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Regions/Europe/TravelInfomation
Revision as of 18:33, 24 April 2012 by Ebrinkman (Talk | contribs)
Travel directions, as well as other tourist information, can be found on wikitravel Amsterdam. Directions to the VU University can be found on the website of the university. Below we give a description.
Amsterdam can be reached by plane through Schiphol Airport, with connections to all main airports in the world. There are very frequent and direct train connections from the airport to:
Yellow & blue ticket machines
for train tickets
“Amsterdam Zuid” railway station, the railway station to reach VU University. Travel duration is 7 min.
“Amsterdam Centraal Station”, the railway station to reach the city centre. Travel duration is approximately 15-20 min.
Train tickets can be bought at Schiphol airport from the yellow & blue ticket machines near the platforms at Schiphol Plaza. The machines accept payment by various means - all accept Dutch PIN chip cards, only some take euro coins. Note payment with euro notes is not possible.
Tickets are also available from the 'Tickets & Service' counter, which are situated close to the red/white-checked cube at Schiphol Plaza (you will pay €0,50 surcharge for the privilege). Staff at the ticket offices will also be able to provide you with train departure information. From these railway stations it should not be too difficult to get to your hotel by tram, metro or bus.
The machine touch screen interface
is straight forward to use
You can purchase a Single, Day Return or Weekend Return to your destination on the day of travel - in either first class or (standard) second class.
A Weekend Return is similar to the Day Return and costs the same, but your return journey does not have to be on the same day as your outward journey. A Weekend Return is valid from 19.00h Friday evening to 04.00h Monday morning.
With a normal train ticket you can just jump onboard any normal service (Intercity and Sprinter trains) and free seating in your class is in effect.
Note: Use the disposable cards. The plastic anonymous cards, costs an additional €7,50 for the card and €20 boarding rate.
You can plan your trip in advance on the website of the on the journeyplanner website 9292. For only train travel, use ns.nl
Note: Be careful when going by taxi to and from Schiphol. Some drivers do not like to make short trips. Our experience with taxis from Connexxion is generally positive. This company also runs a hotel shuttle service. To order a taxi directly, please dial: TCA +31 20 777 777.
Amsterdam Central Station has intercity and high speed connections to mainland European cities and to London. Schedule information and booking via nshighspeed.nl.
By far the best option to reach Amsterdam by car is to use the so-called “Park & Ride” [P+R] facilities, i.e. drive to a secured parking site in the outskirts of Amsterdam and travel by public transport to your hotel or campus. [P+R] Parking costs are € 8 per 24 h and include free public transport (with some limitations).
Watch out: Except for parking at the [P+R] facilities, parking anywhere else in Amsterdam is surprisingly expensive! And parking violations have very annoying and expensive consequences: fines are high and your car may be towed away, costing additionally € 150.
Getting around in Amsterdam
Students can get around Amsterdam by public transport, or the very Dutch way: by using a rented (not stolen!) bike. Public transport and bikes are the main and quickest means of transport in Amsterdam, an own car needs a parking spot, which is expensive in Amsterdam.
Vending machine for
a OV-chipkaart
Public transportation (tram, metro and bus) is one of the easiest ways to get around Amsterdam. Public transport in Amsterdam is run by the GVB. One of
the GVB Tickets and Information desks is at the Stationsplein opposite of the
Central Station. Several types of tickets are available. We recommend, a 2 day ticket, giving unlimited access to public transport (tram, metro and bus, but
EXCLUDING the special night-buses) in Amsterdam, for €12,00.
A GVB one-hour card costs €2,70.
Note: Use the disposable cards. The plastic anonymous cards, costs an
additional € 7,50 for the card.
Are you travelling with others? Every passenger requires their own OV-
chipkaart. Tickets can be purchased from vending machines or in the bus or
tram. Prices and places to buy these tickets can be found on the GVB website.
You can plan trips on the journey planner.
Note: With this OV-chipkaart, you must check-in and check-out when boarding or disembarking from a tram, bus, or metro. Make sure you do not hold the card in front of the reader twice because you will not only be checking in but also checking out. If an inspector checks the tickets and you are not checked in you will be fined! Even when you transfer from one modality to another you need to check out. You will again check in when you use the next transport modality.
You can check in and out at the smart card readers. The smart card readers are located at the doors of a bus or tram. Gates are used in metro stations.
Check always in and out with this OV-chipkaart
Biking is the most flexible way of getting around in Amsterdam. Your hotel should be able to give you information about the nearest bike-rental shops.
Getting to the VU University
The iGEM Jamboree takes place in the Main Building (Hoofdgebouw) of the VU University.
Address: De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam.
VU University Amsterdam (De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam, on google maps) is accessible by different means of transport. At the end of this page you can find a few maps to help you orient.
From Amsterdam Central Station
Metro-tram 51, direction Amstelveen Westwijk (16 minutes). Get off at: De Boelelaan/VU
Tram 5, direction Amstelveen Binnenhof (25 minutes). Get off at: De Boelelaan/VU
Tram 16 or 24, direction VUmc (VU medical center). Get off at final stop: VUmc
From Amsterdam Zuid railway station
It is a 10 minute walk. Walk to the VU University Main Building. To get your bearings correct: when you are on the railway platforms facing South you will see buildings with signs 'Boekel de Nerée' and 'Baker & McKenzie', as well as a remarkable edgy black-and-grey office building called 'The Rock' (see map with picture at the end of this page). Determine where the West is, and walk all the way to the West end of platform, even past 'The Rock'. There is a well-hidden exit. Descend the stairs and turn left. After leaving the station through the swing doors turn right and cross the road and tram railways (watch out for traffic!). Across the street turn left (to the South). After a 5 minute walk along a little bushy area you will see the VU buildings.
Metro-tram 51 (1 minute), direction Amstelveen Westwijk. Get off at: De Boelelaan/VU
Tram 5 (1 minute), direction Amstelveen Binnenhof. Get off at: De Boelelaan/VU
The A-10 Amsterdam ring road can be reached from all directions. Follow the A-10 to the Zuid / Amstelveen exit S108. Turn left at the end of the slip road onto Amstelveenseweg: after about three hundred yards (at the VU University hospital building) turn left again onto De Boelelaan. VU University Amsterdam can be reached via city routes S108 and S109.
There is a limited amount of parking space around VU University in De Boelelaan, which has parking bays, and also in Karel Lotsylaan. There is paid parking on VU parking lot to the right of the Hospital Outpatient Clinic. There is even more parking space on the east side of Buitenveldertselaan at the junction with Willem van Weldammelaan, within 5 minutes walking distance of the VU. A number of parking places for the handicapped are reserved in front of the VU Main Building and within its grounds. Parking at the inner campus area of the VU is expensive: € 3 per hour, also during the weekend! Strangely though, on Fridays after 19:00 h. and on Saturdays and Sundays parking is free in immediate vicinity South and East of the VU campus. But to avoid nasty surprises, be sure to check the signs and parking ticket machines! Also see the City of Amsterdam map of parking rates.
Retrieved from "http://2012.igem.org/Regions/Europe/TravelInfomation"
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Books Music Videos DVDs Art Why Links
Trilogies
Movie/TV Based
If you are interested in purchasing one of these items (or just want more information on them), just click on the icon that represents the availability from a particular distrubuter.
Please read our About Us page for more details about buying products from The Abyss.
There were six short stories published in "Amazing Stories" and the official "Babylon 5" magazine. Four of the six were written by series creator, J. Michael Straczynski and they are all considered canon. These stories are not available anywhere else but in their original publications.
However, there are copies of these stories floating around on the internet but JMS has asked people to stop distributing them in this manner. Not only is it against the law and infringes on various copyrights but it makes it less likely that these stories will ever be re-published again. If you would like to see these collected into a book, please contact: (thank you KoshN for providing this information!)
Del Rey Books
Steve Saffel, Senior Editor
NY, NY 10036-4040
Steve Saffel: SSaffel@randomhouse.com
Jump to: as 597 · as 599 · as 602 · b5 22 · b5 23 · b5 24 · jms
Amazing Stories #597: The Shadow of His Thoughts
Author: J. Michael Straczynski -- Published: Summer 1999 -- Format: Magazine
This story is set after the series finale where Londo learns the hard truth about his future and with this knowledge, a new kind of freedom.
MONICA'S REVIEW:
None yet...
JMS AT RASTB5M SAID:
The first one was a Londo story because I really wanted to do something different and cool with the character, go inside his head and show the transition to being emperor, let folks know that inside he was still the same Londo.
APR.1.1999
The first one, "The Shadow of his Thoughts," is a Londo story taking place in the days shortly after his coronation as Emperor.
^ Top ^ Buy Item
Amazing Stories #599: Genius Loci
Author: J. Michael Straczynski -- Published: Winter 2000 -- Format: Magazine
After happening upon a Psi Corps mothership floating dead in hyperspace, Lyta and G'kar discover a planet whose very existence endangers all who come near.
[T]he second one with Lyta and G'Kar was mainly for fun, to play with them and see their relationship together out there.
AUG.15.1999
"Genius Loci" is the name of a very well known story by C.A. Smith. Any chance you are a fan of his as well as Lovecraft?
Yes, I'm a fan of Smith's work, but no, the title is not a nod to him, since the phrase precedes his book by several hundred years....
JUL.4.1999
The next one up is a G'Kar/Lyta story set after their joint departure from B5. (I'm basically taking snapshots of where some of the characters are in the months or weeks after the end of season 5.)
Amazing Stories #602: Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic
Susan Ivanova reaches out to Marcus Cole across the years.
What's been kind of fun about the discussion of this episode here and elsewhere has been the bipolarity of it all.
On the one side you have those who think it's a very romantic story with a happy ending. Which is totally the right response.
And then on the other side you've got those who think it's a morally dubious story or even worse. Which is ALSO totally the right response.
It becomes a question of what you, the reader, thinks is appropriate, and where the priorities are. Does Marcus, having laid down his life, and suffered, and lost everything and everyone he holds dear, deserve a last shot at happiness using a technology that is probably being used by other people for far worse purposes?
On the other hand, the technology and the invasiveness of it raises very real questions and concerns. One can say it's an invasion, but is it really? Is it her, or is it a blank slate? What makes her, *her*?
If, in the end, he is happy at last, and she is happy, who are we to question?
But should we not question the *thrust* of the technology, and the uses it might be put to in future?
I knew it'd drive a wedge right down the middle of the readers, and that's exactly why it was written...to pose questions and raise issues for heated discussion. Because what's right or wrong here is a matter of perspective, as it should be.
JUN.22.2000
I think Marcus should have told her the truth. She'll probably remember her death and his actions sometime in their future, and then their time together would have been a lie.
She won't remember it, not if I have anything to say about it.
The third [...] was written with one express purpose: to set the proverbial cat amongst the proverbial pigeons with something that's going to send a ripple all through B5 fandom; it's a story I don't think anyone ever expected to see.
Just the first line alone should stun a number of B5 folks
And that's all I'm going to say about it.
B5 Magazine #22: Hidden Agendas
Author: J. Michael Straczynski -- Published: May 2000 -- Format: Magazine
First issue to feature an all-new Babylon 5 short story, "Hidden Agendas" by J. Michael Straczynski, a tale set on B5 during the original five-year arc. Also features an interview with Jason Carter and a Ship of tears station log.
[T]hese will be brand new stories, written just for the B5 magazine (the first of which will be determined by fan vote from four possible story areas).
B5 Magazine #23: True Seeker
Author: Fiona Avery -- Published: Jul 2000 -- Format: Magazine
Includes a new B5 short story, "True Seeker" by Fiona Avery. Set on the Narn homeworld, Na'Toth makes a terrific guest star appearance. Plus Claudia Christian interview, Endgame station log and more.
B5 Magazine #24: The Nautilus Coil
Author: J. Gregory Keyes -- Published: Aug 2000 -- Format: Magazine
Double-sized final issue. Included a new B5 short story, "The Nautilus Coil", by J. Gregory Keyes, which has a great tie in with his Psi Corps novels and an exhilharating Last Word from series creator J. Michael Straczynski, rounding off the run with his usual aplomb. The completed the Babylon 5 Chronology which began its run in Issue 19.
JMS Speaks on Short Stories
JMS AT THE ABYSS SAID:
The following email was sent to me in response to a copyright violation which occured on one of the mailing lists I own. Re-printed with permission.
I have put both the web site owners and the page itself on notice that they are engaged in copyright infringement, and that the material (scripts and short stories) must be removed or they will face prosecution under the law, which carries a statutory penalty of $100,000 per offense. Warner Bros. Legal Affairs has prosecuted over half a dozen cases such as this, and in each case has won judgements against those involved.
Is there any chance that these [short stories] could be collected and published in a single book?
Somebody would just have to make that deal with WB, that's all.
Confessions of a Couch Potato
(Stephen Furst)
Jul.20.2003 at 13:18 PST
Created: Apr.27.2003
Amazon.com® is a registered trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. All rights reserved. More Affiliate Info
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Stealth – Back In The Spotlight
Pudwell / Greensall To Belcar In ‘05
Terry Pudwell is a happy man today – and has been since last Friday afternoon, in Bahrain.
”To be frank, motorsport hasn't been top of my list for a year or two, while I've concentrated on other business interests,” says the man behind the Stealth B6. “In terms of motorsport, I've mainly been supporting our customers racing in Europe (Holland, Belgium and Germany) with a spares and information service.
“But Stealth Cars is still in business, and last week was all about trying to put the company back in the spotlight a little, and to begin preparations for next year.”
The Speedworx Stealths should have been in the spotlight in 2001, a massive effort having seen two cars ready to go in the Interactive Sportscar Championship (above) – but that series folded almost as soon as it began.
We had the entertaining sight of Nigel Greensall and Xavier Pompidou going at it ‘hell for leather’ in the last race of the 2001 (PowerTour) British GT Championship – Greensall set the fastest lap (above), he chased the Chamberlain Viper for all he was worth for the lead, and he and Mark Pashley finished fifth – but the Stealths didn’t complete a full season in British GTs in 2002, and racing for the British arm of the company went quiet for a while. Then there was Bahrain.
“I think we achieved a huge amount in terms of putting ourselves back in the spotlight,” continues Pudwell, “and I'm absolutely delighted about the result. It's where the car deserves to be!
”Ian (Woody) Woodcock's boys at RSR ran the car as a precursor to running it in Belcar in 2005, and all in all we learnt a huge amount about the car, which is absolutely fantastic! I'm looking forward to working with Woody and his team, including Nigel Greensall (who was a star as usual) in 2005.”
Terry Pudwell had an interesting initiation back into racing in Friday’s one hour final, “starting from sixth on full tanks, on a grid of very quick cars and drivers, who'd all done at least 50 laps in the previous 24 hours, with myself having done just one slow lap in the past two years!”
It all came right though, Greensall taking over and coming home fourth.
”I'll make sure that all our new supporters (and there really are a lot since Bahrain) know where to go for up to the minute news and information,” says Terry.
The least we at dsc can do is pass on Terrry Pudwell’s thanks to the Stealth’s Bharaini sponsors, Bahrain Duty Free, who made a financial contribution to the team’s effort last week, and also helped to retrieve the gearbox parts from the airport on Friday morning, just in time for race 3. This car will be a welcome addition to the Belcar ranks next year.
www.stealthcars.co.uk (the B6 Sport road car holds Autocar’s 0 – 100 – 0 record, and has been timed at 0 – 100 mph in an amazing 6.31 seconds)
Contents Copyright © dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Review: Fade Away at Transition Gallery, London
Review by Charles Danby
Following hot on the heels of Transition’s inaugural ART BLITZ auction, a call to arms against impending arts cuts in the UK, the exhibition Fade Away retains a maxim of mass action and presentation, with the large group exhibition this time directed towards the hinterland between painted representation and painterly abstraction.
Presenting a single work by each of the 39 participating artists, Fade Away resulted in an even and dense distribution of paintings across and around the multiple wall surfaces of Transition. With works staggered just above and below a natural eye level, it drew gaze along an implied horizon that proposed a sequential (relational) viewing from one work to the next. This implicit orthodoxy did not however unfold a contingent narrative or progression of stylistic form, but rather a loose series of tendencies, components and directions within current British painting.
Catching immediate attention was a small section of wall directly facing the entrance on which four paintings hung. The largest, located slightly to the left of the midpoint, was the work Für Waldmüller (2010) by Eleanor Moreton. The title suggested a connection to the 19th century Austrian painter, Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865), and in line with this Moreton’s painting seemed to depict a still life assemblage of vases and flowers. The ambiguous surface markings of paint appeared in places to conjure partial disclosures of figures or perhaps fragments of skulls. Moreton’s dark, oblique and tonally flat palette, sympathetic and recursive to Northern European 16th and 17th Vanitas painting, was occasionally pierced by sharp hues of blue and red.
The work immediately to the right, small and alluring in its strangeness, was a red monochrome painting. This work by Clare Undy, Trouble (2010), was marked across its surface by a single twisted and curved line that appeared as a false or illusory rip or tear. This red on red mark was itself doubled by the inflection of its own shadow, which in marking the representational surface of the painting’s ground remained unrelentingly ambiguous, neither imbedded nor fully removed from it. Above and to the right was a similarly sized painting by Nathan Barlex titled Diluvial Geology (2010), which read loosely and through quick glance as another flower painting of sorts. This assumptive inference of subject may simply have been forged through its proximity to Eleanor Moreton’s painting.
Here the contextual allure of perceptual as well as technical, representational and stylistic form was exposed, underpinning within the exhibition a consensus that highlighted its tendency to supplant pictorial representation by exposing and indulging the sensory and material properties of paint. Fade Away in this sense moved towards an unconditional opening-up of a wide peripheral vision within the framework of painted representation and painterly abstraction.
Completing this four-piece arrangement was the small and disarmingly seductive painting Burn (2010) by Jo Wilmot. An almost square (20 x 25cm) white on white canvas aside for the off central depiction, between foreground and background, of a rolled mass, lump, or bundled figure. Across the painting brush marks lay testament to the presence of paint, its flow and malleability. While this privileging of mark was countered by the pictorial representation of a not quite discernable or knowable object, the terms of this union remained beautifully poised on an edge of instability. Added to which the pictorial scale of the central form seemed to change significantly when viewed from either a close or afar. The concise and not quite graspable articulation of this work was matched by a handful of others, most notably the gloriously contained glutinous pink-orange painting of Clem Crosby’s Picabia (2010), and the affecting nakedness of Alice Browne’s Watch Me (2010).
Elsewhere a recurring sense of geometric representation pervaded the works of Philip Allen, Mali Morris and Alex Gene Morrison, while a strand of figuration that at points turned more directly to portraiture, was evidenced in works by Lindsey Bull, Tim Bailey, Zack Thorne, Paul Housley, Sarah Lederman and Kaye Donachie. Here there was a sense that the number of works in Fade Away started to undermine the underlying concerns of the exhibition, extending its parameters too widely, and resulting in a splintered core that became increasingly hard to gauge. In extracting directives of figurative representation the inclusion of works by Bull, Housley and Donachie interestingly and astutely extended this rhetoric, while other works remained tied to concerns that offered far less or even misfired.
Kaye Donachie’s Under my hand the moonlight lay! (2010) showed the tilted head of a woman within a forest landscape. The faded blue-grey / green-grey palette exposed occasional flickers of pale orange that amongst the muted anaemic tones of the painting glowed as fiercely as the sun burning through a heavy mist. Here Kaye’s work pointed to a further tension in Fade Away, one that suggested the prevalence and connectedness of European tendencies of painting, particularly Belgium and Nordic, within a current catchment of painting from the UK.
Added to this, the small scale of the works shown, the largest being around 70 x 60cm, further permeated (even if falsely) a sentiment of quieter austerity or more reserved tendency within the works. A restraint, intent and discretion that again appeared significant and timely in its European rather than American affiliation. It was perhaps also a tendency that was given further substance by the close unity of generation (of the last 40 years of so) and geography between the artists, added to which was the actual slightness of the time that divided the works, with all of them painted within the last four years, and all but one within the last two years.
In slicing time so acutely Fade Away ensures that such questions of tendency can be asked, and while not all works fire so directly, it reminds us that if approached intelligently exposing tendency is rewarding and significant.
The show continues until 24 December 2010. www.transitiongallery.co.uk
Image: (c)Tim Bailey, The Debutante, 2008, oil on canvas, 40.5 x 30.5cm
Posted by Aesthetica at Tuesday, December 07, 2010
▼ December 5 - December 12 (5)
Review: 10 Dialogues at the RSA, Edinburgh
Aesthetica Creative Works Annual 2011
Filmmaker Series – Part 2 Q&A with the Runners-up ...
Review: High Society at the Wellcome Collection
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alicanteopinion.com
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The Apple Matters Interview: Josh Rizzo
All of us here at Apple Matters, writers and readers, …(read more)
Xserve G5 (Cluster Node)
Terminated: January 2005
The Xserve G5 (Cluster Node) operated as a node when a cluster of Xserves was being used. It had dual 2.0Ghz processors, 512Mb of RAM and an 80Gb hard drive.
Unlike the regular Xserve G5, the Xserve G5 (Cluster Node) did not include an optical drive or graphics card. It could also only support one ATA hard drive.
The Xserve was geared towards education and enterprise markets. It could be used for a variety of purposes including acting as a file server, a web server in addition to clustering high-performance applications.
Processor: PowerPC 970fx (G5)
Number of Cores: 1
Processor Speed: dual 2.0 GHz
Benchmarks: dual 2.0 GHz: 1629
Cache: 64 KB (instruction), 32 KB (data) L1, 512 KB L2
System Bus: 1.0 GHz
Hard Drive: 80 GB 7200-rpm
Media: None
Rack Support: Fits EIA-310-D-compliant, industry-standard 19-inch-wide racks, including four-post racks (24 inches, 26 inches, and from 29 to 36 inches deep) and two-post telco racks (center-mount brackets included)
Weight and Dimensions (US): 33 lbs., 1.73” H x 17.6” W x 28” D
Weight and Dimensions (Metric): 15 kg, 4.4 cm H x 44.7 cm W x 71.1 cm D
Original Mac OS: Mac OS X Server 10.3 (10-Client)
Hardware Test:—
Firmware Update: Xserve G5 Firmware Update 5.1.7f1
Firmware Update URL: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/xserveg5firmwareupdate.html
Type of RAM Slots: 8 - PC3200 DDR400 ECC SDRAM
Minimum RAM Speed:—
Built-in Display: None
Display Connection: None
Expansion Slots: 2 - PCI-X 133MHz 64-bit
Expansion Bays: 1 - Apple Drive Module bay
Hard Drive Bus: 1 - 1.5 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA)
ADM Compatibility: 74 (10,000 RPM), 80, 250, 400, and 500 GB
Backup Battery:—
Max Watts: 240 to 252 W
Line Voltage: 90V-264V AC
Ethernet: 2 - 10/100/1000BASE-T (support for jumbo frames)
Serial: 1 - DB9 (RS-232)
USB: 2 - 480 MBit/s
FireWire: 2 - 800MBit/s, 1 - 400 MBit/s (15W total power)
Fibre Channel: None
Audio Out: None
Introduced in January 2004, the Xserve G5 (Cluster Node) was replaced with newer models in January 2005.
The Xserve can be used for a variety of applications, including file server, web server or even high-performance computing applications using clustering – a dedicated cluster Xserve, the Xserve Cluster Node, without a video card and optical drives was also available. On November 5, 2010, Apple announced that the Xserve line would be discontinued on January 31, 2011 and replaced with the Mac Pro Server and the Mac mini Server.-Jonathan Berkowitz
Agree with that @ Ana. Forum Koszalin
Alpina had this to say on Nov 11, 2011 Posts: 154
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Nov 6 Who is this? in Westfall, there is a quest called "livin' the life" where you have to go into a cave and hide inside while you listen to a conversation between Glubtok (a boss in deadmines, who is a giant two-headed ogre) and a "Shadowy Figure"(it's a female btw), you can actualy see the figure, it looks like a priest in shadow form or something like that. In the Dead Mines dungeon, there is a worgen boss who is named admiral something dont remember, and once you kill him, he says "You will never find her, until it is too late." I believe he's talking about the shadowy figure. Just wondering but who exactly is "she" or the "shadowy figure"?Rubberchops6 Nov 6
Nov 14 social questions, and a few others Hello! so i played wow 7 years ago, and remember it being really social. People would chat or answer questions. But after restarting a few days ago I've gone from lvl 1 to lvl 23 without getting a single reply to the odd question i've had. i'm not overdoing it or anything.. Do people not use the general chat at all? Is the game more group oriented now? Have i missed some setting? other than that - what does the well rested thing mean, and should I be using 2 pets for my hunter. Thanks for the help! OxfordEichi5 Nov 14
Most people come here not to read walls of text, they look for the better-rated strategies that match their pet collections, copy&paste stuff they need to import into their addons and only come back if something goes horribly wrong and then mostly to find help in other peoples' comments who also struggled or to find a different team/strategy: I don't think many people wanna read about stuff that already happened to them, they mostly want to see solutions and it's the best way to have them in a well-optimized strategy&team already.
2. Achieving. There are many pet battling achievements in game, and following the natural trail through the Taming [Continent] achievements up to Pandaria, and then on to the Spirit Tamers, Beasts of Fable and the Celestial Tournament was an epic journey for me and for many others. It's well worth doing. The Celestial Tournament is still, IMO, the pinnacle of PvE pet battling. However, WoD and Legion and BfA have added more battling achievements.
Oct 24 A Return to World of Warcraft: Player Guide So you’ve decided to return to World of Warcraft. Welcome back! There’s just one thing you’ll need before jumping back into the fray—knowledge. To aid you in making your glorious comeback, we’ve compiled some handy information every returning hero should know. Once armed with knowledge, nothing (and no one) will stand in your way. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/8876440/Nethaera214 Oct 24
If you’re eager to claim your character name in WoW Classic, take note: we’ll be opening character creation on Tuesday, August 13.** Players with an active subscription or game time on their account will be able to create up to three characters per World of Warcraft account. We’ll have more information on realm names closer to launch, but rest assured—you’ll have plenty of time to figure out your plans for realm domination!
So tonight I took the plunge and thought hey let me buy a Zygor Guides subscription to see how it is. A guide backed by a subscriber base paying for a premium experience this has to be great right? I was wrong. I tested it by loading it up on the Honorboud Rep Guide. Cool it tells me to do World Quests and Island Expeditions. So far so good but hang on... What about the Wanted Quests? Those are by far the biggest boost to reputation. It did not mention them at all. So I thought that's fine it's probably because BFA is quite new. Loaded up a leveling guide on an alt. It was a complete mess. The guide was telling me to accept quests that A) would be horribly inefficient to level with and B) I already done. I also started noticing weird performance issues. Zygor was causing stuttering and FPS dips like crazy. So to close off I requested a refund and the person I spoke to did say I'll be getting one but we will see if that happens. Not getting my hopes up.
If your pet's health gets too low or its attacks aren't very effective against a certain combatant, you can always switch out your current pet with another companion on your team. Only pets that are considered active (i.e., those in your three Battle Pet Slots), may be switched in and out during the battle. Once the match is over, you can always change up your active pet team, which is useful if one of your pets is low on health or dead.
I used Zygor for legion and BFA, used AA on an alt for BFA. Personally i like Zygors format more. I like being able to target things like achievements. I used Zygor to get my Mindworm and my Lucid Nightmare as well as finish the Rep grinds for the allied races. I have zero complaints. My experience was great. I also used Zygor for some professions, recipe acquisition, a couple mounts, all of the Suramar quest line. Thank God for that. And for the last zone of Draenor on my Demon Hunter.. i forget the name.. Whatever the big daily hub thing was called.
Even though the guide was developed with a hunter, the guide can be followed by any class. Except you have to do your class's quests which aren't a whole lot. I do have full intention to make my guide friendly with all classes in the future by listing all of their steps as well. There will be a toggle that allows you to show which class's steps you want to see in the guide. But this is coming later.
Hey folks! I’ve got a small update here to help quell some of the rumors and let you know where we are at for WoW Classic. We recently began a phase of internal employee alpha testing. The new build data that many of you have been discussing over the last few days is simply part of this process. Phases like this allow us to test out the game content along with other functionality that will be used in the live game, like logging in through the Blizzard Battle.net 175 App.
One of my favorite features is the Smart Injection System, which automatically determines the optimal place for your character to get started with the guides, based on your level and quest history. In other words, it doesn’t matter what level you are currently, you can jump right in and continue seamlessly with the guides. It also means that you don’t have to be a slave to the guides, they work perfectly even if you’re also leveling in instances, battlegrounds, using heirlooms or rested EXP. If your level ever gets ahead of the guide, just use the built-in feature to skip to the right place again. Very cool.
Within the context of Classic, the method most frequently proposed is to re-tune bosses to make them harder. Rather than copying the numbers, re-create the relative difficulty. Kind of like, when you first start working out, you use small weights. When you get stronger, you lift bigger weights. The WoW community is more knowledgeable, more experienced, has better hardware, etc. We're "stronger." So give us tougher bosses. There are a lot of forms that could take. Bosses were constantly re-tuned during vanilla anyway, so if Ragnaros does 10% more damage or something, is that really a problem? I don't think it is. What about resistance gear? back in the day, collecting resist gear was a thing people did. But the numbers and strategies are so well known today that only the tank really needs it anymore. Bosses could be re-tuned with more resistible elemental damage so that's important for entire raids to gear appropriately. That would be entirely keeping with the spirit of vanilla even if the actually numbers sitting in a database somewhere were different than they were ~13 years ago. If you want to go a little farther, a few people have proposed adding new abilities to old bosses, adjusting their timing, etc.
For example, the Azure Whelpling belongs to the Dragonkin family. However, it has Beast, Magic, and Elemental abilities in addition to a Dragonkin attack. Different attacks are strong and weak against different family types. Having a diverse spell selection might increase your chances of being prepared with a strong attack against an opposing team.
I now have a Patreon Page where you guys can support me while I work on Vanilla WoW leveling guides every day. I appreciate all of you who support me on there, it means a lot to me right now. Doing this full time is taxing on my financial situation. My goal is to make the best Vanilla WoW leveling guides on the web and the donations keep me going at it healthfully. There is also cool rewards you get in return for donating. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by! I'm Crzypck, officer, Raid Leader, and tank of Mist on Area 52, and the official raid guide writer partnered with Limit, the US#1 and World #2 guild. This is the home page for Limit's Official Battle of Dazar'alor Mythic Raid Guide. Every strategy guide has been thoroughly discussed, reviewed, and approved by officers from Limit.
1 All expansion guides are written in the Battle for Azeroth beta in order to have them ready on launch day. It's important to note that betas can be buggy and unstable and may delay and even halt our progress on the guides. Furthermore, the time between the start of beta and the announced release of Battle for Azeroth is much shorter (by about 2-3 months) than past betas. As a result, our primary focus is to have the Leveling guides updated by the launch, and only if those are complete and time remains will we work on updating the remaining guides. All guides not finished in beta will be updated post launch. You can read more about this here.
World of Warcraft Classic is currently in beta, which means some players are getting a chance to experience a much older version of the MMO ahead of its release. WoW Classic is based on how WoW played in August 2006, back around update 1.12. Back then, things were different. Tauren hitboxes were much larger, sitting could cause certain combat effects to not trigger and completed quests were marked with dots and not question marks. Strange days.
"To fill our pool of beta and stress test participants, we’ll be choosing dedicated players who meet select criteria from both the WoW Classic beta opt-in and the standard Warcraft beta opt-in. Participants will also need to have an active subscription or active game time on their Battle.net Account. While opting-in to the beta is the primary way to make sure you’re in the running to join the test it doesn’t guarantee an invitation to the closed beta test. We may also consider additional factors such as how long a player has been subscribed to the game so that we have the right mix of players to ensure great feedback toward making WoW Classic the very best experience for the community."
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Legal foundations of administration in Belarus in XIV-XVIII cc.
Home Genealogy/Family history Parish registers
Parish registers (metric books)
Separate parish registers were kept for each religious group: Orthodox (approximately 70% of the population of Belarus), Catholic and Israelites (each approximately 15-20% of the population), Protestant-Evangelical, Lutheran (a very small part of the population). The births, marriages and deaths of all parishioners were registered in the parish. In some of the Orthodox and Catholic parishes, a small number of confession sheets with information on all the parishioners of a particular year, and marriage lists (information on the families getting married) have also been preserved. According to the annual copies of the parish records, which were presented by each parish, summary registers for each district (uezd) or its part (deanery - blagochinie, dekanat) were written. The historical archives of Belarus preserve registers of separate parishes, as well as some registers of separate uezds and deaneries.
Our index contains general information concerning parishes and covering dates of the remaining parish registers; information concerning other types of parish records and lists. At present our website gives information relating to the former Vilno (Vilnius), Minsk and Grodno provinces. Information on parish registers for the Vitebsk and Mogilev provinces will be included in the index as soon as these records are anew systematized by the staff of the National Historical Archives of Belarus. It should be noted that our index does not separately indicate records of births, marriages and deaths. One can receive more detailed information in the inventories of the appropriate archive group (fonds) after applying directly to the Archive.
In addition, a part of the parish registers for the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century are temporarily kept in the archives of the civilian registry offices (ZAGS) under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus. As soon as these registers are transferred to the Historical Archives, one will be able to find necessary information in our index.
Parish registers:
Orthodox and Uniate (Greek-Catholic) churches
Unified index to Catholic parish registers held at the National Historical Archives of Belarus in Grodno (in Russian)
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Unified index to Orthodox parish registers held at the National Historical Archives of Belarus in Grodno (in Russian)
BelNIIDAD holds a workshop, Records Preservation in an Institution: Selection of Records for Preservation and Destruction More >>
The website presents new online exhibition of documents “The Life and Work of People’s Writer of Belarus Vasil Bykau” More >>
Archival news
A new Unified System of Administrative Documentation has been approved and released for use More >>
Belarus Cinema and Photo Archive and internet-portal TUT.by present the next issue of joint project “These are We” More >>
BelNIIDAD released guidelines on selection of automated records management systems More >>
The Department for Archives and Records Management of the Justice Ministry held a board meeting More >>
The State Archives of Gomel Region Public Organizations took part in a joint Day of Information held at the Cinema and Photo Archives More >>
© 2006–2019 Belarusian Research Centre for E lectronic Records
Website contacts Email: ed@archives.gov.by
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Exploring: Island Insights > The Big Island > Flora Fauna
The Big Island's Flora and Fauna
Water, wind and wings carried Hawaii's pioneering plants and animals to their remote, tropical island homes. After traversing thousands of miles of open ocean, locating suitable habitats, and overcoming reproductive challenges, the sturdy survivors began populating the land and waters of Hawaii. These colonists also began adapting to their new environments, ultimately evolving into an eclectic collection of native plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.
Hawaii's isolation nurtured gentle natives. Relatively few predators and competitors permitted the tender plants and animals to evolve in safety, with little need for natural defenses. Protective thorns or poisons are rare among native plants, and Hawaii's native animals often do not conceal or preserve their progeny very well. As a result, many facets of Hawaii's exquisitely unique biodiversity are threatened with extinction from aggressively invasive alien plants and animals which were later introduced to the islands.
Hundreds of Hawaiian plants and animals are endangered. According to the Nature Conservancy, Hawaii houses about 12 percent of all the endangered plants and animals in the United States. Three-fourths of the country's extinct plants and birds were Hawaiian.
The Big Island of Hawaii, the youngest and most massive in the island chain, harbors an extraordinary medley of native plants and animals. Composed of five enormous volcanoes, the Big Island has 13 climate zones and is more than double the size of all the other Hawaiian islands combined.
Native ohia lehua trees shimmer with silvery-green leaves and burst into bold red pompon flowers (pink, yellow and white flowers occur more rarely). The flower, lehua, is sacred to Pele, the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess. Ohia usually refers to the woody part of the tree. The strong, hard ohia wood was used by ancient Hawaiians to carve temple idols, canoes, poi (mashed taro root) bowls and spears. Contemporary uses of ohia wood include house posts, furniture, floors and fuel. These adaptable survivors range from miniature trees in wet bogs to giants exceeding 100 feet. Often the first life in fresh lava flows, ohia lehua is Hawaii's most abundant native tree. Tropical breezes easily spread their tiny seeds, smaller than this letter e. They range between 1,000 and 9,000 feet in elevation. You'll see an abundance of the distinctive, crooked trees throughout Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
One of Hawaii's largest native trees is Koa, which grows to 100 feet tall with a trunk more than 10 feet in diameter. The flowers are pale yellow puff-balls which turn into flat brown seed pods, about 6 inches by 1 inch. The red-grained, wavy koa wood was used by ancient Hawaiians for dugout canoes, paddles, spears and surfboards. However, few koa trees survived the more recent and ongoing demand for its distinctive furniture wood. Koa trees thrive in moderately moist forests between elevations of 1,000 and 6,000 feet. You'll find some sturdy survivors on Hualalai on the westside, and in the preserve of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Ancient winds effectively dispersed tiny fern spores across Hawaii. Of the 168 native fern species, two are most common: tree ferns ('ama'u and hapu'u), and false staghorn ferns (uluhe). Fern forests are frequently seen blanketing lava flows beside ohia lehua and koa trees. Ferns thrive in high-altitude rainforests within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. More than 120 inches of rainfall annually has transformed many stark lava landscapes into lush fertile forests. Historically, Hawaiians ate certain young fern fronds, and harvested pulu (the silky hairs which cover young frond stems and buds) for bedding materials and medical supplies. Sometimes uluhe tea was taken as a laxative. Today, root masses within the ferns are collected as preferred potting materials for orchids.
Hawaii's state bird is the endangered nene, Hawaiian goose. Slowly making a recovery from the brink of extinction, about 500 are found on the Big Island slopes of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Hualalai. Fewer live on Maui's Haleakala crater and in Kauai's Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. You can see these gentle creatures scattered throughout Volcanoes National Park, particularly at dawn and dusk along Devastation Trail and around Kilauea's summit caldera. Please remember not to frighten or harass the nene - they are protected by state and federal laws.
Endangered Hawaiian hawks ('io) are found only on the Big Island. They construct nests of sticks and leaves primarily in the trees on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, below 9,000 feet in elevation. Look for these open country birds gliding overhead throughout Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Early Hawaiians believed the 'io was a symbol of royalty. The 'io's dwindling population is slowly recovering.
Fewer than a dozen Hawaiian crows (alala) remain, and they are scattered on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, above 3,000 feet. Resembling a raven, this melodious, dark brown or black bird is social and used to travel in large family groups. Alala are very nervous while nesting, and any disturbance will cause it to abandon its young - please use caution.
On the slopes of Mauna Kea, a few remaining clusters of mamane trees sustain the endangered palila, a six-inch, bright yellow Hawaiian honeycreeper. All Hawaiian honeycreepers are descended from one species of finch which became established in the islands long ago. The honeycreepers' most striking adaptations are their bills, which vary from short, sturdy seed crushers to long, slender nectar sippers. They are at home above 6,000 feet.
A common native bird is the apapane, a chubby, bright red honeycreeper frequently seen throughout Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The bright red feathers from these chirpy songbirds were sought by early Hawaiians to adorn royal garments.
You'll also find Hawaii's only land mammal on the Big Island (and Kauai). The hoary bat's habitat stretches from sea level to over 13,000 feet, although they prefer dry forests at an elevation of about 4,000 feet. Occasionally, the creatures are spotted in lava tubes.
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Foster, David Johnson, 1867-1912. (x) ›
Heaton, Solomon G. (x) ›
Taylor, Fred H. (Fred Herbert). (x) ›
Brigham, Elbert S. (Elbert Sidney), 1877-1962. (x) ›
Diseases. (x) ›
Valentine G. Barney of Swanton, Vt., was commissioned sergeant on May 2, 1861 in Co. A of the 1st Vermont Regiment. He was mustered out August 15, 1861. He was then commissioned captain of the 9th Vermont Regiment, Co. A, June 14, 1862; and lieutenant colonel of the 9th Vermont Regiment, on May...
Show moreValentine G. Barney of Swanton, Vt., was commissioned sergeant on May 2, 1861 in Co. A of the 1st Vermont Regiment. He was mustered out August 15, 1861. He was then commissioned captain of the 9th Vermont Regiment, Co. A, June 14, 1862; and lieutenant colonel of the 9th Vermont Regiment, on May 24, 1863. He was mustered out June 13, 1865. In his correspondence, Barney describes the capture of Belle Boyd, Camp Sigel, the surrender at Harper's Ferry, parole camps Tyler and Douglas at Chicago, Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, the Army of the James, and the occupation of Richmond. Barney was in the 9th Vermont Regiment and led the first troops to enter Richmond.
Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Regiment moving into the Rebel fort at Yorktown and of being ordered to evict the 179th Pennsylvania Regiment from the barracks. He also writes of promotions in his former company, and of buying a splendid horse for $225. He comments on the expense of getting “rigged out” as a lieutenant colonel.
Writing from Bolivar Heights, West Virginia topics include not hearing from the men left at "W" (Winchester? or Washington?) and the regiment encamping with the 60th Ohio Regiment and the 126th New York Regiment, not hearing or having any word of what military actions are taking place unless...
Show moreWriting from Bolivar Heights, West Virginia topics include not hearing from the men left at "W" (Winchester? or Washington?) and the regiment encamping with the 60th Ohio Regiment and the 126th New York Regiment, not hearing or having any word of what military actions are taking place unless troops hear the firing of guns, reference to prisoners being paroled, of soldier committing suicide and Barney encouraging troops to partake in evening singing to keep up morale. Maryland Campaign Sept 3-15, 1862.
On board a steamer, topics include the journey from Brattleboro to New Haven and then on to Jersey City and eventually to Washington, D.C. that include marching and going by train. Mentions whiskey being drunk by the soldiers and him needing to keep the men sober. His military pay not expected...
Show moreOn board a steamer, topics include the journey from Brattleboro to New Haven and then on to Jersey City and eventually to Washington, D.C. that include marching and going by train. Mentions whiskey being drunk by the soldiers and him needing to keep the men sober. His military pay not expected until September.
Topics include his desire to return home to play with his children, his worry about hearing that the family home was nearly lost in a fire, and how visiting with acquaintances helps him keep from being homesick.
Barney writes from Newport News, Virginia on the construction of a trench and accounts of alarms from the picket guard including a mule causing one of the alarms. Writes of the 2500 men, their disappointment at not being able to fire upon the Secessionists, fears the box from Swanton will not...
Show moreBarney writes from Newport News, Virginia on the construction of a trench and accounts of alarms from the picket guard including a mule causing one of the alarms. Writes of the 2500 men, their disappointment at not being able to fire upon the Secessionists, fears the box from Swanton will not arrive at all, of the presence of 25 or 30 slaves, of horses, mules, dogs being brought in to camp, requests postage stamps and envelopes.
Barney writes that the Brigade will be doing garrison duty, and that he was Brigade officer of the day. He also writes that the field officers live very well but that it is costly, and that the bathing is good there. Writes of sending a book to Fred, & a souvenir, a percussion tube used to fire...
Show moreBarney writes that the Brigade will be doing garrison duty, and that he was Brigade officer of the day. He also writes that the field officers live very well but that it is costly, and that the bathing is good there. Writes of sending a book to Fred, & a souvenir, a percussion tube used to fire heavy guns, and warns his wife not to pull hard on the wire, in case it goes off. Hopes "to hear of Lee's destruction today."
Topics include trying to get a pass into camp so a friend can see the Rebel prisoners, promotions in the Regiment, including the promotion of Colonel Stannard to Brigadier General, and a riot by the 65th Illinois Infantry Regiment against the sutlers.
From Camp Douglas topics include the continued improvement of Barney’s health, being busy with issues with the company including low morale and discipline, the good weather in Chicago and having received a photo of Maria.
A description of the regiment's difficult expedition to commandeer & capture guerrilla fighters, horses & weapons. Negroes pressed into service as guides. Mentions can't get horses so must confiscate them. Women cried when horses taken. Took a trip to a local ten acre peach orchard, eating many &...
Show moreA description of the regiment's difficult expedition to commandeer & capture guerrilla fighters, horses & weapons. Negroes pressed into service as guides. Mentions can't get horses so must confiscate them. Women cried when horses taken. Took a trip to a local ten acre peach orchard, eating many & taking some to camp. Requests white handkerchiefs.
Topics include the journey from Fort Monroe, Virginia to Hampton, the Secessionists setting fire to a bridge that lead to the village, the Colonel being asked to not molest, assault or otherwise interfere with the citizens of Hampton, mentions Sewells Point where the enemy had built a battery,...
Show moreTopics include the journey from Fort Monroe, Virginia to Hampton, the Secessionists setting fire to a bridge that lead to the village, the Colonel being asked to not molest, assault or otherwise interfere with the citizens of Hampton, mentions Sewells Point where the enemy had built a battery, reference to the state election about secession from the union, speaks of his love for his family.
Topics include the monotony of camp life, his hope for action, and his comments about promotions in the Regiment. In particular, he feels he will be passed over and a junior captain promoted to Major, because he is not a crony of Colonel Ripley’s. He also compares maintaining discipline in a...
Show moreTopics include the monotony of camp life, his hope for action, and his comments about promotions in the Regiment. In particular, he feels he will be passed over and a junior captain promoted to Major, because he is not a crony of Colonel Ripley’s. He also compares maintaining discipline in a military company with maintaining discipline at home.
Barney writes of falling ill after eating lobster, of getting paid off for three months which allow him to pay of debts including cost of his horse, and of buying books on military tactics. He also writes of how difficult it would be to get leave until next fall or the winter and of sending home...
Show moreBarney writes of falling ill after eating lobster, of getting paid off for three months which allow him to pay of debts including cost of his horse, and of buying books on military tactics. He also writes of how difficult it would be to get leave until next fall or the winter and of sending home some melon seeds for Maria to plant in the spring.
Topics include the regiment marching towards Harpers Ferry, the regiment disheartened to being ordered to retreat, loss of much equipment and people left behind in the hospital, the destruction of supplies left behind, their hard march to current location, the brief mention of a "heavy battles". ...
Show moreTopics include the regiment marching towards Harpers Ferry, the regiment disheartened to being ordered to retreat, loss of much equipment and people left behind in the hospital, the destruction of supplies left behind, their hard march to current location, the brief mention of a "heavy battles". (Maryland Campaign Sept 3-15, 1862). Reference to prisoners being paroled.
Barney writes of gaining strength and blames the southern climate for his slow recovery ; plans to buy a horse soon, writes of the change in command of the Army of the Potomac from General Hooker to General Meade, of the capture of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (son of Robert E. Lee & Confederate...
Show moreBarney writes of gaining strength and blames the southern climate for his slow recovery ; plans to buy a horse soon, writes of the change in command of the Army of the Potomac from General Hooker to General Meade, of the capture of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (son of Robert E. Lee & Confederate officer), of Harrisburg, Penn. taken by the Rebels.
Topics include the plan for the journey home, the death of Whitney of the Woodstock Co. by the hands of forty or fifty rebels, the capture of two rebels, and of only a few men ill in the hospital.
From Camp Douglas topics include an update on the state of the regiment including men deserting, sick, discharged or joining the regular army, of sending photographs of Bushnell, Cleveland and of himself home to Maria, of Lt Sherman in camp, the loss of 13,000 Union men from Burnside’s army in...
Show moreFrom Camp Douglas topics include an update on the state of the regiment including men deserting, sick, discharged or joining the regular army, of sending photographs of Bushnell, Cleveland and of himself home to Maria, of Lt Sherman in camp, the loss of 13,000 Union men from Burnside’s army in recent battles, of thousands of paroled prisoners in Annapolis thus Barney needing to stay at camp through the holidays.
Barney still at Camp Douglas in Chicago and still hopes to be exchanged, writes of his loneliness and how the officers amuse themselves, the health of the Regiment, of light cases of small pox among the men, of hopes of being able to regain the money lost and inquires about family members.
Food. (26) + -
Suffolk (Va.). (9) + -
Battle casualties. (7) + -
Steamboats. (7) + -
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons. (7) + -
Homesickness. (5) + -
Picketing. (5) + -
Religion. (5) + -
Draft -- United States. (4) + -
Pillage. (4) + -
African American soldiers. (3) + -
Desertion, Military. (3) + -
Military camps -- Vermont. (3) + -
Operational rations (Military supplies). (3) + -
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Destruction and pillage. (3) + -
Love-letters. (2) + -
Rumor. (2) + -
Winchester (Va.). (2) + -
Hopewell (Va.) -- City Point. (1) + -
Medicine, Military. (1) + -
Railroad trains. (1) + -
Slaves. (1) + -
Sutlers. (1) + -
United States Army -- Surgeons. (1) + -
Chicago (Ill.) (7) + -
Yorktown (Va.) (7) + -
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Southeast Asia Architecture Research Collaborative
About SEAARC
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SEAARC Symposium Abstract 22: “Cities within Buildings: The Private Housing Complex and the Contingent Public, c.1960s”
Posted on December 1, 2014 by Chang Jiat Hwee
by Dr. Eunice Seng, The University of Hong Kong
This paper is based on ongoing comparative research on the high-rise high-density composite building – a large private housing complex often the size of a city block – that emerged in Hong Kong and Singapore in the 1960s. The composite building is inextricably intertwined in the geopolitics of urban transformation and a vital component of a larger network of ideas and discourses. In mapping the impetus behind and agencies involved in the construction of the composite building, this paper contends that during the period of zoning and legal ambiguities, there exists maximum potential in the intermixing of multiple publics and entities, planned and unplanned. To what extent does it embody the paradox of a model for social integration within a development schema? An examination of the composite building in the two post-colonial cities reveals the contingent status of the occupants and of the citizenry at large, which comprised a predominantly Chinese diaspora.
The composite building in Hong Kong, with its numerous ownerships and ceaseless waves of tenant occupation, poses a challenge for any enterprise to claim the site as a single legal entity. From the enactment of the 1956 Building Ordinance based on volumetric control to the 1962 amendment on plot ratio control through the 1970s, over 1,500 composite buildings above fifteen stories were built in Hong Kong. At least twenty contain populations the size of a town. Each occupies an entire urban block. The largest of these contains almost 10,000 inhabitants excluding unregistered tenants and illegal squatters. Emerging amidst the economic, social and political exigencies of post-war Hong Kong, the composite building exemplifies the paradox of collective sociability within an individual privatized space. Intended as a co-operative building in which every tenant would own his shop or apartment, it was an agglomeration of shops, factories, temples, clinics, crèches, dormitories, hostels and flats, etc. The architecture and organization manifest the way its developers, architects and builders projected the notions of a consumerist society: each square foot of habitation is rationalized and quantified. Yet the varieties of programs, spatial adaptations and contestations within testify to the combination of pragmatist
logic and human caprice that drives and defines the city.
In Singapore, the composite building was to a great degree complicit to the nation-building project. The State-sponsored and privately developed composite building is facing intense redevelopment pressure and the constant threat of demolition. Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority Sale of Sites program launched in 1967, the government consolidated small land plots in the downtown Central area and sold them to the private sector as part of its vision for a modern city-state based on a free market economy. Of the 143 projects, 14 are composite buildings with a residential component built between 1969 and 1979. This was a period when private and public interests in housing and its provisions were momentarily aligned. The private housing complex bore witness to how the various interests of the developer, the architect and the government-as-planner intersected to project the imaginings of the Chinese diaspora onto the podium-tower typology.
Eunice Seng (BAAS, NUS; MArch, Princeton; PhD, Columbia) is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong and founding principal of SKEW Collaborative, Shanghai-Hong Kong. Her research interests include the histories and theories of modernity, housing and the metropolis, politics of power and post-colonialism, inter-disciplinary and comparative approaches to architecture, as well as utopias, artifacts and their cultural representations. She is currently completing a book titled The Resistant City and co-editing a book on urban habitation with specific focus on Asia.
This entry was posted in SEAARC symposium '15 and tagged colonial and postcolonial, Hong Kong, housing complex, Singapore, symposium abstract, urban studies. Bookmark the permalink.
Exhibiting a historian’s archives: Kenneth Frampton at the CCA
Kumpulan Akitek: A pioneer architectural firm under the radar?
Just released: A Genealogy of Tropical Architecture
The personal archives of Lim Chong Keat, part 2
colonial and postcolonial
colonial architecture and urbanism
Lim Chong Keat
maritime Asia
modernities
network and circulation
pioneer architect
SEAARC symposium 15
symposium abstract
Valentine Gunasekara
SEAARC symposium '15
Chang Jiat Hwee on The Singapore Conference Hall and the Singapore Polytechnic
Lay Hong Tan on The Singapore Conference Hall and the Singapore Polytechnic
Eldon Ng Yew Keong on About SEAARC
Bryan Chee on About SEAARC
Chang Jiat Hwee on About SEAARC
All content, graphics and images are copyright (c) 2014 of SEAARC and are protected by International copyright laws. No text, graphics and image may be used whole or in part, individually, or as a part of a derivative work without express written permission.
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ALPHA SQUAD
Mongol Rally 2016
Charities and Sponsorship
Welcome to the Mongol Rally: the greatest motoring adventure on the planet.
The Mongol Rally thunders 10,000 miles across the mountains, desert and steppe of Europe and Asia each summer. There’s no backup, no support and no set route; just you, your fellow adventurists and a tiny car you bought from a scrapyard for £11.50.
If nothing goes wrong, everything has gone wrong.
Bollocks to tarmac, ABS and gadgets that help you find your navel. The Mongol Rally is about getting lost, using your long neglected wits, raising shedloads of cash for charity and scraping into the finish line with your vehicle in tatters and a wild grin smeared across your grubby face.
Neither your car, nor your life, will ever be the same again.
The rules of the Rally are gloriously simple…
You can only take a farcically small vehicle
You’re completely on your own
You've got to raise a £1000 for charity
Day 28 – Davaza Gateway to Hell to Tejen, Near Mary, Turkmenistan
Posted on 8th September 2016 8th September 2016 by Oliver Neville-Payne
The walk through the desert was a steady maintained pace across a variety of terrain, meeting a variety of wildlife – spiders, lizards, and even a desert hedgehog. It took approximately 90 minutes for us to walk across the sand and rock until we heard the crater first – a constant roar originally mistaken for a passing train on the nearby railway, or possibly even a passenger jet flying overhead at high altitude. The view we took in from the initial sight to the edge of the crater reminded us off the massive bomb fires seen at firework displays, with a light intensity similar to a sunset.
The crater roared away in front of us, standing just 2 metres from the edge without any safety fence or barrier, the heat soared up and around us. Waves of hot gas could be seen shooting upwards into the night sky, with the opposite side of the crater becoming heavily distorted from our viewpoint. Remnant of the former soviet gas rig that had collapsed here nearly 40 years ago could be seen around the edge, but nothing that would identify any particular structure. We took in the view for what seemed to be hours, taking quantities of photos and videos for our own interests, and for Hartley’s documentary footage. While we took to setting these shots up and exploring the immediate environment of the crater, we hadn’t yet noticed 2 other travellers who had also walked to the crater from the roadside. Originally from Japan, these 2 had been travelling for 3 years and 10 months respectively, happening to meet quite by change at their chosen hostel in Ashgabat. It was quite interesting to hear their stories and how far they had travelled, heading very much in the opposite direction to us, East to West. Describing to them our Nissan Micra and about the Mongol Rally, they mentioned there was another small car nearby, in fact just opposite that may well be on the same lines as what we described. Thanking them, we headed over to find WalleyRalley – an Italian team with a Fiat Panda shaped to look like Mount Vesuvius. We called out in case one of their team was close by, but no sight of tents in the immediate area and with no one in the Panda, we did wonder where they may have ended up for the night.
