he joked.
Scroll down for photos from the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Top: Hometown’s rib eye pie.
Julianne Mosher
Julianne Mosher is a freelance journalist covering everything from Manhattan to Montauk. When she’s not exploring the north and south shores, she’s usually found at any local coffee shop.
Patchogue to celebrate Veterans Day with annual ceremonies on Monday
Scenes from Patchogue’s Veterans Day ceremony
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Remembering roller skating, before The Emporium
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Justia Patents Evacuation ApparatusUS Patent for Load port Patent (Patent # 10,501,271)
Load port
Jul 12, 2016 - SINFONIA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
A load port including: a base as part of a wall partitioning a transportation space from an external space; an opening provided to the base; a door configured to open and close the opening and securing a lid to, and releasing a lid from, a container containing contents; and a first seal member for sealing the space between the base and the container. At least some of the container-side end surface of the door is located nearer to the transportation space than the container-side end part of the first seal member. The load port can keep a surrounding space clean when a FOUP is connected to a casing.
Latest SINFONIA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. Patents:
TRANSFER DEVICE
DAMPING DEVICE, VEHICLE INCLUDING DAMPING DEVICE, AND METHOD OF ESTIMATING PHASE ERROR OF DAMPING DEVICE
SUBSTRATE STORAGE CONTAINER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, LOAD PORT, AND SUBSTRATE STORAGE CONTAINER MANAGEMENT METHOD
ROTARY MACHINE
EXHAUST NOZZLE UNIT, LOAD PORT, AND EFEM
The present invention relates to a load port having a door operation system capable of circulating gas in a wafer conveyance chamber, without exposing a transported wafer to outside air.
Traditionally, a wafer as a substrate is subjected to various processing steps to manufacture semiconductors. With further advancement in higher integration of elements and miniaturization of circuits in recent year, there is a demand for maintaining a high cleanliness level of environment surrounding wafers, so as to avoid adhesion of particles or moisture on the surface of a wafer. Further, in order to avoid a change in the characteristics of the surface, such as oxidation of a wafer surface, a wafer-surrounding environment is made an atmosphere of nitrogen which is an inert gas, or made vacuum state.
To properly maintain the atmosphere around the wafer, the wafers are placed inside a sealed storage pod called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod), and nitrogen is filled in the inside thereof of the pod. Further, for transferring wafers between a processing apparatus which processes wafers and the FOUP, air EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) is used. The EFEM structures a wafer conveyance chamber which is substantially closed inside a casing. One of wall surfaces facing each other has a load port that functions as an interface unit with the FOUP, and the other wall surface is connected to a load lock chamber which is a part of the processing apparatus. Inside the wafer conveyance chamber, a wafer conveyance apparatus configured to convey wafers is provided. Wafers are loaded and unloaded between the FOUP connected to the load port and the load lock chamber.
As a load port, for example, PTL 1 suggests a structure in which the door unit protrudes from the casing towards the FOUP.
[PTL 1] Japanese Unexamined Paten Publication No. 2014-112631
In the load port described in PTL 1 however, the door unit protruding from the casing contacts the FOUP, when the FOUP is moved closer to the casing. This contact may cause scattering of fragments, thus contaminating the space surrounding the EFEM.
In view of the above, the present invention is made to address the above issues, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a load port that keeps the surrounding space clean, when an FOUP is connected to a casing.
The load port related to the present invention includes:
a base constituting a part of a wall separating a conveyance space front an external space;
an opening portion provided in the base,
a door configured to open and close the opening portion and to fix and release a lid member with respect to a container accommodating therein an article;
a first seal member for sealing between the base and the container;
wherein
a container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member.
With this load port, even if the lid member of the container is inflated towards the base, the container-side end surface of the door is positioned closer to the conveyance space than the container-side end portion of the first seal member, when the container is attached to the opening portion. Therefore, the lid member and the door do not contact each other. This prevents the lid member from contacting the door and scattering fragments, and keeps the space surrounding the load port clean. Further, it is possible to restrain an impact of contact from stirring up the dusts on the door, or from shaking the container to stir up the dusts at the bottom portion of the container or deviate the position of accommodated article from the proper position.
a clamp unit configured to press the container toward the base while the container is attached to the opening, wherein
a container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member which is pressed towards the base by the container clamped by the clamp unit.
In the load port, the container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than the container-side end portion of the first seal member which is clamped and pressed against the base. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent contact of the lid member with the door, while the container is attached to the opening portion.
an end surface of the door, which is to face the container, has a recess depressed towards the conveyance space.
With the load port, it is possible to reliably prevent the lid member from contacting the door, even if the lid member of the container is inflated towards the base.
In the load port related to the present invention:
the shape of the recess corresponds to an inflated surface of the lid member inflated by increasing the pressure inside the container.
In the load port, the shape of the recess corresponds to the inflated surface of the lid member which is inflated by increasing the pressure inside the container. Therefore, the lid member and the door are reliably kept from contacting each other, even if the container inflates in various shapes.
a second seal member for sealing between the base and the door, wherein
a container-side end surface of the door is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member.
In the load port, a container-side end surface of the door is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member. Thus, while the lid member and the door are reliably kept from contacting each other sealing by the second seal member between the base and the door unit is maintained.
a second seal member for sealing between the base and the door;
a sealed space defined by at least the first seal member, the second seal member, the lid member, and the door while the container is in contact with the opening portion via the first seal member;
a first gas injection unit configured to inject a gas into the sealed space; and
a first gas discharge unit configured to discharge a gas from the sealed space.
The load port includes: the first gas injection unit configured to inject gas into the sealed space formed between the container and the door, while the container is in contact with the opening portion via the first seal member, i.e., while the container is attached to the opening portion, and the first gas discharge unit configured to discharge gas from the sealed space. With this, it is possible to remove the atmospheric air between the container and the door and fill in the nitrogen gas (purge), while the container is attached to the opening portion. Therefore, atmospheric air between the container and the door, which contain oxygen, moisture, particles and the like that may cause a change in the characteristics of the wafer such as oxidation of the wafer is prevented from entering the conveyance space or the container when the door is opened. In other words, oxygen, moisture, and particles in the sealed space can be eliminated before opening the sealed space by opening the lid member of the container. As a result, oxygen and the like do not leak into the container or the conveyance space when the lid member is opened, which makes it possible to maintain the cleanliness of the inside of the container and the conveying space.
a sealed space defined by the base, the first seal member, the second seal member, the lid member, and the door while the container is in contact with the base, and while the door abuts the base via the second seal member, wherein
when the container is clamped to the base, the container is moved towards the door from a state in which the door and the lid member are separate from each other.
In this load port, when the container is clamped to the base, the container is moved towards the door from a state in which the door and the lid member are separate from each other. This way, the sealing performance between the container and the base through the first seal member is improved.
With the present invention, even if the lid member of the container is inflated towards the base, the container-side end surface of the door is positioned closer to the conveyance space than the container-side end portion of the first seal member, when the container is attached to the opening portion. Therefore, the lid member and the door do not contact each other. This prevents the lid member from contacting the door and scattering fragments, and keeps the space surrounding the load port clean. Further, it is possible to restrain an impact of contact from stirring up the dusts on the door, or from shaking the container to stir up the dusts at the bottom portion of the container or deviate the position of accommodated article from the proper position.
In the present invention, the container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than the container-side end portion of the first seal member which is clamped and pressed against the base. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent contact of the lid member with the door, while the container is attached to the opening portion.
With the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the lid member from contacting the door, even if the lid member of the container is inflated towards the base.
In the present invention, the shape of the recess corresponds to the inflated surface of the lid member which is inflated by increasing the pressure inside the container. Therefore, the lid member and the door are reliably kept from contacting each other, even if the container inflates in various shapes.
In the present invention, a container-side end surface of the door is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member. Thus, while the lid member and the door are reliably kept from contacting each other, sealing by the second seal member between the base and the door unit is maintained.
The present invention includes: the first gas injection unit configured to inject gas into the sealed space formed between the container and the door, while the container is in contact with the opening portion via the first seal member, i.e., while the container is attached to the opening portion, and the first gas discharge unit configured to discharge gas from the sealed space. With this, it is possible to remove the atmospheric air between the container and the door and fill in the nitrogen gas (purge), while the container is attached to the opening portion. Therefore, atmospheric air between the container and the door, which contains oxygen, moisture, particles and the like that may cause a change in the characteristics of the wafer such as oxidation of the wafer is prevented from entering the conveyance space or the container when the door is opened. In other words, oxygen, moisture, and particles in the sealed space can be eliminated before opening the sealed space by opening the lid member of the container. As a result, oxygen and the like do not leak into the container or the conveyance space when the lid member is opened, which makes it possible to maintain the cleanliness of the inside of the container and the conveying space.
In the present invention, when the container is clamped to the base, the container is moved towards the door from a state in which the door and the lid member are separate from each other. This way, the sealing performance between the container and the base through the first seal member is improved.
FIG. 1A plan view schematically showing a relation between an EFEM and a processing apparatus related to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A side view showing a state in which a side wall of the EFEM is detached.
FIG. 3A perspective view showing a part of the EFEM broken away.
FIG. 4A schematic diagram showing a floss of the gas in a circulation path of EFEM.
FIG. 5A perspective view of the load port of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6A front view of the load port of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7A rear view of the load port of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8A side cross sectional view of the load port of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9A partially enlarged cross sectional view showing a relationship between a door runt and a first seal member.
FIG. 10A side cross sectional view showing a state where the FOUP is moved from the state shown Ere FIG. 8, towards the casing.
FIG. 11A partially enlarged cross sectional view showing the sealed space portion sealed by the sealing member.
FIG. 12A partially enlarged cross sectional view showing a state where the FOUP is brought close door unit by clamping.
FIG. 13A side cross sectional view showing a state where the door unit along with the lid member of the FOUP are moved away from the opening portion as compared with the state shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 14A side cross sectional view showing a state where the door unit along with the lid member of the FOUP are moved downward from the state shown in FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 An enlarged perspective view providing an enlarged view of the main parts of a window unit and the door unit constituting the EFEM.
FIG. 16 An enlarged cross sectional view providing an enlarged view of the main part of a cross section taken along A-A shown in FIG. 15.
FIG. 17 An enlarged front view of a main part showing a clamp provided in a window unit.
FIG. 18A block diagram showing a connection state amongst a controlling unit, pressure gauges, valves.
FIG. 19A flowchart showing a procedure of connecting and communicating the FOUP with EFEM.
FIG. 20A is a cross sectional view showing a modification of the clamp unit, and FIG. 20B is a front view showing the clamped state of FIG. 20A.
FIG. 21A is a cross sectional view showing state where the clamp unit of FIG. 20 is released, and FIG. 21B is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a support piece shown in FIG. 21A.
FIG. 22A is an enlarged plan view showing a state where the clamp unit is released, FIG. 22B is an enlarged plan view showing a state where the clamp unit is in operation, and FIG. 22C is an enlarged plan view showing a clamped state.
FIG. 23A is a cross sectional view showing a door unit of a modification having a recessed portion depressed toward a conveyance space, and FIG. 23B is a cross sectional view showing a door unit of the modification having a curved surface formed in a shape bowed towards the side of the conveying space.
FIG. 24A is a cross sectional view showing a door unit of another modification having a recessed portion depressed toward a conveyance space, and FIG. 24B is a cross sectional view showing a door unit of the other modification having a curved surface formed in a shape bowed towards the side of the conveying space.
FIG. 25A view showing a gas passage related to a modification, where the pressure P1 is higher than P2.
FIG. 26A view showing a gas passage related to a modification, where the pressure P1 is lower than P2.
FIG. 27A block diagram showing a modification of a connection state amongst a controlling unit, pressure gauges, valves.
FIG. 28A partially enlarged cross sectional view showing a modification in which the door unit is advanced towards the lid member of the FOUP, from the state of FIG. 11.
FIG. 29A cross-sectional view showing a modification in which two O-rings are integrated.
The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a relation between an EFEM 1 and a processing apparatus 6 connecting thereto, related to an embodiment of the present invention. A top plate and the like of EFEM 1 and the processing apparatus 6 are removed so as to show their inside. Further, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the inside of the EFEM 1 by removing its side face wall. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the EFEM 1 includes: a wafer conveyance apparatus 2 configured to convey a wafer W between predetermined delivery positions; a box-shape casing 3 provided to surround the wafer conveyance apparatus 2; a plurality of (three in the figure) load ports 4 connected to the outside of a wall on the front surface side (front wall 31) of the housing 3; and a controller 5.
In the present application, when seers from the casing 3, a direction to the side to Which the load ports 4 are connected is defined as frontward, and a direction to the side of the rear wall 32, which is opposite to the front wall 31, is defined as rearward. Further, a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the front-rear direction are defined as side. In other words, the three load ports 4 are aligned on a side.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, EFEM 1 is configured so that a load lock chamber 61 constituting a part of the processing apparatus 6 is connectable adjacent to the outside of the rear wall 32. By opening a door 1a provided between the EFEM 1 and the load lock chamber 61, the load lock chamber 61 is in communication with the inside of the EFEM 1. The processing apparatus 6 may be any of a wide variety of apparatuses. In general, the conveyance chamber 62 is provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 61, and a plurality of (three in the figure) processing units 63 each configured to perform processing to wafers W are provided adjacent to the conveyance chamber 62. Between the conveyance chamber 62 and the load lock chamber 61 or each of the processing units 63, a door 62a or a door 63a is provided which brings these components in communication with each other when opened. In addition, the wafer W is movable between the load lock chamber 61 and the processing units 63 by using a conveyance robot 64 provided in the conveyance chamber 62.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer conveyance apparatus 2 includes an arm unit 2a having a pick for conveying a wafer W placed thereon, and a base unit 2b supporting the arm unit 2a from below, and having a driving mechanism and an elevation mechanism for operating the arm unit. The base unit 2b is supported on the front wall 31 of the casing 3 through a support 21 and a guide rail 22. The wafer conveyance apparatus 2 is able to move along the guide rail 22 which extends in a width direction of the casing 3. By the controller 5 controlling an operation of the wafer conveyance apparatus 2, it is possible to convey a wafer (accommodated article) W in the FOUP (container) 7 of any of the load ports 4 aligned on a side to a load lock chamber 61, and convey the wafer W back to the FOUP 7 after it is subjected to processing in the processing unit 63.
The casing 3 is structured by the front wall 31, the rear wall 32, and side walls 33 and 34 which surround the four sides of the wafer conveyance apparatus 2; a ceiling 35, a bottom 36, and pillars 37a to 37d supporting the walls 31 to 35 of the casing. To an opening portion 92 formed in the front wall 31, a load port 4 is attached. To a rectangular opening 32a provided in the rear wall 32, the load lock chamber 61 is connected. The casing 3 has a conveyance space 9 and a later-described gas return path 10, and a substantially closed space CS (see FIG. 4) including these is formed. It should be noted that the above-mentioned members are precisely assembled so as not to create a space from which internal gas do not leak out to the interface between the members; however, it is possible to provide a sealing member between the members to achieve an air-tight structure of the casing 3. Further, an opening 32a provided in the rear wall 32 has a driving mechanism 1b, and is closable by a door 1a (see FIG. 3) generally referred to as a gate valve, which is driven in vertical directions. Although illustration and description are omitted, the side walls 33, 34 are also provided with openings one of which is connected to an aligner used for position adjustment of a wafer W, and the other one of which is an opening for maintenance which is usually closed.
The load ports 4 each includes a door unit 81, and with the movement of the door unit 81 along with the lid member 72 provided to the FOUP 7, the FOUP 7 is opened with respect to the substantially closed space CS. The FOUP 7 is provided with many carrier units in the up-down directions so as to enable accommodation of many wafers W. Further, nitrogen is usually filled in the FOUP 7, and it is also possible to replace the atmosphere in the FOUP 7 with nitrogen, through load port 4, under control of the controller 5.
The controller 5 is structured as a controller unit provided in in upper space 1 above the ceiling 35, between the ceiling 35 and a top plate 38 of the casing 3. Further, the controller 5 performs drive control of the wafer conveyance apparatus 2, nitrogen substitution control of the FOUP 7 by the load port 4, opening/closing control of the door 1a and the door unit 81, nitrogen circulation control in the casing 3, and the like. The controller 5 is constituted by an ordinary microprocessor and the like having a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like. The memory stores therein in advance programs necessary for processing, and the CPU successively retrieves and runs necessary programs, to achieve a desirable function in cooperation with peripheral hard resources. The nitrogen circulation control is described later.
As shown in FIG. 4, the substantially closed space CS is partitioned by a partition member 8, into the conveyance space 9 in which the wafer conveyance apparatus 2 is driven, and a gas return path 10. The conveyance space 9 and the gas return path 10 are in communication with each other only through a gas delivery port 11 provided in the width direction, in the upper portion of the conveyance space 9 and a gas suction port 12 provided in the width direction, in the lower portion of the conveyance space 9. The gas delivery port 11 and the gas suction port 12 generates a downward air current in the conveyance space 9, and generates a rising air current in the gas return path 10 to form a circulation path Ci indicated by arrows in FIG. 4 in the substantially closed space CS, thereby circulating gas. The present embodiment deals with a case where nitrogen which is an inert gas is circulated in the substantially closed space CS; however, the gas to be circulated is not limited to nitrogen, and may be other gases.
Next, the following details the structure of the gas return path 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the gas return path 10 is a space closed by the bottom 36, the rear wall 32, the ceiling 35, and the partition member 8. Further, the gas return path 10 is provided for returning gas sucked in from the gas suction port 12 in the lower portion of the conveyance space 9 to the gas delivery port 11 in the upper portion of the conveyance space 9.
To the rear side of the upper portion of the return path 10, a gas supplier (third gas injection unit) 16 for supplying nitrogen into the substantially closed space CS is connected. The gas supplier 16 is capable of controlling supply of the nitrogen and stop supplying of nitrogen based on a command from the controller 5. Therefore, when part of nitrogen leaks outside the substantially closed space CS, the gas supplier 16 supplies an amount of nitrogen having leaked out, to maintain constant nitrogen atmosphere in the substantially closed space CS. To the rear side of the lower portion of the return path 10, a gas discharger (third gas discharge unit) 17 for discharging gas in the substantially closed space CS is connected. The gas discharger 17 operates based on commands from the controller 5, and opens a not-shown shutter to communicate the inside of the substantially closed space CS with a gas delivery destination provided outside. With combination of the nitrogen supply by the above-mentioned gas supplier 16, substitution of nitrogen atmosphere in the substantially closed space CS is possible. It should be noted that the present embodiment deals with a case where the gas supplier 16 supplies nitrogen, because the gas circulated in the circulation path Ci is nitrogen however, in cases where a different gas is circulated, the gas supplier 16 circulates that gas circulated.
Further, the gas delivery port 11 is provided with a fan filter unit 13 (FFU 13) which is constituted by a fan 13a serving as a first wind-blower and a filter 13b. The fan filter unit 13 removes particles contained in the gas circulated in the substantially closed space CS, and blows wind downward in the conveyance space 9, thereby generating the downward air current within the conveyance space 9. It should be noted that the FFU 13 is supported by a support member 18 extended horizontally and connected to the partition member 8.
On the other hand, the gas suction port 12 is connected to a chemical filter 14, and the gas in the conveyance space 9 flows into the gas return path 10 through the chemical filter 14. As mentioned hereinabove, the wafer conveyance apparatus 2 (see FIG. 2) is supported on the front wall 31 of the casing 3 through the support 21 and the guide rail 22. Therefore, the gas suction port 12 is largely opened upward without interfering with the wafer conveyance apparatus 2. Further, as described above, since the gas suction port 12 extends in the width direction, it is possible to effectively suck particles even when particles are generated at a time of driving the wafer conveyance apparatus 2 along the guide rail 22 which is also extended in the width direction. With provision of the chemical filter 14 to the gas suction port 12, it is possible to remove molecules of contaminant generated in the processing apparatus 6 (see FIG. 1) and having flown into the conveyance space 9. Further, on the rear side of the chemical filter 14 in the gas return path 10, a fan 15 as a second wind-blower is provided across the width direction (see FIG. 4). The fan 15 blows air toward the downstream side of the gas return path 10, i.e., towards up in FIG. 4, thereby generating a gas suction force at the gas suction port 12, and delivers the gas having passed through the chemical filter 14 to move upward thereby generating a rising air current in the gas return path 10.
Thus, with the above-described fan 13a of FFU 13 and the fan 15, the gas in the substantially closed space CS is circulated by flowing downward in the conveyance space 9, and then flowing upward in the gas return path 10. Since the gas delivery port 11 is opened downward, gas is sent downward by the FFU 13. Since the gas suction port 12 is opened upward, the gas is sucked downward as it is without disturbing the downward air current generated by the FFU 13, thereby creating a smooth flow of the gas. The downward air current in the conveyance space 9 removes particles on wafers W are removed, and prevent the particles from floating in the conveyance space 9.
Next, the following describes, with reference to FIG. 4, an operation of nitrogen circulation control for circulating nitrogen in the EFEM 1 structured as described above.
First, as the initial stage, the controller 5 causes the gas supplier 16 to supply nitrogen to the substantially closed space CS while causing the gas discharger 17 to discharge gas. This way, the atmosphere of the substantially closed space CS of the EFEM 1 is purged, and substituted with a nitrogen atmosphere. After this state, if nitrogen in the circulation path Ci leaks outside, the controller 5 causes the gas supplier 16 to supply nitrogen according to the amount of nitrogen leaked out.
Then, by the controller 5 driving the fan 13a of the FFU 13 and the fan 15 in the substantially closed space CS with the nitrogen atmosphere, circulation of the gas through the circulation path Ci is created. At this time, in order to remove particles and molecules of contaminant in the gas circulating through the filter 13b of the FFU 13 and the chemical filter 14, a downward air current of clean nitrogen is constantly generated in the conveyance space 9.
In the EFEM 1 in the above state, wafers W are conveyed by communicating the FOUP 7 which is placed in the load port 4 and which has a nitrogen atmosphere with the conveyance space 9. At this time, both the conveyance space 9 and the FOUP 7 are in the same nitrogen atmosphere, and the nitrogen in the conveyance space 9 is also kept clean. Therefore, the pressure inside the FOUP 7 does not have to be made positive with respect to the pressure in the conveyance space 9 for the purpose of preventing particles and molecules of contaminant from entering the FOUP 7, and the consumption amount of nitrogen to be supplied to the FOUP 7 is restrained.
FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 are a perspective view, a front view, and a rear view of the load port 4, respectively. With reference to these figures, the structure of the load port 4 is described. It should be noted that, in these figures, an outside cover 42 (see FIG. 3) located in a lower part of the placement table 44 is removed to partially expose the internal structure.
In the load port 4, a base 41 extends upright from the rear of a bottom portion 45 to which casters and installation legs are attached, and a horizontal base portion 43 extends forward from a height position of approximately 60% of the base 41. Further, the placing table 44 for placing the FOUP 7 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the horizontal base portion 43.
As schematically shown in FIG. 8, the FOUP 7 includes: a main body 71 having an internal space Sf for accommodating therein wafers W (see FIG. 2) and a lid member 72 which opens and closes an opening 71a which is provided on one side of the main body 71 to serve as an entrance for wafers W When the FOUP 7 is correctly placed on the placement table 44, the lid member 72 faces the base 41. A space Sc is formed inside the lid member 72 so as to accommodate therein a later-described connecting unit 82 (see FIG. 7) for opening and closing the lid member 72 (see FIG. 11).
As shown in FIG. 5 and FOUP 7, the placement table 44 is provided with a positioning pin 44a for positioning the FOUP 7, and a lock protrusion 44b for fixing the FOUP 7 to the placement table 44. Through a locking operation, the lock protrusion 44b, in cooperation with the positioning pin 44a, is able to guide and fix the FOUP 7 to a proper position. Through an unlocking operation, the FOUP 7 is separable from the placement table 44. It should be noted that the placement table 44 is moveable in the front-rear directions by a placement table driving unit (not shown), while having the FOUP 7 placed thereon.
Further, the placement table 44 includes two second gas injection nozzles (second gas injection units) 44c each configured to supply gas into the FOUP 7 and two second gas discharge nozzles, (second gas discharge units) lid each configured to discharge gas from the inside of the FOUP 7. Each of the second gas injection nozzles 44c and each of the second gas discharge nozzles 44d are usually positioned lower than the top surface of the placement table 44, and advances upward to connect with a gas supply valve 73 and a gas discharge valve 74 (see FIG. 8) of the FOUP 7, respectively, at a time of use.
At a time of use, one end of the second gas injection nozzle 44c communicates with the inside of the FOLD 7, and the other end thereof is provided with a second gas injection valve 44e. Similarly, one end of the second gas discharge nozzle 44d communicates with the inside of the FOUP 7, and the other end thereof is provided with a second gas discharge valve 44f. Through the gas supply valve 73, gas, such as dry nitrogen gas and the like is supplied to the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 from the second gas injection nozzle 44c, and the gas in the internal space Sf is discharged from the second gas discharge nozzle 44d through the gas discharge, valve 74, thereby enabling gas-purge. By making a gas-supply amount larger than a gas-discharge amount, the pressure of the internal space Sf is set positive with respect to the pressure of the internal space Se of the casing 3 (see FIG. 2) or the outside. By raising the pressure in the FOUP 7 (internal space Sf), the surface of the lid member 72 is inflated towards the door unit 81 than an abutting surface 71b, as shown in FIG. 11.
The base 41 constituting the load port 4 constitutes a part of the front wall 31 which separates the conveyance space 9 from the external space. As shown in FIG. 5, the base 41 includes: pillars 41a provided upright on both sides, a base main body 41b supported by the pillars 41a, and a window unit 90 attached to a substantially rectangular window part 41c formed on the base main body 41b. The substantially rectangular shape herein means a basically rectangular shape with four sides, such that the four corners thereof are each formed in a smooth arc. In the vicinity of the outer circumference of the rear surface of the base min body 41b, a gasket 47 (see FIG. 7) serving as an elastic member formed in a rectangular shape is provided. The gasket 47 is formed of a rubber material with less gas permeation.
The window unit 90 is provided in a position to face the lid member 72 (see FIG. 8) of the FOUP 7 described above. The window unit 90 is provided with the rectangular opening portion 92 (see FIG. 15) a hereinbelow detailed, and hence is capable of opening the internal space Se of the casing 3 through this opening portion 92. The load port 4 has an opening/closing mechanism 80 which opens and closes the window unit 90 configured to be attachable to the FOUP 7.
As shown in FIG. 6, the opening/closing mechanism 80 includes: the door unit 81 configured to open and close the opening portion 92; a support frame 83 for supporting the door unit 81; a movable block 85 that supports the support frame 83 movably in the front-rear directions via a slide supporter 84; and a sliding rail 86 that supports the movable block 85 movably with respect to the base main body 41b in the vertical directions.
As shown in FIG. 8, the support frame 83 supports the lower rear portion of the door unit 81, and has a substantially clamp shape which extends downwards, and then protruding forward from the base main body 41b, passing through a slit-shaped insertion hole 41d provided to the base main body 41b. The slide supporter 84 that supports the support frame 83, the movable block 85, and the sliding rail 86 are provided in front of the base main body 41b. Thus, driving parts for moving the door unit 81 are on the outer side of the casing 3, and even if particles are generated in these parts, the particles are restrained from entering the casing 3 because the insertion hole 41d is formed in a small slit-shape.
The following details the door unit 81 of the opening/closing mechanism 80. As shown in FIG. 8, the door unit 81 is provided with a first gas injection nozzle (first gas injection unit) 87 configured to inject gas between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81, and a first gas discharge nozzle (first gas discharge unit) 88 configured to discharge gas between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81, when the FOUP 7 is attached to the window unit 90. One end of the first gas injection nozzle 87 extends to the outer surface of the door unit 81, and the other end portion is provided with a first gas injection valve 87a. Similarly, one end of the first gas discharge nozzle 88 extends to the outer surface of the door unit 81, and the other end portion is provided with a first gas discharge valve 88a. While the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are integrated through a clamp-operation as hereinafter described, the first gas injection nozzle 87 which is in communication with the sealed space Sd (see FIG. 11) supplies thereto a gas such as dry nitrogen gas and the like, and the first gas discharge nozzle 88 which is in communication with the sealed space Sd discharges therefrom the gas, thereby enabling gas-purge. It should be noted that the first gas discharge nozzle 88 is branched off to the equalizing valve 89, and is used as a nozzle for pressure equalization which equalizes the pressures of the sealed space Sd and the conveyance space 9.
FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross sectional view of FIG. 8 showing a relationship between the door unit 81 and an O-ring (first seal member) 94. As shown in FIG. 9, an FOUP 7-side end surface 81c of the door unit 81 is shifted towards the conveyance space 9 by a desirable dimension of L2 from an FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. Therefore, the FOUP 7-side end surface 81c of the door unit 81 is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. Thus, while the lid member 72 and the door unit 81 are reliably kept from contacting each other, sealing by the O-ring 96 between the base 41 and the door unit 81 is maintained. It should be noted that the figure indicates with an imaginary line L1 the position of the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. The dimension L2 is, for example, 0.1 mm or more but not more than 3 mm.
Further, actuators (not shown) are provided for moving the door unit 81 in the front-rear directions and the up-down directions, and the door unit 81 is movable in the front-rear directions and in the up-down directions, with drive instructions to these actuators, from the controlling unit Cp.
Further, in front of the base main body 41b, there is a cover 46 (see FIG. 8) which extends downward from immediately below the horizontal base portion 43, and the support frame 83, the slide supporter 84, the movable block 85, and the sliding rail 86 are covered and sealed by the cover 46. Therefore, although the insertion hole 41d is formed in the base main body 41b, the gas in the housing 3 (see FIG. 3) does not flow outside through this insertion portion. Inside the cover 46 are the lower end of the first gas injection nozzle 87, the first gas injection valve 87a, the first gas discharge nozzle 88, and the first gas discharge valve 88a.
The door unit 81 includes: an adsorption unit 79 (see FIG. 6) configured to adsorb the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 and a connecting unit 82 (see FIG. 7) for performing a latch operation to open and close the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7, and for holding the lid member 72. The door unit 81 fixes or release the fix of the lid member 72 so as to enable removal and attachment of the lid member 72 from/to the FOUP 7. The connecting unit 82 makes the lid member 72 an openable state through an unlatching operation of the lid member 72, and integrate by coupling the lid member 72 to the door unit 81. To the contrary, the connecting unit 82 is capable of releasing the lid member 72 from the door unit 81, and attach the lid member 72 to the main body 71.
Here, with reference to FIG. 15, the following describes details of the stricture of the above-mentioned window unit 90. The window unit 90 includes a window flame 91, O-rings 94 and 96 serving as elastic members to be attached thereto, and clamp units 50 each serving as an attracting unit which brings the FOUP 7 into close contact with the window frame 91 via the O-ring 94.
The window frame 91 has a frame-shape with a substantially rectangular opening portion 92. The window frame 91 constitutes a put of the base 41 (see FIG. 5) described above as a constituting element of the window unit 90, the opening portion 92 opens the front wall 31 serving as a wall surface of the casing 3. On the front surface of the window frame portion 91, the O-ring 94 is disposed so as to circle around the vicinity of the rim of the opening portion 92. On the rear surface of the window frame portion 91, the O-ring 96 is disposed so as to circle around the vicinity of the rim of the opening portion 92.
The opening portion 92 is slightly larger than the outer circumference of the lid member 72 (see FIG. 8) of the FOUP 7, and the lid member 72 is moveable through this opening portion 92. Further, during a state where the FOUP 7 is placed on the placement table 44, the front surface of the main body 71, as an abutting surface 71b, which surrounds the lid member 72 abuts the front surface of the window frame 91 via the O-ring 94. This way, the O-ring 94 seals off the rim of the opening portion 92 (base 41) and the FOUP 7 (see FIG. 16), while the FOUP 7 is attached to the window unit 90.
Further, on the rear surface of the window frame 91, the door unit 81 described above is abutted through the O-ring (second seal member) 96. This way, the O-ring 96 seals off the rim of the opening portion 92 and the door unit 81. Specifically, a thin portion 81a provided in a flange-like manner abuts against the outer circumference of the door unit 81. Since a thick portion 81b on the inner side of the thin portion 81a is formed smaller than the opening portion 92, it protrudes forward through the opening portion 92.
As shown in FIG. 15, the clamp units 50 are arranged in four positions in total, on both sides of the window frame 91, apart from each other in the up-down directions. Each clamp unit 50 is generally constituted by an engagement piece 51 and a cylinder 52 which operates the engagement piece 51, and presses the FOUP 7 against the base 41, while the FOUP 7 is attached to the window unit 90.
The cylinder 52 constituting the clamp unit 50 is attached on the rear side of the window frame 91, and has a shaft 53 which is capable to moving forward and retracting through a hole provided in the window frame 91. To the leading end of the shaft 53 is attached the base end 51a of the engagement piece 51, and the leading end Sib extends from this base end 51a towards the outer circumferential direction of the shaft 53. On the outer circumference of the shaft 53, a guide move 53a whose phase is twisted by 90° in the axial direction is formed. Inside the guide groove 53a, a guide pin 54 fixed to the side of the window frame 91 is inserted from a radial direction. Therefore, with movement of the cylinder 52 forward or backward, the guide groove 53a is guided by the guide pin 54, and the shaft 53 pivots 90° around the axial center. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, when the engagement piece 51 sticks out forward along with the shaft 53, the leading end 51b faces upward, and when the engaging piece 51 is drawn rearward, the leading end 51b is directed towards the inside of the FOUP 7. With the leading end 51b of the engagement piece 51 directed inside through the clamp operation, it engages with the flange portion 71c sticking out from the FOUP 7 towards a side. While maintaining this engaged state, the shaft 53 is further retracted by the cylinder 52. This way, the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 is brought into a clamped state of further tightly attached to the O-ring 94. Such a clamp unit 50, when operated in four positions, evenly deforms the O-ring 94 and improves the sealing performance. During the clamped state too, the FOUP 7-side end surface 81c of the door unit 81 is positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94, which is pressed towards the side of the base 41 by the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7.
Further, when the engagement piece 51 is moved forward, the leading end 51b is directed upward so as not to interfere with the flange portion 71c, when viewed from the front. This way, the FOUP 7 is movable with the placement table 44. It should be noted that, to move the leading end 51b forward, the leading end 51b may be directed not only the upward direction, but also a downward or an outward direction, as long as the leading end 51b does not interfere with the flange portion 71c.
The load port 4 structured as described above is given drive instructions for various parts thereof to operate, from the controlling unit Cp shown in FIG. 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, an input end of the controlling unit Ct is connected to a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the sealed space Sd, a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7, and a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the internal space Se of the casing 3. Similarly, an input end of the controlling unit Ct is connected to a hygrometer for measuring the humidity of the sealed space Sd, a hygrometer for measuring the humidity of the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7, and a hygrometer for measuring the humidity of the internal space Se of the casing 3. An input end of the controlling unit Ct for measuring the oxygen concentration is connected to an oxygen (concentration) gauge for measuring the oxygen concentration of the sealed space Sd, an oxygen (concentration) gauge for measuring the oxygen concentration of the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7, and an oxygen (concentration) gauge for measuring the oxygen concentration of the internal space Se of the casing 3. An input end of the controlling unit Ct related to the flow rate is connected to a flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of the first gas injection nozzle 87, a flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of the second gas injection nozzle 44c, and a flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of the third gas injection unit 16.
An output end of the controlling unit Ct is connected to the first gas injection valve 87a, the first gas discharge valve 88a, the second gas injection valve 44e, the second gas discharge valve a third gas injection valve, a third gas discharge valve, the gas supplier 16, the gas discharger 17 and the equalizing valve 89, via a flow rate controller Cf, and is connected to the clamp units 50, the connecting unit 82, and the adsorption unit 79, via a drive controller Cd. The controlling unit Ct is installed in the EFEM 1 and includes various memories and controllers for accepting operation by a user. Amongst these controllers of the EFEM 1 are the flow rate controller Cf and the drive controller Cd.
The following describes, with reference to FIG. 8 to FIG. 12, an example operation involving the load ports 4 of the present embodiment. In the initial state, each valve is closed.
FIG. 8 shows a state in which the FOUP 7 is placed on the placement table 44, and spaced from the base 41. During this state, the door unit 81 abuts the rear surface of the window frame 91 (see FIG. 15) constituting the window unit 90, via the O-ring 96. Therefore, there will be no space between the window frame 91 and the door unit 81, and a high sealing performance is achieved. This restrains leakage of gas to the outside when the internal space Se of the casing 3 is filled with nitrogen gas and the like, and restrains an outside gas from entering into the internal space Se.
As shown in FIG. 19, in step S1, the FOUP 7 is suitably positioned and fixed to the placement table 44 by locking operation by the lock protrusion 44b (see FIG. 5) and positioning action done by the positioning pins 44a.
Then, the second gas injection nozzle 44c and the second gas discharge nozzle 44d of the placement table 11 protrude upward and connect to the gas supply valve 73 and the gas discharge valve 74 of the FOUP 7. In the following step S2, the second gas injection valve 44e is opened to supply fresh and dry nitrogen gas through the second gas injection nozzle 44c and the gas supply valve 73. By opening the second gas discharge nozzle 44f at the same time, the gas having been accumulated in the internal space Sf is discharged through the gas discharge valve 74 and the second gas discharge nozzle 44d. Through this gas-purge operation, the internal space Sf is filled with the nitrogen gas while the pressure is made higher than the pressure of the internal space Se of the casing 3. It should be noted that, the filling in of the nitrogen gas to the FOUP 7 is continued until the present flow ends.
Next, in step S3, the placement table 44 is moved rearward to have the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 abut the window frame 91, as shown in FIG. 10. At this time, the end surface 81c of the door unit 81 is positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94, by a predetermined dimension of L2. Therefore, even if the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is inflated towards the door unit 81, the lid member 72 does not contact the end surface 81c of the door unit 81, because the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 abuts the O-ring 94 when the FOUP 7 is brought closer to the window unit 90 (see FIG. 11). Therefore, sealing between the O-ring 96 and the door unit 81 is reliably maintained. As described, the abutting surface 71b abuts the window frame 91 via the O-ring 94, and the door unit 81 abuts the window frame 91 via the O-ring 96, thereby forming the sealed space Sd. The base 41, the O-rings 94 and 96, the lid member 72, and the door unit 81 which form the sealed space Sd, along with the opening portion 92, the first gas injection nozzle 87 and the first gas discharge nozzle 88 constitute the door operation system.
To move the placement table 44, the engagement pieces 51 (see FIG. 15) are protruded forward in advance by the cylinders 52 constituting the clamp units 50, so that their the leading ends 51b are directed upward and do not interfere with the FOUP 7.
Then, in step S4, the FOUP 7 is clamped and fixed to the window unit 90. Thus, from the state in which the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are apart from each other, bringing the FOUP 7 closer to the door unit 81 causes elastic deformation of the O-ring 94, thus improving the sealing performance between the FOUP 7 and the base 41 (see FIG. 12). It is preferable to set the distance between the door unit 81 and the lid member 72, when the FOUP 7 is brought closer to the door unit 81 by the clamp units 50, to a distance that enables the above-described latching operation and unlatching operation.
Specifically, the engagement pieces 51 are retracted rearward by the cylinders 52 constituting the clamp units 50, so as to engage with the flange portion 71c of the FOUP 7 with the leading ends 51b directed inward. Further retracting the leading ends 51b causes the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 further firmly contact the O-ring 94, thus improving the sealing performance. The series of the above operations is referred to as the clamp operation. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, a space Sg is formed between the lid member 72 and the door unit 81, which is in communication with the internal space Sc of the lid member through a fitting hole 75 to which the connecting unit 82 is fitted. The space Sg and the space Sc constitutes the sealed space Sd between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81.
In step S5, the connecting unit 82 (see FIG. 7) provided to the door unit 81 is operated to make the lid member 72 in the unlatched state and detachable from the main body 71, while the door unit 81 integrally holds the lid member 72 through the adsorption unit 79.
In step S6, the first gas injection valve 87a is opened to supply nitrogen gas to the sealed space Sd from the first gas injection nozzle 87. At the same time, the first gas discharge valve 88a is opened to discharge the gas (atmospheric air) having been accumulated in the sealed space Sd from the first gas discharge nozzle 88. After elapse of a predetermined time, the first gas injection valve 87a and the first gas discharge valve 88a are closed to end filling of the gas to the sealed space Sd. It should be noted that the gas injection operation of injecting gas into the sealed space Sd by the first gas injection nozzle 87 and the discharge operation of discharging gas from the sealed space Sd by the first gas discharge nozzle 88 may be repeated. The atmospheric air herein encompasses oxygen, moisture, particles, and the like which may cause a change in the properties of the wafers W, such as oxidation of the Wafers W. Further, discharging of the gas (atmospheric air) having accumulated in the sealed space Sd means not only discharging of the atmospheric air present between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81, but also means discharging the gas inside the lid member 72, to enable filling of the gas is possible.
In step S7, the pressures of the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 and the sealed space Sd are equalized. Specifically where the pressure inside the internal space Sf after the clamp operation is P1 and the pressure of the sealed space Sd is P2, the P1 and P2 are controlled to approximate each other.
This pressure adjustment is done by adjusting the flow rates of the first gas injection nozzle 87 and the first gas discharge nozzle 88, based on the pressures detected by the pressure gauges of the sealed space Sd and the FOUP 7. However, pressure adjustment may be performed without using a pressure gauge. Specifically, a pressure is estimated based on the flow rates of the first gas injection nozzle 87 and the first gas discharge nozzle 88, and the flow rates of the second gas injection nozzle 44c and the second gas discharge nozzle 44d, and the pressure adjustment may be performed based on this estimated pressure. This contributes to cost reduction because pressure adjustment is possible without a pressure gauge. When estimate the pressure, the estimation may take into account a reached-oxygen concentration by the oxygen concentration gauge or the reached-humidity measured by the hygrometer.
Adjustment of pressure is possible by various methods. If the FOUP to be used is known in advance, the volumes of the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 to be used and the lid member of the FOUP 7 are determined. Therefore, the volume of the sealed space Sd is roughly predictable. Therefore, by filling the gas into the sealed space Sd for a predetermined period, at a predetermined flow rate, the pressure P2 of the sealed space Sd is adjustable to a predetermined pressure. In this case, a pressure gauge, an oxygen concentration gauge, and a hygrometer are not necessary for adjustment of the pressure.
In the above, a method of adjusting the pressure P2 is described. This method however is also applicable to adjustment of the pressures P1 and P3. Further, the pressure adjustment may be done by adjusting the flow rates, adjustment by the equalizing valve, and a combination of flow rate adjustment and adjustment by equalizing valve. These mechanisms for use in the pressure adjustment is collectively referred to as pressure adjuster.
In step S8, the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are moved rearward along with the support frame 83, as shown in FIG. 13. This way the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is separated from the main body 71 thus opening the internal space Sf, and the door unit 81 is separated from the opening portion 92 to open the casing 3 (internal space Se). At this time, the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 is firmly attached to the window unit 90 through the O-ring 94, and hence the flowing-out and flowing-in of the gas are restrained between the area between the casing 3 and the FOUP 7.
Further, since the pressure of the FOUP 7 is made high, there will be a flow of the gas from the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 to the casing 3. This restrains particles and the like in the casing 3 from entering into the FOUP 7, and keeps the inside of the FOUP 7 clean. It should be noted that continuous supply of the gas at a low flow rate through the second gas injection nozzle 44c is also suitable for restraining the particles from entering. The pressure adjustment is ended thereafter.
In step S9, the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are moved downward along with the support frame 83, as shown in FIG. S14. This largely opens the rear of the opening 71a serving as an outlet/inlet port of the FOUP 7, thus enabling conveyance of a wafer W between the FOUP 7 and the EFEM 1. Since the mechanism for moving the door unit 81 is entirely covered by the cover 46, the gas inside the casing 3 is restrained from leaking outside.
The operation at the time of opening the opening 71a of the FOUP 7 is thud described above. To close the opening 71a of the FOUP 7, the above described operations are performed in a reversed order. However, in an actual application of the door operation system, the above steps S6 and S7 may be omitted, provided that there is no problem in the pressure of the internal space Sf, the oxygen concentration, and the humidity, and the like at the time of closing the opening 71a of the FOUP 7.
By repeating the above operations, the O-rings 94 and 96 are resiliently abutted to the lid member 72 or the door unit 81, which may lead to occurrence of new particles. Such particles are however moved downward by the downward flow formed inside the casing 3, when the lid member 72 or the door unit 81 is opened. Therefore, the particles do not get on the surface of a wafer W, keeping the surface of the wafer W in a clean state.
Characteristics of Load Port of the Present Embodiment
The load ports 4 of the present embodiment has the following characteristics.
With the load port 4 of the present embodiment, even if the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is inflated towards the base 41, the FOUP 7-side end surface of the door unit 81 is positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94, when the FOUP 7 is attached to the opening portion 92. Therefore, the lid member 72 and the door unit 81 do not contact each other. This prevents the lid member 72 from contacting the door unit 81 and scattering fragments, and keeps the space surrounding the load port 4 clean. Further, it is possible to restrain an impact of contact from stirring up the dusts on the door unit 81, or from shaking the FOUP 7 to stir up the dusts at the bottom portion of the FOUP 7 or deviate the position of accommodated article from the proper position.
In the load port 4 of the present embodiment, the FOUP 7-side end surface of the door unit 81 is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94 which is clamped and pressed against the base 41. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent contact of the lid member 72 with the door unit 81, while the FOUP 7 is attached to the opening portion.
With the load port 4 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent the lid member 72 from contacting the door unit 81, even if the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is inflated towards the base 41.
Characteristics of Door Operation System of the Present Embodiment
The door operation system of the present embodiment has the following characteristics.
This door operation system or the load port 4 of the present embodiment includes: the first gas injection nozzle 87 configured to inject gas into the sealed space Sd formed between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81 while the FOUP 7 is in contact with the opening portion 92 via the first seal member 94, i.e., while the FOUP 7 is attached to the opening portion 92, and the first gas discharge nozzle 88 configured to discharge gas from the sealed space Sd. With this, it is possible to remove the atmospheric air between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81 and fill in the nitrogen gas (purge), while the FOUP 7 is attached to the opening portion 92. Therefore, atmospheric air between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81, which contains oxygen, moisture, particles and the like that may cause a change in the characteristics of the wafer W such as oxidation of the wafer W is prevented from entering the conveyance space 9 or the FOUP 7 when the door unit 81 is opened. In other words, oxygen, moisture, and particles in the sealed space Sd can be eliminated before opening the sealed space Sd by opening the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7. As a result, oxygen and the like do not leak into the FOUP 7 or the conveyance space 9 when the lid member 72 is opened, which stakes it possible to maintain the cleanliness of the inside of the FOUP 7 and the conveying space 9.
In this door operation system of the present embodiment, the gas injection operation by the first gas injection nozzle 87 and the gas discharge operation by the first gas discharge nozzle 88 are repeated. Therefore, it is possible to reliably remove the atmospheric air between the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81 and fill in a gas.
In the door operation system of the present embodiment, when clamping the FOUP 7 to the base 41, the FOUP 7 is moved towards the door unit 81 from the state where the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are apart from each other. This way, the sealing performance between the FOUP 7 and the base 41 through the O-ring 94 is improved.
In the door operation system of the present embodiment, the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 and the sealed space Sd are in communication with each other, when the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is released. At this time, a large pressure difference between P1 and P2 increases the flow rate of the gas moving between the FOUP 7 and the sealed space Sd, which may stir up particles accumulated on the bottom portion of the FOUP 7 thus contaminating the wafers W. To address this, the P1 and P2 are controlled to be approximate each other, to reduce an amount of gas moving between the FOUP 7 and the sealed space Sd. With this, scattering of the particles is restrained, and hence contamination of the wafers W is prevented.
With this load port 4 having the door operation system of the present embodiment, the lid member 72 of the FOUP 7 is reliably detached at the time of opening the opening portion 92, and the lid member 72 is attached at the time of closing the opening portion 92. Therefore, each operation is swiftly carried out.
Thus, the embodiment of the present invention is described hereinabove. However, the specific structure of the present invention shall not be interpreted as to be limited to the above described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above embodiment but by claims set forth below and shall encompass the equivalents in the meaning of the claims and every modification within the scope of the claims.
In the above-described embodiment, gas-purge is performed in step S6 shown in FIG. 19, by having the first gas injection nozzle 87 supply nitrogen gas to the sealed space Sd, and having the first gas discharge nozzle 88 discharge gas from the sealed space Sd. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first gas discharge nozzle 88 may perform discharge for reducing the pressure. Specifically, after the atmospheric air in the sealed space Sd is sucked out by the first gas discharge nozzle 88 to reduce the pressure, the first gas injection nozzle 87 supplies nitrogen gas. This way, a gas is filled in the sealed space Sd efficiently.
In the above-described embodiment, the controlling unit Ct, the flow rate controller Cf, the drive controller Cd are installed in the EFEM 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the controlling unit Ct, the flow rate controller Cf, and the drive controller Cd may be partially or entirely installed in the load port 4. In this case, the load port 4 is provided with a receiver unit configured to receive signals from a superordinate computer such as a controller of the EFEM 1. In cases of installing the controlling units in the load port 4, the input end of the controlling unit Ct is connected to the pressure gauges, the hygrometers, and oximeters for the sealed space Sd and the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7, and connected to the flowmeters of the first gas injection nozzle and the second gas injection nozzle, as shown in FIG. 27.
In the above-described embodiment, the pressure P1 of the internal space Sf and the pressure P2 of the sealed space Sd are approximated with each other in step 7 shown in FIG. 19. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and where the pressure inside the conveyance space 9 is P3, the pressures P1, P2, and P3 may be approximated with one another. Specifically, based on one of P1, P2, and P3, the rest of two pressures may be adjusted. In this case, the tune taken for adjusting the pressure is shortened by adjustment such that P2 and P3 approximate the pressure P1 of the internal space Se of the casing whose volume is largest amongst the sealed space Sd, the internal space Sf of the FOUP, and the internal space Se of the casing. Alternatively, it is possible to control the pressures so that the P1, P2, and P3 approximate a predetermined pressure value. The space sf of the FOUP 7, the sealed space Sd, and the conveyance space 9 are in communication with one another, when the door unit 81 opens the opening portion 92. At this tune, a large pressure difference amongst each space increases the flow rate of the gas moving amongst the spaces, which may stir up particles in the spaces. To address this, the P1, P2, and P3 are controlled to be approximate one another, to reduce an amount of gas moving amongst the FOUP 7, the sealed space Sd, and the conveyance space 9. With this, scattering of the particles is restrained, and hence contamination of each space is prevented.
Further, instead of approximating the P1 and P2 with each other in step S7 it is possible to adjust the pressures so that the P1, P2, and P3 increases in this order. By controlling the pressures P1, P2, and P3 so that they increase in this order, the pressure difference between adjacent spaces out of the space Sf in the FOUP 7, the sealed space Sd, and the conveyance space 9 is reduced. This reduces the flow rate of gas moving between adjacent spaces, as compared to cases where pressure difference between adjacent spaces is large, when the door unit 81 opens the opening portion 92 to communicate spaces with one another. Therefore, an amount of gas moving amongst the sealed space Sd and the conveyance space 9 of the FOUP 7. With this, scattering of the particles is restrained, and hence contamination of each space is prevented.
In the above-described embodiment, the FOUP 7 is adopted as the container for conveying wafers. However, the wafer storage container is not limited to this, and MAC (Multi Application Carrier), H-MAC (Horizontal-MAC), FOSB (Front Open Shipping Box), and the like may be adopted. Further, the container is not limited to a wafer storage container, and the present invention is also applicable to a closed container that accommodates an article, such as an electronic component, which is conveyed with an inert gas filled in the container.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the load port is attached to the EFEM. However, the present invention is also applicable to a sorter having a conveyance chamber for sorting accommodated articles in a container placed in a load port or exchanging an accommodating article in a container in a load port with an accommodated article stored in a container in another load port, and applicable to a processing apparatus itself serving as a conveyance chamber, to which the load port is attachable.
The above-described embodiment adopted a clamp unit 50 having a cylinder 52: however, the clamp unit is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 20A, a clamp unit 100 provided to a window frame 91 has a support piece 101, and a rod-shaped pivot member 103 which is pivotably supported by the support piece 101, and a motor 106 configured to drive the pivot member 103. The support piece 101 extends forward from the window frame 91, and pivotably supports the pivot member 103 at its hollow portion 102 (see FIG. 21B). The pivot member 103 has pressing pieces 107 which protrude from the upper end portion and a middle portion relative to the axial direction (see FIG. 20B). To the leading end of each of the pressing pieces 107, a pressing protrusion 108 is formed (see FIG. 22), and the flange portion 71c of the FOUP 7 is clamped through this pressing protrusion 108. The motor 106 embedded in the horizontal base portion 43 is connected to the lower end portion of the pivot member 103, and rotates the pivot member 103 around its axis.
As shown in FIG. 21A, during an unclamped state, the pressing piece 107 extends horizontally forward so as to be perpendicular to the window frame 91 (see also FIG. 22A)). When the motor 106 drives and rotates the pivot member 103 from this state, the pressing piece 107 rotates around the axis of the pivot member 103 as shown in FIG. 22B. By further rotating the pivot member 103, the pressing piece 107 presses the flange portion 71c through the pressing protrusion 108, thereby clamping the FOUP 7 (see also FIG. 20B). It should be noted that an air-driven cam and the like may be adoptable in place of the motor 106 as a driving unit for rotating the pivot member 103.
With the clamp unit 100 structured as above, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the clamp unit 100 relative to the front-rear direction thereof, and arrange the clamp unit 100 on the external space side. Therefore, interference with the wafer conveyance apparatus 2 operated in the conveyance space 9 is prevented.
In the above-described embodiment, the FOUP 7-side end surface 81c of the door unit 81 is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. However, the FOUP 7-side end surface 81c of the door unit 81 may only be partially positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94.
As shown in FIG. 23A, a recess 111 depressed towards the conveyance space 9 is formed on an FOUP 7-side (front side) end surface 110 of the door unit 81. The bottom surface 112 of the recess 111 is positioned on the conveyance space 9-side of the virtual line L1 indicating the position of the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. In other words, the FOUP 7-side end surface 110 of the door unit 81 is at least partially (i.e., bottom surface 112) positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94. This brings about effects similar to those of the above-described embodiment. At least partially herein indicates a part of the end surface 110 of the door unit 81 nearby the center portion or an area around the center portion. Further, the concept of the end surface 110 does not encompass the latch mechanism for fixing and releasing the lid member 72 to/from the FOUP 7, the adsorption unit 79 for fixing the lid member 72 to the door unit 81, and registration pins (not shown) for positioning the lid member 72 to the door unit 81. On the other hand, the outer circumferential surface 113 on the outer circumference of the end surface 110 is positioned on the FOUP 7-side of the virtual line L1, due to the type of the FOUP 7 and the lid member 72 and accuracy error at the time of manufacturing. It should be noted that the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 is positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the lid member 72, the abutting surface, 71b abuts the O-ring 94 and forms the sealed space Sd.
As shown in FIG. 23B, a curved surface 117 bowed towards the conveyance space 9 is formed on an FOUP 7-side (front side) end surface 116 of the door unit 81. This curved surface 117 is positioned on the conveyance space 9-side of the virtual line L1 indicating the position of the FOUP 7-side end portion of the O-ring 94. In other words, the FOUP 7-side, end surface 116 of the door unit 81 is mostly positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94. This brings about effects similar to those of the above-described embodiment. On the other hand, the outer circumferential surface 113 on the outer circumference of the end surface 116 is positioned on the FOUP 7-side of the virtual line L1, due to accuracy error art the time of manufacturing. It should be noted that a part of the FOUP 7 (lid member 72) is bowed towards the conveyance space 9. Further, the abutting surface 71b of the FOUP 7 is positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the outer circumference of the lid member 72, the abutting surface 71b abuts the O-ring 94 and forms the sealed space Sd. As described, the shape of the curved surface 117 corresponds to an inflated surface 118 which is inflated by increasing the pressure inside the FOUP 7. Therefore, the FOUP 7 and the door unit 81 are reliably kept from contacting each other, even if the FOUP 7 inflates in various shapes.
As shown in FIG. 24A showing a modification of FIG. 23A, it is possible to adopt a structure, in which the outer circumferential surface 113 is positioned on the conveyance space 9-side of the virtual line L2, while the recess 111 is firmed on the end surface 110 of the door unit 81. In other words, the present modification deals with a case where the end surface 110 of the door unit 81 is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94. This prevents interference of the lid member 72 with the door unit 81, even when the lid member 72 is protruding towards the conveyance space 9, while allowing the abutting surface 71b to abut the sealing member 94.
As shown in FIG. 24B showing a modification of FIG. 23B, it is possible to adopt a structure in which the outer circumferential surface 113 is positioned on the conveyance space 9-side of the virtual line L2, while the curved surface 117 is formed on the door unit 81. In other words, the present modification deals with a case where the end surface 110 of the door unit 81 is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the FOUP 7-side end portion of the first seal member 94. This prevents interference of the lid member 72 having the inflated surface 118 with the door unit 81, even when the lid member 72 is protruding towards the conveyance space 9, while allowing the abutting surface 71b to abut the sealing member 94.
When the inflated lid member 72 is detached from the FOUP 7 by the door unit 81, the inflated lid member 72 may return to its original state. When the end surface 110 of the door unit 81 is entirely positioned closer to the conveyance space 9 than the first seal member 94 as in cases shown in FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B, the lid member 72 may not be properly fixed or attached to the FOUP 7, depending on the type of the latch mechanism or the adsorption unit. In view of this, these operations may performed in a position closer to the FOUP 7 by a predetermined distance, than the position of releasing the fix of the lid member 72 with respect to the FOUP 7 and detaching the lid member 72 from the FOUP 7. This predetermined distance is appropriately set based on the expansion rate of the lid member 72 and the type of the latch mechanism and the adsorption unit.
In the above-described embodiment, the pressures are adjusted by using the first gas injection nozzle 87, the second gas discharge nozzle 88, the second gas injection nozzle 44c, and the second gas discharge nozzle 44d, which are separate from one another; however, the present invention is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, a first supply nozzle 120 that supplies a gas is connected to the second gas injection nozzle 44c. The second gas discharge nozzle lid and the first gas injection nozzle 87 are connected with each other via an intermediate nozzle 121. Further, the second gas injection nozzle 44c and the second gas discharge nozzle 88 are connected with each other via a connection nozzle 122. A midway portion of the intermediate nozzle 121 is jointed with a second supply nozzle 123.
When the pressure P1 is higher than the P2, a first valve 125 and a second valve 126 are opened, and a third valve 127 to a sixth valve 130 are closed, as shown in FIG. 25. Therefore, the gas supplied from the first supply nozzle 120 flows into the FOUP 7 via the second gas injection nozzle 44c. The gas discharged from the FOUP 7 flows from the second gas discharge nozzle lid into the intermediate nozzle 121 via the second valve 126. The gas is then supplied to the sealed space Sd via the first gas injection nozzle 87, discharged from the second gas discharge nozzle 88, and sequentially flows into the connection nozzle 122 and the second gas injection nozzle 11c. In the second gas injection nozzle 44c, the gas merges with a gas newly supplied from the first supply nozzle 120. With the gas flowing the above-described passage, the pressure P1 of the FOUP 7 and the pressure P2 of the sealed space Sd approximate each other.
When the pressure P1 is lower than the P2, a fourth valve 128 and a fifth valve 129 are opened, and the first valve 125 to the third valve 127, and the sixth valve 130 are closed, as shown in FIG. 26. Therefore, the gas supplied from the second supply nozzle 123 via the fourth valve 128 flows into the sealed space Sd via the intermediate nozzle 121 and the first gas injection nozzle 87. The gas discharged from the sealed space Sd sequentially flows in the second gas discharge nozzle 88 and the connection nozzle 122, and then flows into the FOUP 7 via the second gas injection nozzle 44c. The gas discharged from the FOUP 7 is discharged from the second gas discharge nozzle 44d via the fifth valve 129. With the gas flowing the above-described passage, the pressure P1 of the FOUP 7 and the pressure P2 of the sealed space Sd approximate each other. It should be noted that, in adjustment of the pressures P1 and P3, only the third valve 127 arranged in the conveyance space 9 is opened. This communicates the FOUP 7 with the conveyance space 9 via the second gas injection nozzle 44c and the connection nozzle 122, thus enabling equalization of pressures.
In the above-described embodiment, the nitrogen was used as an example of the inert gas; however, the gas is not limited to this, and any intended gas such as a dry gas, argon gas, and the like are adoptable.
The above-described embodiment uses an O-ring as an example of the first seal member 94 and the second seal member 96; however, the seal members are not limited to these provided that sealing performance (sealability) is ensured.
As a seal member, a hollow seal member that expands or contracts by supply or discharge of fluid may be adopted in place of the O-rings. In cases of adopting this hollow seal member as the first seal member 94, the FOUP 7 is firmly attached to the base 41 by inflating the hollow seal member, after the FOUP 7 is abutted against the base 41. Further, it is preferable to inflate the hollow seal member after clamping by the clamp unit 50, to further improve the firm attachment. This way, the sealing performance is improved by crushing the hollow seal member with the fierce of the clamping, and the force of inflating the hollow seal member.
The above-described embodiment deals with a case where the FOUP 7 is moved towards the door unit S1, when clamping the FOUP 7 to the base 41, in step S4. Instead of this, it is possible to move the door unit 81 forward to the lid member 72, from a state where the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 are separated, after formation of the sealed space Sd (see FIG. 28). This forward movement is for bringing the door unit 81 and the lid member 72 closer to each other and to bring the lid member 72 into an unlatched state. Therefore, the door unit 81 may be moved forward to an extend that leaves a space between the lid member 72, or to an extent that the door unit 81 contacts the lid member 72. When the door unit 81 is moved forward to the lid member 72, the O-ring 96 is pressed and elastically deformed, thereby maintaining the sealed state of the sealed space Sd.
In the above-described embodiment, the sealed space Sd is formed by the base 41, the O-rings 94 and 95, the lid member 72, and the door unit 81. However, by adopting an O-ring 97 which is two O-rings 94 and 95 formed in one piece (see FIG. 29), the sealed space Sd may be formed by the O-ring 97, the lid member 72, and the door unit 81.
3 casing
7 FOUP (container)
9 conveyance space
41 base
50 clamp unit (clamp)
72 lid member
81 door unit (door)
87 first gas injection nozzle (first gas injection unit)
88 first gas discharge nozzle (first gas discharge unit)
92 opening portion
94 O-ring (first seal member)
96 O-ring (second seal member)
Sd sealed space
1. A load port, comprising:
a base constituting a part of a wall separating a conveyance space from an external space;
a door configured to open and close the opening portion and to fix and release a lid member with respect to a container filled with an inert gas and accommodating articles therein;
a container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member,
the load port further comprising clamp units configured to press the container toward the base while the container is attached to the opening portion, the clamp units being provided at two parts on each of both sides of the opening portion,
an end surface of the door, which is to face the container, has a recess depressed towards the conveyance space, and
2. The load port according to claim 1, comprising:
a sealed space defined by the base, the first seal member, the second seal member, the lid member, and the door while the container is in contact with the base, and while the door abuts the base via the second seal member,
a sealed space defined by at least the first seal member, the second seal member, the lid member, and the door while the container is in contact with the opening portion via the first seal member; and
a first gas injection unit configured to inject a gas into the sealed space.
4. The load port according to claim 1, wherein
the first gas injection unit configured to inject the gas into the sealed space penetrates the door in a thickness direction and communicates with the sealed space.
an opening portion provided in the base;
a first seal member for sealing between the base and the container; and
a gas nozzle by which gas is supplied from a bottom portion of the container to inside of the container,
the gas is injected into the container through the gas nozzle and the lid member of the container is inflated toward the door due to pressure increase, and a container-side end surface of the door is at least partially positioned closer to the conveyance space than a container-side end portion of the first seal member.
the container includes clamp units configured to press the container toward the base while the container is attached to the opening portion, and
two or more of the clamp units are provided on each of both sides of the opening portion.
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International Search Report dated Oct. 18, 2016, in PCT/JP2016/070568, filed Jul. 12, 2016.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written Opinion dated Feb. 15, 2018 in PCT/JP2016/070568 filed Jul. 12, 2016 (with English translation).
U.S. Office Action dated Feb. 26, 2019 in co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 15/750,379, 9 pages.
Filed: Jul 12, 2016
Date of Patent: Dec 10, 2019
Assignee: SINFONIA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. (Minato-ku)
Inventors: Atsushi Suzuki (Minato-ku), Yasushi Taniyama (Minato-ku)
Primary Examiner: Kaitlin S Joerger
Current U.S. Class: Evacuation Apparatus (141/65)
International Classification: H01L 21/67 (20060101); H01L 21/673 (20060101); H01L 21/677 (20060101); B65G 49/00 (20060101);
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Justia Patents Transmitter And Receiver At Same Station (e.g., Transceiver)US Patent Application for TRANSCEIVER Patent Application (Application #20080311860)
Jun 8, 2008 -
The transmitter of the transceiver includes: a transmitter-side mixers of a transmitter-side modulator; a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator; and a transmitter-side divider. The divider having a dividing factor of a non-integral number is supplied with an oscillating output of the oscillator. A pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined offset angle is produced by the divider and supplied to the mixers. The transmitter includes a phase-shift unit which converts a pair of quadrature transmit signals having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis into a pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals. Consequently, quadrature modulation is performed by the mixers. Use of a similar configuration enables the reduction in interference of an RF signal with local signals supplied to receiver-side mixers of the receiver.
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
The Present application claims priority from Japanese application JP 2007-158610 filed on Jun. 15, 2007, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
The present invention relates to a transceiver which has a receiver and a transmitter, and is used in RF communications by mobile phones, wireless LANs and the like. Particularly, it relates to a useful technique useful for reducing the interference on local signals supplied to a transmitter-side modulator or a receiver-side demodulator by RF signals.
The ubiquitous coverage, which is an ability of communication terminal devices such as mobile phone terminals communicating by wireless anywhere in the world has not been actualized today, but has been under development.
Their mobile systems include GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, DCS and PCS cellular systems. The systems have the feature of signals according to a constant envelope and the feature of signals following a changing envelope. In addition, there have been growing demands for multiband and multimode materialized by a wider range of combinations of the time division multiplex and code division multiplex. Now, it is noted that GSM is an abbreviation of Global System for Mobile Communication, and GPRS is an abbreviation of General Packet Radio Service. EDGE is an abbreviation of Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution or Enhanced Data for GPRS. WCDMA is an abbreviation of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. DCS is an abbreviation of Digital Cellular System. PCS is an abbreviation of Personal Communication System.
There is a description about a typical two-step transmitter in a non-patent document presented by Abdellatif Bellaouar, “RF Transmitter Architectures for Integrated Wireless Transceivers”, The Eleventh International Conference on Microelectronics, 1999, 22-24 Nov. 1999, pp. 25-30 (hereinafter referred to as “Non-Patent Document 1”). The typical two-step transmitter has a quadrature modulator including mixers, a π/2-phase divider and an adder, a first band-pass filter, an RF mixer, a buffer amplifier and a second band-pass filter, in which an output signal of the second band-pass filter is supplied to an RF power amplifier. In such two-step transmitter, a pair of base band signals I and Q is supplied to one input terminals of the two mixers of the quadrature modulator, an intermediate-frequency local signal is supplied to an input terminal of the π/2-phase divider, and two outputs of the π/2-phase divider, which differ in phase by π/2 (90°), are supplied to the other input terminals of the two mixers. Two output signals of the two mixers are supplied to two input terminals of the adder. Thus, a baseband signal is converted up to an intermediate frequency of e.g. 70 MHz by use of the intermediate-frequency local signal. Between an output of the adder of the quadrature modulator and one input terminal of the RF mixer is connected a first band-pass filter for removing harmonics of the intermediate frequency. To the other input terminal of the RF mixer, an RF (radio frequency) local signal is supplied. An RF output signal from the RF mixer is amplified by the buffer amplifier, and then supplied to the second band-pass filter for removing an undesired sideband. The solution of using a filter for the purpose of attenuating a high-level sideband would be very simple and work well with a low electric power, however such filter is hard to realize and needs a physically large off-chip size. Further, Non-patent Document 1 presented by Abdellatif Bellaouar introduces a direct up-conversion architecture which can be realized with a smaller number of devices, too. According to the architecture, a baseband signal is directly converted into an RF transmit signal at the output of the adder of the quadrature modulator by use of an RF local signal supplied to the π/2-phase divider of the quadrature modulator.
The direct up-conversion (DUC) architecture is introduced as a promising art which can materialize a high-packing density transmitter by decreasing costly external parts, in another non-patent document presented by Gabriel Brenna et al, “A 2-GHz Carrier Leakage Calibrated Direct-Conversion WCDMA Transmitter in 0.13-μm CMOS”, IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, VOL. 39, NO. 8, AUGUST 2004, PP. 1253-1262 (hereinafter referred to as “Non-patent Document 2”). According to the DUC transmitter architecture, I and Q transmit baseband signals are supplied to I/Q modulator through corresponding baseband filters. The I/Q modulator converts transmit baseband signals to a radio frequency (RF). With the radio frequency, I and Q signals are combined, and amplified. The signals undergo external filtering and further amplification, and are supplied to a duplexer before they are sent out trough an antenna. To reduce the oscillator pulling by the output of a power amplifier (PA), the local oscillator (LO) is set to 4 GHz, which is twice a carrier frequency. For the purpose of producing an accurate quadrature local signal of 2 GHz, a digital divider is used. Also, in this document, it is reported that carrier leakage is a serious drawback of DUC architecture. The carrier leakage forms an interference signal of about 1.9 GHz within the WCDMA signals' frequency band ranging 1.895 to 1.905 GHz. The carrier leakage will cause EVM (error vector magnitude) and ACPR (Adjacent Channel Power Ratio) to deviate from the specifications. Further, according to this document, offset calibration in which a 6-bit current source is used for two operational amplifiers of baseband filters is adopted to suppress the carrier leakage. Still further, according to this document, carrier leakage calibration in which a 5-bit binary weighting current source is used is adopted to suppress the carrier leakage. The power of carrier leakage is detected by an on-chip power detector in the condition of no transmit signal. The resultant analog output voltage of the detector is converted into a digital signal by use of an automatic digital calibration algorithm. The algorithm controls the modulators and a calibration circuit for the baseband filter so that the measured carrier leakage is minimized.
The patent document JP-A-2003-152558 contains the description about prevention of the interference owing to the entry of a modulated transmit signal into a local oscillator in the case where the transmitter frequency agrees with the frequency of the local oscillator in the direct conversion system. Therefore, according to the document JP-A-2003-152558, a local signal from the local oscillator is supplied to a band-pass filter, whereby a predetermined harmonic (e.g. third harmonic) is eliminated. The harmonic is divided with a predetermined dividing factor to make setting so that the transmit signal frequency is not an integer multiple of the number of the oscillating frequency of the local oscillator.
In the patent document JP-A-2003-324366, it is described that the ratio C/D of the receive frequency vs. the oscillating frequency of the receiver-system local oscillator is made different from the ratio A/B of the transmitter frequency vs. the oscillating frequency of the transmitter-system local oscillator in order to reduce the bad influence on the receive sensitivity by the interference by receiver-system and transmitter-system local oscillators.
As stated in Non-patent Document 2 presented by Gabriel Brenna et al, in regard to an RF semiconductor integrated circuit for communications, hereinafter referred to as “communication RF IC”, it is necessary to suppress the carrier signal leakage into a frequency band of transmit signals of a transceiver as low as possible.
The inventors had been involved in the development of a communication RF IC which enables communications according to WCDMA system prior to the invention. For a transmitter incorporating such communication RF IC, it has been examined to adopt DUC architecture.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC, which has been examined prior to the invention. As in FIG. 1, analog baseband transmit signals TxABI and TxABQ supplied to input terminals 15 and 16 for analog I and Q signals are amplified by variable-gain amplifiers 94 and 95, and supplied to one input terminals of a pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting I/Q modulator. To a VCO input terminal 96 of a divider 36 with its dividing factor set to two, a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal fTx-VCO of a frequency of 4.0 GHz is supplied. Thus, 2.0-GHz-frequency transmitter-side local signals fTx-LO differing in phase by 90° (π/2) are supplied to the other input terminals of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 through two output terminals of the divider 36. The RF output signals from the paired mixers 1 and 2 are combined and then amplified by a variable-gain amplifier 8, whereby RF transmit signals are produced and output through an output terminal 14 of the transmitter.
FIG. 2 is an illustration showing the relation of signal frequencies at certain parts of the DUC architecture-based transmitter as shown in FIG. 1. As in FIG. 2, frequency signal components of the RF transmit signal 23 from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter are distributed near the transmitter-side local signal 22 (fTx-LO) having a frequency fTx of 2.0 GHz. Also, frequency signal components of a second harmonic 38 of the RF transmit signal 23 from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter are distributed near the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 37 (fTx-VCO) of a frequency 2fTx of 4.0 GHz. As a result of the examination, the inventors have found the problem that the interference on the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 37 (fTx-VCO) at the input terminal 96 of the divider 36 by the second harmonic 38 of the RF transmit signal 23 causes an injection lock phenomenon. In the injection lock phenomenon, the second harmonic 38 of the RF transmit signal 23 from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter becomes an interference signal with respect to the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 37 at the input terminal 96 of the divider 3, and thus the accuracy of phase of the transmitter-side local signal is deteriorated.
Therefore, the inventors examined that no transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is formed on the chip of a communication RF IC for the purpose of reducing the interference as shown in FIG. 1. In fact, it is not described in Non-patent Document 2 presented by Gabriel Brenna et al. that an oscillator which produces a transmitter local signal of a frequency of 4 GHz is provided in the on-chip according to DUC architecture. However, when no transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is formed in the chip of a communication RF IC, the practical worth of the communication RF IC is decreased remarkably.
Further, there is a way to eliminate a predetermined harmonic (e.g. third harmonic) form a signal from a transmitter-side, local oscillator by use of a band-pass filter as described in JP-A-2003-152558. However, as a result of the examination, the inventors have found the problem that fundamental wave components from the transmitter-side local oscillator are discarded, and therefore the S/N ratio is degraded, resulting in an increase in EVM (Error Vector Magnitude).
Still further, as a result of the examination, the inventors have found the problem that the method as described in JP-A-2003-324366 can reduce the interference between the receiver-system local oscillator and the transmitter-system local oscillator, whereas the method cannot solve the problem of an injection lock phenomenon caused in a DUC architecture-based transmitter.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC of another style, which had been examined prior to the invention. The chip of the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3 has a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 and an RF phase-locked loop circuit 5 incorporated therein for producing a transmitter-side local signal. Also, the chip has a poly-phase filter (PPF) 21 incorporated therein for reducing the deterioration in the accuracy of phase of the transmitter-side local signal. Specifically, the poly-phase filter 21 includes a plurality of resistors R1 to R8 and a plurality of capacitors C1 to C8, and therefore the accuracy of phase of a transmitter-side local signal produced by the poly-phase filter 21 can be enhanced. Transmitter-side oscillation signals Tx-VCO and /φTx-VCO produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 and opposite to each other in phase, are supplied to the poly-phase filter 21. A pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO supplied to a pair of mixers 1 and 2 differ in phase exactly by 90° (π/2). Likewise, a pair of transmission-use local signals /φITx-LO and /φQTx-LO, which have a reversed phase and are supplied to the pair of mixers 1 and 2, differ in phase exactly by 90° (π/2).
FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the relation of signal frequencies at certain parts of the DUC architecture-based transmitter as shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3, frequency signal components of the RF transmit signal 23 from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter are distributed near the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22, which has a frequency fTx-VCO and is generated by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3, the interference on the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22 by the RF transmit signal 23 will cause an injection lock phenomenon.
FIG. 5 is an illustration for explaining a mechanism of occurrence of an injection lock phenomenon in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the variable-gain amplifier 8 which produces the RF transmit signal 23 launched from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter and the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 which produces the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22 are often supplied with a source voltage Vdd from a common power source 24. The source voltage Vdd is supplied to the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 through the source line 25 from the power source 24. Further, the source voltage Vdd is supplied to the variable-gain amplifier 8 through another source line 28. Also, the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 is supplied with an oscillating frequency-control signal Vc from the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5. However, a disturbance conducted from the variable-gain amplifier 8 to the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 through the source line 28 induces the interference by the RF transmit signal 23 with the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22, whereby an injection lock phenomenon is caused.
FIG. 6 is an illustration for explaining the feature of an injection lock phenomenon occurring in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 6, at a frequency lower than an oscillating frequency f0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, an interference signal higher in level than a line L1 causes an injection lock phenomenon, whereas at a frequency higher than the oscillating frequency f0, an interference signal higher in level than a line L2 causes an injection lock phenomenon. In other words, in a portion where a region 30 of interference signals with the levels higher than the signal levels indicated by the lines L1 and L2 overlaps with the distribution of RF transmit signals 23 launched from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter, an injection lock phenomenon occurs. When the RF transmit signal 23 has a frequency near the oscillating frequency f0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, an interference signal of a low level causes an injection lock phenomenon. When an injection lock phenomenon is caused, the oscillating frequency of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22, which the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 offers, cannot be determined by the oscillating frequency-control signal Vc, and it is locked to a frequency of the RF transmit signal 23.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for more specifically explaining a mechanism of occurrence of an injection lock phenomenon in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5 which produces an oscillating frequency-control signal Vc to be supplied to the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 includes: a divider 31; a phase comparator 32; a charge pump circuit 33; and a low-pass filter 34. The divider 31 has an input activated by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillation signal 22 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4. The output of the divider 31 is supplied to one input terminal of the phase comparator 32. The other input terminal of the phase comparator 32 is supplied with a reference frequency fREF. The output of the phase comparator 32 is supplied to an input terminal of the charge pump circuit 33. The output of the charge pump circuit 33 is supplied to an input terminal of the low-pass filter 34. The output of the low-pass filter 34 makes an oscillating frequency-control signal Vc to be supplied to the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4.
FIG. 8 is an illustration for more specifically explaining the feature of an injection lock phenomenon occurring in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 8, the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5 as shown in FIG. 7 is more resistant to an interference in a center portion 35 of the PLL lock frequency f0 depending on the dividing factor of the divider 31 and the reference frequency fREF. However, the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5 as shown in FIG. 7 is less resistant to an interference in a low-frequency region 36 and a high-frequency region 37 respectively located below and above the center portion 35 of the PLL lock frequency f0.
FIG. 9 is a graph showing an effect of disturbance on a frequency region near the PLL lock frequency f0 in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3. The cut-off frequency of the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5 is set to 30 kHz, and the disturbance attributed to the RF transmit signal 23 launched from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter is set to −40 dBm. It is seen from FIG. 9 that the effect of interference owing to the largest phase error PE (deg.) arises at an offset frequency f_ofs substantially equal to the cut-off frequency 30 kHz of the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5.
As a result of the examination by the inventors prior to the invention as described above, the invention was made. Therefore, it is an object of the invention to reduce the interference attributed to an RF transmit signal from a transmitter with a transmitter-side local signal produced by a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator and supplied to a transmitter-side modulator. Also, it is an object of the invention to reduce the interference attributed to an RF receive signal of a receiver with a receiver-side local signal produced by a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator and supplied to a receiver-side demodulator.
The above and other objects and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the description hereof and accompanying drawings.
Now, of transceivers according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, preferred ones will be outlined briefly below.
A transmitter of a transceiver according to an embodiment of the invention includes transmitter-side modulators (1, 2), a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator (4), and a transmitter-side divider (3). The transmitter-side divider having a dividing factor set to a non-integral number is supplied with a transmitter-side oscillating output signal from a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, whereby a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined offset angle is produced in the transmitter-side divider, and supplied to the transmitter-side modulators. The transmitter includes a phase-shift unit (11) which converts a pair of quadrature transmit signals (I, Q) having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis into a pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals (I′, Q′) having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined offset angle on an analog basis (see FIGS. 10 and 11).
A receiver of a transceiver according to another preferred embodiment of the invention includes a low-noise amplifier (85), a receiver-side demodulator (86I, 86Q), a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator (4) and a receiver-side divider (3). When the receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator is supplied to the receiver-side divider with its dividing factor set to a non-integral number, a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined offset angle is produced by the receiver-side divider and supplied to the receiver-side modulator. A pair of non-quadrature receive signals (I′, Q′) having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined offset angle as an analog receive signal from an output of the receiver-side modulator is converted by a phase-shift unit (90) into a pair of quadrature shifted receive signals (I, Q) having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis (see FIGS. 24 and 26).
Now, the effects which can be achieved by preferred one of embodiments of the invention herein disclosed will be described below in brief.
According to the invention, it is possible to reduce the interference of an RF transmit signal coming from a transmitter with a transmitter-side local signal produced by a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator and supplied to a transmitter-side modulator. Also, according to the invention, it is possible to reduce the interference on a receiver-side local signal produced by a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator and supplied to a receiver-side demodulator by an RF receive signal of a receiver.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC, which has been examined prior to the invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration showing the relation of signal frequencies at certain parts of the DUC architecture-based transmitter as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC of another style, which had been examined prior to the invention;
FIG. 5 is an illustration for explaining a mechanism of occurrence of the injection lock phenomenon in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an illustration for explaining the feature of an injection lock phenomenon occurring in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a diagram for more specifically explaining a mechanism of occurrence of an injection lock phenomenon in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is an illustration for more specifically explaining the feature of an injection lock phenomenon occurring in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 is a graph showing an effect of disturbance on a frequency region near the PLL lock frequency f0 in the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a logic divider which is included in the DUC architecture-based transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number;
FIG. 13 is a time chart showing waveforms in the logic divider as shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another configuration of the logic divider which is included in the DUC architecture-based transmitter as shown in FIG. 10 and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number;
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration of a logic divider which is included in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 17 and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number of 2.5;
FIG. 20 is a graph showing change in image rejection ratio owing to a phase error of the transmitter-side I/Q modulator according to the dividing factor of the logic divider of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC;
FIGS. 21A to 21C are a set of time charts for showing the difference in duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal when the dividing factor of the logic divider of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC is set to values of 2, 5/2 and 3/2;
FIG. 22 is a graph showing change in image rejection ratio according to the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC;
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DDC architecture-based receiver of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention, where DDC is an abbreviation of direct down-conversion;
FIG. 25 is an illustration showing the relation of signal frequencies at the certain parts of the DDC architecture-based receiver of the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 24;
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DDC architecture-based receiver of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a multiband-ready communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone equipped with an RF IC according to one embodiment of the invention as described above, an RF module incorporating an antenna switch MMIC and an RF power amplifier, and a baseband signal-processing LSI; and
FIG. 29 is an illustration showing transmit and receive bands of various communication systems for mobile phones;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 1. Summary of the Preferred Embodiments
First, the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed will be presented in outline. In the description here, the reference numerals, characters or signs to refer to the drawings, which are accompanied with paired round brackets, only exemplify what the concepts of components referred to by the numerals, characters or signs contain.
[1] A transceiver according to a preferred embodiment of the invention has a receiver including a receiver-side demodulator for converting a received RF receive signal into an analog receive signal, and a transmitter including a transmitter-side modulator for converting an analog transmit signal into an RF transmit signal.
The transmitter further includes a digital-to-analog converter (9,10) for converting a digital transmit signal (I, Q) into the analog transmit signal (I′, Q′). The transmitter further includes: a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator (4); and a transmitter-side divider (3) for frequency-dividing a transmitter-side oscillating output signal (φ0) produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator thereby to produce a first transmitter-side local signal (φITx-LO) and a second transmitter-side local signal (φQTx-LO) to be supplied to the transmitter-side modulator. The dividing factor of the transmitter-side divider is set to a non-integral number larger than one. The transmitter-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second transmitter-side local signals differing in phase (see FIG. 12).
The first and second transmitter-side local signals produced by the transmitter-side divider make a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined local offset angle. The digital transmit signal consists of a pair of quadrature transmit signals having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis.
The transmitter further includes a phase-shift unit (11) for converting the pair of quadrature transmit signals into a pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined transmit signal offset angle on an analog basis.
In the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter, mixing of the pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals from the phase-shift unit, and the pair of non-quadrature local signals from the transmitter-side divider is performed.
The RF transmit signal is formed by outputs of the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter according to quadrature modulation as a result of the mixing (see FIGS. 10 and 11).
According to the above embodiment, the dividing factor of the transmitter-side divider is set to a non-integral number, and thus it becomes possible to reduce the interference on a transmitter-side local signal from the transmitter-side divider by harmonics of the RF transmit signal. The transmitter-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second transmitter-side local signals differing in phase. As a result, the amplitude of the first and second transmitter-side local signals is made the full width between the source and ground voltages, and therefore the problems of the degradation of S/N ratio and the increase of EVM (error vector magnitude) as stated in JP-A-2003-152558 can be avoided.
As a preferable embodiment, the transmitter-side modulator includes a first mixer (1), a second mixer (2) and an adder (8a). When the transmitter-side oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is supplied to the transmitter-side divider, the transmitter-side divider produces the first and second transmitter-side local signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively. An analog signal phase difference between first and second analog transmit signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively as the pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals is 90° plus a predetermined analog offset angle. The RF transmit signal is formed by an output of the adder connected to outputs of the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator.
As a more preferable embodiment, the digital transmit signal includes first and second digital transmit signals. The first and second digital transmit signals are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively. The digital-to-analog converter includes a first digital-to-analog converter supplied with a first digital shifted transmit signal from a first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and a second digital-to-analog converter supplied with second digital shifted transmit signal from a second output terminal of the phase-shift unit. The first digital shifted transmit signal from the first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and the second digital shifted transmit signal from the second output terminal are set to have a phase difference of 90° plus the predetermined transmit signal offset angle on an analog basis (see FIG. 10).
According to a more preferable embodiment, the predetermined transmit signal offset angle can be set by digital signal processing by the phase-shift unit.
As another preferable embodiment, the digital transmit signal includes first and second digital transmit signals. The digital-to-analog converter includes a first digital-to-analog converter supplied with the first digital transmit signal, and a second digital-to-analog converter supplied with the second digital transmit signal. The first analog transmit signal from the first digital-to-analog converter, and the second analog transmit signal from the second digital-to-analog converter are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively. The first and second analog transmit signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator respectively are produced in the phase-shift unit and output through first and second output terminals thereof. The first analog transmit signal arising at the first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and the second analog transmit signal arising at the second output terminal are set to have a phase difference of 90° plus the predetermined transmit signal offset angle (see FIG. 11).
According to another preferable embodiment, the predetermined transmit signal offset angle can be set by analog signal processing by the phase-shift unit.
As a specific embodiment, an oscillating frequency of the transmitter-side oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled by a phase lock loop including, in its closed loop, the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, an oscillation divider, a phase comparator and a low-pass filter.
In another specific embodiment, the sum of the predetermined local offset angle and predetermined transmit signal offset angle is substantially zero.
In another specific embodiment, the transmitter-side modulator, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, and transmitter-side divider constitute a transmitter according to one of a direct up-conversion transmitter architecture and a low-IF up-conversion transmitter architecture.
In another specific embodiment, the transmitter transmits the RF transmit signal having a frequency set within a range between about 1.7 and 2.0 GHz according to WCDMA system.
In the most specific embodiment, the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver, and the transmitter-side modulator, digital-to-analog converter, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, transmitter-side divider and phase-shift unit of the transmitter are arranged into a semiconductor chip.
As another most specific embodiment, the non-integral number of the dividing factor of the transmitter-side divider is set to a ratio of an odd number and an even number, or a ratio of different odd numbers.
[2] In view of another aspect of the invention, a transceiver according to a preferred embodiment has: a receiver including a receiver-side demodulator (1,2) for converting a received RF receive signal into an analog receive signal; and a transmitter including a transmitter-side modulator for converting an analog transmit signal into an RF transmit signal.
The receiver further includes a low-noise amplifier (85) for amplifying the RF receive signal, and a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator (4). Also, the receiver includes a receiver-side divider (3) for frequency-dividing a receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator thereby to produce a first receiver-side local signal (φIRx-LO) and a second receiver-side local signal (φQRx-LO) to be supplied to the receiver-side demodulator. Further, the receiver includes an analog-to-digital converter (89I, 89Q) for converting an analog receive signal produced in the receiver-side demodulator and output through an output thereof into a digital receive signal.
The dividing factor of the receiver-side divider is set to a non-integral number larger than one. The receiver-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second receiver-side local signals differing in phase.
The first and second receiver-side local signals produced by the receiver-side divider make a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined local offset angle.
In the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver, mixing of an RF amplified receive signal from the low-noise amplifier and the pair of non-quadrature local signals from the receiver-side divider is performed.
The analog receive signal is formed of outputs of the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver according to non-quadrature demodulation as a result of the mixing.
The analog receive signal consists of a pair of non-quadrature receive signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined receive signal offset angle.
The receiver further includes a phase-shift unit for converting the pair of non-quadrature receive signals into a pair of quadrature shifted receive signals having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis (see FIGS. 24 and 26).
According to the embodiment, the dividing factor of the receiver-side divider is set to a non-integral number, and thus it becomes possible to reduce the interference on a receiver-side local signal from the receiver-side divider by harmonics of the RF transmit signal. The receiver-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second receiver-side local signals differing in phase. As a result, the amplitude of the first and second receiver-side local signals is made the full width between the source and ground voltages, and therefore the problems of the degradation of S/N ratio and the increase of EVM (error vector magnitude) as stated in JP-A-2003-152558 can be avoided. In addition, the analog signal phase difference on an analog basis can be created by digital signal processing by the phase-shift unit.
As a preferred embodiment, the receiver-side demodulator includes a first mixer and a second mixer. When the receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator is supplied to the receiver-side divider, the receiver-side divider produces the first and second receiver-side local signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively. The pair of non-quadrature receive signals is formed as the analog receive signal by outputs of the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator supplied with the RF amplified receive signal from the low-noise amplifier.
As more preferable embodiment, the pair of non-quadrature receive signals as the analog receive signal includes first and second analog receive signals. The analog-to-digital converter includes a first analog-to-digital converter supplied with the first analog receive signal, and a second analog-to-digital converter supplied with the second analog receive signal. A first digital receive signal from an output of the first analog-to-digital converter, and a second digital receive signal from an output of the second analog-to-digital converter are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively. The first and second digital receive signals from the analog-to-digital converter have a phase difference of 90° plus an offset angle substantially equal to the predetermined receive signal offset angle on an analog basis. First and second shifted digital receive signals produced in the phase-shift unit and respectively output through first and second output terminals thereof are set to have a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis (see FIG. 24).
According to the above-described more preferable embodiment, the phase difference of about 90° can be set by digital signal processing by the phase-shift unit.
As another more preferable embodiment, the pair of non-quadrature receive signals as the analog receive signal includes first and second analog receive signals. The first and second analog receive signals are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit. The analog-to-digital converter includes a first analog-to-digital converter supplied with a first shifted analog receive signal from a first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and a second analog-to-digital converter supplied with a second shifted analog receive signal from a second output terminal of the phase-shift unit. The first and second shifted analog receive signals produced in the phase-shift unit and respectively output through the first and second output terminals thereof are set to have a phase difference of about 90°. A first shifted digital receive signal produced by the first analog-to-digital converter, and a second shifted digital receive signal produced by the second analog-to-digital converter are set to have a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis (see FIG. 26).
According to the above-described more preferable embodiment, the phase difference of about 90° can be set by analog signal processing by the phase-shift unit.
As a specific embodiment, an oscillating frequency of the receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled by a phase lock loop including, in its closed loop, the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator, an oscillation divider, a phase comparator and a low-pass filter.
As another specific embodiment, the receiver-side demodulator, receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator and receiver-side divider constitute a receiver according to one of a direct down-conversion receiver architecture, a low-IF down-conversion receiver architecture and a digital IF down-conversion receiver architecture.
As a still another specific embodiment, the receiver receives a WCDMA system RF receive signal with a frequency set between about 1.8 and 2.17 GHz.
As a further specific embodiment, the receiver-side demodulator, low-noise amplifier, receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator, transmitter-side divider, analog-to-digital converter and phase-shift unit of the receiver, and the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter are arranged into a semiconductor chip.
As a most specific embodiment, the non-integral number of the dividing factor of the receiver-side divider is set to a ratio of an odd number and an even number, or a ratio of different odd numbers.
2. Further Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Next, detailed descriptions of the embodiments will be presented. The best forms embodying the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Now, it is noted that as to all the drawings to which reference is made in describing the best forms embodying the invention, the members having identical functions are identified by the same reference numeral, and the repeated description thereof is avoided herein.
<<DUC Architecture-Based Transmitter of Communication RF IC>>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to an embodiment of the invention. The communication RF IC has a receiver which includes a receiver-side demodulator for converting a received RF receive signal into an analog receive signal, and a transmitter which includes a transmitter-side modulator for converting an analog transmit signal into an RF transmit signal. Also, the communication RF IC includes, in its semiconductor chip, a digital phase-shift unit 11, digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10, a pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting a transmitter-side I/Q modulator, a logic divider 3, a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, and a transmitter-side RF PLL circuit 5. As for the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, the dividing factor of the logic divider 3, which is connected between the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 and the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, is set to not an integral number (e.g. 2) as in the prior art, but a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number including a decimal), e.g. 3/2=1.5.
Therefore, the oscillating frequency of an oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, which ranges 2.55 to 3.0 GHz, is converted to the transmitter-side local signal frequency of a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO, which ranges 1.7 to 2.0 GHz. Also, the RF transmitter frequency of an RF transmit output signal, which is produced by the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, an adder 8a, a variable amplifier 8b, a band-pass filter 12, and an RF power amplifier 13 and output through a transmitter output terminal 14 of the transmitter, is made a frequency ranging 1.7 to 2.0 GHz. Hence, the frequency of the second harmonic with respect to the RF transmitter frequency ranges 3.4 to 4.0 GHz, and the frequency of the third harmonic with respect to the RF transmitter frequency ranges 5.1 to 6.0 GHz. Signals consisting of the second and third harmonics having such high frequencies cannot cause an injection lock phenomenon.
The logic divider 3 having a dividing factor set to a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number) such as 3/2=1.5 performs a logic operation thereby to produce a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO differing in phase. The simplest way to realize a frequency-division by 1.5 by means of a logic operation includes to set the duty ratio to 33.33 percent and set the phase difference to 120° (2π/3) so that the pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO is made High level in a period of 0.5 and Low level in a period of 1.0 (see a waveform illustration drawn on the right of the divider 3). The amplitude of the pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO is made the full width between the source and ground voltages, and therefore the problems of the degradation of S/N ratio and the increase of EVM (error vector magnitude) as stated in JP-A-2003-152558 can be avoided.
When the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 set to a non-integral number larger than one (1) is represented by N, the local signal phase difference between the first transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO and the second transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO is represented by π/N. In the case of N=1.5 as in the example of the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, the local signal phase difference is derived as follows: 180°/1.5=120°. It is common for quadrature modulation that the local signal phase difference between the first transmitter-side local signal and the second transmitter-side local signal is 90°. However, in this case, the local signal phase difference between the first and second transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO is 120° involving local offset angles of 90° and +30°.
Consequently, the paired transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO supplied to one input terminals of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator by the logic divider 3 with its dividing factor N set to a non-integral number of 1.5 have therebetween a phase difference of not 90° (π/2) as in conventional cases, but 120° (2π/3). The pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO having a phase difference of 120° (2π/3) like this is formed by the logic divider 3, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 and RF phase-locked loop circuit 5. The transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 oscillates e.g. at a stable frequency ranging 2.55 to 3.0 GHz under the control of the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5. The divider 3 implements a dividing operation with a dividing factor of 3/2 (i.e. 1.5) in response to an oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4. Thus, a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) having a cycle substantially 1.5 times the cycle of the oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 is produced and launched from outputs of the divider 3. As shown in the waveform illustration drawn on the right of the divider 3, the paired transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) have a phase difference of 120° (2π/3). Also, as shown in a lower portion of FIG. 10, the transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO on the I-axis and the transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO(18) having an angle of +30° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 120° (2π/3) therebetween.
Meanwhile, to perform an accurate quadrature modulation by use of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, analog baseband transmit signals I′ and Q′ supplied to the other input terminals of the paired mixers 1 and 2 have a phase difference of not 90° (π/2) as in conventional cases, but 60° (π/3) therebetween. As shown in the lower portion of FIG. 10, the analog baseband transmit signal I′ on the I-axis, and the analog baseband transmit signal Q′ having an angle of −30° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 60° (π/3) therebetween. In other words, the analog signal phase difference between the first analog transmit signal I′ and second analog transmit signal Q′, which are supplied to the first mixer 1 and second mixer 2 respectively, involves analog offset angles of 90° and −30°. In addition, the sum of the local offset angle of +30° and the analog offset angle of −30° is zero.
Thus, in one mixer, i.e. mixer 1, an analog multiplication signal I′I•φITx-LO on the I-axis is formed by analog multiplication of the analog baseband transmit signal I′ on the I-axis and the transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO on the I-axis. Further, in the other mixer 2, an analog multiplication signal Q′•φQTx-LO on the Q-axis is formed by analog multiplication of the analog baseband transmit signal Q′ having an angle of −30° with respect to the Q-axis, and the transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO having an angle of +30° with respect to the Q-axis. Hence, the analog multiplication signal I′•IφITx-LO on the I axis, which comes from the one mixer 1, and the analog multiplication signal Q′•φQTx-LO on the Q-axis, which comes from the other mixer 2 have therebetween a phase difference of 90° (π/2) exactly, and therefore it becomes possible to perform an accurate quadrature modulation.
The transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 oscillates at a stable frequency ranging 2.55 to 3.0 GHz, and in parallel the divider 3 implements a dividing operation with a dividing factor of 3/2 (=1.5), and thus the RF frequency of an RF transmit signal RF_TX resulting from combination of outputs of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 by the adder 8a falls between 1.7 and 2.0 GHz. The RF transmit signal resulting from the combination by the adder 8a is amplified by the variable-gain amplifier 8b, made to pass through the band-pass filter 12, and then amplified by the RF power amplifier 13 outside the RF IC chip. In this way, an RF transmit output signal is supplied to a transmitting antenna from the output terminal 14 of the DUC architecture-based transmitter. Now, the following is recommended for the band-pass filter 12. That is, the band-pass filter 12 has a transmission property such that waveform distortion owing to the dividing operation by the divider 3 using the dividing factor of 3/2 (=1.5) is suppressed.
The frequency of an RF transmit output signal launched from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter is set to be a non-integer multiple of the oscillating frequency of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the occurrence of the injection lock phenomenon that the oscillating frequency of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 is locked by fundamental wave components and second and third harmonic components of an RF transmit output signal launched from the output terminal 14 of the transmitter.
Even in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, the oscillating frequency f0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 is controlled by an RF phase-lock loop 5 including the divider 31, the phase comparator 32, the charge pump circuit 33 and the low-pass filter 34 as shown in FIG. 7. When the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10 is adopted, the occurrence of an injection lock phenomenon can be avoided not only in the center portion 35 of the PLL lock frequency f0 as shown in FIG. 8, but also both in the low-frequency region 36 below the center portion 35 and the high-frequency region 37 above it. Now, it is noted for the RF phase-lock loop 5 as shown in FIG. 7 that when the reference frequency fREF of a system-reference oscillator, which is to be supplied to the other input terminal of the phase comparator 32, is set to 26. 0 MHz, and the dividing factor M of the divider 31 is set to 10.196, the oscillating frequency f0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 can be made 2.55 MHz. In addition, when the dividing factor M of the divider 31 is set to 8.667, the oscillating frequency f0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 can be made 3.00 MHz. When the divider 31 having a dividing factor M including an integral number as well as a decimal is constituted by a ΔΣ modulator, the RF phase-lock loop 5 as shown in FIG. 7 makes a ΔΣ fractional PLL circuit. Now, it is noted that the system-reference oscillator includes a quartz oscillator, and produces a stable and accurate reference frequency fREF of 26.0 MHz in response to supply of an AFC (automatic frequency control signal) from a baseband signal-processing unit.
<<Digital Phase-Shift Unit>>
In regard to the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, the analog phase difference of 60° (π/3) between the analog baseband transmit signal I′ and analog baseband transmit signal Q′ is produced by the digital phase-shift unit 11 effectively. Digital baseband transmit signals I and Q from a digital baseband signal-processing unit such as a digital baseband signal-processing LSI (not shown) are supplied to input terminals 15b and 16b of the digital phase-shift unit 11. The two digital baseband transmit signals I and Q have digital values and a phase difference of 90° (π/2) on an analog basis. In response to digital baseband transmit signals I and Q, the digital phase-shift unit 11 produces two phase-shifted digital baseband transmit signals having a phase difference of 60° (π/3) on an analog basis. The two phase-shifted digital baseband transmit signals are converted into analog signals by the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10, whereby the analog baseband transmit signals I′ and Q′ having a phase difference of 60° (π/3) can be produced.
<<Transmitter including Analog Phase-Shift Unit>>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 11, digital baseband transmit signals I(t) and Q(t) having a phase difference of 90° (π/2) on an analog basis are supplied to input terminals 15b and 16b of digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10. Then, analog baseband transmit signals launched from outputs of the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10 are supplied to input terminals 15 and 16 of an analog phase-shift unit 11. The analog phase-shift unit 11 executes a matrix operation on the analog baseband transmit signals (I(t) and Q(t) thus supplied using the matrix as described below. Thus, two phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signals I′ (t) and Q′(t) arise at output terminals 19 and 20 of the analog phase-shift unit 11.
( I ′ ( t ) Q ′ ( t ) ) = [ 1 tan ( π 6 ) 0 1 cos ( π 6 ) ] × ( I ( t ) Q ( t ) )
One mixer 1 constituting a transmitter-side I/Q modulator executes an analog multiplication of one phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal I′(t)=I(t)+tan(π/6)•Q(t) and one transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO=cos(ωt). The other mixer 2 performs an analog multiplication of the other phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal Q′ (t)=Q(t)/cos(π/6) and the other transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO=sin(ωt−(π/6)). The transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO have a phase difference of 120° (2π/3), and the phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signals I′ (t) and Q′ (t) have a phase difference of 60° (π/3). As a result, an accurate quadrature modulation output signal SOUT can be obtained from an adder 8a connected with outputs of the mixers 1 and 2.
<<Logic Divider>>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of the logic divider 3 which is included in the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 10 and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number). To an input terminal 48 thereof, a clock signal CLK is supplied as the oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4. The clock signal having come to the input terminal 48 is directly supplied to a trigger input terminal of a 2-divider 42 composed of a 1-bit counter, and in parallel, supplied to a trigger input terminal of a 2-divider 41 composed of a 1-bit counter through an inverter 43. The 2-dividers 41 and 42 respond to only negative edges supplied to the trigger input terminals without responding to positive edges, to invert their output states, and execute a dividing operation with a dividing factor of 2. The 2-dividers 41 and 42 form output signals a and b having a phase difference of 120° (2π/3), from which two inverters subsequent to the 2-dividers form inverted signals aB and bB. The output signals a and b and inverted signals aB and bB are supplied to four AND circuits AND1 to AND4. From outputs of the four AND circuits AND1 to AND4, logical signals a*bB, aB*bB, aB*b, and a*b are produced. The four logical signals are supplied to multiplexer 45 and select logic 46, and then 4-bit select signals to be supplied from the select logic 46 to the multiplexer 45 are formed. In other words, the select logic 46 is a state machine, which selects input signals to be input to the multiplexer 45 according to the changes in complicated combinations of logic levels of logical signals a*bB, aB*bB, aB*b, and a*b.
FIG. 13 is a time chart showing waveforms in the logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 12. A pair of transmitter-side local signals φItx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) having a phase difference of 120° (2π/3) are produced and output through output terminals 47a and 47b of the logic divider 3.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another configuration of the logic divider 3 which is included in the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC according to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 10 and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number). To the input terminal 48 shown in FIG. 14, a clock signal CLK, which is a signal twice the frequency of an oscillating output signal φ0 launched from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, is supplied. The logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 14 includes a counter formed by connecting six delay-type flip-flops (FF) 59 to 64 in a loop. Herein, the term “flip-flop” is sometimes abbreviated to “FF”. The six delay-type FF 59 to 64 each latch therein an input signal supplied to their sampling input terminals S in response to a negative edge supplied to their trigger input terminals. A positive edge of the clock signal CLK is supplied to a trigger input terminal of each of the first, third and fifth delay-type FFs 59, 61 and 63, whereas to a trigger input terminal of each of the second, fourth and sixth delay-type FFs 60, 62 and 64, a positive edge of an inverted clock signal CLKB resulting from inversion by the corresponding inverter is supplied.
The clock signal entered through the input terminal 48 is directly supplied to a trigger input terminal of a 2-divider 81 composed of a 1-bit counter. Then, an output signal D0 resulting from frequency-division of the clock signal CLK by 2 is produced in the 2-divider 81 and output through an output terminal 72 thereof. The output signal D0 resulting from frequency-division by 2 can be used as the oscillating output signal φ0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 of the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 10. To input terminals of an AND circuit 82, a select signal SELL of High level and an input signal D1 to the first delay-type FF 59 are supplied respectively. To input terminals of an AND circuit 83, a select signal SEL2 of High level and an input signal D3 to the third delay-type FF 61 are supplied respectively.
FIG. 15 is a time chart showing waveforms in the logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 14. With the aid of the AND circuits 82 and 83, the input signals D1 and D3 can be output as a pair of transmitter-side local signals φItx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) having a phase difference of 120° (2π/3).
<<Transmitter Including Another Analog Phase-Shift Unit>>
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. In the transmitter as shown in FIG. 16, digital baseband transmit signals I and Q supplied to input terminals 15 and 16 have digital values and a phase difference of 90° (π/2) on an analog basis. As digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10 convert the digital baseband transmit signals I and Q into analog signals, the resultant analog baseband signals I and Q having a phase difference of 90° (n/2) are supplied to an analog phase-shift unit 11. The analog phase-shift unit 11 includes a first analog amplifier 74a with an input connected with an analog output of the digital-to-analog converter 9, and a second analog amplifier 75 with an input connected with an analog output of the digital-to-analog converter 10. An analog output from the digital-to-analog converter 9 is directly supplied to an input of a low-pass filter 6 as a phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal I′ (t). On the side of output terminals of the first and second analog amplifiers 74a and 75 of the analog phase-shift unit 11, analog signals corresponding to the digital baseband transmit signals I and Q are combined, whereby a phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal Q′ (t) is produced. As shown in a lower portion of FIG. 10, the phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal Q′ (t) has a phase difference corresponding to an angle of −30° with respect to the Q-axis.
Further, in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 16, the divider 3 executes a dividing operation with a dividing factor of 3/2 (=1.5) in response to an oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 as in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10. Thus, the divider 3 produces a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) about 1.5 times the frequency of the oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, and the paired signals are output through outputs of the divider. As shown in a waveform illustration drawn on the right of the divider 3, the pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) has a phase difference of 120° (2π/3). Further, as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 16, the transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO(17) on the I-axis and the transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO(18) having an angle of +30° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 120° (2π/3).
To perform an accurate quadrature modulation by use of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, the phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signals I′ (t) and Q′ (t) supplied to the other input terminals of the paired mixers 1 and 2 have a phase difference of 60° (π/3) therebetween. That is, as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 16, the phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal I′ (t) on the I-axis and the phase-shifted analog baseband transmit signal Q′ (t) having an angle of −30° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 60° (π/3) therebetween.
Hence, as in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, also in the transmitter as shown in FIG. 16, the analog multiplication signal I′•φITx-LO on the I-axis, which comes from the one mixer 1, and the analog multiplication signal Q′•φQTx-LO on the Q-axis, which comes from the other mixer 2, have therebetween a phase difference of 90° (π/2) exactly, and therefore it becomes possible to perform an accurate quadrature modulation.
<<Transmitter including a Divider with another Dividing Factor>>
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. Unlike the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10, a divider 3 of the transmitter as shown in FIG. 17 executes a dividing operation in the condition where the dividing factor N of a non-integral number is 5/2 (=2.5). Therefore, the oscillating frequency of an oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, which ranges 4.25 to 5.0 GHz, is converted to the transmitter-side local signal frequency of a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO, which ranges 1.7 to 2.0 GHz. Also, the RF transmitter frequency of an RF transmit output signal, which is produced by a pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting a transmitter-side I/Q modulator, an adder 8a, a variable amplifier 8b, a band-pass filter 12, and an RF power amplifier 13, and output through a transmitter output terminal 14 of the transmitter, becomes a frequency ranging 1.7 to 2.0 GHz. Hence, the frequency of the second harmonic with respect to the RF transmitter frequency ranges 3.4 to 4.0 GHz, and the frequency of the third harmonic with respect to the RF transmitter frequency ranges 5.1 to 6.0 GHz. Signals consisting of the second and third harmonics having such high frequencies cannot cause an injection lock phenomenon.
Now, the logic divider 3 having a dividing factor N set to a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number) such as 5/2=2.5 performs a logic operation thereby to produce a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO differing in phase. The simplest way to realize a frequency-division by 2.5 by means of a logic operation includes to set the duty ratio to 40 percent and set the phase difference to 72° (π/N=2π/5) so that the pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO is made High level in a period of 0.4 and Low level in a period of 0.6 (see a waveform illustration drawn on the right of the divider 3). As a result, the amplitude of the pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO becomes the full width between the source and ground voltages, and therefore the problems of the degradation of S/N ratio and the increase of EVM (error vector magnitude) as stated in JP-A-2003-152558 can be avoided.
Consequently, the paired transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO supplied to one input terminals of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator by the logic divider 3 have therebetween a phase difference of not 90° (π/2) as in conventional cases, but 72° (2π/5). The pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO and φQTx-LO having a phase difference of 72° (2π/5) like this is formed by the logic divider 3, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 and RF phase-locked loop circuit 5. The transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 oscillates e.g. at a stable frequency ranging 4.25 to 5.0 GHz under the control of the RF phase-locked loop circuit 5. The divider 3 implements a dividing operation with a dividing factor of 5/2 (i.e. 2.5) in response to an oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4. Thus, a pair of transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) having a cycle substantially 2.5 times the cycle of the oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 is produced and launched from outputs of the divider 3. As shown in the waveform illustration drawn on the right of the divider 3, the paired transmitter-side local signals φITx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18) have a phase difference of 72° (2π/5). Also, as shown in a lower portion of FIG. 17, the transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO on the I-axis and the transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO(18) having an angle of −18° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 72° (2π/5) therebetween.
Meanwhile, to perform an accurate quadrature modulation by use of the pair of mixers 1 and 2 constituting the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, analog baseband transmit signals I′ and Q′ supplied to the other input terminals of the paired mixers 1 and 2 have a phase difference of not 90° (π/2) as in conventional cases, but 108° (3π/5) therebetween. As shown in the lower portion of FIG. 17, the analog baseband transmit signal I′ on the I-axis, and the analog baseband transmit signal Q′ having an angle of +18° with respect to the Q-axis have a phase difference of 108° (3π/5) therebetween.
Thus, in one mixer, i.e. mixer 1, an analog multiplication signal I′•φITx-LO on the I-axis is formed by analog multiplication of the analog baseband transmit signal I′ on the I-axis and the transmitter-side local signal φITx-LO on the I-axis. Further, in the other mixer 2, an analog multiplication signal Q′•φQTx-LO on the Q-axis is formed by analog multiplication of the analog baseband transmit signal Q′ having an angle of +18° with respect to the Q-axis, and the transmitter-side local signal φQTx-LO having an angle of −18° with respect to the Q-axis. Hence, the analog multiplication signal I′•φITx-LO on the I axis, which comes from the one mixer 1, and the analog multiplication signal Q′•φQTx-LO on the Q-axis, which comes from the other mixer 2 have therebetween a phase difference of 90° (π/2) exactly, and therefore it becomes possible to perform an accurate quadrature modulation.
<<Other Digital Phase-Shift Unit>>
In the transmitter as shown in FIG. 17, the phase difference of 108° (3π/5) between the analog baseband transmit signals I′ and Q′ is produced by the digital phase-shift unit 11 as shown in FIG. 17. Digital baseband transmit signals I and Q from a digital baseband signal-processing unit such as a digital baseband signal-processing LSI (not shown) are supplied to input terminals 15 and 16 of the digital phase-shift unit 11. The two digital baseband transmit signals I and Q have digital values and a phase difference of 90° (π/2) on an analog basis. In response to digital baseband transmit signals I and Q, the digital phase-shift unit 11 produces two phase-shifted digital baseband transmit signals having a phase difference of 108° (3π/5) on an analog basis. The two phase-shifted digital baseband transmit signals are converted into analog signals by the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10, whereby the analog baseband transmit signals I′ and Q′ having a phase difference of 108° (3π/5) can be produced.
<<Other Logic Divider>>
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration of a logic divider 3 which is included in the transmitter according to the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 17 and has a dividing factor set to a non-integral number of 2.5. To the input terminal 48, a clock signal CLK, which is an oscillating output signal φ0 from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, is supplied. The logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 18 is similar to the logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 14.
The logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 18 includes a counter formed by connecting five master and slave flip-flops 77 to 81, each including two delay-type flip-flops (FF) in a loop. Each delay-type FF latches therein an input signal supplied to a sampling input terminal S thereof in response to a negative edge supplied to the trigger input terminal. A negative edge of the clock signal CLK is supplied to a trigger input terminal of each of odd-numbered delay-type FFs, whereas to a trigger input terminal of each of the even-numbered delay-type FFs, a negative edge of an inverted clock signal CLKB resulting from inversion by the corresponding inverter is supplied.
The clock signal entered through the input terminal 48 is directly supplied to a trigger input terminal of a 2-divider 81 composed of a 1-bit counter. Then, an output signal D0 resulting from frequency-division of the clock signal CLK by 2 is produced in the 2-divider 81 and output through an output terminal 72 thereof. The output signal D0 resulting from frequency-division by 2 can be used as the oscillating output signal φ0 of the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 of the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 17. To input terminals of an OR circuit 82, the first delay input signal D1 and the third delay FF input signal D3 are supplied respectively. To input terminals of an OR circuit 83, the second delay input signal D2 and the fourth delay FF input signal D4 are supplied respectively.
FIG. 19 is a time chart showing waveforms in the logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 18. With the aid of the OR circuits 82 and 83, OR output signals D1+D3 and D2+D4 having a phase difference of 72° (2π/5) can be output as a pair of transmitter-side local signals φItx-LO(17) and φQTx-LO(18).
<<Change in Image Rejection Ratio Owing to Phase Error of Transmitter-Side I/Q Modulator>>
FIG. 20 is a graph showing change in image rejection ratio owing to a phase error of the transmitter-side I/Q modulator according to the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC. In the drawing, the horizontal axis PE shows a phase error of a pair of transmitter-side local signals supplied to the transmitter-side I/Q modulator, or a phase error of a pair of analog baseband transmit signals; the vertical axis IS shows an image rejection ratio.
When the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 of the transmitter is set to a typical value of 2 (2 DIV), the image rejection ratio with respect to the change in phase difference is large, and a good property is achieved. When the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is set to a value of 3/2 (=1.5) as in the cases of the transmitters according to the embodiments of the invention as shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 16 (3/2 DIV), the image rejection ratio with respect to the change in phase difference is smaller, and the property is not so good. When the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is set to a value of 5/2 (=2.5) as in the case of the transmitter according to the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 17 (5/2 DIV), the image rejection ratio with respect to the change in phase difference is between the curves of the dividing factors 2 and 3/2, and a relatively better property can be achieved.
<<Change in Image Rejection Ratio According to Duty Ratio of the Transmitter-Side Local Signal>>
FIG. 22 is a graph showing change in image rejection ratio according to the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC.
FIGS. 21A to 21C are a set of time charts for showing the difference in duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal when the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 of the DUC architecture-based transmitter of the communication RF IC is set to values of 2, 5/2 and 3/2. FIG. 21A shows the transmitter-side local signal when the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is set to 2, and the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal is 50 percent. FIG. 21B shows the transmitter-side local signal when the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is set to 5/2, and the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal is 40 percent. FIG. 21C shows the transmitter-side local signal when the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is set to 3/2, and the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal is 33 percent.
The horizontal axis of FIG. 22 shows the duty ratio of the transmitter-side local signal of the transmitter, and the vertical axis IS shows the image rejection ratio. In comparison with the case of the dividing factor of 2, when the dividing factor is changed to 5/2 and 3/2, the image rejection ratio according to the second harmonic is made smaller. However, when the dividing factor is set to 3/2, the image rejection ratio according to the third harmonic is remarkably large, and a good property is achieved.
<<Other Transmitter>>
For example, FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DUC architecture-based transmitter of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. The transmitter shown in FIG. 23 differs from the transmitter as shown in FIG. 10 in that a notch filter 84 is additionally provided between an output of the variable-gain amplifier 8b and the band-pass filter 12. The notch filter 84 reduces the second harmonic when the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 is 5/2 and 3/2.
It is noted that the dividing factor of the logic divider 3 may be set to non-integral numbers such as 4/3 (=1.333), 8/5 (=1.6), 5/3 (=1.666), 7/4 (=1.75), 7/3 (=2.333), 8/3 (=2.666) and 7/2 (=3.5) in addition to 5/2 (=2.5) and 3/2 (=1.5).
<<Direct Down-Conversion Architecture-Based Receiver of Communication RF IC>>
The invention is applicable to not only a transmitter having a modulator including a pair of transmitter-side mixers but also a receiver having a demodulator including a pair of receiver-side mixers. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DDC architecture-based receiver of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. Incidentally, DDC is an abbreviation of direct down-conversion. The communication RF IC has a receiver which includes a receiver-side demodulator for converting a received RF receive signal into an analog receive signal, and a transmitter which includes a transmitter-side modulator for converting an analog transmit signal into an RF transmit signal. Also, the communication RF IC includes, in its semiconductor chip, a low-noise amplifier 85, mixers 86I and 86Q of the receiver-side demodulator, low-pass filters LPF, variable-gain amplifiers VGA, analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q, a digital phase-shift unit 90, a divider 3, a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, and a receiver-side RF PLL circuit 5.
As shown in FIG. 24, an RF receive signal received through an antenna ANT of a mobile phone is applied to an input terminal 91 of the receiver, made to pass through a band-pass filter 92, and supplied to an input terminal of the low-noise amplifier 85. An RF amplification output signal output by the low-noise amplifier 85 is supplied to one input terminals of the first and second mixers 86I and 86Q of the receiver-side demodulator. To the other input terminals of the first and second mixers 86I and 86Q of the receiver-side demodulator, a first receiver-side local signal φIRx_LO and a second receiver-side local signal φQRx_LO are supplied from the logic divider 3. A receiver-side oscillating output signal φ0 produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4 under the control of the receiver-side RF PLL circuit 5 is supplied to an input terminal of the logic divider 3, whereby the first and second receiver-side local signals φIRx_LO and φQRx_LO are produced by the logic divider 3. In addition, the receiver-side RF PLL circuit 5 can be arranged substantially in the same way as the PLL circuit as shown in FIG. 7 is.
The dividing factor of the receiver-side logic divider 3 is set to not an integral number (e.g. 2) as in the prior art, but a non-integral number (i.e. a fractional number including a decimal), e.g. 3/2=1.5.
Therefore, the oscillating frequency of an oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, which ranges 2.7 to 3.255 GHz, is shifted to the receiver-side local signal frequency of a pair of receiver-side local signals φIRx_LO and φQRx_LO, which ranges 1.8 to 2.17 GHz. The frequency of RF receive signals of Band3, Band1 and Band4 of WCDMA ranges 1.805 to 2.17 GHz approximately, and therefore the receiver as shown in FIG. 24 can receive the WCDMA RF receive signals. Further, as the dividing factor of the receiver-side logic divider 3 is set to a non-integral number such as 1.5, the receiver-side local signal frequency of the pair of receiver-side local signals φIRx_LO and φQRs_LO can be prevented from being subject to interference under the influence of harmonics affected by strong intensities of the receive fields of the WCDMA RF receive signals.
FIG. 25 is an illustration showing the relation of signal frequencies at the certain parts of the DDC architecture-based receiver of the communication RF IC as shown in FIG. 24. As shown in a left portion of FIG. 25, frequency signal components of the WCDMA RF receive signal 23 are distributed near the receiver-side local signal 22 having a receiver-side local signal frequency fRx_LO (=fRx). Also, as in FIG. 25, at a nearly central portion, there is an oscillating output signal 37 from the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4, which has an oscillating frequency fRx_VCO (=1.5fRx). Further, as in FIG. 25, at a right portion, harmonic signals (of a frequency 2fRx) affected by the strong intensity of the receive field of a WCDMA RF receive signal are distributed.
The receiver-side logic divider 3 of the receiver as shown in FIG. 24 may be composed of the circuit as shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 14. Therefore, the phase difference between paired receiver-side local signals φIRx_LO and φQRx_LO produced by the receiver-side logic divider 3 is made not 90° (π/2) but 120° (2π/3). As a result, the phase difference between paired receive analog baseband signals offered from outputs of the first and second mixers 86I and 86Q of the receiver-side demodulator is made not 90° (π/2) but 120° (2π/3). The pair of receive analog baseband signals having the phase difference of 120° (2π/3) is supplied to input terminals of the pair of analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q through the low-pass filters 87Ia, 87Qa, 87Ib, 87Qb, 87Ic and 87Qc, and variable-gain amplifiers 88Ia, 88Qa, 88Ib and 88Qb. Therefore, the digital receive baseband signals I′ (t) and Q′ (t) launched from the output terminals of the pair of analog-to-digital converters also have the phase difference of about 120° (2π/3) on an analog basis. The data translation unit 90 having a pair of input terminals connected with the output terminals of the pair of analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q converts the digital receive baseband signals I′ (t) and Q′(t) into phase-shifted digital baseband signals I and Q and outputs the resultant signals through the pair of output terminals 91 and 92. With the aid of the phase-shift function of the data translation unit 90, the phase-shifted digital baseband signals I and Q offered through the pair of output terminals 91 and 92 have a phase difference of about 90° (π/2) on an analog basis. Hence, accurate quadrature demodulated digital baseband signals can be obtained through the pair of output terminals 91 and 92, which can be processed in the baseband signal-processing unit.
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a primary portion of a DDC architecture-based receiver of a communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. In comparison to the receiver as shown in FIG. 24, the receiver as shown in FIG. 26 is different in the place where the data translation unit 90 is connected and its phase-shift function. Specifically, in the receiver as shown in FIG. 26, the data translation unit 90 is connected between output terminals of low-pass filters 87Ic and 87Qc and input terminals of analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q. Therefore, the data translation unit 90 as shown in FIG. 26 directly converts, in analog, a pair of analog baseband receive signals I′(t) and Q′ (t) having a phase difference of 120° (2π/3), which arise at output terminals of the low-pass filters 87Ic and 87Qc, into a pair of phase-shifted analog baseband signals I and Q having a phase difference of about 90° (π/2), and supplies the resultant signals to the input terminals of the analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q. Hence, also with the receiver as shown in FIG. 26, accurate quadrature demodulated digital baseband signals can be obtained through the pair of output terminals 91 and 92, which can be processed in the baseband signal-processing unit.
Now, the invention is not limited to the DUC architecture and DDC architecture, where DUC stands for direct up-conversion, and DDC stands for direct down-conversion. For instance, the invention is applicable to a low-IF down-conversion receiver architecture that an RF receive signal is converted into a receive signal of a relatively low intermediate frequency. Also, it is applicable to a low-IF up-conversion transmitter architecture that a transmit signal of a relatively low intermediate frequency is converted into an RF transmit signal.
Also, a digital IF down-conversion receiver architecture can be adopted for the receiver as shown in FIG. 24. According to the architecture, the receiver-side mixers 86I and 86Q perform first down-conversion to convert an RF receive signal into a first intermediate frequency signal, and the analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q are composed of band-pass ΔΣ modulators. The analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q composed of band-pass ΔΣ modulators can implement the analog-to-digital conversion involving second down-conversion from analog signals consisting of the first intermediate frequency signals into digital baseband receive signals.
In addition, the invention is not limited, in its application, to transceivers according to WCDMA system. The invention is also applicable to transceivers according to DCS1800 and PCS1900 of GSM, which send and receive RF signals of about 2 GHz, and transceivers by means of 2-GHz-wireless LANs.
<<Multiband-Ready Communication RF IC>>
FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a multiband-ready communication RF IC according to another embodiment of the invention. The communication RF IC can receive and transmit signals of Band1, Band2 and Band 5 of WCDMA system, and signals according to GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800 and PCS1900 systems.
FIG. 29 is an illustration showing transmit and receive bands of various communication systems for mobile phones. In an upper portion of FIG. 29, transmit and receive bands of WCDMA system are shown. In the case of Band5 (the area of which is the U.S.A.), which is the lowest WCDMA-system frequency band, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 824 to 849 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 869 to 894 MHz. Likewise, in the case of Band2 of WCDMA system (the area of which is Europe), the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1850 to 1910 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1930 to 1990 MHz. Further, in the case of Band1 (the area of which is the U.S.A.), which is the highest WCDMA-system frequency band in UMTS standards, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1920 to 1980 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 2110 to 2170 MHz.
Also, there are other WCDMA system communications except these. In the case of Band6 (the area of which is Japan), a lower WCDMA-system frequency band, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 830 to 840 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 875 to 885 MHz. In the case of Band4 (the area of which is U.S.A.), which is a WCDMA-system frequency band, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1710 to 1775 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 2110 to 2155 MHz. In the case of Band3 (the area of which is Europe), which is a WCDMA-system frequency band, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1710 to 1785 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1805 to 1880 MHz.
In a lower portion of FIG. 29 are shown transmit and receive bands of communication systems other than WCDMA system. In the case of GSM850, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 824 to 849 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 869 to 894 MHz. In the case of GSM900, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 880 to 915 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 925 to 960 MHz. In the case of DCS1800, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1710 to 1785 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1805 to 1880 MHz. In the case of PCS1900, the frequency band of RF transmit signals TX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1850 to 1910 MHz, whereas the frequency band of RF receive signals RX of wireless communication terminals ranges 1930 to 1990 MHz. As stated above, for any frequency bands, FDD system that the receive band frequency RX is higher than the transmit band frequency TX is adopted. Incidentally, FDD is an abbreviation of Frequency Division Duplex.
The circuit RX_SPU_WCDMA in an upper portion of the RF IC as shown in FIG. 27 is a circuit for receive in Band1, Band2 and Band5 of WCDMA system. The circuit TX_SPU_WCDMA in a lower portion of the RF IC as shown in FIG. 27 is a circuit for transmission in Band1, Band2 and Band5 of WCDMA system. The circuit RX_SPU_GSM above a central portion of the RF IC as shown in FIG. 27 is a circuit for receive in frequency bands of GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800 and PCS1900. The circuit TX_SPU_GSM below the central portion of the RF IC as shown in FIG. 27 is a circuit for transmission in frequency bands of GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800 and PCS1900.
The circuit Frct_Synth in the central portion of the RF IC as shown in FIG. 27 is a fractional synthesizer for forming receive and transmit local signals of the RF IC. The fractional synthesizer Frct_Synth includes a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO, a phase lock loop (PLL) 5 incorporating a system reference voltage-controlled oscillator (DCX-VCO), dividers and switches.
As for any communication systems, in “Receive mode” outputs of the WCDMA receive circuit RX_SPU_WCDMA or outputs of other systems' receive circuit RX_SPU_GSM form I and Q analog baseband receive signals. The resultant signals are made to pass through low-pass filters 87I and 87Q, and supplied to analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q thereby to be converted into I and Q digital baseband receive signals. The resultant digital signals are made to pass through a digital phase-shift unit 90Rx and a receiver-system digital interface 14, and then supplied to a baseband signal-processing LSI. As to a logic divider 3Rx_WCDMA of the WCDMA receive circuit RX_SPU_WCDMA as shown in FIG. 27, the phase difference of a pair of receiver-side local signals supplied to a pair of receiver-side mixers 86I and 86Q in response to an oscillating output from the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO is set to 120° (2π/3) as in the cases of the logic dividers 3 as shown in FIGS. 24 and 26. Also, with a logic divider 3Rx_GSM of the other systems' receive circuit RX_SPU_GSM as shown in FIG. 27, the phase difference of a pair of receiver-side local signals supplied to a pair of receiver-side mixers RX_MIX_I and RX_MIX_Q in response to an oscillating output from the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO is set to 120° (2π/3) as in the cases of the logic dividers 3 as shown in FIGS. 24 and 26. The digital phase-shift unit 90Rx connected with the analog-to-digital converters 89I and 89Q performs data translation so that two digital receive signals obtained from two output terminals have a phase difference of 90° on an analog basis as in the case of the digital phase-shift unit 90 as shown in FIG. 24, which is common to receives in WCDMA system and receives in GSM system.
In reverse, digital baseband transmit signals TxDBI and TxDBQ from the baseband signal-processing LSI are received through a transmitter-system digital interface 37 of the RF IC, and then subjected to data translation by a digital phase-shift unit 11Tx. Digital baseband transmit input signals at two input terminals of the digital phase-shift unit 11Tx have a phase difference of 90 on an analog basis. However, digital shifted signals at two output terminals of the digital phase-shift unit 11Tx have an analog signal phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined analog offset angle on an analog basis. The digital shifted signals arising at the two output terminals of the digital phase-shift unit 11Tx are converted into analog baseband signals by digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10. The analog signal phase difference between the analog baseband signals arising at outputs of the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10 is 90° plus a predetermined analog offset angle.
In transmission according to WCDMA system, analog baseband signals arising at the outputs of the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10 are supplied to one input terminals of a pair of transmitter-side mixers 1 and 2 through low-pass filters 6 and 7 of the WCDMA transmit circuit TX_SPU_WCDMA. An oscillating output of a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Tx-VCO_WCDMA controlled by a transmitter-side RF PLL circuit 5 is supplied to a logic divider 3Tx_WCDMA. Also, as to the logic divider 3Tx_WCDMA of the WCDMA transmit circuit TX_SPU_WCDMA as shown in FIG. 27, the local signal phase difference of the pair of transmitter-side local signals supplied to the paired transmitter-side mixers 1 and 2 in response to an oscillating output from the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Tx-VCO_WCDMA is 90° plus a predetermined local offset angle as in the case of the logic divider 3 as shown in FIG. 10. The sum of the predetermined local offset angle and the predetermined analog offset angle is substantially zero, which enables an accurate quadrature modulation by a transmitter-side modulator including one pair of transmitter-side mixers 1 and 2 and an adder 8a.
In transmission according to GSM system, analog baseband signals arising at the outputs of the digital-to-analog converters 9 and 10 are supplied to one input terminals of a pair of transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q of other systems' transmit circuit TX_SPU_GSM. An oscillation signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO controlled by the PLL circuit 5 of the fractional synthesizer Frct_Synth is supplied to a logic divider 3Tx_GSM through an intermediate frequency divider DIV2(1/NIF). Also, for the logic divider 3Tx_GSM of the other systems' transmit circuit TX_SPU_GSM as shown in FIG. 27, the local signal phase difference of a pair of transmitter-side intermediate-frequency local signals supplied to the pair of transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q in response to an intermediate frequency signal from an output of the divider DIV2 (1/NIF) is 90° plus a predetermined local offset angle. The sum of the predetermined local offset angle and the predetermined analog offset angle is substantially zero, which enables an accurate quadrature modulation by a transmitter-side modulator including one pair of transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q and an adder.
The transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL is required to cope with transmit operations in connection with an RF transmit signal Tx_GSM850 of GSM850 and an RF transmit signal Tx_GSM900 of GSM900. On this account, the oscillating frequency of the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO is supplied to one input terminal of a phase control feedback-use frequency down mixer DWN_MIX_PM through two dividers DIV1(1/2) and DIV4(1/2) with their dividing factors set to 2. The dividing factor NIF of the intermediate frequency divider DIV2 (1/NIF) connected to the logic divider 3Tx_GSM for the transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q is set to 35. On the other hand, an oscillating output signal of a GSM transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator Tx-VCO_GSM is supplied to the other input terminal of the phase control feedback-use frequency down mixer DWN_MIX_PM through two dividers DIV5 and DIV3 which are both set to have a dividing number of 2. As a result, in the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM, mixing of one input signal and the other input signal is performed. Therefore, an output of the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM forms a feedback signal having a frequency of the difference between the two input signals, which is supplied to a second input terminal of a phase comparator PC of the transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL. Further, to a first input terminal of the phase comparator PC, an intermediate-frequency transmit signal fIF subjected to vector synthesis, which is an output of an adder connected with outputs of the transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q, is supplied as a reference signal. In this case, the total dividing number is 52.5 because the dividing number NIF of the intermediate frequency divider DIV2 (1/NIF) is 35 and the dividing number of the logic divider 3Tx_GSM is 1.5. Hence, the frequency of the intermediate-frequency transmit signal fIF is 1/52.5 times the frequency of the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO. In addition, the reference signal supplied to the first input terminal of the phase comparator PC coincides with a feedback signal supplied to the second input terminal from the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM because of negative feedback control by the transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL. Thus, for transmit operations in GSM850 using an RF transmit signal of 0.8 GHz and GSM900 using an RF transmit signal of 0.9 GHz, it is sufficient that the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO and the GSM transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator Tx-VCO_GSM oscillate at substantially quadruple the transmitter frequency, i.e. between 3.6 and 3.9 GHz approximately.
Also, the transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL is required to cope with transmit operations in connection with an RF transmit signal Tx_DCS1800 of DCS1800 and an RF transmit signal Tx_PSC1900 of PSC1900. On This account, the oscillating frequency of the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO is supplied to the one input terminal of the phase control feedback-use frequency down mixer DWN_MIX_PM through the divider DIV1(1/2) with its dividing factor set to 2. The dividing factor NIF of the intermediate frequency divider DIV2 (1/NIF) connected to the logic divider 3Tx_GSM for the transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q is set to 35. On the other hand, the oscillating output signal of the GSM transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator Tx-VCO_GSM is supplied to the other input terminal of the phase control feedback-use frequency down mixer DWN_MIX_PM through one divider DIV5 set to have a dividing number of 2. As a result, in the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM, mixing of one input signal and the other input signal is performed. Therefore, an output of the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM forms a feedback signal having a frequency of the difference between the two input signals, which is supplied to the second input terminal of the phase comparator PC of the transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL. Further, to the first input terminal of the phase comparator PC, an intermediate-frequency transmit signal fIF subjected to vector synthesis, which is an output of the adder connected with the outputs of the transmitter-side mixers TX-MIX_I and TX-MIX_Q, is supplied as a reference signal. In this case, the total dividing number is 52.5 because the dividing number NIF of the intermediate frequency divider DIV2 (1/NIF) is 35 and the dividing number of the logic divider 3Tx_GSM is 1.5. Hence, the frequency of the intermediate-frequency transmit signal fIF is 1/52.5 times the frequency of the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO. In addition, the reference signal supplied to the first input terminal of the phase comparator PC coincides with the feedback signal supplied to the second input terminal from the down mixer DWN_MIX_PM because of negative feedback control by the transmitter-system offset PLL circuit TX_Offset_PLL. Thus, for transmit operations in DCS1800 using an RF transmit signal of 1.7 GHz and PCS1900 using an RF transmit signal of 1.9 GHz, it is sufficient that the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator 4Rx-VCO and the GSM transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator Tx-VCO_GSM oscillate at substantially double the transmitter frequency, i.e. between 3.6 and 3.9 GHz approximately. <<Mobile Phone Structure>>
FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone equipped with an RF IC according to one embodiment of the invention as described above, an RF module incorporating an antenna switch MMIC and an RF power amplifier, and a baseband signal-processing LSI. Incidentally, MMIC is an abbreviation of Microwave Monolithic IC.
As in the drawing, a transmitting and receiving antenna ANT of the mobile phone is connected with, a common input-output terminal I/O of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW) of the RF module RF_ML. A Control signal B.B_Cnt from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is supplied to a controller integrated circuit (CNT_IC) of the high-output-power amplification module (HPA_ML) through the RF analog signal-processing semiconductor integrated circuit (RF_IC). The flow of an RF signal from the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT to the common input-output terminal I/O is handled in a receive operation RX of the mobile phone, and the flow of an RF signal from the common input-output terminal I/O to the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT is treated in a transmit operation TX of the mobile phone.
The RF IC (RF_IC) performs frequency up-conversion of a pair of digital baseband transmit signals TxDBI and TxDBQ supplied from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) into RF transmit signals. In reverse, the RF IC (RF_IC) also performs frequency down-conversion of an RF receive signal received through the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT into a pair of digital baseband receive signals RXDBI and RXDBQ, and supplies the resultant paired signals to the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI).
The antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW) of the RF module RF_ML establishes a signal path between the common input-output terminal I/O and one of transmitting terminals Tx1 and Tx2, receiving terminals Rx2, Rx3 and Rx4, and transmitting and receiving terminals TRx1 and TRx5, and then performs a receive operation RX or a transmit operation TX. The switch used for transmit and receive operations of an RF signal is composed of a HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor), and the antenna switch MMIC consists of a microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MIC) using a compound semiconductor such as GaAs. As for the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW), required isolation can be achieved by setting the impedance of a signal path to an extremely high value, provided that the signal path is not the one which has been established for the receive operation RX or the transmit operation TX. In the field of antenna switches, the common input-output terminal I/O is termed “Single Pole”, and a total of seven terminals consisting of the transmitting terminals Tx1 and Tx2, receiving terminals Rx2, Rx3 and Rx4, and transmitting and receiving terminals TRx1 and TRx5 is termed “7 throw”. Therefore, the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW) as shown in FIG. 28 is a SP7T type switch, provided that SP7T is an abbreviation of Single Pole 7 throw.
Now, the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is connected to an external nonvolatile memory and an application processor, and both are not shown in the drawing. As the application processor is connected to a liquid crystal display device and a key input device (both are not shown), various kinds of application programs including a general-purpose program and an electronic game can be executed. A boot program (or starting initialization program), an operating system program (OS), programs for phase demodulation in association with receive baseband signals of GSM system or the like by a digital signal processor (DSP) inside the baseband signal-processing LSI, and programs for phase modulation concerning transmit baseband signals by the digital signal processor, and various application programs for mobile devices including mobile phones can be stored in an external nonvolatile memory.
<<Transmit and Receive Operations According to GSM850 and GSM900>>
Assumed is the case where a pair of transmit baseband signals TXDBI and TxDBQ from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be converted up to a GSM850 band in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of transmit baseband signals to the GSM850 band in frequency, whereby a GSM850 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 850 is produced. Further, assumed is the case where a transmit baseband signal from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be converted up to a GSM900 band in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of transmit baseband signals to the GSM900 band in frequency, whereby a GSM900 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 900 is produced. The GSM850 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 850 and GSM900 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 900 are amplified by a high-output power amplifier HPA2 of the high-output-power amplification module (HPA_ML) in electric power. An RF output of the high-output power amplifier HPA2 is supplied to the transmitting terminal Tx2 of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW) through a low-pass filter LPF2. The GSM850 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 850 and GSM900 RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 900, both supplied to the transmitting terminal Tx2, can be sent out from the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT through the common input-output terminal I/O.
In reverse, a GSM850 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 850 and a GSM900 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 900 received through the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT are supplied to the common input-output terminal I/O of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW). The GSM850 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 850 and GSM900 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 900, which have entered through the receiving terminal Rx2 of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW), are made to pass through a surface-acoustic-wave filter SAW3, and then amplified by low-noise amplifiers LNA1 and LNA2 of the RF IC. The resultant RF receive signals are thereafter supplied to a receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU. The receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU performs down-conversion of the GSM850 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 850 or GSM900 RF receive signal Rx_GSM 900 into a pair of receive baseband signals RxDBI and RxDBQ in frequency.
In a transmit and receive mode of GSM850, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs the following operations according to a time division technique: connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting terminal Tx2 thereby to transmit an RF transmit signal Tx_GSM850; and connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and receiving terminal Rx2 thereby to receive an RF receive signal Tx_GSM850. Likewise, in a transmit and receive mode of GSM900, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs the following operations according to the time division technique: connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting terminal Tx2 thereby to transmit an RF transmit signal Tx_GSM 900; and connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and receiving terminal Rx2 thereby to receive an RF receive signal Rx_GSM 900.
<<Transmit and Receive Operations According to DCS1800 and PCS1900>>
Assumed is the case where a pair of transmit baseband signals TxDBI and TxDBQ from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be converted up to a DCS1800 band in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of transmit baseband signals to the DCS1800 band in frequency, whereby a DCS1800 RF transmit signal Tx_CSC1800 is produced. Further, assumed is the case where a transmit baseband signal from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be converted up to a PCS1900 band in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of transmit baseband signals to the PCS1900 band in frequency, whereby a PCS1900 RF transmit signal Tx_PCS1900 is produced. The DCS1800 RF transmit signal Tx_DCS1800 and PCS1900 RF transmit signal Tx_PCS1900 are amplified by a high-output power amplifier HPA1 of the high-output-power amplification module (HPA_mL) in electric power. An RF output of the high-output power amplifier HPA1 is supplied to the transmitting terminal Tx1 of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW) through a low-pass filter LPF1. The DCS1800 RF transmit signal Tx_CSC1800 and PCS1900 RF transmit signal Tx_PCS1900, both supplied to the transmitting terminal Tx1, can be sent out from the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT through the common input-output terminal I/O.
In reverse, a DCS1800 RF receive signal Rx_DCS1800 and a CS1900 RF receive signal Rx_PCS1900 received through the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT are supplied to the common input-output terminal I/O of the antenna switch MMIC. The DCS1800 RF receive signal Rx_DCS1800, which has entered through the receiving terminal Rx3 of the antenna switch MMIC, is made to pass through a surface-acoustic-wave filter SAW2, and then amplified by a low-noise amplifier LNA3 of the RF IC (RF_IC). The PCS1900 RF receive signal Rx_PCS1900, which has entered through the receiving terminal Rx4 of the antenna switch MMIC (ANT_SW), is made to pass through a surface-acoustic-wave filter SAW1, and then amplified by a low-noise amplifier LNA4 of the RF IC. The resultant DCS1800 RF receive signal Rx_DCS1800 and CS1900 RF receive signal Rx_PCS1900 are thereafter supplied to the receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU. The receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU performs down-conversion of the DCS1800 RF receive signal Rx_DCS1800 or PCS1900 RF receive signal Rx_PCS1900 into a pair of receive baseband signals RxDBI and RxDBQ in frequency.
In a transmit and receive mode of DCS1800, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs the following operations according to the time division technique: connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting terminal Tx1 thereby to transmit an RF transmit signal Tx_DCS1800; and connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and receiving terminal Rx3 thereby to receive an RF receive signal Rx_DCS1800. Likewise, in a transmit and receive mode of PCS1900, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs the following operations according to the time division technique: connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting terminal Tx1 thereby to transmit an RF transmit signal Tx_PCS1900; and connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and receiving terminal Rx4 thereby to receive an RF receive signal Rx_PCS1900.
<<Transmit and Receive Operations According to WCDMA>>
Assumed is the case where a pair of digital baseband transmit signals TxDBI and TxDBQ from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be converted up to WCDMA system Band1/Band2 in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of transmit baseband signals to the WCDMA system Band1/Band2 in frequency. The RF transmit signals Tx_WCDMA Band1/Tx_WCDMA Band2 of WCDMA system Band1/Band2 are amplified by the high-output power amplifier W-PA1 in electric power, made to pass through a duplexer DUP1, and then supplied to the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx1 of the antenna switch MMIC. The RF transmit signals Tx_WCDMA Band1/Tx_WCDMA Band2 of WCDMA system Band1/Band2 supplied to the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx1 can be sent out from the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT through the common input-output terminal I/O.
According to WCDMA system, transmit and receive operations can be processed in parallel by code division. Specifically, an RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band1/Rx_WCDMA Band2 of WCDMA system Band1/Band2 received through the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT is supplied to the common input-output terminal I/O of the antenna switch MMIC. The RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band1/Rx_WCDMA Band2 of WCDMA system Band1/Band2, which has entered through the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx1 of the antenna switch MMIC, is made to pass through the duplexer DUP1, amplified by a low-noise amplifier LNA5 of the RF IC, and then supplied to the receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU. In the receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU, down-conversion of the RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band1/Rx_WCDMA Band2 of WCDMA system Band1/Band2 to a pair of digital baseband receive signals RxDBI and RxDBQ is performed in frequency. In a transmit and receive parallel processing mode by means of WCDMA system Band1/Band2, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs transmission of an RF transmit signal and reception of an RF receive signal in parallel by connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting and receiving terminal TRx1 steadily.
Now, assumed is the case where a pair of digital baseband transmit signals TxDBI and TxDBQ from the baseband signal-processing LSI (BB_LSI) is to be up-converted to WCDMA system Band5 in frequency. In this case, the transmit signal-processing unit Tx_SPU of the RF IC performs up-conversion of the pair of digital baseband transmit signals TxDBI and TxDBQ to WCDMA system Band5 in frequency. The resultant RF transmit signals Tx_WCDMA Band5 of WCDMA system Band5 are amplified by the high-output power amplifier W_PA2 in electric power, made to pass through the duplexer DUP2, and supplied to the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx5 of the antenna switch MMIC. The RF transmit signals Tx_WCDMA Band5 of WCDMA system Band5 supplied to the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx5 can be sent out from the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT through the common input-output terminal I/O.
An RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band5 of WCDMA system Band5 received through the transmitting and receiving antenna ANT is supplied to the common input-output terminal I/O of the antenna switch MMIC. The RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band5 of WCDMA system Band5, which has entered through the transmitting and receiving terminal TRx5 of the antenna switch MMIC, is made to pass through the duplexer DUP2, and amplified by a low-noise amplifier LNA6 of the RF IC. A signal subjected to amplification by the low-noise amplifier LNA6 is supplied to the receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU. The receive signal-processing unit Rx_SPU performs down-conversion of an RF receive signal Rx_WCDMA Band5 of WCDMA system Band5 to a pair of digital baseband receive signals RxDBI and RxDBQ in frequency.
In a parallel processing mode involved with transmit and receive operations according to WCDMA system Band5, the antenna switch MMIC responds to a control signal B.B_Cnt, and performs transmission of an RF transmit signal and reception of an RF receive signal in parallel by connecting between the input-output terminal I/O and transmitting and receiving terminal TRx5 steadily.
While the invention made by the inventors has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, the invention is not so limited. It is needless to say that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter hereof.
For instance, as to the mobile phone as shown in FIG. 28, the communication RF IC and the baseband signal-processing LSI are formed in separate semiconductor chips respectively. However, the RF IC and LSI can be integrated into one semiconductor chip to form an integrated one-chip according to another embodiment of the invention.
1. A transceiver comprising:
a receiver including a receiver-side demodulator for converting a received RF receive signal into an analog receive signal; and
a transmitter including a transmitter-side modulator for converting an analog transmit signal into an RF transmit signal,
wherein the transmitter further includes
a digital-to-analog converter for converting a digital transmit signal into the analog transmit signal,
a transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, and
a transmitter-side divider for frequency-dividing a transmitter-side oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator thereby to produce first and second transmitter-side local signals to be supplied to the transmitter-side modulator,
a dividing factor of the transmitter-side divider is set to a non-integral number larger than one,
the transmitter-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second transmitter-side local signals differing in phase,
the first and second transmitter-side local signals produced by the transmitter-side divider make a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 900 plus a predetermined local offset angle,
the digital transmit signal consists of a pair of quadrature transmit signals having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis,
the transmitter further includes a phase-shift unit for converting the pair of quadrature transmit signals into a pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined transmit signal offset angle on an analog basis,
mixing of the pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals from the phase-shift unit, and the pair of non-quadrature local signals from the transmitter-side divider is performed in the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter, and
the RF transmit signal is formed by outputs of the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter according to quadrature modulation as a result of the mixing.
2. The transceiver of claims 1, wherein the transmitter-side modulator includes a first mixer, a second mixer and an adder,
when the transmitter-side oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is supplied to the transmitter-side divider, the transmitter-side divider produces the first and second transmitter-side local signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively,
an analog signal phase difference between first and second analog transmit signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively as the pair of non-quadrature shifted transmit signals is 90° plus a predetermined analog offset angle, and
the RF transmit signal is formed by an output of the adder connected to outputs of the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator.
3. The transceiver of claim 2, wherein the digital transmit signal includes first and second digital transmit signals,
the first and second digital transmit signals are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively,
the digital-to-analog converter includes
a first digital-to-analog converter supplied with a first digital shifted transmit signal from a first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and
a second digital-to-analog converter supplied with second digital shifted transmit signal from a second output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and
the first digital shifted transmit signal from the first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and the second digital shifted transmit signal from the second output terminal are set to have a phase difference of 90° plus the predetermined transmit signal offset angle on an analog basis.
a first digital-to-analog converter supplied with the first digital transmit signal, and
a second digital-to-analog converter supplied with the second digital transmit signal,
the first analog transmit signal from the first digital-to-analog converter, and the second analog transmit signal from the second digital-to-analog converter are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively,
the first and second analog transmit signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator respectively are produced from the first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit and
the first analog transmit signal arising at the first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and the second analog transmit signal arising at the second output terminal are set to have a phase difference of 90° plus the predetermined transmit signal offset angle.
5. The transceiver of claim 2, wherein an oscillating frequency of the transmitter-side oscillating output signal produced by the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled by a phase lock loop including, in its closed loop, the transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, an oscillation divider, a phase comparator and a low-pass filter.
6. The transceiver of claim 5, wherein a sum of the predetermined local offset angle and predetermined transmit signal offset angle is substantially zero.
7. The transceiver of claim 5, wherein the transmitter-side modulator, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, and transmitter-side divider constitute a transmitter according to one of a direct up-conversion transmitter architecture and a low-IF up-conversion transmitter architecture.
8. The transceiver of claim 7, wherein the transmitter transmits the RF transmit signal having a frequency set within a range between about 1.7 and 2.0 GHz according to WCDMA system.
9. The transceiver of claim 2, wherein the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver, and the transmitter-side modulator, digital-to-analog converter, transmitter-side voltage-controlled oscillator, transmitter-side divider and phase-shift unit of the transmitter are arranged into a semiconductor chip.
10. The transceiver of claim 2, wherein the non-integral number of the dividing factor of the transmitter-side divider is set to a ratio of an odd number and an even number, or a ratio of different odd numbers.
11. A transceiver comprising:
wherein the receiver further includes
a low-noise amplifier for amplifying the RF receive signal,
a receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator,
a receiver-side divider for frequency-dividing a receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator thereby to produce first and second receiver-side local signals to be supplied to the receiver-side demodulator, and
an analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog receive signal produced in the receiver-side demodulator and output through an output thereof into a digital receive signal,
a dividing factor of the receiver-side divider is set to a non-integral number larger than one,
the receiver-side divider having the dividing factor set to the non-integral number is composed of a logic divider which performs a logic operation thereby to produce the first and second receiver-side local signals differing in phase,
the first and second receiver-side local signals produced by the receiver-side divider make a pair of non-quadrature local signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined local offset angle,
mixing of an RF amplified receive signal from the low-noise amplifier and the pair of non-quadrature local signals from the receiver-side divider is performed in the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver,
the analog receive signal is formed by outputs of the receiver-side demodulator of the receiver according to non-quadrature demodulation as a result of the mixing,
the analog receive signal consists of a pair of non-quadrature receive signals having a phase difference of 90° plus a predetermined receive signal offset angle, and
the receiver further includes a phase-shift unit for converting the pair of non-quadrature receive signals into a pair of quadrature shifted receive signals having a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis.
12. The transceiver of claim 11, wherein the receiver-side demodulator includes a first mixer and a second mixer,
when the receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator is supplied to the receiver-side divider, the receiver-side divider produces the first and second receiver-side local signals to be supplied to the first and second mixers respectively,
the pair of non-quadrature receive signals is formed as the analog receive signal by outputs of the first and second mixers of the transmitter-side modulator supplied with the RF amplified receive signal from the low-noise amplifier.
13. The transceiver of claim 12, wherein the pair of non-quadrature receive signals as the analog receive signal includes first and second analog receive signals,
the analog-to-digital converter includes a first analog-to-digital converter supplied with the first analog receive signal, and a second analog-to-digital converter supplied with the second analog receive signal,
a first digital receive signal from an output of the first analog-to-digital converter, and a second digital receive signal from an output of the second analog-to-digital converter are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit respectively,
the first and second digital receive signals from the analog-to-digital converter have a phase difference of 90° plus an offset angle substantially equal to the predetermined receive signal offset angle on an analog basis, and
first and second shifted digital receive signals produced in the phase-shift unit and respectively output through first and second output terminals thereof are set to have a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis.
the first and second analog receive signals are supplied to first and second input terminals of the phase-shift unit,
the analog-to-digital converter includes a first analog-to-digital converter supplied with a first shifted analog receive signal from a first output terminal of the phase-shift unit, and a second analog-to-digital converter supplied with a second shifted analog receive signal from a second output terminal of the phase-shift unit,
the first and second shifted analog receive signals produced in the phase-shift unit and respectively output through the first and second output terminals thereof are set to have a phase difference of about 90°, and
a first shifted digital receive signal produced by the first analog-to-digital converter, and a second shifted digital receive signal produced by the second analog-to-digital converter are set to have a phase difference of about 90° on an analog basis.
15. The transceiver of claim 12, wherein an oscillating frequency of the receiver-side oscillating output signal produced by the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator is controlled by a phase lock loop including, in its closed loop, the receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator, an oscillation divider, a phase comparator and a low-pass filter.
16. The transceiver of claim 15, wherein the receiver-side demodulator, receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator and receiver-side divider constitute a receiver according to one of a direct down-conversion receiver architecture, a low-IF down-conversion receiver architecture and a digital IF down-conversion receiver architecture.
17. The transceiver of claim 16, wherein the receiver receives a WCDMA system RF receive signal with a frequency set between about 1.8 and 2.17 GHz.
18. The transceiver of claim 12, wherein the receiver-side demodulator, low-noise amplifier, receiver-side voltage-controlled oscillator, transmitter-side divider, analog-to-digital converter and phase-shift unit of the receiver, and the transmitter-side modulator of the transmitter are arranged into a semiconductor chip.
19. The transceiver of claim 12, wherein the non-integral number of the dividing factor of the receiver-side divider is set to a ratio of an odd number and an even number, or a ratio of different odd numbers.
Filed: Jun 8, 2008
Inventors: Satoshi Tanaka (Kokubunji), Hiroshi Kamizuma (Kokubunji), Koji Maeda (Kokubunji), Sungwoo Cha (Takasaki), Yukinori Akamine (Kokubunji), Taizo Yamawaki (Tokyo)
Current U.S. Class: Transmitter And Receiver At Same Station (e.g., Transceiver) (455/73)
International Classification: H04B 1/38 (20060101);
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Justia Patents CapacitiveUS Patent for Miniaturized electrical component comprising an MEMS and an ASIC and production method Patent (Patent # 9,056,760)
Miniaturized electrical component comprising an MEMS and an ASIC and production method
Jan 24, 2011 - Epcos AG
The invention relates to a miniaturized electrical component comprising an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip. The MEMS chip and the ASIC chip are disposed on top of each other; an internal mounting of MEMS chip and ASIC chip is connected to external electrical terminals of the electrical component by means of vias through the MEMS chip or the ASIC chip.
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This application is a U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/050902, filed Jan. 24, 2011, which claims the benefit of Germany Patent Application No. 102010006132.8, filed on Jan. 29, 2010, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The invention relates to miniaturized MEMS sensor components comprising an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip.
MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) are employed as sensors in many cases. It is e.g. possible to use MEMS as moisture sensors, inertial sensors—such as e.g. acceleration sensors—, pressure sensors or microphone sensors.
ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) generally comprise, if they are interconnected with MEMS sensors, the circuits, e.g. logic circuits or analog circuits, for evaluating the sensor signals made available by the MEMS. If an MEMS microphone comprises two capacitor electrodes, for example, the distance between which changes with the pressure fluctuations of a received acoustic sound wave, then the ASIC can comprise analog or digital circuits which convert the temporally variable capacitance of the MEMS capacitor into signals that can be electronically processed further. An MEMS microphone is obtained in this way.
The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,231 B2 discloses an MEMS microphone wherein the MEMS chip is mounted on a substrate and encapsulated with a cap-like covering.
The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,762 B1 discloses an MEMS microphone wherein an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip are mounted alongside one another on one side of a carrier substrate.
The patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,463 discloses an MEMS microphone wherein an MEMS chip comprising silicon and an ASIC chip are mounted on opposite sides of a carrier substrate (“intermediate layer”).
The published patent application US 2009/0001553 A1 discloses an MEMS package wherein an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip are mounted alongside one another or one above the other and are covered with a metallic layer.
All of the electrical components mentioned above require a carrier substrate on which they have to be mounted.
The market for electronic components and in particular for MEMS components which can be used in mobile electronic devices, for example, demands components that are miniaturized to an ever greater extent, in order to be able to integrate ever more functions into the mobile devices (e.g. mobile communication devices).
One object of the present invention is to specify an electronic MEMS sensor component having a small structural size which can be produced in an expedient manner and has an improved signal resolution. A further object consists in specifying a production method.
The present invention specifies an MEMS sensor component, comprising an MEMS chip having an electrical contact and an ASIC chip having an electrical contact. The component furthermore comprises an internal interconnection of MEMS chip and ASIC chip and an external electrical terminal. The electrical component furthermore comprises a plated-through hole through the MEMS chip or through the ASIC chip. In this case, the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip are arranged one above another. The internal interconnection comprises a direct interconnection of the electrical contact of the MEMS chip with the electrical contact of the ASIC chip. The internal interconnection or at least one of the electrical contacts of the chips is interconnected with the external electrical terminal via the plated-through hole.
The plated-through hole is interconnected with an external electrical terminal of the component which is arranged on that side of the ASIC chip which faces away from the MEMS chip or on that side of the MEMS chip which faces away from the ASIC chip. A gap is arranged between the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip and a frame that seals the interior of the MEMS sensor component in a lateral direction is arranged in said gap. The MEMS chip comprises at least one sensor electrode, which can comprise a movable electrode and a fixed electrode. A sensor opening is arranged directly in the ASIC chip or leads through the ASIC chip, or leads from the side into the gap arranged in the space between MEMS chip and ASIC chip. The sensor opening serves for passage of the measurement variable to be evaluated (e.g. sound energy, pressure, gas, moisture) from the surroundings into the interior of the component.
Plated-through holes in silicon chips can be, for example, so-called TSVs (through-silicon vias).
Such an electrical MEMS sensor component, by virtue of the fact that the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip are arranged one above the other, has a small structural size. In particular, the area requirement of the component is substantially not greater than the area requirement of the larger of the MEMS chip or the ASIC chip.
A multiplicity of identical MEMS chips can be produced on a first wafer, while a multiplicity of identical ASIC chips can be produced on a second wafer. After the production of the respective wafers, the multiplicity of MEMS chips can be connected to the multiplicity of ASIC chips such that a respective MEMS chip is connected to a respective ASIC chip. Such manufacture in a multiple panel according to the gang-run printing principle enables simple and cost-effective production of the electrical components.
However, it is also possible for only one type selected from ASIC chips and MEMS chips to be present on a common wafer, that is to say in a multiple panel, and then to be connected to singulated chips of the respective other type.
By virtue of the fact that the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip are arranged one above the other and are directly interconnected with one another via plated-through holes through the MEMS chip or through the ASIC chip, the electrical lines are made as short as possible. This is advantageous since a signal which is detected by the MEMS chip and which is conducted via the internal interconnection to the ASIC chip generally has all the more and all the greater disturbances, the longer the electrical connection from the MEMS chip to the ASIC chip. Short electrical lines therefore enable a signal contaminated with disturbances to a lesser extent.
Compared with known electrical components, therefore, the present invention specifies distinctly improved components.
In one embodiment, the MEMS chip has an underside. The ASIC chip has a top side and an underside. The top side of the ASIC chip faces the underside of the MEMS chip.
The plated-through hole runs through the ASIC chip. The external electrical terminal is arranged on the underside of the ASIC chip.
It is also possible to provide the external electrical terminal on the underside of the MEMS chip and to arrange the ASIC chip on the top side of the MEMS chip.
For connecting the external electrical terminal to the component structures of the MEMS chip or the component structures of the ASIC chip, a plated-through hole is provided through that one of the two chips which carries the external electrical terminals.
Component structures of the MEMS chip and circuits of the ASIC chip can be arranged either on the top side of the chips or on the underside of the chips. However, component structures of the MEMS chip and circuits of the ASIC chip can also be arranged in the interior of the respective chips. Corresponding plated-through holes ensure that electrical connections between electrical circuit components or component structures run along short paths.
The electrical component comprising an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip does not rely on being arranged on a carrier substrate or component carrier provided especially for it. The electrical component comprises an external contact enabling it to be integrated into an arbitrary external circuit environment.
In particular, there is no need for a carrier substrate that supports the function of the MEMS chip (e.g. by providing an acoustic back volume) or of the ASIC chip (e.g. by means of integrated further circuits).
In one embodiment, the substrate of the MEMS chip or the substrate of the ASIC chip comprises silicon.
Silicon is an element which can be produced with high purity and in monocrystalline fashion and the production and processing of which is given by the extensive wealth of experience of semiconductor technology. Methods known from semiconductor technology therefore allow reliable processing and production of the MEMS chip and/or of the ASIC chip.
In one embodiment, the electrical contact of the MEMS chip is soldered to the electrical contact of the ASIC chip. Alternatively, adhesive bonding by means of an electrically conductive plastic, an interconnection by means of bonding connections or welding together of the chips is possible.
When electrically conductive adhesive is used, it is possible to use an anisotropically conductive adhesive. In that case, with this adhesive, which can be applied over a large area onto one of the mutually facing sides of the chips or in structured fashion e.g. in the form of an adhesive frame, it is possible to realize both a sealing of the gap between MEMS chip and ASIC chip toward the outside and an electrical contact-connection between the chips.
In one embodiment, a gap is arranged between the chips. The gap can be hermetically or acoustically sealed by a ring-shaped frame, e.g. by the adhesive frame or some other sealing ring. In that case, the ring-shaped frame consisting e.g. of plastic, glass, ceramic or metal can, together with the upper and the lower chip, enclose a cavity between the upper and the lower chip and form a ring-shaped closure. Component structures of the MEMS chip or circuit elements of the ASIC chip can be arranged in the cavity.
A sealing of the electrical MEMS sensor component can also be produced after the two chips have been connected. The ring-shaped closure can be effected, for example, by laminating a film over the smaller of the chips or by applying a polymer material in the same place. The two chips can be connected to and interconnected with one another in flip-chip design.
The sealing can also be effected by laminating a film over the upper of the chips or by applying a polymer material in the same place, e.g. when both chips have the same lateral dimensions.
The frame can be a structured polymer frame. The frame can be arranged before the pairwise combination of the chips on the MEMS chip or on the ASIC chip or in parts on both chips and seal a gap between the chips after the connection of the chips toward the outside. If the wafer level is implied, the polymer frame can also be provided already on one or both wafers.
The frame can comprise the same material as the electrical interconnections of the chips. In particular, the frame can comprise a soldering, a so-called solid-liquid interdiffusion soldering, an electrically conductive adhesive or two metal partial frames which are distributed between the two chips and which are bonded together under the action of pressure and temperature.
Component structures of the MEMS chip can be encapsulated against external influences. In that case, they are protected, for example, against contaminants during production, e.g. the soldering or interconnection or connection on a circuit board/mounting plate or during combination with the ASIC chip.
An encapsulation of the component or a sealing of the gap between MEMS chip and ASIC chip toward the outside can comprise a film which covers the top side and lateral areas of the upper chip and, e.g. bearing in a manner closed all round, terminates tightly with the top side or the lateral areas of the lower chip. Such a film can comprise an, e.g. already partly crosslinked, epoxy resin or a B-stage material. Such a film can additionally be covered partly or completely with a metallization layer.
Instead of said film or supplementarily for electrical insulation before said metallization is applied, a dielectric layer can be applied, e.g. by spraying of resist or vapor deposition of oxides, nitrides or polymers such as e.g. parylenes.
In one embodiment, the component is arranged on the top side of a mounting plate having an electrical terminal. The external electrical terminal of the component is interconnected with the electrical terminal of the mounting plate. Said mounting plate can be an arbitrary mounting plate of an external circuit environment. The mounting plate is not absolutely necessary for the functionality of the electrical component.
The MEMS chip or the ASIC chip can comprise contact pads on the underside, e.g. for contact-connection to a mounting plate.
In one embodiment, the MEMS chip comprises a cavity, a movable membrane provided with an electrode, said membrane closing off the cavity at one side, and a counterelectrode, which is preferably arranged parallel to the membrane and which is arranged on that side of the membrane which faces away from the cavity. The movable membrane together with the counterelectrode forms a capacitive element. The ASIC chip comprises a circuit for determining the capacitance or for ascertaining capacitance changes of the capacitive element. Such an electrical component can constitute an MEMS microphone. The movable membrane reacts to the temporally varying air pressure of a received sound wave. By virtue of the fact that the distance between the counterelectrode and the membrane changes with the frequency of the arriving sound waves, the distance-dependent capacitance of the capacitive element codes the tone transmitted by sound.
The ASIC chip can comprise a circuit which, at the two electrodes of the capacitive element, e.g. by means of a resistor having a high resistance and a charge pump, keeps substantially constant the electrical charge stored in the capacitive element and thus generates a BIAS voltage. A further circuit of the ASIC chip can detect the temporally variable voltage dropped across the capacitive element and convert it into a digital signal by means of an analog-to-digital converter. The digital signal can be made available for example at the external electrical terminal of the electrical component for an external circuit environment.
In this case, the counterelectrode of the MEMS chip can be arranged between the ASIC chip and the membrane. It is also possible for the membrane to be arranged between the ASIC chip and the counterelectrode.
The membrane is connected to the surroundings via the sensor opening.
In one embodiment, the MEMS chip has component structures for determining air pressure, moisture or the composition of a gas. The component structures are in contact with the atmosphere surrounding the component. An electrical component for determining the air pressure can comprise, for example, a closed cavity having a defined internal pressure. The closed cavity is surrounded by a wall that is elastically deformable at least in one section. If the air pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the electrical component changes, then the elastic wall reacts, on account of the different force ratios on the inside and on the outside, to the excess or reduced pressure of the cavity by an elastic deformation. Such an elastic deformation of the elastic wall can be detected, for example, by means of a resistance structure fitted on the elastic wall or a change in the electrical resistance thereof. Thus, changes in air pressure which correspond to a difference in altitude—at sea level—of approximately one decimeter can be measured with the component.
An electrical component according to the invention can also be configured as a gas sensor.
Each of the two chips or both chips or the entire electrical component can comprise an outer metallization for protection, for electromagnetic shielding or for hermetic encapsulation. Such a metallization affords protection for example against mechanical damage or incident RF radiation. The metallization can be applied by lamination of a film and by sputtering or electrolytically.
It may be necessary to electrically insulate this shielding metallization from the chip body.
Nevertheless, the shielding metallization is very generally connected in a defined manner to a suitable potential (e.g. ground) of the arrangement or an external terminal.
In one exemplary embodiment, the smaller of the two chips can be enlarged in terms of its geometrical design, e.g. in terms of its lateral dimensions or in terms of its volume, by means of a molding process. For this purpose, the chips are adhesively bonded e.g. in a grid-shaped arrangement onto a film and regions between the chips are filled with a molding compound. The new wafer thus produced is then provided with plated-through holes and a wiring plane. This “enlarged” wafer is then used in one of the process sequences specified above.
In the case of such an enlargement of chips, in the first step, a new wafer can be produced virtually by molding from individual chips arranged in the panel. In subsequent steps, plated-through holes or openings, e.g. sound openings, can also be arranged in the region of the molding compound. Plated-through holes or openings can alternatively also already be produced during molding and cut out e.g. by means of the arrangement of pins in the mold. In this case, the enlarged dimensions facilitate the arrangement of such openings, plated-through holes or additional wirings on or at the respective chip.
In a similar embodiment, the new multiple panel is obtained by laminating the ASIC chips into an organic circuit board, which in turn contains plated-through holes and wiring structures.
It is also possible, for a single component, to mount a plurality of MEMS chips on one ASIC chip or a plurality of ASIC chips on one MEMS chip.
The material of MEMS chip and ASIC chip can be chosen such that mechanical stresses between the chips which load the mechanical connection between the chips or the electrical interconnection between the chips are reduced. In particular, it can be provided that the substrate of the MEMS chip and the substrate of the ASIC chip comprise the same material.
In one embodiment, the electrical component is embodied as a microphone. A gap remains between the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip. A frame that is closed in a ring-shaped manner and acoustically seals off the interior of the component is arranged in the gap. The MEMS chip comprises a counterelectrode and a membrane. A sound entry opening is arranged in the ASIC chip or in the frame. The MEMS chip and the ASIC chip can have the same lateral dimensions. The external electrical terminal is arranged on that side of the ASIC chip which faces away from the MEMS chip. The MEMS chip, the ASIC chip and preferably also the frame then terminate flush with one another in a lateral direction at the microphone.
Alongside the one sound entry opening in the ASIC chip or in the frame, further sound entry openings, e.g. each having a diameter of approximately 30 μm, can be arranged. A multiplicity of smaller openings enables a good sound entry with improved protection against dirt particles.
A method for producing an electrical component comprises the following steps:
providing an ASIC chip having an electrical contact and an MEMS chip having an electrical contact,
producing a plated-through hole through the MEMS chip or through the ASIC chip,
arranging the ASIC chip and the MEMS chip one above another,
connecting ASIC chip and MEMS chip,
interconnecting the electrical contacts of the ASIC chip and of the MEMS chip,
providing a sensor opening in the ASIC chip or between ASIC chip and MEMS chip.
In one embodiment of the method, the ASIC chip or the MEMS chip is made available in a multiple panel on a wafer and connected to singulated second chips. In particular the manufacture suitable for mass production by means of wafers makes it possible to produce electrical components according to the invention efficiently, simply and cost-effectively.
In one embodiment, the ASIC chip and the MEMS chip are in each case made available in multiple panels on a respective wafer. The wafers are joined together such that a respective ASIC chip is connected to and interconnected with a respective MEMS chip. The singulation of the electrical components can be effected after the joining together and interconnection, e.g. by means of a laser or by means of sawing methods.
In one embodiment, an opening, e.g. a sound entry opening, is etched through the ASIC chip. It is also possible to etch a corresponding multiplicity of smaller openings instead of one large opening. In this case, the etching of smaller openings can have advantages in respect of method engineering. One or a plurality of sensor openings in the frame can be produced during the production of the frame directly or afterward by structuring. If the frame consists of two partial frames distributed between the mutually facing surfaces of the two chips, a sensor opening can also be provided only in one of the two partial frames.
In addition, strains in the MEMS chip, in the ASIC chip or between the chips can be reduced by the use of flexible fixings and/or interconnections. In particular polymer bumps with spiral copper lines, ACA connections (Anisotropic Conductive Adhesive connections) or flexible ICA connections (Isotropic Conductive Adhesive connections) are appropriate for this purpose.
If a chip of the electrical component is connected to a mounting plate, then measures for reducing mechanical stress loads can likewise be implemented on that side of the corresponding chip of the component which faces the mounting plate. In particular, a highly flexible polymer layer having a CTE (CTE=coefficient of thermal expansion) adapted to a mounting plate or a low modulus of elasticity in the relevant temperature range can be applied on that side of the component which faces the mounting plate. LGA (land grid array) or BGA (ball grid array) connections are appropriate as connection and interconnection between the chips or between the component and a mounting plate. Said connections can be configured in flexible fashion.
An ASIC chip can comprise a charge pump in order to enable higher voltages than that of the supply voltage. In particular the voltage with which the capacitive element of an MEMS microphone is charged, with approximately ten volts, is significantly above customary operating voltages and can be generated in the ASIC.
Plated-through holes through the MEMS chip or through the ASIC chip make it possible to arrange and interconnect component structures or integrated circuits at any desired and simultaneously at different locations of the chips. The degree of freedom in designing the electrical component is thus significantly increased.
The electrical component is explained in greater detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments and associated schematic figures.
FIG. 1 shows an electrical component comprising an MEMS chip and an ASIC chip,
FIG. 2 shows an electrical component comprising a counterelectrode and a membrane as component structure,
FIG. 3 shows the basic contour of an electrical component comprising a frame enclosing electrical contacts,
FIG. 4 shows an electrical component arranged on a mounting plate,
FIG. 5 shows an electrical component whose MEMS chip comprises a cover or an elastic wall,
FIG. 6 shows a wafer on which electrical components, ASIC chips or MEMS chips are arranged,
FIG. 7 shows an electrical component comprising a film covering the upper chip,
FIG. 8 shows a component comprising an opening arranged in the ASIC chip.
FIG. 1 shows an electrical MEMS sensor component EB comprising an MEMS chip MC and an ASIC chip AC. The MEMS chip MC has a top side OSM and an underside USM. In this and the following exemplary embodiments, the term underside always denotes the side into which the external electrical terminals EEA of the component face, which are situated at the underside of the lower chip in the figure. The ASIC chip AC likewise has a top side OSA and an underside USA. The MEMS chip MC is arranged on the ASIC chip in such a way that the underside USM of the MEMS chip MC faces the top side OSA of the ASIC chip AC. The MEMS chip MC comprises electrical contacts EK arranged at its underside. The ASIC chip comprises electrical contacts EK arranged at its top side OSA. The electrical contacts at the underside of the MEMS chip are interconnected with the electrical contacts at the top side of the ASIC chip and constitute at least a portion of the integrated interconnections IV of the electrical component EB.
Here and also in the remaining exemplary embodiments, the component structures of the ASIC can lie on the side with the external electrical terminal contacts EEA or—preferably—on the side facing the MEMS chip.
Plated-through holes DK are arranged in the interior of the ASIC chip AC and interconnect one or a plurality of the electrical contacts or the internal interconnection with external electrical terminals EEA arranged at the underside of the ASIC chip. The component EB can comprise one or a plurality of electrical external terminals. Via said one or said plurality of electrical terminals, the component EB can be interconnected with an external circuit environment (not shown here).
The electrical contacts EK of the MEMS chip MC and of the ASIC chip AC are interconnected with one another on the shortest possible path. The susceptibility of the electrical component to interference is thereby reduced. Moreover, a compact electrical component having a small structural size is obtained by the specified arrangement and interconnection of MEMS chip MC and ASIC chip AC.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the electrical component comprising a counterelectrode RP, also referred to as backplate, and a membrane M as component structures BS. This embodiment furthermore comprises plated-through holes DK through the MEMS chip, such that the component structures BS of the MEMS chip, which are arranged at the top side thereof, are interconnected via an internal interconnection and via plated-through holes through the ASIC chip with electrical external terminals EEA of the component at the underside of the ASIC chip.
A gap is arranged between the MEMS chip MC and the ASIC chip AC, the height of which gap substantially determines the distance between MEMS component and ASIC chip. A frame R closed in a ring-shaped fashion encloses the gap between the chips. If, for example, the counterelectrode RP and the membrane M constitute the two electrodes of the capacitive element of an MEMS microphone, then the frame R forms a hermetically sealed back volume in the interior of the MEMS chip and between the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip.
The MEMS chip comprises, as component structures BS, a movable membrane M and a backplate as counterelectrode RP, which together form a capacitive element KE of a microphone.
FIG. 3 shows a cross section parallel to the top side of the ASIC chip through an electrical component wherein a frame R encloses electrical contacts EK, which are part of the inner interconnection of the electrical component, in a ring-shaped fashion. In this case, the term “in a ring-shaped fashion” does not refer to the geometrical shape of the frame. Rather, the term “in a ring-shaped fashion” relates to a closed curve.
FIG. 4 illustrates an electrical component which is arranged on a mounting plate MP and is interconnected with electrical contacts on the surface of the mounting plate. Such an arrangement represents a possibility for interconnecting the electrical component with an external interconnection.
A cavity H is arranged in the interior of the MEMS chip. Component structures, e.g. a membrane M, are arranged in a manner delimiting the cavity H on one side. On the other side, the cavity of the microphone is covered with a rear-side covering RA, for example a PI film. However, the rear-side covering can also be a plate, e.g. composed of ceramic, silicon, metal or glass.
A not completely closed frame is arranged between the upper chip and the lower chip. A cross section through the frame is shown on the right. A section of the frame is absent on the left, such that a sensor opening, e.g. a sound entry opening, is formed there. Sound can thus pass between the electrical connections between the chips into the interior of the component or into the space between the two chips. An electrical component comprising a lateral sensor opening (e.g. as sound entry) is thus formed.
FIG. 5 shows an electrical component wherein a gap S is arranged between the MEMS chip MC and the ASIC chip AC.
A plated-through hole DK leads not only through the MEMS chip but also through the rear-side covering RA of the MEMS chip MC. Said covering can be elastically deformable and comprise electrical resistance elements whose electrical resistance is dependent on the deformation of the rear-side covering RA. Said resistance elements can be applied on the top side of the cover or implanted into the top side of the cover. The plated-through hole DK leads through the cover and can thus interconnect the resistance elements with the internal interconnection.
FIG. 6 shows a wafer W, on the top side of which a multiplicity of electrical components, ASIC chips AC or MEMS chips MC are arranged alongside one another. The electrical components, ASIC chips or MEMS chips can be mounted on the wafer or produced jointly in parallel and integrated in the wafer. The individual chips can be produced simultaneously in high numbers. A wafer comprising ASIC chips, after its production, can be connected to a wafer comprising produced MEMS chips MC in such a way that exactly one respective ASIC chip is connected to and interconnected with exactly one respective MEMS chip. The individual chips can be singulated before or after their connection to the respective other chip. It is advantageous firstly to connect the wafers to the other chips and then to singulate the completed electrical components.
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment wherein the upper chip MC comprises an encapsulation by a film F and a metallization layer MS. The film covers the top side and lateral areas of the upper chip. It terminates tightly with a region of the top side or the lateral areas of the lower chip. It can be produced by lamination. The cavity in the MEMS chip can be closed off by the rear-side covering before lamination, in order to prevent the laminating film from penetrating into the cavity H during lamination. The encapsulation seals a gap arranged between the chips hermetically or at least acoustically toward the outside. Such a sealing can be effected after the connection of the two chips.
In the embodiment illustrated, the sensor opening O is provided through the ASIC wafer. However, it is also possible to provide the sensor opening in the encapsulation through the film F and the metallization layer MS, and in particular to produce it subsequently. A frame R can be provided between the two chips, which frame R determines the distance between the two chips and therefore, inter alia, also the volume enclosed between the two chips.
FIG. 8 shows a configuration of the electrical component as a microphone, wherein the MEMS chip MC is arranged above the ASIC chip AC. A gap is arranged between the chips MC, AC. A frame R that at least acoustically seals the interior of the component in a lateral direction is arranged in the gap. Component structures of the MEMS chip comprise a perforated counterelectrode (backplate) and a membrane. An opening O leads through the ASIC chip and constitutes a sound entry opening. Digital and/or analog circuits are arranged on the top side of the ASIC chip and are interconnected with the component structures of the MEMS chip.
The MEMS chip, the ASIC chip and, if appropriate, also the frame arranged therebetween are arranged flush in a lateral direction. Such “smooth” side walls are obtained e.g. by virtue of the fact that a multiplicity of MEMS chips and a multiplicity of ASIC chips are in each case produced in a multiple panel and are subsequently connected to and interconnected with one another before the individual components are singulated, e.g. by sawing. This embodiment, too, can additionally be provided with a shielding metal layer and, if appropriate, insulation layer arranged underneath.