Answers came around with the first light of dawn, Thomas spotted 2/3 tents over to the east of the crater. Sure enough, the Italians had camped up with a French expedition of 2 Mitsubishi L200 utility trucks. Hartley, who had stayed with the team from some time through Europe took the plunge to wake them early, and with warm greetings between Alpha Squad and WalleyRalley, we exchanged a few stories of our journey, notably how the Italians had managed to drive to the crater and where the track actually lay once off the road. Dawn also brought on a sense of worry for Oli – too much sunlight over the Micra’s rest spot for the night would attract unwanted attention, so with the tracker and compass baring, made a bee line for the roadside, making it within 30 minutes and discovering an untouched and intact Micra, set about checking fluids and tidying up from last night’s off road attempts that had filled the foot wells with sand. Rhys, Thomas and Hartley stuck with the French expedition, braking ice and seeing if the tour guides would be willing to offer a lift to the rest of the team back to the highway.
Once we were reunited, car, team and cameraman, we set about heading to a secondary objective for Davaza – a failed Mongol Rally car 40km north of the gas crater. The background information Hartley was able to gain from the team “The Fault In Our Car”, was that following a gearbox problem, the team had ground to a halt in the middle of the highway, and with limited space in the vehicle they hitchhiked with, they had no choice but to leave personal effects and survival gear behind. It was down to us to recover what we could and return it to them upon meeting with them on the route ahead. We had no idea what to really expect, and guesses as to what could have gone wrong were bounced around the team. Given the environment we were in, most ideas settled on heat-related issues; the coolant had boiled off, a heat gasket failure, and in combination with the gearbox problem, there would be no going forward. We were prepared not only to tow the defeated car back to civilisation but if repairs were possible, drive it back to a pickup location.
The reality however, was more grave. After cruising at their only selectable gear – 4th – they hit a field of 2” deep pot holes, and combined with single-ply tyres and a low tyre pressure, the pothole took out 2 steel rims on the of side of the car. With no way of fitting the spare tyres to the rims they had on the roof, “The Fault In Our Car” called it a day. We quickly found the best entry point into the Panda was the rear quart panel window – left slightly open, we took a screwdriver to the inside hinge and with that out of the way, the door catches were opened, and the kit list checked over. The easy items such as sleeping bag, tent and a large duffle bag of clothes and trinkets the team had collected over their journey. These were bundled into the Micra, then we moved into what could be done with the Panda in terms of recovery or salvage. With no keys in site, it appeared the only thing we could attempt was to break the ignition barrel and get passed the steering lock. Oil and fluid levels all looked fine and the battery held a solid 12.5v charge – all seemed fine in the engine bay aside from the suspect gearbox. With the ignition barrel defeating us and no way of really getting passed steering the car, we looked to the other areas for salvage – taking a couple of repair kits and an AA recovery bag, and draining the fuel tank of some 40 litres of petrol, we considered the recovery a success. WalleyRalley, showing up a short time later, salvaged a new wing mirror for their own needs, having lost theirs to a lamppost a few days prior. The Italians headed North, and we South back to Ashgabat and a chance to resupply and replenish from a day in the Turkmenistan heat.
Returning to the Yimpas Shopping Centre, we quickly sat down to a large meal and plenty of fluids, meeting Worst Case Ontario who were also planning on visiting the gas crater later on in the day. Also driving a Nissan Micra, the patched team of 3 (taking on 3rd member Steven from a failed Yaris team) had suffered a 4th gear failure, but were making steady progress. Hartley was on hand to help the team with accommodation for Worst Case Ontario; a contact he had made in Ashgabat was close by to guide the team to an AirBnB house he had nearby. The American-voiced international student was also incredibly helpful in providing a cheat sheet of a 3-language request for accommodation or camping, written in English, Turkmen and Russian.
Feeling our timeframe for our next scheduled stop was closing in, we wished the team good luck, exchange contact details and made a move for Tejen – a smaller town West of Mary – explicitly denied by Turkmenistan customs for any stopping, reasons for which we were still unsure about. The beauty and colour of Ashgabat faded away into the distance, and we arrived in Tejen after dark. The roads returned to rough pothole-filled tracks, and the houses far more traditional, courtyard facing and brick built. No marble or gold to be found here. Driving through the town at a snail’s pace, we looked for any signs of accommodation and decided to utilise our contact’s cheat sheet straight away.2 local men happened to be walking down the main road, and with a short introduction, we handed the paper over. A short discussion was had between the 2, and with some smiles and nods we were guided not 2 metres down the road into a farmstead with a raised platform in the courtyard. Sleeping bags were setup, and with farm animals close by and a vine covering our immediate skyline and warm draft, we settled down for the night in the warm open air.
Day 27 – Ashgabat to Davaza
We woke to a quiet, air conditioned hotel suite, marble lined bathroom, city views of white and gold. While last night’s arrival was something very colourful indeed, the morning gave true light to Turkmenistan’s jewel of marble and gold in the desert – a nod to that pinnacle of glamorous architecture, Dubai. We made our way down to the breakfast hall – a 20-foot ceiling with vast decoration and chandeliers, 3 waitresses all on station greeted us with smiles, but no other guests were seen. It seemed for all its splendour, the Hotel Ascabil was almost empty – maybe a dozen guests at most for a hotel that could cater for 200. We were treated to a breakfast of multiple courses; nuts, fruit, toast, omelettes, cereal with hot milk. The plates kept entering and exiting the table. If Reza could see this now, we all thought.
For today a few key objectives were required to get us underway for the next stage of the rally. With Hartley now on board as well, there was a need to sort out an Uzbekistan visa, as well as replenish money supplies, especially after the Turkmenistan border had eaten into our reserves. We would all head out to the international bank, return to the hotel sans Hartley who would get his visa process for Uzbekistan, wait till the afternoon to collect the visa then pick up supplies for Davaza and the Gateway to Hell, and head north to enjoy the fiery spectacle. Taking Mickey out for a rare inner city commute, we collected US Dollars with relative ease; credit cards were thankfully very much in common use here, so the need for local currency was not on the priority list. The process and waiting time as compared to other countries was almost instantaneous. As with everything so far in Asgabat, the scale of the bank was large and spacious, the people few and far between. We later learned this city was home to just 750’000, and the country totalled just 5 million citizens, with a population decrease seen in more recent years.
Leaving Hartley to the Uzbekistan Embassy, we returned to the Hotel, checked out and enjoyed a morning in the lower floor spa – a 20 metre pool, hamam, salt room, and massage rooms. With a scorching desert awaiting us just outside the city, this was preferable; waiting out the intensity of the day for the cooler night air. Hartley returned by lunchtime, his visa application successful, to be processed ready for the afternoon, and so getting back into the outside world, we repacked Mickey and headed for the Yimpas Shopping Centre, a multi-storey setup with your classic supermarket on the lower floor, clothing and then restaurants on the respective upper floors. We stocked up on food and water, taking in a small but significant scene of the supermarket’s fruits and vegetables section, with barely a single plastic package to be seen anywhere.
The desert road to Davasa, even for the early evening, was akin to driving through a tumble dryer. There was no rest bite from the heat in this part of the world, especially where temperatures reached 50C in peak-summer. The Micra was unfazed, having survived the extremes of Iran, this was just another desert to soldier through without issue. That was until we had to fill up at the Bokurdak petrol station – trying twice to fill up the Micra’s tank resulted in the sender needle only reaching ¾ full. We decided to allow a few minutes for the sender to settle – the first time we had experienced this problem through the rally, but a fairly minor one, as we knew from the average consumption how much Mickey could take on board, and how many miles to expect from each tank.
Watching the sunset across the flat horizon, and dusk turn into night, we were treated with our first views of the Persoid Meteor Shower – streaks of light dancing across the night sky, already flooded with stars and the ever-present galactic arm, as we had seen on the Bulgarian-Turkish border a few weeks before. It wasn’t long before we passed a family stranded on the side of the road, the bonnet up on their large van, the father on the phone seemingly requesting help. Oli quickly put an open question to the car – do we stop and help, or carry on? We decided to turn around and offer what assistance we could, and for starters we switched on the roof LED bar to illuminate the scene, and offered the family water and some fruit which they were very grateful for – having been stuck on the desert highway since the afternoon. The symptoms of the van indicated a couple of major faults – the battery was flat and didn’t have the necessary power to turn the engine over, the alternator was possibly not sending the required power to the battery, and the expansion tank had over boiled, sending the contents out of the cap threads and all over the engine bay. A few minutes were spent just taking on the symptoms over, and deciphering exactly what could be done. Much to the amusement of Rhys, the driver described the noise the engine made as “dahdahdahdahdah”, translating literally to “yes yes yes yes yes yes”, confusing matters in the broken conversation of charades and Russian-English. Oli first resolved the expansion tank issue, checking over the tank or any leaks and topping it up with water. Next was the problem of why the engine had failed in this fashion, a lack of power may account for an electric water pump failing, and as a result, the water was not being circulated through the radiator effectively, resulting in the boil over. The expansion cap may have been blocked up – forcing the built up pressure out of the cap threads or forcing a crack in the tank seams. With the fuses and voltages looking correct, we attempted a jump start using our mobile jump pack – a glorified laptop battery with capacitor set that would dump power into the car’s power system for 20 seconds – enough to start the engine and disconnect the jump pack again. This worked, but only briefly, and a drive down the road only got the van 2km at walking pace. We had to try something else, and while we tried to avoid using our spares, and also failing a towing attempt from the Micra (then appreciating we would have never succeeded from the gross weight of the van), we did have a spare battery in the boot. Replacing this and using our Iranian bought hammer to wedge the smaller battery into place, the van jumped back into life on the first start – it was time to head for the nearest town, Yerbent. We made speeds of 40-50kmph, and Yerbent was on the horizon, much to the relief of everyone.
The unfortunate ending to this good deed, is that with every town and district through Turkmenistan has police stop zones, where good vehicles must stop, and other traffic is at the whim of the police on duty. We were pulled over, and with that, the expansion tank couldn’t hold the heat and pressure of the engine coolant, sending it pouring across the police layby. Thankfully the father of the family and his wife were more than happy to defend our position – we were simply trying to help them reach the town to seek a mechanic and shelter for the night. It took a lot of convincing and pause for thought on the side of the law. Finally, after much deliberation the police let us go, and without hesitation (or our hammer and spare battery) we said our goodbyes to the family and continued north to Davaza. Other van drivers were on hand to assist at this stage, and with the police watching our every move at this checkpoint, it was best to leave quickly.
Another hour driving across the desert we were met with The Adventurists’ Tea Party location from the week before – the moustached classic racing character with a large hand pointing left stood out for us, offering a key pointer for how close we were to the open gas crater. Unfortunately, the one thing we couldn’t find was the track leading there; after several passes at the closest point, and an attempt at going off road that landed us in a sand bunker and braking out the waffle boards, we conceded that finding this track in the daytime was not possible with the time and resources we had. Checking the maps and taking baring for both the car and the gas crater, we found the best path through the desert, securing the car away from the roadside and heading east across the sand dunes. The orange glow of the crater tempting us closer and keeping us on route.
Day 26 – Mashhad to Ashgabat and the Turkmenistan border
With an early start in the Misban Hotel, Mashhad, admin work and packing were completed in short order; aiming for the Iranian border crossing before closing at 13:30 local time meant no time could be wasted this morning. The drive was estimated at 4 hours to the border town of Bajgiran, but given the continued reports of a closed border there, we instead had to make it to Lotfabad – approximately 70km to the south east. This included an additional 90km of mountain road pass that none of us could have envisaged at the time; surprisingly this crossing was used usually by lorry drivers; quite the border pass for any heavy goods vehicles.
Once the turn off was made from the main highway for Lotfabad, the scenario became clear – we had to make this pass rapidly, and with a lot of co-driving. It would seem that Iran was the true start to our rally – one of precision driving on this 90km mountain pass, to make it before the 13:30 closure. In the driving seat was Rhys, co-driving from the back seat, Oli and Reza. Colin McRae would have raised an eye-brow to Rhys’ driving ability in the 75 minutes of hair-raising tight turns, 10% climbs and falls, taking wide births for each corner, accelerating through each one to account for the weight distribution inside the car. The van tyres screeched through almost every corner, but Mickey held fast. A strategic stop had to be made prior to Turkmenistan entry on top of this feat of rally driving – fuel was running low, and it was apparent from the Maps.Me feature points that gas stations on the other side of the border would not feature until Ashgabat. The gas station chosen was off Azadi Square, Dargaz. Much to the station attendant’s amusement, a small British car pulled up, with 300’000 Rials immediately thrust into his hand, and the occupants running around the car to check the odometer, fill up the tank and to readjust ratchet straps that had come loose through the newly found 90km WRC Road Rally stage. With the final stretch burned through in a matter of minutes, passing a queue of lorries awaiting x-rays, and their own list of border requirements, Reza was in his element for this carnet and customs check. Even at the height of 0-hour for him returning home (having to make a flight from Mashhad at 20:00 local time), he pushed us through the border crossing, making sure we had all the paper work required at every desk.
Finally, after 90 minutes of push pull between desks and windows, being barged out of the way by lorry drivers, and ensuring the car was in the correct queue, we made it to the end point – passport stamps and a final check were all that were required from Iran to exit the country on good terms. We made our long heart felt goodbyes to Reza- exchanging our gifts and thanks to our new-found friend, from the faraway land of Iran. Reza even went as far as to assist us in paying the customs charges and settling dinner bills on the final night, something that at the time of writing must be settled through indirect transactions. With passports stamped, we shook hands with the final Iranian border guard, and drove gracefully into no-man’s land, passing a string of lorries al waiting the same fate of the ill-reputed Turkmenistan border checks… or so we thought from the string of stories and rumours circulating Turkmenistan’s border forces.
At this stage we recommend reading the guide, “How-to Iranian-Turkmenistan border” for the more administrative side to a smooth crossing at Lotfabad.
The Turkmenistan crossing was to put it mildly, an escorted one. Once through the initial check at the border gates, we were whisked through the process by 2 seemingly assigned border guards, with much, “This way, now, please.” Oli went in one direction as “Driver Machina” (car owner), Rhys and Thomas went the other as “citizen Britaninia”. Bag searches for both were prompt and thankfully without issue – Turkmenistan has similarly strict policies for digital and media content as Iran. Meanwhile in a small office crowded with customs officials, Oli was subjected to a stringent driving route examination – a direct spoken and a repeatedly affirmative official sat at his desk asking for route details and finishing points, asking for additional maps and detail to confirm exactly where we intended to go in his native country. Finally, after much deliberation, our route was drawn onto our customs declaration, and Driver-Machina was allowed to continue forward to the next section of car checks and contraband searches. The car search was one of smoke and mirrors, much to our advantage. The border guards took note of Oli’s large shoe size (UK-16) and subsequent jokes allowed for the doors to be shut and the central locking switched on – much to the disappointment of one guard who was looking through the passenger doors. Once the customs declaration was cleared with the desk outside, the car was searched through; the guards taking advantage of the sweets and cigarettes deliberately planted to keep them and other visitors inside the Micra distracted. The crossing took 4 hours, and by historical reports of this border, a record breaking time. 3JD in 2009 suffered a 24-hour crossing here, and a team preceding them had been stuck in the open desert for over 3 days due to a visa discrepancy.
Celebrating a massive victory and a +1-day advantage to our schedule, we headed straight for Ashgabat and the Hotel Ascabil (formerly the Hotel President) – a prize to ourselves for completing Iran and the Iranian-Turkmenistan border. With phone signal found once again, we made contact with our new cameraman, in this case in need of rescuing. Hartley, our second fly-on-the-wall observer was stuck quite firmly in Ashgabat without means of escape, sleeping rough in a shopping centre for the past 2 nights, we were his escape from the model city of marble and gold. We entered the city to a scene of perfect roads, smooth driving speeds, fountains and coloured lights decorating the roadways, all the way through to the hotel – itself a model of the skyline, brightly coloured and maintained to a flawless standard. Mickey carried with him more dust and sand than perhaps the rest of the hotel and its grounds had seen in a week. With smiles and friendly demeanours, we shook hands with the reception staff of this vast complex; the main hall chandelier bigger than our kitchens at home, marble and gold covering almost every surface. We asked with fingers crossed for 2 rooms for the night; including our newly found cameraman, playing away at the grand piano in the lower reception lounge. We were accepted as guests – much to our relief from previous rumours of Turkmen hotels refusing guests.
We went straight to our rooms to refresh and relieve ourselves of the Iranian dust and traffic fumes we had accumulated, freshly clothed and feeling far more human, we headed to the bar for our first proper drinks and dinner in over 2 weeks. The barman was happy to offer guidance to the city from the views out of the large panelled windows, and pointed us in the direction of the international bank, located only a few kilometres north-east of the hotel – a 5-minute drive, if that. Seemingly a world away from the chaos, hustle and bustle of Iran, yet less than 100km from its border.
Day 25 – Mashhad Day Tour
The morning started off with the traditional sweet Persian breakfast of cucumbers, tomatoes, flat breads and jams, something that as now taking its toll on sugar intakes across the team. We explained to Reza over breakfast the scenario “5 Fools and No Mechanic” had found themselves in, after some broken English explanations, he agreed that extra time could be taken this morning to try and assist the Swiss. Returning to our hotel-apartment, and some nifty VPN connection work, we managed to make contact again with both Mathjis (the Dutchman intended to drive one of the Swiss cars) and the Swiss Team Captain. Unfortunately, even after much deliberation and brainstorming, he Swiss could not justify the risk to their vehicles or us at the border crossings; reports from the Public Notary they had met with described vehicles and their drivers being held at the border for several weeks with high risk of vehicle seizure and hefty fines. The Swiss gave up, and considered the best course of action was to reverse course and head back to the Turkish border and try their luck through the Caspian Sea ferries.
Feeling as though the risk factor of the Mongol Rally had been lost on the Swiss, we headed out with Reza; destination Imam Reza Shrine. We had driven both under and around the Shrine upon entry to Mashhad, and while the scale was somewhat apparent, walking up to the Shrine built up both the atmosphere and the vastness of the 2nd most important site in Islam. The crowded streets changed hands from street merchants and general populace, to a dedicated, religiously driven flow of devotees, both too and from the holy site. Instead of the common greetings and curiousness we had become so used to in the Iranians, we were subject to a London commuter sprawl – everyone with heads down, or in a deep religious focus. Entrance to the shrine was a more thorough security process than we had previously been subject to; security guards would pat everyone down and scan for any metallic objects. Cameras (through, not smartphones) were not permitted on site, catching us short, where Rhys had a small rucksack and was refused entry. We headed across to a bag collection area- a temporary scaffolding structure outside the shrine that didn’t resemble anything official. With a pretty significant amount of trust on this not very official looking setup, our bag, as with everyone else’s, was filed away.
The Imam Reza Shrine dates back to the Qatar Era of Iran; the original site built in the 16th Century, it now stretches across 600’000 square feet, with 10 open public squares within the site, the majority of which could fit the Shah Chirag Mosque within their walls. Small English towns could fit within this site; walking across just one of these courtyards in the heat and bright reflective surfaces all around resulted in almost blindness and a constant thirst for water. We moved through passed the inner-courtyard, catching a glimpse of the inner temple, but that was it – entrance for non-Muslims, especially given the upcoming birthday celebrations for the Imam Reza, were forbidden beyond certain walls. We were guided by our Reza to the International Relations centre – a small hallway and prayer room where we were greeted by the shrines representative – a rounded, middle-aged man who had a good grasp of English, sat us down to watch a factual video of the shrine; providing us small gift bags with a tourist’s guide of the entire site. After a short discussion with the shrine’s representative, we were introduced to a cleric who was willing to answer any of our questions – quietly spoken, he offered a more personal viewpoint of the shrine and the upcoming celebrations for which there was heavy decoration across the entire site. Our questions probed more towards how the site had developed, over any religious context, much we feel to the cleric’s disappointment. We finally headed across to the library of the shrine – a building of the complex that dwarfed many British university or city libraries; the tour was a quiet and prompt affair as many students were actively studying in each of the book halls. With Reza and our own appetites craving lunch, we headed out of the site – taking half an hour even as the crow flies – towards a restaurant in the city centre.
Restaurants in Mashhad from looking in through windows, and our eventual decided watering hole take on a different approach to catering – it was akin to school dinners or a military programme of feeding hungry mouths – the menu was limited and everything cooked in quantity to cater for vast numbers of pilgrims, though it seemed as with the rest of Iran, availability of even a limited menu was guided by food supply to the restaurant. Even with several revisions to our order, Rhys found himself without a meal – vegetable rice had run out, the last falafel had been sold off as we entered the restaurant, and any amount of trying to convince the waiter into ordering “a kebab without the meat” was met with confusion. It was at this last stage of the Iranian tour that Reza finally took note of Rhys’ Vegan Passport phone app – a multi-lingual guide for the travelling non-meat product consumer that could be shown to anyone abroad in the hope that they could offer meals without meat products in them. Rhys had been showing this application at regular intervals to restaurant staff all through Iran, but only now had Reza realised what this truly meant. It took a lot of patience from Rhys to explain this “belief”, after mentioning it so often throughout the tour.
After lunch was finally dealt with, we headed for the Nader Shah museum – a war and memorial centre dedicated to 2 historic figures – the namesake, Nader Shah, a brilliant military mind who maintained the borders of Iran (then the Ottoman Empire) through the Qatar Era, and a Mashhad Hero (NAME) – the first pilot of Iran who fought through the First World War for Germany. He was unfortunately beheaded following unrest against the authorities shortly after the war. Tired from the long walks and heat of the city, we returned to the hotel by the whim of a crazy taxi driver, taking all manner of shortcuts and dodging oncoming traffic as he whisked us to the hotel at great speed. Rhys at this stage was rather unhappy and disturbed by the scenes at the shrine, also having been stared at threateningly by so many at the shrine, decided against a night time return visit, instead backing up photos and photos form the past week and moving a film in the hotel room. Oli in the meantime took a power nap and shortly after wrote letter templates for the border crossing the next day – the invitation to Turkmenistan, citing all the key visitation points of the intended journey in the following week.
With the letters complete and the media backups underway, Thomas and Oli headed out to find Reza a thank-you present for his time guiding us through Iran, providing his extensive knowledge of the sites and cities. Settling on a box of assorted chocolates for his family, a prompt return to the hotel and avoiding Reza at the hotel reception kicked us off for our night time tour to the Imam Reza Shrine. Again a different atmosphere – one not driven by intense sunlight and heat, filled the shrine. Staying close to our tour guide, we ventured inside the inner courtyards and the inner tomb room itself, to witness a scene of pure committed devotion to the Imam’s tomb; devotees being pushed, shoved, carried across others simply to touch the shrine and pass on their prayers and wishes. We stayed for a relatively short time, sitting down inside the inner shrine for a couple of minutes only to witness the push and pull of the crowd around the hallways.
The experience of the shrine, both day and night, was a numbing one; an impression left on naive Western minds to a concept of religion so devoted and so heavily engrained on people’s lives and ideals and until that point, really not been seen or witnessed.
Day 24 – Damghan to Mashhad
Whilst Damghan was a stopover ultimately to make Mashhad with good rest and a paced drive, there were still sites to be seen. One such mosque had a lower prayer shrine with acoustics that allowed a preacher or Mullah to fill the hall with his voice. Each section had a acoustic chambers built within each pillar; the guard of the mosque demonstrated this by whispering into the pillar diagonal to where we listened, and his voice could be heard clearly. The Fire Temple Mosque – the first known mosque in Iran was built here – also showed its age with large mud/straw covered pillars of a once much grander outer courtyard. We headed out of Damghan to the first Mongol memorial we had seen on this rally – a large tower built as a tomb, dating to early Mongolian settlement of the area. The site was devoid of any other ruins, a lonely testament to the vast Mongol Empire.
Oli continued the first leg, heading into the northern stretch of the Iranian desert we saw our first warning sign for camels and shortly after, the first herd of camels of the rally – much earlier than we anticipated. We pulled up, secured the car and headed across the rocky and shrub-covered flatland. The shepherd of the camels was quick to spot us, shouting for us to stay clear so as to avoid scaring the herd away from their watering hole.
Lunch was another on-the-road affair from Sehever; the team split up to cove the bakers, green grocers and mini-market simultaneously, returning to the car with a feast including an olive-paste, cheese with walnuts, flat breads and fruit.
Mashhad, Iran’s 2nd largest city (3 million) had a different image, approach, atmosphere to what we were used to from the past week. A pilgrim city for the 2nd most important Islamic site in Iran, people’s priorities were focused elsewhere – on either tending to, or being involved with the mass pilgrimage, unfolding throughout the time we spent there. While locals were still happy to see westerners, there was a sense of focusing on religious belief over curiousness or wining business over from Tourists. This didn’t stop us from working as one team, where a motorbike and driver were found strewn across a highway pass outside the Imam Reza Shrine, we quickly got out and assisted with tidying biker, motorbike and large boxes of kitchen good across to the side of the road, ensuring he was okay and able to continue with his journey.
Finally, after rerouting several times; u-turns and asking locals for guidance, we made it to our hotel – off a side road, it offered secured underground parking and a sizable kitchen, double en-suite setup in the room. Reza, tired from the week decided to call it a night early, and we took our baggage up and saw to any rally-related messages. Oli took interest in a Swiss team’s call for help. Five fools, no mechanic needed to get an Opel Aglia across Turkmenistan and into Uzbekistan, and were happy to offer full legal compliance and expenses paid to any team that could assist. We made contact and over pizza in a nearby restaurant. Five Fools very kindly paid for dinner and wouldn’t accept taxi fare either. We said our goodbyes and thanks, and headed back to the hotel to rest up for a potentially busy day ahead.
Day 23 – Isfahan to Damghan
Posted on 16th August 2016 16th August 2016 by Oliver Neville-Payne
We decided to take a different approach to the drive today where usually an early kick off was a necessity, today we opted for splitting the team and ticking off a few boxes and freeing up room in the Micra. – Reza escorted Thomas off to the Isfahan bazaar to purchase a tea set, carpet and have them shipped to the UK. Rhys and Oli remained at the hotel to back up phones, camera memory cards and update the online presence, recovering for the long drive through the desert. Thomas, securing deal returned to hotel by motorbike, picked up the shisha pipe purchased in Turkey and hurried back to the bazaar to send everything off in one package.
By coincidence, mosque call to noon prayer kicked off as Oli and Rhys’ internet capacity was reached, showing up red warnings on laptops and smartphones in Farsi. We took this as a bad omen, unsure of what the Farsi was trying to indicate (worries of the Iranian Internet firewall) and hurriedly packed up for the off, awaiting Reza and Thomas’ return to the hotel. Packed up and ready for the off, we came across a French tour group who were also heading through Iran, and compared highlights of their trip through, notably without a tour guide. The one notable difference between tours was how much more hospitable the Iranian people had been for them – going out of their way to offer them accommodation, food, and any help they might need; a certain filter through Reza that we never got to see.
Space freed up in the back of the Micra, we moved onto Damghan – a midpoint town planned by IruntoIran, for the sake of reasonable journey times across Iran. Shortly after exiting Isfahan, we were pulled over by a black Mercedes – hazards on and gesturing us to slow down. A family had seen some form of report or news on the Mongol Rally going through Iran and upon spotting our car, simply wanted to meet us, and give us a gift of a large box of Nougat. We were quite surprised by this chance meeting – the hospitality of Iranians towards foreign travellers seems to know no bounds. We said our goodbyes and thanks to the family and continued on towards Qom and the “Shrine to Shrine” highway. More intense heat poured through the windows as we drove across the desert plains, sighting pilgrims on their way to Mashhad from Qom for the Imam Reza’s birthday, and our first herd of camels – a sight rather early on for the rally, geographically speaking. Damghan drew in closer as the night sky filled out with the galactic belt once again.
Reza took this opportunity to find out more about UK life and traditions, specifically weddings and funerals, and how they compared to Iranian and Islamic traditions. A quote from Iranian’s budding tour guide,
“There is a reason why women wear white at a wedding, and men wear dark suits. For the wife, her brightest days are ahead of her in starting a family and having security in her life. For the husband however, his darkest days are ahead of him, becoming his wife’s servant, having to do whatever she says.”
A quote we all hurried took note of for passing onto related events in our collective futures within the team.
Damghan provided us motel accommodation of sorts; a spacious room and good showering facilities were a welcome sight from the hot desert roads. Thomas ordered in pizza from a local fast food shop, and we took the time to relax in the peace and quiet of our room.
Day 22 – Shiraz to Isfahan via Persepolis
Shiraz was all very nice, with its sweeping views and the Shah-e Chirag Mosque, but our other reason for visiting the city was set in the mountain range just north, back into the highway pass; Persepolis. The pinnacle of the Persian Empire, Xerxes’ jewel of the kingdom was our main goal of the day, with the intention of making it early in the morning to as to avoid the intense heat of the high summer day. Reza hoped we could at least visit the Shiraz Bazaar to kick off the day, something the team weren’t especially keen on – we appreciated the thought and it was always nice to see complete contrast in how shopping day to day was done in the middle east, but once you have seen one bazaar, you’ve pretty much seen them all.
We returned to the hotel to meet our tour guide operator for the first time – Laleh Sadir – a young woman who was a local resident of Shiraz and had very much been behind the scenes of many Mongol Rally teams over the past few weeks. We were pleased to finally meet each other and had a brief chat about how the tour had progressed, and how Reza fared as a tour guide, all being very positive. We had a group photo with the Micra and accepted a gift of fruit jellies and nougat, a welcome addition to on-board snacks.
We took the route back north out of Shiraz and headed for Persepolis. Not 500 metres for the main entrance Oli spotted Toyota Yaris with red stickers blurred through a hedge row, in what seems to be a campsite. Immediate stop and turn around, we were greeted by Yak on Track – a multinational team consisting of an Argentinian Girl, Milena, and 2 New Zealanders, Mogan and Henry. Until this point, given the lack of interest we had form other teams in the planning stages, we through we were the only team to venture so far south in Iran. We exchanged stories and contact details, and managed to assist with Yak on Track’s lack of V5 documentation. A pro tip for teams is having copies of the V5 car paperwork. Even without the genuine version, you can get through every border requesting it, from Bulgaria to Iran (and at the time of writing, at least as far as Uzbekistan). They were intending to have the official document shipped over from the UK by DHL at a staggering $80. Oli quickly suggested an alternative – have the document scanned in the UK, emailed across and have high quality copies printed off in Iran, saving a great deal of time and money.
We said our goodbyes and made our way into Persepolis. Its vast, stretching ruins in varying states of preservation or complete ruin, depending on the fate each side of the city had suffered, much at the hands of Alexander the Great. The Persian capital was magnificent, even in what remained. The heat from the sun and the reflection from the surrounding stone work was intense – a strong suggestion of Reza’s to get there early was wise indeed. Meeting Yak on Track again at the Entrance on our way out, we said our good-byes and wished them well, heading now for a return to Isfahan.
The combination of headwind and slow but infuriating steep climb back out of the Shiraz Province made for a horrible fuel consumption, aiming for a steady ETA as best we could at the expense of additional fuel stops. Stopping in before Abadeh for additional water on-board, we hoped to reach Isfahan in the evening, and while that was the case, we had not accounted for its spectacular rush hour traffic. Busses attempting u-turns across a 6-lane highway was just 1 highlight of the flowing torrent of cars, again 5-lanes’ worth to 3 painted. It took over an hour to finally reach the Traditional Hotel again, ending the night with bags being ejected from the car before parking to save a few moments of packing logistics. Exhausted from the drive, we did our best to run through some clothes in the bathroom and hung them out in the hotel’s courtyard – the 30-dgree heat taking care of the drying.
Day 21 – Isfahan to Shiraz
Posted on 9th August 2016 16th August 2016 by Oliver Neville-Payne
It’s been 3 weeks since we started out from a green and pleasant land; Goodwood and the UK seem like such a distant memory. We are now very much accustomed to the daily routine of the Mongol Rally – a proactive morning routine, planning the day ahead with any WiFi available to check in on the road ahead and likely border trouble, then head onto the road to see what we find. As always, heading East.
The Traditional Hotel in Isfahan offered the first actual breakfast cereal since Europe, albeit chocolate shapes made almost entirely of sugar. The dining hall as converted from another courtyard next door to the original hotel building, with a large lightweight roof covering the space to make for a 2-story highly stylised eating area. Forgetting who exactly had the key, we managed to lock ourselves out of the room. Rhys considered scaling the courtyard walls onto the roof and landing inside the room’s private courtyard. Reception also came to the rescue with a very large set of keys and the unenviable task of finding the one that fitted our room. We ended up finding that keys to other rooms also fitted our lock – glad nothing was left here unattended! Reza meantime had made a for the bank – changing up dollars for RIals for some spending power.
Ucci took the first drive of the day, meeting his nemesis from Istanbul once again – tight back roads with little to no breathing room. With traffic down a 3 metre market lane up to UK high street capacity, he ended up having to drive the Micra through a pseudo 3-point manoeuvre to avoid a flood of traffic from both directions. Isfahan bid us a farewell (for now) with a view out across the city from the southern highway bridge, quickly entering into the hill and mountain ranges almost entirely comprising bare rock and few hardly grasses.
Lunch was in Abadeh, with Mickey getting his first tank of the day. We were introduced to Sahid (Sayd) – a young teenager running front of house for our chosen restaurant; he was extremely sharp, and from Reza’s conversations with him a good sense of humour for his age as well. Rhys and Oli went for the Huel choice – our powdered space food for a money saver, Thomas the chicken kebab and salad. In a slight change to the norm, a leaf salad was served with the bread which had a peppery lemon flavoured leaf – almost a cross between lamb’s lettuce and lemon balm. What shortly followed lunch was a small dust storm, gusting through Abadeh and coating us in a layer of road dust, grit and anything light enough to catch flight in the wind. Lunch was promptly finished, choosing to sit outside meant any food left was full of dust.
On the route down as Reza’s suggestion, we detoured for the ruins of Parsegarde – resting place of Cyrus the Great, the creator of the Cyrus Roll and the first recorded human rights. With but a few foundations left and glass dividers to prevent any further damage from Alexander the Great’s raiding of the palace and tomb. We made the visit as prompt as possible so as to reach Shiraz in good time for the evening, with 3 sites on the agenda there.
Shiraz was a bustling city bordered to the North by a substantial mountain range, cut though by both arterial roads and rail line, the journey itself made us feel very small indeed, surrounded by sudden, grand mountains. Wasting no time, Reza guided us to the first of 2 stops pre-hotel; the Hafez tomb was a nod to Iran’s Shakespeare. A peaceful garden in memorial to the poet Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī, who lived in Shiraz in the 14th century. A short journey later saw us at the Karim Khan Palace – the foundation of the Zand Dynasty of the early 18th century, complete with a full citrus orchard in the central courtyard, and lacking foundations, 2 of the guard towers had drifted away from the main fortifications.
The 4-star hotel, the Karim Khan Hotel, was an upgrade last minute by our tour guide operator, Laleh Sadir through IruntoIran. We made use of the free lobby WiFi as the room connections cost 3000 Rial, per connection, per hour. Something resembling extortion. We freshened up and headed back out to the gem of our southern Iranian tour – the Shah Cherag Mosque, via a restaurant for dinner. In keeping with the Persian theme, Kateh Mas Traditional Restaurant was a tourist hotspot for the live traditional Iranian music and certainly the Maître D’hôtel’s sense of humour.
Shah Cheragh beckoned. The mosque’s outer and inner courtyard were sizeable and magnificent in their own right, with mosaic lined portals in and out of each section. We cautiously entered the inner shrine after several local visitors asked for photos of us, and found ourselves welcomed to a half filled shrine with mirrored walls and crystal lined domes. Speechless, breath taking architecture, where the light was reflected across every facet of each pillar and dome. Hastily ushered through to a more public area of the mosque, a cleric who was very keen to show us around the enormous site as a private tour, while giving us particulars on the mosque and the Islamic faith.
A taxi back to the hotel saw us complete or 3rd week on the road, still stunned by the beauty of what we had just seen.
How to Iranian Highway.
Posted on 8th August 2016 8th August 2016 by Oliver Neville-Payne
Iran’s road systems require an art of driving unlike any other country we have so far visited. For this reason, Alpha Squad presents the not-complete guide of “How to Iranian Highway” and how to best keep an eye on literally everything on the road. Whatever you thought was uniform and neat in traffic management is forfeit in Iran. Some prerequisites:
Get your eyes tested and glasses prescription renewed if necessary. If anything for the car insurers who will likely flag up that your glasses are unsuitable for your short/long sightedness, otherwise it’s best to have sharp vision.
Iran highways are long and the city roads are action packed. Slow reaction times will not help you here. Get a healthy, long sleep in every night.
Long term experience in driving – In Alpha Squad we have a combined 20 years’ experience on UK and continental roads, with Oli taking up 11 of those. It would pay to have a good experience of the car you’re driving; its blind spots, driving dimensions (that is, knowing where the front, back and corners are to within a few inches from the driver’s viewing angle) and how it handles on intricate steering and braking.
Get a dash cam front and rear. The rear cam helps greatly with reversing if you have large hiking bags in the boot blocking the window, and the front and back combined will not only give you some nice video footage of scenarios on the road, but of any accident you might see and (hopefully) not get involved in. It pays to be prepared in having good clear evidence ready for any law enforcement.
Take a compass and roadmap of Iran – the roadmap will help you only so much; the compass will help you with orientation and judging distance for your next major turnoff and ETA into a town or city.
So with that out of the way, here are Alpha Squad’s observations and guidelines on driving in Iran.
Road signs on the highways and in towns are in 2 words, minimal and immediate. These are not the types of signs you’ll see on UK highways – brightly displayed, large readable text at 200 metres; these are usually within 100 metres of the junction and half the size you might expect.
Toll booths feature around the major highway zones, most of which are north of Isfahan. International cars are often considered as guests of the country and are let through without any fee. On rare occasions the toll officer will charge you (1 time out of 12 for us), likely pocketing the money for himself. Language barriers and playing dumb will also find you being let through for the sake of traffic flow.
Lorries and coaches are big, old, smoke-bellowing and kings of the highway in Iran. Do not try to assert any right of way against them; you may find yourself being cornered, or cut across at a left-hand intersection.
Speed bumps (sleeping policemen) are not marked, look out for 2 rumble strips within 50 metres, and slow down. They come in 2 forms – plastic stripped and sudden, and large launch ramp style. They also feature at some highway slip roads, so you can’t initially speed up to enter the highway.
The edge of the highway is often immediate, and bordered by a gravel hard shoulder. If you like your paintwork how it is, keep a sharp eye on the road edge.
Driving on the right is optional, more often than you think. Locals will often drive slowly against the flow of traffic and even reverse up the highway side.
Lights should only be switched on with the last glimmer of sunlight at dusk. Early evening headlights will find you getting flashed down and beeped at repeatedly from local drivers.
Highway lane division is merely a suggestion. 3-lane highways in busy traffic will result in 5 lanes of cars, and they are not uniform in the slightest – think of your car as a leaf floating down a river, with a hundred other leaves all trying to get to their destination.
Motorbikes and pedestrians share the same space. They will walk or drive out in front of you, go up the wrong side of roads, or stand in the road respectively, and bikers will often use pedestrian walkways and footpaths in the evening, especially to drive up the wrong way of a 1-way street.
You do not have to stop for pedestrian crossings, and pedestrians do not have to stop for cars. Iran takes many pages from the Vietnam style of highway and pedestrian traffic in this regard.
Side streets often have an open drainage channel running down either side. By open drainage, we mean 2-foot-deep and without any warning. To get stuck in this would likely cost you your suspension and wheel alignment on your car.
On a lighter note, you will find yourself being waved to, beeped at in greeting and asked many times where you’re from and welcomed to the country. Many drivers are happy to see you in Iran and are grateful for your custom and your visiting, speaking on many occasions as if they themselves represent Iran as a whole.
Day 20 – Tehran to Isfahan
Actual mechanical work had to take place on Mickey this morning – a brake light that had been indecisive in operation since Istanbul was finally changed out – a marked level up in repairs – actually replacing parts on the Micra is something we had so far not carried out – a good sign, we hope. While the repairs were carried out, a Canadian team were in the restaurant trying their best to battle with the WiFi and its various blocks and filters. Oli allowed them access to his laptop and the Tor network configuration – while at a cost of speed, this tunnelled through to a more open world wide web.
We set off for Isfahan, witnessing the construction of Tehran’s fast-access rail network to the international airport and a stark contrast in landscape within 50km – fauna went promptly from trees to bushes to shrubs, grass became gravel and rock, riverbeds were completely dry. We had entered the desert and with it the heat, something we thought we had become accustomed to, with the intensity belting down from the sun. Realising out water supplies were not in check, we pulled in to a service station early, where Rhys and Thomas proceeded to buy half the store – snacks and sweets galore with 6 litres of water.
When we approached Isfahan we missed the junction taking a redirection of about 20km. Iranian road signs are in 3 words, short-notice and minimalistic – in the literal sense. Turkey’s nod to UK road signs, with large blue boards and text that can be read at 200 metres are sorely missed out here. It is best to have a clear understanding of where you need to head in Iran, with a good road map and basic compass skills so you can predetermine your junctions and estimated arrival times. See the Iranian Highway guide on our site for more information. We continued driving and found a lorry in state of breakdown with 3 men attempting repairs, and with and exchange of greeting and some water, they directed us to an “untrue” road (single rough lane) that could see us back onto the highway.
We arrived into Isfahan early evening to the “Traditional Hotel” an old-world styled Persian hotel with wood-framed windows and a courtyard featuring raised seating areas and a large fountain. We considered this a marked improvement on Tehran’s accommodation and settled into the large suite with its own private courtyard and very efficient air conditioning. What was not efficient however was the WiFi. Of all the places visited thus far, Isfahan presented not only the Iranian global filter but a 3-stage authentication process which did not work as intended. Aspirations of contacting loved ones and updating this blog were quickly extinguished in a flood of connection errors and speed issues.
With the hotel check-in complete we ventured out to the highlights of Isfahan – the Nash-e-Jahan square is the 2nd largest public square in the world, second only to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, bordered by both the Shiek Lotfollah and Jameh Abbasi Mosques, surrounded on all sides by the Isfahan bazaar. A large water pool with fountains cut through the middle, and horse-drawn carriages took families and tourists around the square. It gave a true sense of community spirit even in a city as large as Isfahan. Losing the main group for a brief moment, Oli met an inquisitive girl, Hojan, who had just finished her college degree. She asked after our group and what we were doing in Iran. Exchanging contact details, and with a farewell we headed into the Bazaar to see if there were any bargains to be had. Mistaking a man for the shopkeeper, we enquired about postcards and stamps to send them on to the UK. Enter the actual shopkeeper who, upon seeing this conversation unfold with his stock being sold by a stranger (who later turned out to be an addict, as described by Reza), set upon him, throwing him away from the store front and wrestling him to the floor, kicking the man in the ribs and holding him in a headlock. Thomas attempted to involve himself in the struggle, but was kept away by Oli on the basis that any involvement in a physical fight, in Iran would have much greater consequences. We made for a swift exit of the scene and met a well-spoken carpet shop owner who invited us inside for tea and discussion on possible purchases, with credit cards accepted. This was an attractive proposition for us- Iran’s sanctions forbade MasterCard/Visa and other global banking transactions. This man’s solution was, very cleverly, to use a 3rd party in Saudi Arabia to process, then send the money across to him. This came at a risk for us, as the 3rd party was unknown and could potentially take more through the card details than simply payment for a carpet. We decided that on returning to Isfahan in 2 days, we would make a decision then, taking in the sites of Shiraz in the meantime.
We headed out into the late evening sprawl, crossing the “33” Bridge or Khajou Bridge, named for the 33 major arches connecting one side of Isfahan with the other over the arterial riverbed, currently dry from the high-summer season. Several locals were happy to see us walking through and asked various questions about the UK and surprisingly, a lot on the political situation, especially the EU referendum – something we had put in the back of our minds. Inkeeping with themes on names, we visited the “Traditional Restaurant” recommended by a local man – a heavily decorative Qatar-era themed establishment with high quality food, at an equally higher price when compared to previous restaurants. Dinner choices included a fish grill platter (400’000 Rials) and grilled chicken pieces in a very tart pomegranate sauce, both served with an abundance of rice and flatbread.
Filled with cereals once again we walked off the heavy meals back over the Khajou Bridge and returned to the Traditional Hotel to take in the evening air. A chance moment of working WiFi allowing a few emails and calls to be sent through.
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Volleyball ready to compete at home
Posted on: September 11, 2014 By : <a href="http://cardinalpointsonline.com/byline/bailey-carlin/" rel="tag">Bailey Carlin</a>
Even after a rough weekend, the Plattsburgh State women’s volleyball team sees potential in this year’s squad.
This past weekend, PSUC suffered losses to St. Lawrence University, SUNYIT and the host team for the tournament, Potsdam.
PSUC first-year head coach Jake Bluhm, as well as team captains Maggie Schrantz and Meghan Clifford, attributed the losses to both the youthfulness of the team and the Cards having a tough time digging themselves out of ruts.
Four of the eight current starters are freshmen, so a period of adjustment is to be expected.
“The new players still have a lot to learn when it comes to the college game itself,” Bluhm said. “But even the returners have a lot to learn as well such as adjusting to my specific style of play.”
Shrantz said she sees that the skill is there, but an adjustment is needed. She expressed that her teammates will need to combine their talent with focus and mental toughness, as well as assisting the younger players in getting acclimated to the pace of college athletics.
Clifford has similar feelings herself.
“We have more freshmen and sophomores than upperclassmen right now, so they are going to need time to get used to how fast the college game goes,” Clifford said.
The Cardinals, who went 4-3 at home last season, are hosting The Best Western-Ground Round Cardinal Classic this weekend. PSUC will face The Sage Colleges, Elms College and Bridgewater State in three out-of-conference games.
“It is definitely more fun to play with your home crowd around you and supporting you,” Clifford said.
Schrantz echoed those feelings.
“I definitely feel an advantage when playing in Plattsburgh,” she said. “Last year we went undefeated at our home tournament, so hopefully we can do that again this year.”
Although not having experienced a PSUC-hosted tournament yet himself, Bluhm is also confident his Cards can utilize being at home as an advantage.
“Being more familiar with a court and having a crowd rooting for you obviously can not hurt,” Bluhm said.
Bluhm has identified the issues he plans to work on in preparation for this weekend’s tournament, citing a need to tighten up ball control to increase consistency.
He also felt that an improvement in ball control could prevent the opposing teams from being able to gain momentum.
“If we can control the ball better, we can stop the other team from going on long runs of four, five, six straight points,” Bluhm said. “Runs like that are hard to come back from.”
<a href="http://cardinalpointsonline.com/byline/bailey-carlin/" rel="tag">Bailey Carlin</a>
Clavet brings control, leadership to Cards
Smart play benefitting team
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Home / Central Data Catalog / ETH_2001_AGSE-SEC_V01_M
Agricultural Sample Enumeration, Socio-Economic Characteristics 2001-2002 (1994 E.C)
Ethiopia, 2001 - 2002
Central Statistical Agency
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ETH_2001_AgSE-SEC_v01_M
Ethiopia ETH
Population as a producer and consumer is closely related with agriculture. On the one hand, population affects production in general and agricultural outputs in particular by furnishing the required labour. On the other hand, the size of a population and its anticipated growth is the main factor determining food consumption requirements. Regarding the balance between population and consumption, if more people are to be fed than the food or services produced, saving and capital investments will be negatively affected. Moreover, population growth also negatively influences agriculture by putting pressure on the environment, such as water, fertility of land, etc. Population size further influence productivity mainly through the diversification and specialization of the economy, the size of the market, and the importance of foreign trade.
Not only the size, but also the socio-economic characteristics of the population of the agricultural households are important to the agricultural production. Study of the nature of the agricultural sector of a country will not be complete without proper understanding of the socio-economic characteristics of the population engaged in it. The population statistics of the agricultural households can be used to describe the characteristics and distribution of the population in space, its density and degree of concentration, the fluctuation in its rate of growth and the movement from one area to another. Data on population and agriculture will also help in finding out what percentage of resources will be needed at a particular time for the meeting of basic needs of the people and what amount of socially useful and productive labour is available in the country, regardless of whether labour or capital intensive techniques will suit the nation's economy.
Generally, an analysis of statistical data on population residing in agricultural households is important to assess the size, structure and characteristics of the human resources involved in and supported by the sector. Such kind of information will provide the human background for planners and policy makers in their attempt to formulate policies that helps to improve the sector's output as well as the living conditions of the rural population.
Cognizant of this fact, the 2001-2002 Ethiopian Agricultural Sample Enumeration has collected basic social and economic characteristics of the population in agricultural households in October 2001.
- Household members / individuals
- Holder
v1.1: Edited and non anonymized dataset, for internal use only.
This survey collected data about size and age-sex structure, household size, relationship to the head of the household, marital status, literacy, educational level, working status, reason for not working, type of occupation, and employment status.
Agriculture & Rural Development World Bank
Land (policy, resource management) World Bank
The 2001-2002 (1994 E.C) Agricultural Sample Enumeration was designed to cover the rural and urban parts of all districts (Weredas) in the country on a large-scale sample basis excluding the pastoralist areas of the Afar and Somali regional states.
Agricultural households from the nationally sampled area. The population in agricultural households comprises of all persons residing in households with at least one agricultural holder, where a holder is defined as a person who exercises management and control over the operation of the agricultural holding such as land and livestock and makes the major decision regarding the utilization of the available resources.
Central Statistical Agency Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
Government of Ethiopia GovETH Funding
Sampling Frame
The list of enumeration areas for each wereda was compiled from the 1994 Ethiopian Population and Housing Census cartographic work and was used a frame for the selection of the Primary Sampling Units (PSU). The 1994 Population and Housing Census enumeration area maps of the region for the selected sample EA's were updated, and the EA boundaries and descriptions were further clarified to reflect the current physical situation. The sampling frame used for the selection of ultimate sampling units (agricultural households) was a fresh list of households, which was prepared by the enumerator assigned in the sampled EA's using a prescribed listing instruction at the beginning of the launching of the census enumeration.
In order to meet the objectives and requirements of the EASE, a stratified two-stage cluster sample design was used for the selection of ultimate sampling units. Thus, in the regions each wereda was treated as stratum for which major findings of the sample census are reported. The primary sampling units are the enumeration areas and the agricultural households are secondary (ultimate) sampling units. Finally, after the selection of the sample agricultural households, the various census forms were administered to all agricultural holders within the sampled agricultural households.
For the private peasant holdings in the rural areas a fixed number (25) of sample EA's in each wereda and 30 agricultural households in each EA were randomly selected (determined). In urban areas, weredas with urban EA's of less than or equal to 25, all the EA's were covered. However, for weredas with greater than 25 urban EA's, sample size of 25 EA's was selected. In each sampled urban EA, 30 agricultural households were randomly selected for the census. The sampled size determination in each wereda and thereby in each EA was based upon the required precision level of the major estimates and the cost consideration. The pilot survey and the previous year annual agricultural sample survey results were used to determine the required sample sizes per wereda.
Sample Selection of Primary Sampling Units
Within each wereda (stratum) in the region, the selection of EAs was carried out using probability proportional to size systematic sampling. In this case, size being total number of agricultural households in each EA obtained from the listing exercise undertaken in the 1994 Ethiopian Population and Housing Census of the region.
Listing of Households and Selection of Agricultural Households
In each sampled enumeration area of the region, a complete and fresh listing of households was carried out by canvassing the households in the EA. After a complete listing of the households and screening of the agricultural households during the listing operation in the selected EA, the agricultural households were serially numbered. From this list, a total of 30 agricultural households were selected systematically using a random start from the pre-assigned column table of random numbers. The sampling interval for each EA was determined by dividing the total number of agricultural households by 30. For crop cutting exercise purposes (rural domain) a total of 20 agricultural households were randomly selected from the 30 sampled agricultural households. The systematical random sampling technique was employed in this case, because its application is simple and flexible, and it can easily yield a proportionate sample.
Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia CSA Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
The rural census questionnaires/forms included:-
- Forms 94/0 and 94/1 that are used to record all households in the enumeration area, identify the agricultural households and select the units to be covered by the census.
- Form 94/2 is developed to list all the members of the sampled agricultural households and record the demographic and economic characteristics of each of the members.
- Forms 94/3A, 94/3B, 94/3C and 94/3D are prepared to enumerate crop data through interview and objective measurement.
- Form 94/5 is designed to record crop area data via the physical or objective measurement of crop fields.
- Form 94/6 is used to list all the fields under crop and select a crop field for each type of crop randomly for crop cutting exercise.
- Forms 94/7A, 94/7B, and 94/7C are developed for recording yield data on cereals, oil seeds, pulses, vegetables root crops and permanent crops by weighing their yields obtained from sub-plots and/or trees selected for crop-cuttings.
- Form 94/8 is prepared to enumerate livestock, poultry and beehives data by type, age, sex and purpose including products through interview (subjective approach).
- Forms 94/9, 94/10 and 94/11 are used to collect data on crop and livestock product usage; miscellaneous items and farm tools, implements, draught animals and storage facilities, in that order, by interviewing the sample holders.
- The last but not least forms are the "Belg" season questionnaires identified as: - 94/12A and 94/12B that are used to record data on farm management practices of the "Belg" season.
- Form 94/4 was the questionnaire used for collecting data on crop production forecast for 2001-2002 and the data collected using this form was published in December 2001 subjectively, while 94/12C is for recording "Belg" season crop area through objective measurement and volume of production through interview approach.
On the other hand, the census questionnaires/forms used in the urban areas include:-
- Form U-94/1 which used to record all households in the EA, identify the agricultural households and select the units to be covered by the census.
- Form U-94/2 is developed to list all the members of the sampled agricultural household and record the demographic and economic characteristics of each of the members.
- From U-94/3 is prepared to enumerate crop data through interview method.
- Form U-94/4 is prepared to enumerate livestock, poultry and beehives data by type, sex, age and purpose including products through interview (subjective approach).
- Form U-94/5 is used to collect data on crop and livestock usage.