An electrical component is not restricted to one of the exemplary embodiments described. Variations encompassing e.g. even further chips or other component structures or electrical contacts or any desired combinations thereof likewise constitute exemplary embodiments according to the invention.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
BS Component structures
RA Rear-side covering
DK Plated-through hole
EB MEMS sensor component
EEA External electrical terminal
EK Electrical contact
IC Integrated circuits
IV Internal interconnection
KE Capacitive element
M Membrane
MC MEMS chip
MP Mounting plate
O Opening
OSM, OSA Top side of MEMS chip and ASIC chip
R Frame
RP Counterelectrode (Backplate)
S Gap
H Cavity
W Wafer
1. An MEMS microphone component, comprising
an MEMS chip having an electrical contact,
an ASIC chip having an electrical contact,
an internal interconnection of MEMS chip and ASIC chip, and
a plated-through hole through the MEMS chip or through the ASIC chip, wherein
the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip are arranged one above another,
the internal interconnection comprises a direct interconnection of the electrical contact of the MEMS chip with the electrical contact of the ASIC chip,
the internal interconnection or at least one of the electrical contacts of the chips is interconnected via the plated-through hole with an external electrical terminal of the component which is arranged on that side of the ASIC chip which faces away from the MEMS chip or on that side of the MEMS chip which faces away from the ASIC chip,
a gap is arranged between the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip,
a frame arranged in the gap and partially enclosing a space between the MEMS chip and the ASIC chip,
the MEMS chip comprises a sensor electrode, and
the frame is not completely closed and a sound entry opening is formed at a position where a section of the frame is absent.
2. The component according to claim 1, wherein
the MEMS chip has an underside and the ASIC chip has a top side and an underside,
the top side of the ASIC chip faces the underside of the MEMS chip,
the plated-through hole runs through the ASIC chip, and
the external electrical terminal is arranged on the underside of the ASIC chip.
the ASIC chip has an underside and the MEMS chip has a top side and an underside,
the top side of the MEMS chip faces the underside of the ASIC chip,
the plated-through hole runs through the MEMS chip, and
the external electrical terminal is arranged on the underside of the MEMS chip.
4. The component according to claim 1, wherein the substrate of the MEMS chip or of the ASIC chip comprises silicon.
5. The component according to claim 1, wherein the electrical contact of the MEMS chip is soldered to, adhesively bonded to by an electrically conductive adhesive, interconnected with by means of a bonding connection, or welded together with, the electrical contact of the ASIC chip.
the component is arranged on the top side of a mounting plate with an electrical terminal, and
the external electrical terminal is interconnected with the electrical terminal of the mounting plate.
the MEMS chip comprises a cavity, a movable membrane, a counterelectrode and an opening to the cavity,
the movable membrane is arranged parallel to the counterelectrode and forms with the latter a capacitive element, and
the ASIC chip comprises a circuit for determining the capacitance or for determining capacitance changes of the capacitive element.
8. The component according to claim 1,
wherein the MEMS chip has component structures for determining air pressure, moisture or gas composition, and
wherein the component structures are in contact with the atmosphere surrounding the component.
9. The component according to claim 1, wherein at least two of MEMS chip, ASIC chip and frame terminate flush in a lateral direction.
10. The component according to claim 1, wherein
the MEMS chip comprises a fixed electrode as counterelectrode and a membrane.
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International Search Report corresponding to co-pending International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/EP2011/050902, European Patent Office, dated Oct. 24, 2011; (2 pages).
Date of Patent: Jun 16, 2015
Assignee: Epcos AG (Munich)
Inventors: Gregor Feiertag (Munich), Hans Krueger (Munich), Wolfgang Pahl (Munich), Anton Leidl (Hohenbrunn)
Primary Examiner: Edward Wojciechowicz
Current U.S. Class: Capacitive (381/174)
International Classification: H01L 29/72 (20060101); B81B 7/00 (20060101); B81C 1/00 (20060101); G01L 9/00 (20060101); H01L 23/10 (20060101); H04R 19/04 (20060101); H01L 23/552 (20060101); H01L 23/00 (20060101); H01L 25/065 (20060101);
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Home/Movies/Over 440,000 people sign petition to seek a remake of ‘Game of Thrones’ final season
Akios May 16, 2019
A petition on Change.org titled “Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers.” now has over 440,000 signatures.
The petition reads; “showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have proven themselves to be woefully incompetent writers when they have no source material (i.e. the books) to fall back on,. This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!”
The goal of the petition is to gather 500,000 signatures of people dissatisfied with how the eighth and final season of the show is playing out.
However, despite the fact that some people aren’t digging it, they certainly are watching it. According to HBO, Season 8 of the series is averaging 43 million viewers per episode in gross audience, an increase of more than ten million viewers compared to Season 7.
“Game of Thrones” penultimate episode, titled “The Bells,” which Sunday, was watched by a record 18.4 million viewers across all of HBO’s platforms. That exceeded the previous series high of 17.8 million viewers two weeks ago for “The Long Night” episode which focused on the Battle of Winterfell.
The much anticipated series finale is set to air this Sunday.
The showrunners knew there would be plenty of debate over the final season. Benioff and Weiss talked to Entertainment Weekly before it started airing and Benioff told EW, “From the beginning, we’ve talked about how the show would end.”
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Your Private Sky Books
From Tensegrity
Read here about the two volume work "Your Private Sky," Lars Muller Publishers, which describes many aspects of tensegrity and one of its founding researchers, Richard Buckminster Fuller.
2 Tensegrity 1958
3 Eratta, Volume 1
3.1 p. 26
4 Links and References
In 1999 Joachim Krausse and Clause Lichtenstein edited two volumes that provide a rich, graphic overview of Fuller’s career. Called "Your Private Sky," the first volume subtitled "The Art of Design Science" is packed with carefully reproduced graphics.
> "There is not a single page without a photo, a sketch, reproduction of a printed page. What this copious illustration allows the editors to do is to present a picture not only of Fuller himself but of his times as well, a way of inserting him into the larger cultural context as well as explaining his contribution to that context. For instance, the graphic style of the pages of Fuller’s journal Shelter tell us almost as much about the design ideas in the early 1930’s as the pages’ content.
The second companion volume, subtitled "Discourse," reprints about 25 of Fuller's own writings in which he expounds his world view and ideas about design. Some of these are important, previously unpublished works and key texts that are not easily available, such as Fuller's first essay, "Lightful Houses," a lecture on his Dymaxion House, his first papers on synergetic geometry, and his essay on tensegrity (1958). The book also includes a facsimile of his previously unpublished basic text on the construction of geodesic domes, "Noah's Ark #2."
Tensegrity 1958
The book features the full manuscript text of Tensegrity, 1958.
Eratta, Volume 1
Below are some errors that tensegrity researchers have identified in the first book.
"1908. Death of father, Richard Fuller." Lorance writes in Becoming Bucky Fuller p.245, "...his father died on his fifteenth birthday. Fuller noted the fact on an envelope in //Chronofile//, vol. 17. He hand-dated the envelope 'March 23, 1917' and wrote on it: 'My Father Richard Buckminster Fuller died on my birthday July 12, 1910.'"
"1927-28. Stockade Building Co. is bought by Cellotex, and RBF loses his position...." As Lorance writes in Becoming Bucky Fuller p.62, the spelling is Celotex, not Cellotex. Celotex was a Stockade competitor and did not acquire Stockade. Fuller's loss of his position was due to his father-in-law's withdrawal from the company, errors Fuller made, and other factors. As Fuller exited from Stockade, he interviewed with Celotex for a job, but was turned down.
"1927-28. Stockade Building Co. is bought... and RBF loses his position (resigns as president on 10 February...." Fuller As Lorance writes in Becoming Bucky Fuller p. 240, RBF resigned Stockade Building Systems position but remained president of Stockade Midwest. RBF letter to SBS Board of Directors, NY, NY February 10, 1927. //Chronofile//, vol. 32 (1927). Lorance also cites RBF letter to DeCoursey Fales, NY, NY, March 8, 1927. //Chronofile//, vol. 32 (1927), on p.241.
"1927-28. Stockade Building Co. is bought... and RBF loses his position... leaves November 1927...." Fuller was still active in Stockade business after November 1927. A few examples:
a diary entry on 10 December 1927 reads, "RBF went to Waukegan at 11. Everyone there pleased with his activities during week. The flooring used over Stockade slabs very successfully tried out."
a letter sent from RBF to Rasin on 17 December, 1927 reads, "I am no longer connected with the Stockade Building System, but am with its subsidiary Stockade Midwest Corporation… Stockade Building System passed into the hands of Farley Hopkins."
a diary entry on 7 January, 1928 reads, "To Milwaukee to inspect Stockade house of A.J. Sweet..."
many diary entries from January to March 1928 regarding issues with Stockade, though these may be lawsuits and negotations after ties between RBF and Stockade were broken. The last mention is 19 March 1928.
"Conversations about 'Fuller Houses,' December 1927." This is true; however, it is significant to note that the first mention is a diary entry by AHF Tuesday, Nov. 22: "Saw lngratiane [old Stockade salesman]] & talked about 'Fuller Houses'." Also note the first mention of the 4D company is on 28 August 1927.
Lars Muller Publishers official website for Your Private Sky Volume 1, Volume 2.
Retrieved from "https://tensegritywiki.com/w/index.php?title=Your_Private_Sky_Books&oldid=1314"
Portal to Becoming Bucky
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Cover Columbus! Show Porn!
.@NotreDame covers Christopher Columbus while uncovering porn. #GoCatholicND Click To Tweet
Two Notre Dame events that have received widespread publicity recently stand in strange juxtaposition. The first, which we described in a prior report, is the request to Father Jenkins by over 1000 petitioners, mainly students, for installation of a filter to block the torrent of pornography the university provides to students 24/7 through its Internet service.
Father Jenkins has been conspicuously silent about this for some three months, while a Notre Dame spokesman has indicated there will be no change.
The second notable event is Father Jenkins’s decision just a few days ago to cover up the series of murals in the Main Building dating from the 1880s that celebrate the achievements of Christopher Columbus. But for Native Americans, Father Jenkins declared, the discovery of America was “nothing short of a catastrophe.” So much for the murals.
We will report further on this episode, but the incongruity of the University’s covering up heroic images of Christopher Columbus while funneling rancid, sexually charged images to students is so striking that it should not go unremarked in this update on the pornography issue.
As to that issue, it is past time to hear from Father Jenkins. The students presented to him compelling documentation of the corrosive consequences of pornography. Indeed, one wonders why that should be necessary at all for a Catholic priest responsible for deciding whether to limit Notre Dame’s indiscriminate dissemination of pornography to its students, for the Church’s teaching on pornography is unyielding:
[Pornography] offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.
But one discrete factor underscored by the students that should be of special concern to Father Jenkins is the link between pornography and sexual assault, which, as they observe, “has occurred all too frequently at Notre Dame.”
Indeed! We will report shortly on the university’s most recent “Sexual Climate” survey, but for present purposes it’s enough to note these startling results:
With about half the students responding, there were during the prior year:
78 rapes, or about 9 rapes on average a month, and
About fifty other sexual assaults a month.
The only reaction to the student petition from the university so far has come from Paul Browne, the Vice President for Communications. He says Notre Dame has a rule against students watching porn on the Internet and that’s good enough because “God’s given us the choice of whether to be sinners or not.”
Does Father Jenkins really believe an unenforced, unenforceable, and widely disregarded rule is good enough for Notre Dame, that Notre Dame has no responsibility to do what it can to mitigate the effects of the porn it funnels to its students?
Not surprisingly, some Notre Dame students, we suppose many, agree with Mr. Browne. Two women students went on record in The Observer in favor of “good porn” and its role in promoting students’ “conversations about their likes and dislikes” in having sex.
Then there is the student who assailed the anti-porn students because they “stigmatized and undermined” the “profession” of performers.
Finally, there is a free speech/academic “slippery slope” warning by the student pointing to Somalia, Sudan, China and the like as the end of the “censorship” line. (Prospective Onion headline: “ND Stops Supplying Porn to Students, Philosophy Professors Take Hemlock.”)
On the other side are the Holy Cross brothers who run Holy Cross College down the road. They’ve installed a filter. Their students know that these CSCs mean what they say when they condemn the vile products of a vile industry. What is it that makes one CSC school so different from the other?
The students have acted with courage and intelligence. They deserve a reasoned response from Father Jenkins. As do we all.
The students also deserve a helping hand from all alumni and others in the Notre Dame family who agree with them. The number of signatories on their petition has reached 1,700, mainly students. Only a few hundred alumni have signed. We urge you to join the petition if you haven’t and to recruit others – alumni, relatives, friends of the University. (The petition is below.)
And we encourage you also to take a few minutes to tell Father Jenkins what you think and ask him for his response to the students. His address: jjenkins@nd.edu
Support the Students’ Petition
You don’t need to be a student to support their request for a pornography filter on Notre Dame’s Wi-Fi. To add your name to the students’ online petition, please click on the image below.
ABC Nightline interviewed Notre Dame student Jim Martinson and several of his associates on their campus anti-pornography campaign for its feature “Renewed Pushback Against Online Porn.”
The program centers on Tumblr’s decision to ban adult content on its social networking site and the Notre Dame student petition to the University to install a filter that would stop the use of pornography on its Wi-Fi.
You can view the Notre Dame student portion of the Nightline program below and the full segment on ABC here.
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.
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If like us, you want to see an authentic Catholic renewal at Notre Dame, please take a minute to review our 2016 Annual Report and consider making a year-end donation to Sycamore Trust.
Support Sycamore Trust
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22 Responses to “Cover Columbus! Show Porn!”
What we should be fighting for first and foremost, is Holiness.
It has recently become clear that the administration has not done its due diligence in regards to the fact that filters are necessary in order to prevent unwelcomed obscenity and indecency from being sent to one’s computer without permission, and thus without the consent of a multitude of persons who have had to place filters on their access to the internet, in order to prevent unlawful intruders from entering and causing harm.
Perhaps the administration of Our Lady’s University, if they are concerned about the safety and well being of their students, can begin a class action lawsuit against the criminals who are trespassing against us in order to cause physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual harm.
Let no one deceive you, that which sexually objectifies the human person, denies the inherent Dignity of the human person as a beloved son or daughter, and is thus obscene and indecent.
Every act of pornography serves to sexually objectify the human person; in this, there are no shades of grey.
obscene material – Legal Definition
According to a Supreme Court decision, material is obscene, and hence not protected by the free-speech provision of the First Amendment if it has three elements: It must have prurient appeal, as decided by the average person applying the standards of the community; it must portray sexual conduct in an offensive way; and it must be lacking in serious artistic, literary, scientific, or political value.
It is important to note that unwelcomed trespassing is often used to cause harm not just by exposing the innocent to obscene and vulgar material, that sexually objectifies the human person, but also as a means to attach spyware, viruses, and additional harmful material that can steal private information, putting the entire University and the members of The Notre Dame Community at risk.
“A Web filter is a program that can screen an incoming Web page to determine whether some or all of it should not be displayed to the user. The filter checks the origin or content of a Web page against a set of rules provided by company or person who has installed the Web filter. A Web filter allows an enterprise or individual user to block out pages from Web sites that are likely to include objectionable advertising, pornographic content, spyware, viruses, and other objectionable content. Vendors of Web filters claim that their products will reduce recreational Internet surfing among employees and secure networks from Web-based threats.”
Regarding, “It must have prurient appeal, as decided by the average person applying the standards of the community”, if a community’s standards have become so demeaning as to embrace the sexual objectification of the human person thus objectifying the human person and denying the essence of being a beloved son or daughter from the moment of conception, than woe to us all for tolerating the violating Divine Law which is anti Christ.
https://www.catholicaction.org/charles_limandri_talk_summit_2018
JOHN S. KROL February 5, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Fr. Jenkins, if you value the purity of truth over modish beliefs du jour, if you deplore hysterical bigotry, if you love Notre Dame, if you love our country: Go to the murals in the Main Building! Fr. Jenkins, open your mind! Fr. Jenkins, become a strong leader with the strength and integrity to admit mistakes! Fr. Jenkins, tear down those mural coverings! Fr. Jenkins … Fr. Jenkins, let the light from the lamp of Lady Liberty shine brightly upon those depictions that are symbolic of a proud heritage that rightfully belongs to us all … a heritage that led to to founding of a free and exceptional nation governed with the consent of the governed including today the descendants of its indigenous people many of whom now occupy seats in our government and are candidates on ballots running for all areas of government: state and local legislatures, governorships, and the Congress in Washington.
John S. Krol
MIT ’50
David Kilroy January 30, 2019 at 9:55 pm
The comments from Edward (Ed) Smith concerning the attitude of Jenkins relative to Cardinal McCarrick and also to the Christopher Columbus murals are both examples of poor leadership. Sometimes I think Father Jenkins would like to have
ND as an Ivy League university.
John McNamara January 30, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Summary of an article from January 29th’s Boston Globe:
What kids aren’t telling parents about porn on social media
Pornography today is not your father’s Playboy. Instead of reaching under the mattress for a magazine, teenagers are just a few phone swipes away from hard-core videos. Porn is now more affordable, accessible, and violent than ever before, and many boys are watching it as early as age 11 or 12.
Lots of parents worry that their kids might be surfing free porn sites such as Pornhub. However, most are unaware that porn is also infiltrating mainstream social media sites such as Snapchat and Instagram. Parents, here’s what you should know.
Here is an article from Life Site today, about some activity we may not have heard about on the Notre Dame campus. Life Site is a pro- Catholic, pro-life website.
SOUTH BEND, Indiana, January 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A famously pro-gay Catholic bishop is slated to lead an “LGBTQ retreat” next weekend at the University of Notre Dame.
At the retreat, Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky “will be integrating sexual orientation and faith from a Scriptural and Biblical perspective,” according to an online description provided by the University’s Gender Relations Center (GRC). The University’s Campus Ministry is a cosponsor.
LifeSiteNews reached out to Bishop Stowe requesting an explanation of what it means to integrate “sexual orientation and faith,” but he declined through his spokesman.
Other questions which went unanswered were:
•Does Bishop Stowe intend to hold fast to magisterial teaching, or will he offer some other interpretation which affirms homosexual activity and transgenderism? If so, would Bishop Stowe be willing to share the Scriptural passages which might advocate for this?
•Is Bishop Stowe concerned that participating in an event labeled “LGBTQ” might affirm someone who is already experiencing difficulty escaping gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender “identity”?
The upcoming retreat featuring Bishop Stowe “is primarily geared toward students of the LGBTQ community,” according to its description, a term which in and of itself defies Catholic Church teaching.
Bishop Stowe recently made headlines for penning an op-ed scolding the Covington Catholic High School students who were accosted by radical activist Nathan Phillips while wearing “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats after the March for Life. The bishop criticized the students, whose lives have been turned upside down by false media reports, death threats, and doxxing, suggesting they weren’t being pro-life by wearing MAGA hats.
Stowe is one of five bishops who endorsed pro-gay Fr. James Martin, S.J.’s book, “Building a Bridge,” and was also a featured speaker at a 2017 conference for the dissident group New Ways Ministry. The gathering was titled “Justice and Mercy Shall Kiss: LGBT Catholics in the Age of Pope Francis.”
New Ways Ministry was condemned in 2010 by then-president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, and in 2011 by Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, USCCB chairman of the Committee on Doctrine.
Additionally, in 1999 the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “permanently prohibited” the group’s co-founders, Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent, “from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons,” after ruling that their teaching was “erroneous and dangerous” and “doctrinally unacceptable.”
Last summer, a spokesperson for Bishop Stowe’s diocese said it was “up to each parish” whether to promote homosexuality.
Also in Bishop Stowe’s diocese last year, Fortunate Families, a pro-LGBT “Catholic” organization working in partnership with “Lexington Catholic LGBT Ministry” and the University of Kentucky LGBTQ* Resource Center, hosted dissident Fr. Bryan Massingale. He spoke about “LGBT Persons in the The Age of Pope Francis & Social Ethics.”
I think homosexuals should be ministered to, but with all the craziness going on n the Catholic Church today, one has to wonder whether liberal priests are modifying and switching Catholic doctrine on sexual issues, and whether this Notre Dame conference is another example of that..
Frank Diorio January 30, 2019 at 10:56 am
Jeffery Murphy argues that providing porn on the ND campus is a matter of “free speech”. This is a very clever argument. Why, who can be against free speech? This argument is similar to the equally clever argument pro-abortion advocates used when they cloaked abortion under the banner of “Freedom of Choice”. Why, who can be against the freedom to choose?
What Jeffery is missing is that the ND campus is “home” for the ND family. Moreover, it is actually the extension of the home from which the students came. A home is where a father and mother guard and guide their children on the right paths and keep them from all harm. The ND administration, priests, and professors are entrusted by the parents- essentially parental surrogates- to provide that same kind of protection and bonafide parental control. That is how Catholic colleges were advertised and promoted “back then”, i.e., 1950’s.
I wonder if Jeffery would argue for the exercise of the “Right” of his children and grandchildren to view porn in his family living room when they visit. No. It is not a matter of free speech. It is a matter of the administration’s obligation to provide a family environment and a training ground for the students to grow strong in their faith and develop sound morals so that when they leave “home” and are exposed to the secular world they will have the courage and capacity to reject immorality, and be a voice to counter a degenerate culture instead of being a part of it. (“Do not conform yourselves to this corrupt generation, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect”, Rom. 12:2)
ND was once a “pillar” of Catholicism, but is now the “pits” of porn. This stage of ND, I feel, would very much sadden its founder, Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., finding the Golden Dome of is beloved “L’Universite’ de Notre Dame de Lac” tarnished and its reflection on St. Mary’s Lake dimmed. Fr. Jenkins resignation would be a blessing. In the absence of that Gregory Hoffman’s suggestion is a consideration. Given the present state of ND- I pray for its conversion- it would be better to level it to the ground to end cultivating confused corrupted Catholics, and return the land to the Indians. It would be a “healthier “place to visit.
John T Riely January 27, 2019 at 11:48 am
Jenkins is a morally obtuse self hating Catholic man. Contrary to one of the comments above, Jenkins is not a good or honorable man. Consider his self proclaimed pinnacle at ND was honoring the most pro-abortion president in US history. He demeaned millions of Catholics by honoring Biden with the Laetare medal. He finds abortion to be an ambiguous policy and moral issue. He is a political animal not a moral leader nor an intellectually honest man. If he were truly interested in the pursuit of the truth to inform ND’s decisions he would permit dissenting voices on the Bd of Trustees compared to the wealthy sycophants stacked therein by him, who kiss his fanny and who certainly brook precious little public dissent. This ensures his lack of accountability. Jenkins seems hell bent on covering up murals honoring a man who in part brought Christianity to the New World and there can be little honest debate that he is equally hell bent on secularizing ND to appease his secular and politically correct like minded leftists. He could not find a confederate statute on campus so he grabbed at the next low hanging fruit to ensure his leftist credibility. If this were truly a position motivated by moral outrage by the conduct of a man’s action some 530 years ago, he should forthwith remove the KofC Hall from campus, steak sandwiches and all, and even more poignantly refuse KofC scholarship money. You will find Jenkins’ values and ideals to stop just short of the bank teller’s window. As the hard progressive left continues to come for Catholics and know well they are doing so, count on Jenkins to kiss our cheek, emulating Judas, when he betrays Catholics and Catholicism and ND. When the final chapter of Jenkins’ shameful legacy is written I trust his critics will find cause to erase from the campus the building bearing his name.
Lou Stahl, ND Law, 71 January 27, 2019 at 9:57 am
Like many of you, I am disappointed in Fr. Jenkins. While I do not know him personally, I am sure that he is a good priest and well-intentioned, but he is obviously not a strong leader. There are at least three causes of the dissatisfaction so many alumni feel about ND: (1) a Board of Trustees that does not insist that all of NDs actions be consistent with the teachings and principles of the Catholic Church; (2) a faculty that is not overwhelmingly comprised of committed, practicing Catholics (my goal would be a faculty of at least 95% strong Catholics, like the late Charles Rice of the ND Law School); and a president who is too easily pressured into allowing activities that he knows, or should know, are inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Until all three of these problems are addressed, and resolved, we will keep seeing the same kind of embarrassing conduct that we have witnessed for the last ten years or so.
If ND is not going to stand firm against the nationwide effort to secularize our Catholic universities, who will? And, if ND will not do so, what exactly is the reason for its continuing claim to be a Catholic university? Of course, we also have to ask ourselves whether we should continue to subsidize a secularized ND.
I do wonder what Our Lady thinks about some of the activities that have been permitted to occur on her campus. The next time Fr. Jenkins is faced with a demand that he further secularize ND, one of the things that he might ask himself is whether Our Lady would approve. If she would not, neither should he.
john McNamara January 26, 2019 at 3:43 am
I am sorry to bring this point up, it’s not very nice, but I’ll try to be discrete. Perhaps we are looking at the pornography issue at Notre Dame the right way, but not the way the ND Administration is looking at it. The focus by Bill Dempsey and most Sycamore Trust readers and the ND students has been “How is it in the best interest of Notre Dame students and Catholic doctrine for the University of Notre Dame to permit internet pornography to be broadcast over Notre Dame’s internet wifi system?” Perhaps the administration is looking at the question this way, with all apologies up front: “Is it better for the University to allow the priests to view internet pornography and exercise their baser instincts that way, under the cover of an unedited, uncensored University wifi system, rather than encounter more accusations of the type made by Catholic Militant reporter and Notre Dame grad Michael Voris regarding his experience at ND, or accusations of the type made against Cardinal McCarrick?” It’s very cynical, but wouldn’t that explain the University’s weird position and silence?
John McNamara '86 January 25, 2019 at 8:37 pm
I suppose it would be too much to ask for consistency from a pretend intellectual and a pretend priest like John I. Jenkins. After all, Father Jenkins is the guy who goes to the March for Life with Notre Dame students and has smiling photo ops, then comes back to campus and proposes policies to have the University of Notre Dame fund contraception and abortion, until he backed off abortion when the heat got too hot.
John I. Jenkins is the defender of free speech when it comes to internet pornography at Notre Dame, but is the censoring tyrant when it comes to Fr. Miscamble reporting a survey on the internet, regarding which professors support Catholicism and which professors are less likely to support Catholic teaching
John Jenkins covers up murals of Columbus that have been hanging in the admin building for over 130 years, because of complaints by liberal groups that Columbus enslaved Native Americans. However, as Gregory Hoffman points out, John Jenkins is not returning or buying replacement land for Native Americans displaced by the University of Notre Dame. A consistent intellectual would remove all reference to Holy Cross Priest Edward Sorin on campus and temporarily change Sorin hall to Cuomo Hall, in honor of Mario Cuomo’s affirming speech in the 1980’s. Similarly a reading of the history book, “Colonel Roosevelt” by Edmund Morris would reveal that former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt kicked Fr. John Zahm CSC off Roosevelt’s expedition of the Amazon, because Zahm treated the Native Amazon Brazilians so poorly, and Zahm insisted that the native Amazon peoples actually enjoyed carrying Zahm on a chair mounted on a platform carried by multiple Amazonians, not unlike a king, so that Zahm would not get too tired or wet and dirty. Perhaps if John Jenkins was consistent, he would get rid of the name Zahm Hall and rename it Sarah Weddington Hall, after a famous woman attorney. (please understand I am being facetious about using the names Cuomo or Weddington).
Finally, if John Jenkins is going to be consistent, he has to realize that Christopher Columbus’ flagship was the “Santa Maria”, which for Jenkins’ sake, means “Saint Mary” in English. We should not honor anything connected to Columbus’ travels to the New World, and that requires that John Jenkins throw a black tarp over that statue of Santa Maria on top of the Administration Building’s Gold Dome. It’s only intellectually consistent and logical right? Again, I am being sarcastic. Much more time needs to be spent looking to Santa Maria these troubled days at Notre Dame.
Have no fear, John Jenkins is not consistent, he’s not an intellectual and it’s very questionable about his commitment to Catholic doctrine. He is a liberal from the hippy generation, and anyone who knows hippy liberals knows that they believe rules are for other people, not for liberals, and he’ll just do whatever his liberal friends tell him to do, without concern for the whole story, consistency, integrity, or the law, unless he feels heat or a money squeeze.
John Probst 56 January 25, 2019 at 3:45 pm
With regards to a Porn filter, it is the administration under Fr. Jenkins who should, long ago, put in a filter. The fact that the students are petitioning for a filter denotes just how lax, the administration and Fr. Jenkins particularly are on this matter. This is not the first time that Fr. Jenkins has not stood for the moral integrity of the University, and I believe he should resign, or be replaced as Administrative head of Notre Dame.
Gregory Hoffman January 25, 2019 at 11:34 am
If Father Jenkins and the Board feel that the Columbus murals are offensive to Native American Indians and that it is immoral to continue to show them, then givie back to the Native Indians the land that Notre Dame stands on today. See how far that suggestion goes at the next Board Meeting! These murals represent our American history, and as Edmund Burke pronounced , “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”! Please leave the murals as they are now in the Administration Building!!
Richard Ruffing, MD '79 January 25, 2019 at 6:55 am
For a great commentary on this issue- Read Catholics against Columbus – on the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal January 25. Please people get the word out to fellow alumni of faith that Sycamore Trust is a vital organization in the fight for the heart and soul of our great University
Paul Vincent Coleman January 24, 2019 at 10:17 pm
For the secound submission it is my observation that Jenkins should be fired for being mentally incompetent.
Joseph Leo Schaefer '59 Universal City TX January 24, 2019 at 4:43 pm
Fr. Jenkins appears to be easily managed. Moral leadership is required. The quotes from the students supporting porn is truly appalling. Nobody; Fellows, Trustees, the bishop, or Rome seems to care. So long as the money flows in nobody cares.
Brady P McKaig, MD January 24, 2019 at 4:13 pm
Perhaps we should call up a few new murals to replace those in the Admin. Bldg. which depict Indians in “stereotypical submissive roles” and show them engaged in their ongoing pursuits of human sacrifice and cannibalism…
Kathleen McAllister January 24, 2019 at 3:55 pm
It’s time for Fr Jenkins to step down. He has turned what once was a proud Catholic College into a laughingstock with his unhinged non-leadership as evidenced by his support of Theodore Cardinal McCarrick and his condemnation of Christopher Columbus.
If I had a son or daughter in ND I would immediately withdraw them. There is no evidence that this is a Catholic school and therefore it’s accreditation should be removed.
Edward (Ed) Smith January 24, 2019 at 2:51 pm
“Our deepest failures are those we don’t see as failures. There’s a sort of moral blindness in what we do, and that’s sometimes the greatest moral tragedy.”
Ironically, this is a quote from Fr. Jenkins (talking about Cardinal McCarrick) while defending his decision to withhold revoking Cardinal McCarrick’s honorary degree. Apparently, he has more sympathy for an admitted predator than Christopher Columbus…. and fails to see his own failures as a leader.
Pray that Our Lady will help us in the course of our life to do what is right and that those in positions of power will succumb to a life of service and humility.
I recall the occupation of the Main Building during the Vietnam War. The University ordered the evacuation under penalty of expulsion. But, an edict was not the end of the story. Fr. Hesburgh’s solution was not a cover up or a decision to ignore the issue. Instead, recognizing the beauty and power of prayer, he said let’s have Mass together on the Main Quad at the Flag Pole and pray for peace. He brought people on opposite sides together at the Mass.
That is a real leader… an authentic leader and priest. Unfortunately, we are not seeing that today.
Bruce Breslau January 24, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Notre Dame has become the new Georgetown University. Soon Jenkins will be covering up the crucifxes. Where is the Board of Trustees?
Maureen Ronau January 24, 2019 at 12:15 pm
Mr. Martinson is very impressive in this leadership role. He should be a role model for Father Jenkins. Notre Dame: Put Catholicism back into the school!
m.l. abbatemarco January 24, 2019 at 11:21 am
When is Bishop Rhodes going to step in to reign Mr. Jenkins in???
Willliam Dotterweich January 24, 2019 at 10:56 am
The Columbus thing has made ND a laughing stock among my adult friends. Application of today’s standards to historical figures would leave few (including the esteemed Edward Sorin) unscathed. Teenagers don’t seem to understand that.
And the porn filter thing is such a no-brainer that Father Jenkin’s position (or non-position) leaves us alumni in a state of acute embarrassment.
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Home » Business » Syrian parliamentary delegation from Geneva calls for lifting unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria
Syrian parliamentary delegation from Geneva calls for lifting unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria
Business October 28, 2018 Syrian parliamentary delegation from Geneva calls for lifting unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria2018-10-28T00:00:00+00:00
Geneva, A delegation from the People’s Assembly called for exerting pressure on Western governments to lift unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people and stop supporting and financing terrorism, which is one of the obstacles to stability in Syria.
The Syrian parliamentary delegation’s remarks came during their participation in the 2018 World Investment Forum which kicked off last Friday in Geneva with the participation of more than 5,000 participants from representatives of states, private sector, international organizations and civil society.
In the same context, head of the delegation Rami Saleh affirmed in a speech sent by the Syrian Embassy in Geneva to the office of the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union that the Syrian People’s Assembly is keen to participate actively in all international parliamentary activities.
Saleh pointed to the repercussions of the economic, health and psychological effects of the coercive measures imposed by the governments of some Western countries on the Syrian people.
He also called on the Forum to recommend the lifting of these measures and considered these sanctions a violation of human rights and a disincentive to investment and development in Syria.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
https://syrianewsgazette.com/syrian-parliamentary-delegation-from-geneva-calls-for-lifting-unilateral-coercive-measures-imposed-on-syria/ 2018-10-28T00:00:00+00:00 syrianewsgazette.comBusiness
Geneva, A delegation from the People's Assembly called for exerting pressure on Western governments to lift unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people and stop supporting and financing terrorism, which is one of the obstacles to stability in Syria.The Syrian parliamentary delegation's remarks came during their participation in...
syrianewsgazette.com syrianewsgazette-com@58.65.192.121ContributorSyria News Gazette
Damascus, The areas cultivated with wheat and barley in Syria for the current season have witnessed a notable increase in comparison with the last season as a result of...
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MURAD: TO STOP IMPORTING ANY AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES PILED IN OUR WAREHOUSES
Caretaker State Minister for International Trade Affairs, Hassan Murad, stressed that "the national interest requires, without any hesitation, that we support the productive sectors in Lebanon," reiterating "the demand...
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UN: Humanitarian Situation in Syria Continues to Deteriorate
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The Right to Life, UN Rules of Engagement and Use of Deadly Force by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti
A light sandwich lunch will be served from 12:45pm
Most UN peacekeeping missions are mandated under Chapter VII. Many are mandated to undertake law enforcement operations unconnected to activity by parties to an armed conflict www.un.org/en/sc/inc/pages/pdf/mandate.xls. The presentation will draw on testimonies of ‘collateral damage’ survivors of law enforcement operations conducted by the UN’s first Chapter VII stabilization mission – the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti – to discuss issues this raises and implications for current and future missions.
MINUSTAH deployed from 2004-2017, a period in which there was no armed conflict in Haiti. UN reports state that on one occasion troops fired 22,700 bullets and on another 10,000, in a densely populated neighbourhood of Cité Soleil. Residents, and an MSF doctor, said that MINUSTAH fired from helicopters and that the UN never returned to investigate the number of casualties even though Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Guehenno, mission-head Valdés, and the US Embassy, all acknowledged that UN fire had resulted in unintended casualties.
The presentation will discuss the legal frameworks governing peacekeepers’ use of force outside of a ‘hostilities-in-armed-conflict’ context and the scope of permissible ‘collateral damage’; and UN responsibilities with regard to ensuring that those with ‘collateral damage’ injuries as a consequence of UN operations receive appropriate medical care.
Date: 5 February 2018, 13:00 (Monday, 4th week, Hilary 2018)
St Cross Building
St Cross Road OX1 3UR
Details: Law Faculty - Seminar Room L
Speaker: Professor Siobhán Wills (Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University)
Organising department: Centre for Criminology
Organiser: Oxford Transitional Justice Research (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: ivo.gruev@law.ox.ac.uk
Host: Ivo Gruev (University of Oxford )
Part of: Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR) Seminar Series
Audience: Public
Editor: Celine Leong
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Sympathy limits in Daniel Deronda
From the 1860s sympathy emerged as a key term in naturalistic dispute about mechanisms of evolution and the relation of human to animal life. This paper argues that we need to look closely at these debates in order to have a fuller account of the role sympathy played in the ethical and artistic changes of the ‘end’ of Victorianism. Sympathy’s part in its own vanishing conditions during the final three decades of the nineteenth century has not yet been fully explained. As literary historians invariably turn to George Eliot to help grasp the scope and power of secular modern sympathy, I go to her final novel, Daniel Deronda, to find insight about its waning. While sympathy is explicitly referenced on more occasions in Daniel Deronda than in any other of Eliot’s fictions, many readers have noted profound changes that propel the narrative simultaneously beyond both sympathy and realism. Might sympathy, paradoxically, be a key to grasping why Eliot’s last novel is full of terror and dread, magic and divination, Gothicism and melodrama? I conclude by briefly suggesting that sympathy in the final decades of the nineteenth century is part of the same nexus of concepts that produce a new term, empathy, seen by some in the twenty-first century to have largely replaced sympathy in referencing affective and ethical capacity.
Date: 22 May 2018, 17:30 (Tuesday, 5th week, Trinity 2018)
Venue: St Anne's College, Woodstock Road OX2 6HS
Venue Details: Seminar Room 3
Speaker: Dr Carolyn Burdett (Birkbeck, University of London )
Organising department: Faculty of English Language and Literature
Part of: Science, Medicine and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
Editor: Laura Spence
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The University of Georgia Press. Founded 1938.
Home > Melville's Later Novels
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Melville's Later Novels
William B. Dillingham
Trim size: 5.500in x 8.500in
Pub Date: 03/01/1986
ISBN: 9-780-8203-0799-2
LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General
Cite this book
Request an exam or desk copy
Herman Melville wrote out of a strong creative impulse closely tied to an even more imperative will to survive, to resist the ravages of despair and the urge toward self-annihilation that grew out of an all-too-clear vision of the world he saw around him. In his novels Melville wrote of this struggle to survive in a harsh, unyielding world, creating characters such as Ahab and Pierre, who thrash about blindly because of self-ignorance, and characters such as Ishmael and the confidence man, who seek instead the calm and the power that lie at the center of man's being.
The final work in his critical trilogy on Melville's fiction, William Dillingham's study of the later novels delves into the writer's deepest and most vital concerns to trace the search for self-knowledge that guided the creation of Moby-Dick, Pierre, Israel Potter, The Confidence-Man, and Billy Budd, Sailor. Dillingham shows how Melville used the novels as a workshop for his own salvation by investing his characters with the ideas and philosophies that he found compelling or attractive.
In Ahab, Melville located the Gnostic vision of life-a vision of alienation and isolation-that he felt powerfully drawn to yet knew would lead to his own destruction, while in Ishmael he created a character who pursues an alchemic quest for the purity to be found at the core of all men, of all nature. The blinding egotism that fueled Ahab's pursuit of his own destruction would in different ways afflict Pierre, Israel Potter, Claggart, and Vere, while Ishmael's determination not to separate himself from life and his search for self-understanding would be reflected in the transformations of the confidence man and in the luminescent purity of Billy Budd.
Linking Melville's enigmatic narratives with the artist's own epic of self-exploration, Melville's Later Novels presents a rounded, deeply original portrait of a life sustained by art.
This is a mighty book. The last, longest, and most original of Dillingham's trilogy on Melville, it treats the writing of Moby-Dick, Pierre, Israel Potter, The Confidence Man, and Billy Budd as ongoing episodes in Melville's struggle to keep alive and sane . . . Dillingham's focus on the process of self-discovery saves his interpretations from the smug moralism into which ethical psychological readings sometimes lapse. His productive thesis is richly supported by a close knowledge of the texts and their historical contexts.
Dillingham's readings always send us back to Melville's text for a closer look.
About the Author/Editor
WILLIAM B. DILLINGHAM is Charles Howard Candler Professor of American Literature at Emory University. His books include An Artist in the Rigging: The Early Work of Herman Melville and Melville's Short Fiction, 1853-1856 (both Georgia).
Melville and His Circle
Melville's Short Fiction, 1853–1856
An Artist in the Rigging
University of Georgia Press
Main Library, Third Floor
320 South Jackson Street
© 2020 University of Georgia Press Powered by Supadü
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With a heavy heart, The Japan Foundation, Toronto sends our condolences to the people of Okinawa with the recent news that a fire has destroyed much of Shuri Castle in Okinawa, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back 500 years. The ancient castle is a symbol of Okinawa’s cultural heritage, and also an important cultural and historical symbol for Japan and for cultures around the world.
The planned Okinawa Film series will continue, but take on a different significance with news of this tragedy. We encourage you to come out to show support and learn more about this beautiful region.
The Okinawa Film Series celebrates the diverse and rich culture of Okinawa. The first two programs will be made up of seven short films. See the beauty and rich culture of Okinawa through the people and stories told in the OKINAWA FILM series.
Films courtesy of the generosity of the Okinawa Visitors Bureau and Okinawa Film Office.
Okinawan Kyuyokai Members to RSVP Please Contact : Nobi Nakamura nnakamura@iftor.org Tel: 416 966 1600 X 223
Okinawa Film Series PROGRAM ONE
November 5, 6:30 PM & November 20, 2:00 PM
THE DEER IN ME
僕と明日香の島歩き
Directed by Kenji Tabuchi (2012) 15 min.
Asuka, a fledgling actress from Tokyo, visits Aka Island, one of the outlying islands of Okinawa in the southern seas of Japan. Takeshi, a junior school student and the son of the guesthouse owner, is uncomfortable being in front of an actress who he has seen only on TV; yet he is asked to take Asuka on a tour of the island. While walking the island, Asuka sees a Kerama deer, a natural treasure. As she listens to Takeshi’s father tell the story about the Kerama deer, Asuka has flashbacks of harsh words of her co-workers and becomes depressed. Life on the island with Jo gradually changes Asuka’s outlook.
わたしの宝もの
Directed by Takako Miyahira (2015) 20 min.
“Wanna know a secret?” Lan, the new, quiet girl in class gives Mie and Hana an origami rabbit. In the rabbit’s folds hides a treasure map. Answering riddles one by one leads Mie and Hana to an adventure through Naha, a city shared by the old and the new, children and grownups. Between Lan’s lies and truths, the two find a great treasure hidden in the City.
GOAT WALKING
やぎの散歩
Directed by Ryugo Nakamura (2008) 10 min.
This story takes place in a hamlet in Yanbaru, where old Okinawan scenery still remains. A goat, carefully raised by an old man for his son’s wedding celebration, runs away on the day of the wedding, causing an upheaval in the village. As the goat runs away in frenzy, what it sees is the beautiful scenery of Okinawa. The goat meets a young boy, and becomes aware of its own fate…
THE PATH OF THE KUMIODORI
うんじゅぬ花道
Directed by Chikako Yamashiro, Atsushi Sunagawa (2013) 20 min.
Museum worker Takeshi Kamiya manages to find time every day to practice the traditional Ryukyu art of “Kumiodori” (traditional Okinawan musical theater) and shows the path of the artist as he works and performs on stage.
His son had experienced lonely days without his father who was almost never home between his time practicing and appearing on stage, but eventually decides to join his busy father in aiming to be a performer of “Kumiodori”. That is when he meets “Marumun”, the embodiment of traditional arts, which dwells in the theatre.
The entire cast of this film consists of actual performers, who relate the process of how Kumiodori is created, as well as the meaning of the subtle theatrical motions and postures.
Okinawa Film Series PROGRAM TWO
November 21, 6:30 PM & November 26, 2:00 PM
選ばれた男
Directed by Gori (2016) 20 min.
Aboard a cruise ship heading from Taiwan to Ishigakijima, a young Taiwanese man (Yenda Chen) is staring at a letter as he ponders to himself, “Am I the chosen one?” Set in Ishigakijima, Okinawa Prefecture, one of the “Top Three Star-gazing Sites” in Japan, this film is a heartwarming comedy of how an insecure young man’s destiny begins to change because of a message found in a bottle by the seaside.
愛と藍
Directed by Judy Sachiko Fukumoto (2012) 20 min.
Meiling Lan, an actress from Taiwan, comes to Okinawa looking forward to a vacation stay at a high-class resort to relieve herself of job stress. But the place she reserved, “KAFUU”, was a guesthouse similar only in name to a high-end hotel. The guesthouse was run by just three people, quiet Ai and talkative Satoru, and Oba (old lady), the brisk guesthouse owner. Meiling’s hopes for a dream vacation is shattered to pieces…
ニービチの条件
Directed by Tsukasa Kishimoto (2011) 26 min.
Eiichi, who hasn’t been back home to the island he left years ago, has returned to announce the engagement to his fiancee Shiori whom he met in Tokyo.
The matriarchs don’t approve of the bride-to-be, setting off a series of battles. To be accepted as a member of the Okinawan family, the fiancee is tasked to help out with Ukui, a traditional Okinawan event. Ukui is a ritual to see off the ancestral spirits back to the other world on the last day of Obon (a festival to honor the spirit of the ancestors).
Generously Supported by: Okinawa Visitors Bureau and Okinawa Film Office
Community Partner: Toronto Kyuyokai
Copyright 2020 - Toronto Kyuyokai Okinawan Kenjinkai
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Avengers: Endgame could finally dethrone ‘highest grossing’ Avatar, and that’s great
by Eric Frederiksen | May 4, 2019May 4, 2019 11:30 am EDT
# Avatar # Avengers: Endgame Movies Opinion
This last weekend, one of pop culture’s biggest and most ambitious tales came to a head in Avengers: Endgame. Heroes lived, heroes died, heroes fought and won. And that movie has a real chance at ousting James Cameron’s Avatar from its spot atop the list of highest-grossing movies of all time, which it has held onto for just a hair under 10 years. While we often cover box office results here at The Nerdy, it’s not often that I think whether a movie profits or beats another movie is a “good” or “bad” thing. I think Avengers beating out Avatar is great, though.
Avatar was a very specific kind of movie. Watching it now, it doesn’t hold up. It’s not a very good movie and, without the advent of the admittedly-impressive use of 3D, it’s a pretty empty movie. Ask anyone but committed fans of the film to name a character, and you’ll mostly get blank stares. In short, no one remembers what Avatar was about in anything other than the blurriest of snapshot images. I had to look up Na’vi to remember where the apostrophe goes. Avatar was a thrill-ride of a movie and little more. It was exciting to watch at the time thanks to Cameron’s commitment to cutting-edge tech, but its cultural imprint has been minimal.
On the other hand, we have Avengers: Endgame poised to take its place. Endgame is the culmination of 21 movies across 11 years – Iron Man debuted a year and a half before Avatar – that have been a constant part of the popular consciousness since Iron Man hit. In that time, people have come to love characters like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, and more both on their own and as part of the greater MCU tapestry. I told some not-at-all comic-book-y coworkers that I was ‘spending my Saturday with my good friends Captain America and Iron Man,” and instead of laughing at me like 80s teen movies taught me would happen, it turned into a discussion of when everyone was going to get out and see the movies and the complexities of seeing a 3-hour movie when you have to put your children somewhere – or getting your kid into the movie before Monday so that he can see the movie and not get spoiled on as he sets foot on the bus.
I’m pitting these two against each other because, for years, we here at The Nerdy have been watching these charts, amazed by how many Marvel movies are in the top 10 and amazed even more by how Avatar continues to hold its spot. In the end, Avatar amounts to little more than an amusement-park ride. It’s like if we sat here wondering when Game of Thrones would finally surpass According to Jim season 7 in ratings.
It’s frustrating to look at the things we spend our money on for entertainment and realize that not only here in America did we dump way too much money into Avatar, but we exported it worldwide and the world did, too.
I don’t want to spend the whole time dumping on the Blue Man Group, though. Mostly I just want to establish that, despite being the highest-grossing movie of all time internationally and in the top 5 domestically, it’s an incredibly forgettable movie that thrived on the eyeballs brought in by its tech, not its story.
What I want to focus on is how Avengers: Endgame is more than the sum of its parts. It’s the realization of over a decade of work and 22 completed films including Endgame that takes characters that have been part of the American consciousness for nearly 80 years and brings them to the biggest audience they’ve ever received.
It feels right to me that our biggest movie domestically and internationally be something that has stuck with not only stuck with us through the years but transformed and adjusted with the times – not something that is the result of fad technology filled with characters and concepts we can hardly name less than 10 years later.
Marvel characters (and DC) play on our worst fears and biggest fantasies. Iron Man is the idea of ingenuity winning out over our flaws. Captain America is the ultimate symbol of truth and protection. Spider-Man is the idea that one guy can – and should – make a difference. Even after all these years, these characters stand for the core ideas that Stan Lee and Co. imbued them with so long ago, and now those ideas are resonating with audiences enough to put Marvel movies into the top charts over and over again.
I’d love to see this accomplishment enshrined with a chart-topping record.
Eric Frederiksen
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Sunday 10th February 2019, we left El Rocío and pointed Jemima north again towards Seville, as there are no roads through the eastern side of “Parque Nacional de Doñana”. Jerez de la Frontera (pronounced Herez), is where all the Sherry is made and we wanted to go there. It is just the other side of the park where we were but can only be reached by going north then south again via Seville, about five times the distance. We had been to Seville before but as we had to go there to get to Jerez, thought it well worth another visit, so we looked up a likely overnight spot on Park4Night, an app which we use all the time, it has a database of motorhome stopping places throughout Europe and beyond. When we arrived, yes it was ok for parking a car but we were not happy to leave Jemima there while we went sightseeing so headed to Gelves about 9km outside Seville where we knew of a Camper Park which was secure. It was at the Port of Seville which is a marina on the river Guadalquivir which flows through Seville to the sea at Jerez. It is a busy working boat yard basically who have found that using some of their space to park motorhomes out of season was quite profitable. There were some nice places but they were all taken by the long termers who just park up at one spot for the whole season. We were just pointed to a bit of tarmac between the boats which had been lifted out for repairs or painting. But it was secure for us to go off and see the city but comparatively expensive at €12 per night without electricity.
After a cuppa Steve pulled Suzie out of the “Garage” set our position in TomTom so we could find our way back and headed into Seville. We had been in the enormous Cathedral when we did a walking tour last time we visited, so this time we just wandered the tiny streets of course remembering to mark where we had parked Suzie on TomTom, Steve had also downloaded a new app to his phone called “Find-my-Car” so to give it a try marked our position in that as well. Apart from not having to catch buses, the big advantage of Suzie is that there are hundreds of places to park “Motos” for free everywhere in Europe an beyond so here we parked just a stones throw from the centre of the tourist area of Seville. Our helmets and gloves all pack away under the seat and in the locked box on the carrier so we can walk about freely. We had a great few hours just wandering the tiny lanes and stumbled upon this gigantic futuristic structure called the Metropol Parasol but locally known as the Incarnation of Mushrooms, which had been built over Roman foundations and mosaic floors which had been discovered during it’s construction. It’s a viewing platform which stands high above all the buildings. We descended stairs to the ticket office but seeing the que of about 500 people who obviously as it was just getting dusk wanted to see the city at night, we decided not to bother. We hadn’t actually noticed that it was getting so dark so headed back to Suzie scooter wherever she might be! So out comes the phone with the Find-my-Car app. We don’t have data on our phones so the app didn’t show a google map but it did show an arrow and a distance of 1,649 mtr so we blindly walked in the direction of the arrow through the tiny lanes and apart from getting caught in some walled gardens once and having to back-track, we more or less walked straight back to Suzie, so that app is a “goodun”. We had never been on the scooter in the dark but TomTom talks to Steve’s helmet by Blue-Tooth so finding our way back to Jemima shouldn’t be too difficult, should it?
TomTom decided that motorways were the quickest way back which is not good on a tiny scooter, in the dark at rush hour. Steve had not had the chance to mount the TomTom on the handlebars before we left so he couldn’t see the screen and had to rely on voice directions only, when it said “Take the next exit on the left” which meant crossing four lanes of high speed traffic. Steve chickened out and took a small exit which appeared on the right so as to get off the motorway ASAP. After ignoring his instructions a few times TomTom finally sorted it out and got us on the right road back home to the Marina and Jemima. Over a nice glass of wine Steve immediately sat and worked through the TomTom settings to exclude motorways and set the shortest route rather than the quickest. The quickest may be best for a car but for a small scooter which can go through alleyways the shortest must be the best and motorways especially at night are far too scary on a tiny scooter with a comfortable top speed of about 70kph!
The next day we set off again to continue our wanderings through Seville particularly the Student and Jewish quarters of the city. This time TomTom behaved and took us straight there without using motorways, phew, much safer and less stressful.
The Student quarter was wide open spaces with many restaurants and shops, while the Jewish quarter was a maze of tiny streets and alleyways but we did find there a tiny key cutting shop who cut a new key for the TopBox on Suzie as we only had one which was a bit dodgy. It cost a fraction of the UK or France and worked perfectly when we tried it later.
We had a great day, a lot of walking, but got a good feel for the city, so a little tired we made our way back to Suzie, then the boat yard via the supermarket for a few provisions.
I was still early when we arrived back at Jemima so took the opportunity to fill up with water and do some washing in the site machines so we could get an early start tomorrow.
You are probably wondering why I am posting this over a month late. Unfortunately in a few days time we get some really bad news which basically takes over our holiday but I will mention that in context in the next blog.
But today, we point Jemima south again towards Jerez and a Motorhome dealer who also has an air where we think we may be able to get some parts we need for some modifications we are planning.
So till next time, which will not be too long……..
Posted in Winter Sun Calls 2018 - 2019Tagged Spain
2 thoughts on “Zigging and Zagging in Spain”
mags52 says:
Hi Friends, Hope you two are ok. Keep in touch x x
andrewbruce1967 says:
My motorhome travels have just begun
https://www.my-motorhome-travels.com/
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‘Cats win league title, but fall short in the postseason
Kenta Mcafee
With the longest losing streak capping off its season, the Chico State men's basketball team won the CCAA season title, but couldn't keep its momentum going and finished with a 22-7 overall record. The Wildcats began their season with a strong start, losing just one game in their preseason. During...
Tags: basketball, Cal State LA, chico state, chico state basketball, corey silverstrom, jalen mcferren, lucas gabriel, NCAA West regional
Former high school enemies come together as teammates
Jason Spies
When you graduate high school and move away to college, it’s a lot to take in.For Chico State sophomore guard Corey Silverstrom, finding out that his new teammate and roommate was his old rival from high school made for a very interesting start to his college career. “It was kind of weird the ...
Tags: chico state, Chico State mens basketball, corey silverstrom, ESPN, isaiah ellis, Jason Spies, lucas gabriel
‘Cats find success at away games
Nick Martinez-Esquibel
While most students got to take a load off during break, the Chico State men’s basketball team was working toward a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance at the end of the season. Returning from winter break, the Wildcats have a 8-5 (5-3 in conference) record...
Tags: Chico Wildcats, Greg Clink, lucas gabriel, men's basketball
Wildcat hits sophomore season stride
Just eight games into the season, sophomore guard Robert Duncan is scoring more than 14 points a game and has become one of the Chico State men's basketball team's scoring weapons.Duncan is off to a great start, averaging more than 26 minutes as a starter. But his early season success did not come easy...
Tags: basketball, ccaa, chico state men's basketball, Jordan Barton, lucas gabriel, Robert Duncan
Wildcat athletic squads nab new recruits
Nick Reddy
National Signing Day was Nov. 12 for many high school and junior college student-athletes around the country. The Wildcats made the most of the occasion. Future NCAA participants signed their letters of intent to compete at the next level of competition. Chico State athletic programs brought in fresh...
Tags: Angel Shamblin, chico state men's basketball, Chico state men's golf, chico state softball, dana thomsen, greg clink, lucas gabriel, matt hutchins, T.L. Brown, vinnie safin
Alumnus to take on duty of assistant coach
Ryan Grady
When offered the Wildcat's assistant coaching job, Lucas Gabriel has just one thing to say.“Where do I sign up?” Gabriel said. The Chico State men's basketball team will welcome back a familiar face to the sidelines this season. Gabriel, a graduate assistant from 2008-2010, will take on the role ...
Tags: chico state men's basketball, lucas gabriel, Ryan Grady
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The Outdoor Land » Scopes & Sights » What Are the Best scopes for .30-30? Your Buying Guide to Choosing the Best Scope for Hunting
What Are the Best scopes for .30-30? Your Buying Guide to Choosing the Best Scope for Hunting
Updated January 3, 2020 / Leave a Comment (Anonymous)
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The .30-30 round is a really dependable and probably one of the most sought after cartridges in the market. And since it has been around for hundreds of years, it has proven its worth to millions of hunters and even to the members of the police and military. It is, in fact, really reliable for both short and medium range hunting. So gun and hunting enthusiasts can definitely find this really easy to use and become familiar with.
And although it’s a really popular round, there are only two guns that make use of it, the Winchester 94 and the Marlin 336. And if you have one of these, you surely will find that having the best scopes for .30-30 would be really helpful in making the most of out of your rounds. With the help of a really good optic or scope, you will be able to see short-range distances without any light distortions.
5 Best scopes for .30-30 – Comparison Chart
Optical Power
Our Pick for the Best in Optical Power: Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope
Reticles
Our Pick for the Best in Reticles: Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope
Our pick for the Best in Len Size: Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope
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Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope 4.9 $$
Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope 4.8 $$
Simmons 8-Point Truplex Reticle Riflescope 4.7 $$
A very good scope should be durable and can withstand harsh weather and even sudden drops, bumps and even strong gun recoils. And while these are all important factors to consider, it is definitely important for you to also carefully study the following factors to better assist you in choosing the right one for your rifle.
We scoped out different brands and models to find which one is the best in the market. We have tested them and reviewed their performance as well to really give you all the important details that can make your scope scouting experience pleasant and stress-free.
Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope – this is definitely a scope that professionals would want to use. With 4x magnification and a 38-mm objective lens, precision, ease of use and an enjoyable hunt will always be part of your experience. The lenses are completely multi-coated to ensure clarity with every view. The Weaver K4’s lenses are made with utmost care and based on the highest, international scope and glass standards.
Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope – when it comes to optical power, the Leupold Rifle Scope is definitely the one that is worth your time and money. With an actual magnification of 6x to about 18x zoom, your view will always be clear, crisp and bright. Because of its accuracy, it is not surprising to know that this is one of the best scopes in the market. In fact, this is a great precision scope for experienced hunting and shooting competitions. The Multi-coat 4 lens coatings can really adjust to the light and the view will always be clear and clean. They are adjustable which will not only make you like an expert, even if you are still new at shooting or hunting.
Simmons 8-Point Truplex Reticle Riflescope – the optics are fully coated and will always make sure that you will see bright and really clear images. The Simmons 8-Point offers a 3x to 9x magnification. Its QTA eyepiece is user friendly and guarantees a really accurate and easy sight.
Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope – aside from the wide-variable zoom features, the Leupold’s reticle showcases a lockable focus feature that will make you spot your target easily. Its objective lens will allow you to make parallax adjustments to suit the range that you need. It also sports a ¼ MOA-style target that allows you to adjust windage, as well as elevation. Now, if you want a wider range or coverage, you will also find this scope useful because you can adjust its objective lens with markers ranging from 50 yards to even as far as 500 yards. It also has a tactical power indicator that allows you to make adjustments without the need to take your eyes off the scope.
Simmons 8-Point Truplex Reticle Riflescope – the Simmons 8-Pouint Riflescope has a reticle that allows you to make all the necessary adjustments to ensure that you will always have your eye on the prize. It has a field view of 31.4 feet at 100 yards and 10.5 feet view at 100 yards using your 9x zoom or magnification. It also sports a ¼ MOA SureGrip that gives you an effortless elevation and windage adjustments in just a click. You can also rely on this scope for accurate target acquisition even during the harshest of winds and rains.
Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope – the Dual-X reticle of the Weaver K4 is sharp and sports a duplex design that allows ease of use and measurements even in really intense and extreme lighting conditions. It actually provides a field-view of 23 feet at a range of 100 yards. Making adjustments is also a breeze to do because in just a few turns of the knob (about ¼”) you will have a solid and really clear view of your target at 100 yards. You can also easily gauge and lock your elevation and windage.
Simmons 8-Point Truplex Reticle Riflescope – designed and really built to last, the Simmons 8-Point is waterproof, fog proof and completely recoil proof. This means that the lens will never budge even if you drop your gun or bang it against a really hard surface. It offers precision even it is light and shorter than the Leupold. It weighs about 13.2 ounces which is light enough for it not to cause any hindrance in carrying your loaded rifle. The eyepiece, however, has tendency to not retract or extend from the scope, which can be a bit of a set-back because you will need to have the entire scope replaced; but other than that, this rifle scope is worth your consideration.
Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope – the Weaver K4 is not the longest nor the shortest scope in the market. At 11 and a half inches, it’s just the right size for your rifle. It is not that heavy either, weighing just 9.9 ounces. The actual scope is made of high-grade aluminum like most models and is known to be really durable and dependable.
Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope – the Leupold VX-2 Rifle Scope is longer than the Weaver but it’s with a purpose. It’s 13.5 inches in length and weighs about 16 ounces, which isn’t too heavy either. It also comes with a rugged construction that is durable and waterproof too.
Surely, there are a lot of scopes designed for .30-30 rounds or rifles out there, but not all of them are designed to deliver the best results. But out of the three brands and models of rifle scopes that we have tested and reviewed, we really enjoyed using the Leupold 110816 VX-2 Rifle Scope the most. It’s high-magnification features and its durability really convinced us that it is one of the top scopes in the market. In fact, we also found a large number of people who are convinced that it is one of the best scopes for .30-30 rounds they have ever used. Now, if you are looking for something lighter, shorter and offers a magnification of more than 10x, you can always rely on what the Weaver K4 4X38 Riflescope has to offer. It is also durable and really user-friendly even for beginners.
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Craft / August 2015
The Future is Now: Behind The Scenes At Rolex
The world's leading watchmaker has not one but four manufacturing hubs, and on a tour of the hallowed sites, The Rake's Founder and Editor-in-Chief gained an insight into the brand's pioneering mix of human skill and mechanised artistry.
by Wei Koh
It was the Swiss linguist and semiologist Ferdinand de Saussure who espoused the theory that 'words are not mere vocal labels - they are the collective products of social interaction, essential instruments through which human beings constitute and articulate their world.' Although there are approximately 6,500 languages spoken on Earth, there is one word that is arguably the most universally recognised. Its two syllables summon the image of man at the very apogee of heroism, courage and resilience, for they have accompanied him to the summit of Everest and through the first breaking of the sound barrier.
That name is 'Rolex'. It's amusing to think of a young Hans Wilsdorf, the brand's Bavaria-born founder, coining the term in 1908 with the intention of creating a word that was short, easy to pronounce in any language, simple to recall, pleasant sounding, and that would look good on a watch dial. Little did Wilsdorf know that he was creating what would become the most recognisable horological utterance on the planet.
Then there is the way the watches look. The word 'iconic' is one of the most overused in editorial parlance, and yet: close your eyes and conjure up an image of a diving watch, and what you'll imagine is a Rolex Submariner. Do the same for a GMT watch and you'll no doubt picture a GMT-Master II. As for a chronograph, you'll likely visualise a Daytona. These watches are more than 'iconic' - they define the aesthetic blueprint of every imaginable category of sports watch.
So where are these incredible watches made? While it's amusing to think of a Zeus-like figure sitting atop an horological Mount Olympus, hurling more than half a million watches a year down to mortals he deems worthy, the reality is more intriguing. Why? Because every Rolex watch is created by a combination of competences located at four manufacturing sites in Switzerland. The movements are created in Bienne, the dials at Chêne-Bourg, the cases and bracelets at Plan-les-Ouates, and final assembly is undertaken at Acacias. But what is unique about Rolex is that, at each one of these sites, you will find a hitherto unheard-of merger of human craftsmanship and wildly futurist technology.
Rolex buildings in Geneva, Acacias.
Even the mighty Wilsdorf might raise an eyebrow at the sci-fi esque level of vertical integration that exists in his watch empire today, thanks to the late Patrick Heiniger, the son of Wilsdorf's successor, André Heiniger. Standing before what Rolex refers to with typical understatement as its 'automated stock and delivery system', you can feel your jaw slacken in amazement as you observe two football field-sized underground lairs, featuring an intricate network of whizzing, flying robots, reminiscent of the human battery towers in The Matrix, which pick up and deliver from a seemingly endless array of raw materials, components, finalised products and specialised tools.
In Plan-les-Ouates, there are two central independent vaults comprising 24,000 cubic meters (12,000 each) of storage space with 60,000 storage compartments. There is 1.5km of rail network allowing the automated delivery and pick up of components anywhere in the building. The system performs 2,800 tray transports per hour, and was a key element in Patrick Heiniger's vision for both vertical integration and efficient workflow. And while people often overlook Heiniger Jr's contribution to Rolex, the integration at the four sites, allowing the in-house creation of every component as well as the focus on the brand's core watchmaking technology (as represented by the brand's in-house Parachrom and Syloxi hairsprings, LIGA technology and specialisation in ceramic parts), can be attributed to Heiniger's prescience.
Rolex's Bienne facility is where the movements come to life. It is a remarkable thing to witness the delivery of sheets and bars of brass material that will be turned into tiny intricate components for the watch, or to think that, once brought to life, many of these parts will be in a state of perpetual motion for time immemorial. Throughout the Bienne facility, you hear the steady industrial din of stamping and machining.
Perhaps the most dizzying array of technology is located at the Ebauche sector, which is where the brand creates its bridges, mainplates and calendar plates. Blanks arrive and are engineered using incredibly advanced CNC machines - 'Modules', in Rolex speak - that use up to 50 tools and are capable of creating 16 pieces simultaneously.
Rolex, atelier de Chêne-Bourg, vues d'ensemble CE 04
It is here that Rolex makes its own balance wheels - the oscillators that swing first in one direction then the other to keep time in a wristwatch - which are critical to having the best time-keeping movements in the world. Rolex's balance wheel is free-sprung, which means that it doesn't use an external regulator: it is regulated purely by an adjusting of the variable-inertia screws on the balance wheel, itself a system patented by Rolex in 1957. This is considered to be the most accurate and most stable way to adjust a balance wheel.
The other secret to the modern Rolex watch's phenomenal accuracy has to do with its hairspring. Thinner than a human hair, the hairspring is attached to the balance wheel, allowing it to oscillate back and forth with extraordinary accuracy.
With a good hairspring, each swing of the balance wheel should be identical in amplitude (the angle the balance reaches in its swing) and beat.
Last year, Rolex unveiled its very first silicon hairspring in its women's watch, the Datejust Pearlmaster 34. Named Syloxi, this in-house hairspring is formed using DRIE (deep reactive-ion etching) in silicon, with a layer of silicon oxide grown on it for thermal compensation. The spring features variable geometry, whereby the distance between rings becomes greater as you move out from the centre, creating more concentric breathing. The other significant detail relates to how the beat adjustment is integrated into the Paraflex shock protection of the balance wheel.
If the dial is the face of a watch, it can be said that Rolex has contributed many of the most recognisable visages in horological history. After all, is the stunning tri-compax glory of the Daytona not identifiable from across a room? Are the two apertures of the legendary day/date not embedded in the collective consciousness? Today, all of Rolex's dials are crafted in-house at their Chêne-Bourg facility. The majority of dials begin as brass plates. Bars can also be used for the women's 31mm diameter watches, which feature 'bell-shaped' dials. In this case, CNC machining is used to create the entire dial from a solid bar because of its more three-dimensional profile.
All professional Rolex watches feature lacquered dials with transfer printing. However, the Chêne-Bourg facility boasts a dizzying array of techniques that can create myriad dial finishes. In PVD (physical vapour deposition), parts go into a chamber in which all air is removed. The material is vaporised and the resulting gas travels upwards to the dial to coat it. In magnetron sputtering, a massive plate of gold is placed inside a chamber. Argon gas is introduced and collects gold molecules that are then bounced onto dials. The result is a layer that is a few microns thick (PVD results in a layer that is only one micron or less). These techniques are used to create electroformed floral motifs on special dials such as those found on the Lady Datejust 31.
Chêne-Bourg is also where diamond and gem setting take place. Rolex uses only internally flawless stones, coloured from d to g. All coloured gems have a master stone they use for colour references and must be grouped in similarly coloured stones. Each stone is manually set by a master craftsman. In the case of gem set dials, the underlying material will be gold or platinum.
Situated in Geneva's sprawling industrial municipality, affectionately known as 'Plan-Les-Watch' due to the nucleus of horological factories and headquarters clustered there, is Rolex's case- and bracelet-making facility. Unlike its neighbours, Rolex starts by alloying its own gold. Rolex's trademarked Everose, for example, is a rose gold that will not fade in intensity.
It's extraordinary to witness staff undertaking the smelting process, whereby beads of gold are rough-cast, creating usually an ingot or a tube shape. At this stage, it is 75 percent pure gold. The ingot will go through various processes, from rolling to stamping to CNC machining to yield cases and bracelets of unsurpassed quality. All cases are analysed and double stamped with the official Swiss, as well as Rolex, hallmarks.
Rolex was the first in the Swiss watch industry to use 904L steel, a highly corrosion-resistant alloy necessary to meet the demands of watches intended to be submerged to the greatest depths, or subjected to the most brutal weather conditions. In the past ten years, Plan-les-Ouates has also become synonymous with the use of ceramic in Rolex's bezel inserts. Bezels, one of Rolex's most distinguishing elements, which often bear elapsed dive-time scales or second-timezone readings, were initially made in Bakelite plastic. Because of the fragility of this material, they were soon changed to aluminium, but, from 2005, Rolex began to focus on ceramic. Extremely hard (second in the Vickers scale, behind only diamond), its colour never fades. It is also UV resistant and highly anti-corrosive.
Bezels are machined with diamond tools to create sharper, cleaner profiles, and injected with indexes before being subjected to a PVD coating in precious metal. Rolex launched its first model in ceramics ten years ago and can now be considered a leader in the field. One of the most recent innovation by Rolex was the two-colour single-piece Cerachrom bezel insert found in the GMT-Master II.
'People sometimes get the impression that our manufacturing is totally automated, and they're surprised to realise how much human work goes into creating every one of our watches,' says Virginie Chevailler, Rolex's dynamic head of international press and PR. We step into a room in which 150 white-coated watchmakers fix dials to movements, hands to dials, fineness movements into cases. They attach automatic rotors, screw on casebacks, register the serial number of movements and cases, and submit the watches for water resistance, power reserve and accuracy tests - all part of the final assembly carried out at the Acacias facility. 'Movements arrive to assembly already certified as chronometers by the [Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres],' Chevailler says.
In any instance where Rolex feels it can improve on traditional watchmaking, it will. For example, it has developed its own tool for setting the hour, minute and second hands onto the centre pinion. The movement and dial are placed in a machine that detects the date change with a sound sensor, which allows the watchmaker to align all the hands at midnight. Using a vacuum pen, the watchmaker picks up each of the hands and places them in a machine that fixes all three of them in rapid succession at the midnight position within a tolerance of between -2 and +1 seconds.
In keeping with Rolex's reputation for reliability, there is a 100 percent final check on all its watches. During the testing of power reserve, a robot takes watches in batches of 10 and turns them slowly for 27 minutes, which must create a full six hours of power reserve. This means that, when the watches are fully charged, they will have a power reserve of 48 hours. Next, the watches are fully charged for their precision test. A computer takes a picture of the hand position on every watch. They are then placed in a machine that simulates wrist wear for a period of 24 hours. Then, a second picture is taken to compare the position of the hands with the first picture. In a correctly performing watch, the hands should be in precisely the same position. To uphold the legendary waterproof status of the Rolex Oyster case, each and every watch is subjected to two water resistance tests (one for the case alone, the second for the completed watch) using steel tanks that artificially replicate pressure at specific depths. Every Oyster watch is tested to 10 percent in excess of its depth rating, while diving-specific watches are tested to an additional 25 percent.
All of which goes to show, it is essentially pointless to compare Rolex with any other watch manufacturer - or, for that matter, any manufacturer of any luxury product anywhere in the world. I remember being brought to Dresden's famous Volkswagen Transparent Factory, which was meant to be a shimmering beacon of modern industrial creation. Relative to any one of Rolex's four manufacturing facilities, that plant felt stuck in the Stone Age. Rolex has taken watchmaking to the most ambitious frontier of human skill and mechanised artistry. And while it is easy to get lost in the latter, it is important not to overlook the former.
Rake Commends
Wei Koh
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Read more from Wei Koh
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Home › Sports
The Top 5 Charles Barkley Vs. Shaq Moments [VIDEO]
By Jerry L. Barrow, Senior Editor
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are the best of frenemies. The two retired NBA vets have enjoyed a long-standing rivalry that extends back to their time on the basketball court. These days the bald and bold former athletes spend their time trading jabs as basketball commentators on TNT and it’s often more entertaining than the games. When they aren’t going at over who has more rings (Shaq 4, Charles 0) the two big men are snapping on their respective weight, endorsements and fighting skills.
Here are TheUrbanDaily.com’s Top 5 Shaq vs Charles Barkley moments.
5) BASKETBRAWL: In 1999 Charles Barkley began his last season in the NBA as a member of the Houston Rockets. During a November 10th game against their Western Conference rivals The L.A. Lakers things got chippy under the basket.
During one chippy play O’Neal blocked a layup by Barkley then shoved him, prompting Barkley to throw the ball at O’Neal. Both mean were ejected from the game and the Lakers won 89-88.
4) TWEET DECKS: A dominant social media presence, Shaq looks for any chance to snap on Sir Charles on Twitter, especially since Barkley doesn’t have an account. On March 27th he wrote:
“Charles Barkley, your belly looks tired, you should rest [it] on the desk…”
charles Barkley your belly looks tired, you should rest it on the desk. What's up Kenny clark and the legendary MR GUMBLE tell to brotha hi
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 28, 2014
Charles retaliated by making fun of the fact that Shaq makes money pushing products that make you fat.
“Oh my god, If [O’Neal] ever got my bank account, he would just kill himself,” Barkley said. “He’s on every commercial. He’s got enough lotion to last him the rest of his life. … [He’s] got that cream soda, spreading diabetes all across the world, as we speak. Got like 50 grams of soda in one can of that cream soda.”
On another occasion Shaq went on Instagram and posted a pic of Charles as a baby holding an iPad. Again, since he is not on social media he couldn’t respond there. So Conan O’Brien gave him an assist. Charles followed up with another slam dunk at Shaq’s endorsements with this 1-2 punch.
“I figured out why he keeps rubbing lotion all over his body, so he can fit his fat ass in a Buick.”
3) KUNG-FU HUSTLE : Charles has been training for MMA and decided take on Shaq-Fu in the most awkward moment in sports commentating history.
2) GENIE IN A BOTTLE: The Big Aristotle tried to get philosophical during one broadcast by quoting advice from Michael Jordan and Barkley snapped back that he should have advised him against making “Kazaam,” the 1996 box office dud where Shaq plays a genie.
1) TRUTH HURTS: During one of Shaq’s many rants against All-Star center Dwight Howard, Barkley tells Shaq he’d have no rings without Kobe Bryant and Rick Fox.
“If it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant, you wouldn’t have everything,” Barkley said. “Why don’t you walk over to NBA TV studios and thank Rick Fox for getting you those rings?”
Shaq had no response.
Did we miss one? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
More in Sports:
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LeBron James: Struggle Rap Champion [NEW MUSIC]
Michael B. Jordan Shatters Ankles With Devastating Crossover [VIDEO]
NBA Playoffs 2014
basketball , Charles Barkley , nba , rivalries , shaquille o'neal , The List , tnt
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Thinker Reviews
~ Reviews on video games, movies, as well as other things that catch my eye.
Tag Archives: Captain Marvel
Shazam! Review (Spoilers)
Posted by thescholar101 in Movie, Review, Reviews
1970's, 7 sins, Achilles, acronym, action, Atlas, Billy Baston, Black Adam, Captain Marvel, comic, comic book, courage, DC, DC Comics, Dr. Sivana, Egyptian, Egyptian goddess isis, Egyptian pantheon, Greek, Greek pantheon, Hercules, Hermès, lighthearted, live action, Marvel, Mercury, movie, movie review, Mr. Mind, pantheon, review, Rock of Eternity, Roman, Shazam Family, Shazam!, Solomon, speed, stamina, strength, superhero, TV show, wisdom, wizard, Zeus
Recently I saw the DC movie Shazam! and it was pretty good and lighthearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously, almost like Aquaman. The movie is about this kid, Billy Baston, who is given magic powers from the wizard Shazam, played by Djimon Hounsou because he is of a pure heart. The name Shazam is also an acronym for the Greek pantheon, S for the wisdom of Solomon, H the strength of Hercules, A the stamina of Atlas, Z the power of Zeus, A the courage of Achilles, and M for the speed of Mercury. The last one is a bit off since Mercury was the Roman name for Hermes.
When Billy gets this power he ends up having fun with it with his friend Freddy helping him along the way. There is also a villain, Dr. Sivana, who wanted this power that was at the Rock of Eternity when the wizard Shazam tried to recruit him and Sivana failed. Sivana wanted this eye that the 7 sins whispered to him about for ultimate power. The wizard Shazam also mentions that he tried to recruit someone a very long time ago but nearly destroyed civilization.
Along the was Billy tries to find his mom who was lost at some fair when he was little. Also when he is Shazam he abuses his powers at times but he learns responsibility later on. At the end where Billy confronts his long lost mother it’s a bit heartbreaking but kinda lets Billy move on. During the final battle between Sivana and Shazam, Billy learns he can transfer his power to his foster siblings and they end up being something of a Shazam family.
At the post-credits and maybe the end credits they try to build up some of Shazam and his enemies, like Mr. Mind and maybe even Black Adam. Mr. Mind I think is some kind of super intelligent worm or Caterpillar from outer space, which is weird since he seems a bit out of place for a Shazam villain. Black Adam is considered an evil Shazam though he gets his powers from the Egyptian pantheon instead of the Greek pantheon.
Originally Shazam was called Captain Marvel but I guess since Marvel had a Captain Marvel, DC changed his name to Shazam. Also earlier in the 1970’s they also made a show about Shazam as well and had the Egyptian Goddess ISIS in it as well. She would later make it in the comics aand team up with Black Adam since she also gets her powers from the Egyptian pantheon. Anyway, I hope we get a sequel to Shazam soon and hopefully see Mr. Mind in it as well. Give this a watch if your tired of all these dark serious comic book movies now and would like something more lighthearted.
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Best of Cuba
Central Havana
Cayo Juitas
Playa Blanca Beach
Costa de Papagayo
Playa Grande Beach
Playa Picollos
Old Town Harbour
Playa Cucharas
Playa Jablillo
Playa Reducto
Playa Famara
Timanfaya
Punta Mujeres
Salinas del Río
TravelDir
Timanfaya National Park
Perhaps Lanzarote’s most stunning attraction is Timanfaya National Park. When traversing the two-hundred square kilometers within, you may get the impression that the genesis of a planet is taking place before your eyes.
This World Biosphere Reserve consists of several volcanic lava fields and an ochre-colored lunar landscape. Timanfaya is a park in contrast with the rest of the island, as greenery is nowhere to be found.
Instead, a dark and somber dessert with leave you in wonder, as to how many volcanic eruptions formed the park, and it’s unique rock formations.
Camel Views
History and Terrain
A Land Reborn
Volcano Power
Park Video
The best way to enjoy the park is to participate the Camel Safaris.
On an exotic train of camels, you and a group of eager tourist will embark on a journey you’ll never forget. There is no better way to explore the scorched earth and wonder how anything left behind intact by a volcano that erupted in demonic fury for almost five years.
From 10:00 in the morning to 16:15 in the afternoon, there are quarter-hourly trips by guagua (the local bus) through this forest of suspense.
A voice-over (available in English, Spanish or German) explains how the disturbing, devastatingly beautiful landscape came into being and it’s effect the people of Lanzarote.
As you go along the winding Ruta de Los Volcanes’ passing lava craters, tunnels and fields, a spine-chilling tales of the priest of Yaiza are retold. Back in 1730, this eyewitness account laments the furious awakening of the earth as tongues of fire unfurl from its bowels and sweep their way across the island.
Timanfaya National Park is enveloped by volcanic ash. Much of the landscape is still relatively unchanged since the catastrophic eruption which took place between 1730 and 1736.
Covering approximately five-thousand hectares, this eruption and major geological event was the cause of the lava tubes and lava flows which now make up a large proportion of the western side of Lanzarote. With its deep red and black colors, the park scenery could almost be compared to the surface of Mars.
Approximately two-billion cubic meters of ash was released into the atmosphere during the explosion, and much of the land is still mostly unchanged today, due to the dry climate in the region.
About 180 different vegetable species now grow side-by-side in this changeless, curling sea of lava.
Undulating lava fields (or fire mountains) still scour the land, and there are also lava tubes and volcanic craters.
The land itself though, is still very much alive, as thermal heat can be felt from below the surface when standing in some areas.
The volcanic creations make their way tentatively into an extremely rugged terrain, where a temperature of 600ºC is reached at a depth of a mere ten meters.
Unbelievers will be convinced of the truth when see the El Diablo Restaurant utilizes geothermic power and a volcanic vent to cook food on the grill.
No doubts are then left behind when a bucket of water poured into a hole in the ground produces a deafening noise as huge steam columns rise into the air.
Touristy Things
Travel Dir
Lanzarote Things to Do at...
Lanzarote Free Things to ...
Lanzarote Hidden Gems
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User Videos / Reviews
Steve Augeri
Trick Gear
Dominator Double
http://www.tobiasralph.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/aciemstudios/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/OfficialTobiasRalph
http://www.instagram.com/tobiasralphdrummer
Twitter @
http://www.twitter.com/tralphdrums
Tobias Ralph was born and raised in New York City. He began playing
the drums at the age of 4 years. His talents were quickly recognized
when he became the winner of the first Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship award
while still attending La Guardia High School for music and the performing arts.
He also attended Berklee College of Music, where he was the first recipient of
the Yamaha Young Performing Artist recognition award. His first public
performance was at the tender age of 12 years old, while attending Walden
School in NYC, supporting none other than Chaka Khan under the musical
direction of Yochanan Sebastian Winston for a Walden School Benefit concert.
He has developed his own creative, innovative style as he has combined the
influences of many different types of music. An exceptionally consummate
player, his versatility is evident as he can play everything from jazz to pop to
speed metal.
Tobias has been privileged to perform internationally with a wide variety of
artists that include:
Crimson ProjeKct (Adrien Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter
and Julie Slick)
Adrian Belew Power Trio
Ms. Lauryn Hill
Tricky (Trip-hop artist)
Defunkt - Joe Bowie’s legendary funk band
Doop Troop (a jazz/funk fusion band with Joe Bowie)
24/7 Spyz
Nena (German pop-star)
Screaming Headless Torsos (Dave Fiuczynski)
Kif (founded by Dave Fiuczynski)
Janek Gwizdala
Janita (Finish pop star)
Simon Yu’s “The Exotic Experiment”
Michael Cavanaugh (former lead singer of “Movin’ Out” on Broadway)
Tony C and the Truth
Royston Langdon (former lead singer/bassist of Spacehog)
Medicine Stick (band founded by former Living Color bassist, Muzz Skillings)
Tobias has also recorded with many of the above artists such as; Kif,
Tony C & the Truth, Nena, Janita, Royston Langdon, Defunkt, Doop Troop,
Janek Gwizdala, 24-7 Spyz, The Exotic Experiement and Medicine Stick.
Additionally, he has recorded with Tomas Doncker, Nick Howard, Angus Clark,
Susan Cagle, Everlast, Plexus, Vibrolush,Swirl 360, Root 66, Imani Coppola,
Pocket Size and many, many more. In addition, he has done studio sessions
with many producers/engineers, some of which include Bruce Hornsby, Steve
Thompson, Jay Levine, Steven Miller, Skoti Elliot. He has also recorded several
jingles, including two with with Tony C & the Truth for Coors Beer and Sherwin
Williams Paint.
In 2003, he performed on the critically acclaimed live DVD, “Nena feat. Nena”
(Frankfurt, Germany). He also received gold and platinum records for his work
on the album, “Nena feat. Nena”.
Broadway/off-Broadway shows:
Tobias has performed many times as a substitute drummer for the Broadway
show “Rock of Ages” under drummer Jon Weber. Tobias was also privileged to
be a member of the award winning Broadway musical “Movin’ Out” under the
charge of drummer Chuck Bürgi in 2004 - 2005. He has also performed in the
touring version of “Movin’ Out”.
He has performed at NAMM 2011, Montreal DrumFest in October 2011 and
November 2002, PASIC (Indianapolis, IN) in November 2009.
He has been featured in National advertisements for DW Pedals, Paiste Cymbals
and Pro-Mark Drumsticks
Teaching/Clinics/Master Classes:
He is a faculty member at the Collective in NYC and teaches there when
he is not out on the road touring. He continues to give clinics and Master
Dance composition/performance:
Throughout his career, Tobias has also been very involved in the dance world.
He accompanied dance classes at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for six years.
He has composed several dance scores for Nicholas Leichter, Ann Reinking
(with Phillip Hamilton), Alisa Rasera and Aleta Hayes, which have been
performed nationally. “Ritmo y Ruido” (Rhythm and Noise), a piece he
composed with Phillip Hamilton, was performed nationally by Ballet Hispanico in
1998 and 1999, and received glowing reviews in the New York Times. It has also
been performed at The Joyce Theater in October 2008 and December 1998.
It continues to be a part of Ballet Hispanico’s repertory and is performed
internationally.
In December 2000, he was a featured musician in a live percussion/dance piece
entitled “To Lie Tenderly” by dancer/choreographer David Dorfman that was
performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He was also a feature musician in
another live percussion/dance piece by David Dorfman called “Gone Right Back”
that was performed at The Joyce Theater in October 1998.
September 2011 – Drumhead magazine – feature drum interview
July 2011 – Modern Drummer magazine - - Artist Update
September 2009 – Sticks magazine (German) - feature drum interview
July 2005 – Sticks magazine (German) - feature drum interview
April 1999, Tobias received a glowing review in Modern Drummer magazine
for his drumming on the Dripping Goss album, “Blue Collar Black Future”
(CBGB Records). The reviewers proclaimed, “A virtual drumming clinic…suggests
that Tobias Ralph is possibly the quickest and most proficient drummer to
erupt from New York’s underground scene in a long time.”
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Troubled Productions
Making you feel guilty for laughing
Troubled Productions Filmography
Category: Contemplations On Chucky
Contemplations Of Chucky: Day Six (Curse Of Chucky)
On October 31, 2016 By troubledproductionsIn Contemplations On ChuckyLeave a comment
Director: Don Mancini
Okay let’s hope this goes better than Seed. It really can’t get worse. Unless it’s just ninety minutes of a doll masturbating into the gaping anus of a clown. Even then that would still be better than f*cking Annabelle.
Okay now is impressive opening. Looks superb, really cinematic. The director of this, Don Mancini, is doing a much better job than the director of the last movie, Don Mancini.
Even the colour scheme is better. Gone are the overly bright colours, to be replaced by muted greys. I know that makes it sound boring but in actuality it just makes it look like everything has been put slightly through a nostalgia filter.
Fiona Dourif there, playing paraplegic Nica. It’s great they have a character like that (actually, thinking about it, horror has always been fantastic for inclusion, it’s often had strong female characters, black characters, and disabled characters. Okay, usually they’re the first to die but but it’s progress, very very small progress). It’s admittedly it would have been better if they actually cast a paraplegic actor, but she does a very good job here. She’s actually Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky)’s daughter. But it doesn’t really smack of nepotism here, you don’t watch it thinking “why on earth did they cast here? Fiona Dourif, oh okay”, you think “she’s amazing, what else has she been in?”
A great erection joke there, really stands up well.
The downside of the colour scheme: it means white light is REALLY white, to the point of almost being washed out.
Nica flirts with a delivery guy, but her mother shuts the door so she can’t follow him to continue to talk, booo, hiss. She’s definitely the villain of the piece (or maybe the murdering doll is, who knows?)
“Oh honey I don’t want to see you hurt”, then you’re in the wrong genre of movie.
Hey it’s Chucky. But a very very new looking one. He hasn’t looked this new since the third one. I know the last two weren’t looked upon favourably but can’t just ignore them.
“I DVR’d Real Housewifes” and that is why you’re going to die.
See, told you, you watch reality TV, you end up on the floor in the middle of the night bleeding profusely.
Good reveal of half of the title, poor for the other. Okay I’ll try to explain why; the camera moves back to reveal Chucky sitting there and the word “Curse” kind of hanging next to him, then the “of Chucky” comes straight in. Yet the music seemed like it was building up to a fade in of that so it was just weird.
“Your sister thought it might be a good idea for me to come”, I thought priests weren’t allowed to do that?
“The church’s official response to suicide is not to judge, but to pity”, that’s everybody’s first reaction to most things I do.
“She was supposed to be taking care of you”, eh, no. She’s in a wheelchair, mentally she’s in a better place to deal with this situation than someone with a chemical imbalance. I’m not sure who this is more offensive to; people with mental health issues as it pretty downplays their effects, or people with physical health issues as it says you need looking after and lack any sort of independence.
“He scared me half to death”, people in horror constantly make references to death, more than I do.
“It’s a doll, what’s the worse that could happen?” It could come to life and murder everybody in the house. But what are the odds of that happening 6 times in the same movie series? Ridiculously low, I think this will end up being a romantic comedy, they can’t keep relying on horror.
“You’re going to make dinner, fox six?” She’s in a wheelchair, not simple. I know they’re family but I don’t get why she doesn’t detest them on sight.
Chucky pours rat poison (well, his arm does, we don’t see the rest of him move). Actually pretty clever, it’s more methodical and less bloody than in the last few films. This is a new Chucky, he’s almost methodical and slow, he’s taking his time with doing everything He’s waiting for opportunities instead of hunting them out, it makes it more tense and is incredibly offensive.