Data Editing
Editing, Coding and Verification:
In the 2001-2002 Ethiopian Agricultural Sample Enumeration (EASE), the filled-in forms that were retrieved from 47 Branch Statistical Offices were primarily received and systematically registered at the documentation unit of the CSA head quarters in Addis Ababa. Before launching the actual editing and coding activities, the Natural Resources and Agricultural Statistics Department staff gave adequate training to the 157 editors and coders. These editors and coders carried out the manual editing, coding and verification of the filled-in EASE questionnaires in two shifts. At the outset, the editing and coding activities for the filled-in forms on area and agricultural practices took place; this was followed up by the editing and coding of the forms on the production of temporary crops (cereals, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and root crops), livestock, farm implements, permanent crops, "Belg" and miscellaneous questionnaires region by region. For the filled-in forms on area and agricultural practices, verification was carried out on 100% basis for the first five weeks from the launching of the activity and then considering the quality performance of editor-coders the activity was dropped to 66% of the forms gradually. On the other hand, the verification activity has been carried out on 100% basis for the filled-in forms on production of the temporary and permanent crops, livestock, farm implements and all other completed forms. For the total country, the editing, coding and verification of the filled-in forms in general took about 330.6 working days. That is, the editing, coding and verification of the filled-in forms for area, agricultural practice, the production of the temporary and permanent crops, and livestock took about 198.5 working days, while that of the filled-in forms on farm implements, demographic characteristics, Belg season and the urban forms took around 132.1 working days.
Data Entry, Cleaning and Tabulation:
About 144 data encoders were assigned to undertake the data entry activity of 2001/02 EASE and it has been carried out on two-shift basis. Before the starting of the data entry operation data encoders were trained for about 5 days using computer programs developed by the Data Processing Department staff. The Programmers prepared the data entry programs using CENTRY, which is a data entry module of IMPS (Integrated Microcomputer Processing System). The data entry exercise has been carried out using 76 personal computers (PC's). Like that of the manual editing and coding activity, the filled-in forms on area and agricultural practices were entered first and this was followed by entry of the filled-in forms on the production of temporary crops, livestock, farm implements, permanent crops, "Belg" and miscellaneous questionnaires region by region till all the census data entry operations are completed. In order to ensure the quality of the data entry work, verification exercise was carried out. The entry of the filled-in forms on area and agricultural practices were verified on 100 % basis. Then the verification exercise was dropped to 66 % from the 6th week of the launching of the operation and was further reduced to 50% from the 10th week onwards by observing and assessing the magnitude of the percentage of errors. Later on verification process was carried out on 100% basis for the filled-in forms on the production of temporary and permanent crops, livestock, farm implements and all other completed forms. The verification activity was carried out through the process of re-entering the data. For the total country, the whole data entry process of the filled-in forms on area, agricultural practice, the production of the temporary and permanent crops, and livestock took around 253.1 working days, while that of the filled-in forms on farm implements, demographic characteristics, Belg season and the urban forms took about 257.9 working days. Data entered into the computer needs to be checked for completeness, consistency and validity. For this purpose computer edit programs were prepared by programmers using CONCOR, which is the editing module of IMPS. Using print-outs from these programs and referring to the filled-in census forms, corrections were made by nine trained manual data cleaning technicians. Moreover, nine other data-cleaning computer operators were involved in making the actual corrections of the data on the computer. Additionally, an intermediate set of instructions or programs were made available and applied on the data to prepare information suitable for tabulation. These programs were prepared using CSPro and IMPS software. Like IMPS Software, CSPro is used as a tool for entering, editing and tabulating data. CSA used the CSPro software for data editing and calculation of CVs. Data made ready for tabulation through the process of cleaning and intermediate programs was finally used to generate the required tables. This was done using tabulation programs developed by the senior programmers of the Data processing Department. The CENTS software, a tabulation component of IMPS, was used in producing the 2001-2002 EASE results.
Estimates of Sampling Error
Estimated procedure of parameters of interest like total, yield and ratio and their sampling errors is presented in Appendix I of the reports which are attached with this metadata. Standard errors and coefficients of variations of estimates for selected variables are also given as an annex at the end of each report.
Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia Ministry of Finance and Economic Development csa@csa.gov.et http://www.csa.gov.et
Data Administrator Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia data@csa.gov.et http://www.csa.gov.et
The Central Statistical Agency (CSA) is committed to achieving excellence in the provision of timely, reliable and affordable official statistics for informed decision making in order to maximize the welfare of all Ethiopians. This is achieved through the collection and analysis of censuses, surveys and the use of administrative data as well as the dissemination a range of statistical products and providing assistance and services to users.
A microdata dissemination policy is established by CSA to address the conditions and the manner in which anonymized microdata files may be released to users for research purposes. It also strives to identify the different levels of anonymization for different categories of data use. This policy is available at CSA website (http://www.csa.gov.et).
CSA will release microdata files for use by researchers for scientific research purposes when:
The Director General is satisfied that all reasonable steps have been taken to prevent the identification of individual respondents.
The release of the data will substantially enhance the analytic value of the data that have been collected For all but purely public files, researchers disclose the nature and objectives of their intended research, It can be demonstrated that there are no credible alternative sources for these data, and
The researchers have signed an appropriate undertaking.
Terms and conditions of use of public data files are the following:
The data and other materials provided by CSA will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of CSA.
The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only. They will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
No attempt will be made to re-identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently. Any such discovery would immediately be reported to the CSA.
No attempt will be made to produce links among datasets provided by CSA, or among data from the CSA and other datasets that could identify individuals or organizations.
Any books, articles, conference papers, theses, dissertations, reports, or other publications that employ data obtained from CSA will cite the source of data in accordance with the Citation Requirement provided with each dataset.
An electronic copy of all reports and publications based on the requested data will be sent to CSA.
The original collector of the data, CSA, and the relevant funding agencies bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Cost Recovery Policy:
It is the policy of CSA to encourage broad use of its products by making them affordable for users. Accordingly, CSA attempts to ensure that the costs of creating anonymized microdata files are built-in to the survey budget.
At the same time, CSA attempts to recover costs associated with the provisions of special services that benefit only a specific group. Information on the price of each dataset is available at CSA website (www.csa.gov.et )
Citation requirements
"Central Statistical Authority of Ethiopia, Agricultural Sample Enumeration, Socio-Economic Characteristics 2001-2002 (AgSE-SEC 2001), v1.1, provided by the National Data Archive. http://213.55.92.105/nada3/index.php/catalog"
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
DDI_ETH_2001_AgSE-SEC_v02_M
Central Statistical Agency CSA Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Production and documentation of the study
Accelerated Data Program ADP International Household Survey Network Review of the metadata
Date of Metadata Production
Version 02 (October 2013). Edited version based on Version 1.1 (December 2010) DDI (DDI_ETH_2001_ASESEC_v1.1_M) that was done by Central Statistical Agency, Ethiopia and reviewed by Accelerated Data Program, International Household Survey Network.
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Comments from bigjoe59
Showing 726 - 750 of 963 comments
bigjoe59 commented about World's oldest cinema reopens on Oct 17, 2013 at 10:36 am
from reading the intro on the theaters CT’s page and reading the Guardian article i am unsure about a)if the Eden was built from the ground up as a cinema or b)it was an already exiting theater building that was used by the Lumiere Bros. to exhibit their films. if its b) that what is the world’s oldest still existing cinema build from the ground up as a cinema?
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct 10, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Hello From NYC-
this a question I asked sometime ago so I would appreciate any further info my fellow posters might have. the building boom period for grand old movie theaters/palaces was approx. 1914-1941. now many of the theaters built during this period are alive and well and have been in continual operation since the day they opened- the Castro Theater in San Francisco as an example. but that theater was built from the get go as a 2nd/3rd run neighborhood theater. which brings me to the Chinese. I have been browsing this website to see how many such theaters I could find that opened from the get go as 1st run venues and have continued to operate as such since the day they opened. the only one I have found so far is the Chinese. is it really possible that of all the grand old movie theaters/palaces built in the boom period of 1914-1941 from the get go as 1st run venues the Chinese is the only one in continual operation as such since the day is opened?
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 7, 2013 at 11:30 am
i saw Gravity in the IMAX Theater this past Sat. at the 11:15 a.m. show and thoroughly enjoyed the sites and sounds of the film. so my question has to do with the theater itself. I am a frequent patron at the Lincoln Square’s regular theaters. now the last time I was in the IMAX theater was February of 2000 when they debuted Disney’s Fantasia 2000. I won’t bet my next paycheck but I am like 99.9% sure that at that visit Fantasia 2000 occupied the entire screen. yet while watching Gravity only the middle say 60% of the screen was being used. now I didn’t take a ruler and measure but the amount of the screen the film occupied seemed no bigger than the screen of the main Loew’s auditorium downstairs or the one at the Zeigfeld. so since it didn’t occupy the entire screen how is it IMAX?
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct 4, 2013 at 12:13 pm
i will be seeing Gravity tomorrow at the Loew’s Lincoln Square IMAX auditorium which has reserved seating. when i purchased my ticket and the screen comes up with the seating plan i noticed all the seats in the middle had been taken which was fine by me. i’m tall and have no idea what the leg room space is between seats. i chose an aisle seat on the right with no seat in front of it which is great since i have long legs. in terms of overall size if the Lincoln Square screen is a 10 what’s the Chinese screen?
also do theaters in L.A. still have the discount before 5p.m. they still did when i was last out in Spring 2004. all AMC theaters have a discount before 12p.m. on weekends so i got that discount plus a senior discount so the ticket cost $15.
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on Oct 3, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Hello Again-
thanks for the info about the price for a 3-D IMAX film at Lincoln Square. most good old regular 2-D films aren’t worth the price theaters in Manhattan are asking so I doubt the vast majority of 3-D IMAX films are worth the hyped up price. “Avatar” released Dec. of 2009 was the juggernaut for the current stampede of 3-D films. here’s the kicker- since “Avatar” countless 3-D films have been released and in a grand total of exactly 2 count ‘em two films has the 3-D actually furthed the storytelling process- “Hugo” and “Life of Pi”.
I read in one of the first comments posted after the theater re-opened that the people showing you to your seats were a bit overwhelmed by the crowd. what’s wrong with the good old fashioned first come first served policy? good old regular 2-D movies are rather expensive at least in Manhattan. 3-d films are are that much more expensive and IMAX 3-D films are additionally more expensive. so no matter how good the film might be are reserved seat IMAX 3-D films really worth what i’m guessing is a really expensive ticket?
how much are reserved seats for a 3-D IMAX film
at Lincoln Square?
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Sep 27, 2013 at 1:03 pm
aside from the hoopla about the Chinese re-opening has there been much talk in the press about the 3-D IMAX The Wizard of Oz? the film opened last Fri.9/20 at 2 of the 3 IMAX screens in Manhattan with no publicity whatsoever.
as I said in my last post I haven’t been out to L.A. in approx. 7 years so i’m intrigued by the comments on 3-D films at the Cinerama Dome. to which my question-what essentially is the problem? is the large curved screen not optimum for showing films in 3-D or are the films just not shown correctly? when Arclight built its multiplex adjacent to the Dome didn’t they fully restore the Dome as well?
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Sep 19, 2013 at 11:38 am
I haven’t been out to L.A. in approx. 7 years so though this question might be silly to ask at this point i’ll ask it anyway. I am assuming the reason the new owners of the Chinese went thru the time and expense of IMAX-ing the Chinese’s auditorium is that there are no other IMAX theaters anywhere close to the Chinese.
bigjoe59 commented about Loew's Capitol Theatre on Sep 15, 2013 at 5:09 pm
Hello to Al A.–
as always thank for the info. i have another question that i find just as fascinating. my parents took me to see the roadshow engagements of both The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and How The West Was Won at this theater. i always assumed they had healthy roadshow runs. to which i was quite surprised to find out TWWOTBG’s lasted only 33 weeks and HTWWW’s lasted only 39 weeks. i can see MGM having to pull TWWOTBG even if it was still doing good box office to open HTWWW. but why was HTWWW pulled after only 39 weeks? the roadshow run of HTWWW in both L.A.and San Francisco lasted a lot longer than 39 weeks if i am not mistaken. so what gives?
I second Chris U.’s comment. its a rather unobstrusive sign that i’m betting most people won’t notice.
bigjoe59 commented about Rivoli Theatre on Sep 15, 2013 at 2:55 pm
to Tinseltoes-
i knew Liz and Dick did not attend the premiere at this theater but i had not known there was a protest by an African-American church in Harlem for casting a white actress in the title role. the interesting part of that protest is simple- regardless of what Cleopatra looked like physically ethnically/culturally she was like 99% Greek.
to Bill H.–
thanks for your reply. five seconds after clicking on add comment it dawned on me that as well as the film was still doing MGM had to pull it to open their big year end “in Cinerama” film Ice Station Zebra. so while it may not have been “in Cinerama” or on a 2 a day roadshow policy did the film at least move to another theater for an exclusive run in 70MM? the reason i ask is simple.
The Sound of Music ran at the Rivoli on a 2 a day roadshow policy in Todd-AO from i believe the first week of March 1965 to the last week of Sept. 1966. normally it would have then gone to the prominent theaters in the other boroughs that traditionally played 20th Century Fox Films after their big 1st runs in Manhattan. but that didn’t happen. the film then moved to the Cinema Rendevous on 57th St. on a continuous performance policy of 3 shows a day and played there i believe 6 months.
bigjoe59 commented about Loew's Capitol Theatre on Sep 15, 2013 at 11:51 am
I was fortunate to have seen 2001: A Space Odyssey twice at this theater during its 2 a day “in Cinerama” roadshow engagement. I believe said engagement lasted on 24 weeks due to the Capitol closing prior to demolition. but the exact same engagement moved 4 blocks south to the Warmer Cinerama where it ran
another 13 weeks. the reason I bring this up is simple. when I found this out rather recently I was shocked that the film’s Manhattan roadshow run was only 37 weeks. compare this to the 2 a day roadshow engagement at the Warner in Hollywood which lasted 103 weeks and the 2 a day roadshow run at the Golden Gate in San Francisco which lasted I believe 72 weeks. and does one explain that?
bigjoe59 commented about American Theater on Sep 15, 2013 at 10:52 am
i was saddened to hear of the theater’s closing.
i believe that leaves the Bay Plaza as the only
movie theater in the Bronx.
but i don’t understand as a Bow Tie spokesperson said in the News 12 video that he lease can’t be renewed? it not like the building was something else previously and the owner wanted to return it to its original use. it was built as a movie theater. so i assume we’re dealing with a typical greedy NY landlord.
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Sep 12, 2013 at 12:19 pm
I haven’t been out to L.A. in a few years and did enjoy going to the Chinese. to which my question- with all the hoopla about the IMAX-ing of the auditorium while keeping the renowned architectural design as anyone heard anything about the 3-D…ing of The Wizard of Oz. if the retrofit into 3-D of the 1939 film just doesn’t work that won’t be a good omen for the reopening.
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Sep 10, 2013 at 1:00 pm
to techman707-
i thank you for your help with my previous questions. in fact you have a detailed knowledge of this particular theater. to which my new two part question.
*on page 4 of the photo gallery is an ad for “Frankenstein” and “Sitting Bull”. so was the ad for the 1931 horror classic for the original 1st run engagement or a subsequent 2nd run. also it seems the big grand old movie theaters of Times Square played as many B movies as they did A movies. to which i’m guessing the western about one of the most prominent Native Ameericans was considered a B movie.
*on the last page of the photo gallery is a pic of the marquee during the roadshow engagement of “The Shoes of the Fisherman” which i believe opened Nov. of 1968. now the side of the marquee has the title in the typeface used in the ads with a collage of the major characters in the film. yet on the front of the marquee the title is spelled out in plain ordinary block letters. wasn’t kind of tacky for a roadshow engagement?
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Sep 9, 2013 at 11:45 am
the last film I saw at this theater before it closed was “Living Out Loud” with Holly Hunter and Queen Latifah. i’m 99.9% sure it was in the downstairs auditorium. to which my question- what was the last film to play here when it was still a single screen theater at which point i believe it was still called the Demille.
bigjoe59 commented about Cinema Studio 1 & 2 on Sep 8, 2013 at 1:05 pm
I liked going to the Cinema Studio since it played many prominent low budget indie American films and top foreign language films. a two part question-
1.i’m guessing that the theater(and the surrounding buildings)were torn down because eventhough the theater was quite popular the land underneath it became worth more than the theater could ever bring in at the box office.
2.as stated by Al A. it opened as the Arcade in 1919. i’m guessing it opened from the get go as a 2nd/3rd run neighborhood theater. so when did it become a 1st run venue? when it became the Cinema Studio?
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug 29, 2013 at 12:42 pm
I have to be frank and say i find much of the tech numbers mentioned a bit confusing. admittedly i’m no techno wiz. to which what I hope is a simple question- when the 3-D TWOO opens the end of Sept. will they be able to mask the screen so all we see is the movie? whatever the dimensions of a screen it drives me up a ****** wall when it is not properly masked and you see unused screen on the top, bottom or sides.
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug 22, 2013 at 11:44 am
I suppose we shall have to wait and see. I have found the discussion of the Chinese' new IMAX installation fascinating to say the least. it kind of resembles my opinion of the IMAX screens in Manhattan. the only real or true IMAX screen is the one at the Loew’s Lincoln Square on Bway and 68th St. the other IMAX screens in Manhattan are not quite so.
bigjoe59 commented about Liberty Theatre on Aug 22, 2013 at 10:30 am
i’m sorry to hear of the theater being gutted by fire especially since the structure could have been renovated and saved. as we say in NYC i bet it was “a business fire”. whenever an historic renovatable building in NYC is gutted by fire that always my guess as to what happened.
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug 12, 2013 at 9:22 am
I would like someone to explain to me how they can successfully to a 3-D retrofit for a film released in 1939.
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MANY COMPANIES LAGGING IN INDUSTRIAL IOT READINESS
New Study Predicts Smart Embrace of Operational Connectedness Will Drive Competitive Advantage and Category Disruption
(San Jose, Calif. - April 18, 2017)
Many companies are unprepared for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), but most executives at those companies realize that the future of their business depends on it, according to a new study just released by the Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network.
The study also suggests that large-scale integrators and other channel partners will be among the biggest IIoT beneficiaries over the next several years. They will likely play a significant role in planning and implementation at many companies due to major internal gaps in the technical skills and management know-how needed to deploy and integrate IoT into operations and new products.
The new report, “The Impact of Connectedness on Competitiveness,” was developed by the BPI Network in partnership with the CMO Council, Penton’s IoT Institute and The Nerdery, a leading digital strategy, software engineering and design firm. The study was based on a global survey of some 350 global executives and interviews with innovation leaders at large global enterprises, including companies such as Airbus, Balfour Beatty, Embraer, Philips Lighting, Whirlpool, LafargeHolcim, TVH, Hitachi and others.
“Executives are telling us that IIoT technologies are about to play a significant role in business and industrial performance, delivering significant improvements in operational efficiency and uptime, as well as growth from new business models, products, services and customer experiences,” said Dave Murray, Head of Thought Leadership for the BPI Network. “Nevertheless, less than 2 percent of large companies say they have a clear vision for how to move forward or have large-scale implementations underway. That dichotomy suggests we are experiencing the lull before the storm of IIoT transformation. This is an opportunity for real competitive differentiation and advancement.”
Among key findings of the IIoT survey:
52 percent of executives at large enterprises—and 41 percent of executives at all companies—expect IIoT to have a significant or major impact on their industry within three years.
Some 55 percent of all executives say IIoT is gaining adoption within their industries, including both pilots and larger-scale adoption.
However, just 1.5 percent of executives at large companies say they have a clear vision with implementation well underway, while another 57 percent are either beginning implementation, have pilots underway or are committed and in the planning stages.
New products and services lead as the area most companies say they will focus their IoT investments (35 percent), followed by customer touchpoints (29 percent), and manufacturing (23 percent).
More cost-efficient operations (47 percent), product and service differentiation (36 percent), and improved customer engagement and satisfaction (34 percent) are seen as the top benefits of IIoT.
Security and data privacy are seen as top concerns by executives, followed by the cost and complexity of IIoT adoption and the need for new management and workforce skills and training.
To download the full report, please visit http://www.bpinetwork.org/industrial-connectedness-report
“For industrial companies, staying competitive requires embracing IIoT. There really is no plan B. Implementing IIoT, however, means not just navigating uncharted waters, but also keeping track of an array of technologies, workforce challenges, security concerns, and unprecedented business considerations,” says Brian Buntz, Editor of IoT Institute.
"The tidal wave that is connectedness and IIoT is building rapidly and it is unavoidable,” said Chris Locher, Vice President of Software Development at The Nerdery. "Companies see massive opportunities to increase efficiency, gather data in new ways and pivot into new business models. The challenge of the IIoT revolution is that it is accompanied by a great deal of white noise and confusion. How will companies capture those opportunities? How do companies avoid the risk of a failing at an IIoT initiative? How do you find employees with the skill to do it? The sheer scale and implications of IIoT can lead to information overload, create analysis paralysis, and confusion for business leaders. The key to moving confidently into this new space is starting with small, focused efforts or bringing experts to start to build the required skills, behaviors, and business models."
IIoT Readiness Lacking
Making the transformation to IIoT-enabled businesses will clearly require new skills and mindsets. Chief among those requirements, according to executives, are new technical skills (51 percent), better data integration and analytics capabilities (41 percent), and rethinking the business model (33 percent). Most executives, however, say their companies have significant gaps in these areas.
Some 31 percent of executives say their organizations face a “major skill gap” in their IIoT readiness, while another 31 percent say the talent gap is “large, but improving somewhat.” Twenty percent say their IoT skills are quickly improving, while another 7 percent believe they have most of the skills in place.
Similarly, just 12 percent give their company an “excellent” rating in their capacity to develop and deploy applications that utilize real-time insights and systems monitoring. Another 25 percent rate their capacity as good, while one-third say their corporation’s ability in this area is moderate and improving.
“Global businesses are clearly working to put the needed skills in place to address the opportunity of connected, intelligent products and machines, but those talents are in short supply," the BPI Network's Murray explained. "We can expect for the time being that system integrators, consulting and software engineering firms with the right skills in connectivity, sensor technology, data analytics and complex integration will benefit from the race to keep pace with IIoT enablement.”
Creating IIoT Value
Interviews with executives at large businesses that are deploying or planning for IIoT applications underscore the wide range of benefits and scenarios represented by these technologies.
Embraer, the world’s largest regional jet maker, for example, says new jets that integrate sensors to identify and predict maintenance needs now have a remarkable 99.5 percent dispatching rate, in which less than 0.5 percent of planned take-offs are affected by unexpected maintenance issues, according to Alexandre Baulé, Vice President of Information Systems at Embraer. Embraer and its partners are also working toward an IoT-enabled, customized experience for passengers, in which each person’s favorite movies, music and even temperature settings are available before they take their seats.
Airbus, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, is also integrating sensor technology to improve the predictability and safety of its aircraft, but also envisions widespread use of IoT technology in its Factory of the Future platform—an approach that will include cyber-physical systems, 3D printed prototypes, open robot interfaces and advanced data analytics to increase the quality and productivity of its manufacturing processes. Factory workers use smart glasses and advanced image processing to track problems, tools and solutions in real time, while exoskeletons are developed to reduce risk and enhance human capabilities.
To learn more about the findings of the report and read about other companies who are advancing their IIoT capabilities, visit http://www.bpinetwork.org/industrial-connectedness-report to access your copy.
About the BPI Network
The Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network is a peer-driven thought leadership and professional networking organization reaching some 50,000 heads IT transformation, change management, business re-engineering, process improvement, and strategic planning. It is dedicated to advancing the emerging roles of the Chief Innovation Officer and Innovation Strategist within today’s enterprise. The BPI Network brings together global executives who are champions of change within their organizations through ongoing research, authoritative content and peer-to-peer conversations. These functional area heads (operations, IT, finance, procurement, sales, marketing, product development, etc.) and line-of-business leaders are advocates for innovation as a fundamental discipline and function within 21st Century organizations. They seek to demonstrate where and how new inventive solutions and approaches can advance business value, gratify customers, ensure sustainability and create competitive advantage for companies worldwide. For more information, visit www.bpinetwork.org.
About the CMO Council
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership, and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide range of global industries. The CMO Council's 12,500-plus members control more than $500 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include more than 30,000 global executives in more than 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa. The council's strategic interest groups include the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE), Mobile Relationship Marketing (MRM) Strategies, LoyaltyLeaders.org, CMOCIOAlign.org, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, Customer Experience Board, Digital Marketing Performance Institute, GeoBranding Center and the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME). For more information, visit www.cmocouncil.org.
About the Penton IoT Institute
The IoT Institute connects professionals in the IoT ecosystem and inspires them by providing real-world, actionable information on the latest IoT trends, analysis, and use-case studies for smart cities, the Industrial IoT, smart buildings and energy, and the innovators creating the IoT infrastructure.
Through ongoing research with our strategic partners like BPI Network and the Industrial Internet Consortium, the IoT Institute provides thought leadership and unique insight into the state of IoT implementation and challenges and opportunities for key players. For more information, visit www.ioti.com.
About The Nerdery
The Nerdery builds more than software, crafting digital products, services and experiences that better people’s lives and in doing so, drive business forward. Headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in Chicago, Kansas City and Phoenix, The Nerdery’s core services are digital transformation consulting, mobile applications, web applications, websites and systems integration. Founded by three programming pioneers in 2003, The Nerdery has made Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest growing private companies for the past nine consecutive years. The Nerdery was built on the belief that passionate Nerds are the driving force behind business breakthroughs. For more information, visit www.nerdery.com.
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Theatre and Cinema in Derbyshire
Derbyshire Cinema & Theatre
Theatre in Derbyshire
Derby Playhouse See www.derbytheatre.co.uk
The Derby Playhouse is housed in the Westfield Centre, a couple minutes walk from the bus station, with a large carpark beneath. Designed by Roderick Ham, it seats approximately 550 people, including provision for the disabled and sound amplification facilities for the deaf.
It puts on a variety of shows throughout the year, including the annual panto. The Playhouse is finaned by the Arts Council, the Derby City Council and the East Midlands Arts Association. Inside the complex is a bar, coffee shop and a restaurant.
Buxton Opera House See www.buxton-opera.co.uk
Water Street. Buxton Opera House was designed and built in 1903 by Frank Matcham, one of Britain's finest theatre architects. The Opera House stands in 25 acres of ornamental gardens in the heart of Buxton, which is on the fringes of Derbyshire's Peak District
Buxton Opera House
Pomegranate Theatre
Corporation Street, Chesterfield, S41 7TX
Telephone: 01246 345222 (Box Office), 345220 (Admin>
The Pomegranate is a grade 2 listed Victorian 546 seater proscenium arch theatre offering a wide range of professional touring and local amateur productions.
Assembly Rooms - Closed due to fire
Cinema in Derbyshire
Showcase CinemaSee www.showcasecinemas.co.uk
The Showcase is located at the Foresters Park Centre, Sinfin, on Osmaston Park Road.
UCI Cinema See www.uci.co.uk
Cinema located in the Meteor Centre on Mansfield Road, one and a half miles north-east of city centre.
Cineworld See www.cineworld.co.uk
Situated in Chesterfield near Asda and McDonalds.
Scala Cinema See www.reelcinemas.co.uk
Located in Ilkeston town centre.
The Ritz Cinema see www.ritz-belper.co.uk
Located in Belper town centre.
Derbyshire UK : Disclaimer : Homepage
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Auburn University Football Programs Collection Home
Home Auburn University Football Programs Auburn vs. Baylor (1954)
Auburn vs. Baylor (1954)
Title Auburn vs. Baylor (1954)
Subject Auburn University — Football — History; Auburn University — Football — Programs; Alabama — Social life and customs; Illustrators — United States; Commercial art — United States
EOA Categories Sports & Recreation -- Football
Description "The triumph was another team victory for the Plainsmen as they chalked up their fourth win in a row. Hoppy Middleton, with three first half touchdowns, lead the Auburn Tigers to a smashing 27 to 6 decision over Clemson before a Homecoming crowd of 24,000. Although the game was marred by a constant flow of penalties, the Plainsmen left no doubt of their superiority in the minds of Coach Frank Howard's elevens. The Auburn forward wall deserved much credit for the decisiveness of the victory. They stopped highly touted Don King, and Clemson never materialized as a threat. After an initial exchange of punts, Coach Jordan's boys went 57 yards in 11 plays, Middleton climaxing the drive with an 11 yard scoring dash. Picking up two more by ground, the Plainsmen were riding high with a 20 to 0 advantage at half-time. After having two touchdowns called back, Jim Pyburn got one that satisfied the officials in the final period. Joe Childress then booted the extra point, making it 27 to 0, and breaking an all-time Auburn scoring record with point number 55. Penalties finally allowed Clemson to reach deep into Auburn territory, and with ten seconds to go, King tossed a 6-pointer to Jackson in the end zone—final count 27 to 6. Freeman, with his timely running and masterful quarterbacking, Childress, with his driving runs, and Pyburn with his sensational pass-snatching were big instruments in breaking of the South Carolinians' backs. Scarborough. Locklear. and Atkins led the forward wall." (Description from the 1955 Glomerata)
Creator Unknown--blurry
Publisher Unknown
Contributors Auburn University Libraries. Special Collections Department
Identifier 1955.01.01
Source Auburn University Libraries. Special Collections Department, David Housel Collection
Rights These images may be under copyright and are for Web viewing only. Reproductions are not available at this time. For further information, please contact the Auburn University Athletics Department at athletics@auburn.edu or http://www.auburntigers.com/.
Audience General Audience
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HOMEECUCONTACT
BLL Home Members Research Publications Literature Software Laser Lab Computing Lab
Measurement of Optical Parameters of Turbid Media
Visible light and short-wave infrared (SWIR) light between 400 and 1600nm can penetrate into turbid samples, including most human soft tissues such as skin, with larger depth for longer wavelength and therefore offers potential spectral windows for functional imaging and medical monitoring without ionizing radiation hazards. A fundamental challenge in achieving medical application of the visible and SWIR light is to understand the relation between the optical response of the skin and its characteristic parameters defined with accurate optical models. The light propagation in a strongly turbid sample such as the skin can be accurately analyzed at the macroscopic scales (>~0.1mm) by the radiation transfer model originated from study of light transportation in atmosphere.
Our experimental study of light interaction with turbid media has been focused on the determination of four optical parameters, scattering coefficient ms, absorption coefficient ma, anisotropy factor g (assuming a HG function as the scattering phase function) and refractive index based on the radiative transfer and effective medium theories. To determine these optical parameters, one has to solve an inverse problem which requires accurate measurement of optical signals from a turbid sample and accurate numerical modeling. Our general approach is to use either an integrating sphere based system or a reflectance imaging based system to measure the distribution of scattered light signals from the sample excited with a monochromatic incident light beam followed by a Monte Carlo based modeling method to accurate simulate the light signals. Using the squared difference between the measured and simulated signals as an objective function, an iteration process is pursued by an inverse algorithm to modify the optical parameter values used in the Monte Carlo simulations until the objective function is minimized to satisfactory.
An automated reflectometer has been developed to measure the coherent reflectance Rc as a function of incident angle q. By comparing the measured Rc(q) curve with the calculated one based on the Fresnel equations for s- and p-polarized incident light beam, we can determine the complex refractive index n of a turbid sample.
The integrating sphere based method can be used as an in vitro method to acquire light signals such as diffuse transmittance Td, diffuse reflectance Rd and collimated transmittance Tc. When combined with the Monte Carlo modeling, this method can lead to a quick convergence in the inverse calculation to optimized values of optical parameters. Its disadvantage lies in the need of transmittance signals which often requires the samples be cut off and sliced into thin slabs. We have developed another reflectance imaging based method using one imaging detector such as a CCD camera. Compared to the integrating sphere method, it needs only one image of reflected light signals from the probed site and thus can be performed in a in vivo fashion without no requirement of sample preparation. However, the challenge to find an efficient inverse algorithm to guide the process of determination of optical parameters from one reflectance image data is quite challenging. We have demonstrated recently that the optical parameters can be uniquely determined from one reflectance image and search for more efficient inverse algorithm is underway.
Y. Du, X.H. Hu, M. Cariveau, X.Ma, G.W. Kalmus, J. Q. Lu, "Optical Properties of Porcine Skin Dermis between 900nm and 1500nm", Physics in Medicine and Biology, 46, 167-181 (2001)
X. Ma, J.Q. Lu, R. S. Brock, K.M. Jacobs, P. Yang, X.H. Hu, “Determination of Complex Refractive Index of Polystyrene Microspheres from 370 to 1610nm”, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 48, 4165-4172 (2003)
X. Ma, J.Q. Lu, H. Ding, X.H. Hu, “Bulk Optical Parameters of Porcine Skin Dermis Tissues at 8 Wavelengths from 325 to 1557nm”, Optics Letters, 30, 412-414 (2005)
H. Ding, J.Q. Lu, K.M. Jacobs, X.H. Hu, "Determination of Refractive Indices of Porcine Skin Tissues and Intralipid at 8 Wavelengths between 325 and 1557nm", Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 22, 1151-1157 (2005)
H. Ding, J.Q. Lu, W.A. Wooden, P.J. Kragel, X.H. Hu, “Refractive indices of human skin tissues at eight wavelengths and estimated dispersion relations between 300 and 1600 nm”, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 51, 1479-1489 (2006)
C. Chen, J.Q. Lu, H. Ding, K.M. Jacobs, Y. Du, X.H. Hu, “A primary method for determination of optical parameters of turbid samples and application to intralipid between 550 and 1630 nm”, Optics Express, 14, 7420-7435 (2006)
Laser Lab
Laser Lab Home
Integrating Sphere
Pulsed Laser Systems
Light Scattering Measurements
Computing Lab
Computing Lab Home
What is Parallel Computing?
Copyright © 2012-2015 Biomedical Laser Laboratory Design by:CCICC.Com
Tel:86-022-88888888 Fax:86-022-88888888 http://bmlaser.physics.ecu.edu/
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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform Main Menu Introduction Will Fenton Using Digital Paxton Historical Overview Will Fenton Digital Collection Keywords GHOST RIVER Education Transcriptions Public Outreach Contact Credits The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and The Library Company of Philadelphia
Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklin
1 2016-08-19T13:48:09-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c 7200 2 Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz. gallery 2018-02-12T02:25:01-08:00 [Germantown, Pa. : Gedruckt bey Christoph Saur, 1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: AbG[1764]-17 German Translation of: Protest, presented to the House of Assembly [of Pennsylvania], by the subscribers, at the close of the late debate there, concerning the sending of Mr. Franklin as an assistant to our agent, at the court of Great-Britain (Bristol B2512). Caption title. Signed and dated: Den 20ten October, 1764. John Dickinson [and nine others]. Followed on p. [2-4] by "Anmerkungen uber eine neuliche Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz," a translation of Franklin's "Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin an agent for this province" (Evans 9669). Signed and dated on p. [4]: Philadelphia, am 5 Nov. 1764. B. Franklin. Imprint supplied by Evans. Erroneously filmed by Readex Microprint Corp. for Evans 9803, which records a German language broadside which apparently includes only the protest, and which is ascribed to the press of Henry Miller at Philadelphia. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9668; Evans, C. American bibliography, 9803; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1993; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21040. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
This page has paths:
1 2016-08-19T13:49:14-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Remarks on a Late Protest Against the Appointment of Mr. Franklin Will Fenton 2 (two editions) image_header 2018-02-12T02:26:04-08:00 1764. Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Reference editions. Two editions: manuscript and German broadside. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
Contents of this path:
1 2016-08-19T13:45:37-07:00 Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin 2 Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin an agent for this province. gallery 2018-02-12T02:23:22-08:00 [Philadelphia : Printed by Benjamin Franklin and David Hall, 1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: Am 1764 Fra Ar 64 F84 Caption title. Signed on p. 7: B. Franklin. Philadelphia, Nov, 5, 1764. Ascribed to the press of Franklin by Evans and Miller. For an account of this work see: Ford, P.L. Franklin bibliography, 1889, p. 123, and Ford, P.L., ed. The writings of John Dickinson, 1895, v. 1, p. [147]-157. Signatures: [A]? ([A]4 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9669; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W2487; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1994; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 808. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:48:09-07:00 Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklin 2 Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz. gallery 2018-02-12T02:25:01-08:00 [Germantown, Pa. : Gedruckt bey Christoph Saur, 1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: AbG[1764]-17 German Translation of: Protest, presented to the House of Assembly [of Pennsylvania], by the subscribers, at the close of the late debate there, concerning the sending of Mr. Franklin as an assistant to our agent, at the court of Great-Britain (Bristol B2512). Caption title. Signed and dated: Den 20ten October, 1764. John Dickinson [and nine others]. Followed on p. [2-4] by "Anmerkungen uber eine neuliche Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz," a translation of Franklin's "Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin an agent for this province" (Evans 9669). Signed and dated on p. [4]: Philadelphia, am 5 Nov. 1764. B. Franklin. Imprint supplied by Evans. Erroneously filmed by Readex Microprint Corp. for Evans 9803, which records a German language broadside which apparently includes only the protest, and which is ascribed to the press of Henry Miller at Philadelphia. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9668; Evans, C. American bibliography, 9803; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1993; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21040. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-20T12:24:35-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c German Language Materials Will Fenton 9 image_header 2016-10-31T05:55:40-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
1 2016-09-23T17:52:48-07:00 The Congregational Diary of Lancaster Moravian Church, December 27-28 , 1763 3 Excerpt from the congregational diary of Lancaster Moravian Church, 27-28 December 1763 gallery 2018-02-13T03:26:10-08:00 1763 Anonymous. Call Number: Bethlehem Lancaster Congregational Diary Manuscript, 2 pages. Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T12:59:47-07:00 Ein Schon weltlich Lied 1 Ein Schon weltlich Lied. Melody. Ein Soldat bin ich eben, und steh vor meinem Feind &c. 2016-08-19T12:59:47-07:00 "A burlesque on the peaceful Quakers arming themselves to protect the Indians in Philadelphia" (German) HSP AbG 1764 - 18 [Philadelphia : Gedruckt bey Anton Armbruster, 1764] Song in nine stanzas of four lines. " A burlesque on the peaceful Quakers arming themselves to protect the Indians in Philadelphia."--Evans. First line: Ihr Quacker seyd geladen, frisch auf und komt heran. Imprint supplied by Evans. 1 sheet ; 1/2�. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9830; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W5523 1 1
1 2016-08-19T17:51:55-07:00 Eine dem hochedlen Herrn Guvernor 2 Eine dem hochedlen Herrn Guvernor und der Landesversammlung der Provinz Pennsylvanien ubergebene Erklarung und Vorstellung von den bedrangten und in Todesgefahr stehenden Einwohnern an den Grenzen dieser Provinz: worin die Ursachen ihrer letztherigen Unzufriedenheit und Kummers angezeigt werden; samt den Beschwerungen, die sie ausgestanden haben, und um deren Abschaffung sie unterthanig bitten. Aus dem Englischen ubersetzt. gallery 2018-02-12T01:13:47-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Gedruckt [bey Henrich Miller?], im Jahr 1764. Smith, Matthew. Call Number: Am 1764 Ein German Translation of "Declaration and Remonstrance." On the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by the Paxton Boys and the Indian policy of the Pennsylvania authorities. Translation of: A declaration and remonstrance of the distressed and bleeding frontier inhabitants of the province of Pennsylvania. Signed on p. 16: Matthaus Smith. James Gibson. Den 1sten Febr. 1764. Ascribed to the press of Henrich Miller by Seidensticker. Signatures: A-B?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9631; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W18562; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1971. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:01:44-07:00 Eine Lustige Aria 1 Eine Lustige Aria, uber die letztgeschehene Unruhen in Philadelphia. Mel. Ihre schonen horet an. 2016-08-19T13:01:44-07:00 "An amusing Aria about the unrest in Philadelphia" (rough German Translation) HSP AbG 1764- 20 [Philadelphia : Gedruckt bey Henrich Miller, 1764] Satirizing the activities of the Paxton Boys. First line: Es war vor kurtzer Zeit. Imprint supplied by Seidensticker, Hildeburn, and Evans. Text in two columns. 1 sheet ([1] p.) ; 23 x 21 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 9715; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W5615; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 4653 1 1
1 2016-08-19T13:40:58-07:00 Historische Nachricht von dem neulich in Lancaster Caunty 2 Historische Nachricht von dem neulich in Lancaster Caunty durch unbekante Personen ausgefuhrten Blutbade uber eine Anzahl Indianer, welche Freunde dieser Provinz waren. Mit einigen hinzu gefugten Anmerkungen. Aus dem Englishen ubersetzt. gallery 2018-02-12T01:41:28-08:00 [Ephrata, Pa.? : Druck der Bruderschaft?], Gedruckt im Jahr 1764. Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: Am 1764 Fra Ac.134 German translation of "A Narrative of the Late Massacres." Translation of: Franklin, Benjamin. A narrative of the late massacres, in Lancaster County, of a number of Indians, friends of this province, by persons unknown. Tentatively recorded as an Ephrata imprint by Seidensticker, Hildeburn, and Evans. Signatures: A-D? (D4 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9666; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W16999; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2005 Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-09-23T17:50:20-07:00 Letter from Albrecht Ludolph Russmeyer to Nathanael Seidel, January 2, 1764 2 Letter from Albrecht Ludolph Russmeyer, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Nathanael Seidel, 2 January 1764 gallery 2018-02-13T03:28:53-08:00 1764 Russmeyer, Albrecht Ludolph Call Number: Available in Letters from Lancaster to the Provincial Helpers' Conference (PHC), 1754-1790 Manuscript, 3 pages. Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1 2016-09-23T17:51:37-07:00 Letter from Matthaus Hehl to the Church Leadership, December 29, 1763 2 Letter from Matthaus Hehl, [Lititz, Pennsylvania], to church leadership [in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania], 29 December 1763 gallery 2018-02-13T03:27:18-08:00 1763 Hehl, Matthaus Gottfried, 1704-1787 Call Number: Misslnd 127.5.5 Manuscript, 4 pages. Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-20T06:00:22-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Broadsides Will Fenton 10 image_header 2018-09-13T18:53:58-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
1 2016-08-19T14:51:30-07:00 An Act for Preventing Tumults and Riotous Assemblies 3 An act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the rioters. gallery 2018-02-12T12:38:16-08:00 [Philadelphia : Printed by B. Franklin, 1764] Pennsylvania. Call Number: Tower 722.5 Passed Feb. 3, 1764, in response to the actions of the Paxton Boys. Caption title, preceded by headlines. Ascribed to the press of Benjamin Franklin by Hildeburn. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9782; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W7478; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1949; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 816. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T12:59:53-07:00 The Addition to the Epitaph 1 The addition to the epitaph, without the copper-plate. 2016-08-19T12:59:53-07:00 Dove, David James, 1696?-1769. LCP # Am 1764 Dove 959.F.67 [Philadelphia, Pa. : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, 1764] "A burlesque in the form of a prayer to the Devil."--Hildeburn. Text begins: Thou great Prince of Darkness! Thou author of all rebellions and insurrections, whether Paxtonian or others! Thou Father of my friend the Kirk. Concerns the Paxton Boys' march on Philadelphia. The target of this satirical piece sided with the Paxton Boys, and opposed Benjamin Franklin's negotiations. At head of title, within an ornament (Reilly 120): The authentic one. Attributed by Evans to David James Dove. Imprint supplied by Evans. 1 sheet ([1] p.) ; 31 x 29 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 9645; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21213; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1938 1 1
1 2016-08-19T12:58:20-07:00 An Address of Thanks to the Wardens of Christ Church and St. Peters 1 An address of thanks to the wardens of Christ Church and St. Peters, : and the Reverend W----S----h. D.D. [i.e. William Smith] provost of the college and tool to the p----r, and J---b D---e A.M. and MV.D. [i.e. Jacob Duche] From F---- A.----n D.D. [i.e. Francis Alison] and J---n E----g [i.e. John Ewing] in their own name and in the name of all the Presbyterian ministers in Pennsylvania. ... Reverend and worthy gentlemen; Permit us to return you ... our most sincere thanks for opening your church doors to dissenters in general, and us on particular ... to carry into execution a scheme of the utmost importance for the advantage of our profession; the down-fall of monarchy; and the support of a republican government ... 2016-08-19T12:58:20-07:00 Alison, Francis, 1705-1779. LCP #Am 1764 Alison 959.F.76 [Philadelphia, Pa. : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, 1764] Dated: Philadelphia, October the 26th. 1764. Imprint supplied by Evans. Printed area measures 27.4 x 15.0 cm. 1 sheet ([1] p.) ; 29 x 17 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 9560; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W1211; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1940. 1 1
1 2016-08-19T14:52:52-07:00 By the Honourable John Penn 2 By the Honourable John Penn, Esq; lieutenant-governor and commander in chief of the province of Pennsylvania, and counties of New-Castle, Kent and Sussex, on Delaware, a proclamation. : Whereas on the twenty-second day of December last I issued a proclamation, for the apprehending and bringing to justice a number of persons, who ... had inhumanely killed six of the Indians, who had lived in Conestogoe Manor ... Given under my hand, and the great seal of the said province, at Philadelphia, the second day of January ... one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four. gallery 2018-02-12T12:40:19-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed by B. Franklin, and D. Hall., [1764] Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Governor (1763-1771 : Penn). Call Number: Ab 1764 -1 Signed: John Penn. By His Honour's command, Joseph Shippen, secretary. At head of title: royal arms. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9783; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W7605; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2043; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 825. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:44:05-07:00 Explanatory Remarks on the Assembly's Resolves 2 Explanatory remarks on the Assembly's resolves, published in the Pennsylvania gazette, no. 1840. gallery 2018-02-12T12:41:54-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa. : Printed by B. Franklin and D. Hall, 1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: Am 1764 Franklin 992.F.19 Setting forth the case against proprietary government. Caption title. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin by Miller. Imprint supplied by Miller. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9656; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W17046; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1987; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 806. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T12:59:17-07:00 The Life and Adventures of a Certain Quaker Presbyterian Indian Colonel 1 Now in the press, and will be speedily published, the life and adventures of a certain Quaker Presbyterian Indian colonel. : To which is added, the qualifications necessary to entitle a man to the dignified name of a modern moderate Quaker. / By Tim Trimmer. 2016-08-19T12:59:17-07:00 Trimmer, Tim LCP Am 1766 Tri 992 .F.38a [Philadelphia : s.n, 1766] In opposition to the election of John Dickinson to the Assembly. 1 sheet ; 39 x 25 cm English short title catalogue (ESTC), W35895 1 1
1 2016-08-19T12:59:46-07:00 A New Song in High Vogue in Northampton County 1 A New song, in high vogue in Northampton county, in the province of Pennsylvania. : (To the tune of Bold Sawyer.) 2016-08-19T12:59:46-07:00 LCP #Am 1771 New song 960.F.2 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed for the author, anno Domini 1771. Song in thirteen numbered stanzas; first line: This province has been famous for most excellent laws. Caption title, with parentheses substituted for square brackets in transcription. Text in two columns. 1 sheet ([1] p.) ; 40 x 21 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 12153; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W36699 1 1
1 2018-07-23T01:02:45-07:00 Penn Proclamation, December 22, 1763 1 (path) gallery 2018-07-23T01:02:45-07:00 1763 Penn, John, 1729-1795. The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Enjoining law officials to apprehend the murderers of six Conestoga Indians. Signed: John Penn. By His Honour's command, Joseph Shippen, secretary. Royal arms at head of title. Culture Class Collection copy is gift presented in 1903 by S. Weir Mitchell, and others, to the University of Pennsylvania Library, Papers of Benjamin Franklin. Culture Class Collection copy has ms. inscription on verso which reads "Proclamation for apprehending the murderers of the Conestoga Indians. December 22, 1763." Not in Evans or Hildeburn. Cited in: Bristol, B2431; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 796; Shipton & Mooney, 41405; ESTC, W7604.
1 2018-07-23T01:03:51-07:00 Penn Proclamation, June 4, 1765 2 (path) gallery 2018-07-23T01:04:30-07:00 1765 Penn, John, 1729-1795. The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Mapcase AB7 P3845L2 765b. Opening trade with the Indians. Signed: John Penn. By His Honour's command, Joseph Shippen, Junior, secretary. At head of title: royal arms. Culture Class Collection copy is gift presented in 1903 by S. Weir Mitchell, and others, to the University of Pennsylvania Library, Papers of Benjamin Franklin. Culture Class Collection copy has ms. inscription on verso which reads "Proclamation for opening a trade with the Indians. June 4, 1765." Cited in: Bristol, B2612; Shipton & Mooney, 41582; Miller, C.W.; Franklin, 847; Evans, 41582; ESTC, W7607.
1 2018-07-17T00:35:33-07:00 Proclamation to Delaware and Shawanese [Shawnee] Indians 1 By the Honourable John Penn, Esquire, Lieutenant-Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania and Counties of New-Castle, Kent, and Sussex, upon Delaware, A Proclamation. 2018-07-17T00:35:33-07:00 Penn, John, 1729-1795. Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA. Printed by B. Franklin and D. Hall on July 4, 1764. Print, 1 page. Black-and-white. 16 x 13 inches. 1 1
1 2018-09-13T18:45:30-07:00 A Protest Concerning the Sending of Mr. Franklin, October 26, 1764 2 A Protest presented to the House of Assembly, by the subscribers, at the close of the late debate there, concerning the sending Mr. Franklin as an assistant to our agent, at the Court of Great-Britain. plain 2018-09-14T12:58:54-07:00 Dickinson, John, 1732-1808. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Ab[1764]-7. Signed: October 26, 1764. John Dickinson [and nine others]. Ascribed to the press of William Bradford by Bristol. Text in two columns. Broadside, 1 page. 1 1
1 2016-08-19T13:00:37-07:00 The Quakers Grace, Prayer, and Thanksgiving 2 The Quakers grace, prayer, and thanksgiving, on Sunday sixth, tenth month 1765, for their late victory over the rebels, in their province of Quylsylvania, in electing law-makers for the same. ... plain 2016-08-19T17:49:07-07:00 LCP Am 1765 Qua 959.F.86 [Philadelphia : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, 1765] Imprint supplied by Evans. 1 sheet ; 28 x 20 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 10150; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W2584 1 1
1 2018-07-23T01:01:02-07:00 To the Freeholders and Other Electors for the City 2 (path) gallery 2018-07-23T01:01:34-07:00 1764 A, B, C, D, &c. The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Mapcase AB7 A100 764t. "Printed by B. Franklin, and D. Hall. Philadelphia, 1764. An anti-proprietary election address. Opposing the Proprietary party in the Assembly election of 1764. Caption title. Signed at the end: A, B, C, D, &c. Imprint from Evans, 9854. Cited in: Evans, 9854; Sabin, 62319; Miller, C.W.; Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia printing, 834; Hildeburn, C.R.; Pennsylvania, 2074; ESTC W6789."
1 2016-08-19T17:41:12-07:00 To William Denny - 14 July 1758 2 To William Denny, Esquire lieutenant governor and commander in cheif [sic] of the province of Pennsylvania, &c. : The address of the trustees and treasurer of the Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures. gallery 2018-02-12T12:43:59-08:00 [Philadelphia : s.n, 1757] Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures. Call Number: Ab [1757]-3 Caption title. "Signed on behalf and by appointment of the said trustees and treasurer, by Abel James, clerk. Philadelphia, the 14th of the seventh month, 1757." Ascribed to the press of Benjamin Franklin and David Hall by Evans. The ascription is disputed by Miller, who states that "it appears to be the work of either Anthony Armbruster or Christopher Saur." Evans, C. American bibliography, 8005; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W17836; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1565; Smith, J. Descriptive catalogue of Friends' books, 2.462; Miller, C.W. Franklin, B75. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-20T13:14:50-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Pamphlets Will Fenton 24 image_header 2018-07-27T15:21:49-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
1 2016-08-19T14:54:02-07:00 The Address of the People Called Quakers 2 The address of the people call'd Quakers, in the province of Pennsylvania, to John Penn, Esquire, lieutenant-governor of the said province, &c. gallery 2018-02-12T02:48:06-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Andrew Steuart, at the Bible-in-Heart in Second-Street, a little below the Friend's Meeting-House, 1764. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Call Number: Am.1764.Fri.795.D.17 In defense of their conduct towards the Indians and settlers. "Signed on behalf and by order of a committee, appointed to represent our religious society in Pennsylvania and New-Jersey, at a meeting held in Philadelphia, the 25th of the second month, 1764. Samuel Emlen, Jun. clerk."--p. 11. Evans, C American bibliography, 9670; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W5867; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1941. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:19:20-07:00 An Address to the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of Pennsylvania 2 An Address to the freeholders and inhabitants of the province of Pennsylvania. : In answer to a paper called the Plain dealer. gallery 2018-02-12T02:50:13-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed and sold by Anthony Armbruster, at the German and English printing-office; in Moravian-Alley., 1764. Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Add 1983.O.2 Signatures: [A]? B. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9561; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W973; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1942 Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:47:05-07:00 An Address to the Rev. Dr. Alison 2 An address to the Rev. Dr. Alison, the Rev. Mr. Ewing, and others, trustees of the Corporation for the Relief of Presbyterian Ministers, their Widows and Children : being a vindication of the Quakers from the aspersions of the said trustees in their letter published in th London chronicle, no. 1223. To which is prefixed, the said letter. By a lover of truth. [One line in Latin]. gallery 2018-02-12T02:51:44-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed [by William Dunlap], in the year 1765. Lover of truth. Call Number: Am 1765 Add 5742.O.4 Relates to the dissensions caused by the Indians. Possibly written by Joseph Galloway. Half-title: An address to the Rev. Dr. Alison, the Rev. Mr. Ewing, &c. being a vindication of the Quakers. Place of publication and printer's name supplied by Evans. Signatures: pi_ A-C? D_ (D2 verso blank). Errata note, p. 47. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9892; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W6245; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2098; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 66908. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T16:56:31-07:00 An Answer to Mr. Franklin's Remarks on a Late Protest 2 An answer to Mr. Franklin's Remarks, on a late protest. gallery 2018-02-12T02:53:46-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed and sold by William Bradford, at his bookstore, in Market-Street, adjoining the London Coffee-House, M.DCC.LXIV. [1764] Smith, William, 1727-1803. Call Number: Am 1764 Fra(bw) Ar64 F84.2 Attributed to Smith by Evans. Two states of gathering A noted. In the first, p. 3 ends with the word "Protesters", and the last word of text on p. 5 is "charter"; in the second, p. 3 ends with "assembly", and p. 5 ends with the added phrase "which has put that matter wholly out of their power." Two states of gathering C noted. The second contains a note on p. 22 not present in the first. Also, two lines of verse have been shifted from p. 22 to p. 21. Evans (entry 9842) describes this variant as a second impression. Signatures: A-C? (C4 blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9841; Evans, American bibliography, 9842; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W11639; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1952; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 84586. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T15:00:37-07:00 An Answer to the Pamphlet Entitled "The Conduct of the Paxton Men" 4 An answer to the pamphlet entituled The conduct of the Paxton men, impartially represented: : wherein the ungenerous spirit of the author is manifested, &c. And the spotted garment pluckt off. gallery 2018-02-12T02:55:53-08:00 Philadelphia: Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian Alley, 1764 Philanthropy. Call Number: Am 1764 795.D.3 Denouncing the Paxton men as murderers. Signed: Philanthropy. "The conduct of the Paxton-men .." is attributed to Thomas Barton. Signatures: [A]? B-C? D. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9580; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W3749; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1953. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:13:10-07:00 A Battle! A Battle! 5 A battle! A battle! A battle a squirt; where no man is kill'd, and no man is hurt! : To the tune of Three new blue beans, in a new blue blown bladder; rattle bladder rattle bladder! To which is added, The Quaker's address, versify'd; and King Wampum, or Harm watch harm catch. [Four lines of verse] gallery 2018-02-12T00:59:30-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed [by Andrew Steuart] and sold at the Blue-Nose, near Brazen-Nose-College, Germantown., [1764] Call number: Am 1764 Bat 795.D.23 Ascribed to the press of Andrew Steuart and dated 1764 by Evans. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-12-07T14:52:20-08:00 A Battle! A Battle! (Extended) 2 A Battle! A battle! A battle of squirt, where no man is kill'd and no man is hurt!: To the tune of three blue beans in a blue bladder; rattle bladder rattle gallery 2018-02-12T01:04:34-08:00 1764 Pemberton, Israel, 1715-1779 Call Number: 974.8 B32 20 p. ; 19 cm. No title page. Ascribed to the press. American Philosophical Society.
1 2016-08-19T17:46:32-07:00 A Brief State of the Province of Pennsylvania 2 A brief state of the province of Pennsylvania, : in which the conduct of their assemblies for several years past is impartially examined, and the true cause of the continual encroachments of the French displayed, more especially the secret design of their late unwarrantable invasion and settlement upon the river Ohio. To which is annexed, an easy plan for restoring quiet in the public measures of that province, and defeating the ambitious views of the French in time to come. In a letter from a gentleman who has resided many years in Pennsylvania to his friends in London. gallery 2018-02-12T02:57:52-08:00 London [England]: : Printed for R. Griffiths at the Dunciad, in Paternoster-Row., 1755. Smith, William, 1727-1803. Call Number: Am 1755 Smi 112519.O With a half-title. By William Smith. "Price one shilling."--half-title. Signatures: [A]-B-F? G (G2 verso blank). English short title catalogue (ESTC), T68506; Sabin 84589; Howes, W. U.S.iana (2nd ed.), S686; Smith, J. Anti-Quakeriana, p. 405. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:25:57-07:00 The Cheat Unmasked 2 The Cheat unmask'd: being a refutation of that illegitimate letter, said to be wrote by a clergyman in town: in a true copy of a letter from that clergyman to his friend. gallery 2018-02-12T11:48:33-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Henry Miller], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Che Ar.64 C 51 Signed on p. 8: The Rector of you know where. Ascribed to the press of Henry Miller by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9614; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W33689; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1965. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2017-06-20T10:26:04-07:00 The Cloven-Foot Discovered (contained in "A Letter from Batista Angeloni") 2 A letter, from Batista Angeloni, who resided many years in London, to his friend Manzoni. Wherein the Quakers are politically and religiously considered. To which is added, The Cloven-Foot discovered. [One line of Latin text] gallery 2018-02-12T11:51:57-08:00 Printed at Carolina [i.e., Philadelphia?] : and sold by Edward Merefield, at the corner of Arch-Street, and opposite the Church Burying-Ground, in Philadelphia, [1764?] Shebbeare, John, 1709-1788. Call Number: Am 1764 She 13293.O.11 Extracted from Shebbeare's Letters on the English nation, also published pseudonymously. Cf. the Dictionary of national biography. Probable place and date of publication suggested by Hildeburn. "The Cloven-Foot discovered."--p. 7-8, in verse. An attack on the Quakers for their dealings with and support of the Indians. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9838; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13438; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2013. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:20:35-07:00 The Conduct of the Paxton Men Impartially Represented 4 The conduct of the Paxton-men, impartially represented: with some remarks on the Narrative. gallery 2018-02-12T11:53:24-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Andrew Steuart, MDCCLXIV. [1764] Barton, Thomas, 1730-1780. Call Number: Am 1764 Bar 795.D.2 A defense of the Paxton boys, in reply to Benjamin Franklin's "A narrative of the late massacres, in Lancaster County, of a number of Indians." Attributed to Thomas Barton by Hildeburn and Evans. Also attributed to the Rev. John Ewing. Cf. Egle, W.H. History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon, 1883, p. 68. An added title page identifies John Creaig of Lancaster as bookseller. Signatures: pi [A]? B-D? E1. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9594; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37505; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1957 Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:52:49-07:00 Cool Thoughts on the Present Situation of Our Public Affairs 2 Cool thoughts on the present situation of our public affairs: In a letter to a friend in the country. gallery 2018-02-12T11:55:10-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed by W. Dunlap., M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call Number: m 1764 Frank Log.1827.O.2 Caption title: A letter to a friend in the country. With a half-title. Signed on p. 22: A.B. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin by Evans. First published as a supplement to the Pennsylvania journal, Apr. 26, 1764. Dated on p. 5: Philadelphia, April 12, 1764. Signatures: [A]? B? (B4 blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9663; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W16998; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1990; Howes, W. U.S.iana (2nd ed.), F319 Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:32:19-07:00 The Curse of Meroz 2 The curse of Meroz; or, The danger of neutrality, in the cause of God, and our country. : A sermon, preached the 2d of October, 1757. By Samuel Finley, A.M. Minister of the Gospel, in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. Published at the desire of many. gallery 2018-02-12T11:57:06-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed and sold by James Chattin, at the newest-printing-office, on the south side of the Jersey-Market., 1757. (Price, one shilling) Finley, Samuel, 1715-1766. Call Number: Am 1757 Fin Ar.57 F 51 Parentheses substituted for square brackets in imprint transcription. English short title catalogue (ESTC), W30570; Evans 7893; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1526 Historical Society of Pennsylvania (housed at Library Company of Philadelphia).
1 2016-08-19T16:54:45-07:00 A Declaration and Remonstrance 2 A declaration and remonstrance of the distressed and bleeding frontier inhabitants of the province of Pennsylvania, presented by them to the Honourable the governor and Assembly of the province, shewing the causes of their late discontent and uneasiness and the grievances under which they have laboured, and which they humbly pray to have redress'd. gallery 2018-02-12T01:11:29-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by William Bradford], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Smith, Matthew. Call Number: Am 1764 Smi Ar.64 D 29 On the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by the "Paxton Boys" and the Indian policy of the Pennsylvania authorities. "Signed on behalf of ourselves, and by appointment of a great number of the frontier inhabitants. Matthew Smith. James Gibson. February 13th, 1764."--p. 18. Printer's name and place of publication supplied by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9630; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37880; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1969 Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:01:56-07:00 The Delineated Presbyterian Played Hob With 2 The author of Quaker unmask'd strip'd start [sic] naked, or The delineated Presbyterian play'd hob with. gallery 2018-02-12T11:59:01-08:00 Philadelphia. : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Wigwagg, Timothy. Call Number: Am 1764 Aut Ar.64 A 94 "Charges Franklin with the authorship of the 'Quaker unmask'd'--Evans. Signed on p. 11: Timothy Wigwagg. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. Signatures: A? B. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9586; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W15378; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1956. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:20:32-07:00 A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot 2 A Dialogue, between Andrew Trueman, and Thomas Zealot; : about the killing the Indians at Cannestogoe and Lancaster. gallery 2018-02-12T12:00:26-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster] at Ephesus, [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Dia AR64 D54 Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9634; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W20811; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1972 1972. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:29:31-07:00 A Dialogue, Containing Some Reflections on the Late "Declaration and Remonstrance" 2 A Dialogue, containing some reflections on the late declaration and remonstrance, of the back-inhabitants of the province of Pennsylvania. With a serious and short address, to those Presbyterians, who (to their dishonor) have too much abetted, and conniv'd at the late insurrection. By a member of that community. [Four lines from Thomson] gallery 2018-02-12T12:02:17-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed: [by Andrew Steuart] and sold by all the pamphlet-sellers, M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Dia Ar.64 D 53 Ascribed to the press of Andrew Steuart by Hildeburn. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9638; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W31261; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1974 1974 Historical Society of Pennsylvania (housed at Library Company of Philadelphia).
1 2016-08-19T16:58:51-07:00 An Historical Account of the Late Disturbance 3 An historical account, of the late disturbance, between the inhabitants of the back settlements; of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphians, &c. Impartially related by a well wisher. gallery 2018-02-12T01:21:24-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster] at Rome, by A.S, [1764] Well wisher. Call Number: Am 1764 His 795.D.1 Signed on p. 8: From a true countryman. A subsequent impression (Evans 9697, Hildeburn 2003) has imprint: "Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian-Alley." That impression notes on the title page: "[Fist] The second edition, may be called a piracy. I said printed at Rome: I meant nothing but [cross] Printed in Second-Street, by Andrew Steuars-Stockfish." A.S. and Andrew Steuars-Stockfish evidently refer to Andrew Steuart, who also printed an edition of the work (not in Evans or Bristol). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9696; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W39302; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2002. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T16:59:55-07:00 An Historical Account of the Late Disturbance (Reprinted) 2 An historical account, of the late disturbance, between the inhabitants of the back settlements; of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphians, &c. : Impartially related by a well wisher. The second edition, may be called a piracy. I said printed at Rome: I meant nothing but printed in Second-Street, by Andrew Steuars-Stockfish. gallery 2018-02-12T01:20:28-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian-Alley., [1764] Well wisher. Am 1764 His Ar 64 H 67a Reprinted (References Second Edition). Signed: From a true countryman. Date of publication supplied by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9697; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W8663; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2003. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T14:35:17-07:00 A Humble Attempt at Scurrility 2 A humble attempt at scurrility: : in imitation of those great masters of the art, the Rev. Dr. S--th; the Rev. Dr. Al----n; the Rev. Mr. Ew-n; the irreverend D.J. D-ve, and the heroic J--n D-------n, Esq; being a full answer to the observations on Mr. H----s's advertisement. / By Jack Retort, student in scurrility. gallery 2018-02-12T12:04:21-08:00 Quilsylvania [i.e., Philadelphia, Pa.]: : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], 1765. Hunt, Isaac, approximately 1742-1809. Call Number: Am 1765 Hun AR65 H49 In reply to an attack on Benjamin Franklin by John Hughes. Attributed to Isaac Hunt in the Dictionary of American biography. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. "Prologue to the coffee-house politician, or The justice caught in his own trap."--p. vii-viii. "Thirteen descriptions of the great A. drawn from the life by that celebrated master D---d J--s D-ve, poet laureat to the Pr---ry Party."--p. 38-42. Signatures: [A]? B-E? F_ (F2 verso blank). "Errata."--p. [43]. Evans, C. American bibliography, 10014; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W12797; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2134; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 25637. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T15:04:16-07:00 A Letter from Batista Angeloni 2 A letter, from Batista Angeloni, who resided many years in London, to his friend Manzoni. Wherein the Quakers are politically and religiously considered. To which is added, The Cloven-Foot discovered. [One line of Latin text] gallery 2018-02-12T01:25:03-08:00 Printed at Carolina [i.e., Philadelphia?] : and sold by Edward Merefield, at the corner of Arch-Street, and opposite the Church Burying-Ground, in Philadelphia, [1764?] Shebbeare, John, 1709-1788. Call Number: Am 1764 She 13293.O.11 Extracted from Shebbeare's Letters on the English nation, also published pseudonymously. Cf. the Dictionary of national biography. Probable place and date of publication suggested by Hildeburn. "The Cloven-Foot discovered."--p. 7-8, in verse. An attack on the Quakers for their dealings with and support of the Indians. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9838; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13438; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2013. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T15:05:37-07:00 A Letter From Batista Angeloni (Reprinted) 2 A letter, from Batista Angeloni, who resided many years in London, to his friend Manzoni. : Wherein the Quakers are politically and religiously considered. To which is added, The Cloven-Foot discovered. gallery 2018-02-12T01:27:28-08:00 Printed at Carolina [i.e., Philadelphia?] : and sold by Edward Merefield, at the corner of Arch-Street, and opposite the Church Burying-Ground, in Philadelphia, [1764?] Shebbeare, John, 1709-1788. Call Number: Am 1764 She 13293.O.11 Extracted from Shebbeare's Letters on the English nation, also published pseudonymously. Cf. the Dictionary of national biography. Probable place and date of publication suggested by Hildeburn. "The Cloven-Foot discovered."--p. 7-8, in verse. An attack on the Quakers for their dealings with and support of the Indians. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9838; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13438; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2013. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:49:03-07:00 A Letter From a Clergyman in Town 2 A Letter, from a clergyman in town; vindicating himself against the malevolent aspersions of a late pamphelteer [sic] letter-writer. gallery 2018-02-12T12:06:12-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Andrew Steuart], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Mcc 795.D.13 Relating to the Rev. William McClenachan, and attacking the Catholics. Tentatively attributed to William McClenachan by Evans. Ascribed to the press of Andrew Steuart of Philadelphia by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9716; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13694; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2011. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T16:57:48-07:00 A Letter From a Gentleman at Elizabeth Town to his Friend in New York 2 A letter from a gentleman at Elizabeth-Town; to his friend in New-York. gallery 2018-02-12T12:07:55-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed by Andrew Steuart,, MDCCLXIV. [1764] W.P. Call Number: Am 1764 PW Ar.64 L 66 Condemning Read, Charles. Copy of a letter from Charles Read, Esq; .. (Evans 9809) concerning the massacre of the Conestoga Indians by the Paxton Boys. Signed: W.P. Elizabeth-Town. February. 1764. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9774; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W17034. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T14:44:05-07:00 A Letter From a Gentleman in Transilvania to his Friend in America 2 A letter from a gentleman in Transilvania to his friend in America : giving some account of the late disturbances that have happen'd in that government, with some remarks upon the political revolutions in the magistracy, and the debates that happened about the change. Humbly inscribed to Counsellor Quondam by his friend Isaac Bickerstaff, of the Middle Temple. gallery 2018-02-12T12:09:27-08:00 New-York [i.e., Philadelphia], : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year 1764. Hunt, Isaac, approximately 1742-1809. Call Number: Am 1764 Hun 1082.D.5 Signed on p. 12: Jack Traveller. Weissenburgh in Transilvania, August 1st, 1764. Attributed to Isaac Hunt in the Dictionary of American biography. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster of Philadelphia by Evans. Signatures: [A]? B. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9701; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13301; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2007. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:24:34-07:00 A Little Looking-Glass for the Times 2 A little looking-glass for the times; or, A brief remembrancer for Pennsylvania. : Containing some serious hints, affectionately addressed to people of every rank and station in the province: with an appendix, by way of supplication to Almighty God./ By G.C. gallery 2018-02-12T12:10:45-08:00 Wilmington [Del.], : Printed and sold by James Adams,, 1764. Churchman, George Call Number: Am 1764 Chu Ar.64 L 86 Attributed to George Churchman by Shipton & Mooney. Signatures: [A]? B-C?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9611; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W19710; Rink, E. Delaware, 21; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time 9743. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T14:39:59-07:00 A Looking-Glass for Presbyterians (Inscribed: J. Arbo) 2 A looking-glass for Presbyterians. Or A brief examination of their loyalty, merit, and other qualifications for government. : With some animadversions on the Quaker unmask'd. Humbly address'd to the consideration of the loyal freemen of Pennsylvania. gallery 2018-02-12T01:33:35-08:00 Philadelphia. : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Hunt, Isaac, approximately 1742-1809. Call Number: Am 1764 Hun Ar64 L87a Inscribed: J. Arbo (Expanded). "To the friends of Pennsylvania and lovers of liberty. This Looking-glass is with much affection and great respect inscribed by a Pennsylvanian."--p. 3. Attributed to Isaac Hunt by Evans. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. "Appendix. The substance, of a council held at Lancaster August the 28th 1764, by a committee of Presbyterian ministers .."--p. [25]-34. "A dialogue between a churchman in the country, and a Presbyterian in the city of Philadelphia."--p. 35-38. "A letter from a gentleman in Transilvania"--p. 38-43, signed: Jack Traveller, Weissenburgh in Transilvania, August 1st, 1764. Attributed to Isaac Hunt in the Dictionary of American biography. Signatures [A]? B-E? [F]1 ([F]1 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9703; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W1775. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T14:37:50-07:00 A Looking-Glass for Presbyterians (Numb. I) 2 A looking-glass for Presbyterians. Or A brief examination of their loyalty, merit, and other qualifications for government. : With some animadversions on the Quaker unmask'd. Humbly address'd to the consideration of the loyal freemen of Pennsylvania. gallery 2018-02-12T01:31:23-08:00 Philadelphia. : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Hunt, Isaac, approximately 1742-1809. Call Number: Am 1764 Hun Ar64.L 87 Numb. I. Concerning the savagery of the Paxton boys and the Presbyterians during the massacre of the Conestoga Indians. At head of title: Numb. I. Signed on p. 18: Philo-Libertatis. Attributed to Isaac Hunt by Evans. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9702; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W6554; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2017. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:40:16-07:00 The Lottery: A Dialogue Between Mr. Thomas Trueman and Mr. Humphrey Dupe 2 The lottery. : A dialogue between Mr. Thomas Trueman and Mr. Humphrey Dupe. gallery 2018-02-12T12:12:27-08:00 [Germantown, Pa. : Printed by Christopher Sower, 1758] Dove, David James, 1696?-1769. Call Number: Am 1758 Dov Ap758 D743 Attributed to David James Dove in the Dictionary of American biography. Includes also two mock ballads: "The academy garland" and "The lottery. An excellent old ballad." Imprint supplied from Hildeburn. Evans, C. American bibliography, 8114; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21214; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1579; Wegelin, O. Early American poetry, 123. Historical Society of Pennsylvania (housed at Library Company of Philadelphia).
1 2016-08-19T13:35:52-07:00 A Narrative of the Late Massacres 2 A narrative of the late massacres, in Lancaster County, of a number of Indians, friends of this province, by persons unknown. With some observations on the same. gallery 2018-02-12T01:37:11-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Franklin and Hall?], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call number: Am 1764 Fra Ar 64 f.83 Generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Ascribed to the press of Franklin and Hall by Miller on the basis of the typeface used. Evans, Hildeburn, and P.L. Ford suggest Anthony Armbruster as printer. Sabin says "Written and printed by Franklin." Signatures: A-B? (B8 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9667; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W17009; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1992; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 807; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 25557. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:38:02-07:00 A Narrative of the Late Massacres (Inscribed: From James Pemberton to William Cobbett) 3 A narrative of the late massacres, in Lancaster County, of a number of Indians, friends of this province, by persons unknown. : With some observations on the same. gallery 2019-06-03T18:55:12-07:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed [by Franklin and Hall?], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790. Call number: Am 1764 Frank 112611.O Inscribed: From James Pemberton to William Cobbett. Generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Ascribed to the press of Franklin and Hall by Miller on the basis of the typeface used. Evans, Hildeburn, and P.L. Ford suggest Anthony Armbruster as printer. Sabin says "Written and printed by Franklin." Signatures: A-B? (B8 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9667; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W17009; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1992; Ford, P.L. Franklin bibliography, 272; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 807; Howes, W. U.S.iana (2nd ed.), F327; Sabin 25557. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:30:48-07:00 Observations on a Late "Epitaph" 2 Observations on a late epitaph, : in a letter from a gentleman in the country, to his friend in Philadelphia: Totus in se teres atque rotundus. gallery 2018-02-12T12:14:10-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Arch-Street, by whom all manner of printing-work is done, both in English and German, with the greatest accuracy and expedition, [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am.1764.Obs.795.D.26 Preface dated: Chester County, 3 Sept. 1764. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9772; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W35770; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2027. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:16:00-07:00 The Paxton Boys: a Farce 2 The Paxton boys, : a farce. / Translated from the original French, by a native of Donegall. gallery 2018-02-12T01:47:40-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year, MDCCLXIV. [1764] A native of Donegall. Call Number: Am 1764 Pax AR64 P33a Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9776; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37239 Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:14:24-07:00 The Paxton Boys: a Farce (Second Edition) 2 The Paxton boys, : a farce. / Translated from the original French, by a native of Donegal. By a native of Donegall. The second edition. gallery 2018-02-12T01:49:15-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed and sold by Anthony Armbruster, at the German and English printing office; in Moravian-Alley., 1764. A native of Donegall. Call Number: Am 1764 Pax 795.D.21 Second Edition. Library Company copy inscribed: Du Simitiere; wanting the two plates. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9777; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37240. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:54:49-07:00 The Paxtoniade 3 The Paxtoniade. : A poem. / By Christopher Gymnast, Esqr; With the prolegomena and exercitations of Scriblerus. gallery 2018-02-12T01:54:15-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year, 1764. Gymnast, Christopher. Call Number: Am 1764 Gym Ar64 G99a Place of publication and printer's name supplied by Evans and Hildeburn. Signatures: [A]?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9685; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37202; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2033 2033; Wegelin, O. Early American poetry, 708. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:56:29-07:00 The Paxtoniade (Second Edition) 2 gallery 2018-02-12T01:56:03-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed and sold by John Morris, opposite the Three Reapers in Third-Street., [1764] Gymnast, Christopher. Call Number: Am 1764 Gym 795.D.24 Second Edition. Date of publication supplied by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9686; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W37201; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2034; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 59272; Wegelin, O. Early American poetry, 709. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:07:47-07:00 The Plain Dealer, Numb. I 2 The plain dealer: or, A few remarks upon Quaker-politicks, and their attempts to change the government of Pennsylvania. : With some observations on the false and abusive papers which they have lately publish'd. Numb. I. To be continued. gallery 2018-02-12T02:03:14-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed [by Andrew Steuart], anno MDCCLXIV. [1764] Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819. Call Number: Am 1764 Will 1571.O.2 Numb. I. Signed on p. 19: W.D. Attributed to Hugh Williamson by Evans. Ascribed to the press of Andrew Steuart by Evans. Signatures: A8 B2 (B2 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9875; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W15464; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2086. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:08:59-07:00 The Plain Dealer, Numb. II 4 The plain dealer: numb. II. : Being a tickler, for the leisure hour's amusement of the author of Cool thoughts. Wherein the force of his several arguments in favour of a change of government is stated in a clear light and accommodated to the comprehension of readers of every capacity. / By X.Y.Z. gentleman. To be continued. gallery 2018-02-12T02:10:55-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed [by Andrew Steuart] in Second-Street, where Numb. I may be had, 1764. Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819. Call Number: Am 1764 Will 1571.O.3 Numb. II. Mistakenly attributed by Evans to Hugh Williamson, author of numbers 1 and 3. Cf. the Advertisement in number 3, where it is stated: The author of this is obliged to the gentleman, who wrote the piece which was published on Teusday [sic], by the title of Plain dealer, no. 2. As his endeavours to prevent the people from being deceived by the chicane of a faction, prove him to be a friend to the oppress'd inhabitants of this province. Dated May 7, 1764. Imprint supplied by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9877; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W15609; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2086. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:10:26-07:00 The Plain Dealer, Numb. III 2 gallery 2018-02-12T02:07:50-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed [by William Dunlap],, anno MDCCLXIV. [1764] Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819. Call Number: Am 1764 Will 1571.O.4 Numb. III. Attributed to Hugh Williamson by Evans. Ascribed to the press of William Dunlap by Evans. Signatures: A? B?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9878; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W15465; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2086. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:58:45-07:00 The Quakers Assisting to Preserve the Lives of the Indians 3 The Quakers assisting to preserve the lives of the Indians in the barracks, vindicated and proved to be consistent with reason, agreeable to our law, hath an inseperable connection with the law of God, and exactly agreeable with the principles of the people call'd Quakers. [Fourteen lines of quotations] gallery 2018-02-12T02:14:41-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian Alley, 1764. Philanthropos. Call Number: Am 1764 Qua 795.D.5 Signed on p. 13: Philanthropos. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9806. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2017-06-28T09:24:24-07:00 The Quakers Assisting to Preserve the Lives of the Indians (No. II) 2 The Quakers assisting to preserve the lives of the Indians in the barracks, vindicated and proved to be consistent with reason, agreeable to our law, hath an inseperable connection with the law of God, and exactly agreeable with the principles of the people call'd Quakers. [Fourteen lines of quotations] gallery 2018-02-12T02:16:06-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian Alley, 1764. Philanthropos. Call Number: Am 1764 Qua 795.D.5 Signed on p. 13: Philanthropos. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9806. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:27:59-07:00 The Quaker Unmasked 3 The Quaker unmask'd; or, Plain truth: humbly address'd to the consideration of all the freemen of Pennsylvania. [Four lines of quotations] The second edition. gallery 2018-02-12T02:19:24-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed by Andrew Steuart, in Second-Street., 1764. Dove, David James, 1696?-1769. Call Number: Am 1764 Dov 795.D.7 Defending the Paxton Boys; also suggesting that the Quakers were enamored of both Indian squaws and Indian trade. Cf. Dictionary of American biography. Signed on p. 13: Philopatrius. Second-Street, Philadelphia, February 18, 1764. Attributed to David James Dove in the Dictionary of American biography. "Postscript."--p. 14-15. Bookseller's advertisement, p. 16. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9647; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W32375; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1982 1982. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:30:04-07:00 The Quaker Unmasked (Second Edition) 2 The Quaker unmask'd; or, Plain truth: : humbly address'd to the consideration of all the freemen of Pennsylvania. gallery 2018-02-12T02:21:02-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed [by Andrew Steuart], in the year of our Lord, M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Dove, David James, 1696?-1769. Call Number: Am 1764 Dove 1007.D.6 Defending the Paxton Boys; also suggesting that the Quakers were enamored of both Indian squaws and Indian trade. Cf. Dictionary of American biography. Signed on p. 13: Philopatrius. Second-Street, Philadelphia, February 18, 1764. Attributed to David James Dove in the Dictionary of American biography. "Postscript."--p. 14-15. Bookseller's advertisement, p. 16. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9647; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W32375; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1982 1982. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9646; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21215; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1981. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:56:19-07:00 The Quaker Vindicated 2 The Quaker vindicated; or, Observations on a late pamphlet, entituled, The Quaker unmask'd, or, Plain truth. gallery 2018-02-12T12:17:02-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Andrew Steuart], in the year MDCCLXIV. [1764] Philalethes. Call Number: Am 1764 Qua Ar.64 Q 3 Signed on p. 15: Philalethes. Imprint supplied by Evans. Signatures: A-B?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9805; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W38559; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2046; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 66933; Smith, J. Descriptive catalogue of Friends' books, 1.66. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T14:55:03-07:00 Remarks on the Quaker Unmasked 2 Remarks on The Quaker unmask'd; or Plain truth found to be plain falshood [sic]: humbly address'd to the candid. gallery 2018-02-12T12:18:23-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed and sold by John Morris, opposite the Three Reapers, in Third-Street., [1764] Philadelphiensis. Call Number: Am 1764 Rem Ar.64 R 37 Signed on p. 8: Philadelphiensis. Market-Street, March 16, 1764. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9813; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W2712; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2053. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:17:57-07:00 Remarks upon "The Delineated Presbyterian Played Hob With" 2 Remarks upon the Delineated Presbyterian play'd hob with; or Clothes for a stark naked author. gallery 2018-02-12T12:19:47-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.]: : Printed and sold by Anthony Armbruster, at the German and English printing office; in Moravian-Alley., 1764. Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Rem795.D.10 Defending Benjamin Franklin against the charge levelled in "The Author of the Quaker unmask'd" (Evans 9586) that Franklin wrote "The Quaker unmask'd" (Evans 9646). Signed on p. 8: Philo-Veritatis. Fourth-Street. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9814; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W2713; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2054. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:27:11-07:00 A Scene in the First Act of the New Farce 2 A Scene in the first act of the new farce. : Published as a specimen. gallery 2018-02-12T12:21:12-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the first year of the new hegira secundus, the Paxtonian expedition. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am.1764.Sce.795.D.22 Imprint supplied by Evans. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9829; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W5341. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:28:16-07:00 The Scribbler 2 The Scribler, : being a letter from a gentleman in town to his friend in the country, concerning the present state of public affairs; with a lapidary character. gallery 2018-02-12T12:22:49-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year MDCC,LXIV. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Scr Ar.64 S 43 In reply to Hugh Williamson's What is sauce for a goose is also sauce for a gander. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. "Hints for another inscription in the lapidary style, or a sketch of a character."--p. 19-24, concerning William Smith. Signatures: [A]? B-C?. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9831; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W4821; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2060. Historical Society of Pennsylvania (housed at Library Company of Philadelphia).
1 2016-08-19T17:21:47-07:00 A Serious Address (First Edition) 2 A Serious address, to such of the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, as have cannived [sic] at, or do approve of, the late massacre of the Indians at Lancaster; or the design of killing those who are now in the barracks at Philadelphia. gallery 2018-02-12T02:28:00-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster] for the author, 1764. A Pennsylvanian. Call Number: Am 1764 Ar.64 S 48 Signed on p. 12: A Pensylvanian. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. Cf. the edition printed by Andrew Steuart (Evans 9836), which names "Mr. Armbluster" as printer of the first edition. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9834; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W4839. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:22:45-07:00 A Serious Address (Second Edition) 2 A Serious address, to such of the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, as have connived at, or do approve of, the late massacre of the Indians at Lancaster, or the design of killing those who are now in the barracks at Philadelphia. : Re-printed from the first edition (printed by Mr. Armbluster [sic]) and diligently compared and revised with the same. gallery 2018-02-12T02:29:46-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed by Andrew Steuart, at the Bible-in-Heart, in Second-Street, 1764. (Price, two old pennies) A Pennsylvanian. Call Number: Am 1764 Ser 1007.D.2 Second Edition (Inferred). Half-title: A serious address. Signed on p. 8: A Pennsylvanian. Parentheses substituted for square brackets in imprint transcription. Evans, C. American bibliography, 9836; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W4840. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T17:23:44-07:00 A Serious Address (Fourth Edition) 3 A Serious address, to such of the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, as have connived at, or do approve of, the late massacre of the Indians at Lancaster; or the design of killing those who are now in the barracks at Philadelphia. : The demand for this piece has been so great, that this fourth edition is call'd for in a few days! To which is now added, a dialogue between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot, about the killing the Indians at Connestogoe and Lancaster. (An excellent piece!) gallery 2018-02-12T02:31:49-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed by Andrew Steuart, in Second-Street, M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] A Pennsylvanian. Call Number: Am 1764 Ser 795.D.6 Fourth Edition (Inferred). Signed on p. 6: A Pennsylvanian. Parentheses substituted for square brackets enclosing "An excellent piece!" in title transcription. English short title catalogue (ESTC), W4841. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-11-13T15:18:34-08:00 Sermon Preached in the Church of St. Peters 2 Sermon preached in the Church of St. Peters in Lewis, in Sussex County on Delaware, on July 8, 1757. Being the day appointed ... to be observed as a day of fasting and humiliation, to implore the blessing of God on His Majesty's arms, especially on the expedition now carrying on under His Excellency John Earl of Loudoun. / By Matthias Harris, officiating minister to the several congregations of the Church of England, in Sussex County on Delaware. gallery 2018-02-12T12:25:01-08:00 Philadelphia : Printed and sold by James Chattin, 1757. Harris, Matthias, 1718-1773. Call Number: AMPHIL 200 Pam. v.36, no.2. Available in "Pamphlets on Religion, v.36, no.2" at the American Philosophical Society. American Philosophical Society.
1 2016-08-19T17:43:30-07:00 Several Conferences Between Some of the Principal People Amongst the Quakers in Pennsylvania 2 Several conferences between some of the principal people amongst the Quakers in Pennsylvania, and the deputies from the Six Indian Nations, in alliance with Britain; : in order to reclaim their brethren the Delaware Indians from their defection, and put a stop to their barbarities and hostilities. To which is prefix'd (as introductory to the said conferences) two addresses from the said Quakers; one to the Lieutenant-Governor, and the other to the General-Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania; as also the Lieutenant-Governor's declaration of war against the said Delaware Indians, and their adherents. gallery 2018-02-12T12:27:20-08:00 Newcastle Upon Tyne [England]: : Printed by I. Thompson and Company., MDCCLVI. [1756] Pemberton, Israel, 1715-1779 Call Number: Am 1756 Several 112087.O Often attributed to Israel Pemberton, a Philadelphia Quaker who, in April 1756, tried to mediate between the Delaware tribes and the government of Pennsylvania. Signatures: pi_ A-C?. English short title catalogue (ESTC), T111251; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 59612; Howes, W. U.S.iana, 1650-1950 (1962 edition) P192; Smith, J. Descriptive catalogue of Friends' books, II: 280. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2018-07-27T14:55:23-07:00 The Speech of Joseph Galloway 1 (path) gallery 2018-07-27T14:55:24-07:00 1764 Galloway, Joseph, 1731-1803. The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. F152 .D543 1764. Philadelphia: Printed and sold by W. Dunlap, in Market-Street., 1764. Preface, p. iii-xxxv, by Benjamin Franklin. Signatures: a-d4 e2 [A]2 B-G4 (e2 verso blank; G3 verso, G4 blank). ''Errata.''--p. [xxxix]. Cited in: Evans 9671; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1996; Adams, T. R. Brit. pamphlets 64-8a.
1 2016-08-19T13:09:57-07:00 The Squabble (First Edition) 3 The squabble, : a pastoral eclogue. / By Agricola. gallery 2018-02-12T02:37:50-08:00 [Philadelphia?] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster?], in the year M DCC LXIV. [1764] Agricola. Call Number: Am 1764 Agr Ar64 A28b A political satire on affairs in Pennsylvania. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans. English short title catalogue (ESTC), W29925; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2065; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time,, 89940; Stoddard, R.E. A bibliographical description of books and pamphlets of American verse printed from 1610 through 1820, 159; Wegelin, O. Early American poetry, 789. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:11:35-07:00 The Squabble (Second Edition) 2 The squabble, : a pastoral eclogue. / By Agricola. gallery 2018-02-12T02:39:14-08:00 [Philadelphia?] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster?], in the year M DCC LXIV. [1764] Agricola. Call Number: Am 1764 Agr Ar64 A28a Second Edition. A political satire on affairs in Pennsylvania. The second edition is ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Evans 9564 and 9565. Signatures: A?. Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography. English short title catalogue (ESTC), W41575; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 89940; Stoddard, R.E. A bibliographical description of books and pamphlets of American verse printed from 1610 through 1820, 158. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T13:13:13-07:00 The Squabble (Third Edition) 2 The squabble; : a pastoral eclogue. / By Agricola. With a curious and well-design'd frontispiece. gallery 2018-02-12T02:40:40-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed (from the first edition) by Andrew Steuart, in Second-Street Philadelphia, [1764] Agricola. Call Number: Am 1764 Agr 795.D.27 Printed from the First Edition (Third Edition Inferred). A political satire on affairs in Pennsylvania. Parentheses substituted for square brackets in imprint transcription. Date of publication supplied by Evans 9564 and 9565. "Frontispiece" on p. [4] is of "Thyrsis, with a Pr*sb*t*rian nose. Corin, with a Q**k*ronian nose." Evans, C. American bibliography, 9565; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W29926; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2066 2066; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time,, 89940; Stoddard, R.E. A bibliographical description of books and pamphlets of American verse printed from 1610 through 1820, 160; Wegelin, O. Early American poetry, 790. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:28:00-07:00 The Substance of a Council Held at Lancaster 2 The Substance, of a council held at Lancaster August the 28th 1764. By a committee of Presbyterian ministers and elders deputed from all parts of Pennsylvania, in order to settle the ensuing election of members for the Assembly. Published, at the request of their respective congregations. gallery 2018-02-12T12:29:56-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Anthony Armbruster], in the year MDCC,LXIV. [1764] Anonymous. Call Number: Am 1764 Sub 1082.D.4 "A coarse lampoon. Said to have been written by Benjamin Franklin."--Evans. Ascribed to the press of Anthony Armbruster by Hildeburn and Evans. Signatures: [A]? B? C_ (C2 verso blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 9848; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W32341; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2068. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T14:32:12-07:00 The Substance of an Exercise had this Morning in Scurrility Hall 2 The substance of an exercise, had this morning in Scurrility-Hall. gallery 2018-02-12T12:31:20-08:00 [Philadelphia, Pa.] : Printed [by Andrew Steuart], in the year, M,DCC,LXV. [1765] Hunt, Isaac, approximately 1742-1809. Call Number: Am 1765 Hun Ar65 H95 Attributed to Isaac Hunt in the Dictionary of American biography. Ascribed to the press of Andrew Steuart by Evans. Signatures: [A]? ([A]4 blank). Evans, C. American bibliography, 7893; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W30570; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1526. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-11-13T15:15:37-08:00 A Touch on the Times 2 A Touch on the times : a new song to the tune of Nancy Dawson. gallery 2018-02-12T12:33:12-08:00 [Philadelphia? : s.n., 1764] Anonymous. Call Number: B2526. 41494. A reply to David James Dove's The Quaker Unmask'd. Ten numbered stanzas with chorus. Caption title. Imprint suggested by Bristol. Not in Ford. Sabin no. 96322. American Philosophical Society.
1 2016-08-19T14:50:26-07:00 True Copy of a Letter From a Member of St. Paul's 2 True copy of a letter, from a member of St. P--l's, to an intimate friend: shewing the real source from which the present wranglings in that congregation have sprung. gallery 2018-02-12T12:34:47-08:00 [Philadelphia] : Printed [by Andrew Steuart?], in the year M,DCC,LXIV. [1764] Member of St. P--l's. Call Number:Am 1764 Tru Api764 S77 Place of publication and printer's name suggested by Evans. Signatures: [A]? Evans, C. American bibliography, 9857 English short title catalogue (ESTC), W13160; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2077. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:34:55-07:00 Unanimity and Public Spirit 2 Unanimity and public spirit. : A sermon preached at Carlisle, and some other Episcopal churches, in the counties of York and Cumberland, soon after General Braddock's defeat. Published by particular request. By the Reverend Mr. Thomas Barton, missionary to the said churches. To which is prefixed, a letter from the Reverend Mr. Smith, provost of the College of Philadelphia, concerning the office and duties of a Protestant ministry, especially in times of public calamity and danger. gallery 2018-02-12T12:36:15-08:00 Philadelphia: : Printed and sold by B. Franklin and D. Hall, at the new-printing-office; by W. Dunlap, in Lancaster; and in York County by the author, 1755. Barton, Thomas, 1730-1780. Call Number: Am 1755 Bar Ar.55 B 29 Evans, C. American bibliography, 7354; Shipton, C.K. National index of American imprints through 1800, 40800; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W1569; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1398; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1439; Miller, C.W. Franklin, 603. Historical Society of Pennsylvania (housed at Library Company of Philadelphia).
1 2018-07-27T14:47:37-07:00 The Universal Peacemaker 1 (path) gallery 2018-07-27T14:47:37-07:00 1764 Philanthropos. The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. AC7 A100 764u. Philadelphia: Printed by Anthony Armbruster, in Moravian Alley, 1764. Dated at end: Walnut-street, March, 25, 1764. Relating to the Paxton boys. Culture Class Collection copy is stitched and untrimmed; in cloth folder. Cited in: Evans, 9797; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 2080; ESTC, W31613.
1 2016-08-19T17:03:24-07:00 What is Sauce for a Goose is also Sauce for a Gander 2 What is sauce for a goose is also sauce for a gander. : Being a small touch in the lapidary way, or Tit for tat, in your own way. An epitaph on a certain great man. / Written by a departed spirit and now most humbly inscrib'd to all his dutiful sons and children who may hereafter chose to distinguish him by the name of a patriot. gallery 2018-02-12T02:42:44-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.], : Printed, in the year 1764. Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819. Call Number: Am 1764 Will Ar.64 W 731 Satirical epitaph on Benjamin Franklin written by Hugh Williamson. Cf. Ford, P.L. Franklin bibliography, 1889, entry 997. Signatures: A4 (A4 verso blank). Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography; Bristol, R.P. Supplement to Charles Evans' American bibliography; Shipton, C.K. National index of American imprints through 1800. Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 104455. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
1 2016-08-19T17:05:05-07:00 What is Sauce for a Goose is also Sauce for a Gander (LCP copy) 2 What is sauce for a goose is also sauce for a gander. : Being a small touch in the lapidary way, or Tit for tat, in your own way. An epitaph on a certain great man. / Written by a departed spirit and now most humbly inscrib'd to all his dutiful sons and children who may hereafter chose to distinguish him by the name of a patriot. gallery 2018-02-12T02:44:57-08:00 Philadelphia [Pa.], : Printed, in the year 1764. Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819. Call Number: Am 1764 Will Ar.64 W 731 Satirical epitaph on Benjamin Franklin written by Hugh Williamson. Cf. Ford, P.L. Franklin bibliography, 1889, entry 997. Signatures: A4 (A4 verso blank). Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography; Bristol, R.P. Supplement to Charles Evans' American bibliography; Shipton, C.K. National index of American imprints through 1800. Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 104455. Not in: Evans, C. American bibliography; Sabin, J. Dictionary of books relating to America from its discovery to the present time, 104455. Library Company of Philadelphia.
1 2016-08-19T13:01:23-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklin - Title Page 1 Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz. 2016-08-19T13:01:24-07:00 German Translation of "Remarks on a Late Protest Against the Appointment of Mr. Franklin" HSP AbG[1764]-17 [Germantown, Pa. : Gedruckt bey Christoph Saur, 1764] Translation of: Protest, presented to the House of Assembly [of Pennsylvania], by the subscribers, at the close of the late debate there, concerning the sending of Mr. Franklin as an assistant to our agent, at the court of Great-Britain (Bristol B2512). Caption title. Signed and dated: Den 20ten October, 1764. John Dickinson [and nine others]. Followed on p. [2-4] by "Anmerkungen uber eine neuliche Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz," a translation of Franklin's "Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin an agent for this province" (Evans 9669). Signed and dated on p. [4]: Philadelphia, am 5 Nov. 1764. B. Franklin. Imprint supplied by Evans. Erroneously filmed by Readex Microprint Corp. for Evans 9803, which records a German language broadside which apparently includes only the protest, and which is ascribed to the press of Henry Miller at Philadelphia. [4] p. ; 37 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 9668; Evans, C. American bibliography, 9803; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1993; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21040 4 Title Page Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
1 2016-08-19T12:59:46-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklin - 2 1 Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz. 2016-08-19T12:59:46-07:00 German Translation of "Remarks on a Late Protest Against the Appointment of Mr. Franklin" HSP AbG[1764]-17 [Germantown, Pa. : Gedruckt bey Christoph Saur, 1764] Translation of: Protest, presented to the House of Assembly [of Pennsylvania], by the subscribers, at the close of the late debate there, concerning the sending of Mr. Franklin as an assistant to our agent, at the court of Great-Britain (Bristol B2512). Caption title. Signed and dated: Den 20ten October, 1764. John Dickinson [and nine others]. Followed on p. [2-4] by "Anmerkungen uber eine neuliche Protestation gegen die Bestellung Herrn Benjamin Franklins zu einem Agenten fur diese Provinz," a translation of Franklin's "Remarks on a late protest against the appointment of Mr. Franklin an agent for this province" (Evans 9669). Signed and dated on p. [4]: Philadelphia, am 5 Nov. 1764. B. Franklin. Imprint supplied by Evans. Erroneously filmed by Readex Microprint Corp. for Evans 9803, which records a German language broadside which apparently includes only the protest, and which is ascribed to the press of Henry Miller at Philadelphia. [4] p. ; 37 cm Evans, C. American bibliography, 9668; Evans, C. American bibliography, 9803; Hildeburn, C.R. Pennsylvania, 1993; English short title catalogue (ESTC), W21040 4 2 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
Contents of this tag:
1 2017-03-29T06:52:27-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Franklin Reprimanded 3 plain 2017-03-29T06:54:54-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
1 2018-06-20T19:44:19-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c Newsprint 3 image_header 2018-06-20T19:53:55-07:00 Will Fenton 9e3bf7727b68fc64e416bcd18efaefb81d06944c
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View as Calendar
Store & Café
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Making it harder for ads to track you online
By Mark Milian, CNN
| Filed under: Web
Many advertisers and websites collect users' browsing information and try to tailor ads to their interests.
Several services will allow website visitors to opt out of ad tracking
Many top websites tracking users' browsing history
Governments and tech companies are coming up with solutions to the tracking issue
(CNN) -- What's the best way to let advertisers know you don't want to be tracked online?
As companies gather, and sell, information about people's Web activity, more users are asking that question. And so are governments, ad giants and startups looking to capitalize on a gestating shift in the industry.
Data collection for the purpose of tailoring ads to each visitor, a process called "behavioral targeting," has exploded in recent years. Now, several initiatives are jockeying to become the standard way by which people can opt out of Web-advertising systems that log browsing history.
So far, online ad agencies and their Web-publisher clients have operated without many restraints. Yahoo, for instance, automatically tells 75 different third-party services when a person has landed on its home page, and Microsoft's MSN.com, another portal, transmits similar information to 41 third-party databases, according to independent research conducted by privacy-software firm Disconnect and reviewed by CNN.
News sites like CBS' CNET.com sends info to 46 third parties, and the Walt Disney Company's Go.com, which hosts ESPN.com, alerts 41, according to this data, compiled by Disconnect founder Brian Kennish.
"In recent years, many players have entered the behavioral targeting space," wrote researchers from NYU and and Stanford University in a recent report. This type of ad targeting "holds the promise of more effective advertising while presenting users with ads that are more relevant to their interests."
CNN.com shares limited information with 31 partners. CNN and most other sites don't share names of visitors.
Not all the companies collecting such information are doing so for advertising purposes. Some, like comScore and Omniture, use the data for traffic-analytics services they sell to publishers. Other clients such as Facebook and Twitter receive that information when their link-share buttons appear on a page but say they don't use the data for tracking purposes.
Why advertisers want to track you
Advertisers are among the most voracious documentarians of where people go on the Web.
The more an advertiser knows about a person's interests and browsing and buying habits, the more likely it is to deliver a message that results in a purchase, industry executives say. If an ad server knows someone has recently visited pages about scuba diving, odds are an ad for scuba gear will catch that person's attention -- and maybe his wallet.
The top four services that collect Web-browsing info for ad targeting are run by Google, according to the Disconnect research, which sampled 201,358 Web pages. AdSense, for one, can collect nearly one-quarter of people's browsing histories -- thanks to the prevalence of text-based ads around the Web.
Google says it does not combine the info from these separate ad networks -- DoubleClick for graphics, AdWords for syndicated text and AdSense for search -- to create more comprehensive profiles. The Justice Department plans to review Google's recent proposal to acquire ad-optimization company Admeld.
Profiles of Web users have become so valuable that some companies, like RapLeaf, have built businesses around compiling detailed profiles of people tied to their real names.
"I was writing ad servers for DoubleClick, and even I didn't know where my data was going," Kennish said. "And when I say 'I didn't know where my data was going,' that (RapLeaf's aggregated profiles) is what I'm talking about."
Why do so many companies seem so eager to overstep privacy boundaries?
"The thing about engineers," said Kennish, himself a programmer, "if they have a technical challenge, they're going to solve it regardless of the ethical implications."
Letting users opt out
What some critics call overzealous and reckless data hoarding by online advertisers may usher in a reckoning.
The proposed Do Not Track bills in the U.S. Congress, which are still in their infancies, offer too broad a solution to the issue, several experts say. They emulate the National Do Not Call Registry, which lets Americans add themselves to a list that excludes them from phone solicitations.
The proposed Do Not Track bills "would probably destroy the Internet economy," Kennish said. Instead, governments should add rules incrementally, he said.
Kennish's Disconnect is developing a system of buttons that websites and browser providers can use to clearly demonstrate a site's tracking policies. It will offer the service for free.
Also, a consortium of ad giants, faced with government scrutiny, has expedited an initiative to let people easily opt out of targeting.
The Digital Advertising Alliance has signed on nine of the top 10 online ad providers, said Peter Kosmala, the group's managing director. The 10th will join "in the next few days," Kosmala said. The DAA has support from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, RapLeaf, AOL and many other big names.
The efforts center around the Advertising Option Icon, a blue button that looks like a triangle surrounding an "i" and which will appear on ads that collect browsing info. Clicking it will provide visitors with information about tracking programs and options for disabling tracking.
Unlike Disconnect's free tools, the DAA will license its button to companies for a $5,000 annual fee.
The program will not offer a one-click method for disabling ad tracking from every network, Kosmala said. He also doesn't like the word "tracking" to describe the installation of cookies on people's computers to record Web history for targeted ads.
"It's my strong belief that consumers like a more granular level of control, rather than something that blunt," he said. When asked about the Do Not Track legislation, he said: "We're very strong believers in the self-regulatory models."
Can the ad industry police itself?
But the ad industry has taken on, and subsequently dropped, initiatives for self-policing privacy in the past, as many point out and as Kosmala acknowledges.
"Unfortunately, the self-regulatory groups and organizations that are created in response to the threat of regulation are often extremely short lived," Christopher Soghoian, a fellow at the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, wrote in a report in May.
Kosmala was a part of one of those failed efforts, called the Network Advertising Initiative. The DAA will be different, he said, because a division of the federal government's Council of Better Business Bureaus has committed to enforce the ad agencies' promises.
Still, tech companies are offering their own solutions. All the largest browser makers except Google have instituted or have plans to include a setting in their software that allows users to opt out of tracking.
Such opt-out settings have a ways to go, however.
One out of every 50 users of Mozilla's Firefox, the second most popular browser, have discovered the hidden setting and elected to enable it, said a person who learned the statistic from Mozilla, but was not authorized to speak publicly. The feature, in its current form, is not recognized by most advertisers and therefore doesn't do much.
Kosmala declined to comment on whether he supports the single-button opt out ability built into browsers.
Why have an ad? Start a movement!
Adman Scott Goodson says brands that align themselves with people's passions and causes have much to gain.
Guerrilla advertisers risk arrest
"Ambush marketing" is low-cost, high-impact, edgy and fresh -- but it can get advertisers in trouble.
What Angry Birds can teach Mad Men
The ads of the future will look more like invitations to play than passive images on a page, says Candace Kuss, director at Hill & Knowlton.
Online ad tracking -- and how to opt out
Tailored online ads boom and companies collect swathes of data on their users, but for some, that raises privacy and ethics concerns.
Redford meets the wild, wild East
As Robert Redford addressed the creative festival, CNN's Max Foster explains why his audience is so interested in the wild East.
Viral ads explode into mainstream
Rollerskating babies, dancing royal look-alikes and the Old Spice guy are everywhere. But how do viral ads work?
'Advertising is dead.' So now what?
CNN's Max Foster reports from Cannes, where industry talk is centering on the evolution of the consumer. Join the debate.
[TECH: NEWSPULSE]
Most popular Tech stories right now
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Big Finish Guide
Upcoming Events Form
First Transmitted
Peter Capaldi (The Doctor), Jenna Coleman (Clara)
Maisie Williams (Ashildir), David Schofield (Odin), Simon Lipkin (Nollarr), Ian Conningham (Chuckles), Tom Stourton (Lofty), Alastair Parker (Limpy), Murray McArthur (Hasten), Barnaby Kay (Heidi)
Written by Jamie Mathieson/Steven Moffat
Directed by Ed Bazalgette
Produced by Derek Ritchie
sypnosis
Captured by Vikings, The Doctor and Clara must help protect their village from Space Warriors from the future: the Mire. Outnumbered and outgunned, their fate seems inevitable.
So why is The Doctor preoccupied with a single Viking girl?
The Girl Who Died was the fifth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.
This story features the use of footage from The Fires of Pompeii and Deep Breath when the Twelfth Doctor discovers the origin of his face.
This is the 100th story of the BBC Wales era of Doctor Who.
The false Odin feeds on adrenaline and testosterone.
The Doctor references Clarke’s Law, which states that “any sufficiently advanced form of technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
A Viking snaps The Doctor’s sonic sunglasses in half, almost destroying them. (The Magician’s Apprentice)
The Doctor uses his third incarnation’s catchphrase, “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow”.
The Doctor realises he has Caecilius’s face, and that it is there to remind him that he can “save people” just like he saved Caecilius and his family. (The Fires of Pompeii)
The Doctor speaks Baby. (A Good Man Goes To War, Closing Time)
The Sixth Doctor had previously wanted to save someone because he grew to like her, though on that occasion Evelyn Smythe stopped him from changing history to do it. (Arrangements for War)
The Seventh Doctor also referred to Clarke’s Law. (Battlefield)
Upon thinking about how Ashildr’s situation will play out now that she is functionally immortal, The Doctor says, “Time will tell. It always does.” His seventh incarnation said this to Ace when she hesitantly asked if they “did good” after the Shoreditch Incident, aware that the victory over the Daleks came at the expense of many lives. (Remembrance of the Daleks)
The Third Doctor had previously met the real Odin. (The Spear of Destiny)
The Eighth Doctor had previously given someone immortality while saving their life. (The Road to Hell)
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Review: Wilderness 2015.
For a number of reasons, Wilderness – the name by which the early August Cornbury Park bash, inaugurated in 2011 and now in its fifth year, is both known and renowned – makes for a particularly interesting bit of nomenclature: at no more than a mere hour outside of London, this decidedly civilised get-together is scarcely removed from civilisation as we know, and often loathe it. Nevertheless, Wilderness is as much an unpredictably wild one in nature as it is in name; for although there may be Made in Chelsea-on-the-cheap(er) moments aplenty, with the weekend making last month’s Latitude out to look like the proletariat’s (Tetley’s) tea party, perhaps improbably, debauchery abounds. Whether this makes itself manifest in the wide-eyed twenty-somethings dabbing nonspecific powders and dabbling in piperidine derivatives down in ‘The Hidden Valley’ come sundown, or those splayed out prostrate in a comatose state beside the banks of a glistering reservoir, sweating out steak after steak, hedonists can quite incontrovertibly both have their cake and eat it – both figuratively and literally – here.
Sure: rarely has the middle-classism to predominate the British summer festival circuit these days seemed quite so apparent, nor apparently chasmic in its various divisions. And as such, Las Vegan hip house guru Shamir appears a complete pariah: identifying as “genderless”, and generating the sort of auricular provocation that’s surely more likely to frighten than thrill the well-to-do, he stands out. But to those stood before the Main Stage on Friday afternoon, Shamir Bailey does so for all the right sorts of reasons, the dippy undulations of Vegas and the call-and-response pep-us-ups of Call It Off fucking supreme.
His nails painted electric yellow and knees duly muddied, Bailey looks – and for that matter, sounds – every bit a festival mainstay-in-waiting, doling out free hugs long after his allotted stage time has elapsed. He’ll later pose – and pose superbly, at that – for endless photos, achieving ultimate endearment and coming to represent the king, or queen(, or whatever the “genderless” alternative may be) of the self-styled selfie era. And so, although he comports himself with all the deficient conviction of a backgrounded backing singer onstage, he really needn’t; for this is one American making a scene that truly needs to be seen to be believed…
“Wilderness is quite experimental,” says one of umpteen particularly eloquent passers-by; one who’s incidentally neglected to get himself over to Shamir moments before. “It’s quite wacky,” he continues; “there’s loads of weird stuff.” Bailey inevitably slots into this exact bracket, as do so many of the substances to have been slotted into all sorts of nooks, crannies, wallets, socks and pockets upon entrance to the event; but Wilderness’ real success essentially stems from its compiling many of the better bits of many another festival, condensing these down into an eminently manoeuvrable site that’s sightly as an Oxfordshirian Shangri-La: the arena-less-ness of Glastonbury combines with the ability to swim the lake of Latitude (along with many another aestival lounge-about) and the ‘foodiness’ of the nearby Big Feastival, to create something that’s both laid-back and brilliantly engaging.