Oh, we don’t know which one the poison got put in. This scene alone could be a short film. There’s enough there to stretch out to an entire 15 minute short.
Lots of good fake outs, people here going “Oh my god” *silence* “this is amazing”. Then lots of close ups of people eating. I know this blog is supposed to have jokes but this scene is just really amazing. Sadly it’s not available on youtube so I can’t include it here.
“This is just like my mother used to make it” your mother put rat poison in your dinner? Did she also teach you to swim by putting you in a sack and throwing you in water? I don’t think she liked you very much.
Oh so that’s why that couple hired a nanny, for lesbian sex.
“The 80’s were amazing” well now you’re just lying. The 80’s had Thatcher, Chernobyl, and Madonna
“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep” why would you make a child say that before going to sleep? That’s terrifying. That’s like having them say “Today could be my last day on earth, if I die, delete my browser history”
“Chucky says there is no God. Life’s a bitch and then you die bleeding like a stuck pig” True, I’ve died at least four times like that today.
“Mommy, am I going to die” “of course not. Who told you that?” bitch, you did. You make her recite a pre-death ritual every night.
“Chucky I’m scared” “you fucking should be” That’s Chucky’s first line: at 44 minutes. Almost half the movie’s runtime. That’s remarkable patience. It’s weird that despite this being the best one, it’s the only one that was released straight to DVD, but it might have been the straight-to-DVD nature of it that led to it being so good as it allowed them freedom to do things like wait 44 minutes to show off the main character. I think this film is the first one since the original to realise that this might be someone’s first introduction to the character, so building up tension for the reveal is fine. And people who already know the character would be eagerly awaiting the appearance of him.
The woman continues to flirt with the Nanny. Just realised, she’s paying her $400 and sleeping with her. Is that basically prostitution?
Nica discovers about Charles Lee Ray and works out he was in a family film she was watching earlier, very good callback and reminds you that Chucky was once human.
Chucky kills the nanny via electrocution, he seems to do that a lot with people.
“Ian, I am not sleeping with the nanny”, well not anymore, she’s dead. You’re a terrible person but even you have your limits.
She notices Chucky has weird loose skin and slowly peels it off, revealing the scarred face we’ve got used to from the last few films. Up until now you could have assumed this was a reboot, starting time depending on your personal preference. I know some thought originally this film was just a straight reboot, ignoring all the previous ones, whereas I know some who said this happens after the third one. But this attic scene sets up the placement perfectly. It doesn’t explain how, but it sets up the “when” very well.
You’re scared by this doll, so you decide to put your finger in its mouth. What did you think would happen?
“you have your mothers eyes, and they were always too fucking close together” rude! Okay the “stabbing her and gouging out her eye and throwing it down the stairs” may also be considered rude, I don’t know the etiquette on eye gouging. I think it’s customary to use a dessert spoon, not a knife though.
Chucky attacks someone with an axe. But this isn’t a clean decapitation, he just kind of chops his jaw off, very Mortal Kombat.
Chucky hits a paraplegic in the leg with an axe and is surprised when it doesn’t hurt them.
Flashback to his motivation. when he was alive Charles Lee Ray was in love with someone, she rejected him, so he did the obvious thing and stabbed her in the stomach whilst she was pregnant, resulting in the child being confined to a wheelchair. Most people just do heroin and alcohol. We all have different methods.
Oh good this is wonderfully coloured. He’s kidnapped the woman (the mother who died early on in the film) in a room surrounded by sunflowers, lots and lots of sunflowers. Everything is in black and white apart from the flowers, visually striking.
“a lot of families have gone, the Barclays, the Kincaids” yeah but you didn’t kill any of them. Andy and his mum are alive, as are both of the Kincaids (from Bride Of Chucky), you’re a terrible serial killer.
“so you never actually killed Andy Barclay did you? It’s called completion anxiety, it’s very common in males” I like her.
“Twenty five years, must be the slowest murder in history, what are you waiting for a sign from God?” That is basically me in a horror movie, only I’m not female, or in a wheelchair.
Wait, so the hero has been institutionalised and the villain wins, Was this ending scripted by me? I love it. It’s still closure but opens it for a sequel. A beautiful ending that rings true. It’s like the ending to this is the aftermath of the other films. Only with Jennifer Tilly slitting another cops throat and showing us how Chucky has been getting around. She’s been posting him around so he can get his revenge.
Wait, so Chucky wants to put his soul in a child’s body? Why? He’ll never be able to get as much done, or get access to someone’s house again.
Plan foiled by someone waking up in the best use of “final jump scare” I’ve seen in horror films in a while. It makes you jump, but it also doesn’t render the rest of the film moot, if anything it makes you more hopeful. His plan to transfer himself into a child is now likely to be foiled.
Ooooo post credits scene.
Holy crap it’s Andy again. Played by the original actor too. Chucky has posted himself to him, and he comes out of the mail to Andy pointing a gun directly at his face. After six movies Andy finally gets his happy ending. Nobody can say he hasn’t earned it. And he has a picture of Kyle in his house. That’s actually kind of sweet.
Contemplations On Chucky: Day 5 (Seed Of Chucky)
Budget: $12million
Box Office: $24.8million
The credit sequence is sperm travelling to an egg and then a foetus developing into a baby which then comes screaming out of a vagina into bright light. This is not going to be an intelligent movie.
“That’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen in my whole life” I get told that on a daily basis.
We start with a POV shot from (presumably) a doll as it comes out of a box on a child’s birthday. The child hates it because she’s a spoiled brat (honestly, after this scene we see the house at night, there’s a massive pink birthday cake with only a small slice taken from it. Lazy!) and throws it in a box. As is custom for this movie it creeps out around the house, grabbing a knife on the way before being spotted by the dad which leads to the doll looking down and our first indication that this isn’t actually Chucky as the clothes are different, and horror movie law dictates characters don’t change clothes.
“You are hideous aren’t you?” Is this film just following me around and writing down what people say to me?
“In a civilised society our word is bond”, no wonder that child is so pretentious when you use sentences like that.
Cool POV death, the doll stabs the dad causing him to crash through a balcony and onto the floor below, the doll (and the camera) following him the entire way.
We have a naked woman, because horror movies always have superfluous boobs.
Our first glimpse of this doll as it see’s itself in the mirror. This is perfect character setting up, allowing us not to see him full on.
“You killed my mummy and daddy, and now you’re pissing your pants” *sings* one of those things is not like the other.
It turns out to be a dream, apart from the pissing his pants bit. The doll wakes up and we it’s being used as a ventriloquist dummy as it’s alive. Smart move by the guy who found him.
“I found him in a cemetery in the States six years ago. Little fucker tried to rip my throat out” “I was trying to give you a hug”, wait is that NOT how you hug? That explains so much.
Actually that “I found him in a cemetery” bit is weird as it seems to only be there to tell us, the audience that this doll is definitely the child of Chucky that appeared at the end of Bride, yet why would he tell the truth about that? Why not make up a lie that is better? Like say it was left to you by a witch or something. Don’t tell the truth about that if the rest of your act is based on deceit.
“I know I’m a freak”, me too little doll.
“you’re breaking up with me?” Wait, why didn’t she say all this before he made lots of santa based sex puns (I’m not even going to give you the context for that)
Chucky and Tiffany kill Santa, but not really as it turns out to be a film called “Chucky Goes Psycho” which is basically a film within the film about Bride Of Chucky. Which is weird for two reasons: 1) that only happened about 5 years before this film is set, is that not too soon? 2) Why didn’t they do one about original Chucky before Tiffany was involved? 3) For the “it’s a movie after all” fake out to work they needed Chucky and Tiffany to be voiced by their normal actors. Now what are the odds that Jennifer Tilly AND Brad Dourif would both be cast in this film? Jennifer Tilly kind of makes sense as she looks a lot like Tiffany, but wouldn’t they get someone else to voice Chucky? Either a younger or better known actor? This film breaks immersion already.
Jennifer Tilly plays herself, and very well, you really believe that she’s her.
Hey it’s blonde S Club person. Weird.
For younger readers: an S Club was a club which had parties, and there ain’t no party like an S Club party.
S Club basically calls Jennifer Tilly a slut.
The ventriloquist threatens his doll with a lighter whilst telling him to be more violent and”Give into your natural impulses or I might have to fire ya” Why do you need him to be scary? The humour is working fine. Plus, wouldn’t a doll’s natural instinct to be to make people happy? Which is almost the opposite of killing.
Jennifer Tilly auditions as the Virgin Mary alongside Redman (of Wu Tang Clan fame). I can’t tell whether they’re bad actors or great bad actors.
No way would Julia Roberts work with Redman. Not saying she’s racist or anything, but he’d be a first time director and she’s Julia F’ing Roberts. The role was originally supposed to be Quentin Tarantino, which makes a lot more sense.
The doll revives Tiffany and Chucky just by reading the necklace. That was way too easy. That only works if the film used the actual dolls involved in the murders, which is stupid to do. It would be like filming Poltergeist on an ancient Indian burial ground.
A CGI guy comes in and unscrews Tiffany’s batter back revealing internal organs. Good scene, but makes no sense as the first film Chucky had his battery compartment uncovered and it was normal.
Chucky and Tiffany respond to this in a normal way, by decapitating him.
Doll genitals! Well, lack of doll genitals as Chucky and Tiffany try to decide what gender the doll is.
They agree to disagree and call the child Glen/Glenda. Subtle.
Jennifer Tilly comes in to get chocolate, and kisses the decapitated head before realising it’s not a prop.
John Waters is in this. This film has just gained about 10% more credibility.
“my mother always told me, once is a blessing, twice is a curse”, then what is three times? Is it a massive disappointment? Because I’m the third.
“Oh my god she’s a complete slut” you kill people, don’t judge.
“Why do you kill people?” “It’s a hobby” have you tried knitting?
“I thought violence was bad” “no, you’re thinking of violins”. It’s a good thing he said that otherwise I was going to.
“we have a problem with killing” “I don’t have a problem, I like a little killing now and then” This scene is pretty funny but kind of feels too soon. This is only the second movie with Tiffany in it and she spent a lot of the last one not killing, they really only teamed up on a select few successful deaths. He’s iconic, she’s not but this film is assuming we think she is. That’s a massive problem as it makes it feel like there’s a film missing between this and Bride. Like a chapter which focuses more on the two of them interacting.
“let’s quit killing now, cold turkey” That’s dangerous, you can’t quit like that. You need to replace it with something else, like killing animals instead of people for a while.
“hell would be ending up on fear factor in a worm eating contest with Anna Nicole-Smith” “which you’d win”, not know Anna’s dead, I imagine she’s had lots of worms eating her.
Puppet boobs. This film has puppet boobs followed by puppet masturbation. It all feels so undignified.
John Waters character photographs Jennifer Tilly prostituting herself to the fourth best rapper from the Wu to play the virgin Mary, he then photographs a masturbating doll. Still more normal than his real life day to day life.
“Mel Gibson ain’t the only one God speaks to” That’s not God Mel Gibson speaks to.
Tiffany uses a turkey baster to put puppet semen into Jennifer Tilly. I wonder why people can’t take this film seriously.
Chucky drives Britney Spears off the road before going to kill John Waters.
Glen/Glenda accidentally scares John Waters, causing him to back into a shelf and knock acid onto his own face, killing him. See, this is why you don’t keep your acid in breakable bottles on shelves, you keep them in plastic lemonade bottles in fridges instead. Much safer.
“I remember you screaming a lot, I tend to have that effect on women” that’s probably because you have a gun.
“I don’t know what’s got into me” Redman’s penis?
“I ain’t no idiot” your sentence structure says differently.
Redman fires Jennifer Tilly for being pregnant as “I have a very specific image for the Virgin Mary, she’s got to be hot”. At first, second, and third glance this is stupid. But on fourth glance it’s still stupid, but not as bad as it seems, how many pictures of Jesus show him as out of shape? None, he’s always toned, with washboard abs and a sexy face.
Tiffany disembowels Redman, for some reason his intestines are smoking like they just come out of the oven.
S Club gets set on fire and falls down the stairs.
Okay it turns out Glen is normal, but the Glenda side of his personality is a psychopath, and was the one that killed S Club. It also turns out Chucky has 4 dead bodies in the cupboard, but no idea where or how they got there. This film has more onscreen than offscreen murders.
That baby is remarkably clean for a newborn that hasn’t been cleaned yet.
Chucky has a really really great scene here, superbly written and a real hint into the character and is brilliant, sadly the rest of the film is nowhere near this level. “If this is what it takes to be human, I’d rather take my chances as a supernaturally possessed doll; it’s less complicated. Think about it, what’s so great about being human anyway? You get sick, you get old, you can’t get it up anymore. I’m not looking forward to that! As a doll, I’m fucking infamous! I’m one of the most notorious slashers in history! And I don’t wanna give that up. I am Chucky, the killer doll!” Tiffany disagrees so Chucky throws a knife at her, because that’s how all arguments are dealt with.
Police walk in and find BBQ’d S Club, they check for a pulse.
Glen kills Chucky in revenge for him killing Tiffany. A slow one too, he dismembers him with an axe, piece by piece. One thing notable during this scene, Billy Boyd is not a fantastic voice actor, or he’s just not good at this part, but it just seems silly.
Five years later and Jennifer Tilly’s two children are called Glen and Glenda, the maid complains about Glenda, saying she called the cat a “c word”, but what else are you supposed to call one?
Jennifer Tilly beats the maid to death with Tiffany doll, then her eyes go weird and we realise she is actually Tiffany in her body. Weird and really stupid. Especially since it (spoilers) isn’t referenced too much in the sequel. Well, Tilly is, but the kids aren’t. Which is a shame, missed opportunity for something, I just have no idea what.
The actor playing human Glen is called “Beans”. Beans is not a name, it’s a food. I’m not going to call my child “Chicken Legend With Mayonnaise Sauce”, because that would be silly. Yes, i’m mocking a child, I’m a terrible terrible person.
Contemplations On Chucky: Day 4 (Bride Of Chucky)
Director: Ronny Yu (The Bride With White Hair, Chasing Dragon)
Yay, actually looking forward to this. This was the first Chucky film I ever saw, the second one I saw was the third one, the third one I saw was the first one, then the fourth one I saw was the second one. It makes complete sense if you just pretend “this is the prequel to the one I saw earlier”. Hoping it still holds up.
Very cinematic opening. This is no longer a horror movie, this is a horror MOVIE. Always good, plus you have to remember this was a lot of people’s first introduction to the character, their hadn’t been a film made for almost a decade
Jason and Michael Myers masks (as well as Leatherface’s Chainsaw) in the police lock up. I like that as it means they share a universe, which means this film series also shares a universe with Freddy Krueger, the Evil Dead, and Hellraiser. Also in this locker room, references to Creepshow, and there’s a reference to Pinhead later on in the film. Why is that horror is really the only genre that can get away with referencing other films so openly? You don’t have characters from Goodfellas suddenly turn up in Scarface etc. I think it’s because of the way we view horror now, as I’ve said multiple times before horror is best as communal viewing, you watch it with others and you feel part of a community. As such you need things there that kind of exclude people who aren’t a part of that community, and these little in-jokes are great for that. They feel like little rewards for knowing the genre. It would be like if in the middle of Avatar they referenced the Titanic movie and if you understood the reference you got a lollypop.
So far both scares have been Lewton Buses. If they do it a third time that’s a bad sign.
Nope, someone appeared behind the cop and slit his throat. Nicely done. The two previous Lewton Buses meant you expected another one so you were surprised when it played it straight.
John Wayne entrance (start at the feet and move up the body) of Jennifer Tilly’s character of Tiffany. I love how the first kill in this movie isn’t done by Chucky, it sets the tone well of “anything can happen”
Our first sighting of Chucky, well, parts of him anyway, his face is still chopped up as a result of the last film. I like that, continuity which adds to the character and changes them. It also gives the character a new defining look which is pretty good from a marketing perspective too as more merchandise and cosplay opportunities.
Instead of using an original score for this they use a Rob Zombie track, works perfectly for this montage of rebuilding Chucky.
Oh my God I forgot John Ritter was in this.
Oooo so’s Katherine Heigl.
Gordon Michael Woolvett playing David, the sterotypically gay character here. He does it well enough to suggest he could have had a future as the sidekick in a romantic comedy.
Tiffany attempts to bring Chucky back to life from a book called “Voodoo for Dummies”. That’s pretty funny.
A random goth (played by the recently deceased Alexis Arquette) turns up and pretends to have killed someone to get into Tiffany’s good books. If a friend needs you to kill someone then they’re not really you’re friend at all.
“you know what the French call an orgasm? The little death” Basic rule for seduction: don’t mention the French. Oh, or death I suppose.
Wait, that character is called Damian Baylock? Fantastic subtle reference to The Omen there.
Tiffany performs a striptease, (well, takes off a glove) whilst Damian is handcuffed to a bed, whilst talking about Chucky. Very weird that she’s basically talking about an ex during foreplay, I can’t imagine that’s an effective technique.
Finally Chucky lives, kills Damian by ripping out his lip piercing and smothering him with a pillow, that’s the third most common cause of death in Shoreditch.
“You know me, I’ll kill anybody but I’ll only sleep with someone I love”, see I’m the complete opposite.
“you fuck” “but you won’t, not Jade anyway” damn I miss John Ritter.
“You keep your orchid dry now”, is that some kind of homosexual slang for something? Like a weird way of reminding you to wear a condom?
Tiffany decides to tickle Chucky then throw him in a playpen. She’s forgetting the basic rule of life; don’t tickle a serial killer. I got tickled last week by someone and I elbowed them in the chest, and I’m barely a killer.
Kidneythieves cover of Crazy, so THAT’S how I first heard this song.
Tiffany shoves Damien’s body in a box and gets Nick to move it. He mentions it’s heavy but doesn’t do the obvious “what you got in here, a body?” joke.
“a woman spends all day slaving over a hot stove for a man, the least he can do is do the dishes”, or buy her one of Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meal cookbooks. That way she still has time to wash, clean, and do all the other stuff women do; knitting, giving birth, putting cats in blenders.
Why do people in horror movies watch so many horror films? Horror is as self referential as I am.
“I promise to love, honour and cherish till death do us part”. Why would someone manufacture a doll that says that? That’s hugely sexist and a terrible example to set to women; “be a bride and your main duty is looking after your husband”.
Chucky kills Tiffany by pushing a TV in the bath, this death was supposed to be in the first movie but got changed to a hammer to the head. Probably for the best as advances in CGI mean it’s easier to do it now and it looks brilliant.
Chucky puts Tiffany’s soul into the other doll, because, reasons.
“I wouldn’t marry you if you had the body of GI Joe”, but then he wouldn’t have a penis.
“turn to Chapter 6, page 217”, so she turns to chapter 11. I’m starting to see why he killed her.
So now he needs an amulet to transfer his soul into a human body, why didn’t he need it in the previous three films?
Oh, this character is openly gay. That’s actually pretty progressive.
Where did Chucky get that knife from?
Funny that Tiffany idolises Martha Stewart, who later on went to jail.
Definitely the most imaginative death in this series so far, Tiffany and Chucky load up a bunch of nails into the car airbag and launch them into John Ritter’s face, making him resemble Pinhead. “fun” fact: Chucky’s line of “why does that look so familiar?” was ad-libbed by Brad Dourif.
“Rude fucking doll”, i think of all the ways to describe Chucky, “Rude” isn’t the word I’d use.
“at least you haven’t forgotten how to show a girl a good time”, I tried that on my last date, blew up a cop car. I’m single now so that tells you successful that tactic was.
Interesting duel narrative here. Not just are Chucky and Tiffany making their way across the country and killing people, but the two human characters are beginning to suspect each other of being murderers. More films should do that, place doubt in the characters heads, paranoia that eats away at the relationship.
“Multiple murderers, mass murders happen all at once, multiple murders are serial killings” useful information to know.
Okay so the lighter that Chucky used to blow up a cop car came from the guy that got his throat cut in the opening scene, nice bit of continuity there.
Discount Matthew Lilliard playing a swinger here, who steals the main characters wallets.
“Chucky, he’s a Good Guy doll, they were programmed to say all kinds of shit”, no, they only had three sentences.
“That thieving slut” dude, you kill people.
Okay I love this kill, Tiffany kills the swingers by throwing a champagne bottle at the mirrored ceiling above them. The look on her face was just terrifying, and it’s a really inventive way to do it. Visually it’s brilliant too as the characters were on a water bed so the glass shattered into the bed, causing a mix of blood and water to gush into the air.
Chucky spots a wedding ring on the guys disembodied finger and tries to take it off but can’t, so he turns his back to Tiffany and tries to bite it off. Weird display of manners there.
Maid walks into the swingers bedroom, see’s broken glass and blood on the floor and says “lol, newlyweds”. Is there something about weddings I don’t know about? Is it traditional for newlyweds to break glass and bleed? If so I don’t think I want to get married.
A superb jump scare there where David knocks on the van window in the middle of a heated discussion. Probably the best jump scare in the film, incredibly effective.
“something really stinks in here”, how is he the only person to notice that?
David finds John Ritter’s body and predictably freaks. He then points a gun at the main characters, confusion abounds, before Chucky and Tiffany reveal themselves, guns in hand. A truck then runs over David, most literal gay bashing i’ve ever seen.
Actually just realised it’s a bit weird that David called the police over, all they would have seen is him pointing a gun at two people, would have been hard to explain.
Wait, why are the police chasing them? They don’t know the dead body’s in the van, all they saw was a guy pointing a gun at them, then that guy got hit by a truck. Yet the police don’t seem to be interested in the truck that hit someone.
“How did you end up like this?” “it’s complicated. If it was a movie it would take 3 or 4 sequels just to do it justice”. God damn that’s self-referential. I love it.
Why is Tiffany doing Katherine Heigl’s make up before transforming her soul into her? Surely it would be easier afterwards?
So the two characters are tied up, completely helpless. They get out of it by depending on Chucky’s misogyny, which leads to an argument where Tiffany says “plastic is no substitute for a good chunk of wood”, then Chucky getting kicked out of a window, and Tiffany being kicked into an oven. If Chucky was a feminist serial killer he’d have gotten away with it.
Chucky and Tiffany basically kill each other. Nice poetic way to end it, they’re in an obviously toxic relationship that is responsible for their own deaths. Nicely done.
So that’s it, it’s over. You’d never guess that Katherine Heigl would become such a massive star, or that Nick Stabile wouldn’t.
Contemplations On Chucky: Day 3 (Child’s Play 3)
Director: Jack Bender (Game Of Thrones, The Sopranos, Lost)
Box Office: $20million
This film is weird, was definitely seen as the weakest at the time. It was released only nine months after the second one yet the in-universe time difference between the two is about 9 years. It’s actually lucky this film was badly received as it meant that there wouldn’t be a sequel to this for almost a decade, by which time real time had caught up with the movie’s timeline. Stupid of Universal to demand a sequel that quickly really. They asked the writer to start it before the second film was even released. As such the writer (Don Mancini) was out of ideas as he used a lot of them in the second one, and because it wasn’t released yet he had no idea about what people thought worked in it and what didn’t, so he was basically going into the third one without knowing how the second one was going to be received.
Okay that is one hell of an opening credits sequence. It shows the Chucky doll being remade, there’s something about melted plastic forming into shapes that is quite unsettling and it’s used wonderfully here, especially when combined with the music.
Oooooo a presentation, I hope it ends with a duck on a boat.
“the notorious lakeshore strangler” not so notorious of course that when people say his name people don’t go “who?”
“Why put the Good Guy doll back on the market?” Guy there asking a very sensible question.
“Before this it was our biggest seller”, well, yeah but that was eight years ago, eight years ago from today Alexandra Burke had a UK number one, doesn’t mean she’s due for a comeback any day now.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea” I like this guy, he’s really sympathetic, shame he never appears after this and is probably going to be fired.
“Doesn’t matter what we’re selling whether it’s cars, nuclear weapons, or toys” As a toy manufacturer I’d suggest you stick to toys. There’s not much room on the Fisher Price “My First Nuclear Bomb” playset.
“The Good Guy of the 90’s” Looks exactly the same as the 80’s one. And why do they keep insisting on using the model that was accused of murder and has been burnt and chopped up? Try fixing one that hasn’t been almost completely destroyed.
I always felt these films have missed out on a really creepy shot of a line of Good Guy dolls in a toy store, all perfectly still except for the eyes are all moving at the same time, seemingly following someone walking through the aisle, then the eyes on one of them dart quickly the other way.
Businessman doing business things, like playing golf and watching business news, good work Vincent Adultman.
Random fact: Peter Jackson was asked to direct this. First there was Nightmare On Elm Street, now this. Can Peter Jackson just make a god-damn horror movie now so we can stop wondering?
Chucky uses a bunch of toys to create horror movie scares. See, this annoys me as if they had more time in the scripting process this would have been a highlight of the series. As it is it’s good, but not quite great. Although the scene at the end with the two dolls “conversing” whilst sitting in chairs is unsettling enough to justify it.
Actually where did those two dolls come from? They said this was the first one in eight years, did he keep two dolls around in his office for almost a decade? Weird guy.
“Nothing like a strangulation to get the circulation going” obvious sex joke is obvious.
Psychological profile of Andy describes him as a “juvinile” The real crime is illiteracy. And murder. And making tea by putting in the milk first.
“these fantasies of killer dolls” weirdest fetish ever.
“Who are you?” “I’m a Good Guy”. This advert reminds me of the biggest problem I have with this re-release of the toys, the children who brought them eight years ago will all be grown up now. Children now won’t have any idea who they are, so why on earth would they want a toy they don’t know when there’s so many better ones available?
Guy is found tied up in the cupboard, yup, definitely nothing homoerotic about that.
“Do you know who I am?” Has a character, actually no, scratch that, a person, ever said that who hasn’t been a complete arsehole?
“You are without a doubt the most pathetic thing I have ever seen”, I take it he hasn’t seen his own penis then.
“asshole” “what did you say” “I said you asshole” “you think you’re pretty funny don’t you?” “yes”. That woman is basically me if I was older, and a woman, and in the military, and looked better, and was in shape.
Person knocks the toy out of a child’s hand, and then immediately disappears. The person who knocked it out of his hands was walking down the stairs, and the toy got knocked down them too. So in the next shot they should have been there, but nope, just disappeared yet.
“who the fuck are you?” “I thought you guys only said three sentences”, yeah the other two are “Go fuck yourself” and “I’m your friend to the end”
“What am I doing wrong?” Well when you’re shooting you miss the target, that’s your biggest problem.
It’s weird that they didn’t actually teach him proper gun use and instead are depending on one of the other cadets to do it.
“It’s not a baton Barclay”, well to be fair how would you know as you’ve never fucking taught him how to shoot.
“This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun”. To clarify the gun is his penis. And there’s a shot of him grabbing his own dick, a close up.
“A soldier’s rifle is his best friend”, well that’s just sad.
Chucky crushes the garbage collector because….reasons. That’s the trouble with constant sequelization of horror films, the characters lose their motivations. In the first film Chucky didn’t kill many people, and only really did it for personal vengeance from when he was alive, or when people discovered him. Was similar in the second one, only he seemed to have a connection with Andy so he also moved onto those who were mistreating Andy, so he was almost going against those who wrong his potential vessel. In this one he’s so far killed two people, none of which were necessary, and the second one actively helped blow his cover. If he didn’t kill the garbageman after escaping the truck then Andy wouldn’t have suspected he was there so it would have been easier for him to go about his nefarious ways.
Chucky slices the back of Andy’s foot. I very rarely say this but I definitely wrote a better version of that. If he got the achilles tendon that would have severely disabled Andy for the rest of the film. The actual slicing should have been a lot more visceral too, it should have made people wince, as it is it just looks like nothing.
“Chucky’s gonna be a bro” that’s racist. And stupid, why on earth did he reveal himself to Andy then? He’s just making things difficult for himself.
“I got myself another slave” I’ll take “lines that would have sounded a lot worse if the main character was black” for $1,000 please.
“I’m trying to weed out a thief”, but you stole it first.
Chucky kills someone via heart attack, even he seems disappointed by that. Funny thought, about time that happened.
“Do yourself a favour and get the hell out of Kent”, people have been saying the same thing to me for nigh on 30 years.
You may remember this character said earlier that the reason soldiers need short hair is so that someone can’t grab it and slit your throat. Predictably he dies by someone slitting his throat.
The idea of switching out paintball bullets for normal bullets is a good idea on paper (I actually used it in a short story for GCSE English) but it’s stupid and ridiculous in execution for two reasons: 1) Guns which fire paint rounds are usually specially modified to allow it and can’t fire normal rounds. 2) It’s standard military practice to check your ammunition before firing. So a nice idea but one that defies logic.
“Now we can play hide the soul” is that similar to hide the sausage? If so I don’t want to play it.
Surely they’d notice they’re not firing paint rounds when they change the ammunition or when their shots hit a tree or something and there’s no paint.
Obvious fake snow is obvious.
So out of all these trained cadets, not one of them noticed a live grenade being thrown towards them.
We now go to a nearby fairground, which to me is way too close to the military exercises to be considered safe.
So now we’ve moved away from the army base, which is a shame as there were a lot of opportunities for interesting set pieces that weren’t really used. Okay the fairground also has a lot of interesting things that could be used but they only have like 12 minutes left in this film in which to do so, and that’s including credits.
Wait, the fairground ride has paper masquerading as fire, yet has a real f*cking scythe? More to the point, nothing of interest happened in the ghost house, massive disappointment.
See, now there it makes sense to have blades, in a fan, but they should still be covered by something.
Andy ducks to avoid being hit by a rollercoaster train. Wait, the train is still going? And nobody can see or hear the attempted murder that’s going on?
Chucky gets his hand cut off, again, I think that’s happened in ever film so far. You’d think he’d be used to it.
Chucky falls into the fan and gets cut, and seems to explode. Quick question; how on earth is this going to be covered up? How are they going to explain the gun?
Wait, I know that cop. That’s the manager from Chuck. Cool.
So now the end credits. Overall somewhat enjoyable, definitely the weakest so far though and way too many missed opportunities.
On October 27, 2016 October 27, 2016 By troubledproductionsIn Contemplations On ChuckyLeave a comment
Director: John Lafia (The Blue Iguana, The Rats)
Box Office: $32-35million
I understand they want to restart the Good Guy toyline but do they have to use the decapitated head of the one that was accused of murder? Just build a new one, doll’s heads aren’t exactly hard to come by. I used to have some on my BBQ.
“every tabloid is running a story on Andy Barclay and his killer doll” In America maybe, over here we were talking about Jamie Bulger and Suzanne Capper. Well, after Child’s Play 3 anyway but none of the other films talk about press reaction to murder so I’m going to have to use this opportunity to segue into a little rant here. Both of the aforementioned cases were terrible incidents which shouldn’t have happened and the people involved deserve whatever happens to them after death, whether it be an eternity of torment or blank nothingness. But the press took advantage of these murders to launch a campaign against “video nasties” and called for horror films to be more heavily regulated. Now, ignoring the fact that the newspapers that were calling for this most heavily are the ones who are now decrying a regulatory body and saying that any calls for press accuracy are “censorship” (I could write an entire essay on how ridiculous the notion is that deliberate fiction is more dangerous than disguised half-truths). The Suzanne Capper one had a somewhat tenuous link to the films as the dickholes torturing her played audio clips from the film whilst torturing her. Although it later turned out that they didn’t take these clips from the film, they took them from a popular song out at the time that was being played on Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio. A newspaper at the time reported that “21,000 4-9 year olds watched Child’s Play 3 when it was transmitted”, it later turned out that the figure was an extrapolation of people who were asked and applied that figure to the population as a whole, the actual number was two, and the margin of error applied to it means that it could have been just one. As David Elstein said at the time “but why spoil a good story by asking what the figure’s mean”, which is a damn funny thing for him to say and I commend him highly. Now the Jamie Bulger thing is a lot more tenuous. Even today people blame the films for the murders, but what evidence was there that the two were linked? One of the murderer’s dads, might have rented the film once, months before. If this is what the newspapers use as evidence I’m glad they don’t run the courts. Basically, fuck the tabloids.
“we rebuilt it head to toe”, but why?
A tricky thing with horror sequels is explaining how the killer came back. This one just goes for “his soul never died”, simple but kind of effective.
“what do you want me to do with the doll?” “stick it up your ass” I don’t think it’s that kind of toy.
Hey, it’s Jenny Agutter. I’d have assumed she’s too good for stuff like this.
“possessed by the soul of Charles Lee Ray” “who?” Would the world forget that quickly?
“what’s your favourite thing in the whole wide world?” “chocolate”. Me too kid, me too.
“besides chocolate” there’s other food besides chocolate? Lies and slander!
That house is so weirdly painted it reminds of The Shining.
“First rule, don’t touch the old stuff” I his wife won’t touch the old stuff anymore, that’s why he’s so angry.
“What do you think?” “Oh I’ll get used to him”. That’s the closest a foster parent can get to saying “I hate him he’s a little shit”
Christine Elise as Kyle, I always found her a really underrated actress, okay this is the only thing I saw her in but her performance is charming and likeable.
Jenny Agutter gets annoyed at Kyle for working too much, yeah, those damn rebellious kids, always working and obeying the rules. I bet she keeps tidying up behind herself too, she’s out of control I tell you!
“I bet blue is your favourite colour”. That’s sexist!
Andy is impressed by wooden toys, despite having a working electric car in his old house.
This family keeps a Good Guy doll in the house then get annoyed that Andy is scared. Those damn kids and their post traumatic stress disorder.
Why is he taking Chucky home? Why not just throw it in the bin or something? I’m assuming that workplace has bins.
“that’s a gold card, it’s just as good as cash”, really? Can you roll it up and use it to snort cocaine?
“you have to admit he’s a troubled boy, he may need more attention than we can give him” The father threatens to kick Andy out of the home and send him back to the orphanage and a life of neglect and suffering, because of a broken china statue. What a dick.
“Hi, I’m…….Tommy” that genuinely made me laugh.
Chucky’s eyes widen when there’s a risk of the other dead doll being uncovered. They’re really doing a lot to make the doll a character this time around, giving him unexpressed thoughts and worries, it really helps sell him as a character.
Andy gets tied up and gagged with a sock, Kyle sneaks in and blames him, how did he think she did it to himself? He’s way too young to be into that kind of sado-masochistic sex games.
“Andy, how did you tie yourself up last night?” I think she’s looking for tips. Now she’s definitely old enough to be into that kind of sadomaso-I’m going to stop there.
“especially new students who’s main concern should be getting on my good side” I’d have thought his main concern would be learning, since it is, you know, a school.
Shouldn’t she be easily able to tell that that’s not the handwriting of a child?
She locks him in a classroom. Isn’t that like, majorly illegal? What if he needed to go a toilet? Would she prefer he piss/defecate himself?
Chucky stabs her, with an air pump? Okay then.
“you’ve been very naughty Miss Kettlewell”, he says whilst brandishing a ruler, and the S&M continues.
“his teacher called”, did nobody phone home and tell the parents that the teacher is now dead? Did no cleaners or other teachers go in the room?
“what are you suggesting we do, send him back? “you don’t have to make it sound so horrible”, but it is horrible. You can’t take in a child you know is damaged and cry and complain that he’s not the right sort of damaged. Do your job as a parent and help.
Andy grabs a carving knife and goes to the basement to kill Chucky. I like that, it shows character development. He’s not sitting around as a victim waiting to be hunted, he’s hunting the hunter. It flips the dynamic slightly and is good to see, especially since he is just a child, but he’s a child who’s done this before.
What is it with Chucky and biting?
Phil dies via broken neck. Quite a good method of death actually, looks impulsive enough that a child could have accidentally done it.
Jenny Agutter and Christine Elise share an emotional scene which is far better than this film deserves.
The scene with the social worker collecting him whilst Kyle stands there has a really weird low angle which makes the space behind them seem massive and Andy seem tiny, very well created shot. Actually this film has a had a lot of moments like that, the cinematographer from this film also worked on Ed Wood, and was the DOP on Edward Scissorhands.
Ah man Jenny Agutter’s dead and she died off screen. Actually this scene is really good, the music, the look, everything just works to build tension until the reveal of the body, and then the slow rise of Chucky under the bedsheets behind Kyle, classic horror movie technique but very effective.
“That’s a Good Guy isn’t it? I love those things” really? The doll only came out two years prior to this, you’re at least in your late 40’s. It’s weird for you to like it that much.
“You know how some dolls pee, this one bleeds?” Hah! I would happily watch a Kyle/Chucky roadtrip sitcom.
“you goddamn women drivers”, ah, casual misogyny, although he is a mass murdering psychopath so I really shouldn’t be shocked that he’s not a very nice person. “yes, he killed hundreds, but he always said please and thank you”
Chucky sets off a fire alarm and Kyle gets the blame. Not that important a scene but the make-up on Kyle looks amazing, she looks thoroughly beaten and scared.
It turns out Chucky has been in the body for too long to get transported out. I guess that’s the end of this film series.
Wasn’t the implication earlier that the Chucky case caused a lot of bad publicity for the company and they were risking going out of business? That’s a very big production line for a product range that’s going under.
“Andy hurry up he’s right behind you” Why do you think he screamed?
Chucky’s hand gets trapped and he kind of 127 Hours his way out of it, literally just rips his own hand off.
“don’t be afraid” yeah, it’s just a piece of machinery that could probably kill you immediately, nothing to worry about.
Chucky shoves a blade into his stump, groovy.
Security guard/engineer notices a build up of dolls on the production line. So he didn’t notice the screaming etc before that? He also didn’t notice the two people running around the factory. He sucks at his job.
He puts his head directly under the mechanism of the machine whilst fixing it. He’s an idiot.
An unholy mess comes out of a machine, it’s 5 dolls fused together. Very Cronenberg.
More so as Chucky is shoved into a machine and all you can hear is agonised screaming, acidic burning, and mechanical whirring.
Chucky is dragging himself along the floor, at this point it would mainly be a mercy killing.
Andy pours molten wax over Chucky, because there’s no kill like overkill.
Molten wax Chucky is genuinely disturbing as hell. An air hose gets put in his mouth and he explodes in a mass of blood and plastic.
Film ends with a shot of a smiling Good Guy sign waving. I like it, very genteel way to end a violent movie.
Contemplations On Chucky: Day 1 (Child’s Play)
On October 26, 2016 May 21, 2018 By troubledproductionsIn Contemplations On ChuckyLeave a comment
So, halloween is just around the corner, knife in hand, ready to jump out and disembowel people when they approach it (or alternatively, hand out sweets, depends how you celebrate it), so what better time than now to waste time watching horror films start a new blog series? Similar to Musings On Marvel which I did earlier this year, and extremely similar (I.E: Pretty much the same as) last years Nightmare A Day, I’ll be watching a film every day and blogging my thoughts. This year I’m doing the Chucky series, and I thought I’d start with the first film, because I’m not a complete idiot.
Director: Tom Holland ((Psycho II (unpopular opinion, I prefer it to the first one) Fright Night (including the sequel and remake))
Budget: $9million
The cop just threw his jacket away. Littering!
Pretty impressive shot there. Cop attempted to shoot someone but they move out of the way and it shoots a car window instead, camera was behind the car window so it looked beautiful.
How different would this film have been if he put his soul into a ninja turtle toy, or a transformer?
Oh man I’d hate to be the shop worker who has to tidy this up in the morning.
“Oh god I’m dying”, really needed a better delivery of that line there. Sounds way too “ah well, shit happens”
“You did this” Murderer is annoyed that somebody killed him. Really the hypocrisy is worse than the murder.
Shop exploded. Obviously. Yet no fire alarms went off. See, that’s why you have health and safety laws.
“I saw this one” yeah, children famously hate repetition.
This toy company has it’s own cereal that’s basically diabetes in a box.
That giant doll costume is really really creepy.
Even without the soul of a psychopathic killer I still get the feeling these dolls would kill you. You specifically.
“so remember to tell your mum and dad you want a Good Guy”. I have two jokes for this. Delete which ever one you found less funny. 1) When I told my parents I wanted a good guy they were less than pleased. 2) No, you go get a job and buy your own dolls.
“and remember, you can buy all these good guy accessories too” Holy pressurised selling, Batman!
This kid is called Andy, I’m now saying this is a Toy Story prequel.
“How long have you been up?” “since forever” You lying little shit.
“it looks delicious” Liar!
“I have to give you your super duper birthday tummy gummy” That sounds strange.
A news report on Charles Lee Ray, do they often put news reports about serial killers on just after children’s TV shows this early in the morning?
You did not need to have a box that big just to put children’s clothes in. It’s just a waste of wrapping paper.
“there’s a guy in the alley selling the toy you want”. That statement asks more questions than it answers. 1) Why were you in the alley behind the store? This was before shops could hire snipers to shoot smokers so you could have gone out the front. 2) How did Chucky climb back into the box and close it, and clean up the blood? 3) It’s been a while since I’ve brought toys, but “stranger in an alley”? I really doubt they have a decent returns policy. “if you’re not satisfied, fucking die”
“Are you happy with your job here?” No manager would ever ask that question.
“A Good Guy, I knew it” What gave it away? The fact it was in a Good Guy box, or the fact that the box has a see-through front so you can tell what it is before you opened it?
The toy company has it’s own cake mix. Evil!
“Hey Chucky, you’re not watching me”. It’s because you’re boring, kid.
“Chucky wants to watch the nine O clock news” She doesn’t find it weird that a child asks to watch the news.
So, inside the doll is the soul of an an adult male, and he just got kissed by a child. This must be hell for him.
“What is wrong with me?” Off the top of my head, I’d say low self-esteem, a lack of maternal affection and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.
How did she get hit so hard (with a toy hammer no less) that she stumbled about 6 feet back with enough force to fall through a window? Were the windows made of sugar glass?
If a body lands on your car, is that covered by insurance?
“I live there”, thankfully the police don’t ask for proof or clarification.
So the detective investigating this is the same one who shot Charles Lee Ray? Wow, well coinci-mental
“Why? What’s happened to Maggie?” Well the detective is from homicide, try and put 2 and 2 together.
“You got any idea what these are?” What, the footprints, I’d say they’re footprints.
“what would Andy be doing on the counter anyway?” There speaks somebody who obviously has never had children, those fuckers climb everything.
PJ Sneakers? What the fuck? No! That’s just ugly capitalism.
“I don’t know who did that, and I don’t care”, wait, you don’t care who killed them?
“I want time alone with my son” “okay, we’ll clear out”, is that how police investigations work? They stay there until they solve the case, or until somebody politely asks them to leave.
The main kid in this called Andy, and there’s a character called Sid, this is basically Toy Story.
“his real name is Charles Lee Ray”, why did he tell you that?
“it’s because of Aunt Maggie you’re behaving like this”, no it’s because you’re a failure and I hate you.
“Why don’t you sleep with me tonight?” Wait, but at the moment you suspect your kid is dangerous, so why would you want that? Why not do the opposite and sleep far away, locking the door.
“you sure you’re alright about last night?” He goes to school the next day? I know it’s just a family friend but surely he’d get a day off for that?
How did he get on a train without either 1) paying (you really think a six year old kid has that much spare change?). 2) Someone phoning the police.
Pretty good use of music here, they’re seemingly incorporating the basic noise from a train running on the tracks into the music. Simplistic but rather brilliant.
What was Chucky’s plan if Andy didn’t need a piss at this precise moment?
Andy urinated for over a minute, how much does this kid drink?
“random noise, I’ll fire towards it” Good plan.
Andy runs towards gunshots.
How did Andy find Chucky in the burning wreckage?
Why has she not thrown that box out? Or at the very least compacted it down for recycling. Earth-killers are the true evil.
Good Guy even make their own god-damn batteries?
“Talk or I’ll throw you in the fire”. Look, this will go one of two ways, either 1) You’re threatening a serial killer. Or 2) You’re going to burn your childs favourite toy because it wouldn’t talk to you.
“I brought it from a peddler behind my work, I’ll try there” Stupid idea.
“he’s a cop” How do you know that? All he’s done is knee a homeless rapist in the groin, that’s the least that anybody would do.
“It was struck by lightning the night that Charles Lee Ray died? “How do you know that?” Well I imagine a serial killer dying, and a big toy store blowing up would make the local news. And he’s a member of the police so I imagine he’s up to date with current events, even ones as small as the police shooting someone.
“I was the man who killed him” “why didn’t you tell me?” Is it a policy to tell civilians every single person you’ve killed? If so that’s going to make meeting new people a lot more difficult for me.
Chucky attempts to strangle him, instead of, you know, using the knife.
Chucky finally decides to use the knife.
Obvious Green Screen is obvious.
“this is his accomplice” then why aren’t you there? Why did you insist on seeing a civilian first, and then take her to a possibly dangerous scene?
Why does he have a voodoo doll of himself? Does he put it near the heater so that even when he’s walking around in the snow he’s warm? That’s what I would do.
“I have a date with a six year old boy”, Phrasing!
Chucky stabs the voodoo doll, instead of, you know, just stabbing the guy laying in front of him. Lazy.
The actor playing Andy seems to genuinely be in fear. No child actor is that good (apart from Ruby Barnhill and Madison Wolfe of course) that I’m not suspicious that that child is actually in fear of his life. In which case, meh, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Chucky bites a lot. If that’s his natural instinct he probably did it a lot whilst human too, so why did it take so long for the police to catch him? Or has him becoming a doll given him really weird fetishes?
Random fact: Whilst doing the voice-over work for when Chucky is thrown in the fire, Brad Dourif’s (the voice of Chucky) daughter crawled into the recording room. Nobody noticed until she started crying as a reaction to her dad screaming. I don’t have a joke to end this on, just found that interesting.
This woman who works in a department store is a better shot than most movie cops.
I like how this ends with a “phew we’re safe, but oh shit, everyone thinks we’re crazy”. Kind of a happy ending, but also a downer. It’s a happy downer, like a post-orgasm penis
And that’s that. The first of many (well, about 5) in a new series.
2010’s In Film Day 8 (2018)
2010s In Film Day 6: 2016
inca5ognito on Headlines: Episode One
troubledproductions on IT: Chapter 2 (2019)
Necronomi-Conor on IT: Chapter 2 (2019)
A Nightmare A Day
Contemplations On Chucky
Films We've Made
How We Got Through
How we made…
I Scream Some Days
Musings On Marvel
Recasting…
See-Saw
Why we love
Year round up
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The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)
Sudden Death Of Al Jolson
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24 (A.A.P.).—Film star Al Jolson, 64, died last night while playing
Wed 25 Oct 1950 - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)
Page 1 - Sudden Death Of Al Jolson
Oct. 24 (A.A.P.).-Furn
star Al Jolson, 64, died
last night while playing
cards with friends in his
San Francisco hotel room.
He suddenly complained of
not leeling well and lay down
to rest.
After a few minutes he
asked for a doctor, joked with
his friends, and suddenly said:
"1 am going," and died.
He returned to the United
States only recently after enter-
taining U.N. troops in Korea.
Jolson had sung to more
soldiers in two world wars than
any other entertainer. I
Bom in Washington, D.C.J
on May 26, 1886, he first
appeared on the stage at the
Herald Square Theatre, New
York, in October, 1899.
His rise to stardom began
as a member of Lew Dock
stader's (black-faced) minstrel
troupe, and by 1921 Jolson was
one of America's foremost
entertainers.
In 1927 he appeared in the.
first talking picture, "The Jazz
Singer" and soon afterwards in'
"The Singing Fool." j
Among his best-known songs
were "Mammy," "Sonny Boy,"
and "April Showers."
After a."temporary retire-
ment before World War II, he
made a come-back entertain-
ing troops
The success of his reappear-
ance as an entertainer was
enhanced by two post-war
films-"The Jolson Story" and
"Jolson Sings Again" - in
which actor Larry Parks played
Jolson's part and AL Jolson
himself sang on the film's
sound tracks.
Al Jolson married four
His widow, whom he mar-
ried in March, 1945, is former
film actress Erle Chennault
Galbraith.
His previous wives were
Henrietta Keller (divorced in
1919), Alma Osborne (divorced
¿n 1926), and Ruby Keeler
.(divorced in 1939).
I AL JOLSON I.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18178320
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1041592
Sudden Death Of Al Jolson (1950, October 25). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18178320
"Sudden Death Of Al Jolson" The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) 25 October 1950: 1. Web. 21 Jan 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18178320>.
1950 'Sudden Death Of Al Jolson', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 25 October, p. 1. , viewed 21 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18178320
{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18178320 |title=Sudden Death Of Al Jolson |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 October 1950 |access-date=21 January 2020 |page=1 |via=Trove }}
Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation
The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wed 25 Oct 1950, Page 1 - Sudden Death Of Al Jolson
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Review: Chuno [Slave Hunter]
July 27, 2013 by kfangurl 196 Comments
Grand. Sweeping. Lush. And jaw-droppingly magnificent.
In every way, from every aspect, Chuno is a literal feast for the senses, and a sumptuous one at that.
From the glorious cinematography, to the pulsing, evocative OST, to the (mostly) well-drawn, (mostly) well-acted characters and their stories, Chuno is a complete experience; one that engulfs you and takes over your very faculties.
Yes, it’s not perfect by any means. But boy, does it have a lot to offer.
Best consumed in large, generous, HD servings. Sink in and let this sexy beast blow you away. I mean the show, of course. Mostly. *cough*
Chuno OST – 추노
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/vbi3o9fi5d/16_.mp3
This is sorta the part where I wish I could just flail my arms about and say, “Chuno is just flat-out ah-ma-zing. See it to believe it. Just.. watch it! You’ll see.”
But, I realize that won’t do.
To be honest, it took a whole lot of convincing before I first set foot on the Chuno train, 2 years ago.
When Chuno first came out in 2010, it aired here on KBS World, and my mum watched it on our not-very-good TV. When I walked by, I caught glimpses of dusty surroundings populated by straggly-looking people and I was not at all tempted to join her. That just did not look like my kind of drama.
Sometime in 2012, I chanced on Dnoella’s wonderful, glowing (mostly non-spoilery) review, and I was intrigued. Plus, I’d seen Jang Hyuk in Tree With Deep Roots by this time, and had been duly impressed. I wanted to see more of his work, and Chuno sounded like just the ticket.
Diving in for my first watch of Chuno (in HD! There is simply No. Other. Way. to watch Chuno but in HD. Trust me, ok?), I was completely blown away. But I hated – like, really, really hated – the ending.
Fast forward to 2013, when I wrote my Jang Hyuk k-love confession, and did my best to persuade, wheedle and coerce everyone into checking out Jang Hyuk in Chuno. Ha. In the end, all that Jang Hyuk-Chuno talk made me crave an actual re-watch. So I did it. I joined my friend Michele on her first watch. And lo and behold, I fell for Chuno all over again. Maybe even more this time, coz this time, I even appreciate the ending. (Woah, is that even possible, you might ask? Stay tuned to find out!)
The cinematography in Chuno is nothing short of spectacular.
Thanks to that amazing Red One camera, thoughtful framing, excellent editing, and a PD with a lovingly detailed eye for beauty, everything and everyone looks stunningly gorgeous.
The color palette is intense, and combined with every frame’s crisp, clean, cinematic quality, we are immediately and completely immersed in a world that is so beautiful that it feels surreal.
The effect is utterly and thoroughly spell-binding.
Just take a look at these:
The panoramic splendor is pretty breathtaking, isn’t it?
Add to that the very deliberate use of slow-motion, and the grandeur just gets magnified.
Here, we see how slow-motion is used to bring out the beauty in movement; in this case, of water:
Slow-motion is also artfully combined with the use of fast-motion, particularly in fight scenes.
The slow-motion allows us to revel in the fluidity of the movement and the impressiveness of the form, and then towards the end of the motion, the frames speed up to magnify the moment of impact. It’s quite stunning to behold.
Here’s a peek:
It’s mesmerizing. Honestly, it gives new meaning to the phrase “poetry in motion.”
Sure, the cinematography does lean a little indulgent – ok, sometimes maybe a lot indulgent – with it seeming to sometimes revel in its own beauty to an excess. It’s all so captivatingly, painfully beautiful, though, that I am more than happy to simply indulge together with the show’s makers.
One thing to keep in mind, is that the cinematography is stylized, and quite majorly so. And sometimes, this translates into aesthetic choices which don’t make complete sense. For example, our female lead character Eonnyeon (Lee Da Hae) remains completely clean throughout the show, despite spending much of the time in dusty, dirty surroundings.
Certainly, I’m sure PD Kwak was well aware that no human being could possibly keep that clean while traversing such dusty locales without opportunities to change or wash. But I saw it as a stylistic choice, to bring out the ethereal nature of the character’s beauty. Once you accept these aesthetic choices as simply a stylistic statement, they become much easier to accept.
In episode 6, Eonnyeon’s garments get splattered with blood from being in close proximity to a fight, and her companion, Song Tae Ha (Oh Ji Ho) uses charcoal to draw branches between the blood splatters, turning her garment into a stylish, pretty dress.
Logically, this is a huge stretch, coz really, blood doesn’t look that pretty, and neither is it that color on fabric. Plus, the blood splatters are distributed oh-so-conveniently such that they form pretty blossoms, not only at the base of her hanbok, but down her right sleeve too.
Ridiculous? Well, put that way, it’s kinda hard to say it isn’t. I’d venture to say, though, that if one chooses to nitpick at these little details, that it just mars the enjoyment of the artistry employed in the design of this world.
I’d say the easier, more comforting choice, is to accept it as part of the fantasy built into the creative blueprint of the show.
The music in Chuno is beautifully scored and masterfully employed.
In the intense stretches of the show, pulsing, rhythmic themes swell to dizzying crescendos to magnify the potency of the moment. And in the quieter scenes, evocative instrumentals give poignant voice to the unspoken pathos of our characters.
It is gorgeously absorbing and completely immersive. And the music never feels muted, nor does it ever feel intrusive. It is a bona fide presence in the show, on equal footing with the outstanding cinematography.
The music and the cinematography fuse together as one powerful force, to entirely engulf you and take over your senses.
I’ll be sharing a number of the OST tracks in this review, but I will say that there is nothing quite like experiencing the OST while watching the show.
Over and above the excellent music and cinematography, it is the characters that make Chuno an absorbing watch. There are so many characters, though, that it is impossible to touch on them all in this review.
Besides our major characters, I will highlight several secondary characters that left a deep impression on me.
Jang Hyuk as Lee Dae Gil
Hands-down, Jang Hyuk’s Dae Gil is the heart of the show. And boy, does that heart throb well, hur hur. Pun totally and unabashedly intended.
Those of you who have read my Jang Hyuk k-love confession post know that I was completely mesmerized by this man onscreen during my Chuno watch.
Jang Hyuk makes Dae Gil completely believable as the Badass With Heart. In fact, Jang Hyuk becomes Dae Gil, so much so that I am never tempted to think that this is Jang Hyuk in character. Instead, I am always fully on board that this is Dae Gil. And what a wonderfully layered and textured character he is.
Dae Gil is macho, swaggery, smirky, and possesses a piercing, unrelenting panther-gaze that seems to completely see through people. Not only that, he’s a fabulously skilled fighter (thanks to Jang Hyuk’s super authentic Amazing Fight Skillz) and he fights with ease and flourish, taking down his opponents with laid-back, effortless, streetwise finesse.
One of the things I really enjoy about Dae Gil is how unhurried he is, even when chasing someone. Even the way he stands is languid. Or just the way he breathes. Dae Gil often doesn’t say much, so his eyes, expression and body language say it for him. And when he does speak, it’s in a slow, often sardonic drawl.
To add to the sexy, Dae Gil’s also smart. Not only extremely street-smart, but highly educated too, since he is of noble birth.
Put it all together, and Dae Gil is one potently sexy package that Jang Hyuk brings to life with an impressive amount of nuance.
Over the course of the show, Dae Gil encounters all manner of challenges, obstacles and heartache, charting a journey of realization and – dare I say it? – growth as well.
Before we move into spoilers, let me just share a couple of screenshots with ya.
Exhibit A: Dae Gil’s Piercing Panther Gaze
Exhibits B through F: Dae Gil’s Fantastic Fighting Form:
Pretty darn awesome. Especially when you realize that being this shirtless, it’s quite impossible to use a body double. Super Authentic Amazing Fight Skillz FTW! 😉
And as a fangirl aside: Swooonn~~ All that muscle and sinew, shown off to such glorious, delicious perfection. Thank you, wardrobe people. I owe you. We all owe you.
There is a scene in Episode 10 where I am completely blown away by Jang Hyuk’s nuanced delivery.
Dae Gil is walking with Seolhwa (Kim Ha Eun) and he is too lost in his own thoughts to pay any attention to her prattling. As he walks, he sees a vision of Eonnyeon before him.
What amazes me about this scene is how Dae Gil’s eyes change throughout those few short moments. His irises literally change in size as his gaze goes from empty, to focused, and then to empty again.
It’s going to take quite a few screenshots to walk us through it, but it’s worth seeing the transformation.
This is where we start, where Dae Gil’s gaze is completely dazed and stoned:
And then, as he spies the vision of Eonnyeon before him, his eyes shift into focus in degrees:
He stares at her, stunned with amazed wonder. And then as the vision begins to turn away from him, tears well up in his eyes:
As the vision begins to walk away from him, Dae Gil reaches for her, tears falling, his eyes straining to see her, fearful that she will disappear:
The vision gone, Dae Gil’s gaze goes vacant once again, this time defeated and deflated:
Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Respect.
Together with Jang Hyuk’s full-on delivery, I really appreciated Dae Gil as a character.
On the surface, he’s steely and unflinching, hunting down slaves in a precise, analytical manner, paying no heed to their cries for mercy. Yet, when the transaction has been completed and he’s been paid, Dae Gil stealthily frees the same slaves he’d captured, and gives them money, directing them to Mt Worak to start a new life.
Dae Gil’s compassion also shows in episode 7, where he demonstrates tolerance and empathy for Seolhwa, who’s squandered all their money, thinking that Dae Gil and the boys had abandoned her. Instead of reprimanding her, Dae Gil carries the drunk Seolhwa on his back, without a word.
And despite all his posturing with Cheon Ji Ho (Song Dong Il), Dae Gil’s fondness for him totally shows in episode 18, when Dae Gil cries over Cheon Ji Ho’s body.
That’s why he’s a Badass With Heart.
On a deeper level, I really appreciated Dae Gil’s journey of growth and realization through the course of the drama.
As a young nobleman, we learn that Dae Gil had dreamed of changing the world, so that he could live with Eonnyeon, the woman he loved. When circumstances separated him from Eonnyeon, he put that dream aside, replacing it with the hope of finding her. Through most of the first half of the show, Dae Gil operates on the hope of finding Eonnyeon again, and approaches every slave hunt fueled with that dogged, determined hope.
Once he realizes that Eonnyeon has married Tae Ha, though, Dae Gil is like a dead man walking through most of the second half. Gone is the hope from his eyes. Only a deadness colors the cynicism where before at least there had been shades of hope. To add to it all, Dae Gil has to also contend with the “loss” of the only family that he has left: General Choi (Han Jung Soo) and Wang Son (Kim Ji Suk).
Dae Gil deflates for a time, spouting cynical words at every turn, but eventually, he returns full circle to his original dream of changing the world. Except this time, he goes one level higher and wages his very life on it. (More on that later)
Superficial Asides
As a superficial aside, I was rather impressed to realize that the flashback scenes of Dae Gil show him fuller in the face, without the goatee, and much fairer in complexion than present-day Dae Gil. I thought that attention to detail was really admirable.
I know makeup and styling does a lot, but that can’t be all simulated, right? It made me wonder whether they deliberately shot these flashback scenes earlier, so that Jang Hyuk had time to go lean and grow the goatee for current-day scenes. Mad props indeed.
I was also rather tickled to realize that in the later episodes, the way Dae Gil is styled reminds me of Jack Sparrow, ha.
Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae Ha
Most viewers of Chuno get firmly on board either the Dae Gil ship or the Tae Ha one, and when you’re on one ship, you care a lot less about the other one. Um. No prizes for guessing that I’m firmly on the Dae Gil ship. What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. Heh.
Oh Ji Ho as an actor has never left a very deep impression on me. I’ve seen him in Get Karl, Oh Soo Jung and Queen of Housewives, and in both shows, I thought he was nice to look at, but his delivery wasn’t anything to shout about.
I will say, though, that Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae Ha is literally the best that I’ve seen from him, to date. Granted, his sageuk speech is reportedly really poor in Chuno, but it didn’t bother me too much because to my unschooled ears, he only sounded somewhat off, instead of majorly off.
To his credit, Oh Ji Ho delivers some great scenes in Chuno, and he clearly had to dig pretty deep to do it. Yes, he does appear rather wooden at times, but the woodenness is in line with his character’s straight-laced personality, so it works.
As a character, Tae Ha stays pretty square to the very end. But there is definitely a measure of growth, in that his deeply ingrained traditionalist views do get challenged and shaped along the way.
One of the scenes where I thought Oh Ji Ho did admirably well is in episode 4, where we see Tae Ha in flashback.
It’s during the Manchu war, and he returns to his home to find that his wife’s been killed by Qing attackers. He discovers that his infant son is still alive, and cradling the baby, he fights off invader after invader.
After he’s finally taken down the last attacker, he peels away the baby’s swaddling clothes, only to find that the child is dead.
In a matter of moments, Tae Ha’s expression morphs from relief,
to shock,
to disbelief,
to realization,
to grief,
to remorse,
to deep, utter anguish.
It’s an arresting scene, and Oh Ji Ho’s deep-reaching delivery brought tears to my eyes. Well-done indeed.
Another scene where I also sat up and took notice of Oh Ji Ho’s acting chops is when Tae Ha is in the torture chamber in episode 17.
Before the torture commences, he speaks with an air of fierce resolve:
And then, he valiantly bears with the searing pain as the red-hot iron meets his flesh:
And finally, he roars and gasps in pain:
Chills. And, shudder. He made the torture feel all too real.
This torture chamber scene also shows Tae Ha’s by-the-book, straight-laced character. While nearby, streetsmart Dae Gil feigns unconsciousness in order to bide his time, Tae Ha practically goads Commander Hwang (Lee Jong Hyuk) to put the hot iron on him.
Tae Ha’s growth as a character is relatively slow over the course of the show, but it rings true, because that is how deeply ingrained Tae Ha’s traditionalist views are.
Tellingly, Tae Ha struggles for a long time, over many episodes, when he realizes that his wife Hye Won was born as Eonnyeon the slave. His denial is so strong that he literally only seems to realize the truth of that fact when Dae Gil spells it out for him in episode 16. And even then, Tae Ha refuses to accept it.
In fact, so strong are those traditionalist beliefs, that Tae Ha gets tripped up by them more than once. In episode 17, when Dae Gil is concerned about Eonnyeon’s safety and therefore wishes to talk, all Tae Ha can do is nitpick the fact that her name is Hye Won, not Eonnyeon. At this point, I was like, Seriously? Don’t you care about the fact that the woman you profess to love is in imminent danger because she is carrying the Royal Successor? Stupid man.
But that is how principled and stiff Tae Ha is, and when he finally comes around, even the small shifts feel authentic and organic, because he’s taken time to grapple with his beliefs.
As stiff as Tae Ha is, his loyalty is equally deep-seated. I find it revealing, that it is only in the later episodes, upon the realization that his men were slain by Commander Hwang, that he finally is incited enough to denounce Commander Hwang as his compeer. This, despite the multiple personal betrayals that he had suffered at Commander Hwang’s hands, even to the extent of being stripped of his military title and being (literally) branded a slave.
That says a lot, about the kind of upright and loyal character Tae Ha is.
Chuno OST – 달에 지다
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/fe90pxgdam/03_.mp3
Lee Da Hae as Eonnyeon
Lee Da Hae as Eonnyeon is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it. Eonnyeon’s beauty is of the ethereal, luminescent, incandescent variety, and Lee Da Hae fulfilled the quota for gentle radiance very well.
While Lee Da Hae’s delivery is decent overall, I have to say that it does lean on the bland side.
Eonnyeon is graceful and elegant, and I suppose that is why Lee Da Hae imbues all of Eonnyeon’s expressions and gestures with a restrained, muted kind of demureness. While that’s all well and good, it really did get boring, after a while.
I guess what I would have preferred, is for Lee Da Hae to have dug deeper to give Eonnyeon more facets, textures and depth. Given the extreme range of circumstances and related emotions that Eonnyeon faces over the course of the show, there were ample opportunities for Lee Da Hae to show us more substance in her delivery. It’s disappointing that Eonnyeon remains rather two-dimensional despite the potential inherent in the role.
Before we get into spoilers, I thought I’d share a couple of Eonnyeon screenshots with ya. If the screenshot above is of Eonnyeon gently contemplative, then here is:
Eonnyeon, gently happy:
Eonnyeon, gently sad:
And Eonnyeon, gently shocked:
Sorry, couldn’t resist, heh. But see what I mean about muted and restrained?
In some ways, I found Eonnyeon unusually progressive for someone of her background. Like daring to love her young master, and having the audacity to feel disappointed that Dae Gil doesn’t tell his father about her when his father questions him about marriage (above).
Having been born into slavery, Eonnyeon would have grown up with the deeply ingrained notion that a slave has no hope of marrying her young master.
She would have also grown up with the notion that a slave does not refuse his/her master. So I found it interesting, and to some extent, a little jarring, when she refuses Dae Gil’s advances in episode 8.
As Dae Gil leans in to kiss her, Eonnyeon pulls away, saying, “In my childhood, when I knew nothing of this world, I thought of you as just a compeer of mine. It was only when I grew into adulthood… that I found out what coming from different classes truly meant. If you see me as someone to frivol with… I would never dare to refute that, however… I would prefer if you didn’t.”
Gracious words, to be sure. But coming from Eonnyeon, an uneducated slave-girl, it feels sufficiently discordant and odd to be distracting.
To the show’s credit, it does hang a lantern on this very thing. In episode 20, Seolhwa, on seeing Eonnyeon for the first time, remarks, “How can a slave be so elegant?!” Ha. Exactly.
On a more positive note, I appreciated that Eonnyeon shows flashes of strength, in spite of her generally bland and weak disposition. Like in episode 13, when she’s told to leave Tae Ha by the leading scholar of the conspiracy Jo Seonbi (Choi Duk Moon), she outright refuses, despite the pressure that he exerts on her.
I also liked that Eonnyeon shows some street smarts, evidenced in episode 17 in how she manages to get food and lodging for herself and the Royal Successor (Kim Jin Woo) by hinting that her husband is an officer of the court. And then later, she finds a way past the guards by pretending that she and the child are sick with something dangerously contagious.
On the romantic front, Eonnyeon spends much of the show being stuck between the promises she’s made to 2 men. On the one hand, there is Tae Ha, whom she has married. And on the other, there is Dae Gil, her One True Love come back to life.
I’ll spend more time looking at each of those relationships in a bit, but let me just say that by the end of the show, I think she does genuinely love both men, just in different ways.
Han Jung Soo as General Choi
Han Jung Soo is ABSolutely pitch perfect as the ABtastic, stoic General Choi. Giggle. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
General Choi is a strong, silent, gentle giant who’s plenty badass in his own right, and I love how he’s the voice of reason in our favorite slave-hunting trio.
I am particularly tickled by the running gag through the show, that he draws all the women’s attentions and affections. Can’t quite blame the ladies, though, can we?
[MINOR SPOILER ALERT]
I found it amusing that the Jumos both lust and pine after General Choi, each squirreling treats of extra food to him on the sly, while beside him, Wang Son grins and Dae Gil smirks.
At the same time, on the other side of the fence, the painter and horse doctor lust and pine after the Jumos. Oh what a tangled web we weave!
This side arc definitely brought a delightful side of comic relief. And General Choi, squirming uncomfortably from all the attention? It never gets old.
To give credit where credit’s due, here’s some badass General Choi for ya:
In episode 3 I love that he kicks ass using a handful of bush, when he’s separated from his spear:
And more general badassery:
[END MINOR SPOILER]
Kim Ji Suk as Wang Son
Kim Ji Suk is completely adorkable as Wang Son, the flighty, grumbly, lusty maknae of our slave hunter trio.
As the maknae, Wang Son keeps having to do all the cooking and laundry, and it’s a running gag that he complains and nags about it like there’s no tomorrow:
It’s doubly funny that it is the boy who cooks and cleans and who has the least swag among them, that is the one who gets up to the most flirtatious mischief, always bedding the ladies:
And therefore often gets soundly disciplined by Dae Gil and General Choi:
While Wang Son definitely brings the laughs, like he does here:
I found it genuinely sweet that whenever he’s worried that Dae Gil is hurt, he’ll bawl like a baby:
Aw. He’s a loud handful, but he’s caring at heart.
Kim Ha Eun as Seolhwa
Kim Ha Eun is wonderful as Seolhwa. Literally a breath of fresh mountain air, Seolhwa is sassy, impulsive and genuinely likable.
Seolhwa feels honest and unaffected as a character, and Kim Ha Eun imparts sufficient layers to Seolhwa, that underneath her bravado and sass, we can see Seolhwa’s borne many emotional wounds and scars in her young life.
Sassy and wise to men’s lusty hearts, Seolhwa doesn’t hesitate to use her wiles to get her way.
I love the running gag where she basically wraps Wang Son around her little finger, artfully getting her way while coquettishly hinting at (non-existent) rewards of the bedroom variety.
At heart, though, all Seolhwa wants is to feel like she belongs, and her saddest moments are always when she feels that she’s been abandoned:
I love, though, that no matter how hard it is, Seolhwa chooses to smile in the face of it all, even if it’s with tears in her eyes:
Gotta love such a gutsy girl.
Lee Jong Hyuk as Commander Hwang
Considering that Commander Hwang is a fairly significant, albeit secondary, character, I felt that he was written a little flat.
Or perhaps, it was that Lee Jong Hyuk delivered him as too much of a cipher?
Lee Jong Hyuk made Commander Hwang badass by the boatload, which I appreciated and thought very apt for the character. At the same time, there were key points in the story where I found a lack of expression (for lack of a better word), with regard to his thought processes and decision-making. I can’t decide if this was a directorial or acting issue, but there were certainly moments in the show when I wondered exactly what he was thinking.
For most of the show, we see and experience Commander Hwang as a lean, mean, evil killing machine. He doesn’t hesitate to snuff out lives with a brandish of his sword, even if it’s of his past compatriots. Plus, for most of the show, he’s hunting down an adorable 4-year-old child. To kill him.
His doggedness and tenacity are almost machine-like, and his impassiveness make him inscrutable. It was easy to dislike him, since he was, y’know, trying to kill everyone.
Among Commander Hwang’s scenes, the moments that I appreciated the most, are the scenes that Commander Hwang shares with his mother (Kim Young Ok). It is only with his mother that we get to see flashes of gentleness from him, and hints that deep down, he’s not as evil as he appears to be.
I’ll talk more later, about Commander Hwang’s sudden turnaround at the end of our story.
Min Ji Ah as Chobok
I really enjoyed Min Ji Ah as Chobok. She made Chobok refreshingly spunky, spirited and earthy.
I loved that Chobok is faster and smarter than the men, and has a disarmingly natural and unaffected smile. Sure, it’s unrealistic that a slave has such beautiful teeth, but well, it’s a drama. Heck, if Eonnyeon gets to stay clean throughout the show, Chobok gets to have pretty teeth.
Chobok listens in on the men as they plan their rebellion, and worms her way into the faction, insisting that she wants to be involved, while offering to act as their look-out and decoy.
It’s to her credit that she saves the men several times over the course of the show. And they hadn’t even wanted her around to begin with. Pfft.
I love that Chobok even teaches herself how to shoot a gun by cheerily eavesdropping on the men’s shooting lessons. That the men all fail miserably, while she manages to hit the target on her first try? Gold.
I enjoyed her the most, out of the entire rebel slave faction arc.
Gong Hyung Jin as Eopbok
Eopbok is one of the major players in the rebel slave faction, and it is through his eyes that we see the brutality of slavery. It is also often through his thoughts and his voice that we grapple with the foundational morals – or lack thereof – in slavery.
While he isn’t one of my favorite characters, he does have several particularly memorable scenes, and Gong Hyung Jin delivered excellently. (More on that later)
It’s interesting to me, that among all the characters, Eopbok is the only one who shares Dae Gil’s dream. Or rather, I should say, Eopbok is the only one whose dream aligns with Dae Gil’s. Since through most of the show, Eopbok is intent on killing Dae Gil and all.
In episode 23, Eopbok muses, “If we [the slaves] triumph, and then force yangban into slavery, then nothing would really change.” … “Can we gain that power but still leave the yangban alone? By… What was it… Changing the system?”
Such irony, that the one man who echoes Dae Gil’s dream, is trying to blow Dae Gil’s brains out.
Ha Si Eun as Lee Sun Young (Commander Hwang’s wife)
Mad props to Ha Si Eun, who played such a minor character so well that she not only brought Commander Hwang’s wife to life, but also brought tears to my eyes.
It must be no easy task, playing a character with palsy, but Ha Si Eun manages to imbue the incessant twitching of her body and distortion of her face with genuine emotion. We see clearly, her worry and fear for her husband, her frustration with her condition, as well as her despair at her one-sided love for her husband.
Wonderfully, tragically played.
Park Ki Woong as Geu Boon
Um. I don’t know how to talk about Park Ki Woong’s turn as Geu Boon without going into spoiler territory.
Without going into specifics, let me just say that his character felt a little random when he showed up, and his character arc also felt rather forced. I have seen Park Ki Woong do much better.
Ok, so the insertion of Geu Boon’s character felt a little random and forced, but I can believe Left State Councilor (Kim Eung Soo) would go that far, to plant someone to mislead the slaves and use them. It’s Geu Boon’s complete turnaround at the last stretch, with the manic evil eyes and sinister laughter that feels discordant, sudden and bemusing. It just makes Geu Boon the character feel more like a caricature than a real person. Maybe we should have been given hints earlier?
Also, Park Ki Woong’s delivery is sometimes majorly OTT, especially the villainous expressions. It’s like, “This Is My Evil Face. Bwahahaha.” It takes me out of the moment and makes me almost want to laugh. Except it’s so bad that it’s not funny.
Not one of Park Ki Woong’s finest moments, unfortunately. Guess he did get better at the Evil Face, though, since he did WAY better in Gaksital.
Chuno OST – 낙인
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/w6bjmi5n1j/02_.mp3
Forget plot machinations, it’s the relationships that form the core of the show. Over and above romance – although there is some of that – it’s bromance and brotherhood that trumps the day in Chuno.
Dae Gil, General Choi & Wang Son
The bromance between our slave hunting trio is Pure. Gold. I LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER. ♥
On the surface, Dae Gil, General Choi and Wang Son are completely different personalities. Dae Gil’s all swaggering, streetwise and smirky, while General Choi is strong, silent and stoic. And Wang Son’s all monkey and mischief.
Their dynamic works wonderfully, though, and beneath all the machismo and aggravated affection, these boys are family.
Waitaminute. I just had a stroke of brilliance. Taking the family analogy one step further, can you see that Dae Gil’s the father, all leader and decision-maker of the family? And then, General Choi is the mother, all voice of reason and quiet nagging. Wang Son? He’s their bratty son, ha. He whines all the time about chores, and gets into all kinds of mischief, which gets him soundly disciplined by both “parents” – HA! HAHAHA!! Can you tell that I’m extremely tickled by this?
Bottom line is, I LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER (oh, have I said that already?), and I would watch them scuffle and swagger and banter together, for a hundred episodes. And then some.
There are so many moments where this rag-tag family tugged at my heartstrings.
In episode 12, during a quiet moment, General Choi senses that Dae Gil is troubled and asks, “I shouldn’t really say this, but aren’t we family? If anything is troubling you, just lean onto us.” Dae Gil scoffs, “Family?! Who, familiar scoundrels like us? We’re just tagging along the same path.”
But a touch of a wry smile plays about Dae Gil’s lips, hinting at the truth, that he does love them as family, even if he won’t say so.
A telling moment is in episode 14, in the way General Choi and Dae Gil desperately and relentlessly go after a missing Wang Son. It says so much about how much these men really care for each other, underneath the tough words and gruff exterior.
Among the three, Dae Gil is the one who is most gruff in his affections, refusing to admit that he loves General Choi and Wang Son. But in episode 16, we see how deeply he loves them, in how heartbroken he is, thinking them dead.
Dae Gil gets Jumo to set a table for three, and sitting at it all alone, he puts Wang Son’s arm band and General Choi’s headpiece on the other 2 bowls of rice, ie, acting as offerings to the “deceased” Wang Son and General Choi, as well as to represent their presence.
Dae Gil begins to eat, in what is quite possibly the most anguished egg-eating scene in the history of kdrama:
As he eats, he imagines General Choi and Wang Son eating with him, with their usual cheerful banter. Dae Gil speaks to them and offers them food, while tears stream down his face. So. Heartbreaking.
Tears. T.T
Poor Dae Gil.
To balance out this terribly heartbreaking moment, let’s revisit the most heartwarming moment between the three.
In episode 20, the three are finally reunited when Dae Gil arrives at Mt Worak. Hearing that Dae Gil has arrived, General Choi and Wang Son come racing.
Upon seeing them, Dae Gil is stunned, and touches General Choi on the cheek to test if he’s not a vision, while Wang Son sidles up to Dae Gil with a happy grin:
Dae Gil starts to yell at Wang Son for being such a dumbass and nearly getting himself killed, and amid the teary yelling, General Choi quietly grabs Dae Gil for a hug, saying simply, “I missed you.” AWWW.
Dae Gil’s tears finally overflow, and then, group hug! AWWW.
How cute. And how very, very sweet. Melt.
Although Dae Gil doesn’t say it, he loves these boys even more than he loves himself. We see this in episode 24 when General Choi and Wang Son realize that Dae Gil’s paid for land and houses for them. And it is only Dae Gil’s house that remains unpaid. His brothers came first, for him. That is so sweet.
I JUST LUFF THESE BOYS TOGETHER. ♥
Dae Gil & Tae Ha
Song Tae Ha is the flint to Dae Gil’s steel, and the two spark off each other all drama long.
It’s a reluctant bromance, alright, seeing as how they’re not only as different as night and day, but that they’re mostly standing on opposite sides, and exchange blows almost every time they cross paths.
Much as they resent each other, though, these two shape each other, and in pretty powerful ways. Yes, we sometimes have to get through a whole lotta male posturing with these two, particularly since they love the same woman. But when all the blows have been delivered, these two reluctantly have deep, philosophical conversations. Conversations that end up shaping both men, pretty much against their will.
I love that these two head-strong characters, each so set in their thinking and their ways, affect each other in such a profound manner.
Dae Gil’s and Tae Ha’s interactions show us a lot about each of the men, in terms of their philosophies and outlooks on life and the world they live in, and I actually found that more interesting than the question of who would end up with Eonnyeon.
A revealing conversation between Dae Gil and Tae Ha takes place in episode 16, after they’ve finally stopped fighting and Dae Gil has gained the upper hand.
Tae Ha asks, “When you said she was one of your clan’s varlets, what did you mean?” and Dae Gil shoots back, “Why, is my having a past as a yangban all that vexatious?”
Disbelievingly, Tae Ha asks again, “Was my spouse… truly a slave?” Sardonically, Dae Gil replies, “And so what? Slave or yangban, what difference would it make? If you have feelings for each other, that is all it matters.”
Tae Ha counters, “Be that as it may… People’s roots are unalterable.”
But it is Dae Gil who has the last word, stating simply, “It’s because people like you are in power that we live in such a wretched world. If people like you didn’t exist, then there would be no need for people like me, either.”
I found this moment of honesty fascinating because it shows us so much about these two men.
Usually, Dae Gil is the one spouting hard-nosed stuff like “I had no feelings for a mere slave” etc, and Tae Ha is the one who’s portrayed as nice and noble. But when it comes down to a moment of honesty, we see that they actually feel quite differently.
Tae Ha’s the one who’s got caste ingrained in him, and who struggles – deeply – with the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave. Although Tae Ha himself experienced slavery, he doesn’t see himself as a real slave, because he didn’t come from a slave background. And he struggles with the fact that Eonnyeon came from a slave background, not seeing her as true nobility. Quite fascinating, considering how nice he’s been portrayed up till this point.
On the other hand, Dae Gil’s the one who is truly able to put his actions where his mouth is. He believes it so strongly, that he would act on it, and without hesitation.
What a contrast, these 2 men. And on multiple levels too. Notably, they are both educated as well, so it’s not a difference in education that accounts for their very different outlooks.
Another moment of honesty between the two men occurs in episode 22, as they rest in the darkness.
Tae Ha muses, “While spending my lifetime on the battlefield, I only had one thing in mind. That, should the battle be too much to handle, I would just die. That I would have given my everything, so there would be no regrets. But now, no matter how hard it is, I must survive, so that path is much more arduous than accepting demise.”
Dae Gil answers with a touch of wistfulness, “You know, no matter how noble your intents are, people struggle by the same rules. Once misery engulfs you, your life can only get worse. So just take it as it comes. Abandon all greed and let it go. How nice it would be? Having a spouse and children, a land to farm… That’s all you need. A life of simplicity is a wise man’s greatest virtue. Warm and simple…”
Tae Ha then asks, “Back in the day, did you not wish to change the world yourself? To make a world without yangban or commoners? Did you not dream of making a world where… you could spend your entire life in peace with the woman you love?”
Dae Gil’s eyes deaden again as he answers, “Before I experienced reality… Back then, I did.”
Many of their conversations don’t have the sort of closure where one party agrees with the other, but watching them speak, you can just tell that each is giving the other substantial food for thought. And it is in the wake of these conversations that each grapples with his own philosophy and outlook on life and the meaning of it.
Another thought-provoking moment in conversation is in episode 23, when Dae Gil and Tae Ha bide their time at the inn.
At one point, Tae Ha says to Dae Gil, “Are you not of yangban ancestry yourself?”
Dae Gil replies, “There was such a time in the past. But, you know? Once you start wearing the same things and eating like they do, you become just like them. What makes a yangban is not his genealogy, but these [points at his clothes] and nothing else. I have never seen someone with fancy garments endure adversities, nor have I seen anyone in rags leading a happy life. That is the truth behind our lives.”
It’s clear that Dae Gil is a much more practical man than Tae Ha, in that he forms his thoughts and philosophies based on what he experiences, while Tae Ha clings to a fixed set of philosophies.
And I’m positive that these words from Dae Gil give Tae Ha much pause for thought, in terms of shifting his mindset to become finally fully able to accept and embrace his wife for who she is.
I particularly like the final conversation that Dae Gil and Tae Ha share in episode 24, after having been on the road for some time.
At one point, Tae Ha says to Dae Gil, “I feel sorry towards you. But is not chance part of our destiny as well?”
On the surface, it looks like Tae Ha is apologizing for taking Dae Gil on the run with him, but on a deeper level, I feel like it’s also a gentleman’s apology, for having unwittingly taken Eonnyeon away from him.
In another nice moment, Tae Ha finally acknowledges the value of Dae Gil’s street smarts, as Dae Gil rattles off all the details and factors relating to their journey.
Looking thoughtfully at Dae Gil, Tae Ha remarks, “I see you discount no detail whatsoever. I’ve learned a lot from you.”
I love that Dae Gil playfully smirks in reply, “Of course. You should get on your knees and be grateful. For all the things I taught you…” Hee.
What a long, long way these two have come. It’s taken quite a journey, but they’ve effectively moved from mutual disdain, to mutual respect. With a little bit of ribbing on the side.
Full Circle in the Open Fields
There’s a recurring motif that I really love, because it shows us how far Dae Gil and Tae Ha have come, in their relationship with one another, and that’s the motif of them fighting in open fields.
When the two men first meet, they are on opposite sides; the hunter and the hunted. Dae Gil sees Tae Ha simply as another job, while Tae He sees Dae Gil as an attacker he must fight off.
They face off, leaping headlong into each other, weapons raised:
By episode 22, the two men have arrived at a reluctant place of partnership and alliance.
There’s a great throwback moment, after they’ve fought off Commander Hwang’s men together, and Dae Gil and Tae Ha run towards each other with fists raised, as if to each other, and in slo-mo too, to show us the determination in their eyes.
Except their fists are really aimed at the other’s pursuer, whom we don’t see until each of their fists makes contact with the other’s pursuer. After they take down the other’s pursuer, Dae Gil and Tae Ha stand facing each other, smiling.
I loved how this moment is so reminiscent of their first face-off in the open field, yet so very different.
Finally, to bring us full circle, there’s a great moment in episode 24, where Dae Gil and Tae Ha run in the open fields, but this time, instead of facing off with each other as they did when they first met, they are running together, on the same side.
I love the little detail, that as they run, they each have a look of exhilaration on their faces.
Sure, Dae Gil mutters insults at Tae Ha all series long, even to the very end, but it’s clear that they work well together and they know it.
It’s completely gratifying to see the change in their relationship over the course of the show; from being a thorn in each other’s sides, to becoming reluctant partners.
Romance was never the main event in this show. Bromance was.
Chuno OST – 비익련리(比翼連里)
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/jri2czxqiy/10_.mp3
Dae Gil & Eonnyeon
Truth be told, Dae Gil’s romance with Eonnyeon was never the focus of the show.
Because of our familiarity with kdrama romance tropes, we might tend to think of Dae Gil and Eonnyeon as our OTP. After all, we meet him first, before we meet anyone else, really, and we quickly see that beyond his badassery lies a heart that still beats for and yearns for Eonnyeon, his First Love. All classic symptoms of a couple that is Meant To Be.
But really, that’s just not how Chuno rolls.
Instead of being the central event, Dae Gil’s romance with Eonnyeon plays more of a expository role, because it is through this relationship and how it affects Dae Gil, that we get to see the inner workings of Dae Gil’s heart and mind.
Perhaps one of the most important things that Dae Gil’s relationship with Eonnyeon shows us, is Dae Gil’s outlook on slavery and equality.
In episode 8, Dae Gil, carrying Eonnyeon on his back, smiles as he shares his plan with her, “…I’ll have to pass the national examination.” Eonnyeon, smiling playfully, asks, “And after that?”
Dae Gil answers, “I’ll gain an important position in the court.” And Eonnyun presses, “And when you do?”
Dreamily, Dae Gil adds, “I’ll change this country.” Puzzled, Eonnyun asks, “How?”
Dae Gil concludes smilingly, “By making a world which doesn’t discriminate between yangban and commoners. So… you and I can live together. Forever.”
Precisely because Dae Gil is shown having an actual relationship with Eonnyeon, and seriously planning to actually do these things that he talks of, shows us plainly that this is something that he truly believes. That he’s willing to take action to support those beliefs. That it’s not just talk.
I find this point really important, in terms of distinguishing the differences between Tae Ha and Dae Gil like we talked about earlier, ie, at which point can each of these men love and accept Eonnyeon and her slave girl origins. For Dae Gil, this was never a question. He loved her from the very beginning, slave girl origins and all.
All series long, Dae Gil is doggedly focused on finding Eonnyeon again. I feel like after Dae Gil’s yangban stature disintegrates in the fire, together with his family, and all that was familiar to him, that he focuses his entire existence on the hope of finding Eonnyeon again. It’s likely that this is why he chose to be a slave hunter in the first place.
So when Dae Gil discovers that she is marrying Tae Ha, his whole world comes crumbling down, all over again. Once again, he’s forced to re-examine his driving purpose in life.
As Dae Gil breaks down wailing in the streets, and his tortured sobs shudder through his body, we can practically taste his agony. Thoroughly heartbreaking.
So great is Dae Gil’s love for Eonnyeon, though, that he does not stop loving her even though she is married to another man.
He continues to care for and ensure her safety, going out of his way to save her, like he does here when she’s dragged before a magistrate and questioned:
To be fair, Eonnyeon still feels a deep connection to Dae Gil too, and we see this in episode 15 when she feels Dae Gil’s presence before she even turns around to face him.
When Tae Ha and Dae Gil go at each other with their weapons, Eonnyeon shields Dae Gil with her own body, just before Tae Ha’s sword strikes him, willing to take the fall for him if necessary.
We see that Eonnyeon is terrified in the moment, and that the danger is very real. Yet, she does not hesitate to put her life on the line for Dae Gil.
Granted, Eonnyeon then does the same for Tae Ha, but I think it’s noteworthy that she shields Dae Gil first.
While it’s true that she is partly motivated by a deep sense of guilt over what happened to Dae Gil because of her and her brother, I believe that Eonnyeon’s actions here are motivated more by her love for Dae Gil.
After the two men leave to duel it out, Eonnyeon weeps, and I feel that her tears are more for Dae Gil than for Tae Ha. In her tears, I feel she is expressing a multitude of pent-up regret and sorrow over the twist of fate that has forever separated her from Dae Gil.
Subsequent to this, we see that even though Dae Gil continues to care deeply for Eonnyeon, that he repeatedly stands aside, respecting the relationship that Eonnyeon now has with Tae Ha.
I love that Dae Gil is not only made of such honorable stuff, but that his love for Eonnyeon is not dependent on whether or not he gets to be with her. I love the selfless nature of his love.
In episode 18, we finally see a measure of closure to Dae Gil’s and Eonnyeon’s relationship.
As Eonnyeon goes about her chores at Mt Worak, Dae Gil watches her from afar and it’s clear that he still loves her.
When Seolhwa shows up and pulls Dae Gil into a hug, Dae Gil hesitates for a moment before we see a look of resolution cloud his eyes. He then looks right at Eonnyeon and returns Seolhwa’s embrace.
Clearly, Dae Gil is sending Eonnyeon a message of closure in this moment, and Eonnyeon looks at him with sorrowful, teary eyes, understanding his message.
On one hand, one might argue that this makes Eonnyeon seem really greedy in that she has affection for Tae Ha but appears to not want to let Dae Gil go.
At the same time, I feel like she has a different sort of love for each man, and that she basically has a very special place in her heart for Dae Gil, the man who loved her for herself, not caring about her slave girl origins. And she mourns the moment of putting this love away, for good.
Of course, I do have issues with the way the moment of closure is treated, almost with hard defiance on Dae Gil’s part, and him using Seolhwa in the process. It doesn’t feel right, but it is what it is. Dae Gil’s not perfect by any means, and the show doesn’t hesitate to remind us of that.
In episode 21, Dae Gil muses to General Choi, “Not being able to see her was driving me crazy, but now that I can see her every day, it’s just killing me.”
The road that Dae Gil walks in terms of this love is never an easy one, and we see it all the more in his final words to Eonnyeon in episode 24.
As Dae Gil runs with his very last dredges of strength to face the troops who have arrived, he speaks in a final voiceover to Eonnyeon. In gentle, tender tones completely dissonant with his outer bloody surroundings, Dae Gil says, “Eonnyeon-ah… Eonnyeon-ah… Live in happiness. Spend endless moons with that man of yours, and that child, until the day we shall once again meet, and you will tell me how your life was. My Eonnyeon… My… beloved.”
Tears. And chills.
He loves her so, so very much that for him, it transcends life and even death.
Tae Ha & Eonnyeon
If Dae Gil’s love for Eonnyeon is like a raging furnace that can’t be put out, then the love between Tae Ha and Eonnyeon would be like a pile of winking embers that, given a long time, finally grows into a muted but steady flame.
I confess that I was not very invested in this relationship during both of my watches of the show. But I do appreciate how their relationship moves from being shrouded in layers of half-truths, to a place where Tae Ha and Eonnyeon can be truly honest with each other.
In addition, it is Tae Ha’s relationship with Eonnyeon that serves as a barometer for his gradually shifting views on nobility and slavery.
To be honest, I found the beginning of this couple’s relationship a pretty shaky and superficial one.
Simply put, Tae Ha finds her beautiful and graceful, and is intrigued. Eonnyeon, on the other hand, is indebted to him for saving her from being raped by thugs. Plus, he’s good protection for a girl traveling alone.
To top it off, both lie about not being pursued. And both also lie, about not being slaves.
It is only when the layers of lies get slowly peeled away, that they are forced to confront and grapple with the truth.
In episode 9, part of the truth gets unraveled as Tae Ha’s headband gets sliced off during a fight:
Tae Ha looks at Eonnyeon in shock, like a deer caught in headlights, as he realizes that his secret has just been exposed. Eonnyeon, in turn, looks at him in stunned realization. Before this, Tae Ha had strenuously denied that he was a slave. But now, the evidence is staring at her from his forehead: 奴. Slave.
From this point onwards, Tae Ha and Eonnyeon have several conversations surrounding this, with Tae Ha still emphatic that he is not a slave, and that he’s got more important things to tend to, than shedding his slave status.
Notably, Tae Ha still speaks in riddles, which confuses Eonnyeon, “You are a slave but not a slave. You are one the being chased but you are not running away. What kind of words are these? Which words that you speak are ones I can believe in and which words should I throw away?”
At the same time, I find it significant that Eonnyeon chooses not to reveal her own slave background, even when Tae Ha’s slave background has been uncovered.
As the pair continue to travel together on Tae Ha’s mission, they gradually exchange tokens of affection, such as here, where she takes his hand, or on the cliff-tops, where they embrace, and she allows him to kiss her:
I feel, though, that the more significant change, on Eonnyeon’s part at least, is in episode 12, where she goes to the temple and prays for Tae Ha.
I find it quite key, that she now prays for Tae Ha instead of Dae Gil. I think that’s a true sign that he’s entered her heart, even though it’s not verbalized yet. I find this more significant than the kiss even, because this is what she used to do for Dae Gil in the past, even praying for him through the night.
As the episodes progress, though, we see that there is one thing that remains a sore point – and a barrier, at that – in their relationship and marriage. That is, that Tae Ha cannot accept the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave. We see that surface every time Tae Ha has a conversation that with Dae Gil, and Dae Gil refers to her as Eonnyeon instead of Hye Won.
Another noteworthy thing, is that the relationship between Tae Ha and Eonnyeon is one that is based on loyalty more than romantic feelings.
In episode 19, Eonnyeon decides to leave Tae Ha because of her slave past, and because she does not wish to stand in the way of his mission.
I find it telling, that it takes Tae Ha some time to decide to stop her. And that when he does move to stop her from leaving, this is all he can say,”I pledged to myself I would awaken to the anguish of our people, but I never envisioned a world without slavery, or the same traditional tenets which guided us.” … “Even while experiencing slavery firsthand, I could not think of that. No matter how long it takes, until the day when I walk on the righteous path, will you aid and await me?”
Not at all romantic, and it’s revealing that all he speaks of is a higher purpose. I mean, a higher purpose is all well and good. But surely sometimes, especially at this time, it’s important to approach things in a more personal way?
I also find it significant, that Tae Ha, even having experienced slavery first-hand, had never envisioned a world without slavery. What does this tell us about him? At best, he’s a square who can’t think out of the box. At worst, he’s a snob who doesn’t think that slavery is wrong, even when he experienced the humiliation and suffering first-hand. He only thought that he was NOT a slave and therefore these treatments were not rightly applied to him.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Tae Ha or anything. I just think that his deeply ingrained traditionalist views, combined with his very straight-laced personality, are what stand in his way of changing his paradigm of the world. He just cannot imagine it.
Again on the topic of loyalty, I found it noteworthy that even though Eonnyeon talks of having loved Dae Gil, that she doesn’t talk of loving Tae Ha.
Between her and Tae Ha, they only talk of loyalty and fealty. And perhaps that may mean more to a military man such as Tae Ha, but to a woman, love means more. And she doesn’t ever say that she loves Tae Ha.
Still. We see that Eonnyeon does look at Tae Ha with affection, as she does in episode 19, when she looks at him sleeping with the boy. I think it’s just a very different sort of love compared to the love that she had for Dae Gil.
It is only in episode 20, after many, many episodes of internal grappling, that Tae Ha seems to finally get over the fact that Eonnyeon used to be a slave.
As Eonnyeon talks to the Royal Successor in her arms and tells the child that her name is Hye Won, but she used to be known as Eonnyeon, Tae Ha looks at her with tears in his eyes and says, “Whatever your name is, it doesn’t matter. Be it Hye Won or Eonnyeon, all you are to me is my spouse.”
And Eonnyeon, tearing up, responds, “Hearing that makes me feel like I’ve truly become your spouse, at last.”
What a long journey that was, for this couple to finally arrive at a place of truth and mutual understanding. On the upside, though, their love feels quite true to life, in that I find it similar to the muted, gentle affections of a long-married couple.
Dae Gil & Seolhwa
Seolhwa’s crush on Dae Gil is pretty much summed in this screenshot right here.
She’s the one trailing after him, proactively making her feelings known, and he’s the one, well, enduring her attention.
I found the dynamic between Seolhwa and Dae Gil sweetly tragic, because Seolhwa actually knows that Dae Gil only has room in his heart for Eonnyeon. Yet, she continues to set her eyes and her heart on him, and her earnestness is poignantly touching.
And honestly, who can blame the girl for nursing a crush on sexy Orabeoni?
One of the things I found particularly interesting about Dae Gil’s scenes with Seolhwa, is that there are many times the show uses their scenes as parallels to scenes of Tae Ha and Eonnyeon. The scenes , meaningfully and interestingly interwoven, often appear similar on the surface, but have deeper, very different meanings for each pair of characters.
One example is in episode 7, where Dae Gil carries a drunk Seolhwa on his back, while silently thinking back to the days when he used to carry Eonnyeon the same way.
The scene splices away, to show us, in parallel, Tae Ha carrying Eonnyeon on his back, injured and unconscious.
As both men walk on, we see that each woman drops her most prized possession. Seolhwa drops her hae-geum, and Eonnyeon drops the stone that Dae Gil used to heat for her, to keep her hands warm.
We then see Dae Gil bending down to pick up Seolhwa’s hae-geum, while Tae Ha, oblivious, walks on, leaving the stone behind.
It feels like moment filled with poetry and symbolism.
Both women drop something precious, but the implications are completely different. And the scene of Eonnyeon dropping the stone and moving away on Tae Ha’s back seems to imply her leaving Dae Gil behind.
The scenes between these pairs are also often interspliced to magnify the meaning of the moment. For example, Eonnyeon’s happy wedding scenes with Tae Ha are interspliced with Dae Gil’s heartwrenching wailing on the street while Seolhwa cries, looking on. Juxtaposed with the happy wedding scenes, the magnitude of Dae Gil’s grief is amplified.
Continually contrasted like this, it does feel like Dae Gil and Eonnyeon are living in parallel lines but walking in opposite directions, away from each other.
Another thing that stands out to me, about Seolhwa’s relationship with Dae Gil, is that she is often there with him during his lowest moments. It’s the pay-off, of always trailing him around.
When he wails, heartbroken, on the street, she’s there, tearing too.
And when he’s in disbelief and grief over the death of Eonnyeon’s brother, she’s there too, to pat his shoulder, to hold his hand, and to cry with him.
And so I found it fitting that at the very end of his life, Seolhwa is there too, to send him off with tears, a smile and a song.
A bittersweet love indeed.
Eonnyeon & Seolhwa
I found the blossoming friendship between Seolhwa and Eonnyeon rather sweet.
I love the arc, that Seolhwa, from being envious and jealous of Eonnyeon, eventually comes to see Eonnyeon as the friend and older sister she never had.
The relationship between Seolhwa and Eonnyeon begins in episode 21, when Seolhwa gets drunk at the feast that the Mt Worak folks prepared, and pays Eonnyeon a visit in her room.
In her drunken state, Seolhwa drunk-talks to Eonnyeon, “Why did you do it? Why did you show up, and start tearing Daegil Orabeoni’s heart to pieces? I’m sorry. But… I can’t help but resent you. I can’t help but… envy you. If I become just like you, will Orabeoni even glance at me?”
Tearing up with compassion, Eonnyeon gathers Seolhwa in her arms, comforting her, “Cry it all out. Could there be anyone free from sorrow?”
Thereafter, we get several small interludes where the two women spend time together.
I liked that they shared their thoughts with each other as they spent time, Eonnyeon teaching Seolhwa how to read and write, and Seolhwa entertaining Eonnyeon and her “son” with the hae-geum.
I found it particularly sweet that Seolhwa would wait for Eonnyeon to return so that she could entertain her “son.”
I really enjoyed watching the unfolding of this sisterhood, and it’s too bad it got truncated by circumstances.
Chuno OST – 천하(天下)에 고함
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/os58r9hvzh/12_.mp3
Eopbok & Chobok
I rather enjoyed the blossoming love relationship between Eopbok and Chobok.
Their romance added levity to the otherwise heavy-going arc of the rebel slave faction.
Also, I found it amusing that the show kept portraying Eopbok as either too slow or too insecure to realize that Chobok has feelings for him.
A really cute moment between this couple is in episode 20, where they talk indirectly about their feelings for each other.
As they walk home in the night, Eopbok asks Chobok what she would do if they really manage to turn the world upside down and Chobok rattles off a bunch of things, including going to Mt Geumgang in the winter.
Eopbok baulks, “Say what? How could you go there all by yourself?” Without missing a beat, Chobok answers, “Why would I be by myself? You can just tag along.”
Eopbok looks at her disapprovingly, “Think you could win me over so easily, prancing around with you?”
Chobok grins, “Who said I wanted to win you over? If my leg hurts on the way, you can always carry me on your back.”
Eopbok protests, “Do you need to go all the way to Mount Geumgang for that?” Brightly, Chobok shoots back, “Why? Will you do it right now?”
Suddenly all concerned, Eopbok asks, “Does your leg hurt again?” and Chobok beams, “Yes!”
Such an outright lie. Hee. But, piggyback ride it is!
On the other end of the spectrum, I found the scene between Eopbok and Chobok in episode 23 particularly moving.
After rescuing her from her new husband, to whom she’d been unceremoniously sold, Eopbok urges Chobok to go to Mt Worak without him.
Chobok refuses with tears in her eyes, and Eopbok asks, tears burgeoning, “Chobok. Should we just… run away and live together? I will hunt, you will be farming, we will catch tigers and sell their skin at hefty prices… You’ll watch flowers blossom, dabble in the water, and after living together that way, we’ll have children. Should you and I… just live that way? Is that what you wish for? Going to a place where nobody knows us, you and I…”
After a moment’s pause, Chobok gives her answer tearfully,”No. Then, who will change the world? You need to go there and fight.”
Eopbok, tears spilling over, smiles, “Thank you. For saying that.”
They say goodbye tearfully and kiss.
I found this scene moving for showing us the sacrificial spirit behind their higher yearning for a better world. That they would give up their own happiness, in order to fight for a better world – I found that poignant and inspiring.
On a side note, as they kiss, their adjacent cheeks read “奴婢” – I wonder if the writers planned that far ahead for this moment of statement / irony?
Hanseom & the Court Lady
Even though they are minor characters, I was rather taken and very moved by the love story of Hanseom (Jo Jin Woong) and the court lady.
I found their simple love story, cut short too soon, completly heartwrenching and tragic.
In episode 10, while on the run from Commander Hwang and his murderous intent, Hanseom carries the Royal Successor, as he and the court lady walk through a field.
He asks her name, and she demurs repeatedly. Han Seom, mildly exasperated, asks, “Will you tell me your name, or not? Never had such a hard time exchanging names before.” His mock chagrin is adorable, and she’s noticeably swayed.
Just as his court lady is about to finally give him an answer, Commander Hwang’s makeshift spear pierces into her back.
Tears spill onto her cheeks as she starts to lean forward from the pain, and she manages, “M…My… name… Jang… Pilsoon…”
Crying in disbelief, Hanseom can only say, “I said you can survive…”
She gasps, “I’m… from… Pimat-gol… in Hanyang…”
Hanseom’s anguished cries are heartbreaking, “No! I told you I’d make you bask in luxury! Don’t! Listen! Listen to me!”
Trembling, Hanseom lays Pilsoon’s head on the ground. Words desert him and all he can manage are guttural, tortured shaking sobs.
Tears. So very heartbreaking.
And Hanseom’s grief and sorrow, mixed with his resolute loyalty to carry out his duty, even as he fights his tears, makes him so endearing.
In episode 21, tragically, Hanseom dies, betrayed by Jo Seonbi. But his vision of being reunited with the woman he loves and them leaving together is sweet and moving.
I love that she greets him, saying, “Where have you been all this time?”
The idea that she’s been waiting for him, to spend the afterlife together, is sweet.
Hanseom’s still as adorable in the afterlife, telling her, “I’ll make you bask in luxury.”
Aw.
REBEL SLAVE FACTION
I’ll be the first to admit that I found the rebel slave faction arc less interesting than the story surrounding our slave hunters.
During my first watch, I barely tolerated the presence of this arc, and found it too distanced from what I considered the main story.
On my second watch, though, I found myself much more tolerant of this arc, and even rather appreciative of it for the themes that it brings out in the show. I also found the slave characters more interesting this time around.
One of the recurring thoughts in the drama, is that slaves are not people. It comes up repeatedly.
[MINOR SPOILER]
Like when the painter says junior Jumo is his best portrait after the king himself, she pouts about the portrait of Eonnyeon that he keeps drawing for Dae Gil.
The painter assures her smilingly, “I’m talking about portraits of people, not of slaves”
The show is always treading that line between showing us how slaves are viewed and treated as less than human, and how slaves really ARE people. Throughout the drama, we are shown how slaves are exchanged for livestock between masters, and how they are basically beaten and branded like animals.
And it is because of this existing thinking, that in an equivalent reversal, the slaves don’t think of their masters as people either. Which explains why the slave rebel faction blithely kills off noble yangban without a second thought.
In episode 16, Eopbok asks Chobok, “Wouldn’t it be better to make a world where there are neither slaves nor yangban?”
Chobok’s answer is telling, “A world without yangban or slaves might be wonderful, but what I want to do now is avenge what those yangban did to me.”
And so it is, that the ugliness of human nature propels the slaves to a cyclically flawed goal instead of a truly better world.
Ultimately, the slave faction’s mission is really a quest for recognition and dignity. Because their masters don’t see or treat them as people, their quest is simply to be recognized as people and to have human dignity. The reason they go to extremes is because of how unyielding the prevailing belief system is. Because they believe that they need to go that far, in order to create a dent in an unyielding belief system.
There are many minor weaknesses in Chuno, but I think I’m not alone in saying that the biggest weakness in this show, is the amount of screentime dedicated to political machinations in the later episodes.
I felt the story slump the hardest, from episodes 18 to 22, where we spent way too much time on the politicking in the court than our main characters. As much as I understand how important the politics are, as a context for our characters, I did feel that we could have done with a lot less of it.
Chuno OST – 잃어버린 낙원
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/33rwwn8ezk/11_.mp3
THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING
During my first watch of Chuno, I’ll admit that there were parts of the ending that didn’t make sense to me. Probably because I watched it as a casual viewer.
On my second watch, paying closer attention, and with a more analytical lens on, I finally appreciate the ending for what it was intended to be.
I’m going to touch on the closure of various characters and where we leave them.
[SPOILERS THROUGH THE END OF THIS REVIEW]
Eopbok
Eopbok, upon discovering his dead comrades, cradles Ggeutbong’s body and muses aloud, “Ggeutbong-ah. I don’t think I can live without Chobok. She said she’d be waiting for me… But I’m not going to die like a beast. I’ll show them… Show them that even slaves like us… live in this world. If I can only do that, it’ll be worth dying for. Isn’t that right, Chobok?”
It’s a heartbreaking decision, but he knows that Chobok will choose the higher mission over her own comfort.
Eopbok’s plan to charge the palace is the ultimate dream that he and his comrades had held together. And now that all of them had perished but for him, he charges the palace to fulfill their collective dreams. A statement, for the price of his life.
That he manages to kill – pretty much by accident – Geu Boon, is so satisfying. And that he, representing his fellow slaves, kills the Left State Councilor – the one behind the entire conspiracy, the one who basically manipulated the slaves, the one whom everyone else was powerless against – is pure poetic justice.
Constable Oh
Ha. I love that Constable Oh gets his just deserts.
He gets hauled in for questioning and torture even though he’s not to blame. Just like he used to do to the townsfolk that he used to terrorize.
His replacement constable surmises of his fate: “Guess if he’s lucky, they’ll only force him into slavery.” Yet another instance of poetic justice, since he used to trade in slaves as if they were objects.
But some things just don’t change. The new constable is an even more demanding tyrant than Constable Oh used to be. I guess systemic change doesn’t come easy, is what they’re trying to say.
Dae Gil
Dae Gil’s parting words to Eonnyeon, charging her to leave with Tae Ha, are, “Take him and leave.” … “You must survive and make a better world.. Only then will there be no more people like us. Eonnyeon… You must survive… Only if you do… Will I go on living. Leave now!”
In the end, Dae Gil gives his life towards his original dream to change the world. Only it’s not by the means that he’d originally intended. It’s not by taking the exam and getting into a position of power to effect change in the world.
I feel like Dae Gil has finally come full circle, back to his original dream of making a better world, except this time, he approaches it with an even higher wager – his very life.
I believe that coming back to his dream, his motivation and resolve has strengthened to something much more profound than simply making it possible for him to live with the woman he loves. Now, it’s a higher, greater purpose, and he’s willing to pay the price of his life towards it. And it is only through Eonnyeon’s eyes that he will get to see the new world that he gives his life for.
As I mentioned earlier, I found it fitting too, that Seolhwa was the one with Dae Gil in his final moments.
In a truly heartbreaking moment, Dae Gil, with his last few breaths, finally addresses her by name, “I’m sorry… Seolhwa-ya. Darkness surrounded me, so I could not see your heart was beating for me.”
These words help to shed light on how the show resolves Commander Hwang’s arc as well, and I will talk about that in a little bit.
Tae Ha
As Tae Ha and Eonnyeon flee, Tae Ha’s strength finally starts to give out, and he asks Eonnyeon to leave without him, for Qing territory.
With tears and gasping breaths, he tells her, “I shall not… leave with you for Qing territory.” … “I am too indebted to this land of mine, so I don’t believe I could ever leave it.” … “I shall recover in no time. Once I have recovered, we must make a better world. Hyewon. Eonnyeon! I shall make sure you will never have to use two names…”
I found it really meaningful, that while it was slow in the coming, that Tae Ha would address Eonnyeon by her original name in his last few breaths. That he genuinely had come to embrace and yearn for the promise of a better world without slavery. That in their final moments, both he and Dae Gil had arrived at a place of complete agreement in terms of their hopes and dreams for the world and its future.
Commander Hwang
Left to battle it out while Eonnyeon flees with a severely injured Tae Ha, Commander Hwang and Dae Gil fight until their strength is almost depleted.
Commander Hwang asks Dae Gil, mid-battle: “What is the reason you’re doing all this?”
Dae Gil answers simply, “That fool rescued me once.” Incredulous, Commander Hwang asks, “Is that all?”
Dae Gil raises his voice, almost in anticipation, “He said he’d change it! This wretched world of ours!”
Frustrated, Commander Hwang says, “Even you… Even you bring me misery.”
Dae Gil smirks, “You may resent this world, but you shouldn’t resent people. Nice, isn’t it? Even if we only rid this world of people like you and me, I’m sure… it will be a better place.”
And with those words, Dae Gil lets out his final battle cry as he runs into the approaching troops, towards certain death.
Dae Gil’s words seem to have a profoundly deep effect on Commander Hwang. He actually stops his men from pursuing Tae Ha, saying “I won.. It’s all over.”
On my first watch, this puzzled me. But now I see that Dae Gil’s words basically turn him around. He’s actually covering for Tae Ha, so that he can change the world.
And knowing that, changes the meaning behind his words. “It’s all over” = the fighting and politicking instigated by his father-in-law to prevent the absolution of the Royal Successor.
Later, we see Commander Hwang finally approach his wife, in the scene immediately following Dae Gil’s parting words to Seolhwa, about not being able to see her heart due to the darkness around him.
In the light of Dae Gil’s words, Commander Hwang finally being able to approach his wife and sob in her arms makes a lot more sense. Because the darkness around him has lifted, he is now finally able to see her pure heart beneath her awkward affliction. And I believe, he sees too, the evil of his actions for those past months.
I also found it significant that it is Commander Hwang’s voice that peacefully narrates in voiceover, the eventual discontinuation of slave hunting and the absolution of Seokgyeon from exile. It was only at the end, that I realized that it is also Commander Hwang’s voice that narrates, in episode 1.
That puts a whole different spin on everything, that this is a story that he’s telling. That he’s the one who survived to see the good that came out of everyone’s sacrifices. The peaceful tone of his voice also suggests that he’s finally come to terms with his own darkness, now able to tell us about the brighter future, hard-won by our other characters.
Chobok with Eunshil
Our closing scene is of Chobok, her arm around Eunshil as they watch the sun rise.
Thoughtfully, Chobok says, “Eunshil. Know to whom that sun belongs to?”
Eunshil asks, “Who?” Chobok answers, “To us.”
This time, Eunshil asks, “Why?”
Chobok, a tear streaming down her cheek, replies peacefully, “Because, never even once… have we been able to possess it.”
I found it fitting, that the show chose to close on the idea that belonging, is completely different from possession. That someone can belong to you, but you cannot possess someone.
And of course, how much do I love that we get to see General Choi and Wang Son farm the land that Dae Gil bought for them, finally able to live the quiet life they’d longed for, still bantering and still abstastic? A whole lot, that’s what.
Edit: So many people have shared with me how they really, really want to see this epilogue clip of the boys, but that it’s impossible to find. I never knew that. I just know that it was in my copy of the show. So.. I’ve extracted that bit for everyone to enjoy and here it is:
I’m amazed at how much more invested I am on this watch than the last one. I feel like the show is so much better than I remembered it to be.
Honestly, when I thought this show was about the slave hunters, the ending made a lot less sense to me, because it felt like the story was losing its focus on our main characters. If a show is titled Slave Hunter, then shouldn’t we focus on the slave hunters, is what I thought.
Now, though, with a more critical lens on, and a better grasp of the language, I realize that the show is simply Chuno, ie, 추노, or in Hanja, 推奴, which refers to the act of hunting slaves, rather than the person. That puts a completely different spin on things, doesn’t it?
It’s about loyalty, courage, and selflessness for the sake of more than one’s own satisfaction and pleasure. It’s about higher ideals and more important things than a long-lost love. Higher ideals that people are willing to die for, to make the difference.
And they die for those higher ideals with courage and fire in their eyes. They look ahead to a better tomorrow and a better world, even if, for them, it’s in the after-life that they will see it.
Glorious, despite its flaws. A must-see.
FINAL GRADE: A++
Edit: Loved Chuno? You might like my imaginary dream Chuno sequel, which you can find here!
Non-spoilery trailer for those who haven’t watched the show:
MVs:
For a gorgeously shot drama like Chuno, which has such a fantastic OST, it’s surprisingly difficult to find MVs in HD. Here’s the best of what I could rustle up. Enjoy!
The badass Dae Gil cut, also found in my Jang Hyuk post, set to the same track:
Here are 2 moderately spoilery MVs featuring 2 lovely ballads from the OST. The second vid is not in HD, so just imagine it many times sharper, more intense and all-around gorgeous, ok?
Finally, a fairly spoilery MV, which runs like a badass cool, extended trailer for the show.
Categories: Review | Tags: 2010, Bridal Mask, C, Choi Duk Moon, Chuno, Dnoella, Gaksital, Get Karl Oh Soo Jung, Gong Hyung Jin, Han Jung Soo, Han Si Eun, Jang Hyuk, Jo Jin Woong, Kim Eung Soo, Kim Ha Eun, Kim Ji Suk, Kim Jin Woo, Kim Young Ok, Lee Da Hae, Lee Jong Hyuk, Min Ji Ah, Oh Ji Ho, Park Ki Woong, Queen Of Housewives, Review, Slave Hunter, Song Dong Il, Tree With Deep Roots | Permalink.
196 thoughts on “Review: Chuno [Slave Hunter]”
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Epic, if a bit uneven. One can even forgive the mess at the end. But just this one thing about Jang Hyuk. I have seen a number of dramas he has enacted since Chuno, and I continually feel the same way about him. Bear with me a short instant as I veer off a bit. During the second half of the 20th Century there was a guitarist from Congo, Dr. Nico. In a nation and music scene chock full of great electric guitarists, Docteur Nico was the greatest. He would come out onstage and folks from the audience would shout (in French) “God of the Guitar!” The thing about Nico was this: the songs he played on weren’t always the greatest or songs that were the biggest hits, but the second he started his solos, you had to listen. That is the way I feel about Jang Hyuk. Truly I wish he were on better dramas, less hokey, more tightly written, but darn it, every time the guy is onscreen he is riveting, and in Chuno, which despite its flaws, was simply terrific, he was at his very best.
beezrtp
@BE – Yes! I agree with almost everything you said. In fact as I was reading what you said it made me think of Park Hyo shin – an amazing singer but he’s not who people turn on for casual listening but he’s riveting. Most people in the west won’t know of him the way they know BTS or a handful of other Kpop groups yet his voice is undeniably a pure instrument, even transcendal.
I also wish Jang Hyuk would be more picky with his projects. (I’m excited he’ll be playing Bang won again. No disrespect intended but I don’t remember the correct post death name I’m supposed to refer to a Joseon king as.)
But here’s the only thing I disagree with you about – the Chuno ending. When I first watched it, I also told totally dissatisfied but around the third time, once I quit focusing on the star-crossed lovers theme and tied in the ending with the beginning (the whole real life prince of history situation) then I can’t imagine the ending going any other way. Although I must admit, if they had made what was happening with the prince and his family a bit more integrated periodically in the story then the ending couldn’t feel like an out of nowhere disjointed end of the story. That’s my take on it anyway but I love every single thing about Chuno so…
I didnt rly read the whole thing, sorry, but just browsed thru it coz im lookn for something to watch and saw the rating..i just wanna say that the part where u showed the lead’s eyes going from empty to blown to empty again..woah it brought tears i swear. So i think im gonna start watchng this tonight. Tnx!
Chuno is a great ride, and Jang Hyuk’s performance in it is just exceptional. ❤ Yay that you're planning to give this one a chance; if you adjust your expectations to not expect a romance, but a strong story of personal journey, this could be an excellent watch. 🙂
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Conspiracy in the Court was directed by the director of Chuno. Some of the actors from Chuno are in it, too. Kim Ha Eun is an excellent female lead. What an actress! I am still wondering why she is not super famous, especially after her role in Chuno. The script has everything I like in a sageuk: complex palace intrigue, doomed romance, and conflicted heroes. I highly recommend Conspiracy in the Court. The only problem is that I have not been able to find it on legal sites in the US. I have watched it only once.
Yllejord
Conspiracy in the court is really great. It’s like an indie Chuno that doesn’t care to be commercial, if that makes sense?
Really hard to find though. There is a director’s cut extended version with 1,5 hour long episodes, I think that was the one I watched. I don’t remember where, it probably wasn’t *super* legal
I think I watched the extended director’s cut too. Such a masterpiece. I like the indie Chuno comparison. I forgot where I watched it too, but I remember being conflicted because I thought I was going to fry my computer, but the drama was so good, I had to keep watching. Any fans of Damo here? Another very powerful (and short) drama. The last couple of minutes remain the most powerful kdrama ending I have seen so far.
Oh yes, yes, Damo, me, me! A great favorite. The scene in the cave ❤
And an amazing soundtrack too, I still listen to it when I drive. It's not often I like all the songs of a soundtrack, but Chuno, Damo, Warrior Baek Dong Soo and Emperor of the Sea I can enjoy the whole albums from the first note to the last.
Oh, Damo soundtrack! I spent hours on youtube searching for a particular track. So good and sad…
Warrior Baek Dong Soo also had a great soundtrack. I have never seen Emperor of the Sea. It is on my list, but currently there are no legitimate streaming sites in my area that have it. Sigh…..Will look for the soundtrack at least…
Ah, another one that is on my very long watch list! I’ve been planning to watch CitC for years, but just never got around to it coz there are always so many newer dramas I’m curious to check out! Hopefully Netflix will pick it up, then you can watch it again 🙂
Kfangurl,
I totally agree about the visceral effect of Chuno. There are very few other dramas that have affected me in a similar way: Damo, Conspiracy in the Court (Seoul’s Sad Song), Bridal Mask, and, most recently, Mr. Sunshine.
I can’t say for the other shows as I’ve not gotten around to Conspiracy of the Court, and haven’t finished Mr. Sunshine, but I do have fond memories of Bridal Mask. I do wonder, though, how I would respond to Bridal Mask now versus when I first watched it, since I saw it years ago.
I watched Bridal Mask fairly recently, right after watching Scandal in Old Seoul. After watching Scandal, which didn’t know itself if was a serious drama or a Fred Astaire musical, Gakistal was a breath of fresh air – as far as getting the tone absolutely right. There was only one problem with Gakistal and that was the every 2-3 episodes plot to capture and torture Jin Se-Yun. Literally, capture her to use her to lure her father, then let her go. Capture and use her to lure Gakistal, then let her go. Lather, rinse, repeat. Other than that,
My only other problem is with what causes our hero to turn over a new leaf because of what’s done to his own family. To me that does not a hero make. He couldn’t see that what he was doing to other families is the same as what was done to his? For me, a true hero acts for the people because of justice, period.
Let me shout out kudos to Park Bo gum’s small role in this in which his face gives you everything necessary to understand the terror and horror of the occupation. (Before seeing this role, I didn’t understand all the hype about him. I I Ike him in Moonlight but now I get it.)
Hmmm. I should look to see if kfangurl did a review of Gakistal.
Glad you enjoyed Gaksital, beez! It’s not perfect, but I thought it was a very daring work, and despite its flaws (yes, that rinse-and-repeat torturing of the the female lead was eye-roll worthy!) I found a lot to enjoy in it. Also, yes, I did do a review of Gaksital! It’s several years old now, so I’m not super sure I would feel absolutely the same way now about the show as I did then, but you can find it here! 🙂 Also, YES, Park Bo Gum is REALLY good! ❤
Thanks for the link to your Gakistal review , I’ll check it out for sure.
Take your time, beez! ❤
sarahlantz
Dear Fangurl,
After putting it off for years, I finally did it. Jang Hyuk caught my eye in “Beautiful mind” and I just couldn’t wait for the other A++ on your site.
Was. It. EVER. Worth it. As you say, the lush scenery, the writing, the acting, the overall storytelling and symbolism involved just had me marathoning this beast of a film (yes I’m calling it a film) over one weekend.
At first I was a bit disappointed about the romantic aspect, but saw what needed to happen. What itbs did for the characters in play – like a chess, or “Go” board. I wanted to watch it again right away, and actually did restart it but had to stop myself. Just the way minor characters came out of nowhere – George R R Martin, eat their dust!!!! (Not about killing people, but about justice served)
Finally, Lee Dae Gun. I want my husband to grow facial hair and scraggly hair. For real. And I HATE beards. But his tiger eyes, his swagger, his bad-boy attitude all while hiding that sweet boy from a proper family (not at all tsundere, but everything for her sake). And how he did ALL his own stunts!! Omomo. It was enough to ring my former wing Chun (Jeet Kune Do) teacher and ask if he had room for one more in his classes.
Jang Hyuk. Jjjjaaaannng Hhyyyuuukkk. Eyes. Lips. Omomomo. You’ve slain me, Fangurl! I hope you are happy. I’m currently watching Tazza. He’s fabulous in it so far, but that’s episode 5. I like where it is going, though.
Thank you, Fangurl!!!!
Just realized I called him “Lee Dae Gun.” Lee Gun from “Fated to Love You” still in my head, I guess? I mean “Lee Dae Gil” ☺️
Tee hee. I can see Jang Hyuk’s amazing charisma in Chuno has fogged up your brain just a touch! 😉 Don’t worry, I knew what you meant! 😁
Eating a hard boiled egg has never been the same for me since Chuno…
Ahhh!!! I’m so glad you love Chuno as much as you do, Sarah! It truly is very special, isn’t it?? I find that it has a very deep, visceral sort of effect on me, and it just makes me feeeel. I can only imagine the intensity multiplied for you, since you marathoned it over a single weekend (seriously, HOW?!?)!
I’ve seen it twice, and for me personally, I felt that the big time lapse between my watches served me well. Details felt new and fresh to me again, and because I’d gained more mature drama-watching eyes, I felt everything more deeply, and found everything more thought-provoking, the second time around. So perhaps it’s a good thing that you’re putting off your second watch 🙂
And OMGGG Dae Gil is SUCH an icon. ❤ Jang Hyuk is just magnificent in this, in every single way. From his delivery of his lines, to the fighting, to just the very way he controlled his posture, everything is just perfect. 😍😍 He affected me in a big way, and I am not at all surprised that watching him inspired you to call your Chun teacher to join a class! 😉
I haven't seen Tazza, but I will say that since Chuno, I've seen Jang Hyuk in a couple of things, but it was only in Money Flower that I wondered to myself whether his performance in Money Flower might've actually eclipsed his role in Chuno. So definitely, definitely put Money Flower on your list, Sarah. You will definitely thank me later, methinks! 😀
😏 *knowingly nods*
Still the Number One show in my kdrama universe. I have watched it multiple times, and the power does not diminish.
Chuno is absolutely a very special drama. I completely understand why you’ve got it as your personal #1! 🙂
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Beezus
Glad to have found this review. I would like to point out though that Dae Gil did not know Ueyon and Tae Ha were about to be married. He saw the 4-year old child and made assumptions. We learn this when he tells General Ha something like “had I known, the results would have been different”. And I believe they would’ve been, too! I believe Ueyon has a quiet respect, a burgeoning attraction when his naked chest is two inches from her eyes/nose (it HAS been ten years for her after all), loyalty, and budding love. But I believe what she feels for Dae Gil is a burning undying passion. And the feelings she is developing for Tae Ha would’ve never been asked to spark had she known Dae Gil was alive. (She mourned 10 YEARS!) which brings up the only thing I wish Chuno had delved into – Uyeon’s life as a beautiful single woman. Despite believing Dae Gil dead, she refused to marry and I would’ve liked to see a bit more of that. Although ultimately, I suppose it wasn’t necessary storywise.
Great review. And now I’ve got to go look for other movies and dramas starring the actor playing Dae Gil. Whew!
Hi there Beezus! It’s always nice to meet fellow Chuno fans – it’s such an amazing show 🙂
Yes, I do agree that Unnyeon loved Dae Gil, and if she’d known he was alive, that things would have been different with Tae Ha. Still, I’ve come to the conclusion that the romance wasn’t the point of the show, but that the point was more about bigger, more fundamental, more profound things. Which explains why the story took the path that it did. It may not have been very satisfying on a romantic level, but for the bigger message about the price one is willing to pay to make a difference to the path of humanity, I found the show very moving.
Now that you mention it, and giving it some thought, I actually doubt Unnyeon’s life as a single woman would’ve been all that different from other single women. I mean, she lived with her brother, and they’d “achieved” nobility, so she would’ve probably spent her days doing genteel things like embroidery and such. She would’ve been older than other single women, but given her station in life, I doubt her life would’ve been particularly different compared to other single noble women. I imagine she would’ve resisted her brother’s various attempts at finding her a match, probably? 🙂
Jang Hyuk truly is amazing as Dae Gil. I personally find this his most iconic role to date, but he’s also great in other shows. If you’re in the mood for more sageuk, I found him very impressive in Tree With Deep Roots. Which is another fantastic show, I think. It’s not as magnificent as Chuno, but it’s very well-written, and quite fascinating, in that it examines how Hangul was developed. 🙂
Hi kfangirl! I saw chuno in your fave list and it’s the reason Im watching it now. I’m on ep 10 and everything’s pretty ok (I’m kinda up and down at times with this one so far). I havent read ur review yet But I just have to say that eun yeon’s character is just down right irritating! I find it hard watching her at times-most times!
Oops sorry my comment ended up here
I feel ya, Ann! I watched Chuno twice, and was very frustrated with it the first time I watched it. Part of that frustration was with Eonnyeon, and another part was with the romance in the story. On my second watch, though, I stopped looking at it as a romance, and viewed it as the story of a man: Dae Gil, and his journey. And that changed just about everything, for me. So, if I’m not too late, might I suggest that you try to put the romance aside, because it really doesn’t pan out to be the main point of this story. I hope that helps! 🙂
@kfangurl – you are so right! Even loving Chuno as I do, I remember literally pulling at my hair and saying “I’m done with this!” in frustration during the episodes where Dae gil and Eunn yeon have near misses of almost running into each other for cliffhangers several episodes in a row. lol. I was still relatively new to Kdramas back then so didn’t know that’s the format. lol. But the beauty of Hyuk (and his abs?) made me hang in there and I’m so glad that I did! It became less about this one true love (which is what I’m usually watching for) and became about Dae gil’s journey taking him on to fulfilling what his young idealistic romance and romantic ideals pointed him, perhaps a little unwillingly, toward – and also becoming transfixed with Jang Hyuk’s tour de force performance.
Yes, I was SO upset with Chuno on my first watch, purely because I was watching through a romance kind of lens (it was pretty much my automatic lens, I was quite new to kdramas then).. But when you look at it as Dae Gil’s journey, it changes EVERYTHING, and it becomes this epic, profound, moving story that just lingers so much after the final credits. And OMG, Jang Hyuk is so amazing in this, I honestly think it might be his best performance that I’ve seen, to date. ❤
It’s been so long since I originally read your review and commented (now I receive an email whenever somebody comments on it), but I believe it wasn’t until I read your review that I even realized the paradox and conundrum the story told – One general forced to be a slave who refuses to accept the reality that he is a slave and maintains the viewpoint of the upperclass, refusing to let his own circumstance sway that viewpoint by refusing to have empathy with his fellow slaves (because he does not view them as his fellows). Possibly, because as a mere military man, who barely qualifies in staus as a non- slave, his inferior feelings create his prejudice (you know self-hatred type of thing because societal norms have brainwashed him to believe certain people are better than others purely by means of birth); and 2) then there’s the true uppercrust noble who chuks Seau his noble status to hunt slaves but does not believe in the class system at all. He hunts slaves to find ONE particular slave (I’m still not sure if he hunts her to be with her or for revenge but I’ll pay more attention on my rewatch of the series). But as long as he’s hunting slaves to find her, he looks at it as he may as well get paid for doing it. He doesn’t see himself as noble because he, indeed does return slaves to their horrible existences (I know we usually romanticized the fact that he did rescue the one young girl, but many slaves had their desperate escapes foiled by him. He didn’t get that horrible monstrous reputation among slaves for no reason.) What was I saying? Oh. Yeah. Dae gil and The General are two opposite sides of the same coin symbolically held by Eueonyeon but in actuality, trapped by the social mores of the time they live in.
I’m not saying it as well as you described it but one thing’s for certain, I’ve book marked your review of the series to re-read again after I finally get around to watching Chuno a second time.
Aw! Thanks Beez, I’m so happy that this review helped to give you more thoughts and insights about Chuno! It’s such a masterpiece, and definitely one that I would recommend a rewatch of. Personally, I loved it so much more on my second watch, and I wouldn’t rule out watching it again sometime 🙂 I hope you enjoy your rewatch as much as I did, when you get around to it! 🙂
Yllegjord
I just wanted to say that indeed, Dae Gil and Tae Ha are each other’s opposites in every way.
Tae Ha is the perfect comfucian gentleman, and I agree, he doesn’t see himself as a slave. He is also very shocked when Dae Gil tells him that his own wife is a former slave and he just can’t get over it. It’s something he has to struggle with.
Dae Gil was never the perfect confucian gentleman, and his disregard for social norms is a part of that. He somehow manages to see people, not statuses.
When the two of them meet, they start on the complete opposite corners and it is interesting to see how they gradually and reluctantly learn from each other. This is demonstrated at the hanging scene, where Dae Gil shows his will to live and Tae Ha clinges to his dignity (and some sort of death wish that I’m sure he’s bearing, being the last survivor of his family, his mates, the prince he was serving, I mean he must have felt some remorse for living on. People do that, right?).
But at the end we see that Dae Gil has found that there are some things even he could die for and Tae Ha that there are some things to live for.
Sorry, that was long. I just love this show, it’s full of details like this one.
@Yllegord – yup. What you said. That is why I’m trying to convince some like-minded Chuno loving bloggers to come forward and volunteer to sponsor a rewatch (@Kfangurl; @kjtamuser; @DramaFan *hint-hint*) where just a very brief summary of the episode is posted and all of us who didn’t watch Chuno in its original broadcast can discuss until Jang Hyuk’s bottom 2 abs fall off. XD
Ooh. Intriguing proposition you’ve got there, Beez! I’m feeling a little swamped right now, but will definitely keep your suggestion in mind – unless DF takes you up on that first 😉
(new word I picked up recently from Strong Woman Do Bong Soo, which I ignored at first but it’s been in my face every where I turned so I finally Googled what it means. I’m sure everybody else already knew. )
Ha. I actually didn’t know for sure what it means, so I just googled it myself! So you’re ahead of me, Beez! 😉 I need to get back to SWDBS.. I’m just a few eps away from the end, but I’m at the part where things aren’t going great, so it’ll take a little extra determination on my part, to get through that to the happy ending!
I’m recommending Chicago Typewriter to everyone. It’s a bit slow out the gate, but as if Episode 6 (which aired this week), it seems to be becoming everything I hoped for (plus, it has Yoo Ah In. The actor I predict will step into Hyukie’s shoes as premier actor as JH ages out of certain roles.)
Have you seen Six Flying Dragons? If not, trust me on this one. Yoo Ah In’s powerful performance is perfection. In a show with a lot of focus on swordfighting, he slays and commands without ever welding a sword himself. His screen presence is captivating. I can’t say enough. And the quality of the show’s writing and production is the best I’ve seen. The other actors are all top knotch as well.
Aahhh… and when Yoo An In *does* wield his sword in Six Flying Dragons, then may all the gods have mercy on our poor souls.
Good to hear that Chicago Typewriter’s working out nicely for you so far, Beez! I’m adding it to my list, but I haven’t checked it out yet, at this point.
As for 6FD.. It might shock you to hear that I did make it up to about E30 or so of the show, before my interest fizzled out. Somehow, it just didn’t quite work for me. It didn’t help matters that I watched it at the same time as Nirvana In Fire. NIF is magnificent in just about every way, and it has enough similarity to 6FD (political strategizing to put a new king on the throne) that my love for NIF just overshadowed 6FD. 😛 I know lots of folks loved 6FD, but I personally don’t currently have enough interest to go back to it. Maybe someday? 😝
@kfangurl You gotta give 6FD another chance because I don’t even think it was well out of the gate as far as the switch to the adult actors at that point. And this is also the best performance of Shin Se kyung that I’ve ever seen. (Other than The Girl Who Sees Smells and 6FD, I’ve hated every role I’ve ever seen her in.)
I been waffling about trying Nirvana in Fire and also Peach Blossom something or other because people keep raving about both. The only reason I hadn’t, is because I’ve been trying to train my ear to Korean so I can eventually watch without subtitles (I need to be able to food clothes and wash dishes & other real life stuff while I watch *looks over at pile of clothes still in basket*). After hearing you compare NIF to 6GD, maybe I’ll make an exception or watch NIF with the sound off completely.
Definitely make an exception for NIF, but watch it with sound, otherwise you lose a big chunk of the experience! You can check out my spoiler-lite review of NIF here, and hopefully that will help you make an exception in its favor 🙂
I won’t go back to 6FD at the moment because I don’t find myself in the right mood, but perhaps I will give it another go later on, since you and so many others enjoy it so much 🙂
Oh no! I didn’t mean check out SF6 right away. We all know how it is to try to find time to pick back up something you’ve abandoned. Just don’t let it disappear forever. It’s really worth it. I think that having enjoyed Tree With Deep Roots, then finding out more about the historical figured involved with it and 6FD, I was mainly amazed that Yoo Ah in could give a performance that made you continue to root for him, despite all the while reminding yourself of the horrible things he did and that maybe you shouldn’t be rooting for him.
I’d never heard the word “namaste” before but now, everywhere I turn…
I hope it’s a temporary thing, coz I personally don’t much care for the comic stuff that gave rise to this in SWDBS, to be honest! 😝
cineclique
Finally back after such a long time (so many things changed here! new girl in your team, that’s a good news :D)!
Anyway let’s talk about what brought me here: Chuno! I’ve finally found the time to devour your review…ah one sec *Chuno’s music: play* now the mood is set *delight*
Amazing review like always. Fortunately I had not read it before writting mine cause you would have change my point of view in an extraordinary way even though I had not felt it like that. I guess that’s your power: turn people’s opinions round (well the only think I’m still not convinced about is the bromance…don’t know…it didn’t work with me -except when they met again near the end: that was a beautiful moment. One point for them). It’s truly an amazing drama and I’m angered against myself to not have been able to appreciate it to its full -too much political machination near the end, that’s what killed me honestly (and I think I had chosen the wrong time to watch it). I think it was the most beautiful saggeuk drama I’ve watched in term of making. Seeing you pictures revived good feelings (the fight scenes in ep 10! forever etched on my memory..actually the whole episode. I think that’s the one I preferred in the whole show). Watching this show in non-HD is a crime like you said^^ Anyway I’m convinced: I have to give Chuno a second try! it’s a must now that I’ve read your review (I can almost hear your voice saying “Let the sexy beast blow you away once again” haha). It’s just gonna have to wait the summer holidays 😉
Yay that you’ve finished Chuno, cineclique! 😀 I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t love it as much as I did, but I remember too, that I didn’t love it as much on my first watch either. As glorious as I found it, I was rather bored and frustrated with the show in its later stretches, perhaps similar to how you felt after watching it.
On my second watch, though, I appreciate this show SO much more, and I’m so glad I gave it a second chance. I do believe that you’ll enjoy it more on your second watch too! Plus, there’s always room for more awesome Dae Gil, isn’t there? I’ve seen Jang Hyuk in a number of things now, and even though he’s consistently excellent, I feel like Dae Gil is his most iconic character to date. So yes, do let that sexy beast blow you away, all over again 😉
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Ann Lo
I saw the pictures of Dae Gil watching the lady go with tears in her eyes and I thought, ‘It’s official. I have to watch this.’ I will see how much I get through before I come back to this review. Truly, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.
Tee hee. Whatever works to get you on the Chuno train, Ann! 😀 Coz I personally find Chuno a must-watch piece of drama brilliance, and want as many people to check it out as possible. I hope you’ve got it in HD and are able to watch it on a nice big screen with a great sound system (HD on a good computer with a good set of earbuds works great too) – it’s gorgeous and breathtaking and watching it in HD is worth it 🙂
no matter how much i look i cant see to find a clip(?) of general choi & wangson farming :((( i really really wanted to see it ;_______;
Here, Amy, I just extracted the clip from my copy of the show & uploaded it to youtube. Lots of readers have been asking for it, and for some reason your comment today inspired me to figure out how to extract the clip and upload it. Enjoy 🙂
Hallo. I don’t even remember what I was googling for, but somehow I ended up in this review. I hadn’t seen a kdrama before, but I like historical and martial arts films, so I thought I would give it a try. 48 hours later here I am, totally overwhelmed and stunned, having gone through every possible and impossible human emotion. Quite a trip, thank you so much.
I do have a couple of questions. Was it the minister that sent the female assassin? And why?
What does “奴婢” mean?
Anyway, loved it. Loved the rebel slave fraktion subplot (and that song they were playing everytime there was some shooting) but I fast forwarded at the in keepers’ scenes.
The main character’s journey from innocent idealist to disillusioned cynic to utter darkness to coming to terms with life is just undescribable. I can’t find words. I’m still very shaken (my poor family)!
Hi there, Yllejord!! I apologize for my laggy response. I’ve been away on an intense work trip and am now just getting back up to speed on everything. ^^
Wow, I’m so glad you decided to give Chuno a chance – it’s quite the drama experience, isn’t it?? I love it, and feel that it’s a show that invites deeper understanding the more one watches it. I appreciated it so much more on my second watch compared to my first.
To answer your questions, it wasn’t the minister who sent the female assassin, but the bridegroom from whom Hye Won (Unnyeon) ran away. He was deeply insulted by her desertion, and wanted “justice,” basically.
奴婢 is pronounced “nu bi” and the 2 characters together mean “slave.” However, in practice, 奴 was used to refer to male slaves and 婢 was used to refer to female slaves. When Chobok and Eopbok kiss, their cheeks together read 奴婢, which I felt was a rather poetic statement.
I’m so glad you decided to give Chuno a chance – Jang Hyuk is amazing in the role. If you’d like to explore another Korean historical/martial arts drama, another one that I highly recommend is Tree With Deep Roots. It’s also starring Jang Hyuk, and is a dramatic interpretation of how the Korean letters – Hangul – came to be. Fascinating stuff, and extremely illuminating, in my opinion 🙂
Thank you for your answer and THANK YOU, oh totally unknown person on the internet, for this wonderful review that introduced my humble self to an intence experience I never expected to get out of pop culture.
I have now watched it a second time… I came down with this mild obsession, it seems. I thought it would be easier now, but no, my soul was through the grinder again.
Lady assassin: yes, of course, it was the abandoned husband who sent her. My brain was not functioning when I wrote the previous post. Btw, I found that character totally irrelevant in every possible way.
Same with that elder gaesang-younger gaesang rivalry. That never actually payed off, did it?
Seul Hwa: when she appeared I was like ”oh no, not another Happy Harlot with a Heart of Gold” but boy, was I wrong! I love her to pieces. I adore her every molecule. Even though she did interrupt what we were all desperate, DYING to watch: the interraction between Dae Gil and Hye Won. Not once, but TWICE. I wanted to kick her a little bit at that moment. Now we’ll never know what Hye Won was going to say to Dae Gil that morning in the mountain village. That sort of sucks.
Wang Son: I surprised my self by finding him adorable in stead of irritating and annoying. I don’t recognize myself.
General Choi: Loved that he was always reading a book. Books were not cheap back then, I guess, and our boys worked for practically peanuts. They were wearing rags and lived on millet and rice, but he obviously made buying books a priority? Awww.
And, he decided to finally join the slave hunting gang because he has this huge crush on Dae Gil, right? It can’t be only me that sees that, can it?
Han Seom and the court lady were so cute together, I loved that she was tiny and he was huge. They, um, sort of remind of me and my partner *blushes*
As I mentioned before, I was moved by the slave rebelion piece. I sometimes thought that they were depicted as caricatures, but the deep, unfathomed tragedy shown through… my heart was clenched every time they were on screen. And I related so much with their talk about hope, revolution, changing society, making a better life. Struggling with the idea of yangbans being people.
’’If we become yangbans and they become our slaves, then nothing’s changed’’: goosebumbs.
’’Does the king s**t?’’
’’Then our children and their children will have to continue’’
Then the guy they all believed in and put their hopes on was a simple provocateur and that did hurt. A. Lot.
The scene that went straight to my heart and carved itself there (in this show that is MADE of memorable, unforgettable scenes!) is Cho Bok and Eop Bok’s dialog in ep23.
Eop Bok is describing all the lovely things they could do if they just ran away; every word was tearing at my heart, while in my head I was repeating over and over ’’but who will change the world, who will change the world, who will change…?’’
And then… and then she goes ’’No. Who is going to change the world, then?’’
I screamed right out at the top of my voice (and woke everyone up, because it was early in the morning)
And he says ’’thank you for saying that’’. I swear I was laughing and crying uncontrollably for at least 10 min straight. That was a special, magnificent moment for me, there.
(I cried a little bucket while typing this. I get so darn emotional just by thinking about that scene)
The thing that hit me (really hard) the second time, was how simple Dae Gil’s dream was. The lad wished neither for a fancy carreer in politics, nor to rule nations, nor to be admired by thousands, go down in history, Fight Evil, get filthy rich. ALL he wanted was a life, a home, with his girlfriend. That’s IT. The fact that such a simple thing, the most natural, that shouldn’t ever be any kind of issue, caused so much pain and suffering, makes absolutely clear how twisted, rotten and totally corrupted their world was. No wonder Dae Gil became so desillusuined, pessimistic and cynical, always going on about how sh**ty this world is.
But wait, as if that wasn’t mindblowing and heartbreaking enough, there is more to it.
I read this interview by the director, he seems to have made the connection with our modern world, LGBTQ rights in particular, if I’m not mistaken. That shook me profoundly. We actually live in a similar world. Relationships like this, that should end in simple, everyday happiness, end up in misery and tragedy as we speak, because of society’s seemingly unbreakable rules.
I already loved the director (and writer) for
1. bringing General Choi and Wang Son back to life (I never dreamt I would see such a shamelessly illogical, mount-Vesuvius-crater-sized plot-hole and actually be ecstatic happy about it!!! what has this show done to me?) and
2. for the imaginary-arrow-to-the sun thing.
But those words of his made me love him ten times more.
Another thing that I totally missed the first time but was five kinds of obvious the second, was the way Dae Gil imitated Cheon Ji Ho’s (and the mountain village chiftain’s and perhaps the butcher-monk’s too, I didn’t really notice) mannerisms. He’s allmost an exact copy. Which is not so strange, the guy was a major father figure for our lad, when he was lost and scared and abandoned in the street.
I like that the makers of the show didn’t feel like they had to spell everything out, but were kind enough to let us fill in the gaps ourselves. They did try to provide us with all the clues so we can do the rest. The story of what happened between the fire and the first episode is actually given to us in amazing depth and detail. How awesome is that!
Oh, and speaking of awesome: did Dae Gil went out to this horribly dangerous mission with Tae Ha, armed only with a friggin sharpened BAMBOO STICK?!?!? What the fjdfikal leoodfinrh jslifdrh???
So, I came for the beautifully choreografed fights by the pretty, shirtless, long haired dudes and stayed for, well, about everything. But now I feel this post is getting way too long.
Um. Seems I got a bit carried away here. I could go on and on, about the elements of initiation myths and classic Greek tragedy in the story, about all those brilliant dialogues, about Jang Hyuk’s acting, but I’ll try to harness my self. Please accept my apologies for the outrageous length of this post.
I’ll just go to try and pluck that imaginary arrow from my bleeding heart now and then try to find a decend DVDbox that, maybe, plays in Europe?
Next time I watch it I’m gonna figure out what that water buffalo horn thingie was all about.
Sorry, it’s ”gisaeng”, not ”gaesang” of course. Still struggling with all the new stuff.
Hi Yllejord
I wanted to tell you that your comment made my day yesterday. I wanted to answer right away but I was at work. I am huge fan of Jang Hyuk, Chuno, and Kfangurl’s review of it 😀 So much so that I requested an alert to this post’s comments
I get so happy when I see a new viewer write about Chuno with such appreciation. I especially love it when I get reminded of things I probably didn’t appreciate myself in the first place! I am referring to your comments about Cho Bok and Eop Bok’s dialogue. I don’t think I gave this storyline the attention it deserved, but I’m preparing to rewatch this series soon and I know, that with all the insight I got from great comments such as yours, my watching experience will be superior
I wanted to add something about the portrayal of Daegil (here is me acting like proud mommy of my favorite actor lol) One of the scenes you describe here, was actually added by Jang Hyuk. The arrow shot to the sky was his contribution. In fact, Jang Hyuk rewrote and sometimes wrote from scratch some of his most famous lines obviously with the approval of the director and the writer. Many of the scenes between Daegil and Unnyunn were added on set, thanks to the actors and director (his vision is always what stays obviously) because on script, Daegil and Unnyun had little to no interaction after ep 10. So that scene where Daegil and Song TaeHa rescue Unnyunn together, and Daegil and Unnyun put their heads together for a moment, a moment that meant so much to us viewers, was not on the script.
This makes me admire the writer even more, why? because instead of being petty and insisting on his view to prevail (or one could say, protective of his initial intention, which could also be very understandable), he appreciated the actor’s passion for the characters, to the point where they were living them and becoming them so, he just let them roll. Same with the director. I appreciate this director for his wonderful work in Chuno but I became a fan of his after Conspiracy of the Court, which I see as a cousin of Chuno, cause you could totally feel the director’s hand. The combination of all these talents and creative passionate people brought us something this wonderful.
I wrote a little post with quotes of writer and director about Jang Hyuk’s portrayal of Daegil, if you are interested. Here it is http://stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/chuno-the-daegil-appreciation-post/ And I didn’t add it on that post but Oh Ji Ho who played Song TaeHa also said that he got inspired while working alongside Jang Hyuk, he said something along the lines of “I used to approach my characters, always acting within the margins of the script, Jang Hyuk worked on filling the margins” something like that which I assume means something like going beyond the script.
It was great reading you 🙂
Aww thank you for your kind words, Drama Fan. Most of the time I’m just happy if people understand my english…
And wow. Just… wow. So ιf it weren’t for Jang Hyuk’s amazingly passionate dedication we would have no arrow to the sky and no heads together? It seems that he took a rather ok drama and turned it single handedly into this intense experience that just sticks with you. And saved many people’s sanity, I guess.
I already thought his acting was on a much higher level than simple ”pretending” and had almost schamanic qualities (as in leading the viewer through a series of emotions to achieve certain states of mind?). I don’t know how else to describe it. He seems really awesome. Need to watch some more of his work.
I guess we all notice different storylines according to our background and experience. I didn’t care much about the Jumos at first, but then I realized that if you are going to talk all big about changing the world and stuff, you have to think of the people that this world is actually made of. People who worry about their business, who can tell on others just to be on the good side of the authorities, who can be bullied into sabotaging horses. In the end, as I saw their situation gradually getting more dire and unsafe, ending up with a worse policeman, that sucked.
I still ff their scenes, though.
Meanwhile, I’ve been pondering on the last episode. I wondered why I felt so satisfied when there didn’t seem to be any closure for Dae Gil and Hye Won and then I realized that Hye Won didn’t want a closure. ”Don’t forgive me”, she says. She accepts the sacrifice and the burden that goes with it.
And the way Eop Bok and Dae Gil’s threads came together: both dying willingly, not for the sake of changing the world, but for the sake of the hope that the world can change. If that makes any sence.
Both leaving a legacy to those they leave behind (Eop Bok’s eyes locking with Shut Up and Accept Your Lot- slave guy, who btw is an extremely tragic figure and he would be the one character I would cry the most for in this entire series if, you know, Dae Gil wasn’t in it. Or if he were prettier than Dae Gil. Hey, I’m only human. Anyway, I choose to believe that the The Masters Take Good Care Of Us-guy accepted it, just as Hye Won accepted Dae Gil’s).
And btw, I loved how both Dae Gil and Hye Won described the change they want to see in exactly the same words: ”a world where people like me will not exist”. That is so simple yet powerful, more than any manifest or declaration of equality. The personal becomes the political.
Love Cho Bok educating and empowering the next generation.
Loved Chul Woong. Loved the way this whole thing ended. Imaginary arrow.
There is one more thing I’ve been thinking, considering this little part of the review
Yes, she is unusual.
But then, she couldn’t be anything less. I mean, our lad fell for her, right? He decided to spend his life with her. He overcame his cowardice to save her from the Qing. He turned the peninsula upside-down for 10 years looking for her. A mentioning of her name was enough to shut his brain down. The idea of him forgetting her had him breaking down. He ended up giving up his very life, because she WAS his life (and not, as we often were tempted to think, some unhealthy obsession).
Of course he wouldn’t fall like that for the first best cute slave that happened to be around, it had to be a very unusual young lady. She was extraordinary. She had the strength to hold on to her dignity and integrity. Going against every norm of her society, she saw her self as a person.
Dae Gil saw her as a person too (oh, he looked so startled when she said ”if you thing I am a toy…”). He was equally extraordinary. He too went against his upbringing and everything that was expected of him. He saw her NEEDS.
They were two extraordinary, awesome, remarkable young people. And that’s what makes their story so heartbreaking. They should be together. They should make lots and lots of extraordinary, awesome, remarkable babies that would grow up to make the world a better place. *sigh*
I should hire someone to stop me from writing more than two paragrafs. Or from abusing the word ”extraordinary”.
PS. Drama Fan, would it be ok if I joined that FB page that is mentioned in the link? I’m one of those nerds that update their profile pictures according to their current fiction affliction, so, um, let’s say I would fit in beautifully right now.
Yllejord, I want to give you a longer answer to this comment that has made me think again 🙂 but in the meantime I want to tell this: Of course please come and join the Chuno FB group please please please you are so welcome!
LOL my roommates and I have been looking for Han Jung Soo Chuno pics and I landed on your blog. 😀
Tee hee! And I do believe you girls found at least a little of what you were looking for? Coz I did put some very nice Han Jung Soo Chuno pix in here 😉 Ahhh. General Choi. Sweet, serious man.
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Sweet Chan ( 실비아 ) (@Sweet__VIP)
Great review, congratz. This drama is a masterpiece, I loved it! It’s one of the best that I saw, I cried for the poor Dae Gil, Jang Hyun is a very good actor! I have a question…Where do you saw the episode 24? In the episode that I downloaded is missed this part (http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o756/kfangurl/Chuno/Chuno167_zps76e7c594.png / http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o756/kfangurl/Chuno/Chuno166_zps42c19daa.png). I’d like see it very much *^* Thanks you very much in advance for reply. Happy new year 🙂
Thanks Sweet Chan, & welcome to the blog! 🙂
Yes indeed, Chuno truly is a masterpiece, and Jang Hyuk is stellar in it. I honestly think this might be his most iconic role to date. As for the epilogue with Gen Choi and Wang Son, it happens after the final shot of Dae Gil where he air-shoots up at the sun. It’s only a few seconds long, and I can see how it might’ve gotten cut from various sources since it happens after the final shot of Dae Gil. I got my video here – hope that helps you!
Finally I saw it, thank you!! ^^
Lee Dae Gil I think is a icon for many girls!! He is very charming!
Oh, great that you managed to see it! Even though it’s just a few quick seconds, isn’t it just so gratifying to see the 2 of them still happy and goofing around together, even while tending the land that Dae Gil bought for them? And yes, Dae Gil is just super alluring. Jang Hyuk really made him come alive in such a glorious, sexy, swaggery way. I don’t think anyone could’ve played Dae Gil, to be honest. ^.~
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thank you so much for this review! even several years after watching Chuno, I still find myself reflecting on it and its meaning. your post was so detailed and insightful. i really appreciate all of the hard work it must have taken to deconstruct such a complex and powerful drama. your words are extremely tasteful and do justice to what i consider such a *sacred* story. i think that even though Chuno has its flaws, it’s really a work of art. again thank you for posting this- i’m really glad i found your review (more like character analysis/commentary on life/debriefing session for inspired but slightly traumatized Chuno fans! xx
Aw! Thanks Allison! And welcome to the blog!!! Your comment made me blush, giggle AND swell up with satisfaction 😛 I’m so glad you enjoyed the review.. Chuno really IS a work of art; a masterpiece that deserves all the accolades. I’m really glad I gave it a second watch, because I’ve come to appreciate it SO much more.
This is one of those rare dramas that actually gets better on the rewatch.. There’s just SO much meat to it that it’s virtually impossible to appreciate it all on the first watch. Such thought-provoking themes, brought to life by such committed actors, delivered with such glorious cinematography. Simply magnificent! ❤
I’ve been making Fan Videos for years, but I made my first K-Drama fanvid for Chuno and Lee Dae Gil! It’s been a long time since I even made a fan-vid. I love video editing. I had to find clips on youtube to make this. So the picture quality varies. Sorry.
Anyway, I just thought I’d post it here on this awesome review! I plan to make one for Song Tae Ha next of course. 😀
Ooh, nice work, Lady G!! Thanks for sharing! I can only imagine how much work it took, to get clips off YT.. Maybe next time you could consider working off the actual HD files? ^^
Btw, it just occurred to me that we were talking about JH & kissing, and.. have you seen the deleted bed scene he did with Lee Da Hae in Iris 2? If you haven’t, just click on my JH love confession post (link is in the JH section of this review), scroll to the end, and follow the link & instructions I posted. He is so, SOOOO HAWT in it, I can’t even describe it. U hafta see if for yourself! *stifles swoon*
Oh I saw that scene from your blog. yowza yowza yowza!! lol.
Thanks for the comment on the video. 🙂 It’s actually not so hard to find the clips, I can tell right away if a clip or video will work or not.
I unfortunately don’t own the DVDs and I think i would have been more intimidated to use the HD files because I didn’t exactly know which clips I wanted or which episodes to use. It was easier with the YT clips. But, an HD video would have definitely looked prettier. 🙂 I remember the first days of Youtube, all the early vids had to be less than an 100 MBs, so that was hard to stick to. So glad it’s changed.
Yowza is about right!! I have watched that clip more than several times, and I hafta say, my jaw drops each time.. He’s just soooo shmexy in it! RAWR~~
Oh, I totally agree, I am so happy that YT now allows HD vids! It makes a huge difference! I get what you mean about having to look harder for clips if you had the HD files.. When I’m searching for a particular screenshot and I’m not sure exactly where in the show it happens, it can be a very frustrating game of hide and seek! >.< More than 20 hours of footage.. where is it?!? Lol. So maybe working off YT is a good solution for you, for now ^^
mawiie
Ahh! Chuno! For some reasons that drama just didn’t do it for me I think that watching dramas is all about being in the right mood at the right time… I remember hearing all sort of praises for Chuno and really liking the sweeping OST so I gave it a try. It is well done and gorgeous for sure, but at the time I just felt like watching something else. I did tune it for at least half of it, but eventually new dramas just keep on appearing and time just slip away before I even know it… Ah well!
Oh, you’re absolutely right, mawiie!! Mood is SO much of the equation!! Mood has taken me from hate to love, AND from love to hate, upon giving some dramas second chances.
If/when the right mood strikes, I hope you give Chuno another chance. I liked it both watches, but appreciated it much more on the second watch 🙂 It’s not perfect, but it is, in many ways, a masterpiece ^^
I was just thinking today, I would have loved to see more of Daegil’s life as a Noble. How he grew up and met Eunnyeon (am I even spelling this right? Hye Won? lol) His first reaction to her, them growing up together. The first time he literally fell in love with her and so on. They touched on it. All his cute little tricks with the stone and shoes and sneaking around the laundry. The requisite Piggy Back ride. It would have made a great contrast against the street-fighting, cynical Daegil.
Like I said in another comment, would love to read this story as a book! It could be epic length, like this Japanese book I’m reading- Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa. The English translation I have is nearly a 1000 pages. That’s been made into a movie and J-Drama I think. I’m a bit of J-Drama girl too, but they don’t thrill me as much K-Dramas. Some are too wacky and lack depth, and they are kind of cheap with the romance, Even though you know it’s there. But I have my favorites.
Oh, that would make a great prequel to Chuno! Wow, we’ve fleshed out our sequel, and now you’re moving on to writing the prequel! XD But yes, I can totally see how this story would make an epic book, painting the details that we didn’t get to see onscreen!
I’m with you on the J-dramas.. I watch a couple of them on the side, but I definitely prefer my kdramas to the J-dramas. I love the way they interpret manga in J-dramas, so Hana Kimi is one of my favorite J-dramas. Aside from the lighter, campy ones, I did genuinely like 1 Litre of Tears. I haven’t seen enough J-dramas to really able to comment much though ^^
I have an online friend who recommended J-Dramas with Hiro Mishushima. He’s done some great ones. I have 3 favorite J-actors so far-Hiro, Hayami Mokomichi, and Abe Hiroshi. I tend to like the mystery-crime-action genre more when I watch the J-Dramas. Then I don’t feel so bad when the romance is missing. LOL. I will have to check out 1 Litre of Tears.
Oh, I haven’t actually watched any crime dramas among the J-dramas.. I’ve mostly checked out manga adaptations (coz the Japanese do those SO well!), and others that come highly recommended. Romance-wise, I thought Zenkai Girl was rather cute.. Proposal Daisakusen was also a pretty nice watch. 1 Litre of Tears does make you cry (as the title so aptly suggest) but it’s completely moving and it’s based on a true story. I was surprised by how much I like it. No wonder it’s considered a J-drama classic. If you like to explore some J-dramas on the side, that’s one that you should consider checking out ^^
I don’t read the actual mangas, but my two favorite Manga based I’ve seen are Absolute Boyfriend and Meichan’s Butler. I would love to see a K-Drama version of Absolute Boyfriend, but they don’t seem to favor robots like the Japanese. LOL. There was a Taiwanese drama of the same story, but I couldn’t get past that they used a Korean lead actress then had to badly dub in her Taiwanese. Didn’t see the purpose to that. But anyway, yeah, I would definitely think the Japanese would rock the Manga adaptations! 😀 Thanks for the suggestions.
I saw a Chuno graphic novel on Ebay, but it is really just pictures from the movie with Korean text bubbles. I thought someone had literally adapted and drew it all in Manga or GN form. That would be awesome.
Oh, I liked Absolute Boyfriend too! That was cute ^^ But yeah, I didn’t like that the Taiwanese version used Gu Hye Sun. Besides the dubbing issue (which I completely agree is unnecessary and distracting), she’s not even a great actress, so I fail to see the point >.<
I really liked the J-version of BOF too.. Hana Yori Dango was so much better than BOF. I even watched the second season of it, just coz I enjoyed the first season so much.
That Chuno graphic novel sounds like a gimmick made to cash in on the drama's popularity – I can see a big fan willing to buy that. But, not very satisfying for reading purposes, I'd imagine! XD
Actually there is a real hand drawn comic book version of Chuno out there. But it’s in Korean. I would love to have one translated in English!
You’re right, there was no point to that casting. I don’t think Gu Hye Sun is a great actress either. I know everybody loves BOF, but I had trouble watching it because of her. Seeing all those guys falling over themselves for her. Ughh! It annoyed me. :p (Rant over! lol)
I started watching the J-Version of BOF a while back, I need to get back to it, I really liked it! I have to remember where I left off because it was on Dramacrazy which shut down. :<
The comic exists?? Wow, I am really impressed by the amount of Chuno love out there. Gooo Dae Gil! 😀
Ugh, BOF! I watched it when the whole frenzy was on, and got swept up in the irrational enjoyment. For some inexplicable reason, I found KHJ’s Ji Hoo really sweet and quite swoony. On a (much later) re-watch attempt, I found it utterly terrible!! And I really wondered why I ever found Ji Hoo swoony in the first place! XD No loss if you never ever watch BOF, imo! >.<
The J-version, however, is quite delightful – you should totally get back to it! (RIP, Dramacrazy *bows*)
What. The. Hell…? This K-Drama thing makes my head explode.
I came here via Twitter, as your name popped up that suggestion box thing of people to follow. I kind of assumed from your name that it was because I also follow Raine0211 and, lo and behold, it was!
I’ve never actually watched K-Drama, and in fact I’d never even heard of it until I met Raine online and took a look at her blog. To be honest, it’s one of those genres that my staid old mind can’t quite grasp. It’s kind of like the paranormal romance genre of books – in my head I imagine it to be headless Victorian ghosts trying to woo invisible poltergeists.
Despite that, I was very impressed with this review. It’s incredibly long, passionate, and the pictures almost made my Internet connection cry. Mind you, the sight of so many strapping men in tears made me feel a bit unsettled.
Viva la K-Drama!
Lol! Pleased to make your acquaintance, Michael-who-has-never-watched-a-kdrama! 😉
Given how bizarre your mental picture is, of kdrama, I am impressed that you read this monstrously long review! XD Let me assure you that kdrama isn’t as crazy as it might appear.. I enjoy the format of the mini-series because it affords a lot more room for fleshing out characters, relationships and story arcs compared to a 90 minute movie.
Even though there are a good many kdramas that I wouldn’t recommend, I’m happy to say that there is a healthy number of kdramas that would appeal to a male audience. Chuno is one of those dramas (& I assure you, the men don’t cry as much as you might think from skimming my screenshots!), but if historicals isn’t your thing, I would highly recommend Bridal Mask. It’s set during the Japanese Occupation and follows one man’s journey from anti-hero to hero. Gripping, well-paced and with some amazing performances from its actors, Bridal Mask is at once a thought-provoking social commentary on nationalism and the Japanese Occupation in Korea, as well as an extremely engaging origin story of a hero.
If you enjoy shows that make you think, Nine is a great one to check out, coz it’s an excellently executed time travel tale. Great attention to detail and a plot that keeps you on your toes practically the whole time ^^
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Your magnificent HD captures look even more magnificent on my laptop!
Does anybody know where the song “Lost Child” can be downloaded? Unfortunately, the OST available in iTunes does not include that song. Btw, that OST is so wonderful. I listen to it and all the feelings I had watching the series come back (therefore, it is tough to it in the office and hold back the tears lol)
I can’t imagine how great it must’ve been to watch this show live.
Aw yeah, the captures look wayyy better on my Mac than my PC, so the computer does make a difference! (I love you, Mac)
You know, I hadn’t noticed that Lost Child wasn’t on my OST.. and I haven’t seen it available yet, anywhere else. Thankfully, we have youtube 😉
I saw you guys comment and realized I didn’t have it either, so I went ahead and downloaded it from my Melon account. Drama Fan, I’ll send it to your email. Kfangurl, do you also want it?
Oh, that would be fantastic, thanks Gumi! You are so sweet! 😀 My email addy’s the same as what I listed on my contact page: kfangurl [at] gmail [dot] com. Kamsahamnida, chingu-ya! ^^
Chuno… why am I feeling oddly nostalgic here? Probably because it was one of the last big ‘community watches’ before the drama community of those days dispersed to various parts of the internets, many moving on to other things. E.g the Soompi thread had over 270 pages when the drama ended. o_0 Frantic live re-capping, intelligent discussions, interesting historical anecdotes, wonderful and insightful posts, some goodnatured snarking and no shipping wars… as far as I can remember. 🙂 Good times, I sorta miss them…
Yes, definitely a drama worth watching, warts and all, perferably in glorious HD. Nothing intelligent to add. You said it all. Although I wasn’t quite that taken with Dae Gil’s shirtless hawtness. For some odd reason abs don’t do much for me. Great acting on the other hand…. 😀 Hyukie was great in the role though.
I loved the OST then and love it now. I kept playing it on a loop for weeks.
Aw, the community Chuno experience sounds way awesome! Especially the frantic live recapping & intelligent discussions – a heady combination, in my opinion! ^^
I guess I’ve got a strong shallow streak – the abs, pecs, & all that muscle & sinew had my attention for sure! ;D I think what made it actually swoon-worthy and addictive for me, though, was the fact that it felt like all the muscle & fight prowess was treated in a fairly matter-of-fact and offhanded manner. It didn’t feel like JH was walking around showing off.. It felt like he was just.. walking around like he’s supposed to, and – oh yeah, he happens to be sinewy and extremely skilled at the fighting. No biggie. *shrug* I think it was the off-handedness that really got me 😛
And yes, the OST is just magnificent. Completely immersive. Love it! ❤
I totally agree about the offhandedness. The only thing that was deliberate was General Choi bathing and the innkeepers watching and giggling. Otherwise, these guys were just being themselves, running and fighting and running again…this drama made me exhausted just watching them. There was no requisite ‘hang my head down in the hot shower’ scene. lol.
Yep, I have a K-Drama conspiracy plan for my sis! lol
Lol! Good point! There was no angsty shower scene! Granted, there were no hot showers in their world, but that didn’t stop TPM from having an angsty bathing scene at the riverbank! XD I like that the one gratuitous bathing scene Chuno had was done in such a tongue-in-cheek manner ^^
We’re cheering you on in your kdrama conspiracy plan, Lady G!! One more potential k-fan in our midst, bwahaha! ;D
Im on that “shallow streak” boat with you 😀 The way it works for me, I fall in love with a character and then I fall in “lust” :p but when I do, I get “lost” in it lol! Yeah thats why, second watch of Chuno was oh so much more enjoyable for me. I feel the third will be even better (now that I have the intention of “understanding” things on top of feeling and lusting) Ill really reallyyy realllly try to see past the choco abs and loveliness and sexiness (brain! please cooperate this time)
Lol! I can see why this might be an uphill task for you, especially given how much schmexy there is on the screen! XD It can be done though – I speak from experience, heh.
Yup, there is something special in TV community experiences. I guess people do it in twitter and tumblr these days. Not as engeaging, me thinks.
I didn’t feel that the abstactness in Chuno was particularly gratuitous either. It was just part of what these guys are. And the General Choi bathing scene was totally done with tongue in the cheek. 😉 I’ve never been all that moved by ‘nekkidness’, though I must confess I do have a ‘thing’ for arms. Mmmmmm…. Now, give me men in suits or u-nee-forms and I’m toast. XD
Btw. did you watch CitC yet? That OST is awesome as well.
Oh, I’m quite partial to men in suits & uniforms too!! Hur. Biceps, triceps, abs, pecs.. AND suits & uniforms? I’ve got SO many fangirl distractions, don’t I? 😛
Conspiracy in the Court is on my watch list – I’m planning to get started on that after I finish White Christmas ^^ Which should be soon-ish, since I’m halfway through & it’s only 8 eps!
I’m going to add Conspiracy in the Court to my drama watch list. (It’s already a mile long now!) I love Lee Chun Hee, he’s so wonderful in the new Cyrano Dating Agency.
I love sageuk and I’ve heard so many good things about Conspiracy in the Court. I had it on my mental list so I’ll also add it to my written list and try to find it 🙂
Jumong is also on my list, again, for the good reviews, but that one is scary because of the length.
Sageuk is also what my mom is more keen on watching, and it is something we share, because besides enjoying the stories and characters we have fun looking up historical facts on the web. It only adds to the fun 🙂
I wasn’t too into Sageuk, even though I love history. But watching Chuno, Faith, and Tree with Deep Roots changed my mind. So while it’s not the first type of drama I look for, when I come across a good one I will watch them. That’s cool you can share that love with your mom. 🙂
Oh! have you considered watching The Great Queen Seondeok? That’s the one that got me into this sageuk craze. I know you have a million on your list but consider this one. It is among my top 5 series in general (only surpassed in my heart by Chuno and The Tree)
I will look into that one. Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
Your approach to sageuk is just like mine! I don’t seek them out or anything, but now, I get really interested if there’s a good one ^^ I’m more partial to the shorter ones though, like Tree, Chuno & TPM. 🙂
I’m ready to start the 14th episode of Jumong and I love it! So far there’s no drag, it’s like watching Chuno. In fact I think Chuno is the only comparable Sageuk to this one in terms of story, production, action sequences and heart rending scenes. I spent last night in tears by ep. 12 and 13. lol. If I can tackle this 81 part monster, then I can get to watching the funny, fluffy, modern day 50 part dramas with no problem.(Hopefully! lol)
Giggle. I find your reasoning so cute! I actually find the 50+ ep weekend dramas much easier to watch than the long sageuks! For sure, if you can watch a long sageuk, a 50-parter weekend drama would be no problem for you! ;D
Might I recommend Ojakgyo Brothers as a good weekend drama to start with? It’s a really easy, fun. heartwarming watch, with lots of romance going on at any one time coz we have 4 brothers to do all the romancing 😉
It’s funny that you’re intimidated by the length of Jumong, Drama Fan! After all, you finished Queen Seon Duk – what’s another 20 eps, in the grand scheme of things? Lol 😉
Well, 20 episodes is a whole “regular length” series 😉 You are right! but QSD was my first sageuk so I didnt know better. I used to watch telenovelas before (spanish soap operas) which are at least 80 episodes each (and of much inferior quality) so at the beginning, QSD didnt seem too long! But I’ve become spoiled fast 😀 Also, for some reason I got into QSD and I never felt the length (I watched it twice) but others, I’ve had to drop in the middle. I love sageuk but Im aware of the fact that the majority of them can be draggy, dense, slow, etc so now I try to be more careful with my choices, since in general I dislike leaving things unfinished. Also, if they are too good, it means I will get super hooked and I will want to watch them all in one weekend, and that is really not possible with sageuk :p I know me and my mom, we don’t have a sense of self control, will power. etc
Yes, many long sageuks get draggy, and it’s rare to be able to say that a long sageuk isn’t.. I’m not partial to long sageuks myself, and plus, I was rather slow to embrace sageuks to begin with.. I’m now perfectly happy to watch the shorter ones though. Those tend to have higher production values and a tighter story.. And I love me a beautifully made, colorful, scenic sageuk with a good story. I loved TPM for those reasons, and I think Tree is fantastic too ^^
Which one is TPM?
TPM is The Princess Man? Oh! Adding to list. I haven’t seen that one!
Yes, TPM is The Princess’ Man! It’s a good one, and it uses the same Red One camera that Chuno used. Not as stylistic in the directing, but very pretty to look at still ^^
Yay! More people on the CitC train! I won’t be watching alone! ;D And yes, I do like Lee Chun Hee too. I rather enjoyed his character in Smile, You. Cyrano’s on my list too – that ever-growing monster list of shows I want to check out! XD
I haven’t seen Smile, you. But I watched an older 2005 drama called ‘Only You’ and he was like the near perfect 2nd male lead. I have 2 more eps. to go but I think I totally rooted for him the whole way through already. In Cyrano DA he’s the near perfect shady 2nd male lead. I love his eyes, they are so intense.
Smile, You is a fairly cute weekend drama, 45 eps. He plays a supporting character who’s a bit spoilt and a bit of a loudmouth, but hilarious while he’s at it, and of course, he has a growth arc. PLUS, he married his co-star Jeon Hye Jin too, in real life, who played his love interest. How cute is that, that reel got real?? 😀
I haven’t watched Only You.. Maybe I’ll get around to it. Someday.. 😛
May I make Chuno MV recommendation? You might have already seen this, but
It’s one of my favorite MVs of Chuno. It’s not emotionally intense nor does it have superb actions scenes, but….. awww i just luvvvv those boys (plus Seolhwa) togetherrrrr
and shameless self-recommendation of my own MV 😛 it’s very, very Daegil-centered, lol
Thanks for sharing these, Gumi! I enjoyed them both! The first one, for all the wonderful moments featuring our boys together, and the second, for all the Dae Gil!
I know exactly why I chose not to feature these vids, even though I came across them while poking around youtube.. The first one, coz I was looking for vids using an OST track, and the music didn’t sound familiar to me. And the second one, because I already had several HD vids shortlisted that used the exact same track from the OST, and I just wanted more variety in the music in the sampling of vids posted. But, I can totally see why these 2 vids are worth the watch – I found myself grinning through the first, and melting a little, at the second 😉
Ye! These were very great, Gumi! I really liked yours. That sound track gets your blood pumping, doesn’t it? LOL. I’m working on a fan-vid for Song Taeha right now. He needs more fangirling love on Youtube. 🙂
Kfangirl, I notice I changed your nick to kfungirl lol! Sorry but you are fun, so it also fits 🙂
As I told you on twitter I was just feeling nostalgic about Chuno, I had posted something along the lines of “After watching Chuno, everything seems to suck” and boom! your review came in! Wow! it definitely made my day. So, Warning! This is going to be long and spoilery
I’ve watched Chuno more than once and I really don’t know how many times I’ve re watched some scenes. So, yeah, we could say I am a bit obsessed with it. yet, I don’t love “all of it”. I’ve read so many reviews, and I agree partly with one or another. I truly envy those who enjoyed the whole drama and found each and every storyline and character to be meaningful and awesome. I didn’t. But the parts I loved, ohhhhh they still haunt me. I won’t say much about the cinematography and music because I think your review covers this aspect beautifully and you provided exquisite captures to prove your points.
The first time, I also hesitated before I started watching, I sort of dropped it once, came back to it after watching The Tree (my good impression of Jang Hyuk, allowed me to be more patient with the first episodes of Chuno, which IMO were a bit slow, dense and draggy, yup, despite the cinematography and the man-fest) Yup I was a tough cookie the first time around and only really got completely sunk into this until episode 10 (when Daegil finds Unnyun’s brother). Of course on second watch I appreciated those first episodes more, with the exquisite bromance between the three slave hunters, Seolwha, etc
Daegil – The panther gaze, the smirk…(I spend 30 minutes drooling on each picture so it took me literally all day to write this) Anyway, did I fall in love with Daegil right away? No way! I totally judged him. I didn’t find “being obsessed” with a woman justification enough to turn into a “devil”. I thought he was just “sick” and in modern times would’ve suggested him to go to a psychiatrist. To me, he was a bad sick guy…and then, that darn Jang Hyuk just sold this “unhealthy obsession” to me as “love” my brain was saying no, he is wrong, he is sick, I don’t…awwwww but poor guyyyyy! he loves herrrrr and yeah! I fell down that terrible path of despair and unrequited love with Daegil. His pain was my pain. His size changing irises, were my size changing irises! So you see, it wasn’t the swagger or the smirk that sold me Daegil, it was the freaking irises! lol
And the character only got more complex and interesting with each episode, always revealing a new aspect of himself, without betraying his true essence. He made no much sense, he was so “himself”. Like you said, I never saw the actor, always the character.
On second watch, I also appreciated Song Tae-Ha more, although I won’t lie and pretend that I cared much about his relationship with Unnyun, but I appreciated it, as contrasted with her relationship with Daegil. I also think that O-Ji-Ho’s best scenes are when he is interacting with Jang Hyuk. I loved the chemistry between the actors and the characters.
Regarding O Ji Ho’s and Lee Da Hae’s acting in this, I didn’t question it as much. They didn’t make me excited but I assumed that was because of their lukewarm relationship and the characters. I did love the scenes Lee Da Hae had with Jang Hyuk, specially the one where Unyunn sees him for the first time in the market, ohhhh she was very good in that one. Her eyes expressed so much.
Oh well, Ill admit it it and save us time here! I only “cared” about Daegil, his friends and the other main characters mostly “in relation to” Daegil. But I do agree with you that, in order to truly understand the whole world of Chuno, which is actually very well constructed one must also understand the rest of the subplots.
I also agree with your opinion on the villain. I know this actor has a lot of fans, and there were people who loved his character in Chuno, but it was hard for me to connect with him and hard to understand his transformation in the end when he was such a cold blooded killing machine. I think his interpretation was too subtle for my taste. How interesting that he was the one narrating at the beginning and the end. It certainly gives me a whole new perspective.
The bromance awwwwwwwww!!!! the bromanes were definitely the high point in this drama! Those three slave hunters and later on, I’ve said it before I did love Daegil and Song Tae-Ha working together.
The “crying while eating eggs” scenes sounds and looks pretty awkward out of context right? almost funny, but it is oh so amazing as you pointed out. Gumi told me about a talk show where they showed some scenes from Chuno and when this scene was shown Jang Hyuk got emotional and commented on the sadness of the scene. Awwww I supposed if we love Daegil he must love him even more! (if that is possible)
About the closure of Daegil and Unyunn ugh!!! that is one aspect that also bugs me. The fact that they never really talked!!! I know she knew he loved her and that his harsh words towards her were not “real”. If she didn’t perceive it (which I think she did) “Slanted ear” told her very clearly that he had been looking for her obsessively. But I wanted a scene where Daegil also knew that she had not forgotten him, even if they weren’t going to be together, I wanted my poor Daegil to know this. Although I guess, it would’ve served no real purpose. Also, he was so much smarter than the rest of the character, that he probably just “knew”. But he also knew that today, they weren’t the same people as before. Wasn’t there a conversation where she wanted to talk to him and he said something like “You don’t owe me anything”? I don’t know, I need to re watch but that was I believed, the closest the got to a “closure”
On the other hand, like you say, this was not a romance. It was about much bigger things. And that is why, on second watch I also appreciate the ending much better. I loved Daegil and Tae-Ha coming full circle, learning from each other. Daegil feeling hope again and dying for it.
Ahhhh I made myself cry again. Despite its flaws and endless characters I couldn’t connect to, I loooooooove what I love about this drama 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you for your review. Awesome as always!
Gaahhhh sorry for all the typos. It is late and I must dehydrated from all the drooling caused by the panther gaze, and the smirk and the irises :p Anyway I meant to say that “Daegil makes so much sense” (instead I wrote, “no much sense”) Anyway, thank you again! Btw, I don’t know why I forgot about Seolwha! I felt every one of her emotions too. Two of my favorite scenes involve her. One is when he is bring on the market, what she tells our boys afterwards “I saw a man crying like I’ve never seen before. It made me happy, to see a man capable of crying like that for love. But it made me sad to think that no one will ever cry like that for me” Wow! that…I cried. Then, the scene when Daegil is drunk and uses her as a blanket :p I found it super sexy! Him hugging her so tightly against his body and her, resisting only a little and then letting him squeeze as much as he pleased, oh my…hot! and at the same time sad. He was so depressed and in such need for lurrrve “Kiddo, stay put, it’s warm. Life is so wretched…wherever you go, it’s still the same”. Ok, I’ll shut up now 😀 or I could go on forever.