And that lattermost adjective is surpassingly applicable to Bergen siren AURORA: sniffly and slightly hay feverish, her (rather enervatingly protracted) soundcheck comprises a meek, when not mawkish, and always dorky rendition of Singin’ In the Rain, “or something like that.” Nonetheless, once things get going in earnest, hers is a show of such momentousness that it belies her scanty years: interwoven into wonderfully resonant musical accompaniments, Aksnes sings of taking tentative glimpses “on[to] the other side,” our eyes in turn opened via our ears. For this is the sort of weekend during which perceptions, possible misconceptions and so on are irrevocably altered, as you start to see things in entirely different lights, darks and shades. “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine/ On the other side” Aurora reassures, her almost tangibly frangible warble once more belying her words. But on a day, or perhaps rather a night presided over by Scandinavian maidens peddling vitalistic, introspective musics, it seems almost as though there is some concerted subliminal messaging going on; that organisers were wanting to provide very different perspectives via every medium available to them. Many disparate artistic disciplines, as well as walks of life, at last collide, with the well-to-do entertained not by their peers for the most part, but rather by the great and the good. As for Aksnes, she may not look it, her diminutive stature not exactly that of a so-called “warrior,” although stood not behind, but atop a fortress of formidable, glacial force musical, there is both weight and worth to her every move. A commanding presence she thus becomes; so much so that, by the time she reveals her true relevance – as a soi-disant “warrior of love” – resistance is futile, such is her irrefutably Venusian allure.
This isn’t true of her at all times, mind: during the ineluctable breaks between one song and the next, Aurora seems borderline embarrassed at the embarrassment of aural riches that she already has at her disposal. Few can be more compelling than Runaway though, during which she’ll repeatedly lament: “Now, take me home/ Take me home where I belong/ I got no other place to go/ Now, take me home/ Take me home where I belong/ I can’t take it any more.” Her outsider status directly addressed and reasserted, this may be quintessential major label vernacular, yet there is none of that same dead-eyed vacuity by which such dim (and by and large, dimwitted) stars are so often defined. “It’s so cool you know the songs!” she then coos in the wake of this rousing triumph, her wan features coloured by genuine joy and growing confidence likewise. But so deferential a confession at once puts her in the starkest of contrasts once more with the hyper-tanned hides of those sprawled out before her, shedding light on a quite grotesque standoff between creative incertitudes and baseless, blasé entitlement. There are those moments – such as during the otherwise enlightening Awakening – at which Canary Wharf-ish guff blathered on about between untimely puffs on Camel Blues dwarfs Aurora’s plaintive wailing, half-baked waffle concerning tardy “gap yahs” spent trekking the Andes diminishing the Norwegian’s impact at times.
With her shoes already disposed thereof, as though attempting to cleanse herself of such idle prattle or rid a pestilent itch, socks and tights soon follow, thrown onto the floor underfoot. Indeed, when she later sings of “wash[ing] away the sin,” you can almost feel her palpable need for necessary expunction. This too relays a sense of irrepressible humility; the sort that the lyric, “The stars were brightly shining/ When she reached out, they were gone” (Awakening) conveys, perhaps implicitly suggesting Aksnes is totally aware of the pitfalls that could so easily befall the fast-ascending pop star on the ongoing “journey [that she’s so visibly] determined to complete.” As such, bigger – and for that matter better, more attentive – audiences doubtless now await, with this never more evident than during a climactic take on In Boxes, during which the atmosphere surrounding The Bandstand is transformed from late-afternoon lethargy to full-blown Scandi dance party in seconds.
There is then more chin stroking than toe tapping, as Nils Frahm brings together the irregularly associated Steinway and Adidas three-stripe forms. And, on a stage evocative of that which once graced The Big Chill – a festival that shared a not insubstantial level of commonality with this one – the Berlin wunderkind brings some big, chilled feels to proceedings. His pained expression at odds with the apathetic toing and froing of bunting in a light breeze overhead, disregarding the placidity of his compositional expressionism, there is a strange displacement of movement; a disconnect between artist and audience, if you will. Which is made all the more discombobulating, by the fact that he plays with his back to us, thus ensuring we’re able to observe his every move as one: every bit of twinkling tinkering; every punctiliously triggered arpeggio; every perfectly timed drop. Those irresistible releases, as well as the inevitable endings…
There are those instances at which Frahm opts for entry-level house, yet before it starts to really bomb, he brings things right back up with some more elite virtuosity. Nevertheless, this is a set that, for one reason or another, rarely really works; a requisite equilibrium is never struck, while his thanking “Latitude”, rather than Wilderness, unsurprisingly does him precious few favours. But when the music, and this most precious music alone is allowed to do all of the talking – as it does during a surging, gorgeous Says – Frahm can still better articulate his thoughts and feelings in exclusively instrumental formatting than anybody. In fact, he’s possibly the only living being – and the first since Ludwig van Beethoven – who can keep time better than a metronome. That said, what with this being “a last show in the UK for quite a long time,” he too runs over his allotted stage time, a scintillating For – Peter – Toilet Brushes – More rounding things off in fantastic style; a term that, alas, refers to Frahm all too infrequently this time around.
Much like I manage to avoid all yoga-shaped activity throughout the weekend, Icelandic demigoddess Björk subsequently neglects Joga, along with many another greater hit, in favour of material taken from the heartbroken Vulnicura release of last January. Of course, for Wilderness to have secured Björk – not least in light of recent cancellations, with this being her final EU show for the foreseeable future – is quite the coup; the kind that could only ever have come to fruition in MAMA & Company’s wildest dreams. (Dreams which have been newly bought out, and bought outright, by the multinational conglomerate, Live Nation.) But much like Frahm before her – and, to a lesser extent, Wilderness itself – Björk’s is a show of stark contrasts: the vulnerable, beautiful chastity of her latest full-length, for instance, is offset by the presence of Bobby Krlic (probably best known as chthonic techno savant, The Haxan Cloak).
Björk herself, in relatively quiet attire by her own garish standards, stomps about the stage in several-inch styrofoam platform shoes, a gossamer-like mask that looks not unlike the sort of lattice which dear Raymond Blanc may deploy as and whenever embellishing a particularly intricate pudding, and a pink dress decorated with a splurge of gunk resembling the discharge from an idle glue gun, which covers her abdominal bits and bobs. Similarly ejaculatory fireworks flare up both onstage and off of it, lending a prematurely triumphant feel to the evening; the kind that is at least partly, yet probably completely in conflict with the subdued, damaged nature of Vulnicura.
Across the screen beyond, a young(er, for will Björk ever really age?) figure tiptoes across the sort of irredeemably bleak hinterland that the disquieting likes of Black Lake, Family and the opening Notget occupy auricularly speaking, imbuing the night with a more human, or rather humane touch. With that said, many seem incapable of connecting with the show on that more human level: there is so much to be said for this being the one and only date to have survived her recent culling of all live performances, given that bucolic Oxfordshire is exactly the sort of place – with Wilderness the perfect space – where her voicing consternation and perturbation could, hypothetically, be heard loudest and clearest atop the distant hiss of an army of AGA cookers. There is thus the feeling that, although this is Björk baring her soul where so many others choose to conceal and shield theirs, her traumas go unnoticed, or are exposed to the wrong audience; one made up more of the curious rather than curiosi; or more simply, one that is, ultimately, not her own. Her opting to mask herself, rendering her every expression invisible, suggests a tacit hesitancy to reveal any more than she already has done in song form, while the fresh-faced avatar in refreshing green wandering beyond her more verisimilarly conveys the dismay made immortal in Vulnicura. In short, those same “mutual coordinates” cited during a devastating take on Stonemilker are never really achieved in any way, shape or form…
And so, essentially, Björk can be said to transparently resemble a shadow of her former self: she drifts into, and swiftly fades out of, certain tracks, thus becoming more of a quiet director than a key player. Corporeal beats, full of body, combine with the strings of the Heritage Orchestra to contrive a sound that, at times, provides the consummate marriage of organic and electronic components. But, in spite of her “cheers[ing] England,” all too often, it’s all too alienating a performance to resonate in all of the many, multifarious ways it really ought to. As such, as per AURORA before her, Björk comes to resemble a Venusian being; just in a less complimentary, or congratulatory sense when compared with Aksnes. Her distancing herself from her discography, when headlining a festival of this sort, seems a misjudged decision also, with Post cuts such as Army of Me and Hyperballad rare moments of rarefied delight.
But it’s difficult to dispel the nagging notion that this particular show essentially has more to do with observation than exoteric enjoyment: whereas Biophilia witnessed Björk dissecting nature, as well as man’s gradual destruction of Planet Earth, Vulnicura makes for a more introspective, personal affair; an opportunity for her to examine the severing of her onetime emotional attachment to quondam hubby Matthew Barney under her very own proverbial microscope. With a microphone now in hand however, and with a slightly longer gestation period having passed since its release, the album – and our attitude towards it – has evolved as bacteria might on a Petri dish, becoming that bit more personal still, while losing some of its incontestably instant personability. Björk has herself become the specimen under examination, therefore; the personification of human heartbreak that, if purveyed in its purest of forms at times, is shown at its most platitudinous at others. She is thus a specimen, or indeed a product, of her own predicament; the kind to which we can all relate, yet can’t really tonight…
She flails like a limp fish throughout, this a most flaky specimen in every sense of the word; a pun that’s perhaps that bit too close to the proverbial bone, but still: this should have been an altogether more limpid performance than that to which we’re treated. Thus a core question is this: are we witnessing self-empowerment in the aftermath of personal tragedy, or self-implosion in a tragically public arena? It’s the kind of question that no deluxe, double heavyweight vinyl reissue – no matter the colour – can necessarily answer, nor one that is directly responded to tonight. Because if Björk continues to carry the look of a woman possessed, she doesn’t seem as she once did; she looks to have been possessed by something (or perhaps someone) else entirely.
By virtue of all this, it’s a concertedly difficult show; the sort that isn’t seen all too often, not least in OX7. But it’s less her butterfly-like flourishing, and more the latest stage in a ceaseless transformation; one in which each and every evolution proves revolutionary; and with that, a vivid reminder that Björk is the embodiment of art in its purist, most refined form. And no matter the forces that might conspire to impurify, or putrefy this – whether they be Barney; or tonight’s less-than-responsive, nor even receptive audience; or the compulsion to recommence writing – this will seemingly always be the way. Yes, sure: for one reason or another – of which there are very evidently many – this is not the unifying experience that so many festival headliners strive to provide; conversely, Björk proffers the opportunity to indulge in a period of intense reflection, introspection and esotericism tonight. It’s more a conflicted, than a typically conflictual performance therefore, with her “long, slow, quiet songs” falling largely on deaf, rather than deafened ears. Nonetheless, as a declaration of her artistic integrity and personal independence, it’s a quintessentially bold statement from the po-mo megastar regardless…
Bringing some “techno-disco-house-boogie” to what Andy Butler – “the tacky American” – considers little more than a “little picnic” come Saturday afternoon, Hercules & Love Affair may be lacking the guests that have made their back catalogue quite so colourful – their set ergo lacking somewhat – but abetted by both Gustaph and Rouge Mary, on turns such as Do You Feel The Same? and 5:43 To Freedom, the troupe put together a performance which perfectly epitomises the irrefutable frivolity of any which festival. The latter track, led by the ebullient Mary, may be shamelessly reminiscent of The Original’s I Luv U Baby, yet it’s as eminently ‘luvable’ as its vocalist’s proclamations (“Do whatever you feel, as long as you’re not hurting anyone; [be] free to be yourself, no matter how weird it is [sic]”) and pleas to “embrace yourselves.” And with the likes of I Try To Talk To You, My House, You Belong and last, but by no means least, Blind in their arsenal, the “band” were always likely to be embraced by the masses. Because ultimately, where Hercules & Love Affair differ from many of their “techno-disco-house-boogie” contemporaries is in their reciting songs relatively ‘live’ so to speak, in the liveliest manner imaginable. Additionally, as Butler admits, we “love dance music in [our] culture, thank motherfuckin’ God”, and were thus always likely to react to such tracks rapturously; but “keep[ing] the spirit positive,” and all the more so than previously anticipated, come Blind, nobody bats an eyelid when Antony again fails to show.
For if Hegarty has previous with seemingly half of this year’s musical performers, and incidentally headlined the inaugural Wilderness himself, his absence is to be bewailed this weekend. One source of such lamentation, meanwhile, is similarly absent: for with there only really being the one stage that’s worth the time of day; one which, by night, no longer functions, there are no clashes to agonise thereover whatsoever. This means that one must, intermittently, suffer the rougher stuff, such as Caravan Palace – or “Caravan Palais”, or however poncily it’s otherwise supposed to be pronounced – whose whole shtick is drastically undermined by their lack of a live drummer.
Elsewhere, having once gone it alone entirely, Nick Mulvey – more commonly associated with Cambridgeshire than Oxfordshire, of course – has stepped things up onstage, to the extent that he now exemplifies the most indispensable cog in a slick, diligently oiled hit machine: from the ambidextrously fingerpicked April, to the lilting, slightly lugubrious Fever To the Form, to his vaunting the jaunty, virtuosic Juramidam, this particular live incarnation has really clicked at last. Trebly uke strums add tremendous depth to Meet Me There, while a(n admittedly, mildly ill-judged) rendition of Björk’s Bachelorette showcases the sumptuous talents of a lone cellist stage-left. Nitrous is as well suited to Wilderness’ Main Stage as the stuff whence its title comes befits ‘The Hidden Valley’, whilst an ever-breathtaking take on the DH Lawrence-purloining Cucurucu works similar wonders. “Fuck yeah!” Nick mouths, albeit when away from his microphone, in a rare display of a character that’s as tenable as his worldly recordings; recordings which are now quite rightly revered both far and wide, if not worldwide.
Moments later, there seems a deep-seated irony in Róisín Murphy’s reminiscing about times “when people could really write songs”, given the masterclass that Mulvey’s just delivered. Thus as the erstwhile Moloko vocalist implores we “remember the glory days” in dour tones and drab brown, she could do with practising that which she preaches, Familiar Feeling infinitely preferable to the preceding, inexplicably decelerated and unnecessarily slow rendition of David Morales collaboration, Golden Era. Continuing to extol halcyon “heyday[s]”, she continues, recalling times at which “ladies dressed like ladies and gentlemen dressed like gentlemen.” As for Murphy, well, she looks more like a covert ’60s detective than a “lady” per se, strutting her stuff in a dreary trench coat and carting a clunky leather holdall about the place. “All we have is now” she then decrees, and yet in spite of May’s Hairless Toys comprising some of her bleepier and bloopier, but above all better tracks of recent times, rarely do bits and bodily pieces stand on end this evening. Which brings us to the rather lukewarm conclusion of twenty-four hours which, otherwise, were both as relaxing and cockle-warming as a stint in one of Bathing under the Sky’s numerous wooden hot tubs down in The Lakeside Spa.
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Maine Money Follows the Person ("Homeward Bound")
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UNZA Repository Home
Evaluation of immunomagnetic beads and loop mediated Isothermal amplification in detecting mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Bovine Milk
Main Document (1.075Mb)
Mwape, Rosaline N.
The study evaluated the use of immunomagnetic beads (IMB) in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) in bovine milk. A total of 161 animals from traditional small scale farmers of Mphango and Itope areas of Chisamba and Rufunsa districts of Zambia were tested for tuberculosis using the comparative intradermal tuberculin skin test. Of the tested animals, 4 (2.5%, 95% CI=0.1%-4.9%) out of the 161 animals tested positive on tuberculin skin test and 12 (7.5%) showed inconclusive results. Furthermore, milk samples from the 161 animals were tested for tuberculosis (TB) using the immunomagnetic beads technique and, DNA from the captured cells was used as samples for the loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test. A total of 24 (14.9%, 95% CI= 9.4%-20.4%) animals tested positive on IMB-LAMP. This technique was also able to detect 12 (8.3%, 95% CI=3.8%-12.8%) animals that initially tested negative with the tuberculin skin test as positives. The twenty four (24) milk samples that tested positive on IMB-LAMP were further cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen media supplemented with Tween 80. Out of the 24 samples, 4 (16.7%, 95% CI=1.8%-31.6%) showed signs of Mycobacterium growth and were considered positive. The rest 20 (83.3%) did not grow and were considered negative. The suspected culture positives were confirmed by multiplex PCR as Mycobacterium bovis. The study has demonstrated that immunomagnetic beads can be used to capture MTC from milk of naturally infected animals and that the Mycobacterium can be isolated from milk samples of animals certified negative by the comparative intradermal tuberculin skin test. The study also demonstrated that the culturing technique, though regarded as a ‘Gold standard method’ need to be conducted alongside molecular tests. The study recommends the use of IMB-LAMP as a complementary diagnostic test for detecting Mycobacterium bovis besides the intradermal tuberculin skin test and the culture method. It further suggests that milk be considered as a diagnostic specimen for tuberculosis in animals. Further studies may be carried out to establish the minimum number of mycobacterial cells that can be captured by the beads in milk samples.
http://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/4477
The University of Zambia
Tuberculosis in animals
Tuberculosis-prevention
Veterinary Medicine [69]
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american football (1008)
Sydney Roosters Women (@1.4) vs NZ Warriors Women (@2.87)
Sydney Roosters Women will win
Sydney Roosters Women vs NZ Warriors Women
Sydney Roosters Women – NZ Warriors Women Match Prediction | 15-09-2019 01:05
They need to get some consistent game time into Jared Waerea-Hargreaves heading into the finals. Last week they played to a level where you go, Wow, theyre good and they can make the eight. But the key for them is consistency. It will be interesting to see if they get carried away with themselves after last week. The Roosters will challenge you in the middle and run and play at a high pace. For the Warriors, it is their season on the line.
RTS has been in excellent form this season and his battle with Tedesco should be a ripper. Key match-up: He won a premiership with the Roosters and would love to be the man to lead the Warriors to the club's first premiership. James Tedesco is the Roosters' fullback these days and is part of a grand plan to bring another premiership to the club. But before he thinks about titles, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has a game to win against his former team on Saturday at Mt Smart Stadium.
Sam Cook and Anthony Gelling were trimmed from the squad an hour before kick-off. Interchange: 11 Simon Mannering, 15 Sam Lisone, 17 James Gavet, 20 Jazz TevagaA blow for the Warriors with Issac Luke (shoulder) withdrawing on Friday afternoon, opening the door for Karl Lawton to start at hooker. Mason Lino will man the halfback spot in place of Shaun Johnson (ankle). Simon Mannering has been dropped to the interchange bench, with Isaiah Papali'i given the nod to start.
Jillaroo and Kiwi Ferns players will be allocated 10 points, 8 points for State of Origin players, 4 points for playing in the Prime Ministers XIII, and 3 points for playing in the National Championships. Each of the four teams will be allowed to sign 22 players, all of which will be allocated points based on their highest achievement. This new rules allows for a more even competition, and encourages the signings of up and coming players. These points only apply if players were selected for that representative team in 2018 or 2019, and each team will have to be between 120 and 160 points. This year has seen some significant changes to rules regarding recruitment, with the introduction of a cap system.
The Warriors were a side most had tipped to languish at the bottom of the table in 2018, so Kearney has done a remarkable job to get them firing so early in the season. So good in fact, they find themselves as one of only two sides still unbeaten after three rounds. This is the first time in their 23 year history that the Warriors have opened the season with three consecutive wins and theyll be looking to achieve a historic fourth when they face a resurgent Sydney Roosters on Saturday.
Another trip back across the ditch must surely take its toll and gives the Roosters a slight edge in this one. If there is one black mark against the Warriors, its the number of frequent flyer points they have already amassed in 2018. Prior to this weeks game, the Warriors have travelled to Perth and Canberra in what has been a tough initiation to Season 2018.
The Roosters, well I'm not sure what to make of their performances in recent weeks. They have mixed wins with losses for the past seven weeks and have really struggled to find consistency in their football. Steve Turner's prediction: After a hiccup against the Storm on Anzac Day, the Warriors got back into their groove and showed everyone that they are a very good football team with an impressive win over the Tigers. You don't write off a good team, but the Warriors have so much up-side and on home soil they will be too good.
Warriors v Roosters: Luke out, Johnson missing; no Radley for Roosters
After the opening three rounds, Tuivasa-Sheck is second in the league for run metres (542m), line breaks (4) and line breaks assists (4) and must surely fancy his chances against a re-shuffled Roosters backline. The man to benefit from this free-flowing Warriors attack has been former Rooster Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. With a full year back following a knee reconstruction, the Warriors custodian looks to be returning to the form that saw him lift a premiership trophy and win Dally M fullback of the year in 2015. Roosters fans know all too well the danger that their former number one poses he broke the Roosters hearts in their 2016 clash, scoring a length of the field try as the Warriors stole a famous Golden Point victory.
Missing much of the pre-season with a broken jaw, Keary has sparked the tricolours via expansive attacking play and some classy tries. After being rolled by the Tigers in a Round 1 upset, the Roosters have re-found their mojo and its looking ominous for the rest of the competition. The last two weeks have seen the Roosters outscore their opponents 68-20 albeit over middle of the table competition in the Bulldogs and Knights. Its no coincidence that the Roosters return to form has coincided with the return of Luke Keary.
This game looks to be the match of the round and will be tough to pick based on form alone. Two teams in fantastic recent form and two teams with pressure and expectations already mounting.
Of their past five, two games have been decided in the final minute while another two were settled during Golden Point. If history repeats, we are in for some late drama come Saturday. These two love a close game in fact, only one of their recent matches has been decided by more than a try.
It may only be Round 4, but we already look to have our first blockbuster of Season 2018. For the Roosters, what began as a shaky start toseason 2018, has corrected itself with two comprehensive wins in recent weeks. After a dominant 38-8 shutout of the Knights last Sunday, the critics are temporarily at bay but that doesnt mean the pressure lets up.
Isaac Liu was named as the starting prop on Tuesday, but he switched with Zane Tetevano before last week's clash with the Raiders and Trent Robinson might go with the same ploy on Sunday. Roosters: Boyd Cordner's return has been delayed for at least another week after he was cut from the reserves on Saturday. The other player to drop out on Saturday was Billy Smith. Lindsay Collins and Lachlan Lam were omitted an hour before kick-off.
The entire match last week prior to the sin-binning of Adam Blair was one of the best Warriors performances Ive seen this year. And who can forget Anzac Day when they came within 1 point of the Storm without Roger Tuivasa-Sheck! Weve seen at various points this year the Warriors bring their A-game, and they are no doubt an impressive side when that happens.
Petra Martic / Kristina Mladenovic Prediction
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova / Sofia Kenin Prediction
Jessica Pegula / Polona Hercog Prediction
Monica Puig / Angelique Kerber Prediction
Aryna Sabalenka / Aliaksandra Sasnovich Prediction
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Review: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Prepares for Battle in ‘Hercules’
Emily Solomon August 3, 2014
Ryan Smythe ‘15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Dwayne Johnson and Reece Ritchie in Hercules. Photo Credit: Kerry Brown/Paramount Pictures.
Clocking in at a mere 98 minutes, Hercules very well may be the shortest action blockbuster of the summer. But, surprisingly, that only adds to its presentation. Director Brett Ratner, despite his previous tragic attempt to recreate a childhood classic (X-Men: The Last Stand), successfully adapted this classic Greek myth into a modern blockbuster. This time around, he received the help of screenwriters Ryan J. Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos and original comic (Hercules: The Thracian Wars) writer Steve Moore. There are several issues involving Moore, but details of that will come after the review section.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hercules is perfect casting. Much like André the Giant portraying Fezzik in The Princess Bride, Johnson flexes his bulging muscles, and gives friendly advice to those close to him- all while standing head and shoulders above the rest of the cast and several of the horses. Hercules’ change from murderous jerk in the original tales to morally sound friend to those in need works very well here, giving a strong role model for the rest of the cast to grow around, as well as any impressionable audience members. His conflict with the potential darker side creates interesting growth in the character, preventing the hero from lapsing into boring, “I’m the good guy, so you should root for me but not think about it,” territory that so many movies fall into.
Dwayne Johnson in Hercules. Photo Credit: Kerry Brown/Paramount Pictures.
The supporting cast, while not spectacular or original, do their jobs effectively. Hercules’ crew are deadly in battle, perform their choreography flawlessly with the help of the stunt team and cinematographer Dante Spinotti, and don’t fumble over the handful of lines each are given to progress the plot. The writers do a good job hiding the weaker actors, giving the bulk of the lines to Johnson, his knife-throwing best friend Autolycus (Rufus Sewell), and the snarky fortune teller Amphiaraus (Ian McShane). The major scenes generally involve some combination of the three discussing plans, with McShane closing out the dialogue with some quip about the future. It’s a simple structure, but the occasional addition of Lord Cotys (John Hurt) keeps it fresh enough that it doesn’t feel too boring in between the fighting.
The action scenes, while not of the same scope as the Lord of the Rings franchise, utilize various camera angles to show off both the bloodcurdling ferocity of the warriors as well as the sheer size of the armies involved. In one scene in particular, the very first battle with Hercules as the leader of an army, opens at ground level. The troops lock in formation, while Hercules’ crew stands on the outside, showing off their lethality in battle. This gives the audience a clear image of what the soldiers would see, before pulling back for an aerial view. With the ground level context, this wide shot becomes exponentially more terrifying, because while the audience gets to see a fraction of the bloodshed, there were ten times the number of troops coming in from other angles.
Rufus Sewell in Hercules. Photo Credit: Kerry Brown/Paramount Pictures.
Despite all of the positives to Hercules, the way Moore was treated leading up to the film and after his death does more than raise eyebrows. In an interview with Bleeding Cool, Moore’s longtime friend and fellow writer Alan Moore (no relation) called for a boycott of the film, stating that Moore received no compensation for the use of his creation, and his desire for his name to not be used in conjunction with the film was blatantly ignored after his death earlier this year.
The unfortunate, and contractually “legal” way this film’s marketing used Moore to drum up interest worked moderately well, netting $29.8 million on the opening weekend. It has a ways to go before it hits the $100 million budget mark, and with the release of Guardians of the Galaxy, it needs more than a little bit of muscle and posthumous marketing to hit its goal.
Overall Grade: B-
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agva guides, surrounding villages
AGVA SURROUNDING VILLAGES
We are currently updating new sections about culturally rich Agva and its surrounding villages.
Agva and the Surrounding Villages
About Agva and Surrounding Villages
Agva has been the route of passage for countless civilizations. From Hittites and Phrygians to Romans and Ottoman Empires. It's possible seeing the remains of history dating back as far as B.C. 7. The tomb belonging to the Roman Empire era is located at the beginning of the Kilimli Trail that is an example of this history fact. Even though there has not been any archeological excavation work yet, the findings in hand show that the Kilimli area was an old Roman compound. Experts believe that the area took its present outlook with Turks.
Kalemkoy is one of Agva's oldest compounds. There you will find remains of churches and gravestones belonging to Romans. Gurlek Cave, which dates back to the late 3rd to the early 4th century in Hacilli Village, the ruins of a castle found in Hisar Tepe, and the big mill in Sungurlu Village are important findings.
In the second half of the 14th century, Turkmen people came from Konya, Karaman and Balıkesir and settled in Agva. Today, most people in Agva are the grandchildren of those Turkmen people.
Life in and around Agva dates back to times long ago. According to the researchers, Agva was inhabited in the Neolithic Age and was the first residential area of Istanbul. The prehistoric researches on the Black Sea’s coastal area, shows multiple residential areas dating back to Paleolithic and Epi-Paleolithic ages.
Some of the first known settlers in and around Agva were Milesians in around B.C. 8 where they established trade colonies. In B.C. 7, Milesians built coastal towns along the Black Sea.
According to historians, this area was invaded twice. The first invader was commander Xenophon of Ancient Greeks who was returning from a Persian expedition and the second being Roman commander Luccullus who followed the coastal line and reached the area.
In 1090 during Seljuk Dynasty’s sovereignty, Kutalmisoglu Suleiman Shah invaded the area and deemed it Turkish land.
In 1907, the first Crusaders retrieved the area from Seljuks and ruled there for a long time. Agva and the area around it was one of the castles of Byzantine. Then Ottoman Empire commander Yildirim Beyazit conquered that land.
Turkmen people who were brought to the area by the Ottoman Empire settled down and different Turkmen tribes names were given to their areas where they were located such as Hasanoğulları (Hasanlı village), Çengiloğulları (Çengilli village), Gökçeler (Göçe village), Gökmenler (Gökmaslı village), Çitaklar (Çataklı village), Karamanoğulları (Karamandere village), Yakupoğulları (Yakuplu village), Isaoğulları (Isa village), etc.
Göksu and Gökmaslı villages are two of the areas that remained almost intact due to rumors and expectations of a dam construction for many years. Named after Goksu River, this village is located near the river. Gokmasli village also has a coastline. Our daily tours to these beautiful villages will soon be announced on this site
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A Luckless Santa Claus
Miss Harmon was responsible for the whole thing. If it had not been for her foolish whim, Talbot would not have made a fool of himself, and—but I am getting ahead of my story.
It was Christmas Eve. Salvation Army Santa Clauses with highly colored noses proclaimed it as they beat upon rickety paper chimneys with tin spoons. Package laden old bachelors forgot to worry about how many slippers and dressing gowns they would have to thank people for next day, and joined in the general air of excitement that pervaded busy Manhattan.
In the parlor of a house situated on a dimly lighted residence street somewhere east of Broadway, sat the lady who, as I have said before, started the whole business. She was holding a conversation half frivolous, half sentimental, with a faultlessly dressed young man who sat with her on the sofa. All of this was quite right and proper, however, for they were engaged to be married in June.
“Harry Talbot,” said Dorothy Harmon, as she rose and stood laughing at the merry young gentleman beside her, “if you aren’t the most ridiculous boy I ever met, I’ll eat that terrible box of candy you brought me last week!”
“Dorothy,” reproved the young man, “you should receive gifts in the spirit in which they are given. That box of candy cost me much of my hard earned money.”
“Your hard earned money, indeed!” scoffed Dorothy. “You know very well that you never earned a cent in your life. Golf and dancing—that is the sum total of your occupations. Why, you can’t even spend money, much less earn it!”
“My dear Dorothy, I succeeded in running up some very choice bills last month, as you will find if you consult my father.”
“That’s not spending your money. That’s wasting it. Why, I don’t think you could give away twenty-five dollars in the right way to save your life.”
“But why on earth,” remonstrated Harry, “should I want to give away twenty-five dollars?”
“Because,” explained Dorothy, “that would be real charity. It’s nothing to charge a desk to your father and have it sent to me, but to give money to people you don’t know is something.”
“Why, any old fellow can give away money,” protested Harry.
“Then,” exclaimed Dorothy, “we’ll see if you can. I don’t believe that you could give twenty-five dollars in the course of an evening if you tried.”
“Indeed, I could.”
“Then try it!” And Dorothy, dashing into the hall, took down his coat and hat and placed them in his reluctant hands. “It is now half-past eight. You be here by ten o’clock.”
“But, but,” gasped Harry.
Dorothy was edging him towards the door.
“How much money have you?” she demanded.
Harry gloomily put his hand in his pocket and counted out a handful of bills.
“Exactly twenty-five dollars and five cents.”
“Very well! Now listen! These are the conditions. You go out and give this money to anybody you care to whom you have never seen before. Don’t give more than two dollars to any one person. And be back here by ten o’clock with no more than five cents in your pocket.”
“But,” declared Harry, still backing towards the door, “I want my twenty-five dollars.”
“Harry,” said Dorothy sweetly, “I am surprised!” and with that, she slammed the door in his face.
“I insist,” muttered Harry, “that this is a most unusual proceeding.”
He walked down the steps and hesitated.
“Now,” he thought, “Where shall I go?”
He considered a moment and finally started off towards Broadway. He had gone about half a block when he saw a gentleman in a top hat approaching. Harry hesitated. Then he made up his mind, and, stepping towards the man, emitted what he intended for a pleasant laugh but what sounded more like a gurgle, and loudly vociferated, “Merry Christmas, friend!”
“The same to you,” answered he of the top hat, and would have passed on, but Harry was not to be denied.
“My good fellow”—He cleared his throat. “Would you like me to give you a little money?”
“What?” yelled the man.
“You might need some money, don’t you know, to—er—buy the children—a—a rag doll,” he finished brilliantly.
The next moment his hat went sailing into the gutter, and when he picked it up the man was far away.
“There’s five minutes wasted,” muttered Harry, as, full of wrath towards Dorothy, he strode along his way. He decided to try a different method with the next people he met. He would express himself more politely.
A couple approached him,—a young lady and her escort. Harry halted directly in their path and, taking off his hat, addressed them.
“As it is Christmas, you know, and everybody gives away—er—articles, why”—
“Give him a dollar, Billy, and let’s go on,” said the young lady.
Billy obediently thrust a dollar into Harry’s hand, and at that moment the girl gave a cry of surprise.
“Why, it’s Harry Talbot,” she exclaimed, “begging!”
But Harry heard no more. When he realized that he knew the girl he turned and sped like an arrow up the street, cursing has foolhardiness in taking up the affair at all.
He reached Broadway and started slowly down the gaily lighted thoroughfare, intending to give money to the street Arabs he met. All around him was the bustle of preparation. Everywhere swarmed people happy in the pleasant concert of their own generosity. Harry felt strangely out of place as he wandered aimlessly along. He was used to being catered to and bowed before, but here no one spoke to him, and one or two even had the audacity to smile at him and wish him a “Merry Christmas.” He nervously accosted a passing boy.
“I say, little boy, I’m going to give you some money.”
“No you ain’t,” said the boy sturdily. “I don’t want none of your money.”
Rather abashed, Harry continued down the street. He tried to present fifty cents to an inebriated man, but a policeman tapped him on the shoulder and told him to move on. He drew up beside a ragged individual and quietly whispered, “Do you wish some money?”
“I’m on,” said the tramp, “what’s the job?”
“Oh! there’s no job!” Harry reassured him.
“Tryin’ to kid me, hey?” growled the tramp resentfully. “Well, get somebody else.” And he slunk off into the crowd.
Next Harry tried to squeeze ten cents into the hand of a passing bellboy, but the youth pulled open his coat and displayed a sign “No Tipping.”
With the air of a thief, Harry approached an Italian bootblack, and cautiously deposited ten cents in his hand. At a safe distance he saw the boy wonderingly pocket the dime, and congratulated himself. He had but twenty-four dollars and ninety cents yet to give away! His last success gave him a plan. He stopped at a newsstand where, in full sight of the vender, he dropped a two-dollar bill and sped away in the crowd. After several minutes’ hard running he came to a walk amidst the curious glances of the bundle-laden passers-by, and was mentally patting himself on the back when he heard quick breathing behind him, and the very newsie he had just left thrust into his hand the two-dollar bill and was off like a flash.
The perspiration streamed from Harry’s forehead and he trudged along despondently. He got rid of twenty-five cents, however, by dropping it into a children’s aid slot. He tried to get fifty cents in, but it was a small slot. His first large sum was two dollars to a Salvation Army Santa Claus, and, after this, he kept a sharp lookout for them, but it was past their closing time, and he saw no more of them on his journey.
He was now crossing Union Square, and, after another half hour’s patient work, he found himself with only fifteen dollars left to give away. A wet snow was falling which turned to slush as it touched the pavements, and the light dancing pumps he wore were drenched, the water oozing out of his shoe with every step he took. He reached Cooper Square and turned into the Bowery. The number of people on the streets was fast thinning and all around him shops were closing up and their occupants going home. Some boys jeered at him, but, turning up his collar, he plodded on. In his ears rang the saying, mockingly yet kindly, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
He turned up Third Avenue and counted his remaining money. It amounted to three dollars and seventy cents. Ahead of him he perceived, through the thickening snow, two men standing under a lamp post. Here was his chance. He could divide his three dollars and seventy cents between them. He came up to them and tapped one on the shoulder. The man, a thin, ugly looking fellow, turned suspiciously.
“Won’t you have some money, you fellow?” he said imperiously, for he was angry at humanity in general and Dorothy in particular. The fellow turned savagely.
“Oh!” he sneered, “you’re one of these stiffs tryin’ the charity gag, and then gettin’ us pulled for beggin’. Come on, Jim, let’s show him what we are.”
And they showed him. They hit him, they mashed him, they got him down and jumped on him, they broke his hat, they tore his coat. And Harry, gasping, striking, panting, went down in the slush. He thought of the people who had that very night wished him a Merry Christmas. He was certainly having it.
Miss Dorothy Harmon closed her book with a snap. It was past eleven and no Harry. What was keeping him? He had probably given up and gone home long ago. With this in mind, she reached up to turn out the light, when suddenly she heard a noise outside as if someone had fallen.
Dorothy rushed to the window and pulled up the blind. There, coming up the steps on his hands and knees was a wretched caricature of a man. He was hatless, coatless, collarless, tieless, and covered with snow. It was Harry. He opened the door and walked into the parlor, leaving a trail of wet snow behind him.
“Well?” he said defiantly.
“Harry,” she gasped, “can it be you?”
“Dorothy,” he said solemnly, “it is me.”
“What—what has happened?”
“Oh, nothing. I’ve just been giving away that twenty-five dollars.” And Harry sat down on the sofa.
“But Harry,” she faltered, “your eye is all swollen.”
“Oh, my eye? Let me see. Oh, that was on the twenty-second dollar. I had some difficulty with two gentlemen. However, we afterward struck up quite an acquaintance. I had some luck after that. I dropped two dollars in a blind beggar’s hat.”
“You have been all evening giving away that money?”
“My dear Dorothy, I have decidedly been all evening giving away that money.” He rose and brushed a lump of snow from his shoulder. “I really must be going now. I have two—er—friends outside waiting for me.” He walked towards the door.
“Two friends?”
“Why—a—they are the two gentlemen I had the difficulty with. They are coming home with me to spend Christmas. They are really nice fellows, though they might seem a trifle rough at first.”
Dorothy drew a quick breath. For a minute no one spoke. Then he took her in his arms.
“Dearest,” she whispered, “you did this all for me.”
A minute later he sprang down the steps, and arm in arm with his friends, walked off in the darkness.
“Good night, Dorothy,” he called back, “and a Merry Christmas!”
Note: This story was the first of a few that apperarred in the Newman News (Christmas 1912).
Перевод А. Б. Руднева: Санта-неудачник
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Общие дискуссии на тему ДНК »
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Результаты исследования древней ДНК (дДНК)
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АвторТема: Результаты исследования древней ДНК (дДНК) (Прочитано 64169 раз)
Re: Результаты исследования древней ДНК (дДНК)
Из автореферата диссертации О. Балановского
Еще интересный спойлер, что готовится к публикации (или в работе?) исследование дДНК из разных по времени захоронений одного археологического комплекса (Деренбург) от неолита включая несколько срезов более позднего времени.
The genetic impact of aztec imperialism: Ancient mitochondrial DNA evidence from Xaltocan, Mexico // American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Article first published online: 17 OCT 2012 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22152
Jaime Mata-Míguez et al.
In AD 1428, the city-states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan formed the Triple Alliance, laying the foundations of the Aztec empire. Although it is well documented that the Aztecs annexed numerous polities in the Basin of Mexico over the following years, the demographic consequences of this expansion remain unclear. At the city-state capital of Xaltocan, 16th century documents suggest that the site's conquest and subsequent incorporation into the Aztec empire led to a replacement of the original Otomí population, whereas archaeological evidence suggests that some of the original population may have remained at the town under Aztec rule. To help address questions about Xaltocan's demographic history during this period, we analyzed ancient DNA from 25 individuals recovered from three houses rebuilt over time and occupied between AD 1240 and 1521. These individuals were divided into two temporal groups that predate and postdate the site's conquest. We determined the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup of each individual and identified haplotypes based on 372 base pair sequences of first hypervariable region. Our results indicate that the residents of these houses before and after the Aztec conquest have distinct haplotypes that are not closely related, and the mitochondrial compositions of the temporal groups are statistically different. Altogether, these results suggest that the matrilines present in the households were replaced following the Aztec conquest. This study therefore indicates that the Aztec expansion may have been associated with significant demographic and genetic changes within Xaltocan.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.22152/abstract
Complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequences from the first New Zealanders // Published online before print October 22, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1209896109
PNAS October 22, 2012
Knappa et al.
The dispersal of modern humans across the globe began ∼65,000 y ago when people first left Africa and culminated with the settlement of East Polynesia, which occurred in the last 1,000 y. With the arrival of Polynesian canoes only 750 y ago, Aotearoa/New Zealand became the last major landmass to be permanently settled by humans. We present here complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the likely founding population of Aotearoa/New Zealand recovered from the archaeological site of Wairau Bar. These data represent complete mitochondrial genome sequences from ancient Polynesian voyagers and provide insights into the genetic diversity of human populations in the Pacific at the time of the settlement of East Polynesia.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/10/17/1209896109
Molecular genetic investigations on Austria's patron saint Leopold III // Forensic Science International: Genetics, Available online 8 November 2012
The successful marriage policy of margrave Leopold III increased the importance of the House of Babenberg in late medieval Austria (12th century). Historical documentation is inconclusive in providing evidence whether or not his eldest son Adalbert derived from an earlier relationship or from the marriage with King Henry IV's daughter Agnes of Waiblingen, with whom Leopold is considered to have had 17 children. As a matter of fact Adalbert was ignored in the line of succession in favor of a younger brother, Leopold IV, which has led to long term historical discussions. Human remains attributed to these individuals were subjected to DNA analysis. Autosomal, Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA analyses brought successful results, which suggested that Leopold III, Agnes and Adalbert were related in parent–son constellation, in contrast to historical considerations. A possible mix-up of Adalbert's remains with those of his younger brother Ernst could not be confirmed by DNA analysis.
Sample-ID DYS456 DYS389 I DYS390 DYS389 II DYS458 DYS19 DYS385 DYS393 DYS391 DYS439 DYS635 DYS392 YGATAH4 DYS437 DYS438 DYS448
AD 16 13 23 – 16 – 11, 14 13 (10), 11 – 23 13 12 15 12 19
L 16 13 23 28 16 – 11, 14 13 11 12 23 – 12 15 12 19
мтДНК: H1b
Tracing the Origin of the East-West Population Admixture in the Altai Region (Central Asia).
Mercedes González-Ruiz1, Cristina Santos1, Xavier Jordana2, Marc Simón1, Carles Lalueza-Fox3, Elena Gigli3, Maria Pilar Aluja1, Assumpció Malgosa1*
Received: July 17, 2012; Accepted: October 2, 2012; Published: November 9, 2012
A recent discovery of Iron Age burials (Pazyryk culture) in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia may shed light on the mode and tempo of the generation of the current genetic east-west population admixture in Central Asia. Studies on ancient mitochondrial DNA of this region suggest that the Altai Mountains played the role of a geographical barrier between West and East Eurasian lineages until the beginning of the Iron Age. After the 7th century BC, coinciding with Scythian expansion across the Eurasian steppes, a gradual influx of East Eurasian sequences in Western steppes is detected. However, the underlying events behind the genetic admixture in Altai during the Iron Age are still unresolved: 1) whether it was a result of migratory events (eastward firstly, westward secondly), or 2) whether it was a result of a local demographic expansion in a ‘contact zone’ between European and East Asian people. In the present work, we analyzed the mitochondrial DNA lineages in human remains from Bronze and Iron Age burials of Mongolian Altai. Here we present support to the hypothesis that the gene pool of Iron Age inhabitants of Mongolian Altai was similar to that of western Iron Age Altaians (Russia and Kazakhstan). Thus, this people not only shared the same culture (Pazyryk), but also shared the same genetic east-west population admixture. In turn, Pazyryks appear to have a similar gene pool that current Altaians. Our results further show that Iron Age Altaians displayed mitochondrial lineages already present around Altai region before the Iron Age. This would provide support for a demographic expansion of local people of Altai instead of westward or eastward migratory events, as the demographic event behind the high population genetic admixture and diversity in Central Asia.
« Последнее редактирование: 17 Ноябрь 2012, 09:50:24 от пенелопа »
Так понимаю, эта работа выложена в открытый доступ совсем недавно... хотя написана в 2011-ом...
Mitochondrial DNA in ancient human populations of Europe.
http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/handle/2440/74221
http://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/74221/1/02whole.pdf
Origin and Diet of the Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers on the Mediterranean Island of Favignana (Ègadi Islands, Sicily) // PLoS ONE 7(11): e49802. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049802
Mannino et al.
Hunter-gatherers living in Europe during the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene intensified food acquisition by broadening the range of resources exploited to include marine taxa. However, little is known on the nature of this dietary change in the Mediterranean Basin. A key area to investigate this issue is the archipelago of the Ègadi Islands, most of which were connected to Sicily until the early Holocene. The site of Grotta d’Oriente, on the present-day island of Favignana, was occupied by hunter-gatherers when Postglacial environmental changes were taking place (14,000-7,500 cal BP). Here we present the results of AMS radiocarbon dating, palaeogenetic and isotopic analyses undertaken on skeletal remains of the humans buried at Grotta d’Oriente. Analyses of the mitochondrial hypervariable first region of individual Oriente B, which belongs to the HV-1 haplogroup, suggest for the first time on genetic grounds that humans living in Sicily during the early Holocene could have originated from groups that migrated from the Italian Peninsula around the Last Glacial Maximum. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses show that the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Favignana consumed almost exclusively protein from terrestrial game and that there was only a slight increase in marine food consumption from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene. This dietary change was similar in scale to that at sites on mainland Sicily and in the rest of the Mediterranean, suggesting that the hunter-gatherers of Grotta d’Oriente did not modify their subsistence strategies specifically to adapt to the progressive isolation of Favignana. The limited development of technologies for intensively exploiting marine resources was probably a consequence both of Mediterranean oligotrophy and of the small effective population size of these increasingly isolated human groups, which made innovation less likely and prevented transmission of fitness-enhancing adaptations.
http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8268
Revisiting the harem conspiracy and death of Ramesses III: anthropological, forensic, radiological, and genetic study
BMJ 2012; 345 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e8268 (Published 17 December 2012)
Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e8268
Zahi Hawass, egyptologist1, Somaia Ismail, professor of molecular biology23, Ashraf Selim, professor of radiology4, Sahar N Saleem, professor of radiology4, Dina Fathalla, molecular biologist3, Sally Wasef, molecular biologist5, Ahmed Z Gad, molecular biologist3, Rama Saad, molecular biologist3, Suzan Fares, molecular biologist3, Hany Amer, assistant professor of pharmacology6, Paul Gostner, radiologist7, Yehia Z Gad, professor of molecular genetics2, Carsten M Pusch, molecular biologist8, Albert R Zink, paleopathologist9
Objective To investigate the true character of the harem conspiracy described in the Judicial Papyrus of Turin and determine whether Ramesses III was indeed killed.
Design Anthropological, forensic, radiological, and genetic study of the mummies of Ramesses III and unknown man E, found together and taken from the 20th dynasty of ancient Egypt (circa 1190-1070 BC).
Results Computed tomography scans revealed a deep cut in Ramesses III’s throat, probably made by a sharp knife. During the mummification process, a Horus eye amulet was inserted in the wound for healing purposes, and the neck was covered by a collar of thick linen layers. Forensic examination of unknown man E showed compressed skin folds around his neck and a thoracic inflation. Unknown man E also had an unusual mummification procedure. According to genetic analyses, both mummies had identical haplotypes of the Y chromosome and a common male lineage.
Conclusions This study suggests that Ramesses III was murdered during the harem conspiracy by the cutting of his throat. Unknown man E is a possible candidate as Ramesses III’s son Pentawere.
"Genetic kinship analyses revealed identical haplotypes in both mummies (table 1⇓); using the Whit Athey’s haplogroup predictor, we determined the Y chromosomal haplogroup E1b1a. The testing of polymorphic autosomal microsatellite loci provided similar results in at least one allele of each marker (table 2⇓). Although the mummy of Ramesses III’s wife Tiy was not available for testing, the identical Y chromosomal DNA and autosomal half allele sharing of the two male mummies strongly suggest a father-son relationship".
Genetic Data Suggests that the Jinggouzi People are Associated with the Donghu, an Ancient Nomadic Group of North China // Human Biology 84(4):365-378. 2012
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3378/027.084.0402
Wang et al.
Nomadic populations have played a significant role in the history of not only China but also in many nations worldwide. Because they had no written language, an important aspect in the study of these people is the discovery of their tombs. It has been generally accepted that Xiongnu was the first empire created by a nomadic tribe in the 3rd century BC. However, little population genetic information is available concerning the Donghu, another flourishing nomadic tribe at the same period because of the restriction of materials until the Jinggouzi site was excavated. In order to test the genetic characteristics of ancient people in this site and to explore the relationship between Jinggouzis and Donghus, two uniparentally inherited markers were analyzed from 42 human remains in this site, which was located in northern China, dated approximately 2500 years ago. With ancient DNA technology, four mtDNA haplogroups (D, G, C, and M10) and one Y chromosome haplogroup (C) were identified using mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms. Those haplogroups are common in North Asia and East Asia. The Jinggouzi people were genetically closest to the Xianbeis in ancient populations and to the Oroqens among extant populations, who were all pastoralists. This might indicate that ancient Jinggouzi people were nomads. Meanwhile, according to the genetic data and the evidences in archaeology, we inferred that Jinggouzi people were associated with Donghu. It is of much value to trace the history of the Donghu tribe and this might show some insight into the ancient nomadic society.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.3378/027.084.0402?af=R
Genetic comparison of the head of Henri IV and the presumptive blood from Louis XVI (both Kings of France).
Philippe Charliera, b, Iñigo Olaldec, Neus Soléc, Оscar Ramírezc, Jean-Pierre Babelond, Bruno Gallande, Francesc Calafellc, Carles Lalueza-Foxc.
a Department of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, University Hospital R. Poincaré (AP-HP, UVSQ), 104 R. Poincaré boulevard, 92380 Garches, France
b Laboratory of Medical Ethics and Forensic Medicine, University of Paris 5, 45 Saints Pères Street, 75006 Paris, France
c Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
d Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, Institut de France, quai Conti, 75007 Paris, France
e Archives Nationales, 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75003 Paris, France
A mummified head was identified in 2010 as belonging to Henri IV, King of France. A putative blood sample from the King Louis XVI preserved into a pyrographically decorated gourd was analyzed in 2011. Both kings are in a direct male-line descent, separated by seven generations. We have retrieved the hypervariable region 1 of the mitochondrial DNA as well as a partial Y-chromosome profile from Henri IV. Five STR loci match the alleles found in Louis XVI, while another locus shows an allele that is just one mutation step apart. Taking into consideration that the partial Y-chromosome profile is extremely rare in modern human databases, we concluded that both males could be paternally related. The likelihood ratio of the two samples belonging to males separated by seven generations (as opposed to unrelated males) was estimated as 246.3, with a 95% confidence interval between 44.2 and 9729. Historically speaking, this forensic DNA data would confirm the identity of the previous Louis XVI sample, and give another positive argument for the authenticity of the head of Henri IV.
sahaliyan
Fu et al
Hominins with morphology similar to present-day humans appear in the fossil record across Eurasia between 40,000 and 50,000 y ago. The genetic relationships between these early modern humans and present-day human populations have not been established. We have extracted DNA from a 40,000-y-old anatomically modern human from Tianyuan Cave outside Beijing, China. Using a highly scalable hybridization enrichment strategy, we determined the DNA sequences of the mitochondrial genome, the entire nonrepetitive portion of chromosome 21 (∼30 Mbp), and over 3,000 polymorphic sites across the nuclear genome of this individual. The nuclear DNA sequences determined from this early modern human reveal that the Tianyuan individual derived from a population that was ancestral to many present-day Asians and Native Americans but postdated the divergence of Asians from Europeans. They also show that this individual carried proportions of DNA variants derived from archaic humans similar to present-day people in mainland Asia.
http://intl.pnas.org/content/early/2013/01/17/1221359110.abstract
Ancient DNA Reveals Prehistoric Gene-Flow from Siberia in the Complex Human Population History of North East Europe // PLoS Genet 9(2): e1003296. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1003296, Published: February 14, 2013
Sarkissian et al.
North East Europe harbors a high diversity of cultures and languages, suggesting a complex genetic history. Archaeological, anthropological, and genetic research has revealed a series of influences from Western and Eastern Eurasia in the past. While genetic data from modern-day populations is commonly used to make inferences about their origins and past migrations, ancient DNA provides a powerful test of such hypotheses by giving a snapshot of the past genetic diversity. In order to better understand the dynamics that have shaped the gene pool of North East Europeans, we generated and analyzed 34 mitochondrial genotypes from the skeletal remains of three archaeological sites in northwest Russia. These sites were dated to the Mesolithic and the Early Metal Age (7,500 and 3,500 uncalibrated years Before Present). We applied a suite of population genetic analyses (principal component analysis, genetic distance mapping, haplotype sharing analyses) and compared past demographic models through coalescent simulations using Bayesian Serial SimCoal and Approximate Bayesian Computation. Comparisons of genetic data from ancient and modern-day populations revealed significant changes in the mitochondrial makeup of North East Europeans through time. Mesolithic foragers showed high frequencies and diversity of haplogroups U (U2e, U4, U5a), a pattern observed previously in European hunter-gatherers from Iberia to Scandinavia. In contrast, the presence of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups C, D, and Z in Early Metal Age individuals suggested discontinuity with Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and genetic influx from central/eastern Siberia. We identified remarkable genetic dissimilarities between prehistoric and modern-day North East Europeans/Saami, which suggests an important role of post-Mesolithic migrations from Western Europe and subsequent population replacement/extinctions. This work demonstrates how ancient DNA can improve our understanding of human population movements across Eurasia. It contributes to the description of the spatio-temporal distribution of mitochondrial diversity and will be of significance for future reconstructions of the history of Europeans.
http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1003296
Assessment of late Neolithic pastoralist's life conditions from the Wroclaw-Jagodno site (SW Poland) on the basis of physiological stress markers
Bohdan Gworysa,
Joanna Rosińczuk-Tonderysb,
Aleksander Chrószczc,
Maciej Janeczekc,
Andrzej Dwojakd,
Justyna Bazanb, Corresponding author contact information, E-mail the corresponding author,
Mirosław Furmaneke,
Tadeusz Doboszf,
Małgorzata Bonarf,
Anna Jonkiszf,
Ireneusz Całkosińskib
So-called physiological stress markers are extremely valuable in assessing life conditions of old human populations. They constitute effects of adverse environmental conditions, which leave traces on skeleton. Those traces allow for partial assessment of life conditions not only in environmental and social but also cultural aspects for prehistoric populations. The aim of this study is to estimate the influence of general environmental conditions on human organism at the final stage of the Neolithic period – in the Corded Ware culture. Two skeletons discovered in a tumulus on the outskirts of Wroclaw in the Jagodno district have been subjected to assessment. Their age at the moment of death has been determined in both cases on the basis of multi-feature analysis of changes occurring in formation of particular morphologic features of skeleton and teeth. Attention has been paid to the obliteration degree of skull sutures and the surface state of chewing tooth crowns. A comprehensive DNA analysis has been conducted determining sex of the remains. Also bacteriological analysis of the research material has been conducted. Measurements of all available metric features of the skeletons have been performed with the use of the Martin method. Inventory and basic description of the finds accompanying skeleton remains have been carried out as well. Intensity of the following physiological stress markers have been defined and evaluated: Harris lines; cribra orbitalia; cribra cranii. Skull morphology, degree of suture obliteration, surface state of chewing tooth crowns and estimation of degree of bone development of postcranial skeleton indicate that both skeletons detailed age was about 16 – 18 years. Harris lines on the femur were formed in the 2nd and the 3rd year of life and on both tibias – in the 2nd year of life. Obtained results indicate that those people were expose to stress connected with food deficit when they were very young. Poor porotic changes on the skull and isotopic data suggest that their life quality increased at later age.