Wow, Drama Fan! You weren’t kidding about having LOT of thoughts after the review! I love it! 😀
I totally agree that Chuno is a drama that bears re-watching. It was only on my 2nd watch that I began to appreciate Chuno as a whole, where before, I was more fixated with badass, sexy shirtless boys and their related storylines. Well, ok. I was fixated mostly with ONE badass, sexy shirtless boy and his related storylines. *cough* Unlike you, I was very quickly smitten with Dae Gil.. By the end of episode 1, I was completely mesmerized.
On my second watch, though, I began to pick up on so many more things, and I began to really see, with new eyes, almost, what a masterpiece Chuno is.
And yes, I love, LOVED the bromance, particularly with Dae Gil, Gen Choi & Wang Son. But I also appreciated the bromantic turn between Dae Gil & Tae Ha.
You know, I thought about what you said, about wanting Eonnyeon to say something to Dae Gil to let him know that she had not forgotten him. While that would have been comforting for the fans, I actually think that it might have diluted the impact on us, of the unconditional nature of Dae Gil’s love.
As it stands, without that affirmation from Eonnyeon, we see that Dae Gil continues to love Eonnyeon, no matter what. Even though she has married someone else, he loves her, because he does not need to be with her to love her. Even though she has changed her name, he loves her, because he doesn’t care what name she uses. And I like to think that, *even if* she no longer has feelings for him, that he would *still* love her, because his love is that unconditional that he doesn’t need his love to be reciprocated in order for him to give it.
And yes! I was swooning into a puddle when Dae Gil held Seolhwa close to himself. That man is so hawt, even when he’s drunk and depressed. That sounds so wrong, but it is what it is. Dae Gil is one hawt man 😛
ahhh I loved Daegil&Seolhwa. The first time he called her ‘kiddo’, i was literally screaming opppaaaaaaa!!! Well, oppa in a literal sense, because he did look like a big brother looking at his little sister. And omg, when Daegil appeared like a prince charming with a coin between his sexy lips, I thought I’m gonna faint I couldn’t even breathe.
aww Gumi! I loved that scene where he rescued her from the clutches of the evil dance troupe! LOL
Aw, YEAH! In the moment, you TOTALLY understand why she’d fly into Dae Gil with a tacklehug! And I LOVE how he just lies there, letting her have her moment for a bit, while scrunching up his face like an uncomfortable adult dealing with the unfamiliar affection of a child. Squee! ❤
I admit I at first found Seol-hwa annoying, but then she really grew on me. She’s a pitiful character, much like Eponine in Les Miserables, you can’t help but love her either. In ways she was like the boys, tough, street smart. And a survivor. I can imagine at the end she will find her way back to them in their new home and they will all live there like a happy little family. Then maybe she will consider Wang-Son. haha.
Oh! I LOVE how you imagine the end, with Seolhwa seeking out the boys and sticking with them. It makes total sense. After all, they’re family ^^ And I bet there would be lots of comic hijinks as Wang Son tries to flirt with her, LOL! XD
I think eventually Wang Son will mature. And sooner than later considering all they went through and the loss of their ‘leader’ Daegil, But he’ll always be the doofy, fun-loving guy. I’m sure she would fall for him eventually. 😀 And of course I want General Choi to get the best of the best too. I really loved his character. At some point in your review or a comment you compared them to a family, Choi is the mother, Daegil the father, and Wang Son the…bratty son! lol. That was a great comparison. I agree. I can picture Choi finding a strong, yet very feminine woman, maybe someone good with weapons too, like his equal. 🙂
Aw, YAY, that you like the family analogy bit, coz I was supremely tickled when that thought occurred to me. I was literally giggling while typing that section! XD
Y’know, talking about what happens to our characters, I’m reminded of my fantasy drama that I wrote about in my Liebster post. I answered 2 questions about what drama I’d like to see made, and in the first, I talked about it just as a concept, and in the later question, I fleshed it out a bit. I got a real kick out of imagining the scenarios, & I thought you might get a bit of a kick out of reading it, since we’ve been talking about our Chuno friends and what happens after ^^ You can check it out here: https://thefangirlverdict.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/a-liebster-award-kinda/
It’s a little long, so I think it’s best to just use “Jang Hyuk” or “Chuno” as a search term to get you to the relevant sections! ^^ Oh, and there’s a small bit on Seolhwa too, so after you read the more robust scenario, do a search for “Seolhwa” coz it’s only in the comments that I mention her arc ^^
This is such a coincidence! Gumi and I were having a conversation about this. I was thinking of how sad Seolwha was left, and how sad Wang-Son and General Choi must’ve been without Daegil. They were a threesome, and they complemented each other so well. So Gumi speculated whether Seolwha even went back to them and told them how Daegil died or not. I said “I want to believe she did and they stayed together, and with time I wish she paid attention to Wang-Son”. Exactly the same thing lol! I do expect that she let sometime pass before that though, because in my mind, Seol-Wha did love Dae-Gil deeply, even though she was young, and initially saw him as a hero, her savior, and her love was one-sided, but still, his last words, and their chemistry makes me entertain this idea of them as a couple, in another life :p. I wouldn’t want her to forget him so fast (or ever). Part of me did find her irritating at times, but there were moments when I totally shipped them and rooted for her.
What a coincidence indeed! 😀 I love how we’re all imagining that outcome, where Seolhwa is reunited with Gen Choi and Wang Son – those 3 would be so cute together.. The only thing that would make it better is if Dae Gil could be with them too :’)
Interesting that you brought up shipping Seolhwa with Dae Gil sometimes.. I didn’t.. I just enjoyed their interactions together and I liked how Dae Gil treated her like a younger sister, almost. I guess I just saw how deeply his heart was for Eonnyeon and didn’t think that he would be able to soon love another woman. Though I can imagine Dae Gil and Seolhwa potentially being quite a cute couple, now that you mention it!
It’s quite obvious after he lost his love (my good ness the woman has 2 names and I forget them both! Sort of. lol) Daegil was a broken, defeated, man. He was like a zombie at times. 😦 In the end he sprang back to life to help the cause and save the baby prince. Going down fighting. Ultimately helping to reshape a nation.
Daegil is unforgettable. But I’m sure Seolwha would find her way back to the boys again and they would take her in, with lots of grumbling and mumbling, but ultimately love. She’s a beautiful young woman all alone, I could def. imagine General Choi say what kind of men would they be to leave her out in the cold like that? Daegil would have kept her on. 😀
You know how I remember her first name? I think of an onion = Unnyun 😀
Good one! I’ll remember that.
OMG. HAHAHA!!! XD I never saw that connection, and now that I see it, I find it completely obvious and hilarious! Good one, Drama Fan!
And she makes people cry too! lol (Ok, I’ll stop now)
HA!! Touche! Spot on, my friend, SPOT. ON.XD
She makes people cry and their are many layers to her character. Definitely an ‘onion.’
Sometimes I get the feeling that Daegil could’ve moved on after he decided to let her go the first time around. He was even making plans with his friends. But then his friends got “killed” he got all on “revenge” mode and then it all got screwed up. Then, while being forced to live close to Unyunn and STH he suffered even more (the man could not catch a break) and maybe thats when he became just too tired of everything.
That’s a good point. The really depressed mode came in the second half. When he felt he lost everything that ever meant something to him.
I really liked this show – which I was lead to watch because of your jang hyuk post 😉 – and I had every intention of giving a well thought out reply here. But all I can do is squee all over again at Jang Hyuk… Fantastic review though!!
Lol! Yes, Jang Hyuk as badass Dae Gil can definitely have that speechless effect on you! 😉 When (if?) your thoughts come back to you, I’d love to hear more of your Chuno thoughts! ^^
Yes, let’s ! Let’s rewatch together Lady G! (just let me finish with my Robbers re watch, but we could schedule it and watch only one episode a day or a week (so we have time to watch other dramas too, maybe have a virtual premiere party haha) I was talking about Chuno with Gumi and since she actually speaks korean! she was telling me about all these details that I had totally missed! For example, she explained to me that Daegil uses formal language, even his insults are not “unsophisticated” and they had a rich vocabulary which indicates he had an education (well. we knew that). I watched Chuno twice complete and then I’ve re watched parts of it, scenes, and there are still some dialogues I don’t fully understand. The Hulu subs were too complex and Netflix subs seem too simplified, so my plan is, re watch, and torment Gumi to explain everything I don’t understand 😀 Do you want to join me? I think Chuno is a drama very much worth the re watching and overanalyzing and yes, we can skip all the boring stuff 😀
Kfungirl I’m still working on my super long answer to your epic review
Oh, that’s a great point, that Dae Gil used formal language. I’d picked up on it, but didn’t connect it to the point that you and Gumi brought up, that it shows he’s not unsophisticated.
Agree that good subs are imperative for this drama. I used subs from WITHS2, which were wonderfully translated by Mr X. It does get complex at times, but he manages to bring out the meaning and flavor of the dialogue really well!
That’s a cool Idea Drama Fan. But I’m just having a really busy summer and I had commented on another post that I am invested in watching the 81 part monster, Jumong. lol. Plus a few other dramas. I really like Jumong so far-6 episodes in.
I am actually trying to recruit my younger sister to watch Chuno with me. She doesn’t seem too interested in K-Drama. (Her loss I say. lol) But she’s willing to go with me to Manhattan to see ‘The Flu’ and go to Koreatown to have a meal. I dragged her to see Werewolf Boy too and she really loved it. But I need to introduce her somehow to the beauty of Jang Hyuk and Chuno would be a perfect place to start. I’m not sure if she would like the genre as much, but we’ll see.
Interesting you brought up the subs. I watched it on Netflix. I wasn’t really paying attention to the differences in the subtitiling at that point. But then I put it on DramaFever (I do the premium membership there) (I think Hulu uses theirs, not sure) and I was scratching my head and found it hard to concentrate on the scenes when I’m trying to decipher the text. lol. But it’s a great point that you made about DaeGil’s formal language. I didn’t really pick up on it, but after reading this post I see the difference. And of course it makes sense, he’s a nobleman.
An introduction to Jang Hyuk?? Chuno is THE way to go, methinks! In all that I’ve seen of Jang Hyuk so far, nothing beats his wonderful Dae Gil ❤
Yes, totally agree!! Chuno is full of eye candy, but it has a memorable storyline, soundtrack and characters from every spectrum. It’s not easily forgotten. I will make her a fan yet. If not of K-Dramas, at least of JH and OJH. lol
I think Chuno’s got enough merits to please your sister, especially if she’s already watched k-movies with you AND is willing to take a day trip with you for a k-movie. Kdrama conspiracy, activate! ;D
WOOOOW, this was the best review of anything I’ve ever read. I have to agree with almost all of it. And Your glorious screen captures brought tears to my eyes. I have only seen this drama once. I watched it a huge fan of Oh Ji Ho and became an even deeper fan afterwards, but this was also my introduction the marvelous Jang Hyuk and soon after I was inhaling all the dramas I could find with him. I really need to rewatch this again, though I may skip the minister parts and the innkeeper scenes. Sometimes I found it all to be frivolous filler. It was only cool when the the trio were there and the girls were fawning over General Choi! Love him too. Wish he would lead a drama soon.
Aw, thanks Lady G! What a compliment!! *blush* I’m so glad you enjoyed the review, and I’m also rather stoked that it’s inspired you to consider re-watching Chuno! While the court politics did get really draggy in the later eps, I do think it provided an important context for our characters. And to their credit, the innkeeper scenes did give some insight into how it all affected the common-folk. Of course, I so agree that my favorite times were when our boys were onscreen doing their thing, so I perfectly understand the urge to skip ahead to get to more of that wonderful brotherhood ^^
And yes, I can definitely see Han Jung Soo rocking a lead role, preferably in a sageuk. He’s got sageuk face and body written all over him 😉
You’re right about the context with the innkeepers and the Ministers. It can’t be non-stop action every minute. lol I loved the quiet scenes with Commander Hwang Chul Woong and Cho Bok. I was convinced she really had Cerebral Palsy. Her acting blew me away. Lee Jong Suk is a really good actor and though he’s often cast as stern characters, he knows how to create such depth to them. He was marvelous in the recent Cyrano, and funny too.
I completely agree that Ha Si Eun did an amazing job as Commander Hwang’s wife. Not only was she incredibly convincing with the character’s palsy, she managed to convey SO MUCH, over and above the struggling and twitching. Respect.
Also, giggle. I think you must be quite taken with your current watch of IHYV, with that Freudian slip, typing Lee Jong Suk instead of Lee Jong Hyuk ;D I tease. Yes, Lee Jong Hyuk is an actor that’s grown on me as I see him in more dramas. I would’ve liked him to show us a little more dimension to Commander Hwang, so that we might have seen a little more into his thoughts. That would’ve gone a long way, I think, in helping viewers reconcile his turnaround at the end 🙂
LOL. That was a total slip. I really like Lee Jong Suk, his acting is terrific. Which reminds me I need to watch the next new episodes of IHYV! lol. LJH grew on me too, so I sought out his dramas and have been very pleased. I would have liked to have seen Commander Hwang show maybe an ounce of compassion for his wife, whether he loved her or not. But he was basically suckered into that marriage, right? And his father-in-law was a dangerous man to cross.
That’s a great point.. I’m thinking that Commander Hwang’s cold treatment of his wife was probably his frustration acting out. I can totally see how a man would take his anger out on the woman whose father has him stuck in the grip of his power-hungry evil hands.
This is precisely why I could not completely hate on Commander Hwang. I felt his struggle every step of the way. I felt he was trapped by that power-mongering father-in-law of his. Although we do not know his full history, one can probably surmise that he was coerced into marriage and/or thought it would be an advantageous marriage to some extent – which it wasn’t. Furthermore it seems his relentless search for STH was born more out of past jealousies coupled with the fact that STH was now an escaped slave AND had the royal grandson in tow! Weren’t Hwang and STH once contemporaries in the military guard together? I found myself sympathizing with Hwang throughout the drama and was particularly moved by his quiet resolution of finally letting the search and struggle go (the tight close camera shot of his face was fantastic), and his ultimate tearful break down in his wife’s lap. As an aside, his fight with STH in the water was nothing short of epic visually.
Yes, I picked up on the jealousy as well.. It was as if he always felt like he was struggling to show that he *was* better than Tae Ha, like he was fighting to come out of Tae Ha’s shadow. Given that he was also dealing with massive pressure from his manipulative father-in-law, he was a man with a lot of frustration and baggage. I get that he steeled himself for the terrible mission that his father-in-law arm-twisted him into.. I just wish we had gotten more access to his internal conflicts. That, I think, would have made him more overtly sympathetic to viewers.
I did find his final sobbing scene on his wife’s lap rather moving this time around. On my first watch, I didn’t really understand it coz I hadn’t given his arc much thought. Blame my frivolous fixation with the schmexy of Dae Gil, heh.
And yes, the battle in the water was gorgeously epic!
Yeah, if you think of it that way, you can find a depth to Commander Hwang’s character. I had hoped that at some point he would have cracked a teeny bit and showed a little love for her. But he really didn’t care for her at all. She was a total cipher to him.
Now that we’ve been talking about Commander Hwang, I really feel like his extremely cold treatment of his wife was a whole lot of anger and frustration, misplaced onto her because it was *her* father that was the source of (almost) all his problems. I think some of his frustration also stemmed from not being able to understand her, even though she tried to speak & write to him. While I can’t expect him to love her based on the fact that theirs wasn’t a love match and he has no understanding of her, I did want to see some compassion from him, for her. But perhaps there was too much anger in him towards her father, clouding & overwhelming him.
How cool, that the more we talk about this, the more understanding I feel like I have, about this character! 😀
The paralell you made with Daegil’s last words to Seol-Hwa and Commander Hwang’s “turnaround” is very significant. It had not occured to me that there might be a connection and it does give us a different perspective. It makes me think of Commander Hwang as an extreme case of “Daegil” whose darkness did not allow him to see that someone loved him (his wife) that there were good things around him. Commander Hwang’s darkness though was much much darker! He rarely showed “humanity” so it was harder to see it (at least for me).
I know! What a game-changer, right?? The first time I watched Chuno, I completely missed that, but this time, I was paying closer attention, and when they put Dae Gil’s scene with Seolhwa RIGHT before Commander Hwang’s scene with his wife, it suddenly clicked for me, and what a difference it made to my understanding of his character!!
Definitely agree, though, that Commander Hwang didn’t show us much of his internal struggles or of his real person.
Masterpiece review for a masterpiece drama! I loved every single word of your posting. Make me want to rewatch Chuno again and appreciate it even deeper…
Just one small information for you. You know how you wondered if JH filmed the young Daegil scenes first so that he can get leaner and film the rest of Daegil? That’s what I thought too, but surprisingly, he filmed the young Daegil in the middle of other scenes. So it was the magic of makeup+lightings+innocent eyes that created younger fuller innocent Daegil. So that young noble boy already had six packs underneath his clothes 😛
I also wonder if you noticed that when Hyewon and Taeha were talking in a hut Daegil quietly came out (he knows when to step aside, aww), sat on the ground, and wrote Hyewon’s name on the ground. He wrote Hyewon, not Eonnyun, and that just impressed me. He was so much faster than Taeha to accept the woman’s two different identities. Daegil was just born more open-minded than Taeha, I think.
Anyway, again thanks for a great comprehensive review! I can’t even imagine how much time you spent on this.
Aw, thanks! I’m really glad that you enjoyed the review! Coming from a serious Chuno and Jang Hyuk fan, I take that as a big compliment!! ❤
I'm pretty blown away, by that tidbit of info, that JH filmed the flashback scenes in the midst of other scenes. I wonder if he shaved his goatee for it, then wore a fake one, or did they manage to cover up his goatee in the flashback scenes with makeup? It blows my mind, how they managed that! O.O
And yes, I remember how Dae Gil wrote "Hye Won" in the ground! If memory serves, I think he'd just found out her other name, so when I watched it, I interpreted it as him trying out her name. Like, seeing how it felt on his lips etc. But I definitely agree that Dae Gil is quick to accept both of her identities. After all, he's always been the one who accepts Eonnyeon for who she is, regardless of her slave background, and then later, regardless of the name that she chose to go by.
I'm also happy to say that I'm getting faster at writing these epic-length reviews. The first time I went really epic, it was for Gaksital, and that took me almost a whole week. This time, I was at it for roughly 3 full days. And this turned out to be even LONGER than the Gaksital one! I'm happy though, to be getting more time efficient with it! ^^
Epic review of an epic drama. I am still reeling a bit from E24 but had to come directly here to read and praise and praise and read! ❤
Reeling – that’s the perfect descriptor for how this drama leaves you! The first time I watched Chuno, it lingered with me significantly, even though I didn’t love the ending. It has that “won’t-let-you-go” kind of effect, doesn’t it??
But yay, that we’ve finally gotten to a drama where you can actually read my review from start to finish, without madly dodging spoilers! XD
When you’ve recovered from Chuno a little, and perhaps any lingering jet lag, I’d love to hear more about your thoughts on Chuno! ❤
Oh yes…I am working on a fuller response! 🙂 And YES, at long last a review I could languidly (that’s a good Dae Gil word) read through it…ALL of it!
Ooh.. languid Dae Gil’s rubbed off on you, you languid reader, you! ;D I’m SO glad I did a re-watch with you – not only does it mean you don’t need to dodge spoilers, it’s made me appreciate the drama much, MUCH more than before. And I love when that happens! You know the reason I decided on a re-watch is really ALL to do with your Dae Gil related squees 😉
BetsyHp
I skimmed like a mad-person to prevent spoilers, but from what I did read… yet another drama to add to the list. 🙂
Ooh! I’d imagined that you’d already seen this one!! Good job on the skimming 😉 I think you’ll enjoy this one, & I think your hubs might enjoy it too. I hope you do manage to check it out sometime!! ^^
It’s one I’ve had in the back of my mind as a good one to watch with the hubs so we’re both seeing it fresh together. And now it’s been bumped a little further up the list. 😉
Aw yay! I’d be curious to hear what you think, as well as what your hubs thinks! His male perspective thoughts so far have always been really interesting!
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DDee
Such purrrty pictures to go with your purrty words :)!! I haven’t watched this yet, I kinda feel like this deserves more attention than I’m able to give at this point in time. So it’s been on the back burner for a while. OH but then just look at those pics of Jang Hyuk … hmm *searches for video files*
LOL!! I can say this much: Jang Hyuk alone is MORE than reason enough, to watch Chuno. Although, Chuno does have a lot of its own merits too 😉 I hope those Jang Hyuk pix are persuasive enough to convince you ;D
Hmm yes he does look like he has enough powers to take my mind off IHYV’s imminent end next week. I need all the distraction I can get.. 🙂
Well, let’s just say that when Jang Hyuk swaggered onto my screen in Chuno, he very quickly had my undivided attention! If you’re anything like me, I think you’ll be in good hands with Chuno! XD
Amen to that! This is the only show I watched without checking the background at all. That horse-riding hunk in the trailer was sooooooo hot I got to have more. My! He was totally weakening…*giggle,giggle and more giggles* Should rewatch this to appreciate the story… hehehe
LOL! Sounds like your Chuno experience was just like mine, kaiaraia!! XD During my first watch of Chuno, Jang Hyuk swaggering on my screen, oozing manly manly charisma and badassery, was ALL I could focus on. I had no bandwidth for ANYTHING else. So imagine my surprise when I rewatched Chuno, only to discover that the show itself is pretty darn awesome too. DEFINITELY worth a rewatch at some point. PLUS, the Jang Hyuk sexy just never gets old. Swooonn~~
Its decided then, this should be on my screen now! But I don’t wanna watch it with my hubby, hahaha!
Hee! I can imagine that it might get challenging containing the inevitable swooning, if hubs is sitting right next to ya! 😉 I know I swooned a LOT while watching the shirtless stretch, for sure.. Delicious, hawt, sexay Jang Hyuk.. Swooonn~~
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Kfangurl, you have such a way with words! 🙂 This is one of the best Kdramas I have watched. except for the sad scenes, I had a smile on my face throughout this series. There was so much eye candy:) I have made a cd of the soundtrack and listen to it everyday, be it in the car or at the office. I will definitely watch this again, but right now I have so many other good ones to watch:)
Btw, thanks for mentioning “Fermentation family” I’m currently watching that one. Keep the reviews coming! 🙂
Thanks, Surusa, I’m glad you enjoyed the review! And yes, Chuno is a great show to rewatch.. I enjoyed it even more the second time around! And yes, that OST is just AH-MA-ZING. Love it!
I do feel ya, though.. there are always new and shiny dramas clamoring for our attention, so it’s a hard call on where to spend those precious drama hours! I will say, though, having rewatched Chuno, that even the second time around, it’s a worthy watch 🙂
Glad you started on Fermentation Family, I really rather liked that one! Hope you enjoy the watch! ^^
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CNN Airs CCTV Footage From 2011 Claiming it Was from Tuesday’s Brussels Attacks
Matt Agorist March 22, 2016
Tuesday morning, the city of Brussels was shaken by multiple bombing attacks at the airport and later at the metro station right next to the European Union headquarters.
According to the French BFMTV station, citing police sources, Belgian authorities had advanced knowledge an attack was imminent, though location and time were unclear.
During a midday press conference on Tuesday, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said, “What we feared has happened.”
As the world took to the internet and tuned in to their televisions for answers on these tragic events, multiple news outlets, including the Free Thought Project, were hurriedly putting out all the information we could obtain.
During this massive search and presentation of information, some disinformation made its way out on the airwaves, as well as the interwebs.
While claiming to have CCTV footage from Tuesday’s attacks in Brussels, CNN ran a clip of a chaotic scene of a smoke-filled subway tube with people running for their lives.
Citing the non-existent Twitter handle, @OnlinMagazine as their source, CNN showed a looped video of people frantically attempting to escape a burning subway while Chris Cuomo pretended he was a reporter.
The issue with this looped chaos used by CNN for dramatic effect is that it’s not from March 22, 2016, in Brussels — It’s from the April 11, 2011, bombing of the Minsk Metro in Belarus.
Officials have not yet released CCTV footage of today's #BrusselsAttacks. These B&W vids are old or highly suspect pic.twitter.com/ZT0hlgf0NR
— First Draft (@firstdraftnews) March 22, 2016
No retraction has been made and, in fact, the video is still available for viewing on the media giant’s YouTube channel.
Since the attacks early this morning, the fake videos have gone viral, being spread all over social media. However, none of the actual CCTV footage has been released.
In instances of attacks like this one, CCTV footage is always carefully reviewed before its release. The idea that it could have been released only hours after the attacks is ridiculous, which highlights, at best, the incompetence of such a large news organization, or, at worst, a deliberate release of false information meant to deceive their viewers. Either way, this is one more reason not to trust the mainstream media.
Update: It was brought to our attention that CNN credited the fake Twitter account @OnlinMagazine who was responsible for putting out multiple fake videos. The actual video in the clip was from @EurActiv and we are told it happened in Brussels. The Free Thought Project apologizes for the oversight.
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Follow @MattAgorist
About Matt Agorist
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.
@@MattAgorist
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Sometimes Y
Organizations Outside of Atlanta
Transgender Organizations
Youth and Family Organizations
Destination Gay Atlanta
Awards & Information
2020 Media Kit No Pricing
Destination Gay Atlanta Media Kit
Atlanta Pride
About Atlanta Pride
A time of reckoning: Atlanta's LGBTQ community addresses racism problem
Trump Admin. Proposes More Anti-LGBTQ “Religious Freedom” Rules
Kanye West to Headline Evangelical Event Alongside Anti-LGBTQ Preachers
Is gay Atlanta rapper Anye Elite about to break out?
Ryan Murphy to Receive GLAAD Award for Accelerating LGBTQ Visibility in Media
Behind the Scenes: “Maybe Happy Ending, The Musical!”
Destination: Malaysian Cuisine
Trump Admin. Proposes More Anti-LGBTQ "Religious Freedom" Rules
Best Bets 07.20 – 08.03
The Georgia Voice Editors
The Third Friday Film Series presents “The End of Poverty?” $1-$10 sliding scale donations. Doors at 7 p.m., movie at 7:30 p.m. at First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta, 470 Candler Park Dr., NE, Atlanta, GA 30307, http://on.fb.me/Il753W
Neko Case, with special guest Kelly Hogan, plays an intimate show for the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Concerts in the Garden. 8 p.m. at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
Gay telenovela star and pop music singer Christian Chavez performs live during Club Rush’s fourth annual Got Leche White Party. 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. at Club Rush, 2715 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30324, http://on.fb.me/MaTz7J
Tonight’s Fab Five drag show doubles as a victory party for Ashley Kruiz, the newly crowned Florida Entertainer of the Year. 11:30 p.m. at Burkhart’s, 1492 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.burkharts.com
Start the party weekend off with Heretic’s official kickoff party featuring DJ Joe Gauthreaux. $1 of your cover goes to Joining Hearts. Doors at 9 p.m. at Heretic, 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.hereticatlanta.com, www.facebook.com/hereticatlanta
Friday, July 20 – Saturday, July 21
Sunset Garden, the weekly summer fundraiser series at Burkhart’s, teams up with Boy Next Door for two nights to benefit GA Voice’s 2012 Best Local Nonprofit, Lost-n-Found Youth. Friday night features a Boy Next Door swimsuit fashion show with the men of Atlanta’s gay swim team, the Rainbow Trout. Half of the proceeds from the Smirnoff signature tea go to the homeless LGBT youth advocacy organization. 7 – 10 p.m. both nights at Burkhart’s, 1492 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, http://on.fb.me/NIkXd4, www.burkharts.com
The Renee Labelle Andrus Foundation hosts a “You Can’t Get this on E-Bay” yard sale with hard to find bar and restaurant items and silent auction. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Parker’s on Ponce, 116 E. Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030, http://on.fb.me/OJre5n
DJ Don Bishop opens for DJ/Producer Roland Belmares at Joining Hearts 25 Pool Party. The sold-out event raises funds for AID Atlanta and Jerusalem House. 4 – 11 p.m. at the Greystone and Aquatic Center in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.joininghearts.org
DJ Tony Moran spins an after party starting at 9 p.m. at Jungle, 2115 Faulkner Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.jungleclubatlanta.com, http://on.fb.me/MrMX6G
Stroll over to the members-only Xion for DJ Jalil Z. Doors open at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning at Xion, 2241 Faulkner Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, http://on.fb.me/Me5diq
The B-52s celebrate their 35th anniversary with a tour that, of course, stops in their home state. 8 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.theb52s.com
The Atlanta Rollergirls play two roller derby bouts starting at 5 p.m. at Yaarab Shrine Center, 400 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, www.atlantarollergirls.com
The Heretic gets things going early with a performance by the Armorettes at 8 p.m., a 3-Legged Cowboy country night from 10 p.m. to midnight, then DJ Mike Pope takes over the turntables for late night dance. No cover tonight. 8 p.m. – 3 a.m. at Heretic, 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.hereticatlanta.com,
www.facebook.com/hereticatlanta
DJ E spins for her own birthday bash hosted by Ladies at Play, a nightlife group for women who love women. 9 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. at Park Bar Loft, 150 Walton St., Atlanta, GA 30303, www.ladiesatplay.com, http://on.fb.me/LLtevc
WestSide Pie hosts “Flirt,” a new monthly women’s event. DJ Ree De La Vega spins with $5 house cocktails, $6 flirtininis, ping pong, Pac-Man and ladies on the prowl. 8 p.m. at WestSide Pie, 1133 Huff Road, Atlanta, GA 30318, http://on.fb.me/MyFQZ1
Julie Osborne Entertainment brings “Insane Saturday” to My Sister’s Room with several showcase comedians. DJ Liz Owen takes over after the last laugh. 8:30 p.m. at My Sister’s Room, 1271 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316, http://on.fb.me/PZ87t4, www.mysistersroom.com
Saturday, July 21-29
Tons of restaurants are on board for the 2012 Downtown Restaurant Week, each offering either $25 or $35 three course dinners per person, plus tip and tax. Check out the details and list of restaurants: www.atlantadowntown.com/fun/restaurant-week
Marietta PFLAG hosts the monthly fourth Sunday support meeting. 1 – 3 p.m. at Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, 3755 Sandy Plans Road, Marietta, GA 30066, http://community.pflag.org/mariettapflag
GA Boy Productions presents a tea dance with DJ Scott Anthony and Alyson Calagna. 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. at Opera, 1150 Crescent Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.gaboyproductions.com
The Broadway classic “The Producers” opens tonight and runs through July 29 at the Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30308, www.foxtheatre.org
Lesbian social networking group Fourth Tuesday hosts a dinner on the day of its namesake. This month, it’s Garlic Thai & Sushi Bar. 6 – 10 p.m. at Garlic Thai, 340 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30033, www.thehealthinitiative.org, http://bit.ly/N4t58F
In the LIfe Atlanta, the official planning body of Black Gay Pride, and Out on Film present a free wine and cheese social and evening of short films. Expect a DJ and a preview of what to expect from Black Gay Pride’s “See Us In the Life” film festival. 7:30 – 9 p.m. at the Rush Center, 1530 Dekalb Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307, http://on.fb.me/MvYkEp,
The MEGA Family Project hosts a Baby/Toddler Meet Up Group for dues-paying members. 9 – 11 a.m.. Learn more at www.megafamily.org or email director Kathy Kelly at Kathy@megafamilyproject.org
Jungle hosts its monthly Fantasy Girls Cabaret featuring local performers Savannah Leigh, Summer Knight, Envy Van Michael, Starr Sanchez Sherrington, Nicole Paige Brooks and special guest performer and “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” fan favorite Latrice Royale. 9 p.m. at Jungle, 2115 Faulkner Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.jungleclubatlanta.com
“Get Your Heart On” with Lifeforward as it invites everyone out for a night of fun, free food and a raffle as part of its efforts to find an HIV vaccine. Lifeforward will also be seeking those eligible to participate in trials. 7 – 9 p.m., Joe’s on Juniper, 1049 Juniper St., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.hopeclinic.emory.edu
,Gary Stamper visits Charis with “Awakening the New Masculine: the Path of the Integral Warrior,” a book that examines ‘the possibilities of a healthier and balanced masculinity through discussion of archetypes and sacred masculinity/sacred femininity. 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com
Friends on Ponce presents “Dirty Laundry,” a one-night pop-up art show featuring a performance by the El Caminos. 8 p.m. on at Friends on Ponce, 736 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306, www.friendsonponce-atl.com
Kick off Marietta Pride 2012 with a roast of drag legend Charlie Brown. Expect a few jabs from longtime performance friends Heather Daniels, Bubba D. Licious and more. The night benefits Brown’s longtime friend Lily White in the wake of White’s tragic house fire. 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. at LeBuzz, 585 Frankling Road, Marietta, GA 30067, http://on.fb.me/Nv0SGc, www.thenewlebuzz.com
Wednesday, July 25 – Saturday , July 28
The 3rd annual Marietta Rainbow Festival will be a “Circus” this year. The four-day event hosted by the North Georgia Rainbow Coalition and Lebuzz features special performances from more than 100 entertainers, a vendor area and more at Lebuzz, 585 Franklin Road, Marietta, GA 30067, www.thenewlebuzz.com
“Meet Your Orgasm” at a facilitated discussion and exploration of orgasm and sexuality. The host, the Feminist Women’s Health Center, is working to facilitate a safe space and will be screening the participants. RSVP to www.feministcenter.org/RSVP or e-mail nextwave@feministcenter.org for more details.
Atlantic Station’s Movies in Central Park offers a free, outdoor screening of “Clueless.” Film starts at sundown in Atlantic Station, 1380 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30363, www.atlanticstation.com, http://bit.ly/HQxNjT
The gay-owned Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces hosts the Chastain Park Summer Movie Series every Thursday in July. Tonight’s feature: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Sundown at the hilltop meadow just off Park Drive in Chastain Park, http://on.fb.me/LzOhjM
“!GLITZ!: It’s Hot as Hell” is a queer variety show and dance party with drag, performance art, burlesque, bands, comedians, ass shaking contest and more. Dax Exclamation Point, Devin Liquor and Fonda Lingue are among those slated to appear, and guests are asked to celebrate the heat with skimpy outfits. 10 p.m. at Mary’s, 1287 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316, http://on.fb.me/OK9abj
Thursday, July 26 – Saturday, July 28
Pinch ‘N’ Ouch Theatre presents “The Issue Plays,” an evening of one act plays on various social issues by award-winning writers Ethan Coen, Kenneth Lonergan and more. 8 p.m. each night on the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309, www.pnotheatre.org
GO Atlanta, a project of AID Atlanta, hosts a “Coffee Talk” info session where the first drink comes compliments of the organizers. 4 – 6 p.m. at the new Starbucks on Ponce, 650 Ponce De Leon Ave., Suite 700 Atlanta, GA, http://on.fb.me/O0r0rv, contact steven.igarashi@aidatlanta.org for more information.
The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly 4th Friday Networking and cocktail event, this month at Advantage Graphics. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Advantage Graphics, 2054 Briarcliff Road, #103, Atlanta, GA 30329, www.atlantagaychamber.org
The annual Leo Party celebrates Dan Givens’ astrological home boys and girls. DJs Mike Pope and DJ Vicki Powell spin as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Phoenix and Atlanta legend Shawnna Brooks perform. Proceeds go to CHRIS Kids. 10 p.m. at Amsterdam, 502-A Amsterdam Ave NE., Atlanta, GA 30306, www.amsterdamatlanta.com, www.facebook.com/amsterdam.atlanta
Gay artist extraordinaire Jon Arge and his colorful paper works return to Atlanta for the opening of “POP!”, a four-artist show at Kai Lin Art. The show runs through Sept. 7. Opening reception: 7 – 10 p.m. at Kai Lin Art, 3069 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305, www.kailinart.com
If you love kd lang or the Indigo Girls, you’ve gotta give lesbian singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile a listen. She plays an ATL show with Josh City & the Royal City Band. 8 p.m. at Chastain Park Amphitheater, 4469 Stella Drive, Atlanta, GA 30327, www.classicchastain.com
It’s Summer Camp with Scout Master Johnny Castle. Expect campy music video and naughty summer camp games. 10 p.m. at Mary’s, 1287 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316, www.facebook.com/mary.heylady
Friday, July 27 – Sunday, July 29
Lenz Marketing presents “Poverty is Real,” a three-day benefit concert to benefit the Decatur Cooperative Ministry. Maria Gabriella of the lesbian-popular Maria Gabriella Band is one of more than a dozen acts scheduled. Varying times at Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur, GA 30030, www.eddiesattic.com
F-L-Y Society Entertainment is looking for models and designers for an all-stud lesbian fashion show. Organizers seek 15 masculine-identified females and six femme models with headshots, full body shots and resume — no experience is required. Potential designers: bring samples. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Dance 411 Studios, 475 Moreland Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316, www.allstudfashionshowtour.com
Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Grammy-winning a cappella women’s group known for raising their voices for equality, perform a benefit for the Fund for Southern Communities. 8 p.m. in the Horizon Sanctuary of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Ave., Atlanta, GA 30312, www.sweethoney.com
For the Kid in All of Us presents the annual “Backpack in the Park,” a school supplies and gift card drive for local students in need. DJ Vicki Powell spins and the event features a performance by Dramatech Theatre. 4 – 7 p.m. at the Greystone Pavillion in Piedmont Park, www.forthekid.org
Enjoy “Vive la France,” a guided musical tour of French composers by the LGBT Atlanta Freedom Bands. Expect historic selections from as far back as 1794, as well as pieces by Francois Gossec, Jaques Offenbach and Claude Debussy. $10 adults, $5 students and seniors. 8 p.m. at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, 781 Peachtree St., NE Atlanta, GA 30308, www.atlantafreedombands.com
Known for delightful Shakespearean parodies, gay playwright Timothy Gray and his Shakespeare Follies troupe present “The Romeo & Juliet Show.” Cocktails at 8 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m. at the Arts Exchange, 750 Kalb Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30312, www.oddmanouttheater.com, https://bitly.com/
DJ/Producer Alex Acosta brings his SONAR Tour 2012 to Jungle for a “Superhero Blackout Glow Party,” with a performance by Phoenix. 10 p.m. – 3 a.m. at Jungle, 2115 Faulkner Road, Atlanta GA 30324, http://on.fb.me/NV5dmz, www.jungleclubatlanta.com
Black-Off Burlesque’s “Taboo-La-La: Reform School Girls” features special guests Vanity’s UnCanney and Poly Sorbate for a night of burlesque with a screening of “Reform School Girls,” Reform School Girl costume contest and DJ Westwood A-Go-Go. 9 p.m. pre-show, 10 p.m. event at the Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306, www.blastoffburlesque.com
IGNACIO Premium in partnership with Meak Productions, Inc. presents the “Jazz and Gents,” an evening of jazz and soul for the grown and sexy. The night features a live jazz band, guest performers, drinks specials and more. 6 – 11 p.m. at Star Theatre, 840 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30310, www.meakproductions.com
Today is Election Day. With all the gay candidates across the region and TSPLOST at stake, let your voice be heard. Head to http://mvp.sos.state.ga.us/ to find your polling place.
Author Lynn Garson brings “Southern Vapors,” a memoir tracing her life from childhood in a prominent Atlanta family to therapy, institutions and beyond. 7:30 – 9 p.m. at Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307, www.charisbooksandmore.com
Cliterati Open No-Mic favorite and Emerging Artist Grant Recipient Theresa Davis releases “Simon Says,” a new book of poems about teaching. The evening includes a short performance followed by a panel discussion about bullying in schools and closing remarks by Alice Lovelace. Teachers, students, administrators, caregivers and parents are all encouraged to attend. 7:30 – 9 p.m. at the Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308, http://on.fb.me/Ow6ltC
Expect aerialists, pole dancers, DJ Peep Peep, Positive Impact stud Chandler Bearden and more at Jungle’s “Circus.” A portion of the night’s proceeds benefit the MISTER Center. 9 p.m. doors, 10 p.m. show at Jungle, 2115 Faulkner Road, Atlanta, GA 30324, www.jungleclubatlanta.com, http://on.fb.me/Mw2QCW
Thursday, Aug. 2
Atlantic Station’s Movies in Central Park offers a free, outdoor screening of “The Notebook.” Film starts at sundown in Atlantic Station, 1380 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30363, www.atlanticstation.com, http://bit.ly/HQxNjT ´
atlanta calendarcommunityentertainmenteventsgayNightlife
[Video] ‘Drag Race’ winner Tyra Sanchez, gay filmmaker work toward new documentary
Maryoke tonight at Mary’s
Video for Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ debuts online
Town hall meeting set for March 6 to weigh YouthPride’s options in face of financial crisis
Atlanta swim coach goes for the gold
Georgia Voice
Tweets by @TheGAVoice
Atlanta Pride Committee Announces 2019 Year-end Grant Recipients
Treasuring the LGBTQ ‘Trap’
Lost and Found Teeth
Nightlife At A Glance • January 17-30
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PoliticsLegal
The Hearsay Impeachment
The Democratic Party has painted itself into a corner
By Jarrett Staff October 23, 2019
The Democratic Party has painted itself into a corner. They have promised the American people that they have evidence to show that President Trump has committed multiple impeachable offenses. These promises started the moment that President Trump was inaugurated, and even some democratic members called for President Trump’s impeachment before the election.
Still, with Bill Taylor’s testimony to a closed-door committee, Democrats have claimed that they finally really have the evidence to show the American public that President Trump is unfit to serve as President of the United States.
According to Democrats, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, told a closed-door committee that he was told that President Trump was withholding aid to Ukraine to leverage an investigation into the Ukrainian fossil fuel company Burisma. Again, Mr. Taylor was told this. He does not have direct knowledge of what President Trump said, or that President Trump was instructing government officials to take certain actions.
“During that phone call, Amb. Sondland told me that President Trump had told him that he wants President [Volodymyr] Zelensky to state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election.”
This is second or third-hand information that is once again being presented as a material fact. The Democrats previously did this to the whistleblower complaint, and are now treating Representative Schiff’s parody account of the Zelensky Trump call as being a factual account of what happened.
This is nothing new; the entire witch hunt was started with hearsay reporting. The Russian Dossier was primarily hearsay information that was gathered by Fusion GPS, who was being paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party. James Clapper recently admitted that President Obama ordered the intelligence community to start the witch hunt by gathering as much hearsay information possible and disseminating it to the media and public.
In Gregg’s new book,Witch Hunt: The Story of the Greatest Mass Delusion in American Political History, he shows how the deep state abused the powers the American people allow them to have by citing hearsay as fact, swearing to the FISA courts that “to the best of their knowledge” the information was truthful.
The chapter in the history books covering this impeachment coup should be titled “The Hearsay Impeachment”. According to Representative Devin Nunes and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Representative John Ratcliffe destroyed Taylor’s whole testimony in 90 seconds. The only reason this is possible is that Taylor and the Democrats only have rumors and what if’s as evidence of any wrongdoing.
Ironically, due to their constant promises of explosive evidence of wrongdoing, the Democrats have created a scenario where they must move forward on impeachment, and no matter how faulty their evidence might be, they must provide it to the American people.
NYT: “Join the Conspiracy” Against President Trump
700 Club: ‘Witch Hunt’ Claims Trump Victim of ‘Dirtiest Trick in American Political History’
LonnieMarilyn Bazzle says:
THE SOUTHERN U.S. FOUGHT THE GVMT IN OUR HISTORY & WE MAY HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN —- BEFORE THEY TRY TAKING ALL OUR GUNS —- THAT WILL START IT FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim Cummings says:
Support President Trump we must keep the rule of law intact
well spoken my friend, well spoken.
Charlene Woody says:
Democrats rigged and tried to cheat to get Hillary elected. Knowing they are going to lose in 2020, they are back to cheating with lies and accusations. It’s time for us to put an end to the whole Democrat Party.
Debra O'Neal says:
Here is my comment; I can only say this as it is so BEYOND disbelief it makes me think we are all in a parallel world being run by evil Democrats in Washington that have been living off our tax money for way too many decades and they think they are “GODS”. The fact that they can do whatever they want with NO punishment, no repercussions, and just continue as if everything is normal. Let any one of us, “we the people” try something like this and we end up in jail for a very long time IF we are lucky. Something is VERY wrong with this picture in THIS country that we all live in, but definitely NOT EQUALLY as any fool can see!!
Pure BS. I hope their constituents wise up and vote each and everyone of them out of office.
Lin D Hardy-Ford says:
23 October, 2019 at 11:14 pm
Keep dreaming your fantasy
Sean, this has been a witch hunt on the president of the United States since day one. These crazy left wing Antifa Wingnuts will stop at nothing to get rid of President Trump . Why else wouldn’t you be transparent in your new witch-hunt investigation other than being cowards . Trump is a fighter for all American citizens . 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Tertle says:
Frank, It’s all hearsay buddy. No first hand knowledge. 1st whistle-blower worked with Shifty Shiff to write the complaint. Wake up and educate yourself. Everything you said is a lie.
Robert Webb says:
Democrats are nothing but a bunch of corrupt BSA fliers. The truth will be known and Dems will pay in 2020. Jump on the side of law and order, get aboard the Trump Train!
Hy Finegold says:
All of you “commentators” need to understand that “dyed-in-the-wool” Dems love what is going on and are congratulating each other and are soliciting friends for support of impeachment. How does one combat that?
Have Pelosi and Schiff Been in politics so long that they don’t relate to the American people? This country was built on good fairness, due process with morals and ethics together with our motto, “in God we Trust”. The majority of us still stand on these principles and we Recognize the deviation taking place in this Congress. We have a good President that needs our prayers and support. The “swamp” is full of those who have no use for anything America represents and has used White House security to remove Republicans from a closed door, secret meeting intended to overthrow the Executive Branch and usurp leadership from an elected resident. This should never happen in America!
Vic Nerau says:
I wholeheartedly agree with you
Mary Tuttle says:
Americans are going to be heard 11-2-2020 when President Trump is re-elected and we flip the house from Blue to Red.
John David Kocsis says:
Greg-
I very much enjoy reading your daily blog – it is informing and, most of all, truthful.
I really believe that the only solution to the mess we find ourselves in in this country, is to disband the Democratic party as it now exists and reconstitute it in the mold of FDR and JFK. How that could (or even would) be accomplished, I have no idea. But, as it is, this country is now de facto TWO countries headed headlong into oblivion if the political situation doesn’t change. My heart goes out to those who will be left to suffer the consequences of the result!
Darryl Magoon says:
Couldn’t have said that any better.
I agree with everything you stated Maureen. Thank you. We also need to suggest to our President that after he wins r election to clean house. State Department comes to mind. There are long time bureaucrats, some since the Clinton Era that are working against our President. Throw them out.
Brenda Mincey says:
Your head is in the sand.. All the things you have mentioned have been proven to be false and misleading lies.. Your CNN is showing..
Sally Jean Becker says:
1. Ukraine OFFICIALLY re-opened their investigation on Burissma in APRIL, 2019 when they saw some irregularities of their finances. This was 4 MONTHS before the call.
2. Ukraine did NOT know this money they had coming was being held until AFTER the call.
How can this be QUID PRO QUO? Taylor is now the THIRD person with less than credible knowledge of the goings on. Anyone of these people could be the WHISTLEBLOWER, THAT IS IF A WHISTLEBLOWER EXISTS. IMHO Schiff & this whistleblower’s attorney got together (Schiff has been working on this since July) drafted the whistleblower complaint & then they went hunting for a patsy that was will to act as a WHISTLEBLOWER.
RockyjD says:
And what part of second and third hand information don’t you understand?
Ronda THOMPSON says:
I love my president!! The people should be ashamed of the bashing of our president…it should be against the law to openly bash our president…they all should be SHOT!!😊
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Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldbum, 50 cent, Patrick Wilson
Rated PG-13
110 Mins.
DVD EXTRAS
"Morning Glory" Review
Once in awhile, it happens.
As a film critic, it's almost inevitable that there will be times when I come across films for which I have a strange affection yet I fully realize that the vast majority of my readers will find it dreadful. Then, there are those films where I find myself sort of shrugging my shoulders mouthing "What's the big deal?" while also realizing that despite my own ambivalence it is a film that many among my readership will appreciate.
Morning Glory elicited not much more than a shoulder shrug from me, a few smiles and an appreciation for the performance of Rachel McAdams that is far more energized and inspired than the film actually deserves. While I found the film only modestly entertaining, my gut is telling me that you, my average reader, will actually appreciate this film.
My average reader, according to my stats software, is a single female between the ages of 25-34 who is minimally college educated and frequently graduate school educated. In other words, you generally appreciate a different type of humor, have an appreciation for creatve use of language and, yes, can read between the lines and appreciate the use of inventive body language and nonverbal communication.
You, then, may very well find yourself appreciating the light, breezy humor of Morning Glory that floats by almost exclusively on the winning personality of McAdams as Becky Fuller, a young television producer hired on by Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) to helm a last place morning show generally regarded as a sinking ship. She ropes a hardcore newsman, Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), into finishing out his network contract by co-hosting alongside the perkily amiable Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton).
Yes, there is a bit of romance as Becky falls for a fellow producer (Patrick Wilson), but Morning Glory isn't really a romantic comedy as much as it's a comedy about people who love their jobs and whose very beings are defined by them.
McAdams has long been an underrated actress, and while Morning Glory isn't likely to change her status it does offer clear proof that McAdams is an actress to be reckoned with and is worthy of a greater diversity of roles. McAdams carries this film, no small task working alongside Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton along with a generally solid supporting cast. She's energetic, inspired, a tad flirtatious and so completely driven to succeed at her job that she even starts to win over the very non-morning show oriented Pomeroy (but not in that disgustingly Woody Allen type of way where the 20-something hottie falls for the 50-year-old shmuck).
While it's no surprise that Diane Keaton is rather fetching here, Harrison Ford manages to break out of his usual somber tone and turn in a surprisingly warm and winning performance with nearly spot-on mannerisms perfectly complementing those of Keaton onscreen. While Ford has never been an actor with considerable range, he manages to use his cinematic gifts well here and turns in one of his more pleasing performances in recent years.
Matt Malloy shines in support as a weatherman put through the ringer by Becky, while both Goldblum and Patrick Wilson shine in secondary roles.
Virtually everything about Morning Glory is light and breezy, but that fits Aline Brosh McKenna's script quite nicely and director Roger Michell seems content to allow the entire thing to unfold casually. While Morning Glory never stretches for the insights of, say, a Broadcast News, what it does it does well and it's quite doubtful that you'll regret having spent nearly two hours with these enjoyable, entertaining characters.
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The Newsroom: How to Print 27,000 Classified Documents and Travel from NYC to DC and Back in Four Hours
Peter Maass
December 1 2014, 10:20 p.m.
Like Will McAvoy refusing to disclose the name of his source, we refuse to relent in our recaps of Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. In this week’s discussion, which we dedicate to our most loyal fan, @svaroschi, we explore the wisdom of storing piles of classified documents in a glass office, the likelihood of traveling from New York City to Washington and back in four hours in a rainstorm while avoiding government surveillance of the BlackBerry in your hand, and whether any news organization’s operational security could be as dismal as ACN’s.
Peter Maass: Gametime!
Margot Williams: So what about the opsec of having all the documents in the middle of the newsroom in a glass-walled office?
PM: I thought the exact same thing. As in, you must be fucking kidding?
MW: And non-staffers wandering in.
PM: I also thought, I hope they have a couple of industrial-strength shredders, because you don’t want that many classified documents lying around for a long time.
MW: And boxing them up to send to the Associated Press? With the ACN logo on the cover sheets. COVER SHEETS?
PM: Just printing out those things seemed incredibly irresponsible. Not to belabor our good friend Mr. Air Gap, but was there any sign that they printed those things securely? Micah, what can we say about protocols for printing 27,000 classified documents, should we so desire?
Micah Lee: Some printers store a cache of everything that’s been printed on them. So if the folks at ACN used their big networked office printer, there’s a good chance that all 27,000 documents are both on their air-gapped computer as well as on the networked printer now. If you want to print secret documents in a secure way, it’s best to use a dedicated air-gapped printer. You might also want to open the printer and remove the wireless card.
MW: I don’t think they did that
PM: Remove the card so that outsiders can’t teleport into the stuff being printed, right?
MW: So the HR guy can’t get in. Like the photos deleted from Instagram. The near enemy=HR.
PM: Never thought I’d say this about someone from human relations, but I’m going to miss the HR guy from The Newsroom. Kind of liked him.
ML: You might be interested to know that printers often uniquely watermark the pages that were printed.
PM: Meaning?
ML: If the FBI raids the AP and finds the boxes of documents (assuming the docs didn’t already have the ACN logo on the letterhead) they could use the documents themselves to prove they came from ACN.
MW: Were those cardboard boxes secure? They did have TAPE.
PM: Tape is a higher level of encryption.
MW: Total Adhesive Protocol Encryption=TAPE.
PM: May I raise another risible opsec issue in this episode?
ML: Please.
PM: Mac’s cellphone. As in, taking your cellphone to a meeting with a secret source who just leaked 27,000 docs to you. Not. A. Good. Idea.
ML: OK, so there were a large number of problems with that. First, the act of arranging the meeting would be very, very tricky to do securely, assuming Mac is under surveillance, which I think is a fair assumption. Did she call the source on the phone? Send an email? Last I checked ACN isn’t using SecureDrop, which is a secure and anonymous way to communicate with sources.
PM: I believe she had her cellphone in her hand when she told Don she would be gone for four hours, so implying she was going to call the source on said insecure phone.
ML: And what’s her reason for taking a last-minute plane flight from NYC to the DC area, and then a taxi ride to Langley? Her cell is being tracked this entire time.
MW: And how did she make a round-trip from midtown NYC to Washington and back in four hours? In the rain. Excuse me.
PM: Maybe she encrypted herself to Washington? Much faster that way.
ML: The government would be able to track her cellphone’s location to the meeting. I think it’s less likely but also possible that the government hacked her phone and was using it as a listening device.
MW: But it was raining.
ML: Margot’s right, it was raining pretty hard, so they might not have been able to hear the conversation. But good opsec on the source’s part: disabling GPS in her car, and not having the meeting in her car in case there was a bug. If you want to have a secret meeting, the safest place to have it is outside.
PM: Pity that Mac wasn’t so astute. She had her cell in her hand in the taxi. I think Sorkin did that for a reason, though; I’m wondering whether he’s setting up America for a lesson in location tracking via cellphones?
MW: THAT would be amazing
PM: Strange thing is that the source is a pro but deals with know-nothings like Mac. Edward Snowden insisted that his interlocutors follow strict security protocols (Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald). Why doesn’t ACN’s source?
ML: True. The source isn’t pushing opsec on the journalists the way Snowden pushed opsec on Glenn and Laura.
ML: Oh, and Mac threatened to turn the source into the FBI if she published the documents on her own??!?!?
PM: Like, what kind of journalist are you?
ML: Not the best way to build a good relationship with the source.
PM: “My source is bossy. I’m going to threaten to turn her into the Feds.” Wtf?
ML: That was messed up. In Mac’s defense, I think she was maybe just angry and wouldn’t really turn in the source. But regardless, that was messed up.
PM: If memory serves, Snowden made it clear at some point that if he was going to risk leaking those docs, he wanted to be sure the risk would be worthwhile in the sense of the docs being published. I get that. So I get the source pushing Mac.
PM: Last little thing about Mac and opsec. She was using a BlackBerry, right? Although few people still own them, they used to be known as one of the more secure cellphones. Still true, Micah?
ML: I think the Android and iOS have played catch-up quite a bit recently. The reason BlackBerry has the reputation is because it was the only phone that encrypted much of what the user did for a long time. But right now there are no perfect choices. You can’t trust phones at this point. I would trust a Cryptophone or Blackphone more than something you buy from a cellphone carrier, but I wouldn’t call them NSA-proof. (For that matter, I wouldn’t call anything NSA-proof.)
PM: Hold on a sec for a great tweet on NSA-proofing cellphones that was on my feed this weekend.
ML: You know what else is bad opsec? After Hallie was fired from ACN for her Boston Marathon tweet, they didn’t revoke her security privileges. She just walked right into the glass room full of classified documents, being a former employee who was fired. And at 1am, too.
MW: And Jim was reading the documents drunk.
ML: What if Jim wasn’t in that room? She could have just taken the documents, and Carnivore would have had quite the story.
MW: It’s called DUI–Documents Under the Influence.
ML: I still don’t understand why Neal, and now Will, know the source’s name. Why would she have told Neal her name?
PM: To provide confirmation that the docs are legit? I can see a reason she’d do that or that Neal would ask. One of the things that Glenn and Laura did, once they met Snowden, was to quiz him intensively about his background, to make sure that the docs were legit. If he’s legit then the docs probably are. Of course they didn’t get his name until several months into the process, but still, verifying his bona fides was crucial to establishing the authenticity of the docs, I think. Or maybe not crucial, but useful. Of course there’s a flip side–it’s a security risk for them to know the source’s name. But if the source is demanding quick publication, and the journalists need to quickly figure out if the docs are legit, then knowing the source’s name would be useful, to confirm that the source would have access to the docs provided by the source.
ML: That’s true. It doesn’t seem like it got that far though. It seems like they communicated for two days before the FBI came knocking.
PM: Things move quickly in Sorkinland.
MW: SecureDrop is anonymous, but won’t journalists try to make contact to verify docs?
ML: If a journalist receives documents in SecureDrop, the documents need to be verified somehow. Maybe by learning the source’s identity and credentials if the documents can’t be verified some other way. But if the source wants to be anonymous it makes sense to try to verify the docs some other way.
ML: On another note, can you get married the same day you decide you want to in New York, as Will and Mac did just before he went to jail for refusing to give up his source’s name? Unless they had gone to the court house and gotten a marriage license in the past, in preparation for the wedding they were planning. But they’d have to be ridiculously organized wedding-planners to do that.
PM: Uhm, I’m going to embarrass myself here, but I got married in NY and got the license more than a few days before I actually did the deed with my wife-to-be.
ML: Haha, ok so maybe I’m wrong
MW: According to New York procedures, you can get a judicial waiver: “A 24 hour waiting period after you and your prospective spouse obtain your license is required by New York State Law. In the event that you and your prospective spouse must marry before the 24 hour waiting period is over, you can request permission from a Judge to waive this requirement. You can request a Judicial Waiver from the County Clerk in the county (borough) where you obtained your Marriage License.”
PM: Can we discuss my new favorite character, the billionaire Pruitt? Which gets into the new media/old media storyline? As well as airports with only runways and fences (which might not be a good idea during holiday travel periods). And it allows us to talk about drug dealers.
MW: The world according to Pruitt: “Books are like the new art. We don’t need them any more but they look good.”
PM: I LOVED that! I mean, I hate loved it. And the snap line to the ancient Charlie, “I’ll send you a Kindle, Grandpa Joe. You’ll like it.” Can we give Pruitt his own show?
ML: I like my Kindle.
MW: Hallie had this to say: “I want to be part of the digital revolution.” (With an earnest expression like her mother, Meryl Streep.)
PM: Anyone who says they want to be part of the digital revolution cannot be part of the digital revolution, because that happened 20 years ago.
MW: And she whined about it.
PM: “Digital revolution” is like books and art–kind of nice but we don’t need them anymore.
ML: There’s nothing wrong with professional journalists tweeting and tumblring. I mean, just look at Racket Teen.
Peter Maass[email protected]theintercept.com@maassp
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KASHMIR MEMORY
VISIT & SHOP KASHMIR
Air India caps Rs 6,715 fare of Srinagar-Delhi & Rs 6,899 of Delhi-Srinagar flights till 15 August
J&K Security Advisory: Over 500 students leave Jammu by trains to hometowns
IUST postpones all examination, directs students to leave hostel
Not surprised to receive letter from ACB: Mehbooba
Will fight attempts to abrogate Art 35-A, Art 370 with all might: NC
Aggressive action along LOC by Indian forces have potential to blow up regional crisis: Imran Khan
PUF condemns NIA summons to Er. Rashid
ACB asks Mehbooba to clarify her stand on appointments in J&K Bank
Mehbooba convenes All Party Meet at 6 pm, urges separatists, Ulema to join too
Police has issued advisory not to let political parties any meeting in hotels: Mehbooba
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← Patricia
Breakfast of Champions: La Boulange →
NOW Festival at REDCAT: ICELAND & More
Posted on July 28, 2014 by Simone Snaith
Last Friday, REDCAT kicked off Program One of its New Original Works (NOW) Festival with three performances: Wilfried Souly’s Saana/The Foreigner, Rosanna Gamson/Worldwide’s Still and a preview of ICELAND from Overtone Industries.
The evening opened with Saana/The Foreigner, which was a dance performance that conjured the experience of an immigrant. Dancer Wilfried Souly and his accompanists, Julio Montero aka Cuñao and Tom Moose, are all immigrants to the US; Souly is from Burkina Faso, according to the program, and Cuñao and Moose sang in Spanish and German. A shirtless Souly began the performance in the lobby, first walking through the crowd with his arms out in a welcoming pose, and then slipping into shuddering, convulsing movements. It quickly became impossible to see him over everyone’s heads, so I missed most of this pre-show before we were led in to the actual theater.
Souly lay on his side on the stage as we took our seats, and then Cuñao and Moose plucked individual strings on acoustic guitar and mandolin, as he began to writhe and bend along his back like sea life pulsing with the waves. He gave the impression of being all muscle throughout the performance, with his rippling back. There were abrupt stops and starts, coordinated with the musical interludes, and also projections above the stage of typed-out questions that officials might ask an immigrant. Beyond things like “Who is your sponsor?” there were several personal questions about significant others, as if someone were suspected of a green card marriage.
Souly’s Facebook features a few clips from the show’s rehearsals, including a particularly nice piece of the intermittent music from Cuñao and Moose.
Still was the second work, and it was the most dramatic performance of the evening. The choreography, which was inspired by oneirology or the study of dreams, featured six dancers, wearing tank tops and underwear (sleep clothes?), who opened the performance on a dark stage, taking turns swooning and wrestling over a circle of electric lanterns on the floor. The stage was set up beforehand with wires that ran across from end to end, and the dancers used these to slide sheer black curtains back and forth, playing with the shadows, the stage lights and glimpses of each other through the fabric.
The dancing, which was often gorgeous but also violent and strange, was accompanied by classical music (Marin Marais), instrumentals, the sounds of a train rushing by and snatches of recorded voices. One recorded section sounded like rescue workers attempting to save someone, and another seemed to be a politician speaking about America, but the dancing did not appear to act out any story connected to the words. Some of the best moments were: when the curtains were pulled slowly across the stage in darkness as the train engine rumbled, because it felt as if a train were actually moving across the stage, and when one dancer stood on a hidden raised platform above all the curtains, dancing alone while the others danced below. It was all visually striking and mysterious, but, probably because I’m not very familiar with modern dance, I felt like it needed more of a narrative. I wanted to know what each segment of the performance represented, in this general theme of dreams, but perhaps that’s not how it’s intended to work.
ICELAND, which I was looking forward to the most, was unfortunately shorter than expected, but it showed promise for the completed version, expected in 2016. The story began with Cesili Williams as Vaya, walking along ice-white cloth pathways that were placed here and there by chorus members dressed in a fanciful version of Scandinavian attire. In a rich voice, she sang a song about feeling lost and having a secret. There was a moment I liked where she stopped and looked both ways, and the path holders waited for her to decide which way to go before laying the next cloth.
The song ended suddenly as the chorus members scurried around Vaya with desks and monitors, and suitcase-shaped wooden boxes with handles, turning the stage into an airport gate. Then David O as Mundur appeared as a clerk in a somewhat goofy sweater, to speak with Vaya about her trip up north; the two then sang a song about feeling a sudden strong connection to each other, but it felt a little over the top after such a short meeting. The accompaniment was beautiful, however. The small chamber group on the right side of the stage featured harp, cello, percussion and more, and the songs were lovely.
Another nice feature was the use of wooden propellers, spun by chorus members, to represent the airplane; I’m hoping for similar creative effects to create the fantasy land in which Vaya will find herself in the completed play. The preview ended with her descent from the flies in a hidden harness, and the dramatic hint that Mundur will come after her.
Program Two runs this week, Thursday, July 31 through Saturday, August 2, with works by Carole Kim, Marsian De Lellis, and d. Sabela grimes.
Photos by Steven Gunther for REDCAT
About Simone Snaith
Simone Snaith writes young adult and fantasy novels, and sings in the band Turning Violet. A fan of scifi, fantasy, the supernatural and most things from the '80s, she enjoys reviewing music, books and movies. You can read about her own books at simonesnaith.com.
View all posts by Simone Snaith →
This entry was posted in Events, Miscellanious, Music, Theater, Upcoming Events and tagged iceland, modern dance, musical theatre, now festival, overtone industries, redcat, rosanna gamson, wilfried souly. Bookmark the permalink.
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Sandline Discovery Opens Taiwan Office
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Continued growth fuels further expansion to new markets
Falls Church, VA - September 6, 2018 – Sandline Discovery, a premier litigation support and eDiscovery service provider assisting legal teams in the United States and globally, announced the opening of a new office in Taipei, Taiwan to support continued domestic and Asian growth.
In addition to further strengthening Sandline’s 24x7 support model, the Taipei office will also increase service capabilities in Taiwan and across Asia. Sandline and its clients will benefit from Taiwanese data collection efforts, local project management support, Chinese language translations and proximity to additional Asian markets.
“As our client roster continues to grow, we find ourselves involved in more and more cross-border projects involving Asian data,” says Jon Canty, CEO of Sandline Discovery. “We’ve had resources in Asia supporting our domestic efforts for some time and decided that this is now the right time to add a permanent office in Taiwan to further support client needs.”
The new office located in downtown Taiwan serves as Sandline’s hub for foreign language review support, CJK translation work and an expanding forensics practice with clients in Taiwan and other Asian markets.
The address of the office is: Cathay Landmark - 29F, No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao E. Road -Xinyi District, Taipei 110, Taiwan
About Sandline Discovery
Sandline Discovery is a premier litigation support and eDiscovery service provider, assisting legal teams in the United States and globally. Sandline specializes in delivering innovative digital evidence solutions with exceptional, high-touch service. Providing digital forensics, eDiscovery solutions, managed review and litigation consulting services, the Sandline team works alongside case teams and attorneys on the most complex discovery matters to deliver insightful service, measurable value and clarity where there’s complexity. For more information, visit https://www.sandlinediscovery.com/.
8 hours 1 sec ago
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NBC Universal: We’re Not Canceling Release Of Film Where Liberals Hunt ‘Deplorables,’ Report Says
Despite the fact that the film “The Hunt” reportedly depicts liberal elites hunting “deplorables” for sport, NBC Universal is remaining adamant in the face of recent mass shootings that it is still planning to release the satiric film, which has a release date of September 27. An NBC Universal source told Fox News, “There are no plans to not release the movie. No plans to move the release.”
The Daily Mail reported, “The violent, gun-toting film revolves around a group people from predominately Republican states being kidnapped and hunted for sport by liberal elites.” The Hollywood Reporter (THR) echoed that the “violent, R-rated film from producer Jason Blum’s Blumhouse follows a dozen MAGA types who wake up in a clearing and realize they are being stalked for sport by elite liberals.”
The original title of the film was “Red State Vs. Blue State.”
THR pointed out that the screenplay for the movie features the red-state characters wearing trucker hats and cowboy shirts, one of whom boasts about owning numerous firearms, while the blue-state characters opine that the deplorables were targeted for their anti-choice positions or using the N-word on Twitter. One blue-stater reportedly is supposed to push her stiletto heel into the eye of a red-stater, claiming, “War is war.”
A Universal executive reportedly told Fox News that the film “is meant to show what a stupid, crazy world we live in. It might even be more powerful now.” THR noted that the screenplay, written by “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof along with Nick Cuse, includes this exchange: “Did anyone see what our ratf***er-in-chief just did?” “At least The Hunt’s coming up. Nothing better than going out to the Manor and slaughtering a dozen deplorables.” – READ MORE
Tim Tebow opens 10th playroom for children's hospital so young patients can 'just be kids again'
Rocker Tommy Lee Warns Trump Supporters: ‘We’re Going to Pay You Back So F*cking Hard for All This Sh*t’
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EXCLUSIVE: Barr & DOJ Covering Up Massive NEW Hillary Clinton Scandal That Will Rock D.C.
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VEEPSTAKES: Cory Booker Says Dems Shouldn’t Have Two White Men on Ticket Anymore (VIDEO)
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Iranian National Arrested Near Mar-a-Lago with Machete, Knives Came to U.S. as Refugee
VA Democrat’s Bill Would Make Owning Legally Bought Suppressors a Felony
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On the ‘white culture critic’ syndrome in Vietnam
Tuesday, February 06, 2018, 17:15 GMT+7
‘Those that have been living here for a while start to complain about almost everything’
Editor’s note: Bao Huynh, a non-native teacher of English based in Ho Chi Minh City, shares his thoughts after a U.S. citizen residing in Hanoi was summoned by Vietnam’s online information watchdog over his offensive remarks on Facebook about a late Vietnamese war hero.
The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Tuoi Tre News.
As an English teacher, not a social commentor, I do not feel like it’s my job to jump on every ongoing controversy and offer my unwanted opinion.
However, as an English teacher who works in the same field with many expatriates living in Vietnam, the problem which I’m addressing is pretty close to heart.
As everybody may have learned, Mr. Dan Hauer, the man who last year came to the spotlight for criticizing the pronunciation of Vietnamese teachers of English, has stirred yet another media storm, this time with himself right at its eye. For those of you not in the know, Google is just one tab away.
Initially, I had much respect for Dan because unlike most expat teachers that I’ve known or worked with, the guy actually cared to become proficient at Vietnamese, which he has evidently succeeded in, being one of the most fluent non-native Vietnamese users I’ve seen, and any foreigner who even bothers to do this gets two thumbs up from me.
I had thought that these efforts would have meant being familiarized to the Vietnamese norms and taboos and understanding that this country is the furthest thing away from the U.S, socially, politically and culturally.
I was wrong apparently, because he suffers from the same syndrome that a majority of white expatriates share: the ‘white culture critic’ syndrome.
Being a non-native teacher of English, I have to live with the knowledge that no matter what I do, I will always earn less than a native speaker at the same or even lower level of qualifications, a fact which I’ve long come to terms with.
While it is true that a majority of expats are working as English teachers, the pay gap is not limited to this one profession. I do not have time to collect facts to back this up, but ,understandably, working in a developing country with lower living costs as someone from a developed country will yield you a higher income.
Perhaps it is from this fact that many white expats I encounter tend to display superiority complex toward local people and our way of life.
Supremacist colors
Those that have been living here for a while start to complain about almost everything.
These complaints range from sympathizable ones like those about traffic and crimes, but once they touch the realms of tradition, history and politics, expats start to show their supremacist colors.
I have heard expats questioned the existence of Tet, ridiculed the overly complex nature of Vietnamese wedding ceremonies and how Vietnamese people spend their time lazing away at street cafes.
All the above lamentations have been expressed by Vietnamese people as well, some of them by me. Yet, you know how it is acceptable for people of one kind to criticize each other, but god forbids if an outsider does it? That’s the golden rule, as with everything.
You may be completely baffled or even disgusted by something of our culture. Sure, no one expects you to embrace the entirety of it, but criticizing it as an outsider who may lack serious understanding as to why things became that way, all the while standing on our land breathing our air is something we will not tolerate.
Regarding the ‘outsider’ thing, you, as an expat, may try to integrate into our culture as much as you want, but you will always be considered an outsider.
Yes, we will treat you differently and this is a double-edged sword.
Local people may always laugh and nod at every stupid thing you say, vendors may try to double price or rip you off, but you get to earn double or triple the rates of the average worker at similar positions and qualifications, which brings me to my next point: the hipocrisy of these expats.
If Vietnam is such a dangerous, terrible, oppressive country where harmless jokes are retaliated with death threats, then why are so many of you still here?
Why do you have to huddle with your expat friends on Facebook to whine about the place when a one way ticket back to your country would solve everything? Except it doesn’t.
You know you came here for a reason, a big fat worth thousands of dollars one. Has your entitlement mentality been inflated to a point where you must have everything rolled up in one well-paying, comforting Western-normative package?
The next time you are about to be smothered by our un-Western lack of freedom of speech, our conservativeness and backwardness, close your eyes and imagine that next resort getaway in Phuket or Bali you can pay for by just speaking your native tongue for a few months, then keep it to yourself.
Strangely enough, I have never seen or experienced an Asia originated expatriate express their distaste of any Vietnamese cultural aspects during their stay in the country, granted I have had way more experience with the Western lot. (Noted I say ‘during their stay’, these people can rip the Vietnam flag to shreds once they went back to their country for all I care)
The mindset that less developed nations need your criticism to become more civilized is a dangerous one that was shared by pretty much every imperialist and colonist.
You are not a tourist
Hey Dan, many people have started comparing you to Logan Paul. In my eyes, what Logan Paul did in Japan is despicable to anything that breathes and has a working brain, regardless of nationality or culture.
So, regarding cultural misstep, yours is still small in relation to his.
However, you know what excuse that guy had, albeit a pathetic one, that you don’t? He was a tourist, and tourists have been ignorant since tourism started to be a thing. They came and they left, being stupid is still stupid, but they can always say ‘Hey, I didn’t know that’.
But for someone like you, who has spent years living in this country, studied the language and married a local woman, to show absolute disregard for the most basic of Vietnamese taboos, and then clapped back with cultural criticism, gives me an idea of how less locally involved expats see Vietnamese people and culture: literally zero thoughts given, am I right?
Finally, I do not think you deserve all the toxicity à la death threats and deportation threats, but I feel like something like this needs to happen eventually just so the expats know where they stand in this country.
Respect is a two-way street. For now, you’re not getting any.
U.S. national Daniel Hauer is expected to present himself at the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information headquarters in Hanoi on the morning of January 30, where he is expected to make a statement about his comment on Facebook that had “violated laws” on posting information online.
Hauer gave the comment under a post in a Facebook group of expats in Hanoi, where another member said he would get a tattoo of the Vietnam flag on his chest if his post got over 1,000 likes and Vietnam’s football team defeated Uzbekistan at this Saturday’s final game of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.
Hauer’s comment made innuendos about genital piercing that many found to be offensive toward General Vo Nguyen Giap, a late and well-respected Vietnamese war hero whose death in 2013 was followed by days of national mourning.
Vietnam court upholds jail term for retired official convicted of child molestation
Vietnam lifts flight ban on recalled MacBook Pro laptops
Over 2,300 Vietnamese workers illegally stay in S.Korea after labor contract expires: report
Erotic massage parlors publicly advertised in Ho Chi Minh City
Cosmetics made of bamboo charcoal powder found in Ho Chi Minh City
The manufacturer was fined and is under investigation in northern Vietnam
New orchid species discovered in Vietnam
Vietnamese survivor of Nepal blizzard offers travelers home in return for English lessons
Vietnamese researchers work hard to conserve cajuput genes
Vietnam and Indonesia boast some of the world’s largest cajuput forests
The construction of the campus was completed at a cost of US$151 million
Young Vietnamese bring AI to local medical practices
Two medical researchers are hoping artificial intelligence can change the way doctors approach healthcare in Vietnam
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Crazy Cakes
This series takes viewers into the kitchens of bakeries across America to seek out the craziest cakes that can be imagined. Sights include gravity-defying wedding cakes, life-size animal replicas, surprise fill cakes, an upside-down wedding cake hanging from a chandelier and covered in sparkling rhinestones, and an edible truck that jumps over a ghost town. Along the way, viewers learn how bakers craft these masterpieces down to the very detail of things.
Dazzling Dragon and Bear Cakes
A music festival calls for a cake that's ready to drop some beats; a baker draws inspiration from fashion designers; traditional Chinese culture is captured in a cake filled with jasmine buttercream; a sneaky sweet at a backyard barbecue.
Duff Takes the Cake
Duff Goldman is known for his extravagant, over-the-top, detail oriented cakes for celebrity clients. Now, Duff and his team take their cake creations to those serving in their community, and they also create items to celebrate special milestones. Duff takes his creations to deserving individuals -- from crafting birthday cakes for survivors of the Northern California wildfires to making a cake for his own wedding -- and each creation is riddled with obstacles that the team must overcome. Each custom creation must arrive at its destination on time, even in unconventional circumstances such as festivals, fireworks, rodeos, street closings, and many other events.
Cake Boss: Next Great Baker
Chefs are put to the test to earn the title of Next Great Baker.
Buddy Valastro's family-owned business, Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., is booming, and it's bound to get even busier after viewers get an inside look at how Buddy and his staff, including his mom, four sisters and three brothers-in-law, produce thousands of wedding cakes, specialty cakes (as in Britney Spears' circus-theme 27th birthday cake) and pastries every week.
Wedding Cake Championship
Six of America's best baking duos attempt to become wedding cake champions; hosts Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.
Buddy Vs. Duff
Elite bakers Buddy Valastro and Duff Goldman face off in an epic baking battle. The winner of this contest is crowned the undisputed king of cake on the series, which is a weeks-long competition that challenges every aspect of what it means to be a true artist. Each episode measures their talent in different rounds by use of technique, design skills and taste -- a bake-off to test their baking abilities and a cake-off to showcase their creative imaginations and decorating skills. Judges and renowned chefs Sherry Yard and Keegan Gerhard are joined by special guests as they determine the winner of the ultimate cake-off.
Holiday Baking Championship
Eight bakers enter the kitchen to show off their traditions and baking skills.
Halloween Wars
Five teams of cake decorators, candy makers and pumpkin carvers compete.
Crazy Cakes on YouTube TV.
Sign up to watch Crazy Cakes
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TournamentsTournaments
CountriesCountries
Stats & RecordsStats & Records
Super Rugby Round 18 preview: Who secures a finals spot?
223dBrittany Mitchell and Andy Withers
Jones names eight uncapped players for 6N
3hTom Hamilton
Saracens reach Champions Cup quarters with win over Racing 92
England's Billy Vunipola set to miss Six Nations
Saracens will not appeal Premiership relegation
Saracens relegation threat intensifies
3dReuters
Gray returns to Glasgow Warriors on two-year deal
Sexton named Ireland captain as Farrell announces Six Nations squad
Tompkins, Rees-Zammit in for Wales at Six Nations
Hogg named Scotland captain for Six Nations
World Cup-winning coach joins England staff ahead of Six Nations
Italy hand three uncapped players call-ups for Six Nations
Wales to tour Japan and New Zealand
10dReuters
Scotland's Skinner fit for Six Nations
Ireland fly-half Carbery to miss Six Nations
France announce Six Nations squad
Italy's Sergio Parisse to retire after Six Nations
Exeter give Sarries salary cap money to charity
Rhys Webb unlikely to play again for Toulon
May admits he could leave Leicester Tigers in summer
Exeter to sign Scotland lock Gray next season
Brittany Mitchell
ESPN Assistant Editor
Brittany Mitchell has been a sports fan from an early age, with a keen interest in netball, cricket and rugby. Brittany interned at Rugby Magazine and the Australian Rugby Union before joining ESPN.
Andy Withers
ESPN Senior Editor
Andy loves all sport, in particular football, rugby and horse racing. He supported Leicester City through the bad days, and played rugby without being able to keep Tigers, England and Lions legend Martin Johnson out of the first XV.
We've reached the final round of the regular season, and it could be the most exciting yet, with at least eight teams remaining in contention for a playoff position.
The weekend kicks off with two blockbuster trans-Tasman clashes -- Highlanders vs. Waratahs, and Rebels vs. Chiefs -- with both matches possibly impacting the top eight, while two crucial South Africa derby clashes -- Stormers vs. Sharks, and Bulls vs. Lions -- round out the action to determine who reaches the playoffs.
Read on for some of the key storylines to keep an eye on this weekend.
AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE
Rebels star lineup must turn up
The Brumbies have secured their place at the top of the Australian conference and therefore a top-three finish and a home quarterfinal, and the Rebels and -- mathematically -- the Waratahs are still playing for the chance to reach the playoffs.
Sitting third on the combined table, the Brumbies have a chance to move up to second spot and earn a home semifinal (if they're to move to that stage), but they must beat the Reds -- which should cause no issues -- and rely on the Sunwolves recording perhaps the biggest upset of the season in toppling the Jaguares in Buenos Aires; the latter is not likely.
Realistically, then, all eyes will be on the Rebels and their hopes of securing their first playoff berth with a win over the Chiefs at home.
Sitting eighth on the table, the Rebels require a win to keep their season alive. If other results go their way -- Bulls draw and Sharks win or draw -- they can potentially move up to fifth place and avoid a quarterfinal showdown with the Crusaders. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves; simply defeating the Chiefs will be a task in itself.
For everything to fall into place for the Rebels, they need to shrug off last week's horrendous performance in Christchurch; the question of whether they can do that will be determined by the resolve of their experienced campaigners Quade Cooper, Will Genia and Matt Toomua.
Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images
With Cooper moved to the bench and Genia rested through the Wallabies policy last week, the Rebels pulled out one of their worst performances of the season; their defence was torn apart, and their attack succumbed to pressure. They were clumsy and their game was hampered by errors as they missed 38 tackles and let in 10 tries, while Toomua struggled to create anything with the little possession the side earned. It was an embarrassment to watch, and only a complete turnaround can keep their season alive.
While Genia's return to the lineup alongside Marika Koroibete, and Cooper's return to the starting XV, should boost the under-performing side, their 2-6 record in their past eight matches speaks against them. Cooper must return to his dazzling best, with his flashy backline play absent over the past month, while Genia must also pick up his performance to give his side a chance -- his kicking game especially.
Meanwhile, the Waratahs mathematically have a chance to grab a wildcard place, but they need everything to go their way -- especially with five of their Wallabies rested for the final round of the season.
After their disappointing 35-24 loss to the Brumbies, the Waratahs must record a bonus-point victory in the first game of the round and hope for later results to go their way -- including the Chiefs winning without a bonus point -- to secure a wildcard spot. But after Daryl Gibson rolled the dice during the season, and refused to rest Wallabies stars Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale, Michael Hooper, Sekope Kepu and Rob Simmons in earlier rounds, he's been left with a motley crew to get the job down in Invercargill. Waratahs fans, don't get your hopes up.
Super Rugby Round 18 Team Lists
While it seems simple, a win from the Rebels will see them in the top eight; but a slip up could see them miss another finals opportunity, and leave just the one Aussie side playing for the Super Rugby title.
NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE
Simple equation for Chiefs, but not easy to accomplish
The Crusaders had their fair share of wobbles in 2019, but still they locked up their position atop of the ladder weeks ago; the Hurricanes, meanwhile, secured their top-four position last weekend after a topsy-turvy year. But the Chiefs and the Highlanders still have plenty to play for.
The Chiefs battling through injuries to pull their season back from the brink after a horrendous start to the year and a midseason winless run to sit just one point outside the final eight; they've done well just to have a chance to squeeze their way into a playoff spot.
Still if the Chiefs were to defeat the Rebels with a bonus point, with a points difference of +46, the Lions were to lose without a BP, and the Stormers were to draw, they would rise as high as sixth on the table. If that permutation was a bit mind bending, wait until we get to the Highlanders!
Brodie Retallick returns to boost the Chiefs. MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images
But let's keep it simple. To keep their series alive, the Chiefs must secure a bonus win over the Rebels in Melbourne. Simple.
The Chiefs have secured just one BP win all season, however, and they have the second-worst defence of the competition having given up the second-most tries and penalty goals.
But with All Blacks star Brodie Retallick set to return after nine weeks on the sideline, they have a strong chance. Taking on the Rebels a week after the Australian side's 66-0 drubbing by the Crusaders may be a blessing or a curse but that can only add extra spice to the clash.
If the Chiefs were to earn a wildcard spot after failing to secure their first win of the season until round six, it'd be a further reflection of just how tight this Super Rugby season has been and how much work has gone into turning their year around.
The Highlanders face a much more difficult task to reach the playoffs, however; so much more difficult that it can be placed in the 'unlikely' category.
Sitting 11th on the table, the Highlanders need a lot of things to go their way if they're to secure a wildcard spot.
Firstly, the Highlanders must win and claim a bonus point; if they don't, they're out the door. Second, the Lions must lose to the Bulls without claiming a bonus point; and third, the Chiefs must win without a bonus point. If that has you scratching your head, it's understandable.
Put simply, a win with a bonus point is the only way to keep the Highlanders season alive. And everything seems to have just become a lot harder.
Fullback Ben Smith has been ruled out -- and is unlikely to play for the side even if they do reach the quarters; rain has been pouring down in Invercargill throughout the week, with more forecast; and the Highlanders have secured just the one bonus point win this season, in their 52-0 romp over the Sunwolves.
They will need to be disciplined and patient, and if the Waratahs are to score just one try on Friday, they will need to work that much harder to secure the four tries needed for the bonus point.
While the young Waratahs team are expected to struggle in the wet, the Highlanders themselves usually play in dry conditions undercover at Forsyth Barr Stadium and will need to change their own game plan, giving the side plenty more to think about.
However, if the Highlanders can exploit the Waratahs youth and inexperience, they should set up a long weekend of screen watching.
SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE
Sharks hoping Robert Du Preez has found his kicking boots
Four teams featuring in two derbies, the winners of which are guaranteed finals football; not only derbies to conclude the home-and-away season, but the key South African rivalries -- the Jukskei Derby between the Bulls and the Lions, and the Coastal Derby between the Stormers and the Sharks.
And all four teams can make the playoffs.
The Bulls, Lions and Stormers are currently in the post-season berths, with the Sharks ninth on the overall log, just a point behind the Stormers and boasting a better points differential than three finals contenders above them, and two of the three contenders beneath them on the table.
And that's about as good as it could be in South Africa, after a season of stop-start performances that have delighted and confounded pundits and fans alike, often within the same 80 minutes. Each of the South African teams have impressed at times; each have disappointed at others. We can debate their standard of play, the quality of the game plans, all we like; but they are where they are on the ladder because that's where they deserve to be compared with their 11 rivals on the log, and discussions about the quality of Super Rugby outside the top four, who are head and shoulders the best teams in the comp after 15 rounds, are best served for another day.
The best thing for the South African teams is that all four will know at kick-off exactly what they must do to secure post-season footy; that's the advantage of playing the final two games of the round. Right now, however, the only certainty is that the Sharks must beat the Stormers in Cape Town if they are to secure a finals berth. And they must do so with Robert du Preez at fly-half.
Du Preez has become a lightning rod for much of the angst about the team, with the Sharks coach, his namesake father, either selecting him in preference to Curwin Bosch, or replacing the latter and moving him to fullback and benching Aphelele Fassi.
The Sharks likely need Robert du Preez to have his best kicking game of the season in Cape Town. Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images
This selection when made through the season has caused much disaffection among Sharks fans, and confused the South African rugby community more broadly, because du Preez simply has not performed well enough to deserve selection. Bosch may well be a better fullback than a fly-half, but he's also performed better at fly-half than has du Preez.
The coach was spared another difficult press conference when Bosch was ruled out with an ankle injury, but his reasons for picking his son and benching Fassi against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires last week suggests he may well have made the same picks this weekend.
"In the game against the Jaguares, we needed an experienced 10 and 15 because the thought process was that the game was going to be like a Test match,' Du Preez said on East Coast Radio during the week."With both players having played at the highest level and both having a great kicking game and decision-making, I felt we needed both on the field and that was the reason behind the selection."
This week's game is even more important, and these words from the coach will be ringing in his son's ears in Cape Town.
"This weekend is a big one and he knows what is at stake and what is expected, and so does the whole team. It won't come down to one guy, it's going to be a team effort from all 23 players."
The last sentence rings truest: "It's going to be a team effort from all 23 players."
For all du Preez's inconsistencies and lack of form, the Sharks have not been outperformed in their disappointing performances because he has been the No. 10; they've often been outmuscled up front, and that has had nothing to do with the pivot. Nor has their attack offered much greater thrust with Bosch at 10, much as he's a more rounded footballer.
The Coastal Derby will be physical - they always are - and it's hard to envisage either side being truly brave with ball in hand given there's so much at stake as that really isn't in South Africa's rugby DNA.
Neither side has been prolific this season - the Stormers scoring 335 points and 34 tries compared with the Sharks' 331 and 38. Hence this game is likely to come down to goal-kicking.
Robert du Preez's stats off the tee this season?
He's kicked 10 penalties and 15 conversions at just 71 percent; Bosch, meanwhile, has kicked at 82 percent this season, while the Stormers' Josh Stander has made 20 of 23 attempts.
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Psych: The Movie... With Ryan Gosling?! Watch 'Fake News' Teaser
By Ryan Schwartz / August 30 2017, 6:35 AM PDT
Courtesy of Twitter (@Psych_USA)
Gus has no patience for “fake news” — especially when it comes directly out of Shawn’s mouth — in the latest Psych: The Movie teaser.
The following clip finds Dulé Hill and James Roday back in character, as the crime-solving duo once again tease the feature-length revival — without actually offering up any footage. Instead, Shawn attempts to build up anticipation with a series of false promises, including a theatrical release (not happening) and the casting of a certain Oscar-nominated La La Land star (also not happening).
What can be confirmed is that Psych: The Movie finds original cast members Roday, Hill, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson and to some degree Timothy Omundson (who recently suffered a stroke but is said to appear in “some way”) reuniting “during the holidays after a mystery assailant targets one of their own.” The made-for-TV film is slated to bow on USA Network in December.
Press PLAY on the clip below too see Shawn and Gus bicker like old times.
Psych is back to where it belongs: on @USA_Network. Don’t miss #PsychTheMovie this December. pic.twitter.com/m9DMZQt9Eu
— Psych_USA (@Psych_USA) August 29, 2017
TAGS: Dule Hill, James Roday, Psych, USA Network
GET MORE: Trailers and Promos, Video
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Experience Weightless VR With This Waterproof Headset
Immersive underwater VR is just a headset and two water wings away.
Imagine the sensation of effortlessly floating past the International Space Station as you drift through outerspace in zero gravity. Picture yourself bobbing on the surface of tropical caribbean waters as you gaze at the beautifully intricate coral patterns and exotic passing fish below. These are the kinds of weightless experiences Stephen Greenwood, director of creative development at Discovery Digital Networks, and Allan Evans, cofounder of headset maker Avegant, are creating with their custom VR headset designed for underwater use.
Admittedly just a fun side project between the busy innovators, the prototype device is powered by a waterproof Android smartphone attached to a 3-D-printed plastic block containing two biconvex lenses. The custom box is then secured inside a standard snorkeling mask using black tape which prevents any light from leaking in. Audio is delivered via a Finis underwater MP3 player that utilizes bone conduction to emit sound. The result is an isolating experience that utilizes the freedom of mobility water brings to realistically simulate various weightless environments.
“I think there’s a little more of a suspension of disbelief when you’re in a radically different environment,” Greenwood said. “When you don’t have a sense of the ground or gravity or what’s up or what’s down, it makes it that much more believable.”
Whatever the purpose, Allan Evans and Stephen Greenwood are confident the device could see extensive use in physical therapy, entertainment and, of course, scuba-diving simulations. Rachel Metz of MIT Technology Review was able to try some of the compatible experiences herself in the pool of Greenwood’s apartment building:
“The first experience had me floating above the International Space Station while David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” played on a loop. I found that I didn’t want to do much moving; it was relaxing to just hang, suspended in the water (though the visuals made it feel more like outer space), occasionally twisting around to see what was behind, above, or below.”
After I’d spent some time checking out the ISS—minutes, probably, but it was hard to tell how much time passed—Greenwood switched to another VR experience that was a little closer to my reality: an underwater scene with colorful fish, peppy jazz music playing in the background. Hanging out with the fish was a little more fun, despite the fact that water started seeping into the snorkel mask as I swam in circles to investigate the world around me.
As previously stated this is merely a neat little side project for both Stephen and Allan, however that doesn’t make this project any less exciting. Player movement has long been the achilles’ heel of virtual reality; an intricate puzzle that’s yet to be cracked. Combining the weightless sensation of swimming with the captivating video and audio of virtual reality is a major step forward towards more riveting, full-body experiences. Just make sure you have a lifeguard present before you hop in. Or at last strap on some damn water wings…
Dubai Brings Conservation Efforts To Life With VR Zoo
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CURRENT CONTENT
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Review: Huế 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden
Nguyễn Dịu-Hương
Journal of Vietnamese Studies
Vol. 14 No. 2, Spring 2019
(pp. 161-165) DOI: 10.1525/vs.2019.14.2.161
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Review: The Barefoot Anthropologist: The Highlands of Champa and Vietnam in the Words of Jacques Dournes, by Andrew Hardy
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Walt Now!
Writer Walt Jaschek Creates Fun Content
Funny Radio
Waltblog
Book a Brainstorm
Author: Walt Jaschek
“Ballad of Judge Wapner” Honors TV Legend on 100th Birthday | Song + Lyrics
Funny Stuff, Music, Radio Commercials
Grab your gavels for a big birthday: the late Judge Wapner would have turned 100 this month. It’s true. November 19, 2019 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Albert Wapner, legendary TV judge and pop culture icon.
Britannica reminds us of his significance: “Born November 15, 1919, in Los Angeles, California. Died February 26, 2017, in Los Angeles. American jurist and TV personality who presided (1981–93) over The People’s Court, an immensely popular syndicated TV show in which plaintiffs and defendants from California small claims court argued their cases and accepted the judge’s ruling.”
Back in the early 90s, Paul Fey and I were creating (as Paul & Walt Worldwide) a lot of radio and TV content for King World, the show’s syndicator. When we were tasked with finding a fresh approach for promoting it, I wrote the script (below) for “The Ballad of Judge Wapner,” a funny, 60-second radio commercial celebrating what fans loved about the show.
Here it is, voiced by the late Lance LeGault. It’s now captioned with lyrics, also posted beneath.
Lyrics by Walt Jaschek
MUSIC: COWBOY BALLAD-STYLE, UNDER
COWBOY: He sits in judgment
He stands for the law
Kinda looks like a hero
And sounds like your Pa
BACK-UP SINGERS: WAPNER!
MUSIC: HARMONICA WAILS
COWBOY: He smiles and he laughs
His voice tinged with gravel
But the bad-guys just gasp
When he bangs his big gavel
COWBOY: Judge Wapner.
BACK-UP SINGERS: JUDGE WAPNER!
HARMONICA WAILS
COWBOY: When neighbors brawl
When lovers refute
When suppliers and buyers and liars dispute
Wapner won’t let those lawbooks get dusty
Got a buddy named Doug
And a sidekick named Rusty
BACK-UP SINGERS: RUSTY!
COWBOY: With Wapner.
COWBOY: Doesn’t do it from towers
Doesn’t do it from steeples
He does it in court
A court called “People’s”
ANNOUNCER: Judge Wapner rules on “The People’s Court”
BACK-UP SINGERS: SONG OVER!
COWBOY: Song over.
HARMONICA WAILS, OUT
© Paul & Walt Worldwide
See also: 15 Funny Radio Commercials to Inspire More of the Same
Walt Jaschek is writer of comedy, comics and copy. Follow, like, comment!
November 6, 2019 November 29, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged judge wapner, paul fey, walt jaschek Leave a comment
Marvel Reprints Walt Jaschek / Jim Lee Team-Up in GenNext #8
Comic Writing, Comics, Entertainment
Comic smile of the week, at least for me: I accidentally learned Marvel Comic reprinted the X-Men parody I wrote – and Jim Lee drew! – in GenNext (an X-Men anthology book) #8. It originally appeared in What Th–? #5, a Marvel humor book from a decade earlier. Great to know! I was using the Google machine last week, and saw that I was listed as a writer on that book. “Ha! That’s a mistake,” I said. “I think I would know if I had anything in that issue.” But I ordered it, and what do you know: there we are, with better paper and better printing this time. Love it. You hang in there, writers, and the world offers up little gifts like this. I’m grateful.
October 9, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged comic book finds, genext #8, jim lee, walt jaschek, what--th?, x-men parody Leave a comment
When Endings Begin: Walt Jaschek on Recycled Man
comic books, Comics, Original Content
This is writer Walt Jaschek’s introduction to the comic book Recycled Man: What Goes Around, published by Comicmood Studios, and available now on Amazon Kindle. The text introduction is titled, “When Endings Begin.” It’s about the impulse behind Walt’s creation of Recycled Man, and in particular about his power to “accelerate Karma.”
A somewhat world-weary, cigarette-smoking art director I worked with back in my ad agency days used to say that a lot.
He was right a lot.
He wasn’t talking metaphysically. More transactionally. If the flu is going around, you’re going to get the flu. (That was before the the shot. I am pro-shot.) If a client pays late, the agency is going to pay late. If somebody buys lunch with a counterfeit dollar, you’re going to get it as change.
He also used lean back, blow a smoke ring, and say, “Life’s a bitch and then you die.” My younger self had to actively shrug that off. My carefully crafted optimism had to be shielded.
But he was right about that, too, in his way. We’re here for a blink, the challenges never stop, and if you don’t hone optimism and resilience, life will seem, as per Thomas Hobbes, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
“Life’s a bitch and then you die” is snappier, I think.
All those quotes were on my mind when the notion of Recycled Man was born a few years ago, in a notebook, late at night.
My concept of Karma – as in, creating your ultimate fate through the arc of your daily behavior – was continuing to evolve. I kept seeing both good and bad behavior manifest fate indirectly, and over time. Thieves don’t necessarily get robbed in return, but check out prematurely. Robbed of time. The corrupt are called out, at least by history. The poor winner loses it all.
Eventually. But often the pace of Karmic repercussions can be glacial, as in glaciers, which we used to have.
My impulse for Recycled Man was that he could accelerate Karma. He could cut to the chase. See the nasty out the door.
This introductory story, in which he does just that, hints – not subtly – at a backstory I worked out in the very same notebook.
It is, I hope you’ll understand, a deliberate change-up for me: a toe-tip into (what I hope is) pulpy drama. That’s new for a writer whose work is typically more light-hearted. Or was.
But as Don Secrease started adding seer-your-retina color to Paul Daly’s evocative art, I knew we had to get a print and digital edition out there – partially to gauge reaction, partially to give our new publishing company, Comicmood, a jump-start. (Will the story continue? Oh yes, if engagement and sales warrant. Let us know what you think at comicmood.com.)
Filling out the issue: a new story I guest-wrote for Terranauts: 2020, an incarnation of the long-running team created by Paul and Don, and on loan for this appearance. “The Call of Cold, Dark Places” matches the book’s tone, I thought.
More Comicmood characters are in development — get ready, here they come —and I think they all have a certain Karma of their own. The unworthy will vanish quietly. (Or maybe not-so quietly. I’m a comics fan, too. I know how we are.) The worthy?
They’ll come around. •
Recycled Man: What Goes Around is available as a digital download on Amazon Kindle.
October 1, 2019 October 30, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged Comic Writing, comicmood studios, don secrease, new comics, paul daly, recycled man, walt jaschek Leave a comment
Randy Rosenbaum Home from Hospital; Husband Walt Jaschek says, “Watch Out for Ticks!”
IRL, Walt a Life
Aaaaaand we’re home.
Oh sure, it was fun spending, with wife Randy, 10 nights and 12 days in an all-inclusive Club Med-style resort with free ice water and unlimited I.V. drips. Let’s call it a “hospital.”
And it’ll be odd to not be able to just pick up the phone and order French Toast and Baked Lay’s. (Knowing full well they will somehow instead deliver Baked Toast and French Lay’s.)
But somehow we will proceed without a full staff of registered nurses, hospitalists and friendly floor moppers.
Back here at Apt. 1-B, I will be the hospitalist and floor mopper for a while. There will be caregiving ahead, but don’t worry, I have two allies: extra-strength Excederin and extra-strength Chardonnay.
It was roughly on the 7th day of this journey that Randy took a positive turn. ‘Til then, my poor, sweet wife was fighting a tick-born infection and its side effects – “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever” isn’t just a John Denver song.
For days, she had but two modes: highly agitated alertness and a medicated, faraway fugue-state.
At about 10 a.m, I had just finished writing a long paragraph in my prayer journal. (Not a joke: I’ve been writing down prayers all my adult life, to good effect. I mean, I’m still here, right? And they’re still making Spider-Man movies?)
Anyway, at the end of the paragraph, I wrote the words, “Help me help this girl back.” I hit “save.”
Within two minutes, I heard her say, “I think I’m feeling better.”
Sure enough. She was smiling, sitting up in bed like Dorothy at the end of “Wizard of Oz.” (“And YOU were there! And YOU!”)
“Th… that’s good to hear,” I said, cautiously.
“In fact, I think I’ll get up and take a shower.” She hit the nurse call button.
“Eine gute idee.” (I’ve been talking German to her lately. Don’t ask me why.)
“Also, I’m starving.”
“I bet.”
“Can you please go get me a Goodcents sandwich? I’ll have an 8-inch Italian on wheat, with Provolone, lettuce, oregano, and salt and pepper.”
“Could you be more specific?”
“And oil and vinegar.”
“And Baked Lay’s.”
Again with the Baked Lay’s.
I’d like to say it was smooth sailing from there, but there were frustrating symptoms still to treat, such as a lingering headache: mine. (Just kidding.)
But today, a lovely Sunday, with the doctors in syzygy (“si-je-zee,” a term from my word-a-day calendar meaning celestial alignment) and souvenir shampoos in hand, home we were sent.
Your well-wishes and prayers helped do the trick, as well, and don’t think we don’t know it. So it is with great appreciation we toast you with… what else?
A little something chilled.
September 18, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged home from the hospital, hopsital stays, randy rosenbaum, tick bites, true-life tales, walt jaschek Leave a comment
Walt Jaschek IS Dr. D’abo IN “Sons of the Saddle” (1995) B-Western Movie Parody
Comic Movies, Videos, Walt Jaschek on Camera
It’s 1899 and Dr. Devlin D’Abo (Walt Jaschek) believes he alone can lead the United State of America into the Twentieth Century. To help him take control of the federal government, D’Abo creates a weapon that will make his arm of desperadoes invisible. Only the Sons of the Saddle (Don Secrease, Rick Burchett, Bill Lux) stand between the mad doctor and his plan to unite western hemisphere under one supreme leader… D’Abo himself!
— From the DVD jacket for “Sons of the Saddle: The Invisible Rayders: Chapter 4: Doorway to Doom”
Writer/director Don Secrease (working under pseudonyms Sean Ryan and Manny Handz) was the creative force behind this amateur film and B-Western movie parody made by enthusiastic B-movie fans. As backstory, Don wrote the below…
Abbreviated Backstory
This serial chapter of Sons of the Saddle’s “The Invisible Rayders” (chapter 4 “Doorway to Doom”) was made by a group of B-movie/serial fans for fun, to be shared by friends and family.
It was the summer of ’95, a few of us were discussing fan-made, straight-to-video movies, comparing good to bad, FX, etc., produced by Skeleton Creek Prod., W.A.V.E. Prod., B. Black’s Nightveil Media (its contemporary name.) These films were viewed, discussed, admired for their ingenuity and enthusiastic presentations.
Our ragtag team of B-movie aficionados decided to gather friends and family and create our own movie-making inadequacy.
We selected characters from our daily gag comic strip, “Sons of the Saddle,” wrote a 12-chapter serialized story, picked a random chapter, scripted it – then started rounding up the usual suspects – not to mention costuming, horses and tack.
All fell into place once we scouted our locations. Our major battles filming that summer: a Missouri heatwave, reliable video cameras and, finally, appropriate music. Since this was made for private amusement (or condemnation) and nor for sale, we picked background music from a few public-domain serials & B-westerns.
August 26, 2019 August 26, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged 1900s movies, amatuer movies, b-movie westerns, don secrease, movie parody, sons of the saddle, walt jaschek, Walt Jaschek on Camera, western serials Leave a comment
Promo: “You Oughta Be in Visuals: How to Make Your Social Sizzle” | Upcoming Walt Talk at the 2019 “How to Be a Better Freelancer” Conference in St. Louis
Appearances, Videos, Walt Jaschek on Camera
Ready for a new “Walt Talk?” Live on tape from his home-office in beautiful Ballwin, Missouri: a brief message from creative freelancer Walt J. about his upcoming guest-appearance at the “Be a Better Freelancer”® conference October 11th, 12th and 13th, 2019, at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Walt will be presenting to the assembled freelance writers and editors a topic suggested to him by the conference organizer. The topic: “You Oughta Be in Visuals: How to Make Your Social Sizzle to Be a Better Freelancer.” Walt says he looks forward to hearing exactly what he has to say about that topic… when he comes up with something… by October. Link to the conference: https://www.facebook.com/events/20043… Link to Ruth Thaler-Carter, the conference organizer: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.thalerc…
Walt is a writer (as Walt Jaschek) and a performer (as Walt Jay.) They’re both at work in this promo video, written by the former and presented on-screen by the later. 😉
August 19, 2019 Walt Jaschek Tagged freelancer advice, freelancer tips, walt jaschek, walt jay, walt talks Leave a comment
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PSI nabs two contracts to support VA, Defense Manpower Data Center
Planned Systems International has won a contract and a blanket purchase agreement to support the Veterans Affairs Department and the Defense Manpower Data Center.
Under the $120 million Veterans Affairs contract, PSI will provide the agency with support services for its Enterprise Systems Engineering Office of Information and Technology Service Delivery and Engineering’s Enterprise Testing Service (ETS).
The company’s team under this contract consists of:
HP Enterprise Services
Favor TechConsulting
Checkpoint Technologies
Valytics
Business Information Technology Solutions
PSI and its team will provide independent test and evaluation, software code quality checking, testing systems and engineering and implementation, continuous quality improvement, ETS management and logistics services, the company said in a release.
Under the potentially $250 million Defense Manpower Data Center blanket purchase agreement, PSI will provide the agency with information technology services to support interoperability between state and federal agencies to better serve service members, veterans and their families across the globe.
The company’s team under this BPA consists of:
MicroHealth, Cognosante Inc.
8 Consulting
Excel Technologies
Altarum Institute
PSI and its team will provide project management, software development life cycle support, quality assurance, systems integration, network administration and data and information management, the company said.
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Brain Tumor Information Links
Please Click On The Above Banner For More Details
These Links are maintained by Jim Kenzig, In Loving Memory of his daughter, Kristen
These links will take you off of our website and onto sites that we have no control over. We do not endorse these other sites, we just list the links here as a convenience to you.
We removed the voting due to abuse. Links are now alphabetical
The Search will find words in the title and description of the links, not in the content of the Websites!
Click HERE to suggest a link!
Click HERE for a WEB-TV Friendly version (this doesn't pop up multiple windows!)
Abstract and Clinical Trial Resources
Accoustic Neuroma
Adenoma (Pituitary)
Astrocytoma
Chordoma
Choroid Plexus Tumor
Craniopharyngioma
Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial (DNT)
Ganglioglioma
Ganglioglioneurocytoma
General Cancer Links
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)
Listservs - Forums - Chat Room
Medical and Medicine Links
Metastatic Tumors
Neurofibramatosis
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Pineoblastoma
PNET-Primare Neuroectodermal Tumors
Rare and Other Brain Tumors
Vascular Brain Tumors
Research Centers Links
59 links found
Brain Tumor Singapore Brain Tumor Foundation 06/25/19
Brain tumor treatment options Brain tumor treatment options 12/03/13
The International Center for Cell Therapy & Cancer Immunotherapy (CTCI) Clinic uses innovative cell therapy for many cancers including GBM...Not a clinical trial 07/30/13
Edward B. Arenson, MD Neuro-oncologist Founder, CNI Center for Brain and Spinal Tumors 10/19/12
Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Mission and Focus: to invest in research aimed at finding the fastest possible route to a cure. 09/27/11
Cancer Treatment Options and Management A personalized cancer research company that informs and educates cancer patients on recent peer review cancer research for their specific case. 05/19/11
06/21/2010 - The Michael Overall Golf Classic A benefit planned by family and friends to raise awareness and funds for my fathers unexpected illness. We are looking for sponsors, donations, silent auction items, and golfers. Please join us, or promote your business through a gift during this battle against a terrible disease. Thank you! Sharon Overall sharonmoverall@gmail.com 05/30/10
IFPMA Clinical Trials Portal Easy-to-use search engine, created by the research-based pharmaceutical industry to find Ongoing Clinical Trials and Clinical Trials Results of New Medicine. 12/08/09
Brain Tumor Center at the University of Maryland Brain tumor resources - ask a brain tumor doctor questions! 03/04/09
Nevzdavame se! - We don`t give up Sdruzeni pro boj s nadory mozku - Community to fight brain tumors (in Czech language) 03/03/08
American Brain Tumor Association Primer of Brain Tumors This is an updated link to our Primer - the one currently listed is no longer valid. 05/01/07
Ependymoma Group Ependymoma Group Website 08/08/06
Mayo Clinic Brain Tumor Center Brain tumor center at the Mayo Clinic in MN, FL and AZ 06/27/06
ULCA Neurosurgery Brain Tumor Program ULCA Neurosurgery Brain Tumor Program 01/12/06
Bran Research Trust Information on Research to Brain Tumours 12/20/05
Cancer Help Infosite Editable Web Site with cancer resources accross the globe 05/12/05
Skull Base Institute Minimally invasive surgery for brain tumors 03/11/05
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) Medical Research Advocates 03/05/04
Cyber Museum Of Neurosurgery History of neurosurgery and brain tumor surgery! 01/29/04
South Nassau Communities Hospital Gamma Knife Center Gamma Knife Center 11/11/03
CyberKnife Society - Stereotactic Radiosurgery System CyberKnife Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together diverse CyberKnife users and medical professionals affiliated with radiosurgery worldwide to foster scholarly exchange and share clinical information pertaining to CyberKnife Radiosurgical ablation and to educate patients about radiosurgery. 07/16/03
Dana Farber Cancer Institute Major brain tumor center 04/02/03
Sontag Foundation Offers grants to brain tumor researchers! 03/06/03
University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center A premier cancer research and treatment center devoted to providing cutting-edge therapies and individualized care for cancer patients 12/03/02
Dr. Nicholas Avgeropoulos Has many useful links and resources for patients and families 05/18/02
Neuro-Oncology Program @ Moffitt Cancer Center Neuro-Oncology Program located in Tampa, Florida. Moffitt is a NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our program is part of the national CNS consortium, NABTT. 02/21/02
Neuro-Oncology Program at Moffitt Cancer Center Brain Tumor Centers 09/19/01
Mount Sinai Medical Center Brain Tumor Program Mount Sinai Medical Center Brain Tumor Program 04/19/01
NeuroNetwork Resources for Brain Tumor Patients In The Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex Of Texas 09/02/00
UCLA Neuro-Oncology Program: A leading comprehensive brain tumor program, using molecular diagnostic & gene expression analysis to customize treatment plans. Offers patient support groups, cutting edge clinical trials and Infinity Online software to help predict clinical outcomes based on 10 years of retrospective treatment plans. 04/12/00
Fox Chase - Temple Neuro-oncology Program Brain tumor program in Philadelphia, PA. 04/06/00
St. Jude Children`s Research Hospital Pediatric Brain Tumor Program 04/04/00
UCLA Neuro-Surgery Program The Clinical Neuroscience Program at UCLA has consistently been ranked in the top 10 in the nation. 04/04/00
ICSL Clinical Studies is one of the nation`s leading clinical research organizations. Working in conjunction with pharmaceutical companies, we are committed to researching new medications for a wide range of illnesses and conditions. 04/03/00
Proxima Theraputics A new form of radiation therapy 04/03/00
The Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences at the University of Western Ontario. This site serves as an introduction to the Division of Neurology and as an educational forum for neurologists, residents, and practicing physicians around the country and abroad. 04/03/00
UCLA Brain Research Institute The Brain Research Institute (BRI) is an organized research unit (ORU) within the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. 04/03/00
University of Miami Department of Neurosurgery University of Miami Department of Neurosurgery 04/03/00
Berlin University Dept. Of Neurosurgery. Has videos of brain surgery, explanations of the newest techniques. 04/02/00
Boston Neurosurgical Foundation A multi-institutional neurosurgical team in Boston, Massachusetts serving Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Children`s Hospital, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School 04/02/00
Brain Tumor Center of the Neurological Institute at Columbia University dedicated to the treatment and clinical research of primary and metastic cancers of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots. 04/02/00
Center For Glioma Outcomes Research The GO Project is a voluntary, physician-directed project to improve outcomes for patients with glioma. 04/02/00
Familial Brain Tumor Registry Research project at MD Anderson which is aimed at identifying families who are at high risk for brain tumors and multiple cancer risk. 04/02/00
FDA USA Food And Drug Administration Obtain the latest information on approved drugs 04/02/00
Human Tumor Assay Journal Information on chemosensitivity testing of tumor (including brain tumor) samples! 04/02/00
Immune Response Corp. This is the company working on the new Gene Therapy Vaccine For Glioblastomas! 04/02/00
The Brain Tumor Center at Duke in Durham, North Carolina dedicated entirely to the treatment and cure of brain and/or spinal cord tumors in children and adults 04/02/00
The Lancet The British Medical Journal 04/02/00
The Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information 516-295-4740 The organization that maintains Virtualtrials.com! 03/29/00
University of Pittsburgh Center For Image-Guided Surgery Largest Gamma Knife Experience in North America 03/29/00
Cedars-Sinai Neurosurgical Institute One of the world`s preeminent neurosurgical centers for brain tumors 03/27/00
Brain Tumor Biology Laboratory Oliver Boglers fascinating brain tumor research site. 03/27/00
Department of Neurosurgery Bowman Gray School of Medicine Good resource site 03/27/00
MGH/Harvard Virtual Brain Tumor Page Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Brain Tumor Center 03/27/00
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States Supporting the search for the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors through research. 03/27/00
The Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada Supports research into the cause and cure of brain tumors 03/27/00
The National Braintumor Foundation 800-934-CURE A not for profit organization that offers valuable resources for brain tumor patients and funds brain tumore research 03/27/00
The NYUMC Brain Tumor Research Center New York University Medical Center 03/27/00
Clinical Trials And Noteworthy Treatments For Brain Tumors Brain tumor information 03/26/00
Click HERE if your browser doesn't open the links correctly!
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Age, working memory and the Tower of London task
Phillips, L.
Gilhooly, K.
Logie, R.H.
Della Sala, S.
Wynn, V.
The current study explores the role of three components of working memory in age differences in an executive task, the Tower of London (TOL). The TOL task is sensitive to frontal lobe damage, and is widely used to measure planning ability. Dual tasks were used to test the involvement of the phonological loop (articulatory suppression), visuospatial buffer (pattern tapping), and central executive (random generation) in age effects on the TOL. Older adults showed greater reliance than young on domain-specific verbal and spatial memory components in performing the TOL. In terms of executive function, qualitatively different interference patterns were seen in young and old participants. However, the validity of using random generation tasks to assess executive function in older populations can be questioned. For older participants, performing the TOL loads all components of working memory, whereas for the younger participants the TOL more specifically loads executive functioning.
European Journal of Cognitive Psychology
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No Time to Die trailer review: Phoebe Waller-Bridge has helped James Bond get with the times
The Independent 4 December 2019
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, for the final time, in the trailer for 'No Time to Die': United Artists
Has there been a more fraught Bond production than No Time to Die? Explosions on set; a sudden change of director; new scriptwriters brought in; an injury to 007 himself. No wonder the headlines have called it everything from “cursed” and “doomed” to “total chaos”. Of course, it’s not the first Bond to have had its problems – Quantum of Solace was interrupted by the writers’ strike, for example – but the consensus has been that No Time to Die will be an unparalleled disaster, and certainly not the fillip the franchise so badly needs after the ham-fisted Spectre.
The problems have been there from the beginning. Not only was there a collective sigh of disappointment when Daniel Craig, having previously said he’d rather slit his wrists than reprise the role, announced he would return as Bond, but there was also the departure of director Danny Boyle over “creative differences”. Hired in his place was Beast of No Nation’s Cary Joji Fukunaga, with veteran Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade reinstated. When Paul Haggis, Scott Z Burns and Phoebe Waller-Bridge were also parachuted in, the reports were that the script was still Not Good.
But now there’s fresh hope. After what seems like aeons of bluster and doom-mongering, the trailer has finally arrived. Clocking in at two minutes 32 seconds, it bears all the Bond hallmarks: exotic locations (Matera looks especially lovely), fast cars and, yes, glamorous women. And yet, while there are no wry looks to camera, you can instantly feel the Waller-Bridge effect. Far from the sombre, solipsistic Bond of the last couple of outings, No Time to Die appears to actually have a sense of humour coursing through it. Take the moment when Bond introduces himself to a security guard. “Name?” “Bond.” There’s a pause. We know what's coming. “James Bond,” he adds, hesitantly. The name means nothing to the young man in front of him.
More important still, Bond seems to have got with the times. “The world has moved on,” says the series’ first-ever female 00, rivetingly played by Lashana Lynch. “So stay in your lane. You get in my way, I will put a bullet in your knee. The one that works.” There are also a lot of portentous remarks from the likes of Ralph Fiennes’ M, who is keen to remind us that “the world is arming faster than we can respond”, and Bond himself, who opines, “History isn’t kind to those who play God.”
Now to the plot. We already knew from the press release that Bond’s old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) was due to show up and convince him to return to the service to rescue a missing scientist. Awaiting him would be a “mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology”. Said villain is played by Rami Malek, who’s capable of really cranking up the creep quotient, as anyone who’s seen his advert for Mandarin Oriental hotels will attest. Here his face is scarred, the accent incongruous. As with Silva (Javier Bardem), Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) and Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), Malek’s Safin is presumably linked to Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) – whom, in the trailer, we see imprisoned, having been arrested, half-dead, on Westminster Bridge at the end of Spectre.
Returning, too, is Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann, last seen heading off into the night with 007, but here accused of betraying him. “We all have our secrets,” Bond says to her. “We just didn’t get to yours yet.” What could she have possibly done? She certainly seems to know something about Safin – does he have a connection to her late father, Mr White? It’s an arc that has faint echoes of Vesper Lynd’s in Casino Royale.
So after all those sensationalist headlines, the signs are in fact pretty good. Craig may be sick to death of Bond, and the whole production has hardly slipped down like a dry martini, but judging by the trailer, he might go out with a bang, not a whimper, after all.
No Time to Die is out in UK cinemas on 2 April
#generalnews
'Parasite’s' Bong Joon-Ho doesn't expect to land a Marvel movie, but enjoys them nonetheless
John Krasinski teases possibility of 'A Quiet Place 3'
Robert Downey Jr praises the real geniuses behind the MCU
Johnny Marr working on James Bond 'No Time To Die' score with Hans Zimmer
Laurence Fox labels ‘woke’ people ‘racist’
Folk Singer David Olney Dies On Stage, Aged 71
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October 30, 2019 unchartedadam
Haunted Lancaster: All aboard! The Rock Point Tunnel Railroad Ghost
A popular stop along the Northwest River Trail north of Columbia is the 180-foot Rock Point Tunnel. The tunnel was constructed between 1850-1851 for the original Pennsylvania Railroad Columbia Branch.
The railroad was built on a tight shelf along the Susquehanna River’s east bank between Columbia and Chickies Rock. When it came to Rock Point, the railroad had little choice but blast through. What little land remained between mountain and river was barely wide enough to accommodate the canal already in place.
The curved tunnel was built by blasting through solid rock. This type of stone doesn’t require a lining, which gives the passage a unique appearance.
Later in the early 1900s, to minimize grades and increase capacity, the Pennsylvania Railroad completed its new “low grade” in 1906. This new alignment cut through the Susquehanna River on a fill between Point Rock and Chickies Rock, creating Kerbaugh Lake between the new and old grades and bypassing Point Rock Tunnel.
Following a Susquehanna River flood in 1936 that destroyed the low grade at Chickies, the Pennsylvania Railroad rebuilt but sought a long-term solution to the flood risk. Shortly after World War II, Kerbaugh Lake was filled and tracks removed from the original grade, including Point Rock Tunnel.
While trains no longer pass through the tunnel, bikers, hikers, and ghosts are frequently sighted there.
One such paranormal entity is said to be the spirit of a man struck by a train long ago. According to local lore, the ghost of a bearded old man with a staff and red lantern is seen in the tunnel. His spirit is said to frequently appear between midnight, and 1 am. In 1875, a railroad worker reported seeing the ghost on three separate occasions. One time he knows that the spirit saw him as it greeted him with a wave before disappearing.
Other ghosts are said to drift along the path of the old railroad tracks, as well.
When and Where to find it
The ghost is said to appear inside Rock Point Tunnel between midnight, and 1 am and rumored to carry and red lantern or handkerchief.
Rock Point Tunnel is located about 1.3 miles north of Columbia from the Northwest River Trail parking lot on the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. Click here for the exact location.
More Haunted Lancaster
If you have a ghost story you want to share as part of Haunted Lancaster, comment below or email me.
Chickie’s Rock
Chickies Rock & the Supernatural
Chickies Rock tour offers a creepy glimpse of the past
Ghosthunting Pennsylvania (America’s Haunted Road Trip)
Haunted Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Ghosts and Other Strange Occurrences
Local Legend
Exploring Lancaster
Northwest River Trail
Published by unchartedadam
View all posts by unchartedadam
Previous Haunted Lancaster: The Laughing Ghost of Gonder Mansion
Next This Lancaster bookworm has been reading the newspaper daily for 40 years
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Inside Jacksonville
Student-produced, Jacksonville made
November 2018 (AM Class)
November 2018 (PM Class)
October 2018 (AM Class)
October 2018 (PM Class)
September 2018 (AM Class)
September 2018 (PM Class)
History Behind The Cedar Hill Drive-In
Riverside Avondale Preservation: Riverside Arts Market
Local Organization Helps Increase Hispanic Businesses In Our Community
Local Golfer Fights For Spot On The Tour
New Ways To Experience Jacksonville Breweries
Bullet’s Adoption Story
The Representation of Women In The Workforce Today
Jacksonville’s New Inclusive Playground
Local Farm Supports Children Of All Abilities
Cat Yoga Paws Its Way Into Jacksonville
Jacksonville Opens Its Doors To The LGBT Community
How Jacksonville Beach Residents Can Prepare For Future Flooding
The Buzz On Local Honey
St. Paul’s Warrior Shoots For The Stars
Discovering New History From Old Tombstones
Local Nonprofit Shares Food and Donations Throughout The Community
UNF Athlete Takes To The Sky
Jacksonville Beaches Go Green Eliminates Waste Around Our Coast
Luxury Pet Daycares Are Coming To Jacksonville
Local Team USA Star Takes His Career To The Next Level
Entrepreneur’s Journey To Personal Growth: Dricka’s Cookies
Raines: Jacksonville high school football team faced with adversity but perseveres
Rethreaded Inc: Jacksonville non-profit gives human-trafficking victims a second chance
Jacksonville’s transgender community is stronger than ever
Sk8 City: Giving back to the community one skate at a time
What Jacksonville students sacrifice to go to college
Jacksonville surf competition benefiting breast cancer research: Barrels for Boobs
Devin D. Coleman: Helping felons get back into society
Catty Shack Ranch: Jacksonville non-profit works to save the lives of unexpected animals
Food as medicine: Jacksonville mom uses food as medicine
Latara Griffin: Testimonies for Domestic Abuse
A little girl who beat the odds
Jacksonville’s Sulzbacher’s mission is to end homelessness one person at a time
Turtles, Dolphins, and Gators: See them at Little Talbot Island State Park
Love deported
Alternative fitness becomes the new wave of exercise for women
Hope at hand
Jacksonville non-profit helps children achieve their dreams
Darlene’s Diner at The Player’s Championship
A Jacksonville man’s life chances in a matter of seconds
Esports: A new way to compete
Feed The Ville
The Atlantic Right Whale Festival
Classrooms of the Future
Arena Football: Meet the Jacksonville Sharks
Rising Star: Meet Ivan Gandia-Rosa
Taste of the Soul
JAX IS RAD: A Spotlight on Local Creatives
Paving the Way: Jacksonville’s Road Construction
Making a Difference through Music
Hemp Healing: A Look At CBD on the First Coast
Building Bridges Through Card Games
Surfers for Autism Gives Hope to Children
Fitness and Friendships
Empowering Jacksonville’s Youth With the Power of Art
Jacksonville Shows its Pride
Saving the St. John’s River
Shopping With a Purpose: Two Sparrows Boutique
Hardcore Parkour in the 904
Inside Players By the Sea
Meet the ‘Vikings’: The Fight Against Breast Cancer
Hope Haven Calendar
Honoring a Hero: Jacksonville’s annual 5k Heroes Run
We All Float Down Here: The New Wellness Trend Sweeping Jacksonville
Battle of the Booze
A New Industry Brews in Jacksonville
Taking a Different Path: Jacksonville’s NJATC
College and Cappuccinos: Starbucks’ Gives Employees and Education
Success and Self- Empowerment: In the Name of Fashion
The History of Big Talbot Island
Shred the Pavement
The Perks of Becoming a Vegan
904 Trendy Eats
Sweet Pete’s Story
The Dog Days Aren’t over in Duval
LARP’ing
Video Game Rescue
Springfield: The Complicated History
Millennial Culture
Drag Culture
Chamblin’s Bookmine
Historic Hauntings
Sun Ray Cinema
It’s Flu Season
Fall 2017 – Exotic Animals, Red Wine and More
Fall 2017 – Healthy Living
Fall 2017 – Bridging the Generational Gap
Spring 2017-Jacksonville’s History
Spring 2017- Our Coastal City
Spring 2017-Inspire Edition
Fall 2019 Storytellers
Spring 2019 Storytellers
UNF Multimedia Club
Club Affiliates
BEA CLUB
ESPN CLUB
JBA CLUB
PRSSA
Awards & Scholarship Info
Student Work Examples
Inside Swoop
Jacksonville Lifeguards
By Celise Blackman and Caitlin Kitchens
The American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps has been rescuing lives and educating thousands on water safety in Jacksonville since 1912. The Corps is rich in history, some of which may come as a surprise, even to some locals.
The Corps was created in 1912 after tragedy struck the First Coast. Mary Proctor, a prominent nurse in Jacksonville went for a swim with her sister and a friend. The three were swept into a runout, unfortunately Mary did not survive. The death of Mary led to an urgency for change. Clarence McDonald and Lyman Haskell decided to take action, leading them to create the first volunteer lifeguard corps in the country. In the beginning the guards would volunteer to work on Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays. They would also help assist the Coast Guard with shipwrecks
In 1914 the station was chartered by the American Red Cross. The station began to expand and change the ways in which they assisted and tools they used. During this time George W. Wilson realized there was a need for assistance in the water. He created the first ever water buoy. This buoy was created to better assistance the lifeguards when going out to rescues. The pointed ends helped push through the breaks and the buoy could hold up to five people. Which was way more efficient that going out man to man for rescues.
The Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard Station was built in 1947 and is still being operated in today, withstanding, hurricanes, fires, and multiple changes. Throughout these changes the station has still kept its same traditions and values. The biggest, being the watchdog of the beaches.
The station assist in multiple types of rescues. Averaging in approximately 60 to 70 rescues a year. Their most common rescues are helping weak swimmers who are in need of assistance. A common fear when entering the ocean is sharks. Max, an officer at the station told us there are a lot of sharks in the water. Despite their prevalent existence in the Jax waters there’s only an average of 1 to 2 shark bites a year.
Not only does the station offer their assistance in patrolling the beaches they also offer numerous safety courses. “We do offer CPR and first aid classes at a charge but they are an extremely recommended classes for anyone to have,” Max, Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard Officer. Another perk is if you’re having a private function and would like a lifeguard at your event the Jax Beach Lifeguard Station has lifeguards for hire.
While enjoying your time on the beach make sure you’re constantly staying aware of your surroundings and the lifeguard signals and flags. For more information on the station or if you are wanting to inquire about any of the stations course they offer you can visit their website.
Kickback’s Gastropub
By Lauren Ericksen and Julie Petrosky
Kickback’s Gastropub is a unique historical restaurant that has 180 beers on tap and countless choices for food to satisfy anyone living on the coast. Having been the cornerstone of King Street in historic Riverside/Avondale since 2005, Kickback’s works to serve locals on an unlikely schedule. Open from 7 AM to 3AM they are constantly working on changing their menu and incorporating new beers to better accommodate the people of Jacksonville.
Owner, Steve Flores, explains, “We try to use local ingredients when possible and we definitely make sure that all the local breweries are represented.”
With beers from breweries such as Intuition, Aardwolf, Pinglehead and Greenroom Kickback’s aims to help out any local institutions. But local breweries are not as far as they go, Flores brought in many local artist to create their one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
“Basically we wanted to focus on local artists and local artisans so when we built the new dining room we um brought in several of our friends that are artists to uh basically to fill the room up with art. and so Jim Smith who is a teacher over at Bolles, he’s the art teacher he spent three years making sculptures um for the dining room he’s made over 1000 sculptures for us,” said Flores.
Where Kickback’s stands a 100-year-old house once stood. Flores wanted to use every bit and piece of the house they could and incorporate it into the look of the restaurant. From tearing out the floors to reuse the wood in different pats of the bar to using the five original windows as artwork he managed to create an alluring experience that is unforgettable to customers.
Ryan Sutton, a bar patron said, “The brick is amazing if you take a look around here it has a great setup, the paintings around here, the bathroom setup. It feels very comforting; it feels very homey.”
Visiting the River City
By Jordan Bebout and Brenda Zelaya
Many people think of Jacksonville as a business hub, but our city is actually an ideal vacation destination.
Booming businesses, outdoor activities, and a rich cultural history make Jacksonville an ideal tourist town. You might think people visiting Jacksonville just slow down traffic and crowd the beach, but tourism is actually a 2.5 BILLION dollar industry that fuels our local economy.
The beach is a huge pull factor for visitors, as well as our proximity to St. Augustine and Savannah. Patty Jimenez from the Visit Jacksonville tourism center explains why people from all over the nation visit our city.
“A lot of people come here to go surfing and learn how to surf because of the way our beaches are,” said Jimenez. “We have gentle waves but we have big waves, so that gives an opportunity for beginners or for a relaxed surfing session.”
For one millennial traveler from the land-locked state of Idaho, Jax offers work and play.
Nikki Ward is in town for her job, but she’s also staying a few extra days for some vacation time. “I had a meeting over here by the beach, and you know when you’re this close you have to go take a peek at the ocean.”
She took pictures from the boardwalk leading to the shore for her friends and family back home.
According to a 2015 economic impact report, tourism creates and sustains more than 30,400 jobs in the food & beverage, retail, and recreation sectors. This means that 1 in every 20 Duval County jobs are a result of tourism.
Jacksonville offers a unique mix of indoor and outdoor activities, making it a premier vacation spot. So whether you want to see an athletic event, go paddleboarding, or peruse an art museum, the River City is the place to be.
Surf Life
By Joy Kader, Ryan Hennessey and Alexandra Torres-Perez
Bryan Thornton is a professor at the University of North Florida. Emilia Grace Hitchner is a journalist at the St. Augustine Recorder, and Ryan McFarland is a college student. What do these three people all have in common? Their love of the surf life.
Growing up in Hawaii, Bryan’s life has always revolved around surfing. However, he didn’t realize how important it was to him until he moved to Kansas for a job and couldn’t surf. He became desperate for the ocean, and decided to move to Jacksonville to be close to the waves again. He now goes to Hanna Park every morning despite of the weather.
Emilia can’t go surfing every day like Bryan due to her busy schedule, but that doesn’t stop her from surfing several times a week. She taught herself how to surf, and then decided that she wanted to teach others. Now, she instructs people of all ages at the Jax Surf and Paddle on Neptune Beach.
“It gives you a chance to really just enjoy nature and to take a break from how busy life is,” Emilia said. “It’s a way to step away from the craziness of life and really just find your Zen moment.”
Ryan also goes out to the beach several times a week. He wakes up early at 5:30 to get to the beach before sunrise. Due to weak waves here in Jacksonville, Ryan prefers to skim board rather than surf. Skim boarding is very similar to surfing, except he runs out to the waves and glides over the water closer to shore. Ryan has won several skimming competitions, and continues to compete as a professional skimmer today.
“What draws me towards skim boarding more than surfing is that I catch more waves when I skim than I do surfing, and there’s usually less crowds when you skim,” Ryan said.
Bryan, Emilia and Ryan all plan to continue surfing or skimming until their bodies are unable to do so anymore.
“Once you do it, you become addicted to it,” Bryan said. “The thrill, the excitement, the fun. When you think about it, you’re walking on water.”
The Jacksonville Port
By Karrah Johnson and Will Weber
Jacksonville is know for being the biggest city in the country, but what some people don’t now is that on the First Coast importing and exporting goods is pretty important as well. At the Jacksonville Port, over 8 million tons of cargo were handled last year alone.
The port is a staple of Jacksonville and a key to its economy – so important that Barack Obama paid a visit in 2013 and Donald Trump mentioned it by name in a recent campaign rally. It contributed an estimated 27 billion dollars to the regional economy each year and supports over 130,000 jobs.
At a prime location within minutes of both 195 and I10, the port has the strategic advantage of being able to distribute goods nearly anywhere in southeast America.
“We can reach 60 thousand consumers in the southeast United States within a one days truck drive,” Jacksonville Port Liason Nancy Rubin said.
It is the nation’s top vehicle handling port in America, and is the number one U.S. port handling trade with Puerto Rico, and Logistics Management Magazine recently named Jax Port the easiest port to do business with in the southern USA. This is a reputation which allows it to do business with 17 of the top 20 global ocean carriers.
The port is massive, constantly moving, and a hub for trade across the south, but competition from rivals in Georgia has forced JaxPort to make some massive changes.
There is one problem hurting Jaxport’s efficiency. It’s the depth. Right now JaxPort’s depth doesn’t allow fully-loaded ships to come into the harbor. This is the reason the port is set to break ground on a nearly 700-million dollar project to dredge the harbor floor, lowering the depth from 40-47 feet.
Port authorities estimate the deepening project could add millions of dollars in Asian exports to the Jacksonville economy and thousands of jobs.
“That ship would like to bring more cargo, it would like to leave with more cargo, but yes it can’t currently because the depth of our harbor,” Rubin said.
For every dollar invested into harbor deepening project, officials believe more than 24 dollars will be returned to the state of Florida. Although there are many people that support the project, not everyone is optimistic about the economic or environmental impact of a deeper port.
UNF Sociology Professor David Jaffee is one of the most vocal critics of the dredging project. Jaffee says the port’s assumption that a deeper harbor will lead to more cargo isn’t the slam-dunk many make it out to be.
“From my perspective it will be a monumental waste of taxpayer dollars,” Jaffee said.
Right now, ports in Savannah and Charleston handle approximately 80 percent of the regions far East exports. And with a 5-billion dollar deep-water terminal headed for the Savannah River, critics question if the investment will make JaxPort the first-in, last-out port of the southeast.
“So you’ve got all these east coast ports competing for uh pretty much the same cargo,” Jaffee said. “If Jacksonville get to 47 feet they will be no deeper than Savannah, they will be no deeper than Charleston, and therefore there will be no net competitive advantage.”
The proposal to dredge has been a goal for years, but securing funding has left its future in doubt. Brian Taylor resigned without warning this March, leaving the port searching for a leader as it prepares to break ground this year.
It’s a massive investment, which could lead to an even bigger payoff. But for Jacksonville Citizens, only time will tell.
Acro-yoga
By: Doug Markowitz & Kayla Davis
Acro-yoga is a unique mixture of partner acrobatics, Thai massage and yoga. It allows for those that do it to build trust not only with themselves as they stretch their bodies to achieve new positions, but also with their partner as they form close bonds with each other.
“I love the community, it’s great,” says Anne Steel, who has been doing acro-yoga for two years. “What appealed to me in the beginning was just being able to do moves I did when I was younger – gymnastics moves – and I could do them on another person.”
Acro-yoga appeal doesn’t just appeal to those that have a background in gymnastics and acrobatics. It also finds favor with those looking to increase their body’s physical capabilities in a group setting.
“It brings a lot of what I like about physical culture and takes it out of my individualistic headspace,” says Jack Carter, who has been doing acro-yoga for three years. “Like I’m working on everything I can do, and then all of a sudden brings a partner involved, possibly a trio.”
Carter still sees the sport as a fun and ever-changing adventure.
“It’s a lot of mastering yourself and your fears and being able to control your body and space, but then all the elements of interpersonal relationships and trust layered on top of that,” he says.
Beginners in acro-yoga may see the activity as scary or hard to master. But both Carter and Steel agree that practice is key.
“There’s a lot of people I’ve done acro with that, when we first started, we couldn’t do the harder moves,” says Steel, “and we’ve evolved into being able to do some of the standing acrobatics together.”
Carter believes that acro-yoga not only keeps one in decent shape, but also allows for additional flexibility and limberness. And according to 52-year-old Steel, the benefits may exceed even beyond that.
“I’m probably one of the oldest people that does acro,” she says. “I think it’s acro that keeps me young.”
When it comes to practicing on the beach, both Carter and Steel sometimes find the sand tricky to work on. But ultimately, the perks make the challenge worth it.
“It’s beautiful out here, you know?” says Carter. “This is why I live here. The weather, the beach, the proximity to the ocean, the sea breezes…”
Not only is the beautiful weather a perk of doing acro-yoga on the beach, but it’s also an easy way to get the word out about the discipline and get even more people interested.
“Beaches really draw people outside,” says Carter, “so we get to do what we do, enjoy the ocean, enjoy the weather, enjoy nature, and we also get to show off a little bit. People passing by might experience a little bit of what we do vicariously through us and decide when they get home ‘I can do that.’”
Invasive Species in Jacksonville
By: Al Huffman and Serena Summerfield
When people in Jacksonville use the St. Johns River for boating, commercial trading or fishing, people often take for granted how fragile the ecosystem can be. Whether it’s caused by people or not, one of the problems that people should always be on the lookout for are invasive species.
It doesn’t have to be an unknown creature to become invasive. Director of the Marine Science Program at Jacksonville University Dr. Dan McCarthy said even common aquarium fish can be a problem.
“So anytime somebody [a species of fish/plants] new comes in, we go, ‘Hmmm.. Are you going to be a problem?’” McCarthy said. “One of them in particular, plecos, are algae eaters.”
He said the problem is that people who buy the fish sometimes get tired of them and need to get rid of them. These fish owners think they are being nice by flushing them when they should be euthanizing them.
After being flushed into the river, plecos often grow to large sizes. Since they’re armor plated they don’t have natural predators to keep them in check. Also, Pleco fish can destroy riverbanks they burrow into.
However, not all issues are caused by animals; some are plants.
In the late 1800s, an invasive plant called the Water Hyacinth completely clogged up the St. Johns River. Bureau Chief of the St Johns River Water Management District Steve Miller Chemical described the damage the plant is capable of.
“So I want you to imagine going out on your boat and launching in into the St. Johns river and not being able to move because there’s a raft of vegetation in front of you that you literally can’t get through,” Miller said.
Miller said chemical treatments and careful observation have helped keep the issue from reoccurring, but encourages anyone who sees Water Hyacinth floating on the river to remove it.
For more information on invasive species and how to help control them, contact the St. Johns Water Management District.
The last weekend of the month check program guide for time. CW-17 | Comcast Cable 9 and HD Cable 435
Follow Inside Jax on Twitter
Who’s excited for our special edition of Inside Jacksonville? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️ #jacksonville #tpcsawgrass
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TONIGHT AT 6 | A football coach teaches the life-lesson of loss, more important than the loss on the field on @yourjaxcw17 #football #jacksonville #unf #raines
TONIGHT AT 6 | Local non-profit saves the lives of some unexpected Jacksonville creatures on @yourjaxcw17 #cattyshackranch #jacksonville #unf
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School of Communication | University of North Florida | 1 UNF Drive, Building 14D | Jacksonville, FL 32224 | (904) 620-2651
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News > Technology > New academy to help Europe meet big data skills gap
New academy to help Europe meet big data skills gap
Open University researchers are behind an innovative project to establish a European Data Science Academy (EDSA)
The academy will be a new online platform for training data scientists across Europe. It will also help organisations and businesses across the EU meet the urgent demand for professionals with the skills to manage big data.
Demand for professionals with the skills to manage large amounts of data is expected to grow by 160% by 2020, creating nearly 56,000 jobs per year in the UK alone.
The development of the EDSA will create a supply of professionals with the knowledge and skills to help businesses remain competitive in an increasingly data-heavy environment.
The project will be led by the OU’s Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) – the University’s research centre for cognitive and learning sciences, artificial intelligence and semantic technologies, and multimedia. Professor John Domingue, deputy director of KMi will be co-ordinating the project.
With investment of €2.9m (£2.2m) from the EU, development of the EDSA will draw on the expertise of a number of leading educational institutions and data science research organisations from across Europe. Educational institutions involved in the creation of the EDSA are: the Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia), Kungiga Tekniska Hoegskolan (Sweden), the University of Southampton, and the Technisce Universiteit Eindhoven (Netherlands). Other organisations involved are: the London-based Open Data Institute (ODI) which was founded by the creator of the Web – Tim Berners-Lee, Fraunhofer IAIS a leading German applied research institute, Idexlab, a French open innovation company, and Persontyle, a UK social enterprise focused on numeracy and data science.
The European Data Science Academy is due to start offering courses from late 2015.
KMi is the OU’s research centre for Cognitive and Learning Sciences, Artificial Intelligence and Semantic Technologies, and Multimedia. For further information please visit: https://kmi.open.ac.uk/
For further information on The European Data Science Academy please visit: https://edsa-project.eu/
data-skills research the-open-university
Third of researchers considering leaving sector in three years – Wellcome Trust
A survey by the Wellcome Trust suggests an 'unkind and aggressive' research culture could drive people out of the profession
Horizon: UK should not spend ‘sizeable’ funds replicating EU research programme, report says
The independent government report suggested a domestic alternative to the European Research Council and said two-year stabilising funds would be needed
Nottingham University launches Institute of Policy and Engagement
The knowledge transfer initiative will bring all of Nottingham's policy analysis and development under one roof
Knowledge exchange: £10m project pushes student involvement
A joint competition from Office for Students and Research England aims to learn more about how students can participate in knowledge transfer
University collaboration offers ‘real benefits for patients’ in Yorkshire
A new applied health research centre brings together experts from the Universities of Leeds, University of Bradford and the local NHS
How can universities make research pay?
Monetising university research isn’t new, but an intensified focus on commercialisation has led to some innovative approaches in bringing products to market. Julie Ferry finds out more
Unconditional offers rise by more than 3,900% in five years
New research conducted by the Office for Students highlights concerns over the increasing trend for unconditional offers, with 111,700 offered in 2018 compared to just 3,000 in 2013.
HESA and Jisc eye merger to create data-digi superpower
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Jisc could join forces to create a consolidated agency for data-led, digitally enabled higher education
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Midnight Sister
Minneapolis: September 18 to September 19, 2017
Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from September 18 to September 19, 2017.
Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.
Best Coast is currently touring in support of their latest, California Nights, out now on Harvest Records. ....
Brilliant Beast
Opening up the show was Brilliant Beast, featuring siblings Hannah and Jordan (who was apparently a massive Morrissey fan). They recently released a split EP with fellow Minneapolis band Fury Things, …
at Turf Club
Monday 09/18/2017 (7:30pm/$20)
turfclub.net
California’s Best Coast just headed out on tour to open up for Paramore… in between dates, the duo (Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno) decided to book some headlining show - one of which is this Monday’s Turf Club in St Paul.
You might recall that we recently saw Bruno with Imaad Wasif earlier in August 2017.
Local brother/sister band Brilliant Beast (Hannah and Jordan Porter) to open.
9/11/17 Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
9/12/17 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
9/13/17 Oxon Hill, MD @ The Theater
9/14/17 Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's *
9/15/17 Detroit, MD @ Fox Theater
9/16/17 Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
9/18/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club *
9/19/17 Sioux City, IA @ Orpheum Theatre
9/20/17 Rapid City, SD @ Ursa Major *
9/21/17 Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
9/22/17 Orem, UT @ UCCU Center
9/24/17 Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre
9/25/17 Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone *
9/26/17 Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
9/27/17 Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
9/28/17 Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling Music Festival
9/29/17 Sugar Land, TX @ Smart FInancial Centre
9/30/17 Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theater
10/2/17 Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
10/4/17 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/5/17 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall *
10/7/17 Boston, MA @ Boston Opera House
10/8/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
10/10/17 Bethlehem, PA @ Sands Bethlehem
10/11/17 Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall *
10/12/17 Montreal, QC @ Theatre St. Denis
10/13/17 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
10/15/17 Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theater
10/16/17 Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre *
10/17/17 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
* - headlining show
Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman was killed due to an alcohol-related cirrhosis (which is an alcoholic liver disease due to years of drinking), a coroner has confirmed. …
at First Avenue
Tuesday 09/19/2017 (7:30pm/$25)
first-avenue.com
What do you get when you cross Dave Lombardo (from Slayer) with Mike Patton (from Faith No More) and Justin Pearson & Michael Crain (of Retox)? You get Dead Cross. The supergroup’s debut self-title recorded came out on August 4th via Seizure & Desist Records.
Although the band may sound new, the truth is, they’ve been around since 2015, when they made their live debut with vocalist Gabe Serbian in December of that year. Unfortunately, Serbian left the group, so they’ve had to re-record their record … now with Mike Patton’s vocals.
They’ve booked a show at Riot Fest in Chicago this year, and as a special bonus, they’ve added Minneapolis to their limited tour dates for 2017.
Their special guests Secret Chiefs 3 will open.
09/10/2017 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
09/11/2017 Royale Nightclub Boston Boston, MA
09/12/2017 Gramercy Theatre New York, NY
09/13/2017 Warsaw Brooklyn, NY
09/15/2017 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI
09/16/2017 Riot Fest Chicago, IL
09/17/2017 Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
09/19/2017 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
09/20/2017 Liberty Hall Lawrence, KS
09/23/2017 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
First Avenue, to take a peek at Andrew WK's insane party show. He was playing all the songs off his I Get Wet album, I half expected his nose to start bleeding on stage… .…
Other shows in the area:
09/18/2017 Andrew W.K. party party party at First Avenue next Monday. Mark Mallman to open. 7pm, $20
09/18/2017 Milwaukee’s punky rapper Juiceboxxx is playing the Minneapolis Eagles Club #34 on Monday. As of this writing, I couldn’t find a listing on the venue’s website for additional information, such as time or cover cost. 8pm, $?
09/19/2017 Tops and Faith Healer (aka Jessica Jalbert) will be playing the 7th Street Entry. 7pm, $10
09/19/2017 Vagabon (aka Lætitia Tamko) will be at Triple Rock Social Club on Tuesday. When Vagabon isn’t too busy opening up for Teagan & Sara, she’s taking her friend Nnamdi Ogbonnaya on tour. Vagabon’s debut record Infinite Worlds is out now on Father/Daughter Records. Ogbonnaya was meant to play here last June 2017 but that show was canceled due to some controversial accusations with the main band Pwr Bttm. 8pm, $10
09/19/2017 Midnight Sister continues their tour in support of their debut record Saturn Over Sunset (out this week on Jagjaguwar). The duo (Juliana Giraffe and Ari Balouzian) was supposed to play Turf Club on Tuesday with D.D Dumbo, but unfortunately, the show has been canceled.
vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic
Posted by W♥M on Sunday, 10 September 2017 at 10:59 PM in Andrew WK, Best Coast, Brilliant Beast, DD Dumbo, Dead Cross, Faith Healer, Faith No More, Juiceboxxx, Midnight Sister, Mike Patton, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Music Guide, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, Retox, Slayer, Tops, Vagabon, Vu | Permalink | Comments (0)
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info@wincove.com
Wincove Acquires Wesco Industrial Products to join Bluff Manufacturing in Serving the Material Handling and Warehouse Safety Products Markets
NORTH WALES, PA and FORT WORTH, TX– January 16, 2018 –Wesco Industrial Products and Bluff Manufacturing have combined under Wincove Private Holdings. Joining together, Wesco and Bluff will expand their comprehensive material handling and warehouse safety solutions to benefit customers both domestically and internationally. Aligning the two companies will greatly enhance their offerings, delivering even greater value to their vast distribution networks. Together, they are exceptionally well positioned for growth.
Wincove creates long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders by partnering with business owners, entrepreneurs and management teams to build market-leading companies. With offices in Boston and New York, Wincove has a permanent capital base, and can therefore stay invested in its partner companies for an unlimited time horizon. The firm expects to continue to invest in the material handling industry, supporting companies that facilitate the robust growth in procurement, and improve industrial safety.
“We are very pleased about our partnership with Bluff Manufacturing and the support of Wincove in bringing us together”, said George Galla, President of Wesco Industrial Products.
Andrea Curreri, President of Bluff Manufacturing said “Wesco and Bluff are a great fit. This pairing creates an opportunity for us to provide a broader product offering and better service to our customers. The synergy between the two companies goes beyond product to people and processes, which will translate to greater value in the marketplace.”
About Bluff Manufacturing
For 50 years, Bluff Manufacturing has been recognized as an innovative leader in the fabrication and design of high quality dock, warehouse, and safety equipment. Products include yard ramps, dock boards, dock levelers, mezzanines, cantilever racks, stairways, free standing conveyor support structures, catwalks, work platforms, and caged ladders. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Bluff serves the Americas through a national distributor network, and the company’s distribution warehouses ensure quick delivery. For additional information about Bluff Manufacturing, visit www.bluffmanufacturing.com
About Wesco Industrial Products
From its humble beginnings in 1948, in a small garage in Philadelphia, Wesco has grown to become a leading supplier of quality material handling products. Starting with the design and manufacture of steel hand trucks and then expanding into drum handling equipment, the company has built a solid reputation for dependable, well-made products. Based in Philadelphia, Wesco also has a full line of vending and appliance trucks, platform trucks, stackers, pedalifts and lift tables. For additional information about Wesco Industrial Products, visit www.wescomfg.com
About Wincove Private Holdings, LP
Wincove Private Holdings is an investment holding company that creates long-term capital appreciation for its shareholders by partnering with business owners, entrepreneurs and management teams to build market-leading companies. For additional information about Wincove, visit www.wincove.com
©2020 Wincove Private Holdings. All rights reserved.
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Home What we do About us News & awards Contact Shop
New Wingspan Ian Hislop film is Fake NewsRead more...
Ian Hislop's Fake News
Ian Hislop’s sharp provocative take on 200 years of Fake News and its consequences – from Victorians on the moon to 21st century deepfake (and Hislop as never seen before!)
Fake news is never out of today's headlines. But in this latest Ian Hislop documentary taking the long view of a hot-button issue, he discovers fake news raking in cash or wreaking havoc long before our own confused, uncertain times. Ian mines history to identify what motivates fake news - from profit, power and politics to prejudice, paranoia and propaganda – as well as to try to figure out what to do about it. In America and back home Ian meets, amongst others, someone whose fake news stories have reached millions and a victim of fakery alleged to be a mastermind of the spurious paedophile ring ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy. Viewers also get to see Ian doing something that's never been captured on film before – as he gets a taste of what it's like to be 'deepfaked'.
In 1835, New Yorkers were fooled by one of the most entertaining and successful fake news scoops of all time - an, er, lunatic tale of flying man-bats spied on the moon through the world’s most powerful telescope. The Moon Hoax story ran in a cheap, new tabloid - its appropriate name: ‘The Sun’. Within decades, a circulation war waged between two pioneering press barons - Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst - was seen by many as causing a real war - between America and Spain. Meanwhile, another American conflict, the Civil War of the 1860s, had proved that photography, which initially promised new standards of accuracy, also brought new ways of lying. Ian looks at the battlefield images of pioneering photojournalist Alexander Gardner, who achieved ends by means which would be judged unethical today. He also encounters the spooky 'spirit photography' of William Mumler.
Ian also digs into one of the most pernicious conspiracy theories of all time, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’. He is disturbed to find this virulently anti-Semitic tract available with one click and rave reviews on Amazon, despite comprehensive factual debunking a century ago. Ian also ponders the consequences of official British fake news-mongering. During WW1, lurid stories were spread about German factories manufacturing soap from corpses. But a consequence of such black propaganda was to undermine the currency of trust in government - rather like, Ian notes, the absence of WMDs in Iraq has more recently.
To understand more about the current crisis, Ian meets James Alefantis, owner of the Washington DC pizzeria who fell victim to the ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy. He also quizzes ex-construction worker Christopher Blair, a controversial figure sometimes dubbed 'the godfather of fake news'. He discusses how frightened we should be about fake news, and what can be done about it, with Damian Collins MP who chaired the Parliamentary Inquiry into Fake News.
Collins argues that today's tech giants – Facebook in particular - should be taking even more active steps to take down disinformation. But that path also has its perils, as Ian finds out when he resurrects the extraordinary story of Victoria Woodhull, a woman who sued the British Museum for libel in the 1890s. This pioneering American feminist - the first woman who ran to be President - was an early victim of what today would be termed "slut-shaming". But does combatting lies give anyone the right to censor the historical record and limit free speech?
****’'Highly entertaining documentary….Hislop was variously playful, concerned, droll and exasperated in an intelligent film that treated the viewers as if we have a brain, which makes a nice change.’ (Carol Midgley, The Times)
'****’A gleeful and thought-provoking romp' (Daily Mail)
'funny but frightening' (Inside Soap)
'a superb, hilarious and deeply troubling example of deep-fake video manipulation is just one highlight in a film that is more than a history of fakery in the media, though it is that, too. … Essential viewing for our times.’ (Gerard O’Donovan, Daily Telegraph Review)
'Excellent... The historical examples are fascinating but it is the modern-day instances that will make you sweat….It’s a superb documentary. But then you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the papers.’ (Chris Bennion, The Times)
**** ‘Impressively detailed... I found this film fascinating … it was full of alarming stories.’ (Sarah Carson, the i)
‘entertaining but fundamentally serious’ (Radio Times)
First tx at 9pm, Monday, October 7th on BBC Four
Produced and Directed by Peter Sweasey
Edited by Richard Wilkinson
Executive Producer - Archie Baron
© Wingspan Produtions 2020 | Website by JW Web Development
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Word Behind Words
Divine significance in the every day
Rock-A-Gesis
Freevos
Styx says you’re Fooling Yourself
RyanDunn / August 19, 2016
Who was Styx’s frontman? Dennis DeYoung feels right. I think a straw poll taken on the streets would reveal that most people see DeYoung as the front man (it’s also likely to reveal that the average American does not have name-by-name recognition of Styx). DeYoung has the more distinctive voice. He took the lead on Styx’s most memorable, enduring tunes.
And yet, by sheer hit-song volume, Tommy Shaw could claim the mantle of band front man:
Dennis DeYoung:Babe ,Lady, Come Sail Away, Mr Roboto, Don’t Let It End
Tommy Shaw: Too Much Time on My Hands, Fooling Yourself, Renegade, Blue Collar Man
Styx is a band with confused identity. It does not fit into stereotypical roles: lead singer, guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer… Who is the lead singer here?
Describing the lead singer role in Styx is like describing the Holy Trinity: every attempt breaks down in the end. Shaw and DeYoung are one in lead singer-ship. Two distinct voices yet co-equal. One does not proceed from the other.. and yet the band cannot exist without one nor the other. Defining Styx’s lead singer-ship is best resolved in mystery.
ANYWAYS, the band has a confused identity, but the individuals within do not. They are men with value and worth. How do we know? Because “Fooling Yourself” from 1977’s The Grand Illusion tells us.
The song is Tommy Shaw’s pep talk for a troubled young man. The young man is convinced the world has beaten him. He’s convinced he’s amounted to nothing. The song’s lyrics imply he’s lost his sense of worth. He’s failed in his dreams. He had some big ideas about what he was going to be, but they’re lost. He tried, but the world ripped them away. Instead his future dreams now include being an “alright guy” who’s seen every episode of “Seinfeld” and can make his own barbecue sauce.
But for Tommy, who tells him: “That’s not who you are, man! You are not a failure. You have value and worth. And are defined by so much more.”
We all have that identity. We are all the angry young man. And if we start believing that we are beings without worth, value, or promise, then we are fooling ourselves, too. Indeed, the world will sometimes tell us we don’t matter. Politicians will tell us that some of us belong and others don’t. Street corner preachers may holler to us that we are filthy creatures awaiting punishment.
But to believe such things is to fool ourselves. But we know that. There is something within us that understands we each have value. Sometimes we need Tommy Shaw to remind us.
Perhaps we perceive a sense of self-value because the force which created us imprinted us that way. Perhaps, actually, we believe we have worth because the Creator believes we do.
The voice of religion often tells us that we’re not measuring up. It often hollers at us to try harder. That voice is calling us towards living into potential, but it sometimes misses the point. Perhaps the voice needs to take some cues from Tommy: remind the whole of humanity that we are individuals of infinite worth.
Hebrews 11 says that God is not ashamed to be called our God. We are valued creatures. The creator values and believes in the created.
I’d love to encounter a street corner who hollers at all passers-by: “You matter. You have infinite worth! Love surrounds you!”
You matter. You have infinite worth. Love surrounds you.
August 19, 2016 in Rock-A-Gesis. Tags: Fooling Yourself, hebrews, Identity, self-worth, Styx, value
David Bowie and the pressure of apathy
Happiness in the Legal Tender
Ain’t that America
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The god no one believes in →
jasonbilyeublog on The god no one believes in
Rainman on Voyeurs of the Divine
Rainman on The Land of the Drowned
6 Lies Creators Love to Believe
How to Write When You Don’t Want to Write
St Francis: One Quote
12 Quotes: NFL Coaches
Prayers for August 29, 2016
View ryanisdunn’s profile on Twitter
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RACV calls for law reform..
RACV calls for law reform on driverless cars
The RACV has called for laws to be introduced before driverless cars officially hit the roads.
It comes after the New South Wales government announced it would draft legislation for autonomous vehicles within the next 18 months.
Ross and John spoke with Brian Negus, General Manager of Public Policy at RACV, he says we’ll have driverless cars on our road within a decade.
‘What we’ll see is a gradual introduction, mainly on freeways to start with, maybe one lane dedicated to autonomous vehicles.’
‘Currently the law says there’s got to be a driver behind the wheel, they have to be in control of the vehicle.’ Mr Negus told 3AW Breakfast.
Click PLAY below to hear more
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3E Accounting Singapore as one of the Top 30 Accounting Firms
3E Accounting Singapore as one…
3E Accounting is immensely grateful and humbled to be able to get listed as One of the Top 30 Accounting Firms in Singapore. We are also featured in Singapore Business Review’s Magazine (The definitive magazine for Singapore’s Business Elite) for January 2016 issue – 3E Accounting banks on efficiency, economy, and effectiveness on the road to success. As one of Singapore’s top 30 accounting firms, 3E Accounting strives to stand out. On top of that, the article is also published on Hong Kong Business and Singapore Business Review’s website.
3E Accounting featured in Singapore Business Review’s Magazine for January 2016 issue
Singapore Business Review’s Magazine (The definitive magazine for Singapore’s Business Elite) write-up for 3E Accounting – 3E Accounting banks on efficiency, economy, and effectiveness on the road to success. As one of Singapore’s top 30 accounting firms, 3E Accounting strives to stand out.
We are pleased to have this article published on Hong Kong Business and Singapore Business Review’s website as well.
It has been one year since 3E Accounting, a leading company in Singapore, expanded to Malaysia – and during this short span of time, this steadily growing firm is already being recognized for their quality services to their clients.
To call 3E Accounting a mere accounting firm would be an understatement – they are the first accounting firm among the top 30 companies in Singapore that does not focus purely on typical accounting, tax and auditing work.
“We look beyond what an accountant should do and provide clients with one-stop-solution services to help them grow their business. From company incorporation matters to nominee director services, business license application, work pass application and smaller issues such as ordering of company stamp, company seal are part of our one-stop-solution services in addition to accounting and tax services,” says Lawrence Chai, managing director at 3E Accounting.
READ ALSO: Singapore Business Review’s 2014 Class of 40 and under
“3E Accounting is consistently striving to improve in everything that we do. We are always on the ball to provide the best value added services to our clients.”
As 3E Accounting is targeting growth in the form of expansion in all the ASEAN countries, “So far we have managed to shortlist a partner firm in Indonesia. We are actively marketing our network and are on the lookout for good firms from the ASEAN countries to start our negotiation with them for them to join our network as the one-stop-solution centre service provider in the region. We are planning to look into expanding into Hong Kong and China after we have established all our ASEAN members,” says Chai of their plans to expand into all ASEAN countries by 2017, if not sooner. “Our next target will be to venture into the wider Asia and global market.”
Top 30 Accounting Firms in Singapore, 2015
Our achievement as Top 30 Accounting Firms in Singapore has empower us to reach greater heights in the upcoming years. Moving forward, as 3E Accounting gains a foothold on the ASEAN and the rest of the global market, the firm is set on this direction: to become a top service provider in the field by focusing on efficient, high-value services to exceed client expectations. 3E Accounting will continue to strive to become the leading corporate services provider both in the region as well as globally.
• Hong Kong Business: Website Screenshot, PDF
• Singapore Business Review: Website Screenshot, PDF
3E Accounting wishes to thank Singapore Business Review and Hong Kong Business for the feature, all clients and staffs for the tremendous support.
READ ALSO: 3E Accounting Awarded The Highest Growth By OCBC Bank
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In Conversation with President Barack Obama
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Home » Tracking Cookies » Engage
Engage Removal Guide
Engage is known to be a tracking cookie. It was detected in 2000-2001 for the first time and it is already inactive, so it is not very likely that you will ever encounter it these days. Theoretically, even though this tracking cookie has been dead for a long time, you can still find it listed next to cookies from other websites on the web browser you use, but this would only be possible if you have been using the same web browser and computer all those years and have never reinstalled the Windows OS your device runs on, which, of course, is not very likely. Users who encounter Engage might not know anything about its presence on their computers for years because this tracking cookie is not some kind of malicious application that performs malicious activities. Usually, users find out that Engage has been dropped on their computers after checking the list of cookies on the web browser they normally use to surf the Internet. In some cases, they are informed about its presence on their computers after scanning their systems with an antimalware scanner. As mentioned, it is not very likely that you will find Engage on your PC, but if you do, you should eliminate this old tracking cookie right away. It is not malicious, but it will not improve your web browsing experience in any way because the website it used to be linked to no longer exists as well.
Our specialists could not test the Engage tracking cookie because it is unavailable; however, they have still managed to get some credible information about it. First of all, it has turned out that Engage is a tracking cookie, as you already know. Then, it has become clear that it used to be directly associated with Engage.com. Unfortunately, the original website is down too, so our researchers could not inspect it, but, according to them, it is very likely that this page was all about advertising, most likely, online advertising. Usually, tracking cookies do not perform any malicious activities. Instead, they are used to collect some information about users’ preferences and online behavior. While they are not considered very dangerous, they might still be related to privacy concerns. Their security depends on the types of information they collect about users. Needless to say, we do not recommend keeping cookies that collect personal details for unknown/unreliable companies. Luckily, it seems that Engage used to be dropped on users’ computers to record some non-personally identifiable information. According to researchers who have analyzed Engage, it is very likely that it was used to track ad campaigns, serve targeted ads, and track users. It is no longer active, but you should still remove it just in case if you detect it on your computer. You should do the same with other cookies dropped on your PC by untrustworthy websites you have opened by mistake or have been redirected to against your will.
Since tracking cookies, including Engage, are not as dangerous as malicious applications, they are not distributed using the same distribution methods. Research conducted by our specialists has confirmed that too. Most likely, Engage, like all other tracking cookies, are dropped on users’ computers after they visit certain websites, including those that are completely legitimate. Since the tracking cookie is dead, it would be best that you eliminate it completely if it happens that you find it on your computer. Tracking cookies might cause privacy concerns, so you should not visit shady websites if you do not want them dropped on your computer. A security application must be active on your system at all times as well.
If you have detected Engage on your PC, it would be best that you remove it. Cookies are not real computer threats, so it is usually quite easy to remove them, but, of course, if you know nothing about tracking cookies and their removal, you might find the manual Engage removal quite a challenge. Specialists working at 411-spyware.com have prepared the manual removal guide to make the removal of this and all other undesirable cookies a piece of cake. Yes, the manual removal guide you will find below can be used to remove other tracking cookies as well.
Delete Engage
Launch Internet Explorer.
Access the web browser’s menu (press Alt+F).
Open Internet Options and open the General tab under it.
Mark Cookies (or Cookies and website data).
Open Mozilla Firefox.
Click the menu button.
Access Library.
Open History and click Clear Recent History…
Set Time range to clear to Everything.
Click the arrow symbol next to Details and select Cookies.
Click Clear Now.
Start Google Chrome.
Access the menu and then click Settings.
Click Content settings under Privacy and security.
Click Cookies.
Select See all cookies and site data.
Click the Remove all button.
To confirm, click Clear all.
Download Remover for Engage *
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New Decade, New Approach
Decarbonising the Northern Ireland power system
Health: In crisis
Reform of adult social care
Promoting the Green agenda
Maintaining the structure: Infrastructure Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey
The evolving role of energy regulators
A change of culture
Back to basics: Danny Kinahan
The mayors and chairs of Northern Ireland
Future of education report
Mid Ulster report
Northern Ireland Yearbook 2019
Environment Ireland Yearbook 2020
Agribusiness magazine
Irish renewable energy magazine 2019
Home/Health and care services report/Procuring innovation in health
Health and care services report
Procuring innovation in health
Peter Wilson, Assistant Director of Procurement and Logistics in Business Services Organisation discusses how procurement is enabling innovation and change within health.
Operating as one of Business Services Organisation’s (BSO) shared services units, Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS), with its own discrete budget, influences close to £800 million of spend a year – a figure soon to rise to around £1.3 billion following regulation changes in 2015.
PaLS is responsible for handling around 2.7 million transactions annually and has an operating budget of £14.4 million. It is within this context that Peter Wilson sets out the ability of procurement to enable innovation and change within health care delivery.
Wilson highlights an understanding that in order to influence change and innovation outside of the business unit, the initial focus had to be internal. “I think for procurement to be valued as a service that provides innovation, you have to move from being a gatekeeper to being a guru,” he states.
While he admits that PaLS has not yet reached the height of guru status, the unit has adopted recognition of those functions which are critical to procurement being viewed as a vehicle to deliver innovation and change. “Innovating, informing, empowering, enriching and enabling should be what we want our service to be,” he adds.
“To achieve this, we needed to firstly examine our own services to ensure we are being innovative in what we do and how we do it. Excellent service will ensure we build trust, credibility, an understanding of customer needs, collaboration and earn respect from those that we look after.”
Wilson takes the opportunity to highlight that underpinning PaLS’ procurement role is the understanding that they deliver healthcare and assist in making people better.
With an inward focus on developing services that complement procurement and add value, Wilson outlines some of the measures taken by PaLS such as the introduction of Ward Inventory Management, a programme that is estimated to have returned around £750,000 worth of time back to nurses through PaLS-managed high density storage. Another innovation has come in the form of procure to pay solutions such as online catalogues and cloud invoicing which has shifted some 80 per cent of manual transactions to digital.
Digital capability has played a big role in change, as highlighted by Wilson. In striving for a paperless office, PaLS are now using tools such as eTendersNI for online evaluation, which he says is providing consistency across Centres of Procurement Expertise and has enabled the release of more time to clients when involved in evaluations.
“We have also used technology to improve our supply chain management through vendor managed inventory within the system, either on site or offsite,” he adds.
Wilson turns to some of the projects PaLS has been involved with in recent years in procuring innovation. Underpinning various projects is an involvement with the Partnering with Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).
“We have played an active part in running competitions for SBRI and helping BSO’s team to create transparency and develop products and solving problems that, in many instances, we didn’t know that we had.”
Completed projects to date include Medicines Optimisation, addressing poor adherence to medication and HOME, a project aimed at helping the elderly manage their medication at home.
Wilson describes such projects as “challenges that don’t have an automatic solution”. “That’s what SBRI is there to do,” he adds.
More recently, PaLS are partnered with SBRI in delivering more technology-enabled solutions such as PAIN, a digital platform to support patients managing chronic pain and CHAT, the re-engineering of care pathways using technology solutions.
Another aspect of innovation that PaLS has got involved in is that of pre-commercial procurement, which Wilson says is about bringing “rigour and transparency” to procuring innovation. A bid supported by PaLS around the MAGIC programme – exploring various options around how recovery from stroke could be improved – was the first successful recipient of funding from Horizon 2020 for a pre-commercial procurement project.
On PaLS’ ability to influence change, Wilson points to the Automated Laboratory Medicines System. In 2006, when moving to a category management system, PaLS brought together all of the heads of laboratories (then 17 Trusts) across the region to discuss procurement. The conversation naturally moved to practice and Wilson describes a scenario where questions were raised around existing differences.
“We offered a solution around the standardisation and procurement of laboratory equipment and consumables at a regional level. Those involved liked the idea and recognised wider opportunities,” explains Wilson.
“People tend to adapt and live with what they have rather than identify a problem that needs a solution … We need to change that mindset amongst clinicians and nurses where it is not already there.”
The standardisation of a range of laboratory specialisms in and around 2009 brought with it process, product and quality assurance and, as Wilson outlines, also meant that interchange was now possible.
“In standardising we built in contingency and protection which meant that if a system went down in one trust area, tests could still be conducted in another. Spinning out from that came a pathology review and the creation of a pathology network. We have expanded the number of specialisms involved and it’s been recognised as a really successful use of procurement to enable change.”
Turning to the challenges facing progress, Wilson outlines his belief that while an enhanced focus on compliance is welcome, to some extent it has stifled “ability or will” to take risks. “I think we need to think very hard about how we change that going forward,” he states.
One way of doing this, he suggests, is around co-design and making better use of pre-tendering engagement to deal with “that mindset of risk aversion”.
Finally, he recognises a psychological difficulty for clients to identify problems that need solved. “People tend to adapt and live with what they have rather than identify a problem that needs a solution,” he explains. “We need to change that mindset amongst clinicians and nurses where it is not already there.”
Creating agile and responsive procurement initiatives and creating time and space for stakeholder engagement are other challenges highlighted by the Assistant Director.
“I think the biggest challenges that we currently face in and around partnership with SBRI and pre-commercial procurement is establishing a pathway to take a product that we have helped fund the development of and transition that in to a product that we are buying. At the moment PaLS are not doing that well and it’s an area of focus for us.”
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IOWA STATE EXTENSION RELEASES ESTIMATED COST OF 2018 CROP PRODUCTION
Source: Iowa State University news release
The estimated costs of corn, corn silage, soybeans, alfalfa and pasture maintenance in this report are based on data from several sources. They include the annual Iowa Farm Business Association record summaries, production and costs data from the Departments of Economics, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and Agronomy at Iowa State University and a survey of selected agricultural cooperatives and other input suppliers around the state.
These cost estimates are representative of average costs for farms in Iowa. Very large or small farms may have lower or higher fixed costs per acre.
Due to differences in soil potentials, quantity of inputs used and other factors, production costs will vary from farm to farm. Price shifts for inputs can change production costs in both the short and long run.
The data reflect average cost of purchased inputs and a return to land and labor resources, but do not provide a margin for profit or a return to management. They reflect production costs only, and do not include costs of storage.
Labor has been treated as a fixed cost because most labor on Iowa farms is supplied by the operator, family or permanent hired labor. However, when deciding among alternative crops, labor should be considered a variable cost. The wage rate used here is $14.00 per hour.
The hours assumed per crop are presented in the budgets. The hours per crop acre include not only the field work but also time for maintenance, travel and other activities related to crop production. The land charge is based on rent equivalent. Owned land may require a greater or lesser cash outlay.
In the short run, cash income must be sufficient to pay cash costs, including seed, fertilizer, chemicals, insurance, cash rent and hired labor, as well as machinery fuel and repairs and interest on operating capital. In the long run, income should be sufficient to pay all costs of production for resources to be used in their most profitable alternative.
Corn yields reflect rotation effects. Fertilizer rates have been adjusted to reflect current data on removal and application rates. Crop insurance costs reflect revenue crop protection at an 80 percent coverage level for a typical farm in Iowa.
Machinery costs reflect both new and used equip�ment. The machine operations assumed are based on the 2000 Crop Production Practices Survey conducted by the Iowa Agricultural Statistics Service and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach publication Estimating the Field Capacity of Farm Machines (AgDM File A3-24). The Estimated Machinery Costs table can be used to budget other tillage and harvesting systems.
Estimates represent typical costs and are only intended to be guidelines. Actual costs will vary considerably and can be entered in the column for "Your Estimates." Electronic spreadsheets for developing crop production budgets are available on the Ag Decision Maker website, www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm.
Budgets for alfalfa hay establishment with an oat companion crop and by direct seeding are included in this publication. Annual production costs for established alfalfa or alfalfa-grass hay as well as a budget for maintaining grass pastures are included as well.
Two low-till budgets, one for corn and one for soy�beans, are included. The major differences between the low-till and conventional budgets are the preharvest machinery, labor, herbicide and seeding costs. The soybean budgets are for herbicide toler�ant varieties. A strip-till budget is also included.
Estimated Costs of Crop Production in Iowa -- 2018
View past publications of the Estimated Costs of Production -- 2000-2014.
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Cross the ancient city, north to south
> Naples
> Cross the ancient city, north to south
Discover the famous Spaccanapoli, the ancient Roman street which splits the city in two in its historic centre, for a family outing.
In Spaccanapoli, plunge into one of the most characteristic and animated neighbourhoods of Naples' historic centre. Consisting, really, of only two streets, via Benedetto Croce and via San Biagio dei Librai, Spaccanapoli bisects the city. From each side, wander the narrow side streets and gaze upon the many palazzos, churches, cloisters and chapels, boutiques, arts and crafts shops, and trattorie. A must-see: the Piazza del Gésu Nuovo with its monumental church and its ‘Spire of the Immaculate Conception', which date from the 16th century.
See the Travel Guide to Naples
Book your flight to Naples
exploration art and culture
The Gulf of Naples, land of fire and water
Poetry and Art Nouveau at the Gambrinus
Encounter the Gods at the National Archaeological Museum
Il Comandante, table with a view
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Review - After the Dance, National Theatre
« Hey, Jude. Never mind. At least your face matches your slippers
Review – A Swell Party, Cadogan Hall »
Review – Zorro the Musical, Garrick Theatre
Gasp! The mark of the Whingers!
Michael Billington gave it four stars in The Guradian; so did Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail.
What could possibly pique your curiosity more?
What further motivation could you need to entice you to the Garrick see a musical based on the legend of Zorro with music by the Gipsy Creams Kings?
What in all the heavens is this artistic creation which can unite left and right, highbrow and lowbrow in a big old bear-hug of bonhomie? Who is Zorro (the musical)?
To be fair, the Whingers did have a further reason for going.
If you think about it – although you almost certainly haven’t – the Whingers have their own spooky parallels with Zorro.
He is a mysterious, handsome, athletic and slightly camp hero who avenges the injustices inflicted on the oppressed underdogs of 1805 California.
And Andrew and Phil delude themselves into believing that they are mysterious, handsome, athletic heroes avenging the injustices inflicted on innocent theatregoers at 1930 or 2000 Monday to Saturday (plus mats).
Phil also thinks that Andrew is a bit camp sometimes.
Anyway, would Zorro be the Whingers’ new Xanadu (currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg in its Broadway cast incidentally) or would there be flaming Zzzzs emanating from Andrew’s gob? Would they get carried along by the rapturous joy of gipsy jinx or would the pulsating footbeats of the flamenco be drowned out by the sound of the Whingers stomping out before the interval?
Remember this was the same theatre that, earlier this year, offered board and lodgings to that veritable Spanish stinker Peter Pan – El Musical, even though the Whingers didn’t actually get round to seeing it.
So the level of anticipation was as high as Andrew’s personal hygiene standards in the overly warm Garrick Theatre which incidentally went way beyond the call of duty in recreating the warmth of the show’s Spanish and California settings by turning the auditorium into a furnace. This immediately put paid to one of the Whingers’ many theories regarding the show’s ecstatic reception – that the management had slipped some mood-enhancing narcotic (possibly based on some kind of cactus) into the air conditioning. There was no air conditioning.
Anyway, for the first 20 minutes or so the Whingers sat with their arms folded across their (athletic) chests in that “Go on then, entertain me” position that they sub-consciously adopt when seeing things that have received enthusiastic reviews.
Now as anyone who has had the misfortune to sit through an entire first act of flamenco at Sadlers Wells can tell you – a little of it goes a very long way indeed. And 20 minutes in – with a lot of stomping and hurried exposition nothing in the way of a showtune – the Whingers were feeling – in spite of the lack of air conditioning – rather frosty about the whole thing.
But in the face of such fun, such charm, such joie de vivre, such good humour, such self-effacement, such swashbuckling, such panto, such action, such sets, such wigs, such good humour they suddenly and quite uncharacteristically melted.
And it didn’t matter a jot that some of the numbers sounded like Eurovision entries from years gone by when Spanish (rather than Eastern European) rhythms were the sound du jour.
Matt Rawle is delightful as Diego/Zorro – he’s both dashing and charming and proves a talented deliverer of comic lines as when his sweetheart Luisa (Emma Williams) complains that she and Zorro are not equals because although he can see her face, she cannot see his. With an air of great mysteriousness he redundantly replies: “That is because I am wearing a mask”.
All of the main characters hit the mark: Adam Levy makes a genuinely scary nasty villain and Nick Cavaliere is terrific as the hapless and down-trodden Captain Garcia.
But just as the characters in Zorro ask, “Who is the man behind the mask?” the Whingers were asking each other the much more pertinent question “Who is Lesli Margherita (gipsy woman Inez)?” and why haven’t they seen her before?
Margherita was already pandering to Andrew’s sensibilities by being named after a vegetarian pizza and to Phil’s by sounding suspiciously like his cocktail of choice. The Whingers couldn’t take their eyes off her and as every foot stomping dance routine seemed to top the last with a swirl of colour and energetic movement eyes were drawn to her extraordinary star quality. Flinging herself into every routine with the enthusiasm Phil and Andrew normally only see in each other at last orders the poor woman even managed to maintain her incredible vivacity dressed in red velvet and in Garrick Theatre temperatures which would top an August night in Malia.
So hooked was Andrew that he declared that from now on he will only be going to see shows which feature Lesli Margherita.
Full marks as ever to Paul Kieve for his delightful sleights of hand, to director Christopher Renshaw for the paciness,fluidity and extremely well-judged tone, to lighting designer Ben Ormerod and to designer Tom Piper for the most extraordinarily nimble set which transforms itself completely within mere seconds – the National Theatre should take him on now and for ever.
And, of course, the Whingers bow deeply to stunt co-ordinator Terry King for the top notch sword-fighting which Rawle and Levy go at like hammer and tongs – thrilling stuff.
And so it was that 2 hours and 40 minutes of what to the Whingers had looked on paper like a perfect recipe for disaster simply flew by. And while the Whingers weren’t quite on their feet with the rest of the audience at the end (and while if they never hear “Bamboleo” again in what little is left of their lives it will be too soon) they had a whale of a time.
What’s Zorro‘s secret? On that the Whingers are none the wiser but they didn’t have much time to think about it – a routine medical check revealed that their cynicism levels were dangerously low and the temperature of their hearts had alarmingly risen above the level of “cold”.
Doctors have advised them to see something at the National Theatre as soon as possible.
This doesn’t really do it justice:
The enthusiasm exuding from the cast, (who look like they’re having as good a time as the audience) seems to extend to the front of house staff. When confronted by the Whingers, demanding to know how much two programmes cost, the delightfully cheerful sales girl struggled to come up with an answer. She proved to be the biggest sport of the evening by not being the slightest bit phased by Andrew’s follow up query: “In that case, how much would one bag of crunchy chocolate nuggets, a tube of lockets, two Zorro masks and two programmes cost?”
This entry was posted on Friday 8 August 2008 at 8:51 am and is filed under Adam Levy, Ben Ormerod, Christopher Renshaw, Emma Williams, entertainment, Garrick Theatre, Gipsy Kings, Helen Edmundson, Isabel Allende, John Cameron, Lesli Margherita, London, Matt Rawle, musical, musicals, Paul Kieve, review, Stephen Clark, Terry King, The Gipsy Kings, theatre, Tom Piper, west end.