Determining polymorphisms of SNP type from chromosome Y resulted in categorizing skeleton from grave no. 1 with very high probability into haplogroup G, whereas skeleton from grave no. 2 with very high probability into one of three haplogroups J, I or E*.
First insights into the metagenome of Egyptian mummies using next-generation sequencing
Rabab Khairat,
Markus Ball,
Chun-Chi Hsieh Chang,
Raffaella Bianucci,
Andreas G. Nerlich,
Martin Trautmann,
Somaia Ismail,
Gamila M. L. Shanab,
Amr M. Karim,
Yehia Z. Gad,
… show all 11
We applied, for the first time, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology on Egyptian mummies. Seven NGS datasets obtained from five randomly selected Third Intermediate to Graeco-Roman Egyptian mummies (806 BC–124AD) and two unearthed pre-contact Bolivian lowland skeletons were generated and characterised. The datasets were contrasted to three recently published NGS datasets obtained from cold-climate regions, i.e. the Saqqaq, the Denisova hominid and the Alpine Iceman. Analysis was done using one million reads of each newly generated or published dataset. Blastn and megablast results were analysed using MEGAN software. Distinct NGS results were replicated by specific and sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols in ancient DNA dedicated laboratories. Here, we provide unambiguous identification of authentic DNA in Egyptian mummies. The NGS datasets showed variable contents of endogenous DNA harboured in tissues. Three of five mummies displayed a human DNA proportion comparable to the human read count of the Saqqaq permafrost-preserved specimen. Furthermore, a metagenomic signature unique to mummies was displayed. By applying a “bacterial fingerprint”, discrimination among mummies and other remains from warm areas outside Egypt was possible. Due to the absence of an adequate environment monitoring, a bacterial bloom was identified when analysing different biopsies from the same mummies taken after a lapse of time of 1.5 years. Plant kingdom representation in all mummy datasets was unique and could be partially associated with their use in embalming materials. Finally, NGS data showed the presence of Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii DNA sequences, indicating malaria and toxoplasmosis in these mummies. We demonstrate that endogenous ancient DNA can be extracted from mummies and serve as a proper template for the NGS technique, thus, opening new pathways of investigation for future genome sequencing of ancient Egyptian individuals.
Neolithic mitochondrial haplogroup H genomes and the genetic origins of Europeans
Paul Brotherton,
Wolfgang Haak,
Jennifer Templeton,
Guido Brandt,
Julien Soubrier,
Christina Jane Adler,
Stephen M. Richards,
Clio Der Sarkissian,
Robert Ganslmeier,
Susanne Friederich,
Veit Dresely,
Mannis van Oven,
Rosalie Kenyon,
Mark B. Van der Hoek,
Jonas Korlach,
Khai Luong,
Simon Y.W. Ho,
Doron M. Behar,
Harald Meller
Haplogroup H dominates present-day Western European mitochondrial DNA variability (>40%), yet was less common (~19%) among Early Neolithic farmers (~5450 BC) and virtually absent in Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Here we investigate this major component of the maternal population history of modern Europeans and sequence 39 complete haplogroup H mitochondrial genomes from ancient human remains. We then compare this ‘real-time’ genetic data with cultural changes taking place between the Early Neolithic (~5450 BC) and Bronze Age (~2200 BC) in Central Europe. Our results reveal that the current diversity and distribution of haplogroup H were largely established by the Mid Neolithic (~4000 BC), but with substantial genetic contributions from subsequent pan-European cultures such as the Bell Beakers expanding out of Iberia in the Late Neolithic (~2800 BC). Dated haplogroup H genomes allow us to reconstruct the recent evolutionary history of haplogroup H and reveal a mutation rate 45% higher than current estimates for human mitochondria.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n4/full/ncomms2656.html
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Argentinean Mixology: Fernet and Coke
I knew I would write about Fernet and Coke one of these days. The trouble was finding a good story to tell…I wouldn't regale the tale of the time I had one Fernet too many, or the boisterous Fernet-downing rugby team we met at a party..and then as I was shooting photos of these icy glasses of Fernet and Coke, Guillermo got home from work.
"What? You're drinking Coke? " he said, seeing the bottle on our coffee table. (We're one of those weird households that almost never drinks soda.) "Where's the Fernet!?" He said, without seeing what I was doing. Then he rounded the corner to the kitchen, saw the Fernet and Coke, and we both burst out laughing. His was a sheepish 'oh, duh' snort, and he was surprised–like Coke, Fernet isn't something we have often. He happily helped me 'disassemble' the photo shoot.
Fernet Branca (or just Fernet to his friends) is an Italian liqueur, with a top-secret recipe that hasn't changed since its creation in 1845. Fratelli Branca Distillerie, who producesFernet, say it includes 27 different herbs and spices taken from four continents, including South African aloe, gentian root, chamomile, iris, rhubarb, gum myrrh, red cinchona bark, galanga, cinnamon, zedoary, and yellow Iranian saffron.
The dark syrupy liqueur has bitter, herbal flavor that's almost medicinal. In fact, it was created and marketed as a health tonic (thereby allowing it to bypass Prohibition laws in the US) by an Italian "self-taught apothecary" named Bernardino Branca. The name "Fernet" belonged to a 'Doctor Fernet', a fictional Swede with whom Branca shared the invention of the drink's to add authority to claims of Fernet's health benefits. While today it is used as a digestive or as a hangover cure, the tonic was formerly billed as curing everything from colic to cholera to menstrual cramps.
While some here would say it's…an acquired taste, in Argentina it's the national cocktail–inhabitants of the province of Cordoba consume more than 6.5 million bottles of it a year! Fernet's own webpage is an amazing journey through the drink's history to cocktail and food recipes. It has a song written about it (Fernet con Coca, by Vilma Palma), it's the favorite drink of Masters Golf Tournament winner Angel Cabrera, and it even has its own facebook fan page with 256,603–wait, make that 256,604–fans. It can be drunk with ginger ale, coffee, and of course, Coke. (Recipe follows)
Fernet con Coca
Fernet with Coke
2 oz. Fernet Branca
8-10 oz. Coke
Start by pouring the Fernet in over the ice–a tall frosted glass is preferred for serving. Slowly add the Coke, sip, add more Coke and sip, until the right flavor combination has been reached. Enjoy responsibly.
Filed under: Classics (Recetas Clasicas), Drinks (Bebidas), Fast Recipes (Recetas Rapidas) by Rebecca Caro
12 Responses to “Argentinean Mixology: Fernet and Coke”
KennyT, on July 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am Said:
Oh, I have never tried Fernet & Coke, I usually have it with coffee…. will give it a try, thanks a lot for your info.
Erin, on July 7th, 2009 at 3:37 pm Said:
The first time I tried Fernet con Coca, it tasted like mouthwash to me. However, after giving it several goes, I love it. Definitely an acquired taste.
florenciapiechotiuk, on July 7th, 2009 at 3:41 pm Said:
rico, espumante y alegre,,, un saludo desde Bowen Mendoza. R. Argentina Florencia.
guillermo, on July 8th, 2009 at 4:41 pm Said:
very nice article Rebe!
Giovanna, on July 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm Said:
We often drink Fernet and soda–good as an aperitif or after dinner (when you’ve overeaten!).
And long ago I made some Fernet fondant and dipped them in chocolate. I’ll have to try that again–a digestive candy…
Paz, on July 8th, 2009 at 6:36 pm Said:
Very cool. Never tasted this before.
Flavio, on July 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm Said:
I must try this one, i didn’t know Fernet Branca was so popular abroad!
Tlaz
Aledys Ver, on August 22nd, 2009 at 3:14 am Said:
Even if I don’t like the mix myself, I loved reading this entry about Fernet & Coke, for it’s in a way, a symbol of present-day Córdoba, I think, and I am very far away! I might even give it another try, just to have something that reminds me of my city.
Sean, on September 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm Said:
Boy are you coming to the right town. Did you know more than 50% of the Fernet consumed in the US is drank right here in San Francisco? It’s the local chefs’ drink, and therefore has taken on a certain cachet over the years. Several of the better cocktail establishments hereabouts make concoctions with it.
Nic, on March 1st, 2010 at 3:10 pm Said:
I am just back from Argentina and I loved the Fernet-Coke (and all the other things we ate and drunk, i.e. the fantastic wine).
Thank you so much for writing this blog, it’s amazing.
denisa, on September 30th, 2010 at 8:25 pm Said:
there’s also a diferent drink with mint fernet and fanta, also delicious!
Eric&Tiffany, on November 8th, 2010 at 11:55 am Said:
I see someone else from San Francisco beat me to the post (not surprising, since this has been up for more than a year). I’m a tour guide in the City and I love trying to get tourists and my friends from out of town to try Fernet. Maybe I will have better luck with the help of Coca-Cola!
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Wow- don't look now, but in *Kentucky*...
...they may be about to elect a Dem governor.
Trump was down there campaigning for the Republican incumbent just yesterday, along with Rand Paul.
With 98% of the vote reported, the Dem challenger is leading by ~1% - over 10,000 votes in a close election.
FWIW, in Fayette county, where Trump held his rally, the vote is going 65.5 Dem to 33% Republican incumbent.
Re: Wow- don't look now, but in *Kentucky*
Tightening ever so slightly with Beshear (D) at 49.4% and Bevin (R) at 48.6%. The actual vote difference is ~10,000 votes, with 1% (~14,000) votes still out.
Looks like neither will get 50% - does anyone know if this means a runoff in KY? A Libertarian candidate is pulling 2%.
Posted by: hal
and the Libertarian gets 28000 votes - well done buddy - you just helped an evil DEMOCRAT get elected.
interesting that Gov is the only KY race with a DEM leading. In all other elections, the repubs won by a decent margin.
Well, it is a pretty deep red state.
Posted by: Ombligo
Down to 6000 -- recounts and lawsuits to follow
“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld
"WE CALL BS!" -- Emma Gonzalez
Ombligo
I'm seeing 8100 at the NYT live count - but still very, very close.
Posted by: Dennis S
Why go to all that trouble when a box of ballots is stashed in someone's trunk?
Still really, really close, but NBC calls it for challenger Beshear.
Trump said something to the effect that it would look really bad on him if Beshear won.
Edit: Ah, here it is:
Trump had endorsed Bevin and campaigned with him in Lexington the night before the election, where the president told supporters that a loss by the GOP governor would be portrayed as Trump's having suffered "the greatest defeat in the history of the world. You can’t let that happen to me."
Your words, not ours, Mr. Prez.
Virginia House and Senate both flipped to the Democrats
NYT says 100% of vote in - 3659 of 3659 precincts reported.
Where will Kentucky Repubs come up with 4,659 votes to overcome their candidate's deficit?
Is there an automatic recount trigger at a certain threshold?
Dennis S
I dunno, but the margin is 0.3%, so I would not be at all surprised.
Just before 10 p.m., Beshear declared his victory to The Courier Journal and at his own watch party.
However, the AP wrote on Twitter that the race was too close to call.
Meanwhile, Bevin took the stage at his own party and said he would not concede.
[www.courier-journal.com]
Bevin says there have been some irregularities and they want the legal process to be followed so that in the end Kentucky has the governor its people elected. #kypolitics
— Morgan Watkins (@morganwatkins26)
A recount eh?
It doesn't matter who votes, it's who counts the vote that matters. - Old Russian proverb
irregularities
Yeah, too many Democrats voted.
There is no automatic recount process in Kentucky. Instead, a challenger must file a petition with the Franklin Circuit Court, by Nov. 13, to seek a formal recount. The challenger would have to front the cost of the recount. A Kentucky judge would manage the recount procedure.
[www.foxnews.com]
that's worth of a late-night monologue
Re: Wow- don't look now, but in *Kentucky*...
Posted by: steve...
sorry, senior moment.
Northern California Coast
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2019 09:29PM by steve....
VA Dems now control the whole show for the first time in quite a while. They’ll redistrict to ensure it stays that way for a decade or so.
So Democratic gerrymandering is OK, GOP gerrymandering not so much? And you wonder why folks think politicians are all the same and in it for themselves?
RgrF
I only report the news. I didn’t “say” it was OK.
On the other hand, if it’s currently rigged in Republicans’ favor now (and I don’t follow VA politics to know) then YES I’m more than good with a course correction, thanks.
VA Dems now control the whole show for the first time in quite a while.
is reporting
They’ll redistrict to ensure it stays that way for a decade or so.
is opinion
According to the SCOTUS, that’d be just fine.
It ain’t over until it’s over.
Bevin speaks:
I dunno youse guys - I did everything but kiss that big dumb pumpkinhead, and I still lost?!
You don't bring a knife to a gunfight. "Folks" oughta know that.
You're a political pro, it's your knife fight not theirs. Some "folks" actually expect their votes to go to people who won't lie to get those votes. I know that's a naive thought to a pro like you but believe it or not, not everyone has a job hanging directly on the election result like the pros do.
Some folks even believe in the concept of honest government that delivers services only government can deliver. They hope it will be done as corruption free as possible. I can remember a time when this sort of bilateral governance actually seemed possible and occasionally happened.
Doing away with the 'Fairness Doctrine' and granting a permanent visa to Rupert Murdoch were two of the biggest mistakes this country ever made.
Agreed, Pres. Obama tried being accommodating to Republican 'sensitivities' and it did him and the country no good.
Posted by: Sarcany
More than 2/3rds of the state is "blue." It's been that way for awhile. The population of the state has been growing as technology and government offices draw people to the region and the the educated young people coming to VA tend to align with dems.
Gerrymandering and disenfranchisement of black voters have kept republicans in power.
It's not a "course correction." It's restoration of democracy.
Sarcany
Yes, it's tough when there is an increase of smart, educated people in a state. Lots of things change like getting better schools, better roads, higher wages, especially better dental care, etc.
WTF are we arguing about this, when we agree it’s about righting the ship, which is literally what a course correction IS.
My apologies to anyone if it seems as if I advocate for an unfair Democratic advantage.
Actually, they won this time because Republican districts were found to be racially gerrymandered and had to be redrawn.
Virginia Democrats don't need to gerrymander in VA in order to win statewide. They have the numbers.
All of the hullabaloo about the Virgina and Kentucky elections is FAKE NEWS. I just checked the FOX News site and neither election is mentioned at all.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2019 11:34AM by Ammo.
I thought that you must be overly excited and stretching the truth a bit, but I just checked too. Not one mention of the elections.
Front and center are NINE articles about the americans slain in mexico.
Folk had no problem voting for a racist bigot (and his band of helpers) hellbent on crushing my liberty and freedom. Hellbent on destroying everything we've fought to create for hundreds of years simply because they're losing influence and fear no longer being the very idea and concept of what America is.
They are the Terminator (the representatives). They're never going to quit. You can't reason with them, you can't negotiate with them. They're going to keep going until we're all gasping for our breath because they refuse to address what's real.
In an ideal America where there is no racial animus, yeah, we can then focus on the economic divides that rankle us. We're not there yet. Europe isn't there yet either. Racial anxiety is the ONLY reason there is a Brexit. All of the other legitimate concerns in Britain wouldn't have led to the outcome of that radical vote. The Republican Party needs to be neutered.
I'm concerned, as others have mentioned about the consequences of absolute power by one side.
I'm concerned about overreach. I know that corporations (especially real estate speculators) know how to get rich regardless of who is in charge. They don't have to buy politicians, they just have to observe what the concerns are and position themselves slyly as part of the "solution."
We can't concede the political landscape to them. That's why we rack up so many losses.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2019 12:54PM by vision63.
Gov. Blevins was very unpopular. The rest of the statewide offices went red.
In Mississippi the Repugs picked up seats in the legislature.
Acer , C(-)ris , Carnos Jax , CW2V , Diana , mattkime , morlock , srf1957 , stephen , SurfMacJpMtb , Todd's keyboard , wave rider
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So you want to be a game designer?
I spent more than ten years working as a designer in the games industry and, although I've also been an author, comic book creator, scriptwriter and TV producer, it's game design that I get asked about most often. In particular people want advice about courses and ways into the business. Well, everybody's story is different, so anything I say probably won't be usable as a route map. Even so, if it's a career that appeals, maybe some of the following will be of interest.
I think of game designers as being "interested in everything" and in particular in straddling the arts/science boundary that tends to divide the majority of people. My college degree was in Physics but I'd always been interested in English too. After college I started writing role-playing game articles, and then choose-your-own style gamebooks, and that got me into writing novels and comics. And then I got a job as a game designer at Eidos (working on Warrior Kings, pictured below) and that seemed like the job I'd been training for without knowing it.
But there are other experiences. My senior assistant designer at Elixir Studios, Sandy Spangler, came into it from a quite different direction. She studied Fine Arts, went from there into character design and animation for TV, and then into art direction at a game developer, and from there into design.
As the game designer is really the "show runner", you need to be able to communicate your creative vision to the artists, coders, writers, voice and mo-cap actors and so on. Design is almost by definition the thing that unifies those disciplines into a new coherent opus. Of course, you have to be able to nudge people to do their best work without coming across as a supercilious know-it-all. Charm, humour, passion and a collegiate manner - what I used to describe as a "bridge of the Enterprise" attitude - will all help.
I'd always been a movie and comics buff right from earliest childhood, so over the years inevitably I picked up some visual skills by osmosis. Two weeks into my time at Eidos, I was showing one of the artists how giving his Tyrannosaurus rex a low, forward-leaning stance with its body parallel with the ground made it look a lot more threatening than an upright Godzilla-style posture. A decade on, working on Dreams (pictured above) at Elixir, I was drawing on rules from cinema to create a game with the focus on character interaction. If I could rewind now, I'd probably add a cinematography or photography course somewhere in my school years.
A designer doesn't need to be able to code but it won't hurt. Coders can be pretty superior types until you earn their respect by proving that you at least understand the architecture of the system. My degree-level maths, rusty as it is, counts as mad skilz in the games industry. Likewise, while you'll probably be hiring writers rather than doing most of the game dialogue in person, you should know enough about storytelling and drama to manage that part of the process. If you like acting or role-playing, that'll help both with narrative structure and performance.
So the skills needed are:
Visual sense (cinematography/narrative art)
Some maths
Some code
Some drama and storytelling
- and I guess the angle you come at that from (whether science/maths first like me, or art first like Sandy) really depends on what you find most inspiring. Then fill in the other skills as and when you get the opportunity.
Labels: Dreams, Eidos, Elixir Studios, game design, game development, Sandra Spangler, videogames
Lord Tenebron has risen from the grave
My first ever gamebook was Crypt of the Vampire, illustrated by Leo Hartas, and recently Leo was asked to do five new illustrations for a special colour edition of the book published by Megara Entertainment. It's not just window dressing. Megara also commissioned Way of the Tiger scribe David Walters to write a bunch of new sections for the book, expanding the adventure by about 30%.
David has done a fang-tastic job of matching the style and mood of the original book, while also making it more cohesive by building up the sense of the vampire as a threat throughout. So it's no longer just a dungeon bash. Now it really feels like you might find Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing around the next corner. (Possibly with Jack MacGowran and Alfie Bass not all that far away.)
You can get the new edition exclusively from Megara, while the original version is available from Fabled Lands Publishing on Amazon. Take your pick.
Labels: Crypt of the Vampire, David Walters, horror, Leo Hartas, Megara Entertainment, vampires
The Way of the Tiger - video review
Marco Arnaudo did a great review of the Critical IF books a while back, so it was a nice surprise to come across this review of The Way of the Tiger series. If you've only recently thawed out of a glacier since the early '80s, the series is based on Mark Smith's Dungeons and Dragons campaign and its unique blend of high fantasy, ninjutsu and Cthulhu mythos makes for a memorable setting coupled with a clever tactical combat system and richly immersive descriptive text.
Ooh, while you're here, in other news I've been working on a fully responsive rebuild of the Mirabilis website. This is a precursor to me and Leo Hartas launching a Patreon page, and quite probably a Kickstarter for an all-new gamebook.
Yes, I know my comments about the viability of using Kickstarter to create a book are on record. It would work a lot better if it was a gamebook app rather than a printed book, as that way all the funds raised could go towards the actual content rather than being eaten up by print and shipping costs. But I have a feeling that most gamebook fans prefer to own a physical copy, so that's something Leo and I will have to think hard about. More about that project and the Patreon page in due course.
Labels: gamebooks, Kickstarter, Marco Arnaudo, Mirabilis, Patreon, reviews, Way of the Tiger
Things within the shape of things
To round off our excerpt from The Mage of Dust and Bone, here's where Forge first sets off to study at Dweomer. I liked the idea of magic being about power, and power of course corrupts, which is where I was going with it. But the Fabled Lands agent (probably correctly) deemed that young readers want likeable characters. I find likeability is over-rated - and in any case Fabled Lands LLP hasn't got the resources to pay for this to get written - but just in case it should ever get completed and published, I've stuck to this flashback because it contains no real spoilers.
THE MAGE OF DUST AND BONE
In the kitchen, after a silent breakfast, it had suddenly hit him. Going away! Not to sleep in his own bed or ever again have porridge the way his mother made it. He saw all his future as a stone rolling to crush his happiness, blotting out the timeless days of playing in the sunshine outside their little cottage. He ran to his mother.
‘I don’t want to go,’ he cried. ‘I’ll never see you again.’
‘It’s a week’s journey at most,’ said his mother. ‘You’ll see us so often you’ll be sick of it.’
She stroked his hair, but he knew the calm manner was just her way of dealing with distress.
Through his tears he saw the Arch Mage looking at him. ‘I don’t blame the lad. But, Forge, you’re a magician born. That’s not a hook you can ever get out.’
His sobs became quieter. He was old enough to feel both the terrible wrenching heartache and also the humiliation of being thought a overwrought child. The older Forge, revisiting this sweetly painful memory, was glad he’d had that tantrum. He often felt guilty that he’d been too eager to leave his parents, but that scene in the kitchen must have made it clear he did love them. Now, in the present, with Lord Grazen’s threat hanging over them, that was more important than anything else.
‘It is the last time you will see him as the child he is now,’ the Arch Mage had told his parents. He was never one to coat the truth, however much it hurt. ‘The next time you may see him is in a year and a day, and by then he will have begun his journey on a new path.’
The way to the crossroads lay across Hetch Greyson’s fallow field. ‘There’s no coach due,’ his mother told the Arch Mage. Not for days, Forge knew. But he also knew it wouldn’t matter. They set off right after breakfast, through the gate (ninety-two swings now) and across the stile that was still darkly wet and slippery from a rainfall in the night. Forge was over and running, letting the long wet grass slap his legs, the Arch Mage following with Forge’s father carrying his pack. After his outburst at breakfast he felt free. He was ready.
He drank it in, not knowing when he’d be back. The way the sun’s rays awoke a million pinpricks of light in the dew. The thick shadows, liquid black under the hedgerows, and the dazzling blaze of coming day that haloed the trees. The rich reek of dung in the fields, the fragrance of honeysuckle, the drifting scent of wood smoke and cooking from surrounding farmsteads. He watched the Arch Mage’s robes swish through the long grass, the dampness on his silver-buckled boots.
‘The shimmer,’ said the Arch Mage, answering his unspoken thoughts. ‘Things within the shape of things, that’s what you’ll learn to see.’
His manner was more aloof now. He swept on across the field, not looking at Forge as he spoke. In the years to come, Forge was often to seek his approval, and sometimes earned it. But they would never again have that near-fellowship they had briefly shared in the early hour before the dawn.
The older Forge, watching it all in memory, was conscious of this as the last morning of his childhood. All the things he took for granted, that swept out behind him as he ran. Sensations that tumbled past, disorderly as dreamtime, never noticed but always there. These things were coming to an end. He was on the brink of a world where all phenomena were recorded, catalogued, studied and manipulated. The age of his innocence ended now, and the age of power began.
The Arch Mage had left his other cases to find their own way home. ‘They’re too impatient for a leisurely trip,’ he’d said. He carried only one small wooden box. As they reached the crossroads, he slid back the lid and took out a black-lacquered toy coach.
‘Travel a long road, you might as well travel in style, eh?’ He set the toy coach carefully down in the middle of the road, where the finger-post pointed to the coast. Crouched over it, he whispered some strange lilting words to it, the disquieting lullaby you might sing to a changeling. Straightening, he took Forge’s arm and turned him round. ‘Look over there a while. A thing like this is like pots boiling. It never happens if you watch.’
Forge’s mother hadn’t come. His father’s stolid calm was better suited to goodbyes. He put Forge’s pack down by the roadside and scratched his head. ‘A year goes faster than you’d think,’ he said. ‘And we can write.’
‘I could stay,’ said Forge, a little daunted as he felt a tingle of magic in the air. ‘I could be a blacksmith like you, Poppa.’
His father laughed. ‘Reminds me.’ He pulled a book out of his pocket. ‘Left this in the forge, you did, while “helping” me.’ He pretended to clout Forge on the head with it, then stuffed it into the pack.
‘Poppa – ’
‘It’s right for you, son. Some people are too big for the village. Not me, though you wouldn’t think it to look at me. But your mother nearly is, all five foot three of her. She just about squeezed herself into this way of life, but you couldn’t. Right from when you were a toddler I knew that, even before the Arch Mage came to tell us.’
The scrape of a hoof on the stones. Turning, they saw an elegant coach. The team of four horses stood silent but with an air of pent-up ferocity, as if ready for a race. The driver, hooded and unspeaking, gestured impatiently for them to get aboard.
‘Come.’
The Arch Mage already had Forge’s arm and was leading him towards the coach. The pack was in his other hand. Forge cast a look back at his father. Suddenly there wasn’t enough time. The future was happening like plunging over a cliff.
The older Forge seemed to see this all from a view already inside the coach. His younger self could have broken away. The Arch Mage wasn’t holding him tightly, just hurrying him along. He could have run back and given his father a last hug. But, overwhelmed by the moment, he didn’t.
If only he could rewind time now. Yet that is what he was doing, only to watch it again as a helpless observer. His father stood, big and awkward, and the younger Forge was already eagerly climbing up onto the black leather seats, entranced by the drapes that had been thimble sized a moment earlier. The Arch Mage closed the door to shut them in.
A jolt. Forge wasn’t braced, and was thrown back in his seat as a glimpse of meadows and woodland went flying by. From outside came a shout of alarm, but by the time he’d dragged himself to the window there was just a tiny figure far behind.
He thrust his head right out. It was a hurricane! The countryside swept past like green and golden clouds. The road was a blur beneath the sparks struck from the horses’ hooves. An inn loomed and then fell away behind. He glimpsed a gawping group of pilgrims, forced to scatter as the coach came through.
The fields and trees gave way to scrubby heath. Salt tang and seagulls’ shrieks. No cottages here. No more inns or wayfarers. And then, his first glimpse of the grey immensity of the sea.
Dweomer came in sight then, with its crashing waves and ramparts of rock. He knew it as home at that first glimpse. He waited tense in the seat, teeth bared in the rush of wind as the carriage hurtled on, eager to jump down and rush in under the great rune-carved lintel.
It was only the older Forge, watching the scene in his memory, who realized he’d never waved his father goodbye.
Labels: characters, Dave Morris, fantasy, likeability, novels, The Mage of Dust and Bone, writing
A breakfast of magic
Here's another installment of the aborted sort-of Fabled Lands teen novel The Mage of Dust and Bone. It's a lot to digest in one go, so I'll post the last half of this chapter on Friday. If you are in the mood for a rather lighter FL novel, try Jamie's The Lost Prince, which is a lot of fun. The illustration here is by Russ, of course, and I apologize for the poor scanning.
Forge rose early the next day, tiptoeing down from his shut-bed in the upstairs passage. A pale early-morning light floated in the upper branches of the beech trees that ran along the back of the garden, but the lawn was still sunk in charcoal darkness.
He padded in bare feet across the chilly kitchen floor. The familiar earthy smell came from the parlour. It crept up from under the floorboards in the night. That was where the Arch Mage had slept, the most comfortable room in the house. The door was open now and a bar of silver light lay across the grey gloom in the kitchen.
Forge went to the doorway and peeked inside. The hearth was cold, full of heavy ashes. The light came from a single lamp.
No, not a lamp. A jar. Inside it, imprisoned by blotchy glass, a tiny, fragile figure with gossamer wings struck a forlorn pose. By the light the fairy gave off, the Arch Mage sat surrounded by his travelling cases, all open now like puzzle boxes. One formed a writing desk beside him with inkwells, rows of quills, and rolls of crisp white paper. Another contained a dish of small pastel-coloured cakes along with bottles of wine or cordial. His couch had been one of the largest of the cases, unfolded to reveal sumptuous pillows and silk blankets of the kind Forge pictured in bedtime stories. Inside another case, a smouldering taper released a curl of jasmine smoke that hid the smells of last night’s cooking and the dank crawlspace soil.
But none of the travelling cases held anything as marvellous as the Book which floated in the air in front of the Arch Mage. It was so big that at first Forge took it for a painter’s easel, and the rich roughness of the binding put him in mind of freshly peeled bark. The Arch Mage was writing in it as he entered. Forge saw that he’d noticed him standing in the doorway, but for a moment the old man’s concentration was absolute. Then, removing his quill from the page, he beckoned Forge over.
‘Look there.’
He was dazzled by his first glimpse of the open Book. It was like having your head thrust into the middle of a rainbow. Colour and movement vibrated at the edges of his vision. At first he could see no pattern, only symbols that glided away as he tried to focus on them. If you have ever tried to read a book in a dream, you’ll know the feeling.
‘Here.’ The Arch Mage wiped the quill and pointed with it.
It was a word that hovered, floating above the rest of the text, not quite attached to the paper underneath.
‘What does it say?’
‘It’s your name.’
He was dubious. He knew how to read and write. The letters here looked more like pressed insects. Normal writing didn’t twitch, after all. Letters chalked on the slate in the village schoolroom didn’t waver with an obvious reluctance to be read.
‘Forge? Or Burntholm?’
‘Neither.’ The Arch Mage gestured, and the Book closed like a dungeon door. ‘It is your true name, the word that forms part of the entire work that is the world. Now you are written large, because you have a destiny.’
‘What is my destiny?’ said Forge, thinking of dragons and kingdoms to save.
‘All who study magic have a destiny,’ said the Arch Mage. ‘I will teach you to change the work of the world, perhaps only in minor ways, but still that is a thing worth writing in the book.’
‘How long will I be an apprentice?’ asked Forge. He’d been thinking about it all night.
‘Seven years, to begin with. Some leave then. If that’s your course, you’ll become what is called a journeyman. Perhaps you’ll set up a practice in a town, filling a space between the doctor and the priest and the fortune-teller. Other journeymen travel up and down, selling spells to make a person fall in or out of love, or a talisman to bring luck or guarantee a safe voyage.’
Forge picked up the tone of slight scorn. ‘What about those that stay?’
‘Another seven years and you’ll be a true mage. Lords will seek you out. They’re not interested in love, only in war. You’ll be paid to work spells to fortify their castles, protect them from treachery, ensure their sons grow up strong. They rarely ask for daughters or wisdom, you see.’ He laughed.
‘I’ll stay on. I want to be a mage.’
‘More knowledge makes for a more difficult life. The rich and powerful have never learned what it is to have their wishes denied. Some will ask for everlasting youth or for the dead to be brought back to life.’
‘But that can’t be done.’
The Arch Mage looked amused. ‘Oh, it can. Better not, though. Everything stays in the Book, you understand? You might take it from here and insert it some other place, but it can’t be erased altogether. In short, what is pushed down will press back up.’
Forge struggled to catch the thread of meaning that he felt was almost within reach. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said at last,
‘That’s what the fourteen years are for.’
‘How do you get to be an Arch Mage?’
‘Seven times seven years, and even then only one in seven makes it. There’s only ever the one Arch Mage.’
‘You must be very old.’
The Arch Mage smiled ruefully and worked the muscles of his neck. ‘And in the mornings I feel it more and more. Remember what I told you. Magic will only alter reality for a while.’
He nodded towards the windowsill and Forge turned to see a withered tendril lying there. It was the sprig of lavender he’d held the day before, now dead and grey. Forge touched it and it was as light as ash, even the residue of vitality burnt away. Now it was a husk, a thing that had never lived.
‘It could have lasted longer,’ said the Arch Mage. ‘We could find a flower in the garden and weave an enchantment into it so that it is still in bloom when this house is an abandoned ruin.’
‘So why didn’t this last?’ Forge crumbled the dead lavender with just the brush of his fingertips.
‘Because that was magic you worked.’ The Arch Mage laughed as Forge spun to look at him. ‘You knew. I only guided your wish. But, as you have no skill in these things as yet, the moment your attention was elsewhere the life drained out of it again.’
‘Will I be able to conjure marvels like this?’
‘This?’ The Arch Mage clapped his hands and, with a twang of springs and clasps, the boxes all snapped shut. ‘You will make true miracles happen. Much more than this.’
‘And will I write in the Book?’
It still floated in the air between them. Forge could feel the throb of secrets.
‘Very few find that is their destiny. It is the Book of All Things, Forge Burntholm. Don’t be in any hurry to add to those pages.’
‘Maybe.’ He was still young enough to be a little brazen. Later he’d learn to be in awe of the Arch Mage. But after all, so far he’d only seen tricks.
‘Come here, then. Come, I’ll show you.’ He took Forge’s hand, very lightly as one would move an injured bird, and placed it on the scale-patterned leather of the Book’s cover.
Forge was conscious of the Arch Mage’s gnarled fingers on his own soft hand. He shifted uncomfortably.
‘Be still,’ said the Arch Mage. ‘Without my help, you could not so much as touch the book. Now let your mind empty. Become a conduit – ’
‘What’s that?’
‘A channel. A drainpipe, say, along which that current I told you about can flow. It’s coming from the Book. You sense it, can’t you, flowing through you?’
Forge started to look around, then it hit him.
He felt things growing in the soil, and earthworms turning it. Insects scratching their way through the thatched roof. The mice in the walls, a-tremble with constant cat-shaped nightmares. He felt a bird in a nest under the gutter, where it had three blue eggs. The cat there by the banisters, keenly watchful in case the mice should venture out across the kitchen floor. The cockerel outside in the garden, absurdly pleased with himself, and the hens rustling in the coop as the approach of day astonished them.
And he could feel grass and trees and how the dawn filled them up, and the brook remembering and forgetting, forgetting and remembering, just like the fish it carried along. And the wind deciding when to blow, and shadows fitting themselves into their right places under the bushes, and the hinge on the gate that would need fixing after another ninety-three swings. The firm clay hill stretching in its sleep like an old sheepdog. Crops pushing impatiently to the sky. Livestock stirring, abiding the arrival of a new day’s warmth. Clouds being born, growing with majestic grace and then fading, some as light as a passing thought, others thick and bruised, harbouring in their heart the seed of storms.
And there was something else, even deeper than the world – a babbling of voices and feelings. People’s lives. Their thoughts. His father and mother, awake in a quiet room, looking at the paling window and hoping for some things to happen and some things never to. He heard a call of desire and intention and happiness and regret, that swept across the land from every household.
‘I can hear them! Everyone’s thoughts. I can – ’
He pulled his hand away as if it had been burned.
‘Oh yes.’ The Arch Mage smiled secretly. ‘You’re not just a journeyman, that’s for sure.’
Posted by Dave Morris at 00:00 No comments:
Labels: fantasy, novels, The Mage of Dust and Bone, writing
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Tagged: kodi
by FelizTech · Published May 24, 2017 · Last modified May 26, 2017
Kodi, that media player software loved by many people, has just received an update to 17.3. The update includes a variety of fixes to bugs and security issues. It’s recommended that all users update...
by FelizTech · Published April 28, 2017
Did an EU court just rule that streaming is illegal? Yeah but No but Yeah but…
A dutch court asked the EU for clarification on a number of issues for a case against a man selling “fully loaded” Android TV boxes. The EU court has clarified that for the purposes...
Kodi under threat? No, just more rubbish from the UK press
More Kodi “news” from “quality” media outlets the Mirror and the Express this morning, both announcing that Kodi is being targeted by a Swiss security firm who will “shut down” all third-party streaming services. Let’s take...
Kodi 17.1 – why, when and how to upgrade
Kodi 17.1 was released recently by the Kodi Team. This has caused a small storm in a teacup about whether users should upgrade. Allow us to explain… Kodi gets updated periodically, as with pretty...
Kodi 17 – How to organise favourites
Now, here’s something which perplexed us for a while. The above screen shot is the Kodi 17 Favourites menu. It’s neat. You scroll down the left menu to Favourites and all the things you’ve...
by FelizTech · Published April 1, 2017 · Last modified April 4, 2017
Kodi.tv site seized by Homeland Security???
UPDATE: It was, as we suspected, an April Fool’s joke. However, there was a serious message from the Kodi Team… However, despite the “seized-and-offline” gag, there’s a serious message here. It is genuinely...
by FelizTech · Published March 30, 2017
What is Kodi? Is it illegal?
Kodi is free media player software which runs on multiple platforms (Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, etc). Despite what you may read in the press, Kodi on its own is NOT illegal to own or...
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Submission Instruction:
1. Aims and Scope: The “Health Research Journal” is the official scientific and clinical quarterly publication of the Baqiyatallah Hospital (Tehran, Iran). It accepts Original Papers, Review Articles, Short Communications and Letters to the Editor in the fields of medicine and basic science.
2. Submission: Papers submitted for publication should describe original work, not previously published elsewhere, totally or partly. Manuscripts must be submitted only in Persian with English abstracts and should be written according to sound grammar and proper terminology. Submission is acceptable via Journal URL: http://hrjbaq.ir/login. The Manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter to the Editor-in-Chief, including title and author(s) name and undertaking that it has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
3. The title page: The complete title of the manuscript, the name of all the authors with their highest qualifications, the department or institution to which they are attached, address for correspondence with telephone numbers, e-mail, and or Fax number.
4. The abstract (no more than 350 words) in structured format as introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Conclusion followed by 3 to 6 Keywords must be presented. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of index medicus: (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html).
5. Introduction: This should summarize the purpose and the rationale for the study. It should neither review the subject extensively nor should it have data or conclusions of the study [in Persian].
6. Materials and Methods: This should include exact method or observation or experiment. If an apparatus is used, its manufacturer’s name and address should be given in parenthesis. If the method is established, give reference but if the method is new, give enough information so that another author is able to perform it. If a drug is used, its generic name, dose and route of administration must be given. For patients, age, sex with mean age ± standard deviation must be given. Statistical method must be mentioned and specify any general computer program used. The Info system used should be clearly mentioned [in Persian].
7. Results: It must be presented in the form of text, tables and illustrations. The contents of the tables should not be all repeated in the text. Instead, a reference to the table number may be given. Long articles may need sub-headings within some sections (especially the Results and Discussion parts) to clarify their contents [in Persian].
8. Discussion: This should emphasize the present findings and the variations or similarities with other work done in the field by other workers. The detailed data should not be repeated in the discussion again. Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. It must be mentioned whether the hypothesis mentioned in the article is true, false or no conclusions can be derived [in Persian].
9. Conclusion: this part summarizes all new finding of study and proposes some suggestion for new therapies/methods/strategies and clears current therapies/methods/strategies problems [in Persian].
10. Acknowledgement: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be covered in the acknowledgement section. It should include persons who provided technical help, writing assistance and departmental head who only provided general support. Financial and material support should also be acknowledged [in Persian].
11. References: Personal communications, manuscripts in preparation and other unpublished data are not cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text in parentheses. Identify references in the text by Farsi numerals in parentheses on the line. References should be typed, double-spaced, and separate from the text and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. (References cited in figures and tables, but not in the text, should be numbered consecutively following the text references.) Journal references should contain inclusive page numbers; book references specific page numbers. Indicate abstracts by the abbreviation ‘Abst’ and letters by ‘Lett’ in parentheses. Abbreviations of journals should conform to those used in Index Medicus, National Library of Medicine. The references should observe the following style:
Periodicals: List all authors if six or fewer; otherwise, list first six and add ‘et al’. Do not use periods after the authors' initials
1. Vimala N, Mittal S, Kumar S. Sublingual misoprostol versus oxytocin infusion to reduce blood loss at cesarean section. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2006;92(2):106-10.
2. Patted SS, Goudar SS, Naik VA, Bellad MB, Edlavitch SA, Kodkany BS, et al. Side effects of oral misoprostol for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage: results of a community-based randomised controlled trial in rural India. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2009;22(1):24-8.
Books: Basmajian JV. Grant’s Method of Anatomy. 11th ed. Baltimore: Williams Wilkins; 1989.
Chapter in book: Monks R. Psychotropic drugs. In: Wall PD, Melzack RA, editors. Textbook of Pain. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1994. p. 963-89.
12. Conflicts of interest: Authors must acknowledge and declare any sources of funding and potential conflicting interest, such as receiving funds or fees by, or holding stocks and shares in, an organization that may profit or lose through publication of your paper. Declaring a competing interest will not lead to automatic rejection of the paper, but we like to be made aware of it.
13. Page charges: There are no charges for publication in this Journal.
14. Copyright: Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the Health Reas. J and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the Editor.
15. Peer review process: All manuscripts are considered to be confidential. They are peer-reviewed by at least 2 anonymous reviewers selected by the Editorial Board. The corresponding author is notified as soon as possible of the editor decision to accept, reject, or require modifications. If the manuscript is completely acceptable according to the criteria set forth in these instructions, it is scheduled for the next available issue.
The Final Checklist
The authors must ensure that before submitting the manuscript for publication, they have taken care of the following:
1. Title page should contain title, name of the author/co-authors, their qualifications, designation & institutions they are affiliated with and mailing address for future correspondence, E-mail address, and Phone & Fax number.
2. Abstract in Structured format up to 350 words.
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10. Covering Letter
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Saturday, September 24th, The Alberta Street Pub, Portland, Oregon
The dynamic Portland pop rock duo Here Comes Everybody turned 30 in 2016! In celebration, HCE will release “Everything Is Here:1986-1992,” a two disc collection of the band’s complete early recordings, most of which have never before been available on cd or digital download. That’s right, in 1986 indy bands were releasing mostly cassette tapes! The band’s first four e.p.’s have been lovingly remastered and repackaged for your listening and tactile pleasure. 22 songs! Additionally, the band hopes to screen its first rock video since “Blue Refrigerator”!
Joining HCE on the bill is Dirty Looks, Portland’s only surf-hip-hop rock band.
Come help the band (Michael, René, and Don) celebrate this most momentous ocassion!
THIS IS NOW: ANNOUNCING THE NEW ALBUM BY HERE COMES EVERYBODY– “PLAY: SONGS FROM SHAKESPEARE”
June 23, 2014 /0 Comments/in News /by hce
With twelve album and e.p. releases to their credit, Here Comes Everybody celebrates in 2014 the 450th birthday of the greatest writer the English language has ever known by releasing a record of their special brand of pure pop rock that takes its lyric content exclusively from the plays of William Shakespeare. To be released in the fall of 2014, the record, “Play: Songs from Shakespeare,” is an energetic and various collection of piano rock infused with jazz, electronica, and progressive leanings, featuring inventive and nuanced contributions from Dave Captein, Al Torres, and long-time HCE collaborator David (Grilch) Gilde. Like the band on Facebook or follow the News Blog for details about the CD release party!
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Games => Gaming General => Topic started by: Kasferatu on April 16, 2017, 04:36:33 PM
Title: General gaming chatter
Post by: Kasferatu on April 16, 2017, 04:36:33 PM
Looks like we don't yet have a thread for general gaming updates.
I grabbed a second hand Wii U yesterday for... reasons. I only have Mario Kart 8 right now which is an absolute blast, but there are a few other games I definitely want to pick up - Breath of the Wild for one.
Most of my time right now however is spent playing Witcher 3. I'm only about 20 or so hours in, but this is an absolutely engrossing game. I can't think off hand of an open world RPG I've enjoyed more and I know I'm probably not even 10% through it because I'm really taking my time with it. It probably helps that I read all 7 novels before starting playing so I'm really invested in the world.
Title: Re: General gaming chatter
Post by: Sssith on April 17, 2017, 01:18:21 PM
I really want to find the time to get into Witcher. I tried playing the first one recently but it is pretty dated. Might preserve with it on the easiest setting to get through it.
Right now I am mostly playing ME:A which I will be posting about somewhere else.
Post by: Pixie on April 17, 2017, 02:28:30 PM
The problem with The Witcher is... the witcher. As in, Geralt. The world and everything else about the series is great but Geralt is an absolute tool of a character. He's flat, uninteresting, even downright boring. It's just a chore to play as him. He has zero redeeming/interesting qualities.
Give me the same series with a better protagonist and I would play the shit out of it.
I think that is a problem with the way the game is portraying him. Or worse still, the fact the game is giving you choice and thus can't give Geralt a character. From the books, he is a character with a lot of nuance, but book Geralt would resolve many of the quest options in a particular way.
I would argue the criticism could be levelled at most western RPGs though, but the fact you can't customise the looks of Geralt in the same way you can a character in something like Mass Effect makes it feel more like Shephard is you than Geralt is you.
I can't customize Aloy, or Lara, or Nilin, or any of a hundred other characters and they manage to be interesting and demonstrate growth and development and have personalities... none of which Geralt manages to do.
Post by: Kasferatu on April 18, 2017, 01:53:39 AM
I only recognize Lara from that list but that doesn't appear to me a fair comparison. They could write Lara's script in it's entirety knowing you would play that out and can't deviate. In the Witcher Geralts character and choices are left in the hands of the player. He's closer to Shepherd or the Inquisitor in that regard, and I would argue those are equally characterless.
Post by: maxbeedo on April 22, 2017, 09:34:12 PM
Been playing World of Final Fantasy. It's pretty average for the most part, with relatively boring turn-based combat (not as strategic as it could be), although I'm starting to where they put effort into the game. For the most part it's a Pokemon/Ni-No-Kuni clone with Final Fantasy characters, though since it was designed by Tetsuya Nomura the backstory is ridiculous and crazy ala Kingdom Hearts. Thankfully, whoever did the translation/writing of the textual information in the game did an amazing job of not only making it sound interesting, but making it funny. The voiced dialogue is nothing special and the new characters are uninteresting at best, and terribly annoying at worst, but they did make an effort to bring back the original voice actors for the FF characters and they do a fine job.
Here's an example of some of the writing:
"Maybe you've heard the expression the conductor used - 'peachy keen'- once or twice before. Did you know where it comes from though? About fifty years ago, 'keen' was another word for 'cool.' And fifty years before that, folks called cool things 'peachy.' Makes you wonder if people a century from now will be saying things like 'phat diggity' or 'totes bodacious' or 'carpe YOLO." (cringe) Let's just hope we're not around to see the worst of the fallout."
"Shiva tried to march right on home once she saw that Sherlotta and Refia weren't accompanied by a cadre of hunky guys--but what exactly would she have done if there were men present? Freeze 'em up and use 'em to decorate her room? Does she have an icebox somewhere filled with frozen beefcake?"
Post by: lemming on May 03, 2017, 09:10:52 PM
no more steam inventory gifts (http://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/1301948399254001159)
Can't say I like this.
Post by: Pixie on May 03, 2017, 10:51:29 PM
Yeah, they've done fucked steam gifting up haaaaard. No more stockpiling your inventory full of games during a sale to give away later. Ugh.
Post by: Timinator on May 04, 2017, 03:31:01 AM
Ok, so it means you have to know WHO you are giving it to as you gift? I'm not quite sure I'm over all the details. I've done a bit of this but not much, so possibly out of the loop here.
Post by: maxbeedo on May 06, 2017, 01:07:21 AM
Picked up a bunch of games. Abzu and Tales from the Borderlands were the free games on PS+ this month which I've heard good things about. There was also a sale on I Am Setsuna, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered, and Nier:Automata so I picked those up. Now to decide what to play first.
Post by: Kasferatu on May 09, 2017, 01:54:28 PM
Nier: Automata is definitely a game I'm going to grab at some future point. I loved Valkyria Chronicles so hope you enjoy it too!
I'm now 55 hours into Witcher 3 and still exploring the first area outside the tutorial. I think this may be my favourite open world RPG of all time.
Post by: Sssith on May 09, 2017, 02:46:41 PM
Still making my way through ME:A. Enjoyable enough so far. When done I will try to compile my thoughts.
I lost it somewhere in ME:A. I'm a bit heartbroken about it, but it just... got boring. I still plug away at it here and there though.
I need to get back to NieR but my 360 controller is on the fritz so I'm waiting until I can buy a new one.
In the meantime, I'm back to playing (modding) Fallout 4. Playing a STR build, all melee and big guns. A "Wounding Minigun" is loltastically broken.
Also, the new Prey is freaking amazing. By all accounts, it's basically System Shock 3 but since I never played 1 or 2, I can't vouch for that.
Finished Tales from the Borderlands. Overall pretty good, although that's mostly because I recognized almost all of the voice actors and are some of my favorites. First time playing a Telltale game and I definitely won't play any others though (would never have played this one if it wasn't free), since I favor mechanics and their stuff barely count as games.
Started I Am Setsuna. A few interesting gameplay mechanics, but also some really bad design philosophies and misleading tips. Got into a battle where one character had story-wise become a lot more powerful, so I switch them into the party, and they're 4 levels lower than the rest of my party, with only 1 ability that did nothing special to the boss, and when the boss died he did a dying AoE attack that one-shotted that character which resulted in a game over even though he wasn't a main character, other characters survived, and nothing in the description suggested he needed to be protected for that battle (when it was optional for me to use him anyway). I lost 2.5 hours of progress, since there are no auto-saves, no inns, and no save points in most areas.
Post by: Pixie on May 13, 2017, 07:55:35 AM
Quote from: maxbeedo on May 13, 2017, 01:18:28 AM
I favor mechanics and their stuff barely count as games.
Insert epic eyeroll here.
Post by: Sssith on May 13, 2017, 10:20:18 AM
Hey...I think he is entitled to be wrong...no need to roll your eyes at him. :P <-- I need a better tongue in cheek emoji. :)
BTW max, the best game in Tell Tales arsenal is Walking Dead. It is also more 'gamey' than there other ones. And yes, the game mechanics are rather more simple, but it is still a game. It is obviously about the story immersion that those games achieve that makes them notable. Walking Dead is probably in my top five games that I have played this decade. Not every game can be ME:2, that has a great story and in depth game mechanics.
Post by: maxbeedo on May 13, 2017, 12:32:19 PM
There's a particular mental itch I need to scratch with mechanics, something I can dive into and absorb so my brain will finally stop thinking about work or other annoying things. I would be surprised if any of you didn't understand that considering our shared obsession with Diablo 2, unless you're the opposite and "slogged" through the gameplay just to finish the story (if so then hats off to you because that's quite a slog comparably). Playing a Telltale game is essentially like watching a good movie but one that turns off every few minutes unless you hit a random button on the screen. Or, if you prefer, the story and voice acting is way out of proportion better than the "game" around it, which other series have problems with sometimes too (Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, Bioshock, etc.). They're still games I'm happy to "have played" when I'm done, but I don't get a lot of enjoyment "during" them and will never go back to. If there is no effort put into designing the gameplay, there's a certain cutoff point at which I'd rather it just be a movie.
I would be hyped for a Borderlands 3 with the same characters though.
Sounds like the problem is with you, not with the definition of what counts as a game. ;)
What is your definition then?
From what you read, it sounds like just being immersed to forget about "real life dramas". A shame the breaks get in the way for you. Some people really get into the dialog, the puzzles etc, and try to think about all the possible paths, and how they would try to do something different next time.
When Steam trading cards first came out, I got a foil for Half life 2. I could have sold it for $17 but didn't .. something about it seeming so shiny and rare. Some years later I decided to finally get the other 7 cards. I've acquired 6 more and have sold some other cards from booster packs. The price to buy has seemed just out of reach. Recently I've managed to get a few sales, but as other ones sell, it seems the price is still just out of reach which is quite annoying!
I now have $1.45 NZ, but need $1.52.
I see others have sold recently for $1.34, $1.35, $1.37, $1.39!!
Call me obsessed but I must have it!
Post by: Timinator on May 15, 2017, 03:38:51 PM
Bitching always works, I wake up and my buy order at a lower price went through. I have 11 cents to spare :D
Post by: Lego on May 15, 2017, 06:28:21 PM
I got talked out of selling my xbox one out of spite, but I'm still dismayed at the recent "story based games have no place here" comments :(
Quote from: Lego on May 15, 2017, 06:28:21 PM
I think thats going a bit far, he is just saying it doesn't float his boat, and its only one person.
Post by: narsica on May 16, 2017, 12:04:07 AM
Telltale games look boring as shit.
Post by: Lego on May 16, 2017, 06:08:40 AM
Quote from: narsica on May 16, 2017, 12:04:07 AM
Thanks Tim. That's actually good news.
The telltale sign its from an angry Canadian is it says "Narsica" next to the post, not my name. I've had some fun .. haven't actually finished one yet (started 3 different ones so far)
Oh man I LOVED the Telltale Walking Dead games. The plots and branching storylines were awesome.
Post by: Godji on May 16, 2017, 09:29:43 AM
TBF, I don't mind "narrative" games (loved Gone home, Heavy Rain mixed tedious and absolutely brilliant, Beyond : Two Souls was a disaster) but Walking Dead was just quite poor I found. The thing with narrative games is that they're only just as strong as their story, and WD felt like a collection of overplayed zombie clichés, only decent chapter was the one with the farm which had a reasonably original twist.
Branching is an illusion : none of the choices have any lasting impact whatsoever, you largely have the same chars dying in the same situations, you will switch which char dies to situation A and which to situation B. Choices with no consequences are no choices at all (recent major disappointment on this topic : Quantum Break). While it is obviously still limited, I LOVED how Heavy Rain dealt with this situation and had extremely interesting replay value, if you didn't get to play it and you do like narrative games, it has its (big) defaults, but deals with some of these aspects better than any game I've seen; go play it.
And I've heard they have cut out those parts since in other games, that WD was the first and they were still unsure they wanted to ditch the point & click heritage, but the very little gameplay there was actually detracted from the game : most puzzles were absolutely trivial, and GOD THE CHARACTER WALKED SLOWLY. Seriously, watch in hand, it took more than two or three minutes to navigate the farm I mentioned earlier just to go talk to character B after character A. I felt I spent more time walking than actually having anything happen, it drove me mad. Well, madder.
I got Tales of Borderland for free too since I do have a PSN subscription, but most likely will skip it too (not having played any Borderlands game doesn't really help).
Heck, that reminds me that I had gotten the Telltale game from Fables because I love the comic series (at least the first half, quality nosedived soon after with major Deus Ex Machina solving from nowhere crisis which should have been major events), and WD was such a disappointment I never got to launch it.
It shows how people's tastes vary. For me Walking Dead is probably one of my favourite games of all time. I thought it was absolutely brilliant and very few games have invoked the kind of feelings in me that Walking Dead did. That said, I would concede that a lot of the puzzle elements were not great and got in the way of the narrative.
Tales from the Borderlands is also an absolutely fantastic game, probably my second favourite of the Telltales.
Like them or not, my problem is people saying "they're not games." It especially drove me batty when this mantra got thrown around left and right after Gone Home came out (in that particular case, the bile was multiplied by the wailing of the deeply threatened MRA crowd).
It's interactive? You engage with it? It's a game, bottom line. Doesn't matter if all you do is press the SPACEBAR to continue every 5 minutes. It's a game. Shooters? Games. Puzzles? Games. Point-n-Clicks? They're games. Walking simulators? They're games. Visual Novels? Games.
Oh it is definitely a game. Otherwise how can it be one of my favourite games of all time? :D
This reminds me of two things. That feeling I got with the Back to the Future game. It has THE music. It started with the iconic scene in the garage plugging into the amplifier.
That stuff was GOLD. Some bits of it didn't follow the movies and were a bit weird with different characters and settings. I think I got stuck, or didn't fire it back up.
Similar with TWD. At that farm point you had to get in the barn. I hadn't worked it out, never bothered to fire it up again to try again in about 4 years.
Just starting a run-through of Dragon Age: Origins. As much as I've played it I've only beat it twice, never with a melee character. God, I had forgotten what RPG fucking perfection this game is. Dual-wielding thief is pretty fun so far. No plans for the character, just going to go with whatever seems natural to her at any given moment. Dalish elf.
Dalish Elf origin is my favorite, despite the fact that "The Internet" hates it.
That moment when s/he looks back on the clan for the last time while heading out with Duncan? The Feels!
Dalish Elf origin also has possibly the most interesting lore tidbit that might come into play heavily in whatever Dragon Age 4 might be, that the ruins you go through were actually built by both Humans and Elves together, worshipping their gods side by side. Parts of DA:I go into this as well, hinting at some of the history of the world not being what everyone there thinks it is, which I find quite interesting.
Also, Merrill in DA:O > Merrill in DA2. :P
I really need to reinstall DA:O and just play all the beginnings.
I have only done City Elf, and human noble (I think -- it has been a while).
Post by: Dust on May 24, 2017, 02:54:07 AM
Has anyone got in on this months Humble bundle? (https://www.humblebundle.com/humble-indie-bundle-18?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=HIB18_Announce_Boost) It has a few things im intrigued by...
never bothered with a monthly bundle. Goat simulator is fun
Finished I Am Setsuna, Tokyo RPG Factory's Chrono Trigger clone (by their own description). Probably a 6/10. Doesn't do anything particular well, but doesn't do anything particular bad either. Average story, average character development, battle system has depth but most of that depth is unnecessary, some interesting mechanics, which is about all that can be expected as a first major game from a new small studio. Glitchless speedruns run about 4 hours, so it's not terribly long, if the initial price were lower it'd probably be more popular (it's $40, I got it on sale for $24).
Now on to Nier: Automata.
I've been playing Tales of Berseria pretty much exclusively now for the last 10 days or so. It's so darn good. I'm not generally a fan of JRPGs for lots of reasons, but this one has really clicked for me. And I'm in love with the characters.
Quote from: Dust on May 24, 2017, 02:54:07 AM
I got the first tier, although I was sorely tempted to see if Kentucky Route Zero is as good as I've been led to believe. Now of course, I'm looking at the Game On Bundle (https://www.humblebundle.com/gameon-bundle) for 80 days, remastered Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle. Hmm.
Stanley Parable is recoommended by me, quite different. Borderslands Prequel was made by an Aussie team. Lots of aussie accents and slang in it. Plays like another Borderlands game.
Post by: Kasferatu on May 27, 2017, 07:14:27 AM
I'm still investing most of my gaming time into Witcher 3. Probably at 80-90 hours so far and still probably only between half and two thirds of the way through the game judging solely on the level of some of the quests in my log and the fact I'm currently level 20.
Kentucky Route Zero is "All that and more" according to everyone I know who has played it.
Goat Simulator is good stupid fun for an hour.
Her Story gets nothing but rave reviews from friends. Ditto for Stanley Parable and Grim Fandango.
Borderlands Presequel is... more Borderlands.
The Broken Sword series is good but it seems weird to only offer #5.
My survival mode FO4 is still going. I am now level 64. Doing BOS quests. Getting closer to the end.
Quote from: Pixie on May 26, 2017, 11:42:08 PM
I've been thinking of picking it up. I picked up Tales of Xillia after seeing a review for it and was surprised how likable the characters were. Bought the sequel and enjoyed it too.
A couple hours into Nier: Automata and it hasn't really clicked yet. The game taking over the camera control constantly is still bugging me, especially when it does it in the middle of a boss fight. It can be fun exploring the world since movement is quick and gravity is not an obstacle, though the collect-a-thon seems to be strong with this one since a single weapon upgrade takes 5-10 of 4 different items that you can only find singles of scattered around the world (or as semi-rare drops from enemies). It's not really clear what areas you are supposed to be in for your level, as I've run into NPCs I talked to before while there were level 10 enemies around, and those NPCs triggered quests with level 35 enemies. Skill is still more important than stats, so I haven't died yet, but it takes soooooooo long to kill things above your level so it's not super fun.
Mostly playing Dragon's Dogma, which took me a little while to get into but that I'm now loving, and when I want something mindless, Vanquish, which despite being a typical third-person shooter, a genre I'm usually not really keen on, is so over the top and reasonably easy that I'm having a great time.
Oh, still playing some GTA online too when friends are available.
Post by: mn4nu on May 28, 2017, 08:33:22 AM
Started playing FO4 again, after nearly a year off. Very fun. I am too much of a scrounger and it makes progress slow.
Quote from: mn4nu on May 28, 2017, 08:33:22 AM
I have hit lvl 71...see if you can catch up. :P
Overall I think the Brotherhood of Steel collectively have a broom shoved up their ass. That said it is shaping up to be the most interesting story line. Closing in on the end (finally).
Post by: mn4nu on May 30, 2017, 02:04:15 PM
Quote from: Sssith on May 30, 2017, 01:16:46 PM
That isn't going to happen anytime soon. I'm only lvl 26. How do you like survival mode?
Quote from: mn4nu on May 30, 2017, 02:04:15 PM
It is a mixed bag. Some of it gets incredibly tedious. But the fights all have an extra edge that makes in fun. But it seems you can carry less. You get sick all the f*ing time. I now have 10 endurance and I still get sick a lot. You are always hunting for water and a place to sleep. And nothing is worse than spending thirty minutes on some mission only to die at the very end.
It certainly is a challenged unmodded.
It certainly is a challenged lot like punching yourself in the dick unmodded.
Punching your self in the dick is less painful. :p
If you have small hands it would be less painful
LOL!! Sounds like the same kind of fun Darkness had with doing set dungeons in Diablo 3. ;)
Post by: Sssith on June 02, 2017, 11:14:15 PM
Well I think I am done with FO4 for a while. Completed the main quest at level 78.
Brotherhood was a bit more interesting than Railroad.
A small part of me is interested in playing melee character. If I did it I would go the Institute plot line. Good lord I don't like the institute.
I loved the commonwealth, but good lord it was a lousy main plot line.
Post by: maxbeedo on June 03, 2017, 11:04:36 AM
Not sure Bethesda knows how to make a good main plot line ;), but yeah, the journey around their worlds are usually worth it. I found the Brotherhood final mission to be the most fun, but I felt like only the Minutemen let you see any noticeable difference in the world.
This is one of the best videos explaining the philosophy behind Star Wars, as shown through Kreia from KOTOR 2. Watched it 3 times now, and it's brilliant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z0S0Z8lUTg
Finished Ending "A" in Nier: Automata. Gameplay still bugs me, hopefully playing as a different character now will make it more interesting.
Post by: Pixie on June 03, 2017, 10:00:27 PM
I reinstalled Morrowind. Not ESO Morrowind. TES3 Morrowind. With the Morrowind Overhaul.
It's freaking beautiful (for a 15-year-old game in particular). Still my favorite TES game, too.
It also made it clear just how faithfully Elder Scrolls Online reproduced it...
This is getting off the boat in Seyda Neen for the first time in TES3. (http://i.imgur.com/jCKf8do.png)
This is the exact same spot in ESO Morrowind. (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/777281904895622594/AFEAFF815F1112E1962BAB4F917EFD2E96C1684A/)
Post by: narsica on June 07, 2017, 09:49:05 PM
The Story Behind Mass Effect's Troubled Five Year Development (http://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428)
Really interesting article, that goes a long way towards explaining why ME:A wasn't nearly what fans were expecting.
tl;dr version - Many of the major parts of the game were built in the 18 months prior to release, including the story, characters, major worlds, etc. Originally ME:A was intended to be a story driven version of No Man's Sky with hundreds of procedurally-generated planets where you piloted a star ship through space to find them. Way too ambitious, and they didn't start scaling back the vision until it was much, much too late.
It's actually seriously amazing how well it turned out for basically being done in a year and a half.
Post by: Godji on June 08, 2017, 03:37:07 AM
This does sound like epic-proportion project management fail. Getting out of preproduction without having at all stabilized your production pipeline, clearly identified the work needed given the imposed game engine or even dtermùined whether they could work with generated plantes should have raised all kind of red flags already.
It does give some context to the many key departures Bioware has seen these last few years.
Post by: Timinator on June 11, 2017, 06:29:44 PM
In gaming, like in life we sometimes put something up on a pedestal that doesn't deserve it. On the weekend I had a reality check for one of those things, and I realise its actually possible and won't take too much effort. It's gone from unachievable pipe dream to something I should finish before the end of the month!
In one of the Serious Sam games I'm missing just one achievement, you have to frag 100 different people. I thought the MP was dead (turns out its not!). I thought it would take a long time. Turns out there is a lot of waiting, but I just do something else until randoms join my game. I've gone from 31 done to 60 now. Part of that was a group who setup an event.
A good reminder to test or relook at some assumptions to see if things are still valid!
Platinum-ed Nier:Automata, which was easier than most games because there's actually a way to buy all of the trophies using in-game money (yay for skipping the grind). Overall I'd say it deserves most of the praise it has been getting, although I don't think it quite excels at any particular part as some other games do, it's just very solid all around. The story has some pretty dark moments and an interesting spin on some standard sci-fi tropes, the music is good throughout, the combat is fun, the world is fun to explore, although exploring and fighting can get pretty repetitive since the areas don't expand much as the game progresses, and the bullet-hell shooter and hacking sections stay roughly the same. It's certainly a unique game that's worth playing.
Just finished What Remains of Edith Finch. Holy cow. In the genre of Gone Home and the like, this one is the best yet. It totally deserves its 90 metacritic score and maybe more. Heartbreaking and beautiful and masterfully presented. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.
I still don't know what remains of her?
That's the mystery to be solved by playing the game. :P
Post by: Sssith on June 21, 2017, 11:06:49 AM
Played Rise of the Tomb Raider again and enjoyed it. Completed it on Survival mode. During the toughest fights I generally went full melee and it worked pretty well. Fully maxed melee and healing is the ticket to survive survival mode. I bought and played the Baba Yaga DLC and overall it was pretty meh.
Tooling around in Titan's Quest Anniversary right now. Play is pretty slow so I am not sure how far I will get in the game. It is also a pretty tough game. I forgot that you hit walls pretty hard in the game.
I bought it months after it came out, so had the season pass. Baba Yaga seemed to fit naturally when you were out of the intro phases but still fairly noobish. I could have continued on the main story but chose to investigate it. I enjoyed it in this context, the initial meeting felt very odd, reminded me of Max Payne being drugged. The gameplay experience was quite similar.
The 2nd bit had more exploring/puzzle solving before the "boss" fight which took me a few goes to get hold of the flow of it. I got the items from that, and used them in the normal game after (partly for achievements) but it was fun to do.
Actually in January I almost finished the game .. then the Diablo3 season came out. I need to go back and finish it .. I have so many fun games I should get back to.
On a different topic. I bought a Steam Link today. A friend gave me a tip off a bricks and mortar store had it at 70% off! I can't refuse that deal. Should be fun playing in the living room with the heat pump in the dead of winter :)
Looks like the Steam Summer Sale has started.
Need to see if there is any must have items.
There is something to do with stickers this time. Something about quests. First one is just to bring up your activity page which is my default for browsing. Don't forget to go through the discovery queue for free trading cards and money or the badge!
As usual the Steam store is shit at sale launch. The difference is - this time, it's still shit 5 hours later too.
Welp, time to see my backlog explode some more...
Post by: lemming on June 22, 2017, 06:06:14 PM
make sure to check isthereanydeal before buying anything
Quote from: lemming on June 22, 2017, 06:06:14 PM
or in your web browser use Enhanced Steam which gives price history ..
that just fetches itad data, right
that'd work
Post by: maxbeedo on June 24, 2017, 11:54:13 PM
Finished Valkyria Chronicles Remastered on PS4. I ended up liking this game a lot more than I expected. The game reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy Tactics, and not just because Hitoshi Sakimoto did the soundtrack for both games (and it shares many voice actors with FF12 which is another Ivalice game). Both involve very strategic gameplay where you use characters one by one towards an objective, where they are able to move a certain distance and do one action each turn. Instead of a fantasy world with a grid-based system from an isometric perspective, now it's a fictional-WW2 world with a 3D-map from a 3rd-person and top-down perspective, with guns and tanks instead of bows and magic, and you get to manually aim and take each shot instead of relying entirely on numbers. The semi-serious war-based story coupled with some pretty stellar character development meant that the possibility of permadeath for any of my people was something I worried about constantly. The art style was charming, the battles were challenging, and it has one of the more believable love stories in any game (with a satisfying payoff). The game is also on PC.
Post by: maxbeedo on July 01, 2017, 09:39:00 PM
Summer Games Done Quick (https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule) starts tomorrow. Something to watch at least.
The Mini SNES was announced and looks to be a much better package than the Mini NES. Star Fox 2 is the real surprise, as the game had never been officially released before. Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG and Earthbound are probably the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th best RPGs on the system (1st being Chrono Trigger, which may have been skipped due to 3DS, PS1, and PSN releases). Mega Man X, Contra 3, F-Zero, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Super Mario Kart, Yoshi's Island, it's got quite the nice collection. Comes out September 29th, assuming anyone can find one.
Post by: Pixie on July 01, 2017, 10:57:49 PM
I will never understand the appeal of GDQ. Ever.
Post by: maxbeedo on July 02, 2017, 12:40:42 AM
I don't watch the whole thing, or even 20% of it, but there are some games and players that are entertaining enough for me to check it out. It gets a little too commercial sometimes, with the constant requests for money like a PBS special, but the most donations tend come in when something happens that requires genuine skill, which is what I appreciate too. I do plan on watching the Diablo 2 Any% Normal Assassin run next Saturday morning, and various other runs on Thursday-Saturday, though most of the games up until then I don't really care about.
Post by: Timinator on July 02, 2017, 05:22:43 PM
Quote from: Pixie on July 01, 2017, 10:57:49 PM
Watching 1million plus be raised to fight cancer, help good charities. Some games, its good to watch, others are awful (including some you like to play)
Nope, still don't see the appeal in watching people "play" games that way.
If you're specifically against speedrunning as a style of play, then I kinda agree. I'm more of a completionist myself, don't see myself ever trying to time myself during runs, even on games I'm an absolute expert on. I can recognize and appreciate both types of skills though, the hypergodmode I-can-see-the-matrix dudes (like the Tetris: GrandMaster Edition runners), or the planners who see absolutely everything a game has to offer in every category with every character (and often provide the strats the speedrunners use).
I've enjoyed seeing 2 or more people race in a game. Sure you can't do this in a text heavy story based game. But imagine something like Tomb Raider, seeing 2 or 4 people race, its not always one person in front. Can be great in a non linear game where different people go different ways .. who will end up in front! or will random luck stop someone? I spent a while watching some console game I've never seen before, and will never play. It was fun to watch though (for me).
I saw the Diablo speedrun, that had lucky/perfect spawns where the person just went down to the next level, and the entrance/exit were always next to each other. They glitched some stuff for no challenge mode. That was boring to watch.
Others where you see amazing skill, or tricks that a normal person struggles to pull of can be great to watch.
For me, this reminds me when I was a kid and there was one computer in a school room. People would play before class. If you weren't playing, you were watching and cheering them on, maybe getting some ideas when you had a chance yourself. This type of thing, its much more fun watching someone efficient, or doing something fun, than slow
Post by: maxbeedo on August 28, 2017, 01:22:05 PM
Not a lot of chatter here...
Mostly just been replaying older stuff. Since the original Starcraft is now free (Remastered costs money but whatever), been replaying that. When I was younger and inexperienced with RTSs I couldn't beat a lot of the missions in Brood War without cheats, so I'm plowing through now without help, although the last few Zerg missions have been pretty hard.
After watching EpicNameBro play through Dark Souls 2:SotfS and actually enjoy it again, picked it up and have gotten pretty far towards Platinuming it again (already did the original version on PS3). Didn't really find any of the DLC areas that fun, except for the Old Chaos battle in Crown of the Ivory King, as there isn't any other battle like it in Soulsborne (where you can have 6+ allied NPCs helping you). I can see why some people hate the optional areas; Cave of the Dead, Iron Passage and the Frigid Outskirts are pretty unfair areas, although I did beat the Iron Passage first try thanks to the boss being a reskin of one I'm very very familiar with.
Once I'm done with those I'll move on to Shadow of Mordor and Street Fighter V, as I got them both pretty cheaply.
Post by: Sssith on August 28, 2017, 03:28:17 PM
I played, and very much enjoyed Shadow of Mordor. I found it got a bit repetitive but ultimately it was hugely enjoyable. The fighting in particular was enjoyable and really flowed well. I hope you enjoy it.
Post by: maxbeedo on September 02, 2017, 03:29:31 AM
Finished the (2nd) platinum of DS2: Sotfs. Pretty easy to blaze through with a Hexer build, despite the nerfs to many of the spells I used the first time I platinumed it (mainly all the lightning spear variants are garbage now and you can only cast them 3 times instead of 22). Not a huge fan of the ridiculous number of NPC invaders, somewhere around 30 in a single playthrough, which mainly just slow progress and don't offer much of a challenge, although a few in the DLCs were interesting (one "invades" you without a message and pretends to be a helpful white phantom until he backstabs you, then he runs away and heals or hides behind other enemies). Lore-wise I think I prefer DS2 to any of the other Souls games though, in that it at least tries to address the purpose of your end game choice and bring up questions about the human condition (especially through Lucatiel). Sadly DS3 largely abandoned DS2's lore so none of the interesting questions get answered, in fact I don't think any NPC in DS3 talks about Curses at all, when that was a freaking big deal in DS1 and 2.
Started up Street Fighter V to see if it has improved with all the additions since it's too-early release, and it seems that it is. The tutorial system is pretty good, better than any other Street Fighter game at least. There are 20 trials per character, a very quick story mode for each character and an overarching story (which has to be downloaded separately apparently). Thankfully all of the characters they keep coming up with do not require real money to unlock, they can be bought with in-game money, and from what I can tell after an hour or so the only items that require real money are costumes (for people that like to play dress up with their waifus I guess).
Post by: Godji on September 04, 2017, 04:49:40 AM
Tbf I really didn't miss lightning spear on a hexer build given that the basic dark spell, dark orb, has many casts and while it isn't sunlight spear, it's still more than powerul enough to still be extremely useful end-game.
Post by: maxbeedo on September 04, 2017, 12:28:21 PM
Exactly, I usually used 3-4 sets of Dark Orb which was enough to clear multiple areas without resting, a few sets of Great Resonant Soul for quicker kills on invaders (I had heard it had been nerfed but not really), and Dark Fog for poison kills on slower enemies.
Many Dark spells are quite original, and are absolutely stunning... in PvP : silence spell and the DLC spell which raises your encumbrance by a set percentage can really mess up people's builds and expectations, affinity gives you some breathing room to cast other spells, dark fogs get people out of safe zones... I had never really dipped in PvP in the Souls games until my Hexer, and loved it.
It's been a while since my last Souls run (a Bloodborne run with a friend early this year), it may be time for me to start Dark Souls III.
Quote from: Godji on September 05, 2017, 02:58:07 AM
in PvP : silence spell and the DLC spell which raises your encumbrance by a set percentage
Oh, you mean the 2 spells that the Astrologists in the Iron Passage and several DLC NPC invaders spam constantly? >:( I can see how they'd be pretty useful in PvP.
DS3 is worth playing. I don't enjoy most of the areas in it, or its lore, but the boss battles are overall way better than 2.
Post by: Pixie on September 15, 2017, 06:29:04 AM
I reinstalled Hellgate London with the Revival Mod.
Forgot how much I loved this game.
There's a fan-made multiplayer version in the works (currently in a closed alpha mode, I believe). Color me intrigued.
Post by: mn4nu on September 15, 2017, 10:59:26 AM
Quote from: Pixie on September 15, 2017, 06:29:04 AM
I had a steam pop-up saying that were playing this. I thought to myself, whoa, now there's a game I haven't thought about in awhile. I really liked the game too. Let me know if you think it's worth trying out again.
Post by: Pixie on September 15, 2017, 10:04:50 PM
Well, it's still pretty great fun even after all this time. If you don't mind that it's single player only, go for it. :D
Quote from: Sssith on August 28, 2017, 03:28:17 PM
I don't think I enjoyed it as much as you, but it was alright. It's actually pretty short for an open-world game, had 95% completion in less than 20 hours. Lots of annoying little things kept it from flowing well, such as getting stuck for no reason on clearly flat terrain, the climbing not always working, and Orcs spawning out of thin air all the time everywhere (to a ridiculous extent). The game got more fun after unlocking the Brand ability, but that's a while into the game. Probably one of the few games I won't try to get all achievements, as some are a pain to set up (like trying to set up a Warchief with 5 branded bodyguards, they never seem to get more than 2 normally).
Post by: Sssith on September 18, 2017, 11:59:05 AM
I almost never get all achievements in a game so I certainly never look at a game from that vantage point. I also don't remember those glitches but it is too bad you experienced them.
Hellgate -- I really liked the game. I even played the second version of the game that came out. It is a pity how they were never able to iron out the problems with the game as the mechanics of the classes and story had so much potential.
Post by: Timinator on September 18, 2017, 04:01:20 PM
I got all the achievements in The Walkikng Dead season 1. However there are only two that you can possibly miss. I'm keeping my telltale thing going by continuing Tales from the Borderlands. I got up to the first achievement and got distracted by other shinies in the past.
@Maxbeedo, have you heard of this site? http://metagamerscore.com/
Personally with my amount of gaming time, I like to see myself climb my countries ladder, but dont push things.
My weekly RPG gaming group is starting up a pen-n-paper RPG this week based on the Hellgate London setting. Using the Savage Worlds rule system. This seems like it could be a lot of fun. :D
Quote from: Pixie on September 18, 2017, 04:48:46 PM
That does sound cool. I never played Hellgate London but the setting looked awesome. I've been in a group playing through the D&D 5E Out of the Abyss campaign which has a few similar elements (Demon Lords invasion instead of Devils, madnesses, etc.), which we have maybe 2 more sessions for before the climax.
Post by: Sssith on September 18, 2017, 08:44:49 PM
That actually sounds pretty epic. I hope you have a great time with it.
Post by: Ray Patean on September 19, 2017, 02:35:50 PM
So, I feel like I've finally ascended to the PC Master Race. I got the final piece of my new computer today, and now I've risen! Or should that by Ryzen? Either way, I'm digging my new build!
Now, coming from an old 1gb graphics card I was never able to get into a game with top-notch graphics. Now, I have a GTX 1070 and need some suggestions of what I should play! I have Diablo 3 and Rocket League installed on my computer, and that's it. I've never been a huge fan of big, open world RPGs like Skyrim, but I'm definitely open to suggestions of good games that have come out in recent years.
Tomb Raider!
Very pretty and fun game. There are a bunch of fun ones out there.
I haven't gotten around to Witcher III but that should be a good one. Prey is a newer FPS that is pretty as is the new Doom. Hellblade is another to put on your list.
What genres float your boat? Your Steam Profile needs new games, you have only two on there :P Wait till the sale.
I think you've done most of what you'll do in D3. It will run faster, but its still D3.
You probably should limit the otherwise infinite choice by genre, but for the "WOW, MY EYES" effect of your 1070, you can look into Tomb Raider indeed, Witcher 3, the latest Doom which are three solid games (at the very least) and will make you enoy the benefits of a new CG.
Hellblade is off the charts for the WOW MY EYES factor, too. It's the best looking game I've thrown at my PC yet.
I'll probably check out Tomb Raider for now - and maybe PUBG, as a co-worker has that and wants me to play it.
I wasn't really giving a genre because I've been fairly disinterested in gaming lately, and wanted to try new things that catch my interest. I got hooked into Zelda: BotW recently, but other than that it's been basically D3 and that's it. I guess a new ARPG would be good - Grim Dawn or PoE perhaps?
The 2013 Tomb Raider isn't as shiny but is still a cool game. The new Tomb Raider MAY still be $12 at humble bundle as the monthly thing .. go check it out
Post by: Ray Patean on September 22, 2017, 11:23:16 AM
Thanks for the heads up on that, Tim. Is that the $12 monthly subscription thing?
Been trying to league up in SFV for achievement purposes, keep hitting a wall where I get one match away and then always get matched up with people 10000+ miles away with bad connections (regardless of settings), or someone 3-4 leagues higher than me. Oh well. Probably not many people playing it right now anyway since Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite just came out.
Trying to get into Divinity: Original Sin, but damn does this game make it hard to get into. No good plot hook, guards keep saying I'm not high enough level to leave the initial town, quest log already has 18 quests in it with no real direction on any of them even after talking to every NPC twice. Guess it's time to run off into the wilderness.
Quote from: maxbeedo on September 22, 2017, 11:36:07 AM
Yeah, the first Div:OS was terrible for story and it never gets better. Mechanically great but tough to plow through. I gave up.
Div:OS2 on the other hand, starts strong and keeps going. It's a pretty brilliant game. I started playing it on a weekend day and it absorbed every minute of the weekend without me realizing it. I'd say skip the first game and go straight to the second.
Post by: Dust on September 24, 2017, 03:07:57 AM
Quote from: maxbeedo
Oh god, I thought it was just me. Between that and the fixed camera angle I was finding it so frustrating
Post by: Timinator on September 24, 2017, 05:17:33 AM
Quote from: Ray Patean on September 22, 2017, 11:23:16 AM
yeah, i dont think you are stuck on the monthly thing, just this month it has that. Read the fine print :D
You can suscribe, and cancel before thenext month starts, I did it at some point, I think it was for X-COM 2
Thanks! I saw that you can cancel - I may keep it for a few months just to try new games and get a base of games built up. Glad I didn't spend the $20 or whatever it is for an older Tomb Raider too!
Post by: lemming on September 24, 2017, 03:25:18 PM
Unless you're committing to one of the longer term purchase options (which I wouldn't recommend), you're better off thinking of it as just a $12 bundle available for an entire month at a time.
You can game the system a bit to save extra money; the first Humble Monthly purchase on any given account is eligible for a 10% off coupon with purchase of virtually any other Humble PC game bundle, so you can save a bit of money by making a new account every month. If there's a bundle showing up during the month that you're interested in, buy it on the dummy account and buy the Monthly on that account to save the $1.20. If there isn't, you can buy the $1 tier of whatever bundle is available and it'll still give you the coupon.
There may also be a referral option available in your main account for Monthly purchases; if your second account uses that link to purchase the monthly it'll give your main account $5 of credit.
Here's a list of things I've found so far that are bullshit in Div:OS1:
Combat is turn-based, but out of combat is REAL-TIME with NO PAUSING. Meaning that if you have ANY status effects of any kind that might kill you, you have to NOT KILL ENEMIES in order to have a chance to heal them before the battle is over, because otherwise it's an automatic death (your character will take the damage on literally frame 1 once combat ends).
Undead enemies are HEALED by Poison, generate Poison blotches on the ground which automatically heal themselves and all their buddies every turn, AND carry healing scrolls AND resurrection scrolls which ALSO work on undead, for whatever reason (yes, they constantly spam heals and resurrects on each other).
There is no resting of any kind, whether through action, an inn, or otherwise. You can only find or buy items to heal (or when you level).
Even the weakest elemental spell changes the terrain for over 5 minutes in real time, minimum. If you create a wall of fire to block your enemies path and then defeat them, be prepared to wait a long time before you can loot.
Already ran into a completely bugged quest that cannot be completed. In Arhu's Failed Experiment, the commands do nothing, the dialogue triggers correctly saying it's disabled or weakened but it still instantly kills my party, this is apparently a known bug based on several guides.
The "running" speed is incredibly slow.
Fleeing a battle ONLY saves the ONE character, and NPCs you hire cannot flee. Thus, fleeing any battle means every NPC dies permanently (until you level up so high you can crush the enemies surrounding their bodies).
So yeah, not exactly a fun time.
Post by: sam_manzanza on September 27, 2017, 09:31:43 PM
Has anyone played Disgaea 5? Bought it for Switch last night for something to sink a bit of time into until I buy a PS4. I tend to skew more toward the items/loot aspects of RPGs, rather than story, so the weak story doesn't really concern me.
Never played a tactics RGP before, so not even sure how the gameplay works etc but had a look at a few videos and reviews and it looks pretty good.
Any feedback from you fine folks would be good!
Quote from: maxbeedo on September 27, 2017, 06:43:29 PM
I don't think I follow. But this doesn't sound like anything I've experienced in Div2.
Div2, poison still heals undead. But regular healing does crazy damage to them. This also applies to undead in your party...
Div2, as long as you have a bedroll in your backpack (which is an unlimited use item that you find in the very beginning), you can rest whenever you want for instant full healz.
You... are supposed to use your own elements in conjunction with each other or to counter this stuff. You should always have someone with a Rain spell, which makes the aforementioned scenario barely even an inconvenience.
The interaction of elements is like 90% of the strategy of the game.
Not a thing I've noted in Div2.
I don't believe this is the case in 2, either, but then I've never had to flee a battle...
Seriously. Drop 1 and play 2. It's so much better...
That's good to hear. The DOT thing is regarding effects like Burning or Poison that do damage to you per turn (and early on it's like >25% of your life per tic). While in battle everything is turn-based so if you have someone with an anti-poison or anti-burning ability you can use them to stop the damage, but once combat ends you immediately start taking the damage every 2-3 seconds, which can't be stopped (except by the save/load menu), so you have to scramble to heal before all your characters die, and the healing animations usually take so long that you take 1-2 tics more before the heal kicks in. The elements thing I understand, but it's not an easy thing to cover all your bases within 1-2 hours of starting, especially when the tutorial forces you to use most or all of the water elemental stuff it gives you and neither of the default characters have any elemental magic, nor did the first 4 hirable NPCs I found (my options at the time were a Fighter, 2 Knights, 2 Rogues and a Ranger). May have to restart entirely using only magic since that's what the game wanted me to do but didn't say... or just never play it again. It's kinda similar to what happened in my first Dragon Age: Origins playthrough where I did the Mage's Tower last and tried to do all of the Deep Roads without a healer, the difference being I had plenty of time to learn how to play since that was much later on, and I actually cared about that story but don't care here. I likely won't play 2 until it drops drastically in price (I only bought 1 because it dropped below $15).
Quote from: sam_manzanza on September 27, 2017, 09:31:43 PM
That's not how Disgaea really works. I do like tactical-RPGs, and Disgaea is a fantastic one, but it actually tends to be... too much. It's full of qualities, but there are IMO literally too many things to do and systems to explore, it's a game played in hundreds of hours, and I find it hard to find this kind of time now.
Everything you've said here is true... even after just 2 hours and only barely scratching the surface of some of the systems, I feel overwhelmed. For me, gameplay and story are always secondary to fiddling with items and skills etc, but it's fucking nuts how much there is to play with and the story is so bad/cheesy/kitschy that it's almost painful. Having never played a Disgaea title or any tactical RPG previously, diving into this is like deciding to go for your first mountain hike and starting with Everest.
In saying that, I still got up at 5.30 this morning and played for 45 minutes while I waited for my coffee to, uh, do it's thing, so I could go for a run without fear of crapping myself and am already thinking about playing tonight (12 hours away...), so it's at least got some sort of hold on my attention. I guess I will probably do what I do with all games which is sink all my free time into it for like a month or two and then burn out. If I get 100 hours play time out of it for $100, that's a hell of an ROI, so I'll be happy. I got less play time out of Zelda: BotW and still consider that one of the best gaming investments I ever made.
Post by: maxbeedo on October 09, 2017, 02:54:05 AM
Been trying to persevere in Div:OS1, got further than 90% of people who have played the game on PS4 (just got a mandatory story trophy that only 9% have earned), which is only like 70% the way through the game. Combat has still had a lot of bullshit, but the rarity of loot seems to go up quite a bit after a certain point so I'm regularly finding Divine/Legendary items. Unfortunately I will likely not play any further since I finally found the end of a voiced hireling NPCs sidequest, and find out that she betrays you based on decisions from 40+ hours ago (strictly based on my demeanor, not anything I did against her), and then puts me in an essentially impossible battle, so my only choice is to basically... never do that sidequest I guess? I mean, I don't have much reason to keep playing anyway, since the story has not improved (although having Alix Wilton Reagan voice several characters AND do the narration has helped a lot). Maybe time to start Yakuza Zero.
Post by: Melchior on October 13, 2017, 09:22:06 PM
Finished XCOM2!
Really great game. I don't often actually finish a game, but the this one totally grabbed me, as a lover of turn based strategy, sci-fi and explosions.
I want the DLC now...but USD$40 is a bit rich :(
Can anyone comment on the value of the DLC?
Post by: Kasferatu on October 14, 2017, 03:20:39 AM
I really liked Xcom2, and the expansion is meant to improve it hugely. That said, I agree it is absurdly priced. I am waiting for a deal on it as I don't believe it will hold that price that for long.
Post by: narsica on October 23, 2017, 01:16:18 PM
Finished both Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed Rogue. Of the two, I thought Rogue was infinitely better. Much more variety, story line was more compelling. Was fun to see the background to other AC games (especially AC3 which remains my favourite).
I was interested to play an AC game set in the French Revolution, but I thought they wasted a lot of the potential for the setting. The whole Assassin's Council thing was interesting, but ultimately wasted. And some of the gameplay mechanics were weird - Arno was basically Spiderman, scrambling up walls he shouldn't have been able to (even for an AC game!).
Now to go through my backlog and pick something new to play!
Quote from: Kasferatu on October 14, 2017, 03:20:39 AM
Decided against buying the DLC (yet). But I have installed the mod A Better Advent, which adds a variety of different enemies and adds some difficulty; definitely recommend it.
Other than that I picked up Wolfenstein: The New Order and I am really enjoying the gameplay and setting. I find some of it underwhelming...like the dual wielding mecahnic, bleh. Ovrall great game so far though.
Started playing Yakuza 0, having not played any other game in the series. The cutscenes can be a little long at times, but otherwise the story has been pretty great so far. The main story has enough twists and turns that it's not obvious where it's going to go, and the side missions often have ridiculous setups or content (I've had to teach a dominatrix how to... be a dominatrix, pretend to be a boyfriend to get a nagging father to leave his daughter alone only to get hit on by the father, retrieve pants from a pants thief, etc.). There are a bunch of mini-games as side content like a casino, karaoke, dancing, batting cages, mahjong, pool, darts, etc., so there's a lot to do even if it's not all original, and thankfully there are challenges for each that give you money or points towards global benefits.
Couldn't see a game sales thread, do we still have one?
Anyways, I'll post here for now:
Humble Jumbo Bundle 10 (https://www.humblebundle.com/jumbo-bundle-10) has Wasteland 2 at the $10 tier, for those interested. Considering getting it myself.
There is also Prototype 2, which I am not familiar with anyone played it?
Post by: TheMikrobe on November 07, 2017, 06:33:59 AM
In a blast from the past I dug out my old CD of Quake III Arena and installed it - nearly 20 years old, but amazingly it runs on my modern computer! I played the crap out of Q3A back in the day and I'd recently started thinking about the purity of it as an FPS experience after playing ESO with its FPS-like qualities. I remember the graphics used to be too much for my machine, but now they look pretty rough and I had to run it in a small window. I still have my config and script files including the in-game achievements, so it was kind of fun to see all those.
My view and movement were pretty wild at first but I had some control by the end of the session and I got a couple of nice long-shot railgun kills. I was still really slow though and couldn't strafe run at all, let alone doing that while aiming, firing, hitting pick-ups, and monitoring life and ammo. And I was only playing the bots on the lowest two difficulty levels, I'd just get slaughtered on those Nightmare level maps I used to play on.
Post by: Timinator on November 07, 2017, 01:48:56 PM
did you play Team Arena too? As you mentioned, you have the cdss, did you hear of Quake Live? Basically Q3 that ran in a browser and was free for many years, they did some other updates on it, now its released as siomething you could buy http://store.steampowered.com/app/282440/Quake_Live/
Since I'd played the game while free I got auto put to the newer version.
Post by: lemming on November 07, 2017, 02:26:40 PM
Quake Live is dead, but Quake Champions is playable right now.
99.89% of games with MP are dead. Of course anything older than 6 months that still has a community alive is special.
I remember RTB was quite skilled at the cool tricks you could do. I miss that guy.
Post by: sam_manzanza on November 07, 2017, 05:42:51 PM
Quote from: Timinator on November 07, 2017, 03:59:32 PM
What an oddly specific percentage...
I had to buy a new Switch and games since my old one got stolen a couple months back. Other than Disgaea (which I burnt out on without completing - zero story and hollow loot/character progression systems), I've been re-playing Zelda and messing around with Wonderboy 3 (which is awesome). I need a new RPG and have my eye on two which are out in about 3 weeks: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Battle Chasers: Nightwar.
Has anyone here played previous Xenoblade games or Battle Chasers on PS4? Worth getting?
73% of things on the internet are made up - Abraham Lincoln.
Also, was it really stolen, or did your defacto wife remove it from you? Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb6MalVtago
Post by: TheMikrobe on November 07, 2017, 06:39:09 PM
I might have played TA a few times but not so I remember very much. I think I heard of Quake Live but probably wouldn't have been interested in it by then so I don't know any details.
I always had a crappy internet connection so properly getting into MP communities was hard, I'd log into games and just get wasted because I couldn't move. But I remember some great sessions with housemates and on the university network and Q3A still seems to me like a perfect game. Most of the base level designs and the weapon balance are outstanding.
I actually have a 3-pack of CDs with Quakes 1-3, not sure 1 or 2 would run without a lot of work but the Q1 disc plays in an audio CD player so you can listen to that cool NIN soundtrack. All games played to death in their time.
I can tell you Quake1 runs fine on Win7/10. Sometimes you will run a slightly newer EXE than what was on the CD, GLquake or something fancier and newer, "winquake" probably still works well. Quake2 goes too, i have them on steam. and CD
Nice, I'll have to try it. I'd played a little bit of Doom 2 and maybe Duke Nukem 3D came earlier too, but the originals of Quake and Diablo are what I remember as my first proper gaming experiences.
Last year I played The Final Doom (from Steam) and actually finished those campaigns properly on Ultra Violence. It was worth the effort and ran well. Lots of older 90s things which previously were unable to find are popping up online which is cool.
I still have a small list I'm looking for.
Post by: Kasferatu on November 08, 2017, 02:20:43 PM
Quote from: sam_manzanza on November 07, 2017, 05:42:51 PM
I absolutely loved Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii. It was a total JRPG though so if that isn't your bag then it's hard to recommend.
I found out I have played and really enjoyed a Visual Novel style game in the past. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_Department_2192 It mixed a lot of dialogue between top down missions. I see that game came out as freeware 10 years ago
Post by: maxbeedo on November 08, 2017, 10:46:39 PM
Finished Yakuza 0 at around 130 hours played. Game's got a lot of content, although the quality is somewhat imbalanced. There are lots of really gripping dramatic moments early on, but they tail off by the end (or just get more predictable), and since it's a prequel to the rest of the series it was fairly clear how things would turn out. Some of the mini-games are quite fun like the karaoke, the cabaret club, bowling, and pool, but then some are so hard (like the batting cages, or the scantily-clad-women cage fighting) or so dull (like fishing, or the weapon/gear searching) that getting 100% completion is not a fun prospect. The game includes original arcade versions of Outrun, Space Harrier, FantasyZone and Super Hang-On, as well as using likenesses and videos of real-life Japanese models/idols for most of the female NPCs. The tone is intentionally all over the place with the cutscenes and battles being especially brutal and serious, whereas the sidequests are crazy like bowling a turkey to win a chicken and then making it a manager of your businesses, or protecting Michael Jackson from zombies while he shoots a music video. There's a mini-game for talking to women on the phone. Heh, Japan.
Post by: Pixie on November 18, 2017, 02:57:07 PM
Elex: (http://store.steampowered.com/app/411300/)
What happens when a German game developer says "we should combine Fallout, Mass Effect, and Skyrim into one game."
It's pretty awesome. A bit janky but not as bad as previous Piranha Bytes games (Gothic, etc).
Axes, swords, plasma weapons, explosives, magic, psi powers, and chems all in one open-world RPG? Sign me up!
Worth checking out.
Post by: Sssith on November 18, 2017, 09:36:50 PM
Another game to add to wish list it seems.
I just played it for like 8 straight hours.
It's purty good.
Post by: maxbeedo on January 08, 2018, 04:46:05 PM
Just finished up Persona 5 last night. Quite a ride.
Art Style - I'm not a huge fan of anime art in general, but the details they put into a lot of the characters and monsters make it clear they put a LOT of work into it. Since the characters are "Phantom Thieves" it makes sense for their garb and animations to be flashy as hell.
UI - Every menu is meticulously crafted with custom art, and many of the stores have their own special music and animations.
Soundtrack - Mostly Jazz, R&B, with some Rock for boss battles, but the way they are used is what is excellent.
Tone - The game's primary theme of breaking chains/reforming society/helping others stays consistent throughout the story and is enhanced by the music, art style and transitions.
Time Constraints - A little too strict, especially when 30-70% of your "days until deadline" are completely taking up by cutscenes that shouldn't logically take all day like they do. There's a part of the story where you are no longer in school yet you still get the same amount of time per day to do things (basically you sleep until school would be out for no reason).
Final Area/Boss - As cliche as it gets for JRPGs lately.
Mixed Character Development - Your party members are slowly introduced throughout the story, and thus you are extremely limited on time with some of the later ones to learn their personal stories. Other than talking about the missions at hand, there are very few lines between your confidants with each other to add more depth to their relationships (as in many RPGs you are the "hub").
Dungeons - There are 2 types, ones that is randomly generated, and ones that are specially crafted. Both are repetitive to a frustrating degree, though at least the crafted ones give you special set pieces and environmental puzzles.
Post by: maxbeedo on January 12, 2018, 12:37:49 AM
I might also mention that one of the love interests in Persona 5 is super smart, perceptive, friendly to everyone, uses martial arts, wears spiky Biker gear, rides a nuclear motorcycle that becomes a Transformer, has an ability called "Shadow Calculus", and asks you to take her to an arcade as a first date. I mean, holy f***ing sh**. 8) As she wants to become a police commissioner, and you sneak around in a mask and black cape, she's Barbara Gordon to your Batman.
Post by: Melchior on January 20, 2018, 02:33:46 AM
What y'all playing lately?
I've been mostly in D3 and some FTL. Getting bored now though and want a new game.
Mostly just been doing NG+ and NG++ with Persona 5, killing time until Monster Hunter World, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, and Lost Sphear come out later this month (not sure if I'll buy any of those right away but I'm interested).
Post by: Timinator on January 20, 2018, 03:18:45 AM
Been playing a game Plantera and having fun. I like the fact you can benefit by closing the game and coming back later
Post by: Pixie on January 20, 2018, 09:03:59 AM
Rented a private server and my kids and I are playing Conan Exiles. Tons of fun! :D
Post by: Sssith on January 20, 2018, 10:58:47 AM
Never played that game. Sounds like a good way to bond with you kids. Right now I would have to be playing PubG if I wanted to do the same.
Post by: Pixie on January 20, 2018, 10:20:25 PM
Ewwww... I'm so sorry.
Post by: Godji on January 21, 2018, 09:20:49 AM
Still playing Horizon Zero Dawn (I have more or less discovered the whole map now, so I expect progression to now be very fast), and some GTA online (the new Heists they released are quite fun). Probably going to start Nioh after I'm done with Horizon.
Post by: Liquid Evil on January 21, 2018, 05:03:28 PM
Started Hidden Agendas on PS4 with some friends and it's a cool party game where not everyone has to be a good gamer to enjoy it. If you can round up a handful of buddies (I think up to 6 since you can use phones as controllers) to play in your living room, it's a good time.
I'll occasionally play a SNES game or something, but mostly I'm into Street Fighter V these days. I even built my kid a fight stick (with a slimy, Ecto-cooler theme for those suh-weet style points) so he can get in on the action as well. https://imgur.com/a/981Yz
SFV: Arcade Edition and the Season 3 balance changes just dropped last week, so I've got to learn some new setups and new character matchups. Not sure how I'm liking some of my main's changes just yet, but I'll definitely make it work. I'm still the epitome of a character loyalist.
Quote from: Pixie on January 20, 2018, 10:20:25 PM
I haven't tried the game but it sounds pretty fun. Last night they set up a private server and they got almost thirty friends to play together. They put themselves into a three person squadrons and played for a couple of hours.
Post by: Timinator on January 22, 2018, 02:05:18 PM
Really enjoying plantera, one of those idle clicker games. I can let them work for up to 13 hours, i get my money, reinvest and close it. It won't take too much more effort to get all the achievements, and its fun to click on the critters and collect loot.
Post by: sam_manzanza on January 23, 2018, 03:12:00 PM
Quote from: Liquid Evil on January 21, 2018, 05:03:28 PM
<3. That controller looks awesome too - good to see your little fella will be stomping faces in style, just like his old man.
I've just completed Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I basically just skipped all cut scenes for the 2nd half of the game because the story, dialogue and voice acting are absolutely painful. Had to play with the sound off the entire game, as the characters say the same five insufferable lines over and over and over during fights ("Let's win using the power of friendship"... kill me now) and it made me want to superglue my ears shut. Supposedly you can turn their voices off, but it never worked for me. It's a shame because the music is great. Anyway, don't buy this game unless you love cringey anime-style crap. Battle system was fun, but the menus and overworld mechanics are so poorly designed that it's a chore to play. One review said it was all breadth and no depth, which is exactly right. I put 75 hours into it, but I recommend that you don't.
Finally finished Zelda BotW as well. God what a revelation it was going back to that game after playing XBC2. So accessible and so many great quality of life features, plus it's fun as hell. Downloaded the DLC and have been chipping away at that, but don't want to burn through it too fast.
I also downloaded Hammerwatch on Switch. Fun little 16-bit top-down dungeon crawler. Super basic, but the combat is enough fun to keep me interested. Only put 3-4 hours into it, but at the same price as a movie ticket, it's paid itself off already.
Looking at getting Lost Sphear this weekend, though it was only released yesterday and the reviews aren't stellar. Did anyone here play I Am Setsuna, which was the (sort of) prequel to Lost Sphear?
Might wait for something better to come along, though there's a bit of a lull in Switch RPGs over the next few months. Skyrim maybe? Kiss my life goodbye for a couple of months?
Post by: Kasferatu on January 23, 2018, 03:45:35 PM
Quote from: sam_manzanza on January 23, 2018, 03:12:00 PM
Damn. I bought this just before Christmas but haven't started it yet. Did you play the first Xenoblade Chronicles?
I platinumed I Am Setsuna, mostly because of the interesting mechanics. I wouldn't consider it above average in story, graphics, design or music (although a few songs were great), but it wasn't terrible either. I would expect a 5-7 out of 10 game.
Quote from: Kasferatu on January 23, 2018, 03:45:35 PM
No, this was my first time playing a Xeno-game of any sort. All the feedback I have seen is that it's pretty true the series, so if you liked the earlier games, you'll probably like this.
What pisses me off about this game is that if they spent some time polishing it (making the menus more streamlined, improving the map/navigation, other general QoL improvements), it would have been a 10/10 for me from a gameplay perspective (story/voice-acting = 0/10 still, but that might just be an aversion to anime cheese). But they didn't and it feels rushed and poorly thought-out a lot of the time.
The battles are fun though and some of the item/character progression elements are good. And again, I still put 75+ hours into it. I'd give it a 6/10 overall, scoring 8/10 in some areas, but 0/10 in others.
@Maxbeedo: Good to know - thanks. More reviews seem to be coming out now and I am leaning toward not getting it. One review said you could beat it inside of 20 hours, which probably makes it not worth the investment.
I can't stop playing Conan: Exiles every single free minute I have. Holy crap, this game has grabbed me.
Post by: Kasferatu on February 03, 2018, 04:40:01 PM
I really liked Xenoblade Chronicles, so I think I'm immune to some of the terrible story tropes. The voice acting was a mess though, and I think I'll download the Japanese voice pack for this one.
I've been playing an absolute tonne of Mario Odyssey, but I think I'm finally done with it. There is one crazy post-game challenge I just can't do after an hour and I've almost launched my Jon-cons across the room! Incredible game though.
Post by: Timinator on February 03, 2018, 06:48:46 PM
I see torchlight has a mobile game out now called guardians. I’ve spent a few minutes but need to do more to see if it’s worth it
Post by: Ray Patean on February 03, 2018, 07:28:26 PM
Liq: That stick is awesome!!
Post by: lemming on February 04, 2018, 08:05:26 PM
for you RPG players: https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/update-19-crpg-book-released/
Post by: Liquid Evil on February 07, 2018, 06:56:32 PM
Quote from: maxbeedo on January 23, 2018, 04:27:40 PM
My brother loves that game. I haven't messed with it much, but I feel it has a nice SNES-vibe. Music definitely appears to be hit or miss. BTW, do you play SFV? I seem to remember you throwing down on SFIV.
sam/Ray- Hey, thanks guys! It was definitely a fun project. 24 mm buttons for small toddler fingers on that one. I do dig me some fight sticks.
Post by: maxbeedo on February 07, 2018, 07:45:21 PM
Quote from: Liquid Evil on February 07, 2018, 06:56:32 PM
I do play it occasionally. The online is wonky sometimes with bad connections all over the place, so I quickly get tired of playing when I do go online even if I only accept 5 bars. I log in weekly to do the fight money missions so I won't have to pay for characters, although very few people do it this way. I've unlocked everyone except Alex, Ibuki, Ed and Sakura through all the single player stuff, though that's almost impossible for new players now since all the fight money bonuses for trials, survival and story are gone. Cammy is my main. I'm only in low-end Silver league, but I've only played like 180 matches or so. I'm looking forward to some of the season 3 characters, as I think they did they great job with Kolin, Menat, Abigail, Zeku, etc.. Watching Infiltration win EVO Japan using mostly just his waifu Menat was pretty cool (her and Juri of all characters).
Anyone else notice it took a super blue blood moon to bring Liq back out of hiding?
Woop, got all 880 moons on Mario Odyssey so think I'm drawing a line under that! Next I think I'll go back to Witcher 3 and maybe sprinkle in some Uncharted Lost Legacy.
Post by: Pixie on February 09, 2018, 04:33:24 PM
I just bought a GTX 1080 video card. Should be here Tuesday.
Need to figure out what the most demanding game is that I own (besides ARK which is just demanding because it's a pathetically optimized POS) so I can revel in kicking-its-ass... :D
Post by: Sssith on February 09, 2018, 10:13:05 PM
Witcher III?
Sounds like a fun problem! Enjoy!
Witcher 3 does seem like a candidate!
Quote from: Timinator on February 07, 2018, 10:02:15 PM
It was a nice visit. I'll see you all again on January 31, 2037.
@ maxbeedo- Add me on SFV if you want to throw down sometime. I don't play much ranked, but I screw around in casual mode fairly often. Find "Euthanasia" on Capcom Fighters' Network to add me as a friend.
1080 installed.
All the FPS ever.
Are you going to start exporting the extra FPS?
Post by: Pixie on February 14, 2018, 05:49:35 AM
Maybe I can bank them for the future?
Post by: Darkness on February 14, 2018, 07:26:59 AM
*card envy*
I can email you some FPS. Would that make you feel better? 8)
I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY FPS!!!
Discovered Endless Sky on Steam, which is currently free. Nice game and easy to get into. Can't tell if combat is overly simplistic or has depth which I haven't worked out yet. Scratches an itch for a hybrid between Elite and EvE style gameplay.
Post by: maxbeedo on February 20, 2018, 12:40:25 AM
Picked up Darkest Dungeon and Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition over the weekend. Darkest Dungeons seems like it'll be fun for one go but the RNG is pretty heavy and requires much more of a grind than other Rogue-lites I've played.
If anyone has any good tips about Planescape: Torment I'd welcome them, as I'm not sure I'll have a lot of fun playing it, but I need it for inspiration for the D&D planar campaign I'm writing.
Quote from: maxbeedo on February 20, 2018, 12:40:25 AM
Int and Wis are key stats for getting the best possible ending as well as accessing a lot of quests.
Although there is combat it is a less combat focused game than the BG series. Early on combat is quite tough until you've recruited additional characters. I advise acquiring Dakon asap.
Quote from: Darkness on February 20, 2018, 01:48:27 AM
Dakon has been acquired. I like that beyond the "tutorial" combat at the beginning the game in the opening is mostly talking, and you get quite a lot of XP by talking. Rewarding the player for exploring its characters and lore is something more games should do.
Rewarding the player for exploring its characters and lore is something more games should do.
It's why Planescape: Torment is one of the all time greats. It focuses on story and what a story it is.
Still hot and heavy into the fighting games atm so I got myself a new stick. Full album up on imgur: https://imgur.com/a/sTYFD
Post by: Liquid Evil on March 01, 2018, 07:39:09 PM
Got a copy of Secret of Mana for PS4. Surprisingly, not one I played on SNES as a kid. Will probably save it for when my brother is over since it looks like a game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmCnFUiYZKc) that should be up his alley.
Post by: maxbeedo on March 01, 2018, 08:12:24 PM
I've watched a couple streamers play it. I beat it like 10 times as a kid and seeing that the remake has basically 0 new content (and that it's $40) made it an easy pass for me. It does at least have some decent new cutscenes between the characters whenever sleeping at an inn.
Post by: Melchior on March 01, 2018, 10:03:59 PM
I love Darkest Dungeon.
Been playing it a LOT and the RNG can be...frustrating. Took me a long time to finish the game the first time on 'Darkest' difficulty. Now I am doing that same difficulty with Crimson Court, after which I will do a Stygian run. The CC DLC makes the game somewhat harder.
Once you get a feel for party compositions and what skills to use where (for example, bleed is largely useless is The Ruins), the game gets easier and you actually feel like you can progress, rather than getting destroyed.
There's a huge amount of info available (I used the DD sub-Reddit) and I recommend using it to learn the basics, at least. Overall though, it's about mitigating RNG rape and bringing the best and most useful team to the dungeon you're tackling.