Tags: Adam Levy, Ben Ormerod, Christopher Renshaw, Emma Williams, entertainment, Garrick Theatre, Gipsy Kings, Helen Edmundson, Isabel Allende, John Cameron, Lesli Margherita, Matt Rawle, musical, Paul Kieve, review, Stephen Clark, Terry King, The Gipsy Kings, theatre, Tom Piper, west end
16 Responses to “Review – Zorro the Musical, Garrick Theatre”
Andrew (a west end whinger) Says:
Friday 8 August 2008 at 11:05 am
Oh, and by the way, a big thank you to Andrew, Whetstone whose comment prompted us to consider going to see Zorro and almost certainly influenced our decision more than either MB or QL did.
Friday 8 August 2008 at 2:44 pm
Confession. I was just waiting for your review to decide whether to see this or not, now I have to! Cheers you guys and love the mark of the Whingers! By the by, who does your artwork?
Well, we would do it ourselves but Phil’s eyesight isn’t what it was and Andrew’s hand shakes quite alarmingly so West End Whingers Enterprises now employs a team of artists based in our off-shore South Korea site.
Wow. I am quite shocked. I’ll have to go and see this one now.
webcowgirl Says:
Saturday 9 August 2008 at 3:45 pm
Jaw hanging open here. Did they steal all of the magic from The Wiz? There certainly was a vacuum of it in the Royal Festival Hall, though the air conditioning was working well … coincidence?
Anyway, the rest of the gang (Sue, Simone, etc.) … shall we try to go together?
I remember reading First Night review in the Guardian, and based on that would never have expected such enthusiasm. To the National with you! And to the Garrick for us to decide for ourselves.
re: the mark of the Whingers, I was going to be very impressed if Andrew had expanded his artistic toolbox beyond root vegetables.
That sounds like an excellent idea, webcowgirl.
webcowgirl/Sue: Oh yeah I am up for it, but I am afraid I will only be available starting October as I am away on holiday, but if you want to see it soon it’s okay if you want to go ahead, we can catch a different one another time, maybe an outing with the WEW! 🙂
she with he of Xanadu on stage seating Says:
Monday 18 August 2008 at 11:29 am
Totally agree that this is hugely enjoyable camp codswallop, but I am surprised that you have not noted the remarkable similarity of Ms Margherita (as Inez) with the winning entry of the vegetable sculpture category of this year’s Lambeth Country Show.
Michael M. Landman-Karny Says:
Friday 22 August 2008 at 10:20 pm
Lesli Margherita is a Los Angeles based musical theatre actress that have had great sucess in Reprise shows such as “Zorba” and “Damn Yankees”. Reprise is LA’s answer to NY’s Encores- it stages semi-staged Broadway show revivals. She was also a regular on the short-lived American TV show “Fame-LA” in 1997.
September Theatre preview « Webcowgirl’s Theatre Reviews Says:
Wednesday 27 August 2008 at 7:41 pm
[…] from the Whingers so I said yes anyway. 17 September Wednesday: Zorro. Shoot me, but (once again!) the Whingers said it was great, so I’m going. (Actually it’s a bit of a surprise that they said it was great, since […]
Review - “Zorro” (the musical) - Garrick Theater « Webcowgirl’s Theatre Reviews Says:
Friday 17 October 2008 at 11:06 am
[…] the second half of the stalls, and I think it will be just about a perfect evening! (Thanks to the Westend Whingers for the recommendation – I would never have bothered […]
Thanks for the recommendation, guys! Other than our shockingly crap seats (hadn’t had such bad ones since I got third balcony to see Spamalot), it was really a good night!
Zorro the Musical « Feigned Mischief Says:
Saturday 22 November 2008 at 9:01 pm
[…] have been planning to see this after the West End Whingers gave it such a very good review and now that my friends happened to be visiting, I thought they ought to see at least one good show […]
Webcowgirl’s review of London theater 2008 « Webcowgirl’s Theatre Reviews Says:
Thursday 15 January 2009 at 2:57 pm
[…] bad: a completely crap show. They’ve sent me to shows I wouldn’t have considered (Zorro) and done their best to save me from the dogs (Gone With The Wind – The Musical! – saved! Fram – […]
Zorro the Musical – Reviews | London Theatre Breaks Says:
[…] “a whale of a time” : West End Whingers Tagged as: Adam Levy, Emma Williams, gypsy kings, Lesli Margherita, Matt Rawle, Nick Caveliere, Reviews, zorro, zorro reviews […]
Leave a Reply to she with he of Xanadu on stage seating Cancel reply
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Top Ten Tuesday: Inspirational/Thought-Provoking Book Quotes (The John Buchan Edition)
April 30, 2019 whatcathyreadnext4 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.
The rules are simple:
Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.
This week’s topic is Inspirational/Thought-Provoking Book Quotes. As a John Buchan nerd, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to construct my list from some of his many books, fiction and non-fiction.
“A man may be tired of the country, but when he is tired of London he is tired of life.” Samuel Johnson in Midwinter
“Of all the good gifts of a beneficent Providence to men…I think that none excels a well-appointed inn.” Samuel Johnson in Midwinter
“[…]the true task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” The King’s Grace
“A fool tries to look different: a clever man looks the same and is different.” Richard Hannay in The Thirty-Nine Steps
“Every man at the bottom of his heart believes that he is a born detective.” Edward Leithen in The Power-House
“To live for a time close to great minds is the best kind of education.” Memory Hold-The-Door
“I have been happy in many things, but all my other good fortune has been as dust in the balance compared with the blessing of an incomparable wife.” Memory Hold-the-Door
“It’s a great life, if you don’t weaken.” Mr. Standfast
“You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilisation from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet of glass.” Andrew Lumley in The Power-House
“He had never been lonely in his life before he met her, having at the worst found good company in himself; but now he longed for a companion, and out of all the many millions of the earth’s inhabitants there was only one that he wanted.” Jaikie in The House of the Four Winds
Blog Tour/Book Review: The Inside City by Anita Mir
April 30, 2019 April 29, 2019 whatcathyreadnext1 Comment
Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Inside City by Anita Mir. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Unbound for my review copy. You can read my review below.
There are ancient walled cities all across the world. This story begins in Lahore’s walled, or inside city, as it is called in Urdu, in what was then India.
It’s fear, Khurshid thought, just fear. Unwatched, her face was grim.
Barefoot, she walked to the wall of her rooftop courtyard and looked out at the city she had, in just three months, begun to love: a bulking city ever teetering upwards, with its twelve giant gates which closed each night, keeping them safe, from predators and marauders, and Dar said, bad dreams, but he’d smiled, so she’d known he was joking, only not what he meant.
A pir (seer) predicts great things for a soon to be born born boy, Awais. The year is 1919 – the year of the Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar) Massacre where anywhere from 379-1,000 unsuspecting peaceful protestors were killed by armed British troops. Politics is everywhere and on every tongue. Will the British go? Will they be booted out? And what will happen to India, then?
But Khurshid, Awais’s mother, cares nothing for all that. Her dreams are not of nationhood; they centre on her boy who will give, she’s sure, her life the meaning and beauty she’s craved for so very long. As they wait for the future to unfold, no-one notices how different Khurshid s youngest daughter, Maryam, is. But then her secret is outed. Maryam has a superb gift for Maths.
Though she doesn’t want to think it, Khurshid begins to wonder if the pir (seer) had been right about the house but wrong about whom the gift of greatness was meant for. She checks herself but the idea grows and grows. She tries to teach Awais her burning overpowering hate. But Maryam is one of Awais’s two great loves. He can’t believe what his mother says. He can’t hate Maryam. Or, he wonders, can he?
Awais’s other great love is the inside city, which through a chance encounter, he has started to explore and to map. When Partition, brutal and horrendous, takes place in 1947, it is Awais knowledge of the inside city that will save lives. But will it be enough to save his family as well?
Format: ebook (368 pp.) Publisher: Unbound Digital
Published: 21st March 2019 Genre: Historical Fiction
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
Find The Inside City on Goodreads
In The Inside City, the author creates a colourful collage that is part coming of age story, part family saga, part history of events leading up to partition and the creation of Pakistan. However, political events only ever act as a backdrop to the story of Awais and his extended family. Episodic in nature and with a large cast of characters, scenes are skilfully evoked often drawing the reader’s attention away from the political to the personal and acting as intriguing detours from wider events.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the ‘inside city’ of Lahore – its architecture, people and history – although uncovering its secrets didn’t come to the fore quite as much as I expected. I felt I really got to know Awais and his sister, Maryam. Their mother, Kurshid’s actions and motivations I’ll admit I struggled to understand.
The book explores a number of ideas, including the role of stories in preserving a community’s history and culture and the act of mapping as a form of appropriation. When partition becomes a reality in 1947, the book exposes the realities of displacement and the segregation of communities who once lived side by side.
Covering a time period from 1919 to 1964 but focused especially on the 1930s, The Inside City takes the reader on a vibrant journey encompassing everything from the love of books, the excitement of train journeys and the lure of adventure to celestial numbers.
I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Unbound, and Random Things Tours.
In three words: Expansive, episodic, colourful
Try something similar…99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai (read my review here)
Anita was born in Lahore, Pakistan and came to England when she was four. She grew up in County Durham and Wales, and it was only when she moved to Lahore with her family in her late teens that it hit her that mornings weren’t supposed to be pitch black. Pakistan was a shock. And she stayed in shock. Is perhaps still in shock. But it was also love at first sight. Lahore Lahore hai/ Lahore is Lahore. Yep. Another thing that doesn’t quite translate.
Straight out of university, she applied for a job at a newspaper and for some strange reason, got it. Most of her work there was on human rights issues, particularly those pertaining to religious minorities and women. Her lighter pieces she wrote under a pseudonym, which, seven years later, her boss told her she’d spelt wrong.
From journalism, she ambled into development work. The best of her development work was when she was privileged to head two emergency programmes.
Anita kept on coming back to England then to Pakistan then…and one day (still plan-less), just stuck it out in London.
She writes fiction and plays, has had two shorts on (The Space and Soho), been longlisted for several prizes (The Bruntwood, the Soho/Verity Bargate, the Old Vic 12), and had a short story published this year in ‘New Welsh Review’. She likes hearing her director friends tell her, ‘Any minute, you’re going to break through’. In her more reflective moments, of which there are now few, she wonders what she’s supposed to break through to. And if, when she does, she’ll like it.
Anita lives in the un-trendy part of East London and when not teaching, can be found playing basketball with her boy, or else, pouring over Lego instructions with the zeal of someone who’s going to grow up to be a YouTube star.
Connect with Anita
Website ǀ Goodreads
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Liev Schreiber: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
The cinematic highs and lows of Liev Schreiber.
It's safe to say that Liev Schreiber isn't the most famous actor in Hollywood, nor is he the most obviously successful or instantly recognisable; he's the sort of guy who turns up now and again, usually when you least expect it, delivering fine and competent performances on an array of different projects. Known for his rugged good looks and gruff voice, he fits the bill as bonafide action hero, stoic protagonist, terrifying antagonist, or - better - a character in that "grey" area. Aside from his film work, Schreiber is also a talented and acclaimed stage actor, and has won praise for his work in the plays of Mr. William Shakespeare. "He has a swiftness of mind," the New York Times wrote, "which convinces the audience that language is being coined in the moment. His speech, unlike that of the merely adequate supporting cast, feels lived rather than learned." Schreiber also won a Tony Award for his performance in Glengarry Glen Ross in '05. That's not all: Schreiber has also tried his hand at directing, writing and producing. He's also very well-known for being married to the lovely Naomi Watts, which isn't a bad thing to be known for at all - nice one, Liev. Currently, Schreiber can be seen on TV playing the eponymous "fixer" on Showtime's Ray Donovan, though he still manages to make time to be a part of whatever film projects come calling - sometimes to great success, sometimes to not much success at all... To celebrate the career of Liv Schreiber - and the release of his latest movie, The Last Days on Mars, in the UK - join us as we cast an eye back at 5 of his best performances to date, and 5 performances that had us thinking he was better off sticking with Shakespeare in the park...
15 Most Paused Movie Moments Of 2019
10 Great Sci-Fi Films Ruined By Terrible Endings
The-Omen Liev Schrieber X-Men Origins: Wolverine Scream Ray Donovan Goon 5 Awesome & 5 That Sucked scream 2 Scream 3 Movie 43 The Tens Every Day RKO 281
Posted On: 11th Apr 2014
WhatCulture
Articles published under the WhatCulture name denote collective efforts of a number of our writers. Go Team!
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Who Important Died Today
Those Who Have Left US
celebs who died today
[ January 18, 2020 ] Superstar singer, Celine Dion’s mother Dead at 92 Gone But Not Forgotten
[ January 12, 2020 ] Jack Sheldon, Merv Griffin’s trumpet-playing sidekick, dead at 88 Those Who Have Left US
[ January 11, 2020 ] 27 Year old Harry Hains, an Australian actor is dead Who Important Died Today
[ January 10, 2020 ] Rush drummer Neil Peart dies aged 67 after secret brain cancer battle Gone But Not Forgotten
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HomeGone But Not ForgottenOtis Clay, Blues Hall of Fame inductee, dies at age 73
Otis Clay, Blues Hall of Fame inductee, dies at age 73
January 10, 2016 whodied-admin Gone But Not Forgotten, people that died today - celebs who died today Comments Off on Otis Clay, Blues Hall of Fame inductee, dies at age 73
Otis Clay sings on stage during the 33rd annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tenn., in this May 10, 2012, file photo. (Brandon Dill/The Commercial Appeal via Associated Press)
Otis Clay, the Hall of fame rhythm and blues artist known as much for his big heart and charitable work in Chicago as for his singing internationally, died Friday. He was 73.
The Mississippi-born Clay — whose gruff, tenor-tinged voice on blues songs such as Trying to Live My Life Without You varied from his haunting but hopeful baritone on gospel standards like When the Gates Swing Open — died suddenly of a heart attack at 6:30 p.m., said his daughter, Ronda Tankson.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbaNg3tQK7Y]
The one-time Grammy nominee had a year of touring planned behind recent records and recognition at May’s 37th Blues Music Awards, manager Miki Mulvehill said. Clay is nominated for Soul-Blues Male Artist and Soul-Blues Album for This Time for Real, his collaboration with Billy Price.
“Otis was the last standard-bearer for deep southern soul music, the really gospel-inflected music that was in its heyday in the late ’60s and early and mid ’70s,” Price told The Associated Press on Saturday. “These styles change, and different styles are in the forefront, but Otis was just as strong in the past five years … For that reason, he was an icon for a lot of us who work in this genre.”
European music enthusiasts and record-collectors flock to Clay’s music because of its spare, “unvarnished” style wrought of the 1960s soul scenes in Memphis, Tenn., and Muscle Shoals, Ala., Price said.
A 2013 Blues Hall of Fame inductee who moved to blues-steeped Chicago in 1957, Clay had just begun planning a gospel tour of the U.S., followed by a summer European tour and, later, the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, Mulvehill said. His latest album is called Truth Is.
Well-known for his charitable spirit
But Clay was much more than a talented musician. A resident of Chicago’s West Side, he was an avid humanitarian whose charitable works included assisting development of the Harold Washington Cultural Center.
“Otis was the first one to jump on the ‘Can I help?’ train,” Mulvehill said.
Tankson, a Chicago special education teacher whose pupils include children with autism, said her father gave little thought to what benefit he’d get from performing and held nothing back, even when appearing for her students.
“He sang to them as if they paid and he was on stage,” Tankson said.
Friends and co-workers of Tankson’s, whom Clay had never met, repeatedly asked if he would sing When the Gates Swing Open at loved ones’ funerals. “He never let me down on that,” she said, adding that he once delayed a recording-session trip to Memphis to comply.
Clay was born Feb. 11, 1942 in Waxhaw, Miss., to a musical and religious family, according to his online biography. After his arrival in Chicago, he joined the Golden Jubilaires and in 1960 became part of Charles Bridges’ Famous Blue Jay Singers, performing a cappella at schools and hotels.
“We were known as variety singers, or we were billed as (performing) ‘Old Negro Spirituals and Plantation Melodies,”‘ Clay said in his biography.
His recording debut came in 1965 with the rousing ballad Flame in Your Heart. Four decades later, in 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy for the gospel CD Walk a Mile in My Shoes.
Source: CBC.ca
Otis Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.
Brandon Dill
Tankson
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surveillance tech at CES
Surveillance Tech
Surveillance tech looms large at CES gadget show
Exhibitors promote cameras, drones and facial recognition systems amid privacy and data security concerns
Published on 7 Jan, 2020 9:00am Coordinated Universal Time
From the face scanner that will check in some attendees to the cameras-everywhere array of digital products, the CES gadget show is all-in on surveillance technology — whether it calls it that or not.
Nestled in the “smart home” and “smart city” showrooms at the sprawling Las Vegas consumer tech conference are devices that see, hear and track the people they encounter. Some of them also analyze their looks and behavior. The technology on display includes eyelid-tracking car dashboard cameras to prevent distracted driving and “rapid DNA” kits for identifying a person from a cheek swab sample.
All these talking speakers, doorbell cameras and fitness trackers come with the promise of making life easier or more fun, but they’re also potentially powerful spying tools. And the skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of gee-whiz technology.
The new Door View Cam on display at the Ring booth before CES International in Las Vegas last year. (Picture: John Locher/AP Photo)
“Many, many horrible stories have come out of consumer electronics,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who is speaking on a CES panel about the future of internet-connected devices. “It’s often about hyping the next thing you can buy and not considering the trade-offs.”
CES runs Tuesday to Friday after two days of media previews. The annual showcase is where big companies and startups unveil and promote their latest gadgets, many of them infused with microphones, cameras and artificial intelligence. Though weighted toward the consumer market, much of what’s on display may also be useful to law enforcement, not to mention prying employers or heavy-handed governments.
Marcus Yang, CEO of the camera startup Amaryllo, said he’s had a difficult time persuading customers to pay more for safeguards such as faster processors to enable end-to-end encryption, when an array of cheaper, but less secure options are available.
CES attendees “want to see technology and something fresh,” Yang said. “They’re only interested in looking at your cameras and what kind of features they have.”
Yang said he’s hopeful that “something is changing this year” after a series of privacy scandals and security breaches has brought attention to the dangers of unfettered surveillance technology. And eventually, he said, regulators are likely to step in with security requirements.
Amazon’s security camera division Ring, which has set up a “Ring House” to show off its home devices, recently had to defend its safety practices following reports of hackers breaking into Ring camera systems and harassing children. It’s also faced criticism from privacy advocates and US lawmakers over its growing partnerships with police. At CES on Monday, the company announced a new “control center” for camera owners to adjust their privacy settings and opt out of police requests for footage.
Ring competitor Wyze Labs, an honoree in the CES 2020 innovation awards, announced a data breach just after Christmas affecting 2.4 million customers. And widely used voice assistants made by Google, Amazon and Apple all came under scrutiny in 2019 for data retention practices that allowed employees and contractors to listen to users’ audio recordings.
There’s been some push back, at least on facial recognition and other surveillance technology from China. Hikvision and iFlytek, two Chinese tech companies that showed off their artificial intelligence at CES 2019, now face U.S. export restrictions because the Trump administration says the technology has been used in the repression of China’s Muslims.
But China isn’t the only place where the lines have blurred between consumer technology and government surveillance operations. Watchful residents of American neighborhoods are increasingly encouraged by Ring to share their doorbell video footage with police detectives. And device-makers are counting on consumers buying into ever-more elaborate forms of computer vision and other AI technology to give them peace of mind.
Camera-maker Arlo this week launched its first wireless floodlight camera, with night vision, a siren, two-way audio to converse with intruders and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust its brightness. Another company, Sunflower Labs, is using CES to show off its “home drone security” system. If trespassers step onto your lawn, a camera-equipped drone flies out from its resting place to take a look at them and streams the live video to your phone.
Sound like something that might guard the lair of a James Bond villain? CEO Alex Pachikov says it’s actually less intrusive to neighbors than your run-of-the-mill doorbell camera, because it’s only looking down at your own property.
Serious talk about privacy protections and regulations isn’t completely absent at CES. The schedule includes panel talks connecting policymakers with privacy executives from companies like Apple and Facebook.
Venture capitalist Rajeev Chand, who is moderating one of those panels, said tech companies are getting better at seeing themselves as custodians, not the owners, of user data, but much more needs to be done.
“We are probably at the first or second inning for how privacy re-shapes the consumer tech industry,” said Chand, a partner and head of research at Wing Venture Capital.
But even as some US policymakers seek to restrict or ban facial recognition, the conference is getting its attendees more accustomed to everyday uses of surveillance technology in commercial and security settings.
Attendees at the gadget show can use their face to pick up their event badges for the first time.
“We’re experimenting with it,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES.
He dismissed privacy concerns, saying that attendees have a choice.
“You’re opting in,” he said. “If you want to do it, you’ll have an opportunity to do it.”
Cohn, of EFF, said she plans to skip the face scanners because she doesn’t know who has control over the images they collect. She said there’s only so much that consumers can do to guard against misuse.
“There is a risk treating this as an individual decision,” she said. “That’s not really fair or right to do to people. We need to fix the policies.”
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For Large and Medium businesses
Time tracking, Attendance and Billing
I want solution suitable for:
ReferencesYves Rocher
The Yves Rocher brand was born in 1959 from the vision of Yves Rocher, who believed in herbal based cosmetics to make beauty accessible to all women.
How does ABRA Gen help?
It intgrates all records into one database.
It enables effective warehouse inventory tracking and work with information about business partners and customers.
It creates reports in a form that can be sent straight to the headquarters in France.
It meets the requirement for an internal accounting system in which not only accounting, but also employee wages are also recorded.
Services, Trade
mil. CZK
www.yves-rocher.cz/
In 1956, Mr. Yves Rocher made the first cream from the orsea plant at his home. In 1959 he founded a laboratory of plant cosmetics in his native Bretagne village of La Gacilly. He remained faithful to the native village and he was selling his products, using Cash on Delivery. Even today, the business is closely bound with La Gacilly, even though its annual production nowadays is 300 million cosmetic products for the entire world. Mr. Yves Rocher has combined the knowledge of nature with scientific research, in order to get the most effective plant extracts into his products. He has also based his philosophy on the promotion of healthy environment.
Lucie Tomišková
Spokeswoman, Yves Rocher
ABRA Gen made our work quicker. We can better search data about sales, we have an overview of our revenues and a history of individual customer’s purchases.
HISTORY OF THE CZECH REPRESENTATION
Yves Rocher spol. s r. o. was founded in 1991, when Ms. Alena Záhorská managed to negotiate conditions of the Czech representation with the mother company, Yves Rocher France. Still in that year, she opened the first store with cosmetics in Prague, on the Vodičkova ulici. In 1995 the second store in Prague was established, followed by more stores all around the Czech Republic during the subsequent years. Today, Yves Rocher has over 200 employees, 47 sales points all over the Czech Republic, and it offers cosmetic care in 18 salons
“At the beginning of our business, it was necessary to familiarize Czechs with then unknown Yves Rocher cosmetics. We have built the brand awareness, always emphasizing product cleanliness and ethics of the business philosophy. The most problematic for us was the fact that we had to homologate each product separately for the Czech Republic until the accession to the EU. This process has been exhausting at the beginning of our company, but our confidence in quality has helped us to bridge these difficulties,” Alena Záhorská, the business director of Yves Rocher Czech Republic recalls the beginnings.
PRŮKOPNÍCI FRANCHISINGU
Yves Rocher has many franchising business partners in the Czech Republic. For many years, the company has pioneered this type of collaboration. Lucie Tomíšková, the spokesperson of Yves Rocher, summarizes the benefits of franchising with Yves Rocher: “We primarily help the franchisees to reduce the risks of their business by providing them with comprehensive background and expertise in all areas of their business, such as distributing of goods or marketing support. The collaboration is reciprocal – the franchisee, in turn, brings us the knowledge of the local environment and the ability to effectively reach the local clientele. “
After asset restructuring, the company’s management focus began to concentrate on optimizing management tools, unifying highly fragmented records, accumulating data from many types of software applications, and completion of the hardware platform.
ABRA allows us to handle everything with a single contact person. This simplifies communication and our requests are always quickly taken care of.
IT IN THE COSMETIC COMPANY
For many years, the company was happy with outsourcing of the accounting services. Since 2005, it has already been necessary to switch to an internal accounting system in which, besides accounting, employees’ salaries were also recorded. In the subsequent years, the need for effective monitoring of warehouse inventories and the possibility of working with information on business partners and customers arose and the tender for a comprehensive information system was announced. “We have included only Czech suppliers in the tender,”Lucie Tomišková explains. “Of the three systems in the shortlist, we have chosen chosen ABRA Gen, which offered wide scope of functions in a single system.”
Show the entire case study
ABRA GEN IN THE SERVICES OF COSMETICS
“ABRA Gen saves our time because we have all the important information in a single database. We used to have our data in different records. ABRA Gen is linked to our POS systems, so working with data is very fast and intuitive,” Lucie Tomišková says.
Pavel Indra, the logistics manager of Yves Rocher, further describes the use of ABRA Gen: “As a trading company, we mostly use sales agendas; one of the most important things for us is our work with inventories. We import receipts into ABRA Gen and send orders to an external warehouse by pressing a single button. This is the beginning of a very efficient sales process.”
“I believe in my love for nature. I believe in my entrepreneurial spirit. And last but not least, I believe in Breton’s tenacity.”
“Sustainable development is one of the key principles of Yves Rocher. We literally have it in our blood. Nature conservation is not just a concept for us. It is our way of life and our view of the world. We respect nature because we live with it in direct contact. Our goal was, is, and will be to keep making women more beautiful while maintaining the beauty of our planet. It has been one of our major commitments for 50 years.”
Jacques Rocher
President 39/5000 The Yves Rocher Foundation – Institut de France
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Additive Industries’ Shane Collins receives prestigious award
Additive Industries is proud to announce that its General Manager of the North America Process & Application Development Center, Shane Collins, received the prestigious ASTM Award of Merit. The ASTM International Board of Directors selected Collins for the Award of Merit for his contribution to Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technologies. The award of Merit was established in 1949 by the Board of Directors and is the highest award granted by the Society to an individual member for distinguished service and outstanding participation in ASTM International committee activities.You will find a Press Release together with the pictures of Shane Collins below.
- Press Release Shane Collins receives prestigious award
- Picture od Shane Collins with Award of Merit
- Picture of Shane Collins
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Here’s why Instagram removed the IGTV button from its home screen
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Home News Time is running out for India to establish contact with its lunar...
Time is running out for India to establish contact with its lunar lander
Digitaltrends
Time is running out for engineers from the Indian space program to establish contact with the troubled Chandrayaan-2 lunar lander.
Earlier this week, more details were revealed about what exactly went wrong as the Chandrayaan-2 lander descended towards the lunar surface. As reported by India Today, the lander flipped upside down around 11 minutes before it was due to touch down. It was supposed to rotate slightly to point its camera toward the surface to search for a landing site, but something went wrong and the lander flipped entirely. This meant that the landing thruster, which should provide force upward to counteract the lander’s descent speed, was instead facing away from the moon and forced the lander downward.
Communications were lost with the lander during this time and have not been re-established since.
The mission control crew looks on as India’s space agency loses contact with its moon lander. ISRO
Officials at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) were able to locate the lander on the moon last week, and they have been trying to re-establish communications with the hope of saving either the Vikram lander or the Pragyan rover inside it. There is a time window they need to consider, however. The lander and rover were both designed to last for one lunar day, which is the equivalent of 14 days here on Earth. With a week passed since the landing date, the ISRO engineers have only one more week to get in contact with the lander before it runs out of power.
“Progressively, you can imagine that it becomes that much more difficult, with each passing hour, the available power on the battery gets drained out, and there won’t be anything left for it to power and operate,” a representative of ISRO told the Press Trust of India. “With every passing minute, the situation becomes worse… [It is] less and less probable (to establish contact with Vikram).”
It may be possible for the Vikram lander to recharge its batteries using its solar panels, although this is looking increasingly unlikely. It is not even certain how much damage the lander has suffered, so its solar panels could have been destroyed.
More information about the lander should be coming soon, as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will be flying over the landing site next week and will collect images of the area with its high resolution camera.
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Articles Tagged:
LG Design Patent D726,140 Dreams Up A Bendable Phone-Watch Hybrid Device
Michael Crider
2015/04/12 12:22pm PDT Apr 12, 2015
The nice thing about a United States design patent, as opposed to a more common utility patent, is that it doesn't actually have to work. Hell, it doesn't even have to make sense - it just has to be a mostly-new idea that's concrete enough to put into a technical doodle. So it is with Design Patent D726,140, awarded to LG by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week.
HTC Will Reportedly Show Off New Smartwatch Based On The Qualcomm Toq To Carriers At MWC, Possibly Two Other Wearables
It's no secret that HTC intends to enter the wearables market, but we haven't come across many details about what form an eventual product from the company would take. Well if a new Bloomberg report is to be believed, we've already grown accustomed to one. The Taiwanese manufacturer will allegedly show off the first of three new devices to carriers at Mobile World Congress, with no plans to unveil anything publically.
[Deal Alert] Fitbit Flex Fitness Bracelet On Sale For 20% Off At Best Buy, Get It Now For $79.99
We're well into the holiday season here in the US, and I know new electronics aren't the only things many of you have picked up lately. If you have some new pounds you're looking to shave, Best Buy has a deal that may just make doing so a little bit easier - or at least more fun. The Fitbit Flex fitness bracelet is currently on sale for $79.99, a savings of $20 from its usual price.
Fitbit Force Fitness Bracelet Is A Personal Trainer On Your Wrist That Can Double As A Smartwatch, Available Now For $129.95
2013/10/10 9:12am PDT Oct 10, 2013
Earlier this year, Fitbit released Flex, a bracelet that pairs with a smartphone to help you monitor your activity and encourage yourself to get on your feet. Now the company has already released an updated version called Force that, thanks to its new features and OLED screen, functions somewhat like a smartwatch.
It would do the Fitbit Force a disservice to think of it solely as a pedometer with a clock.
Exclusive: Google is working to bring official Steam support to Chrome OS
Spec leak shows exactly how the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G outclasses other S20 models
The Nymi Bracelet Can Unlock Your Android Devices By Reading Your Heartbeat, Pre-Orders Now Available For $79
2013/09/03 10:19am PDT Sep 3, 2013
How many times do you unlock your smartphone within the span of a minute? I can't count the number of times I've unlocked my phone, started a podcast, put it down, changed my mind, unlocked the phone, selected a new podcast, put the phone back down, heard a chime, unlocked the phone, responded, and put the phone down - finally - for long enough to focus on something else. For the sake of convenience, I desperately want to leave my phone unlocked, but doing so frankly isn't safe.
Conversations With An Amiigo Founder: This Fitness Bracelet Is For Everyone, Whether You Lift Or Not
2013/03/01 1:35pm PST Mar 1, 2013
Last month, we covered the Amiigo which, frankly, looks kind of awesome if it works as advertised. For those who missed it, here's the gist: you put on a bracelet and a shoe clip and the two track your workout. The system then logs that data and feeds it into some fancy software that analyzes your sessions and tells you how much weight you're losing, how many calories you're burning, and what other exercises might be right for you.
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Autonomous Vehicles and The Law – CodeX Insights
3rd May 2018 artificiallawyer AI + Regulation 0
Some weeks ago the CodeX legal tech group at Stanford University in California hosted a conference on the future of law. Peter Darling, CMO of innovative legal email company, Zero, was there and very kindly covered a key session on what autonomous vehicles will mean for the legal world.
‘Speakers included Stanford faculty, a researcher from the Google Brain project, a researcher from the University of Technology Sydney and a student from Stanford Law School, Bryan Casey, whose work was particularly interesting.
Casey’s research has studied the public policy implications of the artificial intelligence built into autonomous vehicles as it relates to liability for accidents.
Here are the key insights from the session:
Accident law is a massive area of law
Four million accidents per year in the United States alone
Compensation for these accidents is defined in formal tort and insurance law
The scale/complexity of these accidents has forced society to routinize accident liability and compensation. It’s a formula now.
The formula: Compensation is medical expenses plus property damage plus lost wages
The use of autonomous vehicles changes all this.
Once fleets of vehicles are operating autonomously at scale, they’ll be the ultimate repeat players in this
For a fleet of vehicles, compensation costs for accidents are part of their business model
A large number of vehicles will unquestionably be involved in a certain number of accidents. Statistically, for example, 500 vehicles which travel a million miles in a year will, statistically, have 45 (or whatever) accidents, with some percentage of them being serious. This is simple probability analysis at work.
This will result in liability, and payouts
This can be calculated, and affected by the engineering of the vehicle’s onboard artificial intelligence.
AI is beginning to be constructed based on the optimal risk management of these predicable accidents.
AV companies are trying to codify risk management law
They look at cumulative costs of all the expected negative outcomes
Weight costs/benefits
Decide on optimal policies
This is a codification of judge Learned Hand’s tort formula
Since Judge Learned Hand first penned the famous algebraic expression, PL > B, that came to bear his name, judges, lawyers, legal scholars and economists have debated its meaning, significance and limitations.
The formula instructs potential tort parties to base their levels of precaution on three variables: (1) the probability, P, that an accident will occur; (2) the magnitude, L, of resulting harm, if any accident occurs, and (3) the cost of precautions, B, that would reduce the expected harm.
Parties are supposed to factor these variables into a comparative benefit-cost analysis, prior to engaging in activities that might result in costly accidents, to determine efficient levels of care.
When the cost of an accident, the monetary cost of harm, L, times its probability of occurring, P exceeds the costs of prevention, B, then the accident should be prevented. When B exceeds PL, however, the accident should not be avoided. Society’s net wealth or welfare is maximized by preventing only those accidents where B is less than PL. Thus, the Learned Hand formula is designed to maximize a social welfare function.
You execute decisions on operations (self-driving cars) based on the lowest risk x magnitude scenario
An accident with big payouts will influence the risk formula within these cars
Costs of prevention weighed against costs of liability
Liability calculation includes:
Likely income of victim
Vehicle speed changes according to race, age, etc.
The vehicle doesn’t decide which person to kill, but makes tradeoffs based on large-group statistics
If we codify our laws into machines, they’re going to take them literally:
Vehicles might, for example, drive more slowly in high-income neighborhoods because the payout in case of an accident is higher than in a lower-income one
If an accident is inevitable, the vehicle will seek to collide with the beat-up old car rather than the BMW
From an overall social-welfare perspective, this all makes statistical sense. However, it also makes into law some principles people may find upsetting/difficult to live with.
The page for this particular discussion is here.’
Many thanks to Peter Darling at Zero for coverage of this event for Artificial Lawyer. Great to see the world of automation and AI seen through a different perspective, i.e. how lawyers may approach it as a practice area. Also, if you’re interested in using machine learning and automation to improve your use of firm email and help record billable time while working off a mobile device, check out the Zero site, it’s worth a look.
P.S. I found this short video (not part of CodeX) on the famous Learned Hand formula for those not familiar with it. Please see below. It’s particularly interesting as it’s an example of a judge turning to an algorithm (of sorts) to describe a legal outcome – just the kind of thing that AI systems also operate with.
[ N.B. Main Pic credit: Tesla, Inc. ]
Legal AI Co. Luminance Now Targets Reg Review, Brexit + GDPR
Legal AI Pioneer, Seal Software, Named ‘Cool Vendor 2018’ by Gartner
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1 Subject; Area of Validity
1.1 The following general terms and conditions regulate the use of online and mobile games and other services provided by Altigi GmbH/Goodgame Studios (hereinafter referred to as "Goodgame Studios"), Theodorstr. 42-90, 22761 Hamburg, on Goodgame Studios' websites and in app stores.
1.2 Goodgame Studios offers online and mobile games and other services within the context of its technical and operational capabilities, with an average annual availability of 90% (ninety percent). This does not include periods of time during which the use of online and mobile games and other services are interrupted or affected due to urgent technical reasons or required maintenance work. Goodgame Studios is not liable for these instances in accordance with the conditions of this contract. This also does not include periods of time in which Goodgame Studios' general servers or the servers of certain games do not allow online access due to reasons beyond Goodgame Studios' control (force majeure, third party responsibility, etc.).
1.3 Goodgame Studios continuously updates, changes, and develops its online and mobile games and other services at its own discretion. Users can therefore only participate in the respective online game, mobile game, or other offer in its respective form provided at any given time. Goodgame Studios retains the right to cease operating an online or mobile game or remove a specific service without explanation.
1.4 Online and mobile games and other services offered by Goodgame Studios are intended solely for the purpose of entertainment. The use of these games or services for business or commercial purposes is strictly prohibited.
1.5 Users are responsible for ensuring that their own software and hardware is suitable and up-to-date.
1.6 In addition to these general terms and conditions, any existing rules of the respective online or mobile game shall also apply. In the case of an inconsistency between these general terms and conditions and the rules of the game, the provisions of these general terms and conditions shall take precedence when settling the instance of contradiction. In addition, specific terms and conditions shall also apply to certain online or mobile games, specific versions and/or components of online or mobile games, and individual services offered on Goodgame Studios' websites as appropriate. Users will be appropriately informed of any specific terms and conditions prior to use of the respective offer.
1.7 Users have the opportunity to use the services of Goodgame Studios' contractual partners for various online and mobile games and other services. In these cases, a separate contract between the user and the respective contractual partner of Goodgame Studios shall be concluded. Users will be informed of this in an appropriate manner prior to concluding the contract.
1.8 Other provisions or general terms and conditions of a user, which deviate from Goodgame Studios' general terms and conditions, shall only apply if Goodgame Studios gives prior written consent to their validity.
2 Conclusion of Contract
2.1 In order to use the online and mobile games and other services provided by Goodgame Studios, users must register for and, if needed, install the app in question.
2.2 Only natural persons are eligible for registration. Only individual persons are permitted to be authorized users (no groups, families, spouses or life partners, etc.).
2.3 Children under 13 years of age are not permitted to register. Minors over 13 years of age may only register with the permission of their legal guardians and, in the case that the respective game or service has an age rating, only after reaching the minimum age requirement.
2.4 Users are not permitted to download mobile games via the Apple App Store if they are:
located in a country that is subject to an embargo by the US government or in a country that the US government classifies as supportive of terrorism.
on the US government's list of prohibited or restricted parties.
2.5 Users must enter a player name and generally an email address registered to the user in order to register for the online games; the mobile games require a player name. Users have no claim to a particular player name. The selected player name may not infringe upon the rights of third parties and violate existing legal prohibitions or common decency. Moreover, no email or web address may be used as a player name. Users must ensure that the information provided to Goodgame Studios during registration is genuine and complete.
2.6 Certain games also allow registration using Facebook login credentials. The data required for registration shall be taken from the user's Facebook account for this purpose.
2.7 Users must register for their accounts themselves. Registration performed via third parties, especially those that register individual people commercially at various service providers (registration services and/or entry services), is not permitted.
2.8 After successful registration, the user creates an account ("user account") which the user can manage independently. The user account cannot be transferred without the explicit consent of Goodgame Studios.
2.9 Users have no right to claim registration or activation.
3 General User Obligations
3.1 User data
Users agree to immediately provide Goodgame Studios with any future changes to data entered upon registration, in particular any change to the email address. Users are obliged to confirm for Goodgame Studios the accuracy of their data upon request.
3.2 Login data, identification, passwords
3.2.1 Users are required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding all login data, identification, and passwords.
3.2.2 The terms "login data", "identification", and "passwords" include all letter and/or character and/or number sequences used to authenticate the user and prevent unauthorized use by third parties. The password should not be identical to the player name, and it should consist of a combination of numbers and letters.
3.2.3 Users are required to protect all login data, identification, and passwords from third-party access.
3.2.4 In the event that a user has reason to believe that third parties have obtained or may have obtained unauthorized login data, identification, or passwords, they shall inform Goodgame Studios immediately and change their data or have it changed by Goodgame Studios. In this case or in the event that Goodgame Studios has concrete evidence of misuse of data, Goodgame Studios has the right to temporarily block access to the user's account. If there is evidence of misuse of data, Goodgame Studios shall inform the user.
3.2.5 Users are under no circumstances entitled to use the login data of another user, unless the rules of the respective online or mobile game or other service allow for exceptions.
3.3 Use of Goodgame Studios' websites and website content
3.3.1 Goodgame Studios' websites and mobile games include various content that is protected by trademarks, copyrights, or other means for the benefit of Goodgame Studios or third parties. Unless explicitly permitted within these general terms and conditions, users may not edit, copy, distribute, publicly reproduce, use for advertising purposes, or use beyond the contractually agreed purposes any of Goodgame Studios' websites, mobile games, or the content or any portion thereof. Only technical copies intended for browsing purposes and permanent copies intended solely for private use shall be permitted. Copyright information and brand names may not be changed, hidden, or removed.
3.3.2 The term "content" includes all data, images, text, graphics, music, sounds, sound sequences, videos, software programs and codes, and other information provided by Goodgame Studios. The term "content" also includes, in particular, all services available for download.
3.3.3 Users are obliged to abstain from any measure which may compromise or interrupt the proper functioning of Goodgame Studios' websites, any individual services and/or offers there, or its online and mobile games. Users are also required to abstain from any measure which may allow unauthorized access to data. Content may only be called up in a manner that does not affect other users' use of Goodgame Studios' websites and content. The transfer of data or software that may affect the hardware or software of recipients is not permitted.
3.3.4 Any use of Goodgame Studios' websites or mobile games for commercial purposes, especially advertising purposes, requires the express prior written consent of Goodgame Studios.
3.3.5 Users are not entitled to publish content on Goodgame Studios' websites, online games, mobile games, or other services.
3.3.6 Goodgame Studios' websites may not be used via an anonymization service that hides the user's true IP address.
3.4 Use of client software
In the case of offers which require the prior installation of a client software, Goodgame Studios grants the user an unrestricted, non-exclusive, non-transferable, personal, and time-limited in terms of the user agreement right to install the client software and use it for the agreed purposes according to these general terms and conditions and the rules of the respective game. The software may not be used for commercial purposes in any manner. Modifications to the client software and a back-translation of the relinquished programming code into other code forms (decompilation) and other types of reverse engineering of the software's various production levels are prohibited if these are not required for establishing interoperability. Goodgame Studios is liable for damages to the user in accordance with the statutory liability provisions.
4 Specific Terms for the Use of Online and Mobile Games
4.1 The user may only take part in every round (e.g. World, Universe, etc.) of an online game or mobile game using one user account, unless the respective rules of the game allow for exceptions from this. The use of several user accounts by one user is not permitted. Multiuser accounts such as these may be deleted or banned at the reasonable discretion of Goodgame Studios.
4.2 Users are prohibited from enacting any form of manipulative interference in online or mobile games. In particular, users are not entitled to utilize measures, mechanisms, or software that could interfere with the function or progress of the game. Users may not take measures that may cause an unreasonable or excessive burden on technical capacity. Users are not allowed to block, rewrite, or modify content generated by the game administration or to interfere with the game in any other manner.
4.3 Under no circumstances may users
a) create or use cheats, mods and/or hacks, or any other third party software products that may change the result of the online or mobile games,
b) use software that allows the mining of data or otherwise intercepts or collects information in connection to the online and mobile games,
c) use virtual items that are being used in online or mobile games outside of the online or mobile games, purchase virtual items for "real" money, or sell or swap virtual items,
d) sell, buy, or trade user accounts.
This includes all circumventions, similar actions, or actions that produce an effect that matches the aforementioned bans.
4.4 Users are also prohibited from running the online game (including all individual web pages) with programs other than the internet browser or the client program that has been provided. This refers in particular to so-called bots and other tools meant to replace or supplement the web interface. Also prohibited are scripts and completely or partially automated programs that provide users with an advantage over other users. This includes auto-refresh functions and other integrated browser mechanisms if they concern automated procedures.
4.5 It is prohibited to apply measures that hide advertisements. It is of no significance whether advertising is deliberately hidden or can not be displayed in general e.g. by so-called pop-up blockers, text-based browsers, or similar.
4.6 The automated creation of user accounts, regardless of whether the home page is displayed or not, is not permitted.
4.7 Goodgame Studios or contractors authorized by Goodgame Studios hold all and exclusive rights to items used and virtual items provided in online or mobile games. Users will only receive a non-exclusive right of use to the virtual items for the duration of the user agreement.
4.8 Chip transfers
a) Giving chips as gifts
You may give chips to your buddies using the "send chips" tool. This tool is found by clicking on a picture of a buddy at the table or by viewing their profile page. However, you are not allowed to send these gifts in exchange for money or an equivalent to money. Doing so could result in your accounts being blocked or a chip penalty being stipulated at the reasonable discretion of Goodgame Studios.
b) Chip transfers
The only permissible method for transferring chips between accounts is the "send chips" tool (see Point a). Losing chips on purpose (e.g. purposefully losing a poker hand at the table) in order to send chips to a buddy (or to yourself at another account) represents a breach of the general terms and conditions. Doing so could result in your account being blocked and a chip penalty being stipulated at the reasonable discretion of Goodgame Studios.
c) Chip farming / scripting
The misuse of scripts or manual processes in order to create chips is not permitted. Doing so could result in Goodgame Studios blocking the respective user account or stipulating a chip penalty.
5 Specific conditions for the use of communication facilities (particularly discussion forums, chats, comments)
5.1 Goodgame Studios may provide users with different communication facilities for self-created entries and posts on Goodgame Studios' websites, in the game, and on social networks (particularly discussion forums, chats, blogs, guest books, etc. as well as the utilization of their comment functions, altogether known as the "communication facilities"), which the user may use when available. In this regard, Goodgame Studios only provides users with the technical environment for an exchange of information. However, users do not have the right to claim communication features.
5.2 Users take full responsibility for the content and entries they post. Users agree to release Goodgame Studios from any legitimate claims from third parties arising from a culpable violation of the users' obligations. Goodgame Studios explicitly does not claim content entered by users as its own. However, users shall grant Goodgame Studios the permanent, irrevocable, non-exclusive right to use the content and contributions posted by the users.
5.3 Within the context of these communication facilities, users are prohibited from publishing or distributing content on Goodgame Studios' websites that:
a) violates an applicable law, goes against common decency, or breaches the general terms and conditions or the rules of the respective game;
b) violates trademarks, patents, utility or design patterns, copyrights, trade secrets, or other rights of third parties;
c) is obscene, racist, violent, pornographic, of adult content, or otherwise threatening to the development of children and adolescents, or of a detrimental nature;
d) is of an abusive, harassing, or defamatory nature;
e) includes chain letters or pyramid schemes;
f) falsely suggests that it is provided or supported by Goodgame Studios;
g) contains personal data of third parties without their explicit consent;
h) is commercial, in particular promotional, in nature.
5.4 The inclusion of websites or names of companies and products is only permitted if this is not primarily for advertising purposes.
5.5 All users of these communication facilities are required to use acceptable words. Abusive criticism or derogatory attacks shall be avoided.
5.6 Notwithstanding any other rights under these general terms and conditions, Goodgame Studios has the right to fully or partially remove content and entries that violate the rules of these general terms and conditions. Goodgame Studios also has the right to exclude users who violate these rules, in whole or temporarily, from further use of Goodgame Studios' online and mobile games, websites, and other services.
6 Consequences of a Breach of Duty
6.1 Goodgame Studios is not liable for damages resulting from a user's breach of duty.
6.2 Regardless of any additional legal or contractual rights, it is at the reasonable discretion of Googame Studios to take the following actions against any user who culpably breaches statutory law, third party rights, these general terms and conditions, or any respective additional regulations and game rules:
a) remove content,
b) issue a warning to the user,
c) temporarily or permanently block a user from specific or all online and mobile games and content of Goodgame Studios' websites,
d) suspend a user, also from certain game functions (e.g. chat)
e) issue a temporary or permanent virtual ban from the game in cases of a violation of item 6 of these general terms and conditions, or
f) immediately terminate the contract.
6.3 If users have been blocked or excluded, they may not log in again to a service provided by Goodgame Studios without the prior consent of Goodgame Studios.
7 Usage fees
7.1 Users can play the online and mobile games offered essentially free of charge. However, the user can pay money to purchase virtual currency (e.g. rubies, gold, jewels, the "premium currency"), certain virtual features, and other services (together with the "purchasable features") within the context of the online games and mobile games. The price for the desired virtual currency appears in euros, US dollars, or in another currency applicable to the user's region. The user can purchase advantages or virtual items in the online or mobile game with the premium currency purchased.
7.2 Users will receive specific information on the features available for purchase, particularly the function of the feature in question, how long the feature for purchase will be available (if applicable), the respective purchasing price, and the payment method available in the online or mobile game.
7.3 Users can submit their offers to purchase the available features by selecting the desired item and desired payment method offered in the respective online game or mobile game, clicking on the Buy Now button, and thus concluding the order process.
7.4 The payment options vary according to the online or mobile game, the participant's country, and the technically feasible payment options available in the market. Goodgame Studios reserves the right to amend their payment options.
7.5 The money is collected via the service provider commissioned by the user for the respective payment process or via a transfer made by the user. For mobile games, money is collected via the respective app store. In individual cases, the general terms and conditions included by the authorized service provider may be applicable in addition to the general terms and conditions of Goodgame Studios.
7.6 After completion of the payment process or, in the case of a transfer, after the receipt of the money in Goodgame Studios' account, Goodgame Studios shall credit the purchased features to the user's account. The credit simultaneously represents that the user has accepted a contract from Goodgame Studios regarding the purchase of available features.
7.7 In mobile games on the portals of individual business partners and in online and mobile games that have been integrated into social networks, the conclusion of the contract may deviate from the procedure described here. In these cases, users will be informed on the specific procedure for concluding a contract.
7.8 The user acknowledges and agrees that all information provided as part of a payment transaction (in particular bank account, credit card number, etc.) is complete and correct.
7.9 Goodgame Studios retains the right to revise the fees for features available for purchase. This includes Goodgame Studios' right to increase or decrease the fees for all individual features in all future cases of purchases of purchasable features.
7.10 Statutory interest shall accrue in instances of default. Goodgame Studios is also entitled to block the user account, recover further damages, and terminate services.
7.11 Should Goodgame Studios incur back charges or cancellation fees at the fault of the user (including an inadequate account balance), the user shall bear the costs incurred from this.
8 Limitation of liability
8.1 Users are held personally liable for any violation of a third party's rights. Users agree to reimburse Goodgame Studios for all damages resulting from the culpable non-observance of the obligations of these terms and conditions. Users release Goodgame Studios from all eligible claims that other users or third parties may file against Goodgame Studios due to a violation of their rights by content posted by the user or due to a violation of other obligations. Users shall assume the costs of Goodgame Studios' legal defense, including all court and legal fees. This condition does not apply if the user is not responsible for the infringement.
8.2 The liability of Goodgame Studios, on whatever legal grounds, whether due to contractual misconduct or a breach of duty, is ultimately determined in accordance with the following rules:
8.2.1 If Goodgame Studios provides the respective liability-causing service free of charge, Goodgame Studios is liable only for malice and gross negligence.
8.2.2 In the case of non-gratuitous services, Goodgame Studios' liability is limited to cases of malice and gross negligence, but unlimited in cases of personal injury. In cases of slight negligence, however, Goodgame Studios will only be liable for a breach of essential contractual obligations such as delay or unavailability which Goodgame Studios is held responsible for. In the case of a breach of an essential contractual obligation, liability is limited to the typical contractual damages that Goodgame Studios had to calculate upon conclusion of the contract due to the circumstances prevailing at this time.
"Essential contractual obligations", as previously stated, are the obligations that may be relied upon by the user and that ensure that the contract runs in accordance with its regulations and achieves the contractual aim.
8.2.3 Goodgame Studios assumes no liability for interruptions within the network that are not the fault of Goodgame Studios.
8.2.4 Goodgame Studios is liable for a loss of data in accordance with the foregoing paragraphs only if such a loss could not have been avoided by adequate backup measures taken by the user.
8.2.5 The aforementioned liability limitations do not apply in cases of explicit guarantees made by Goodgame Studios, in cases of malice, and for damages due to the loss of life, limb, or health. Liability shall remain unaffected under the Product Liability Act.
9 Contract Duration; Deletion of User Accounts
9.1 Unless expressly stated otherwise for the respective online game, mobile game, or other service, the contract for the use of the Goodgame Studios' website, online games, mobile games, and other services runs for an indefinite period. The contract begins upon accreditation or activation of an account by Goodgame Studios.
9.2 The contract may be terminated by either party at any time with immediate effect, provided that a temporary contract period has not been agreed.
9.3 Either party has the right to terminate the contract for good cause without giving a period of notice. "Good cause" constitutes, in particular, if
a) a user has defaulted on payment of the fees, and does not pay despite reminders,
b) a behavior significantly affecting the game experience of other players is being displayed,
c) cheats, mods, and/or "hacks" as well as any other form of software, tools, or scripts that alter the gaming experience or the game mechanism of online or mobile games are being used,
d) third parties make use of a user's account, unless the rules of the game allow for specific exceptions,
e) a user makes use of a third party user account or uses more than one user account per online game, unless the rules of the game allow for specific exceptions,
f) a user uses virtual items being used in online or mobile games outside of the online or mobile games, attempts to buy or sell these virtual items for "real" money, or tries to trade them,
g) a user has sold, bought, or traded a user account, or
h) the user culpably violates laws that serve to protect other players or Goodgame Studios
i) the user deliberately violates these general terms and conditions, additional governing provisions, and/or the rules of the game.
9.4 Termination must always be made in writing. Terminations sent via email are considered to have been made in writing.
9.5 In the case of extended inactivity, Goodgame Studios is entitled to delete the inactive user account after giving prior notice of this and only after at least 3 months of inactivity. Moreover, Goodgame Studios is entitled to delete a user account at the end of the contract at its own discretion.
10 Online Dispute Resolution
10.1 The European Commission provides a platform for alternative dispute resolution between consumers and online traders (ODR platform). You can access the ODR platform using this link: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
10.2 We can be reached via the ODR platform. However, we do not intend to and are not obliged to participate in a dispute resolution procedure in front of a consumer arbitration board. Should you contact us, we will usually get in touch with you directly.
11 Governing law
The laws of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply; the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) shall be excluded. The mandatory provisions of the country in which the user resides shall remain unaffected by this legal decision.
12 Amendments to these general terms and conditions; Miscellaneous
12.1 Goodgame Studios retains the right to modify these terms and conditions (a) in the event of any amendments made due to legal changes, (b) in the event of any amendments made due to decisions by the Supreme Court, (c) because of technical necessity, (d) in order to maintain company operations, (e) in the event of a change in market conditions, (f) for the benefit of the user. No amendment will take place if such amendment would substantially disrupt the contractual balance between the parties. Users will be informed of any amendments to the general terms and conditions via the Goodgame Studios' website and via the respective online or mobile game at least four weeks before the amendment is scheduled to take effect. Alternatively, Goodgame Studios may send its users the amended general terms and conditions via email or inform them that the amended general terms and conditions can be accessed via the Goodgame Studios' websites. The user is entitled to object to any amendment within four weeks. The terms and conditions are deemed to have been accepted if the user remains silent for the four-week period or if the user opens the game again after receiving notification of the amended terms and conditions. Goodgame Studios will specifically inform its users about the four-week period, the right of withdrawal, and the legal significance of remaining silent.
12.2 Goodgame Studios can transfer its rights and obligations from this contract to associated companies in accordance with Para. 15 of the Stock Corporation Act (AktG).
12.3 Users are only entitled to an offset if their counterclaim has been legally established or has been recognized by Goodgame Studios and is uncontested or has resulted from this synallagmatic legal relationship. Users can only exercise a right of retention provided that it pertains to claims arising from this contract.
12.4 Goodgame Studios generally communicates with the user via email - unless indicated otherwise by these terms and conditions. Users need to ensure that they regularly check the email account specified at registration for messages from Goodgame Studios. When contacting Goodgame Studios, users must indicate which online or mobile game and which user account the message concerns.
12.5 Should any provision of these terms and conditions be or become invalid and/or oppose statutory provisions, the validity of the remaining provisions of the terms and conditions shall remain unaffected.
13 Licenses
The game design of Goodgame Gangster is licensed by Playa Games GmbH.
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Beni Ourain Moroccan Rugs
Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water Interior (*1)
The Beni Ourain style of Moroccan rug has seen a rise in popularity recently but this style of rug was first made popular by Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto as early as the 1930's. Alvar Aalto's Mairea house & Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water are examples of this. These rugs complment modern and contemporary interiors because of their simplicity and primitive patterns.
Alvar Aaltos Villa Mairea (*2)
The carpets were originally produced by the Beni Ourain Berber people near Taza, Morocco.The tribal patterns are mostly geometric symbols with some organic shapes. The Beni Ouarain rugs may date back as far as the tribes history in the region which is up to one thousand years ago. Traditionally, the rugs were used for warm beds and bedding. The patterns on the rugs depict life in the region with symbols for farming, protection, nature, birth, fertility, tools, and animals. Some believe the rugs themselves are protection against evil spirits.
The majority of this style of rugs are typically made from un-dyed, natural wool, in a white or beige colour with tribal designs in darker brown and black hues using natural dyes, with a pile height of 2-7cm.
Below are examples of the typical Beni Ourain rugs found today.
As seen in the charts below, symbols on the rugs depict barley, spiders, frogs, snake and fish skeletons, seeds, metal workers, birds and much more.
Check out my pinterest page for more symbols and images.
Interested in buying one? Check out www.studiobrandt.ca
*1 http://ideasgn.com/architecture/fallingwater-frank-lloyd-wright/
*2 http://ounodesign.com/2009/06/20/aaltos-villa-mairea-in-finland/
http://www.berber-arts.com/berber/index.php/editoral/white-giants-vintage-beni-ouarain-rugs
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Donald Trump is America
What the US was doing to the world at large is what Americans now fear Trump might do to the US.
by Hamid Dabashi
Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump [REUTERS]
Hours before the scheduled third and final debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas, The New York Times published an article in which it argued that the Republican presidential nominee in effect has no foreign policy beyond using and abusing global issues to elicit gut fears and hostile fantasies of his domestic followers, that foreign policy has in effect become a matter of domestic fear-mongering.
The piece could not have been more timely and poignant - but not in the sense that The New York Times intended it further to discredit the liberal bete noire of this election. In a sense far more serious and accurate.
US election 2016: Trump slams the media for 'bias'
For the World at large, Trump is America and America is Trump. What has now become domestic politics to the US has been its foreign policy for a much longer history.
Decent Americans
There are decent Americans who insist Trump is "the worst of America".
But for the world at large and at the receiving end of American military might, Trump is the very quintessence of America because Trump is what America does to the world, and now it has come dangerously close to do unto itself what it has habitually done unto others.
OPINION: US elections - The rich can't be trusted with money
Liberal America is now scared that Trump will do to America what America has done to the world. It was just "foreign policy" when America set up lunatic puppet dictators just like Trump to torture, maim, and murder their own people around the globe to protect its "national security interest".
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump [REUTERS]
It was just something "Daddy" did at work. When he came home he was all good, kind, and cuddly - just like Obama. Now the Daddy is about to become a nasty, vicious, domestic abuser - like Trump.
Trump is the poetic justice of the world. So long as America was only doing to the world at large what America now fears Trump may do to America, there was no outcry. There was consensus. The world deserved what America did to the world.
Now liberal America is up in arms to disown, to exorcise, to dispel this demonic spirit from itself and put it back in a bottle and hand it over to Hillary Clinton so she can continue the habitual exercise of doing it to the world and be a nice. lovely-looking grandma at home, as Ronald Reagan was its grandpa before her.
This very 'western civilization' has been a threat to world peace for a very long time, and Trump is now its defining moment ...
Genie in and out of the bottle
"Donald Trump is a thug," liberal America is now screaming out loud, "He's a thug who talks gibberish, and lies, and cheats, and has issues, to put it mildly, with women."
That sounds awfully familiar to the ears of the world from Asia to Africa, Latin America, and the Arab and Muslim world.
"He's lazy and limited and he has an attention span of a nanosecond."
Is this about Trump or about every petty dictator the US has habitually supported and brought and kept in power?
"Donald Trump is the greatest threat to western civilization we have faced," another cries in fear, "since the fall of the Berlin Wall." He might very well be.
OPINION: Trump for dummies
But this very "western civilization" has been a threat to world peace for a very long time, and Trump is now its defining moment, as were Hitler, Mussolini, King Leopold II, and the entire spectrum of British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Belgian imperialism wreaking havoc on every corner of this earth.
"He might be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch."
Now who said that? Somebody said that about Donald Trump, or was it President Franklin D Roosevelt reportedly saying it about the dictator of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza Garcia? History has a sweet sense of humour. The sentence has now come back to haunt the country of its origin.
"Donald Trump might be a son of a bitch" the world is now echoing in kind, "but he is your son of a bitch."
Trump is Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Manuel Noriega of Panama, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Idriss Deby of Chad, Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan.
Trump is the nasty Mr Hyde hiding inside the lovely looking Dr Barack Jekyll Obama, coming out unexpectedly for a house call.
Trump is the late Shah of Iran and the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq put together. Trump is every single Arab general or dictator the US has befriended and kept in power.
These and scores of other nasty, brutish, vile and vulgar dictators are - and have been - supported, endorsed, kept in power, and used and abused to serve the US and its favourite settler colony Israel military and economic might, and they all fall into the category of Roosevelt's "our sons of bitches".
For unto us a tyrant is born
"Yes, it would be worthwhile to study clinically, in detail, the steps taken by Hitler and Hitlerism," Aime Cesaire said famously in his Discourse on Colonialism, "and to reveal to the very distinguished, very humanistic, very Christian bourgeois of the 20th century that without his being aware of it, he has a Hitler inside him, that Hitler inhabits him, that Hitler is his demon, that if he rails against him, he is being inconsistent and that, at bottom, what he cannot forgive Hitler for is not crime in itself, the crime against man, it is not the humiliation of man as such, it is the crime against the white man, the humiliation of the white man, and the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for the Arabs of Algeria, the coolies of India, and the niggers of Africa."
OPINION: The garden of Americanly delights
Cesaire anticipated Trump and reaction to Trump too, for Trump is now equally poised to do to America what Mussolini did in Libya, King Leopoldo II in the Congo, the French in Algeria, the British in India, the Spaniards in the Americas, the Israelis in Palestine. Obama is not happy with Trump. He and his wife Michelle Obama and the entire Democratic Party and liberal stalwarts like Elizabeth Warren are really concerned what Trump might do to America what they have done to the world at large.
Liberal America is up in arms capturing their Mr Hyde, hiding it inside President Hillary Rodham Clinton in the White House so she can do as US presidents habitually do, ripping the world to pieces and keeping the liberal heart of this empire bleeding for "peace on earth" just in time for next Christmas.
Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policies.
Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
@ HamidDabashi
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Alliance FDA Comments
Alliance for Childhood Cancer Letter to FDA RE: Response to Request for Comments following Public Workshop on Complex Issues in Developing Drug and Biological Products for Rare Diseases
Division of Dockets
Management (HFA–305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm.
1061, Rockville, MD 20852
Docket No. FDA–2013–N–0985]
Ms. Leslie Kux,
Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
The undersigned organized organizations representing the Alliance for Childhood Cancer (the Alliance) respectfully write in response to the FDA’s request for comments following the January 2014 public workshop on complex issues in developing drug and biological products for rare diseases.
The Alliance, representing more than thirty national cancer patient advocacy groups and professional medical and scientific organizations, applauds the FDA’s action in holding this workshop with patient advocacy stakeholders addressing critical issues related to drug development. We encourage FDA to continue partnering with stakeholders through such forums in pursuing strategies aimed at stimulating and accelerating pediatric cancer drug development and approvals for new, safe, and effective treatments addressing the needs of children diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death in children ages 5-14 (second only to unintentional injury), with an alarming 1 in 285 children diagnosed before the age of twenty.1 The FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) created a new opportunity to kick start pediatric cancer drug development in the United States, and the Alliance supports FDA’s patient focused drug development initiatives to engage patient voices in direct conversations about what new treatments are desired and how patients can play a critical role in clinical trials. We encourage the FDA to consider including pediatric and young adult cancer as a specific disease area for this patient focused drug development initiative.
The FDA’s January workshop offered an important opportunity to hear and share stakeholder input, and several Alliance members in attendance appreciated the FDA’s efforts to provide diverse viewpoints on the panels and to hear from all stakeholders. Going forward the Alliance urges the FDA to continue engaging a broad range of key stakeholders in efforts to create a strategic plan for rare disease drug development. We also encourage the FDA to consider the distinct issues inherent to pediatric cancers that may be different from other rare diseases. Toward this end we offer the following comments:
2) Continue flexible approach in addressing risk-benefit for pediatric cancer drug development.
During the workshop participants discussed their thoughts on acceptable risk levels and considerations in the context of conducting clinical trials for potentially curative or diseasemodifying therapies. Balancing risk and benefit is always essential, but requires flexibility because risk tolerance can often vary considerably depending on the disease. Such flexibility is particularly relevant in the context of pediatric cancer, where treatment toxicities and their long term implications are a significant concern that must be weighed alongside the treatment’s potential therapeutic benefit.
As drug development targets smaller patient populations by disease, and even by molecular subtypes, we encourage the FDA to adopt appropriately flexible risk-benefit policies that ensure safety and effectiveness while also making allowances for the risks inherent in conducting wellcontrolled and adequate cancer clinical trials that provide the maximum opportunity to determine whether the investigational treatment delivers its desired anti-cancer therapeutic effect.
3) Prioritize enhanced pediatric cancer clinical trial endpoints development.
Overall survival remains a central endpoint in therapeutic cancer clinical trials. However, cancer treatment toxicities and their long term implications in terms of side effects and late effects that significantly interfere with patient and family quality of life are now well documented, i ii iii indicating an imperative to also foster pathways for the development of drugs and biologics that minimize these adverse effects.
Treating the pain, symptoms and stress of cancer is as important as treating the cancer. Pediatric cancer patients, survivors and their families want and need treatments that minimize their suffering and help them maintain their ability to think, feel, grow and have the highest quality of life possible. The Alliance urges the FDA and the clinical research community to work together in establishing expanded and enhanced metrics for endpoints that reflect these quality of life priorities and more integrated care as part of therapeutic and other pediatric cancer trials. Established measures for validating endpoints in registered clinical trials can help bring clarity to sponsors seeking approval for clinical benefits that extend beyond just overall survival to also reflect these quality of life concerns.
4) The FDA should work with a broad range of stakeholders including industry and patient advocacy groups to determine where harmony is needed between FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA) policy regarding pediatric drug development plans as well as other incentives and requirements.
During the workshop there was robust discussion about on-going conversations between the FDA and EMA regarding required pediatric investigational plans (PIPs) in Europe and the pediatric study plans (PSPs) in the U.S. The conversations were a reminder that pediatric cancer drug development is a global enterprise. The patient advocacy community is aware that the regulatory incentives in the U.S. and EU play a significant role in industries’ calculus about the development of pediatric cancer drugs. The Alliance would like to pursue an active role in these conversations.
5) Amend the Pediatric Research Equity Act to include a special rule for oncology drugs.
As currently structured, PREA only requires pediatric studies for drugs that are indicated for diseases observed in both adults and children. Common adult cancers – breast, colon, lung and prostate cancer – do not occur in children. Thus companies receive an immediate waiver from PREA requirements for virtually all new oncology drugs, even when these drugs may prove important for a range of childhood cancers.
In order to strengthen the requirement that new drugs should be studied in children with cancer, we urge the FDA to adopt a modifying proposal that encourages the conduct of pediatric oncology studies when there is a pediatric-relevant target or pathway included in the product label for a new adult oncology drug.
We believe that this proposed modification to PREA could significantly accelerate the development of new therapies for children with cancer, providing children and their families with safer and more effective treatments
About the Alliance for Childhood Cancer
The Alliance for Childhood Cancer, “Alliance,” represents 29 national patient advocacy groups and professional medical and scientific organizations. The Alliance was established in 2001 to advocate on behalf of the youngest patients of cancer. Patient advocates, many of whom are either cancer survivors themselves or are parents of children with cancer, are joined by oncology professionals and others representing the multidisciplinary spectrum of cancer care in a unique alliance that brings concerned parties together to advance the interests of children with cancer. The mission of the Alliance is to provide a forum of national patient advocacy groups and medical and scientific organizations which meets regularly, shares ideas and concerns, and works collaboratively to advance research and policies to prevent cancer, and improve public education, and the diagnosis, treatment, supportive care and survivorship of children and adolescents with cancer.
American Brain Tumor Association
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers
B+ Foundation
Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy
Children’s Oncology Group
Curesearch for Children’s Cancer
Leukemia Lymphoma Society
National Brain Tumor Society
Sarcoma Foundation of America
Society of Pediatric Psychology
1 Cancer Facts and Figures, 2014 Special Section, http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@research/documents/webcontent/acspc-041787.pdf
i Oefffinger KC, Metens AC, Sklar CA, et al. Chronic Health Conditions in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer.
N Engl J Med 2006: 355:1572-82.
ii Wolfe J, Grier HE, Klar N, et al. Symptoms and suffering at the end of life in children with cancer. N Engl J
Med 2000; 342:326-333.
iii Hudson MM, Ness KN, Gurney JG, et al. Clinical Ascertainment of Health Outcomes Among Adults Treated for
Childhood Cancer. JAMA 2013: 309(22):2371-2381.
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Title: Retail Sales Associate - Apparel
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Daybreak announce release date for H1Z1 on PlayStation 4
By:Adnan Kljajic - Nem
Published: 08:20, 27 July 2018
Daybreak Games had their break with the decision to go to PlayStation 4 with their H1Z1 battle royale. The game has seen much success in open beta, so it's time for the game to go full fledged on 07 August 2018 with new rewards and content.
It seems like H1Z1 will have a huge day one patch, as it will bring a pile of changes and new features, most notably a battle pass. This battle pass will be slightly different from the ones we came to know in Fortnite and everything else that tried to copy Fortnite, as it will have three lines of rewards across 30 tiers or levels.
The first line will be for the free users, as per usual, and it will be almost barren of any rewards, nothing new there. Premium line will get unlocked when players purchase the battle pass, standing at $5.49 / ~£4.19, and it is the richest of the tree lines. The last line is reserved for those who are subscribed to PS Plus, and will feature slightly more rewards than the free one. Of course, rewards from all three lines can be earned at the same time, provided you meet the requirements.
Two weapons are also making their way into H1Z1 - RPG and SOCOM. The first one is self explanatory, you point the tube, click and things go boom, while the latter one is M14 SOCOM designated marksman rifle. The official post describes it as a rifle standing between the Scout and M40, since M40 will now be a one shot one kill provided you score a headshot, regardless of whether the target has a helmet.
ARV is a new vehicle that will be rolling out together with H1Z1 and is quite unique. Its looks resemble a Humvee, it has thick armour and an entire squad of five can fit into it. On top of that feature, it has a roof hatch where one of the squaddies can pop out and shoot enemies while on the move. It doesn't come with a built in with .50 calibre machine gun though.
Daybreak Game Company H1Z1 Auto Royale
Two new packs of cosmetics are also in, one resembling Bruce Lee's iconic yellow tracksuit and the other one looks heavily armoured, much like Helghast from Killzone series. You can preview the cosmetics along with the first screenshots of the battle pass on the official PlayStation blog .
UK charts: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot ends Modern Warfare's streak
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Black Desert's 2020 roadmap reveals more Succession skills and new regions
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New Godfall gameplay leak shows brutal yet gorgeous combat
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Resident Evil fixed camera was apparently not due to technical limitations
Capcom's Resident Evil kicked off a craze for survival horrors in the later part of the '90s and one of the key elements to that success was the wonky fixed camera. While many just wrote it off as a result of technical limitations, Shinji Mikami said otherwise.
Korean MMO Lost Ark will not release in EU and NA in 2020
Popular Korean MMO Lost Ark will not be coming to Europe and North America in 2020 as the developer Smilegate don't have any plans for western expansion in the near future.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - How to fix disc read error?
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League of Legends Preseason 2020 champion tier list guide
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The Division 2 Snitch locations, the precursor for Cassie Mendoza
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Korean MMO Lost Ark could be coming to Europe and North America
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GTA Online Casino Heist drip feed car list
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H1Z1: Battle Royale is getting airstrikes and a revive system
Daybreak Games saw an opportunity in launching H1Z1 for PlayStation 4, reaping the massive benefits in the month after the game's Open Beta launch on 22 May 2018. The team has prepared a patch with new features to keep up the pace.
Z1 Battle Royale returning to its original creator Daybreak Games
Just a few weeks after they rebranded H1Z1 to Z1 Battle Royale, and refreshed it with a major update, NantG Mobile are giving up on the game and returning it to its original developer Daybreak Games. NantG will now focus on mobile titles.
H1Z1 launches on PlayStation 4 with a hefty day one update
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H1Z1 debuts on PlayStation 4 with upwards of 1.5 million players
We've got to admit that H1Z1's arrival on PlayStation 4 consoles as a free to play title was a pretty clever move by DayBreak Games, seeing as how PUBG's insistence on sticking with Microsoft hasn't really left PS4 players with much choice.
Daybreak Games hit with layoffs, Smedley estimates around 70
In spite of some more recent successes with H1Z1's PlayStation 4 performance, Daybreak Games can't seem to catch a proper break and their founder John Smedley estimates that as many as 70 workers have lost their jobs in the company.
H1Z1 hits 4m on PlayStation 4, patch ads Duos mode
TheyBreak Games' H1Z1 seems to finally be shaping up into the game it was supposed to be, albeit not quite as the company expected. After breaking the 1.5m PS4 player milestone, the company now has a patch with a new mode and a new record.
H1Z1 leaves Early Access after squatting for 3 years
H1Z1 will mark 28 February 2018 as the day it finally left Early Access on Steam. Daybreak Game Company have been looking for a way to enter the Battle Royale market with something unique - they opted out for a large scale demolition derby.
H1Z1: Battle Royale on PlayStation 4 gets free for all deathmatch
Daybreak Games are releasing a new season for H1Z1: Battle Royale on PlayStation 4 on 21 February 2019 and it will bring Training Grounds, ranked leaderboards, a new battle pass with 100 tiers and a brand new mode - Free For All Deathmatch.
DayBreak Games announce H1Z1 open beta for PlayStation 4
DayBreak Games must have had a torrid time seeing PUBG and Fortnite Battle Royale cruise past them in the pecking order, but let's face it - this is not an industry that's particularly forgiving should you choose to rest on your laurels.
©2019 AltChar
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Ontario G1 Test
Ontario Motorcycle Test
Truck Driver Test
Canada’s History
Questions from Discover Canada Chapter - Canada’s History. Detailed chapter-by-chapter questions help students retain and review knowledge from each chapter.
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Congratulations - you have completed Canada’s History. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Who was the first person to draw a map of the east coast of Canada?
Ferdinand Magellan
At the time of the American Revolution, how many Loyalists fled to Canada?
In what year did the British Parliament pass the Québec act?
In the 1920s, it was suggested that what area should become a part of Canada?
The Falkland Islands
In what year were Upper and Lower Canada united as the Province of Canada?
Along with other former countries of the British Empire, Canada is part of which organisation?
The Colonial Society
The Commonwealth of Nations
The British Protectorate
The Former Empire Club
Having beaten the French, the British renamed the area of the Battle of the Plains what?
Province of Québec
How many Canadians lost their lives in the First World War?
Samuel de Champlain and Pierre de Monts established the first European settlement north of Florida in which year?
In 1813 American invaders burnt down Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York. What is that city now called?
Louis Riel led uprisings against the Dominion of Canada in 1869 and 1885, leading which people?
Métis and Indians
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are now the national police force of Canada. What were they originally called when they were established to help pacify the west of Canada?
Her Majesty’s Mounted Police
The North West Mounted Police
The Western Provinces Mounted Police
The Canada Mounted Police
The commander of the victorious British Army in the Battle of the Plains was…?
James Wolfe
The Duke of Marlborough
Charles Cadogan
Which was the first Canadian province to give women the right to vote?
Upper Canada became the first province of the British Empire to start to introduce abolition of slavery in what year?
Sir John Alexander MacDonald, first Prime Minister of Canada, is represented on what Canadian currency?
$10 bill
$1 bill
The first democratic representative assembly in Canada was elected where?
Around what time did the word Canada first begin appearing on maps?
In what year did the Americans attempt to invade Québec?
Why did European explorers call the native people they found in Canada Indians?
They thought they looked like Indians
It was short for “Independents”
They thought they were in the East Indies
It was the native people’s word for themselves
Which of these Canadian tribes lived by farming and hunting?
In 1812, in revenge for British interference with their shipping, which country attempted to invade Canada?
British Columbia joined Canada in 1871 when Ottawa promised to build a linking…?
Telegraph network
Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is celebrated to mark the date of the Dominion of Canada formally came into being in 1867, which is…?
The first people to set foot in Canada apart from Aboriginal peoples are thought to have come from where?
In 1867, which of these provinces was not part of the new country called the Dominion of Canada?
Sir Wilfred Laurier was the first Canadian Prime Minister…?
Who was born in Canada
Who was French Canadian
All of these
Who was an immigrant
The original French economy of Canada was driven by the trade in what?
Pine timber
Beaver pelts
In what year were the majority of female Canadian citizens aged 21 or over given the right to vote in federal elections?
Which Act of 1791 divided Québec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada?
The Division Act
The Canada Act
The Québec Act
The Constitutional Act
To defend Canada, the Duke of Wellington chose Bytown as the endpoint of his network of forts. What is it called today?
In 1885 a Head Tax was established to attempt to block the immigration of which people to Canada?
In 1792, black immigrants to Nova Scotia established a colony for free slaves where?
Who was the first European to explore the St Lawrence River?
William Cormack
Canada became an official title in what year?
The name Canada derives from the Iroquois word kanata, which means what?
At the turn of the 19th/20th century, more than 260 Canadians died in which war?
The Mexican War
The American war
The Indian war
Sir John Alexander McDonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, was born in what country?
The cities of Edmonton, Langley and Victoria all began as what?
Landing stages
Army bases
Trading posts
Religious settlements
When European settlers first came to Canada, they caused large numbers of Aboriginal people to die due to…?
Which of these Canadian tribes was nomadic?
To mark a remarkable victory in April 1917, April 9 is now celebrated as…?
Vimy Day
Passchendaele Day
Ypres Day
Gallipoli Day
The Québec Act allowed Catholics in Canada to do what that they could not, at the time, do in Britain?
Hold public office
Celebrate mass
In which year did the French make peace with the Iroquois?
In what year did the Montréal stock exchange open?
Many slaves escaped from the United States to Canada using…?
The Underground Highway
The Underground Tramway
The Underground Canal
Which were the first group of women to be given the right to vote in federal elections in Canada?
Women serving as nurses in World War I
Women married to soldiers in World War I
Women working in munitions factories in World War I
Women who lost a family member in World War I
The Atlantic colonies and Upper and Lower Canada were collectively known as what?
British Canada
Greater Canada
Northern States
In the D-Day invasion of Western Europe on June 6, 1944, Canadian forces stormed and took which beach from the German army?
In 1608 Samuel de Champlain built a fortress in an area which is now…?
In what year did King Charles II give the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the Hudson Bay area?
Which of these First Nations tribes did not become allies of the original French settlers?
Montagnais
What was the last territory to become part of the Dominion of Canada, in 1999?
How many Canadian and Newfoundland servicemen served in World War II?
1 million+
During the Second World War, Canadians with origins in which country were unfairly discriminated against in British Columbia?
On what day of the year to Canadians remember all those who have served and died for Canada?
During the American Revolution, Joseph Brant led thousands of Native Americans into Canada who were loyal to the British. Which tribe did they represent?
The first British North American colony to truly govern itself was…?
Out of a population of 8 million, how many Canadians fought in the First World War?
France’s empire in North America came to an end at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 in which part of Canada?
The Québec Act was based on…?
British criminal law and British civil law
British criminal law and French civil law
French criminal law and French civil law
French criminal law and British civil law
The export of which of these was not a major part of the Canadian economy when it was first founded?
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results
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Our team developed nearly three hundred study questions available here. They provide rigorous tests of students’ knowledge through chapter by chapter questions such as Canada’s History.
Challenging questions in multiple choice format to test your understanding of every chapter of Discover Canada study book. The study questions will be an invaluable resource for students reviewing for their Canadian Citizenship exams or simply testing their knowledge as they work through the Discover Canada book.
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‘Nature in Culture: Modern British Art and the Environment’ – a talk at London Art Fair
Derelict china clay works, Belowda Beacon, Roche (c. 1940), Ruskin Spear. From the ‘Recording Britain’ collection of topographical watercolours and drawings made during the Second World War, a project initiated by Kenneth Clark. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
On Saturday 25 January at 4pm, Apollo web editor Gabrielle Schwarz will chair a panel discussion at London Art Fair, Islington, on the theme of British art and the environment – with panellists Rosemary Shirley (associate professor of museum studies, University of Leicester), Ben Tufnell (writer, and director of Parafin gallery), and Rachel Pimm (artist). Read more about the talk below.
In recent years, the climate crisis has grown impossible for society to ignore – and artists have often led the way in examining humanity’s relationship to our environment. From past eras, there are the sublime landscapes of Romantic painters like J.M.W. Turner, whose darkened skies and stormy seas influenced John Ruskin’s late-Victorian studies of the natural world and the problem of atmospheric pollution (described by Ruskin as a ‘storm-cloud’). More recently, artists in the UK and beyond have turned to the land not just as subject matter but also as material – as in Richard Long’s seminal A Line Made by Walking of 1967.
The panel will look at how modern and contemporary artists in Britain have engaged with nature, focusing on a varied selection of movements and projects over the past century – from modernist rural landscapes to land art, to contemporary ecological art. In each case, the ways in which meaning is shaped by medium and process, style and imagery, and the works’ historical and physical contexts will be explored. How have artists used landscape painting to perpetuate or question pastoral ideals? What does it mean to make an artwork using earth and stone as opposed to oil and canvas, to exhibit it in a field or in a school as opposed to a gallery or museum? How have the worsening effects of climate change affected artistic priorities and strategies?
Then there’s the wider question of the roles art can play in preserving the planet for future generations – whether artworks might serve as historical records of a vanishing world, objects of beauty to inspire positive change, tools to raise ‘climate consciousness’, or more practical forms of direct action. Could these forms of art also be considered a type of research or activism – and if so, what is it that sets art apart as a vehicle for change?
Free to attend for all visitors to London Art Fair.
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Life was a cabaret – the Roaring Twenties in Cairo
Most traces of the city’s early 20th-century nightlife have now disappeared. Only the shells of former casinos and theatres hint at this bygone era
A court recently ruled that the ancient site be reconverted into a mosque, casting the fate of its well-preserved mosaics and wall paintings into question
Art news daily: 17 January
The painter-novelist was one of a kind – but his influence will continue to shape the imagination of Scotland
The decision to exchange the historic carvings of Hinemihi at Clandon Park for new examples is admirable – and creative
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Iran has not ruled out talks to end nuclear dispute
A narrow, airbrushed take on the Syrian war
Egypt fighter jet crashes during exercise, killing pilot
Egypt fighter jet crashes during exercise, killing pilot /node/1613126/middle-east
In February 2018, the Egyptian army and police launched a nationwide operation against militants. (File photo: Reuters)
https://arab.news/ggp6e
CAIRO: An Egyptian fighter jet crashed during exercises on Tuesday, killing its pilot, the armed forces said.
“During an armed forces exercise on January 14, 2020, a fighter plane crashed in one of the training areas, leading to the death of its pilot,” the military said in a statement on Facebook.
It said it was investigating the cause of the incident.
Another fighter jet crashed in Egypt last December but the pilot managed to eject and parachute to safety.
Egypt’s armed forces have several recently purchased American, Russia and French jets.
Earlier Tuesday, the military issued a slick video announcing exercises aimed at quelling militant activity in restive northern Sinai and securing Egypt’s borders with Libya and Sudan.
In February 2018, the Egyptian army and police launched a nationwide operation against militants, mainly focused on North Sinai province.
According to the latest army figures, more than 830 suspected militants have since been killed in the region. About 60 security personnel have also been killed.
Topics: Egypt pilot Military jet crash
Lebanon president to chair crisis talks over weekend violence /node/1615631/middle-east
Updated 35 min 49 sec ago
The meeting will touch on “security developments” in the country
Lebanon has been without a government since outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s under-fire president is set to meet Monday with top security officials to discuss rare violence over the weekend that left hundreds wounded in the protest-hit country.
Michel Aoun will be joined by the care-taker ministers of the interior and defense as well as the chiefs of the military and security agencies in the early afternoon, his office said in a statement.
The meeting will touch on “security developments” in a country rocked since October 17 by unprecedented protests against a political class deemed incompetent, corrupt and responsible for an ever-deepening economic crisis.
It will also address “measures that need to be taken to preserve peace and stability,” the state-run National News agency (NNA) reported.
Demonstrators at the weekend lobbed stones, firecrackers and street signs at riot police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to clear a flashpoint road near parliament.
Over the most violent weekend in three months of street protests, some 530 were wounded on both sides, according to a toll compiled by AFP from figures provided by the Red Cross and Civil Defense.
Lawyers and rights groups have condemned the “excessive” and “brutal” use of force by security forces.
Human Rights Watch accused riot police of “launching tear gas canisters at protesters’ heads, firing rubber bullets in their eyes and attacking people at hospitals and a mosque.”
Internal Security Forces, for their part, have urged demonstrators to abstain from assaulting riot police and damaging public or private property.
Protesters had called for a week of “anger” over the political leadership’s failure to form a new government even as the debt-ridden country sinks deeper into a financial crisis.
Lebanon has been without a government since outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29 in the face of popular pressure.
Political factions agreed on December 19 to appoint former education minister Hassan Diab as the new premier but have since squabbled over ministerial posts and portfolios.
Protesters have demanded a new government be comprised solely of independent experts, and exclude all established political parties.
The United Nations’ envoy to Lebanon pinned the blame for the violence on politicians.
“Anger of the people is understandable, but it is different from vandalism of political manipulators, that must be stopped,” Jan Kubis wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Topics: lebanon protests
Lebanon leader’s hopes in disarray after ministry hopeful quits
Bangladesh sentences 10 to death for 2001 political bombings
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A Year Of Rain is a real-time strategy game. Find below, details about how to play and additional information that helps you understand the game.
In A Year Of Rain, you start a match with selecting your faction and your hero. We offer three factions with three heroes each. You get placed on the map with your team mate. You start with a main building and a handful of worker units. The worker units collect resources for you such as Anorium and Wood. Going from there, you build your base. Buildings for recruiting of troops, diverse technology buildings and defensive buildings are at your disposal.
Your goal: Build your base, level up your hero, recruit troops and destroy your opponents base!
It's a team game!
We see a tendency towards team gameplay. While most other RTS games feature 1vs1 modes, we completely focus on 2vs2. With a second player, you unlock new ways to strategically outdo your opponents. Our game features are created and balanced to support team gameplay. A role selection at the beginning of a match allows both players to choose complementary roles to perform even better as a team - or play double support. It's up to you really. Besides an in-game chat, we offer a ping system with which you can communicate with your team partner, no matter if real player or AI, effectively.
It also has advantages for new players to the RTS genre: Take a look at how your team mate plays. Looking, copying and trying is a valid way of improving your own skills. Our game modes are set up for 2 versus 2 matches, so you never play alone. Don't worry about your team mate. If your team member has a higher skill level, he/she will be getting a bonus on XP at the end of the match for being a role model for you through the game. If your opponents are ranked higher in the game, you both are also getting a so-called Underdog bonus for playing against more experienced players.
A great story in a brand new universe
Experience the epic story of A Year Of Rain, find out what happened to the lands and what our three factions House Rupah, The Restless Regiment and the Wild Banners have to do with that. In 3 campaigns, 10 missions each, you'll find the answer. All missions are best in co-op mode and partly offer different tasks for both players, so playing all missions twice in both positions is recommended! If you got no-buddy (pun intended), you can select to play together with an AI by your side.
Play the campaign missions alone with an AI or on co-op mode. We recommend playing it in co-op mode to experience the story in the best possible way. Some missions offer different tasks for each player, so replaying the missions as Player 1 and Player 2 is recommended.
On Early Access release, we'll have the first campaign á 10 missions included. The other two campaigns follow during the Early Access phase.
Game Mode: Skirmish / Custom Games
Play 2 versus 2 Skirmish matches. Get matched with random other players in Skirmish or set up a Custom Game lobby to play with your friends under set settings and a map of your choice. And if you are missing players, add AI players to the match. Custom Games allow Observers to watch the match without taking action in it, in a special Observer mode.
Game Mode: Against All Odds
Our asymmetric game mode: Two heroes face two entire armies! In this game mode, heroes are able to use items to improve. The armies don't have a hero available. Finally, a game mode to play together with your MOBA friends! This game mode might not be available right from the start of Early Access.
Build Order Guides
You're not completely depending on learning from your team mate. At the beginning of the match, we offer you different Build Order Guides to follow. They vary on the chosen role you'd like to play and list actions we recommend you to fulfil your role. We plan to offer multiple Build Order Guides for multiple playstyles in-game. There is no need to search for those online anymore.
Replay Function
If you want, your matches will be saved as replays. Through an in-game menu, you'll be able to watch your matches again from a Spectator perspective to analyse what happened and to take a closer look at what your team mates did.
Fair matchmaking procedure
We aim for a fair matchmaking. We sort players into leagues and tiers. Advanced players will play in higher leagues. Your opponents will be just about right for you to play against.
Hotkey Functionality
We implemented a ton of different hotkey functionality in-game, inspired by all your favourite RTS games including but not limited to: Unit grouping, grouping buildings, hotkeys for hero selection and idle worker, saveable camera positions, skipping through unit types in current selection, different ways to add or remove units to selection and many more! Key bindings can be changed in the game options.
Roles & Upgrades
Upon the start of a match, you can select one out of three roles: Tank, Damage or Support. Depending on which role you select, you can upgrade one additional research. The research can be levelled up to level 4. The first level is already unlocked when you select the role.
Communicate with your team mate beforehand to define who selects which role and how you can best play together.
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