It IS grindy until you understand how to win, but later you can get through much faster, as such Stygian has a time and death limit, which I forget offhand. I honestly enjoy the grinding in this game though. :)
If anyone else is playing and wants to discuss/ask questions/etc, we could start a thread!
Post by: syn on March 02, 2018, 07:54:29 PM
thanks for posting this. it's basically Escape Velocity redone, as far as i can tell. haven't stumbled across much in the way of story in this one yet, but it's been some good mindless fun building up a fleet, so far.
Post by: Godji on March 04, 2018, 07:03:27 AM
I loved Darkest Dungeon, but indeed some streaks of bad luck lead to absolutely impossible to avoid deaths (like when despite being at 90% light, you get surprised by enemies who proceed to land crit + death blow on your healer...) which immediately converts to a looooong grind to level new heroes.
Still, excellent game, a little bit grindy.
Currently playing Nioh which I a liking quite a bit (vaguely Dak Soulsesque, with less exploration and world-building but more combat depth), and after having many friends explain to me that it completely broke the genre convention, I have decided to give a try to Doki Doki Litterature Club despite me not being a huge fan of visual novels. No spoiler yet, I've just begun (and it is still very much a classic VN AFAICS so far).
Post by: lemming on March 04, 2018, 02:09:46 PM
DDLC is... not nearly as original as western media makes it out to be.
It's alright though.
I finished DDLC this week-end, and it may be that I don't know visual novels that well, but damn, that was largely original enough for me.
It certainly twisted any assumptions I had going in. Do take the warnings very seriously though.
EDIT : hmm, am I being silly, or are we missing a spoiler tag ?
I think this article is the best take I've seen on it from a western outlet: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/kzp7gy/doki-doki-literature-club-history-visual-novels
It's not to say that it's a bad game or plagiarized or anything, but it's frustrating to see the demographic that's normally dismissive of Japanese media in general and especially VNs tout DDLC as something bigger than it actually is; the implication that it took an American to revolutionize the genre past decades of stagnancy in its homeland is uncomfortable, at best.
Post by: Pixie on March 05, 2018, 04:42:57 PM
Yeah, no functional spoiler tag Godji. :(
I have had DDLC installed for a while but haven't gotten around to playing. Numerous friends praise the shit out of it, though, so I will..... soon... ish.
The Witcher 3 at max settings with a perfect and never-wavering 60fps... is a fucking beautiful thing.
That will be all. Carry on.
Post by: Darkness on March 07, 2018, 04:48:35 AM
Go fu-enjoy yourself. ;)
I will absolutely fu-enjoy myself! At 60fps. :D
Post by: Sssith on March 08, 2018, 09:42:13 AM
That is a game I want to get to. I will have to wrap up playing d3 soon.
Finished Planescape: Torment. Pretty trippy, I can see where the ideas for Kreia from KOTOR2 came from, and how most of the descriptions of D&D planar locations this game shows haven't changed at all in 20 years (though the next 2 books for 5E will be focused on the Planes).
Yep. (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/937184731424073094/9350131338FF07872617885FE8EC0CF73F093DE2/) It really does just look fantastic. (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/937184731424073320/A251685B086B908474A41F8D558545349642D8FE/)
I am wearing out my screenshot key.
I quite liked the first, it scratched my L4D itch nicely, so I've done something which is getting more and more exceptional for me, I got Vermintide 2 day one, and first contact is good. Ping me on Steam if you feel like playing.
I'm kinda interested in Vermintide 2, but will wait for a better sale. 25% off isn't enough to tempt me yet...
Anyone here know if Deathwar redux 3030 is as good as it looks? A game that combines Lucasarts/SCUMM system point and click gameplay with an Elite style open space exploration, seems potentially really, really good and it has positive reviews.
I got 3030 Deathwar Redux because it was only £7.
Early impressions are its not quite as much "Monkey Island" style point and clickery as I'd like but, the quirkiness is there and I like the graphics a lot. Not sure about space combat yet. Better than I thought it would be but, I've only had one fight so far.
Sunk many hours in 3030 Deathwar Redux at the weekend.
I really, really like this game.
Well I finally gave in and started playing FC4. Which is basically FC3 with shinier graphics and more stuff. Does it make for a better game? So far no. I will reserve comment until I finish FC4 but the story/progression is not as good as the first one. I am also not a fan of the FC4 big bad guy voice acting. FC3 first/main bad guy was pretty fantastic in comparison. FC4's bad guy just seems off with an ultra polished English accent.
All that said I am enjoying the game as a whole.
The prevailing opinion among my Steam circle is that FC4 is weaker overall than FC3, but generally just "more of the same"... so if you liked 3, you'll probably have fun with 4.
On that note, I have Far Cry 5 preloaded and am anxiously awaiting my chance to shoot some cult members this week. :D
Post by: Sssith on March 26, 2018, 04:46:43 PM
About 20% into FC4 and I would agree with that assessment.
Let me know how FC5 goes. I should be able to get to it with in the next four years. :P
BTW what is the consensus with Primal? I am guessing more of the same as compared to FC4.
Primal is my favorite Far Cry. It takes itself more seriously than the others. And it's just a shitload of fun. Taming/collecting animals is a hoot, and something about riding a saber-toothed tiger or cave bear into battle against other cavemen is delightful. I played the hell out of it and still have it installed to go back to here and there.
Post by: Geep on March 27, 2018, 01:01:08 AM
Anyone on Overwatch or Fortnite? Consuming most of my free time nowadays...
Far Cry 5 is a great deal of fun.
It's also borderline (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936060672189548410/0FBCE9FAC42043493F2960952CC87ACEF48622FC/) freaking photorealistic (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936060672189275085/E649DD23542C0C55EB98D6BC4B992B34B82A72B1/), if you ask me.
And it's beautifully optimized. I'm running it at 2560x1440, maxed out, and getting an unwavering 60fps. Reports from across the board are that it runs very well for a range of hardware.
Is it the same game as previous two? Meaning climb tower...clear fog...get weapon...find enemy bases...take over enemy base...have new safe house...hunt animals...craft larger/better storage equipment. Rinse...repeat.
Quote from: Sssith on March 28, 2018, 10:32:04 AM
And more side quests that you can shake a stick at.
It's definitely more Far Cry, if that's what you're asking.
But better. Okay, the story is the usual FC drivel. But the gameplay and gunplay are fantastic.
Also, you can have a Grizzly Bear companion. Named Cheeseburger. Who has a skill called "Bear Arms" which he uses to "exercise his right to attack." There's also the faithful dog, Boomer, who is revived from a downed state by giving him belly rubs.
Personally, I'm traveling with a mountain lion named Peaches who prefers the same sneaky murderkilling approach I do, which works out well.
Also, turkeys are savage. :o
Haven't been playing anything new lately. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen was on sale on PS4, a game I already platinumed on PS3, but felt like playing it again so I've been going through that with a different playstyle. The classes and combat in that game are just plain fun. First time I was all martial/strength switching between Fighter/Warrior/Magick Knight/Assassin, this time I've been mostly spellcasting, summoning giant tornados to throw enemies around, dropping meteors left and right, and now just switched to Magick Archer after having used mostly Sorcerer to boost magic so my DPS is ridiculous. Been one-shotting 2-3 boss enemies with one casting of Ricochet Hunter, which is like the old pre-1.10 D2 Pierce+Guided Arrow on crack. I really, really want Capcom to give this series another go, and it's been 5+ years. Dragon's Dogma Online is still Japan-only and will never get localized, and the PC port for DD:DA sold really well for them. The director did say he has a new game to announce this year, but most people are expected a return to Devil May Cry since he directed 2-4.
Post by: Godji on April 03, 2018, 07:18:09 AM
I played Dragon Dogma only last year and really had a great time too. As for announcements at this stage I'd be very happy both with a new Dragon's Dogma and a new DMC (and, despite DmC not being bad at all, hopefully a true DMC 5).
Post by: Liquid Evil on April 06, 2018, 11:49:43 AM
Quote from: maxbeedo on April 02, 2018, 10:53:00 PM
Haven't been playing anything new lately.
The SFV season 3.5 patch dropped this week and your homegirl Cammy avoided meaningful nerfs and got some (minor?) buffs. Season of the 'beedo.
Yeah, I saw, although the changes to fight money and the lack of new ways to earn it have made me somewhat salty. Saying "everything can be earned in-game" is pointless if no one will ever earn enough to buy half of what they put out. 0.9% of players have earned 1 million fight money, and 1.4 million is needed to unlock the 14 characters they've put out so far (plus another million+ for stages, million+ for costumes, etc.). Halving all fight money earnings through missions and completely removing all fight money earned through trials, survival and story mode was a giant smack to the face saying "yeah, we lied, buy everything with real money or get out." I've mostly gone back to playing CvS2, since that game is much deeper, has more characters, and has a lot of little touches like special intros that show some characterization.
Well I am about 60% done with FC4. It is an enjoyable game but FC3 was much better. Which is strange because it is almost the same game. But FC3 has better characters, better story lines, better pacing and skill progression. It just about every way possible FC3 is better than FC4. Hopefully FC5 doesn't fall into the same issues.
BTW the award for awesome background music used in a trailer goes to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whl28r8dVMU
The song is Red Sex by Vessel. The actual song goes a little off the rails half way through but is still awesome.
Post by: Liquid Evil on April 06, 2018, 07:14:32 PM
Looks like the Golden Shadaloo Soldier quest comes back on April 12th with a payout of 18K after entry fees if you're concerned about fight money, but yeah, I too, wish that SFV had unique character intros and such.
Quote from: Liquid Evil on April 06, 2018, 07:14:32 PM
Even if there were 10 GSSs every week (there hasn't been one for over 2 months) that wouldn't be enough to pay for what's available. The one this week also seemed to be invincible during various regular moves and his forward dash (he dashed forward through fireballs, my crouching MK passed through him while he whiffed a crouching MP, etc.), and can combo overhead dive kick into multiple dash punches into uppercut (over 40% health). It's basically betting against the house.
I wish there were more opportunities for fight money and these golden guys weren't so few and far between as well. However, if you're having a hard time beating them in a standard 1v1, then you could just cheese the AI to make sure you end up winning. For whatever reason, the computer has a very hard time dealing with Vega's FBA, Abigail's run into flip, and Rashid's Eagle Spike if you are just wanting some easy fight money. Maybe something to consider for next time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_votbOxMPkk&feature=youtu.be
In other news, my friends and I are looking to get into a new MP game just to screw around once a week or so. We haven't officially settled on a title yet, but I think we're leaning toward Forza Horizon 3 or Ultimate Chicken Horse. Our common system is Xbox One, so it's gotta be on that particular platform. Both look like fun dink-around games when we are wanting something different from our usual. Ignoring FPS games since we've already done a lot of those, the common ground among our favorite games is relatively small (Respective favorites we play individually include SF, LoL, Fable series, Lego series). If you can comment on the fun factor of FH3 or UCH or even come up with a better game for our purposes, I'm all ears.
Post by: Darkness on April 17, 2018, 06:07:21 AM
Completed 3030 Deathwar Redux last week. Thoroughly enjoyed it, although the game didn't deliver the "Monkey island" puzzle solving experience alongside space combat as I'd hoped it would. The story remained satisfying until the end, with the lead character refusing to let go of his principle gripe until the last moment. The game has replay value as well, having started a second play through and been able to do things differently this time around, in terms of experiencing story content. A worthwhile buy for the price.
Post by: Sssith on April 17, 2018, 10:13:28 AM
Finished FC4. Overall disappointed. There literally is no payoff for having completed any of the tasks. And all the NPCs are assholes. Every single one, with one exception. Longinus is the one stand out in this train wreck. Interesting story. Very weird in its own way, but ultimately it has a pay off.
The only redeeming factor in this game is the game play. It is your standard fare for FC. Sneak around taking out the bad guys. Or just go in guns blazing and rip everything to shreds. Even this had flaws as the Shangri-La missions where just annoying as f*. Especially the last one. It sucked moose balls. Running around in circles trying to kill that f**king bird thing as annoying as hell. And then there is no payoff.
So is FC5 like FC4 or FC3 or somewhere in between? If it is like FC4 I might not bother.
At this point I have moved on to Andromeda. I am going to give this one another try. Finished the opening sequence which is too long without the ability to save. I can already see some improvements that they made to the graphics. Hopefully I will see more as I progress. Character creation is still pretty lousy.
Post by: maxbeedo on April 25, 2018, 03:09:57 AM
Picked up Yakuza Kiwami last week (the remake of Yakuza 1 from the PS2), figured I'd at least try to catch up a bit in the series now that 6 has come out. The improvements they added from 0 help a lot in keeping it interesting, with all of the fighting styles intact, and some of the better mini-games. The story is much simpler and shorter, but the pricetag was correspondingly lower (base is $30, but it's on sale for $18 on PSN right now).
Speaking of PSN sales, there's some decent stuff on sale this week. Monster Hunter World for $45 and Tales of Berseria for $20 peaked my interest. Nice of them to put a sale on considering this week has been all about God of War, which has never really interested me.
Post by: sam_manzanza on May 02, 2018, 11:21:36 PM
I had a maaaaassive itch for a good JRPG, but since I only own a Switch and no computer at the moment, I downloaded FFIV and FFVII on my phone and gave them a play-through. FFIV sucks, FFVII is still great. /review you can all go home now. Will be buying a PS4 for the remake.
With nothing else to play I decided to finish off Zelda BotW. Got all 120 shrines and did the DLC. Love that game so much, just fun to pick up for an hour and run around doing not much. Graphics are lovely, the controls are great - highly recommend.
After that I needed something else, so I was tossing up between Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2. Decided to go with Splatoon 2, even though I hate shooters and it looks childish as hell. And it's great. An awesome, light-hearted game with enough complexity to be interesting. The battle modes are pretty varied and there's one "main" mode, plus 4 others which are on a cycle, changing every two hours. This could be annoying but it seems to work, forcing you into trying something different and condensing the player base so you're not waiting 5 minutes to get enough people to play a less popular mode.
I didn't really expect to like this game (why did I buy it? F*cking good question...), but man, it's fun. And I find a lot of the time that I game more out of habit than enjoyment. Normally I go through long periods of frustration followed by some emotional pay-off that gives satisfaction, beating a boss, finding the item you were looking for. But there's not a lot of actual "fun".
But this game has been a much different experience. Even when I lose in Splatoon it doesn't really seem to matter. I still get pissed when my team blows what should have been an easy win, but it passes by the time the next game begins. Or if I am playing like garbage and dying repeatedly, I re-spawn and run off firing ink or turn into a squid and then, the frustration is immediately gone. It's a really hard game to stay mad at because it's just so damn ridiculous.
Nintendo's online systems are absolute shite, but that's another story for another day.
Quote from: sam_manzanza on May 02, 2018, 11:21:36 PM
I had a maaaaassive itch for a good JRPG
That must have been disappointing.
You're not wrong.
Sadly Nintendo hasn't really done a good job maintaining relationships with the companies that make most of the JRPGs, so it's been slim pickings since the SNES. Project Octopath Traveler will be coming out on the Switch in July though, and that looks really promising if you like 16-bit aesthetics (same director as Bravely Default).
Been playing Monster Hunter World for the last week or so. So far, not very fun. The story is extremely minimal, it's very much a grindy, repetitive loot/combat fest. The movesets of the weapons are interesting, and the world is colorful and dense, but combat in general is really slow, and your animations on being hit are rage-inducing game-killing soliloquies where a big monster's entire frame turns into a hitbox instantaneously as it decides to move somewhere near you and hits you (sometimes the animations between just moving and "charging" you are identical, one will harm you, the other won't), sometimes even if they clearly missed you, and you fly backwards and do about 10 rolls and wake up stunned, meaning you can't play the game for about 20 seconds. And this can happen 10-20 times per fight unless you play perfectly. Hitboxes are a big problem, and while the Souls games had a few enemies with this problem of them deciding to charge and do massive damage with the tip of their toes or wings or whatever, they were the rare exception there, whereas here it's literally every fucking monster. I haven't had many problems actually completing quests (haven't failed any yet out of the 70 I've done), but it feels like they all take 4x as long as they should since every step, every swing, every animation you take is at a snail's pace, no matter what weapon I try. You can't use items or run unless you completely holster your weapon and wait 3-5 seconds. That's fucking ridiculous. The trophy guide says "minimum 300 hours to platinum", which might be on the low side. Everything seems to be designed to be a waste of time. It got massively popular because it's multiplayer focused (and the first Monster Hunter game on a non-portable console in a while), but everything seems more fun in co-op than it actually is.
Conan Exiles comes out of Early Access today. Woo! Much hype. I <3 this game.
195 hours in it so far. Time to start over!
Quote from: maxbeedo on May 07, 2018, 11:56:14 PM
Absolutely fizzing for this game. Have played the demo and it's just such a nice looking game, can't wait to get it. You're spot on re: the relationship between Nintendo and 3rd-party devs being poor, though thankfully this seems to be changing since the Switch has been so popular. Nearly everything is getting a Switch port and it seems as though devs are looking at it as a legit 4th platform (after Xbox, Playstation and PC), so hopefully it gets included in the big releases in the future.
I've been doing some Rise of the Tomb Raider after 14 months of not playing. I finished the campaign, go to 100% game completion and now i've started on Ultimate Survivor. I think one of the hardest bits is you can only save at a camp fire. I've already fallen into a spike pit on level 1 and had to redo things.
So far its fun and not annoying.
State of Decay 2 is everything I wanted it to be.
I hate to admit that I couldn't get into the original. Maybe I should give it another try.
Ultimate Survivor is fun. I remember a couple hard points. My suggestion...don't die. :-P
Well, I've been plowing through Monster Hunter despite my problems with it, as I tend to do with most games. Several monsters still have the problem of you never knowing if they are just moving or if they are "charging/making their entire frame a hitbox", but the Elder Dragon fights near the end don't have this problem as much and were quite fun. The game still has zero story, and it's still 100% a grind-fest, with less than 30 monsters, most of which are palette swaps or extremely similar to each other, but at least the weapon movesets are fun, and you start getting a weapon/armor customization later in the game letting you add skill gems for bonus effects. It's doubtful I'll continue all the way to Hunter Rank 100 though since I'm only Rank 50 now (after about 140 hours) and there are NO NEW MONSTERS to face past Rank 15 other than "tempered" varieties which basically just means they have more health/damage.
Next up: Tales of Berseria
I couldn't get into it the first time I tried playing. I reinstalled it some time later and for some reason it just clicked, and I played it for well over 100 hours and fell in love. It's my favorite zombie survival game (well, until now).
Not everyone likes it. It's definitely got some rough edges. It is, after all, not a AAA game.
The sequel is exactly what I wanted, though: lots more of the same, but better. They didn't go out and rewrite the formula like so many sequels do. They improved on the best features and fixed other things and added some stuff while keeping it the same basic game.
So you are saying that I should look into the second but skip the first?
Quote from: Pixie on May 23, 2018, 06:12:40 AM
My expectations aren't high. I played Tales of Xillia 1 and 2 and they had surprisingly strong character development (like, some of the best in any game). If Berseria has the same, it'll at least be a welcome change from MHW that has 0 story or character development.
I found Xillia to be excellent. I never did get around to playing the second.
Quote from: Sssith on May 23, 2018, 09:38:51 AM
There's no real reason to play the first at this point. They're not sequels in any meaningful way. No shared places, characters, etc.
Berseria has a few interesting characters, one awesome one, and a couple annoying ones. Overall, the characters are good, though, and the story is reasonable (as jrpgs go). It dives headfirst into a pile of melodrama that it never emerges from. But its worst transgression is how far it outstays its welcome. The combat/mechanics are not interesting in any way and it just gets SO TIRESOME, even if you crank it down to easy/casual so you can just blow through it. And the back-and-forth across the map gets old. It's a few nuggets of good wrapped with hours of tedious filler.
Basically, it would be ten times better if it were 25% of the length.
Magilou, however, is still one of my favorite characters from any game ever.
I literally just met her, and I'm like "Yeah, I know that voice." Erica Lindbeck. She's in pretty much every game I've played recently. Futaba in Persona 5, Menat in Street Fighter V, the handler in Monster Hunter World. She certainly knows how to bring adorable energy to a character.
Post by: Liquid Evil on May 29, 2018, 03:39:08 PM
Finished a playthrough of Thimbleweed Park (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRmh1aFHHQQ). It was an interesting point-and-click style adventure game. It was just okay. The ending got weird and meta, and it just sort of fizzled out for me.
Also we've got SFV releasing a new costume for Vega finally (I think the last one was Halloween 2016). Capcom took about zero risks in the design, but I'm still grabbing it up. When they'll finally release his nostalgia costume, we may never know.
Finished Tales of Berseria. Kinda meh. Very predictable, not much changes from beginning to end. They try very hard to make you like every character, but unlike Xillia I think they failed in some cases. The premise was not as strong, and I don't think even with the conversations unlocked after beating the game explaining more of Artorias' background that he is ever that interesting or sympathetic. I don't necessarily mind some backtracking in games, but I think the biggest problem is that most areas are like 5x bigger than they need to be, and the fast travel stuff isn't unlocked until way later. When you first unlock your "base", it takes almost 90 seconds of running to get from the harbor to the "inn" to sleep. It takes over 5 minutes of just running to traverse most dungeons after clearing them. The "Back to the Future 2 Hoverboard" you unlock only speeds you up maybe 25%, although the ability to essentially ignore encounters helped a lot.
A few other issues:
The subtitles are consistently wrong, like at least every other sentence is either misspelled or missing several words of what they actually said (and this is English voice + English subtitles).
Because of the way status effects remove your "soul" action pool, and almost every enemy from about an hour in onward will automatically stun and/or hit you with status effects on THE FIRST HIT, the only way to get through the game in a timely manner is to abuse Velvet's Break Soul ability over and over and over since it makes you immune and unstaggerable (playing any other character usually ends up with me getting stunned on any stray hit and then gang-stomped to death in <2 seconds, at least until later in the game).
The Xillia cameo went on for way too long. And they spent way too much of the dialogue trying to justify a reason for them to be there instead of just having fun with the mashup.
I had only unlocked maybe 5 trophies out of 51 when I was ready to go to the final dungeon. 10-15 can be unlocked very quickly thereafter as the game shoves all of its "sidequests" in at the end. The rest are grindy as hell. I've earned 2.3 millon "gald", but need 20 million for the trophy. I've earned 13000 out of 200000 Tales Coins, used about 30-70 Mystic Artes per character out of the 250 needed, level 77 out of 200, 6000 out of 11800 collectable "Katz souls", etc.. A second playthrough with some accelerators can help, but there's no other reason to play NG+ other than trophy grinding.
The antagonists were not interesting.
Most of the PCs try way too hard to be simultaneously caring/uncaring, or doubtful/self-assured, without much reason to swap between them. They tend to be a little too objective about their own feelings, and commentate "well, I might care or not care about this, depending on the situation, that's what being a human is all about", way too early in the game, and way too often. Self-awareness is a good trait but introduced too early (especially with Rokorou) robs them of any emotional growth.
Almost all of the mini-games are garbage.
As usual for a Tales game, the characters are written as "normal people". They mostly behave, react, and talk like as you'd expect out of rational people. They brood, they crack jokes, they rationalize scary situations away with humor, they try to console each other, the good guys have done bad things, the bad guys have done good things, etc. It makes it really hard to hate any of them.
Eleanor is a top-tier waifu. She's the best kind of Lawful Good Paladin/Team Mom. Every time Velvet got into an argument with her it just made Velvet look worse and Eleanor look better, since Velvet seemed to just hate her for no reason while Eleanor was usually friendly, non-judgmental, or generally looked to blame herself before blaming others.
Magilou is the contrarian of the group, and that usually means she stands out as the one super emotional character since everyone else is fairly even-keeled (and the voice of reason when they start going crazy), and the VA's performance destroys everyone else's.
Finished replaying Tomb Raider. I enjoy this style of game and I will probably play through Rise one more time before the new game comes out.
Not sure what I am going to play now.
I have finished playing Walking Dead: Michonne. I was under the impression that people thought it wasn't a very good game. All I can say is that I liked it. It is short and pretty damn vicious, and maybe that is why people didn't like it. I thought it offered up some tough decisions and was pretty unforgiving. Overall I thought the game had a story that was worth seeing.
At this point I am thinking of giving Witcher 1 a play through. I have heard it said that it is not worth playing. That I should just read the story online. I would like to give it a try so I can get into the spirit of the game. I want to eventually play 2 and 3 and it seems crazy to skip 1. I might change my tune after 10 hours, we shall see. I plan on trying to get through it quickly and on easy mode. Hopefully that will make the game play more bearable. Any advice that people have would be appreciated.
The Witcher 1 and 2 have not aged well when it comes to "playing" them, but your choices do actually matter within those games in changing what you play, so watching a playthrough doesn't give the same experience unless it covers every option. Even though your choices matter within each game, your choices absolutely do not matter between games (unlike Mass Effect/Dragon Age). 1 does not have much to do with 2 or 3, although the arc of a particular character mirrors an important one in 3 (and one of the romance options reappears in a DLC in 3). There are definitely points in which you must do a specific thing at a specific place or talk to a specific person and pick a specific dialogue option in order for a quest to progress (like many older RPGs), so use a guide if needed to avoid frustration. I played them on Easy mode as well, because the combat felt clunky as hell. I played 1 and 2, then read 5 of the books, then played 3, which turned out to be a pretty good order since 3 is tied heavily to the book series (the games take place chronologically after the books).
Post by: Kasferatu on June 07, 2018, 01:22:59 PM
I mostly agree with the above, but your choices in W2 do have an impact in W3 in that different side quests and such are available. In the grand scheme of the plot though, no those choices don't matter (I think).
Good to know. Is there a build that will make the play through easier?
I will have to see if I can get the books cheaply.
The books are well worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed them and they do add a lot to playing W3. I don't have much to say on builds though.
Step 1: Don't play Witcher 1. It's awful. Really awful. Even on easy mode it's awful.
Step 2: Play Witcher 2 if you want, but skip it if you're not super enthused because it doesn't really matter either way.
Step 3: Play Witcher 3, which is fantastic.
Holy crap. Witcher 1 is unplayable. Even 'enhanced'. Just walking around is a chore. Started Witcher 2 and it seems better. I really want to get into this game but we will see.
Quote from: Kasferatu on June 07, 2018, 01:22:59 PM
My biggest problem was that the major choice I made in W2 (the one that affects an entire chapter) was treated 100% as though I'd made the other decision in W3. None of the characters I met show up in W3, and the people involved in the choice I DIDN'T make were chummy with me even though I dissed them. There was even DLC added in the Enhanced Edition that added even more quests on the side that I played, so I assumed they would play an important part in W3, but nope. Probably the only story-related problem I had with W3 overall.
Post by: dave in the basement on June 10, 2018, 11:45:22 AM
I have been having a blast with West of Loathing on the ol' Switch as of late.
That'll probably keep me occupied until S14 of D3 fires up on Friday.
So I am playing, and mostly enjoying, Witcher 2.
I do have a couple of problems with this game. The tutorials suck. Usually a game helps you figure out how the game works. Not this one.
The quest tracking system sucks. I am in chapter one where you have to kill this squid thing. It has a poison that you need to brew a potion to protect yourself. Supposedly you need to find a moss, gods knows where to brew this potion. Somehow I found the necessary ingredients and brewed the potion. The quest to find the ingredient is still active. There are a bunch of these types of things.
Playing on normal is stupid hard. I regularly get pwnd by fights. I am getting better but there are some that I just don't see how I can win. Switching to Easy mode is just that though; too easy. Kind of annoying.
That said the story is building nicely which is fun. Hopefully these other issues won't diminish my enjoyment too much.
Post by: Kasferatu on June 23, 2018, 10:04:25 AM
Stunned today to find out I couldn't sell any cards on steam because I haven't bought anything in Steam in over a year! Was hoping to get rid of some cards and pick up Slay the Spire, which looks like exactly my kind of game and is getting all kinds of awesome ratings.
Quote from: Kasferatu on June 23, 2018, 10:04:25 AM
I haven't launched it yet, but that's what a few co-workers spend their lunch break on and the game does look indeed very fun. I just refuse to play games in Early access, I already get more games than I can play (still not winning this battle of will), I may as well wait for them to be mostly finished before I play them.
For a completely different take on card games, very intrigued by Cultist Simulator too.
Cultist Simulator and Slay the Spire have both been getting rave reviews in my rather-large Steam group. They seem to be pretty solid, entertaining games.
Anyone hear about Raft? I saw it pop up in my discovery queue in steam and I actually put it in my wishlist. I just watched a video for it, seems fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5NjJQ3EKgM
Yeah, looks fun. I wishlisted it a couple days ago. May pick it up at some point.
Post by: sam_manzanza on July 04, 2018, 05:00:40 PM
Titan Quest comes out on Switch at the end of the month and it looks like it might be worth a buy. It's old AF, but that's fine. Has anyone here played it (I assume so) and would you recommend it? Basically - how does it compare to D2/D3 in reagrd to gameplay, replayability, loot hunting, etc etc.
Edit: I see there's a whole sub-forum on the old GO. I'll read that.
Post by: Lego on July 04, 2018, 06:49:56 PM
Quote from: sam_manzanza on July 04, 2018, 05:00:40 PM
Does it really? Awesome!!
I'm just starting a Mass Effect Trilogy playthrough. In addition to Skyrim and Mario Oddessy on the switch.
TQ is good. Bonus! They only recently, after like 10 years, added another expansion for it - Ragnarok - with a new class and all. It's even betterer now. Very recommended.
It's better than D3, not as good as D2. YMMV.
Excellent. Ragnarok isn't included in the initial Switch release, but no doubt will be released in the future. Seems like an odd decision not to include it, but hey, if they can get people to pay more money for it separately, more power to them. I'm a sucker, so that sort of approach works on me.
Regardless, after your feedback and reading the old GO forum, I'm now all the way in on this. There's nothing like it on Switch currently. Been a quiet few months for decent Switch games, but Paladins, Fortnite and Crash Bandicoot (nostalgia+) all dropped in the past few weeks; Octopath and this are out in July and Monster Hunter: Generations at the end of August. Happy days.
Post by: Timinator on July 10, 2018, 12:56:37 AM
Every now and then I'd get some gaming nostalgia, but this is close to 30 years ago. A game I played in primary school on Apple II computers I believe. Initially I remembered the idea of it, and while searching for it, I found MANY other people who had found memories and were also looking at various times. It was kinda cool to be a part of that. Then I finally found the name.
Raft Away River
(http://www.ourdigitalheritage.org/archive/playitagain/wp-content/uploads/Raft-Away_River.png)
Then recently I thought about how there are websites where you can play old games in your browser. After a quick search I had it working!
https://archive.org/details/RAFT_AWAY_RIVER#
So much nostalgia! At first I was a bit disorganised, but had another go and finished it on the basic difficulty. There was once a time I had memorised all the commands and what they did :) This might have been one of the first games I really enjoyed. You have 2-6 players and randomly get 2 out of 4 items. You need to communicate and plan to not all die :) It is a basic game as its designed for kids as edutainment, but great trip down memory lane.
Now if only I could find this 2d platformer game we also played around the same time. I have a vague memory what it looked like .. its not much to go on
Post by: Sssith on July 15, 2018, 10:07:42 AM
I blame Tim.
He goaded me to play Rise of the Tomb Raider in Extreme Survivor Mode. Just finished it. Don't do it, not that I am really worried that you would. The game play was a bit tougher than Survivor Mode. The annoying thing is that if you die you go back to your last campfire. For the most part this is not that big of a deal. There are a couple points though were you have a long quest, followed by a battle, followed by hard jumping or quick time events. It is the last thing that is miserable. Screw that up and you have to go back to the beginning are do the whole thing again. The biggest pain as the final battle which ends with some quick time events against the boss Konstantine. I did that several times. I got really good at defeating the helicopter.
Well I am done with Tomb Raider until the next one comes out in September. Can't wait for that one.
Oh...another annoying side affect is that my Steam Profile was using the rare achievement display. It would showcase the rarest achievements that you have done. Because I did this all my achievements that are showing up there are for Rise of the Tomb Raider. For what it is worth, the only 0.7% of players have the Extreme Survivor Mode achievement. Gone are the other fun ones I had, like Zombie Chopper from HL2. Ah well. I need a new showcase (again, not that anyone ever looks at those things).
You are welcome that I pushed you. For only 44 more Steam EXP you can get to level 20 and get a new profile showcase. The easiest will be to do the last of the 3 community ambassador tasks.
1) Post a status to your friends
2) View a guide in the Steam Overlay
Those 2 are very quick to do, you might get the new badge just on that. Otherwise you need
3) Post a video. Thats a bit more complex, you need a youtube account, link to steam account. I think I had short thing of serious sam.
You can get a showcase where you CHOOSE the achievements you want to show off. The "rare" ones aren't the best depending which games you might play and the overall community.
Anyway, for your next challenge ;) You have quite a few story based DLC things you could do, eg the Blood Ties bit
I see you playing some Borderlands 2, here are some non grindy things to try for:
Goliath, Meet David
Allowed a Goliath to level up four times before killing him
That one can happen normally and is both fun and very freaky .. RECOMMENDED!
Then, go visit the places, do the things, hit level 50 at least :P
Post by: Godji on July 16, 2018, 03:24:18 AM
Always at the cutting edge of video game releases, I'm spending most of my time on... Binding of Isaac (Rebirth, and extensions), which I had somehow never played, and got during Steam sales. Quite enjoying it, and how different layers of gameplay reveal themselves. It seems purely random at the beginning, but you learn how to actually manipulate and do get thebest out of what you're given.
Along this, after my initial run where I mastered Dark Souls III with caestus (ys, admire the masochism) I'm doing a run with a pyro which seems kind of easy mode compared to the first one, and a coop run with a friend with Paired Ringed Greatswords, which are completely silly, hence extremely fun.
Quote from: Timinator on July 15, 2018, 08:31:57 PM
Good to know. I had no clue that there was a benefit to leveling up your steam profile and that sounds like a nice showcase to use.
As Tim noted I am playing BL2 again. Going with Maya because she is hot. Just kidding, in an FPS it really doesn't matter. :p I just had the itch to play the game again. Not sure how far I will get.
BTW that link you gave me with the ability to look at Steam achievements organized in different ways was pretty interesting. Not sure how they figure some of those rankings out.
Post by: Pixie on July 16, 2018, 10:58:25 AM
Leveling up your steam profile gives you more showcases and allows you to have more friends. It's actually pretty useful in a stupid sort of way.
I actually have more showcases than I know what to do with now, but it is fun coming up with interesting uses for them! (https://steamcommunity.com/id/Pixelated_Pixie/)
Post by: Darkness on July 17, 2018, 03:01:23 AM
Have fallen down the rabbit hole that is Starbound. :(
Finally got around to replaying Bloodborne + DLC since I hadn't played Old Hunters. Waited until the very end game to start it, which helped a lot with the advertised extreme difficulty. Only 1 death to Orphan of Kos while I learned the parry timing, otherwise all first-time kills. Unfortunately, I screwed up and was "going too fast" and missed the cutoff for getting the Holy Moonlight Sword from Ludwig's corpse, so I have to go through half of NG+ to get the last trophy for getting all weapons (luckily Ludwig is the first boss in the DLC).
Post by: Kasferatu on July 17, 2018, 03:52:36 PM
I'm waaay down the Slay the Spire hole.
I'w way down the Binding of Isaac's h... no, not falling for that one.
Speaking of Rabbit Holes ..
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lm9LGi4J7SI/hqdefault.jpg)
I've been watching a few videos of Doom (90s Doom) recently and I remembered I hadn't gone back to the 9 level mission "No Rest for the Living" which came with the BFG edition. I'd had a blind playthrough in late 2012. I died a LOT back then. I got ambushed but had a great time and eventually won. This time I went back and played through the levels to the best of my ability, then looked up a guide for the missing monsters and MANY missing secrets.
Also this meant last time I saw the powerful weapons teased but couldn't get them to later levels. Now I've been better equipped, but reaching whole areas of tough baddies I missed in the past, including the secret level which was a whole new challenge.
2 levels to go.. Then I'll try going back to the last of the Master Levels which I rage quit on a few years back.
(https://scontent.fakl1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37423501_2358732867601076_2828428864282165248_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=113cd993d040185767f38ee65e7ecfdf&oe=5C141F81)
After finishing Bloodborne again, I realized that I had never once built a character to use the Moonlight Greatsword in any souls game, even though I've beaten all of them 4+ times (they tend to need high strength and magic/arcane which is just not a combo I've done). So I started a new character and rushed to Ludwig as fast as I could. Yep, it was worth it, if only for the transform animation.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bloodborne/images/f/fa/Holy_Moonlight_Sword_Bloodborne.gif/revision/latest?cb=20171128023254)
Only thing I'm debating is whether or not I want to deal with the Defiled Chalice again in order to get to the last dungeon to farm for the best gems and runes. As cool as the sword is, it doesn't save me from being one-shot by almost everything in there.
Got Zelda and Mega Man collection for the Switch for my birthday. Looking forward to playing them. Still in the middle of a Mass Effect playthrough. Just been a busy week :o
Post by: Liquid Evil on July 29, 2018, 08:38:00 PM
Played 88 Heroes (https://88heroes.com/) (a platformer with 88 different heroes and 88 seconds to complete each of its 88 levels...) with a group of friends where we alternated the controller at each death. The new guy gets a new, random hero and a shot at completing the level before passing it on to the next guy. Great social game. I doubt I'd play it alone though.
I also played Street Fighter V at a Red Bull Conquest (https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/conquest) tournament this weekend. It was my first "real" tournament with 50+ participants. I ended up going out 3-2 (I think tying for 17th place with a half dozen other guys), but my losses weren't blowouts where my opponent was substantially better, so that was reassuring and I felt I was "hanging in there" with some of the area's better dudes. That said, there were some real killers there and after I was eliminated, I practiced with a Diamond FANG player to get some insight into that matchup, and that was a pretty good time.
This sounds like clickbait, but the #1 on this top 10 might sound familiar ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqU7X3rOacg&
I happened to have been watching a few of this guys videos, but hadn't run into that one at the time. I was also looking back into a few speedrun things, then found some of my previous work on other people's youtube channels. Some gave me credit by name, some didn't. One had almost 7000 views for something pretty abstract. I then found talk about someone wanting to beat my time as it was unoptimised and talking about a video.
So possibly 90 000 people have seen something I did about 17 years ago that I thought would be long forgotten. The internet can be strange at times :P
Also its not the oldest. The website they looked at is missing some older ones.
I always knew you were crazy.
Still nicely done having the record.
I never did get the joy of speed runs as i prefer playing the opposite way. How come you don't have the records for Serious Sam? Get to it slacker.
Mr. World Record Holder notice me senpai ;). I bet the culture of speedrunning has changed a whole bunch since then. Now everyone wants to get a world record in something, so it's kinda surprising no one has taken it from you yet.
I just went to Urban Dictionary and learnt a new term!
Now my dilemma, do I follow the meme and do some ignoring?
However yes I'd say speedrunning has changed a whole bunch. I'm sure each community has run their games for as long as they can, and have compared highlights, but from the mid 2000s, various sites have allowed gaming on any and all plaforms to contribute together. Not being fractured has let things grow and helped the Awesome Games Done Quick and others take off. I just see the Europeans have their own events too!
When it was just the Quake community only, you I knew ALL the regular names, talked to most of them. The minute it expanded, there were 98% of games I'd never heard of, people I'd never heard of and types of goals that were different. It was great to browse other games I knew. At times you'd take a punt on something else, but it generally helps to understand a bit about the game to get any context. Eg why are they running backwards? It makes it hard to see things. Why are they running into a wall, now through the wall? How hard was that? However if you know that they have just skipped a level, or skipped 30 minutes, then your mouth drops to the floor.
Sssith, this is normally for people who are a bit OCD, they have already played the game (and unlike you, they won't just move on to the next), they try to optimise things, eg, how fast can I get to the end, what can I skip out? Sometimes things are found by accident!
Some of the speedrunners only really play one game ever .. but of course there are all types out there.
Post by: Sssith on August 06, 2018, 10:29:08 AM
I am back playing Borderlands 2. I started a siren and I have completed the first play through and right now I have her in Tiny Tina's DLC.
It is odd that you complete the first play through without getting to the bottom of a tree. Still it is a fun 'RPG' and loot finding game. There are times I get frustrated with the backtracking that this game makes you do, but all in all a very fun FPS.
I really hope they do something interesting with BL3. Not sure why but I have no real interest in the Prequel.
Post by: Timinator on August 06, 2018, 01:52:15 PM
The Aussie accent grates for me among things. They say borderlands one may be remastered for newer consoles. But it works fine on pc.
What Aussie accent? BL1 does not need a remake. It was a fine game but the pacing wasn't right.
Pre sequel made by aussies. I found of all the Borderlands games that after finishing, and I went for 100% so all the areas, side quests etc, that there was no way in hell I could do a 2nd character beyond the minimum i needed for achievements.
I think they need some armour type loot, sure guns are good, but how often do you really get upgrades?
I never really minded the loot grind that much in BL1 or 2, being used to it from D2 after all. The areas just aren't that interesting for the most part, and I genuinely hated where the story went for the last half of BL2 (partly because I mained Roland in BL1). I've beaten BL2 twice but never stuck with it long enough to finish a 2nd playthrough to get to the level cap.
Not sure what I want to play now. Been trying to find a group to fight the Behemoth crossover in Monster Hunter World, but every group seems to die insanely fast, even with me doing nothing but healing (been running a Light Bowgun with max level Wide-Range so my potions work on everyone). SFV final yesterday at EVO was insanely good, with Problem X from the UK winning with Bison (against Tokido), making him only the 2nd UKer to win EVO in any game (last one in 2008), and they announced that the last 2 characters from this season, G and Sagat, would be released today. Of course, that release comes with a hefty 13.4GB patch which is taking forever to download.
I am having a good time with my Siren so I will keep going. Armor would be a good thing to have in the game. At least in some form, other than just a shield. Right now I in the Tiny Tina DLC and I am constantly upgrading my guns and trying to find the right balance. One of the things that they got right is that, at least up to now, there is no perfect gun. There seemingly is a negative for all of them. It is not always more damage equals a better gun. How fast, how accurate, does it block your vision as shoot, reload speed, magazine. So many factors in what is a good gun.
The dialog in the game is fantastic. Handsome Jack's way of thinking sadly mirrors how the GOP operates these days. Don't like the narrative flip the script.
As for not liking that they killed Roland, I would have been pissed if that had been Mordecai, as he was my character in the first. I was pissed enough with Bloodwing biting it.
Post by: Pixie on August 07, 2018, 04:23:35 PM
Oh there's definitely one perfect gun.
Play Gaige. Put everything in anarchy. Use a shotgun with just one shot per reload. Nothing else about it matters.
Pure, absolute, primal joy. Everything just melts in front of you.
yeah...that is the character I played the first time through and it was a blast. Not very nuanced, but fun.
I see what you did there...
I heard a rumour Red Dead Redemption 2coming to PC .. apparently its a good game series ..
A series implies more than one: :P
That is a game I wish I had a chance to play.
Post by: sam_manzanza on August 09, 2018, 11:15:05 PM
Haven't played Red Dead but everyone I follow online seems to think RDR2 is going to be very, very good. Looks nice. There's a poker mini-game too, which is pretty cool.
Anyone here with a Switch who's planning to buy Monster Hunter:Generations Ultimate? Would be great to team up and kill some baddies together when it comes out.
Personally I have just finished Octopath Traveller, which was a fine game but the lack of a cohesive story ended up being a bit of a drawback. I generally don't care too much about story but by the 3rd or 4th chapter of each character it got quite disjointed. Having the characters stories all take place in the same towns was a bit of a misstep as well, as the best part of the game was exploration, but being able to fast-travel to the next chapter added to the repetitiveness. It's a fine game, but it fell a bit flat about half-way.
Anyone played Hollow Knight? Or Dead Cells? Since Titan Quest is a buggy mess, I am really just treading water until the 28th when MH:GU comes out, so I'm looking for something to fill the void.
Post by: Kasferatu on August 10, 2018, 02:42:04 PM
I just got around to playing and finishing Doom (the 2016 one). I'm generally not much of a fan of FPS these days, but Doom is absolutely fantastic!
Picked up Monster Hunter World for PC yesterday.
Spent a bazillion hours making a character but pretty happy with how she turned out (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/975479613212413500/45DDB8F4849624211CD7FC972ED19115A602B021/). Now to see if the game is any good. I can say that out of the 14 (?) weapon choices, like 11 or 12 of them are stupid japanime oversized bullshit like buster swords and 150 pound axes, so that makes my weapon decision easier!
I did a thing yesterday... I reinstalled D2 :o. Hadn't played in 8-9 years, surprised to find my CD keys still worked, able to register it and download a newer version that works pretty well. Started a Freezeadin, first unique I found was a Manald Heal, which was quite nice. Found 4 Breast Plates, 5 Full Helms and 3 Broad Swords so far, farming Baal for Nightmare gear. Feels like old times.
Quote from: maxbeedo on August 13, 2018, 05:35:40 PM
Found 4 Breast Plates
... PTSD twitching commences ...
Post by: mn4nu on August 14, 2018, 08:13:37 AM
Quote from: Pixie on August 13, 2018, 06:16:03 PM
Sssith would beg to differ
Those things are AWESOME!!
It's been a while since I've felt that nervousness of going into Nightmare with possibly subpar gear. Thankfully most of my mediocre gear has MF on it, so I'm finding some decent stuff early in NM, like a Ribcracker (guess I need to play a Druid now). It's kinda fun starting from scratch, it makes every find precious (well... almost).
Looks like D3 is coming to Switch, which is literally the greatest news I have ever heard.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/15/forbes-leaks-that-diablo-iii-is-headed-to-the-nintendo-switch?abthid=5b74b6b62ac0c320360007e2
Yeah I heard this rumour the day of "multiple projects". But Sam, did you burn out of D3? Or did you just not like playing it on a pc? Do you want to play as you take a dump etc?
Glad you are happy with this.
Doesn't move the needle for me.
Post by: Lego on August 16, 2018, 03:39:56 PM
I have newer games to play, but can't seem to tear myself away from Skyrim on my switch, and I just beat 2 and started Mass Effect 3 on my ps3.
But have you played Skyrim on Alexa?
Quote from: Timinator on August 15, 2018, 09:01:11 PM
My laptop was garbage and couldn't run it smoothly (i.e. I basically couldn't play with other people or the framerate would hit 0), plus our internet was trash and would lag me out all the time. Despite all of that, I still clocked up well over 1000 hours and was still playing (with breaks in between) when my laptop was stolen. Didn't replace my laptop, so no D3...
Tim, playing games while having a bog is one of life's great pleasures - just this morning I was having my morning coffee, playing Dead Cells and getting rid of last nights dinner at the same time. Absolute joy. And before anyone says that drinking coffee on the john is gross, let me remind you that I'm just a pretty gross sort of person.
Lego - Skyrim on the Switch was fantastic. I'd never played it before but I really enjoyed it. For an old game, it holds up extremely well and the port was very good.
Actually I do think I remember you randomly crashing out of games as your laptop overheated the sun.
Well I have hit level 49 in Borderlands. Level 50 is the cap without purchasing expansions. I believe there are two of them that raise the level cap by 10 each. A bit torn if I want to do that. Overall I am enjoying the game still, but it is getting a bit grindy. Though the big problem is that different quests make you redo the same areas multiple times.
Ding! 50.
Just like my age...*sigh*
I suggest picking up the DLC on special. From worst to best
The Arena one, you get no loot, its more of a cock punching epeen thing where you are in an area, waves of enemies and you can get an achievement but not much else. Not recommended.
Zombie Dr Ned one. Imagine the monsters reskinned as zombies. A bit of new story, YMMV
The Claptrap one. Do you hate claptrap? Do you want to shoot them? This is for you. The boss is a super claptrap. Definitely recommended. When I went for all the achievements, it was a horrible grind with low spawning items, but just going through the story bit is great. Awesome set of loot chests at the end
Then General Knoxx. I put in a few lines as its far and away better than all the others. The story is amazing for BL1 standards, you have a jaded general trying to do his best while a 7 year old or so is in charge and trying to order him around. You have a quest where you gather then build a brand new vehicle that is great. And the ending loot room is something that nothing comes close to (I'm yet to finish the pre-sequel). You get into a room with perhaps 100 massive chests. You will NOT be able to pick up everything. you will not have time for everything .. its the equivalent of a dash around a supermarket for 1 minute to get as many groceries as you can, but you have maybe 5 minutes. You'll be possibly checking stats quick or just grabbing as much as you can. There are some ways to get back in there .. can't remember the details.
If you only get one DLC, get Knoxx, but I suggest claptrap too.
Got CRS when I got to the apartment in ME3. Realized I wanted to be there with Tali, which meant being a male Shep, so... Otherwise eating up everything D3 on the switch. It's perfect for the platform. It'll be nice to have a way to do seasons again as I can't stand it on PC/Mac, and the PS3 version is frozen at 2.9 and no more support.
I wonder if D2 is trying to tell me something this time around. The first exceptional unique I found was a Fleshrender, and the first elite unique I found was a Fleshripper. It does feel kinda weird having a Paladin Zealing with a Dagger, but hey, whatever it takes to survive.
Excited for Yakuza Kiwami 2 next week.
Post by: mn4nu on August 25, 2018, 05:33:53 PM
Diablo 2 session while mildly buzzed...
#GloryDays (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM)
lol....friends don't let friends drink and quest
I am in UVHM now in Borderlands 2. Holy cow, it is like a different game. When I play these games you always wonder why the bad guys never have good equipment. Or at least decent equipment as, as we know, it is pretty damn easy to get equipment. Well wonder no longer, just play UVHM and have enemies snipping you with elemental weapons while sporting equipment that gives them good shield and health regeneration. Every battle takes a little thought and you have to be able to move and gun or you will be planted in the ground.
I am not yet sure how to feel about this mode, as it is tough. Most of the times I really like it, and then you get to the scenario where you are planted four times in a row. Moving more slowly. Boss running to get better gear. Slowly making head way. Right now I am level 53.
Post by: maxbeedo on August 29, 2018, 01:34:19 AM
Been trying to farm gear to survive gear with at least one character going into D2 Hell again (who can then farm for everyone else). Had a Mace Frenzybarb kill NM Diablo and get a near-perfect Serpentskin Armor (35 resist, 12 MDR), and then when going through the Bloody Foothills had a group of 3 champion Demon Imps that dropped a Repeating Crossbow, Gothic Axe, and War Maul. Not all super useful but pretty cool to see 3 uniques from the same champion pack. Put the armor on my lightning Sorc, did a NM Baal run with her and a Seraph's Hymn dropped (a first for me).
Seraph's Hymn is pretty rare, so that's a nice find. I started again with a sorceress to use as a magic finder for everyone else. It's worked out pretty good so far.
I continue to really enjoy playing Borderlands 2. Humble Bundle had a sale and it was cheaper for me to buy the game of the year edition then but one of the DLCs. The GOTY edition mean while had all the DLCs.
So right now I am going through the pirate DLC for the first time.
Quote from: Sssith on August 31, 2018, 11:43:08 AM
And I should note that I picked up the Legendary Siren Class mod...which seems just freakin' awesome. Even better I got in a random loot chest in the Pirate DLC.
Been doing more Mausoleum runs to get the Hell gear I need. Found an Ohm rune, the only "high end" rune I've found so far, but then took a break to get some other characters up to where they could maybe do the runs faster than my Pally. Brought my Lightning Sorc into Hell to do Mausoleum runs (granted, she's using Blizzard for that since everything there is lightning-immune), and on her 2nd run she gets a near-perfect Crown of Ages (2 sockets, all resist +29, damage reduced by 15%), which I think is my first TC87 unique. My Pally (or Barb) should find Hell much easier now.
I have mostly finished the Pirates DLC. I am a bit annoyed in that I can't kill the Leviathan. He is considered easy to beat and I get how to do it but he is doing massive damage with the rocks that he throws. One hit brings my health all the way down and the next one kills me. I think this is a factor in that I am doing this in UVHM. I will try again when I get better equipment.
I also farmed two infinity pistols just so I have a weapon that won't run out of ammo. Unfortunately both of them are base versions of the weapon and one day I might go back and try to farm a better one.
I am currently level 59 and rapidly approaching the level cap for the expansion that I have. One more level expansion to buy if I want to continue.
Wow, nice finds...an Ohm and a CoA! I found a Sur rune in Lower Kurast yesterday. I only need 1 more Sur, or 1 Ber to make the Infinity runeword. That will really speed things up for my sorceress.
Quote from: Sssith on September 04, 2018, 10:33:30 AM
End end fame bosses like that and all pathetic for the reasons you mention. Some of them you have to stand in damagaibg material so have to coop. Poor design for a so experience. The fights all took freaking ages. Can’t remember anything good dropping
The only time the uber bosses in BL were fun for me was when I was with a friend that had been given a bugged shield with basically infinite regen, so they could stay alive while the rest of us died over and over. We did this on Crawmerax in BL1 over and over just to see the 500+ items drop so we could spend 20+ minutes combing the field for cool stuff. Never found a group to get through any of them in BL2. No matter what gear I found I always died in 2 hits.
This is the first time that I haven't been able to beat a boss in BL2. Though I guess the DLCs have a bunch that I haven't tried.
It is not much fun when this happens. I am close to get past this but it has been an absolute pain.
This isn’t a boss. It’s an u er boss or a raid one they expected a big party’s to swoop onto. Not just one player where the ai will concentrate only on you ... and you are dead
More drops this week: Giant Skull from the Ancient Tunnels (+258 defense, 2 sockets, +27 STR), Ethereal 4 socket Dusk Shroud, regular 3 and 4 socket Dusk Shrouds, 4 socket Archon Plate, and a Djinn Slayer. Still not sure how I've found a Giant Skull and a Crown of Ages before finding any other Exceptional or Elite Unique helm (besides one Peasant Crown). Also my Paladin found a 2 socket Crown Shield pretty early on, which was great for a Rhyme, but I hadn't found a 2 socket paladin shield with decent resists with ANY character until I found one with +32 resist with no sockets that I luckily rolled 2 sockets with the cube, so now it can be a "better" Rhyme.
Post by: mn4nu on September 08, 2018, 06:45:55 PM
In D2 I found a Sur rune on a pit run, so I was able to cube a Ber. I now have the runes to make Infinity! However, I don't have a good weapon to put it in and I'm not going to waste those runes on something that isn't just right. On the hunt for a 4 socket eth thresher, great poleaxe, or cryptic axe. I've attempted to use the cube to add sockets to 3 or 4 plain eth threshers, but never got a 4 socket one. I found a Stormspire too!
Gg mn4nu. Ironic d2 bigger than d3 at the moment. But it deserves to be so.
I think D2 is telling my Sorc to move on from farming Act 1/2 Hell stuff. She got a 149/33/10 Gheed's from Duriel, then my first Griswold's Redemption from a unique blood lord pack in Durance lvl 3, another Ohm from one of the Council minions, and a Baranar's Star from Mephisto. Looks like the River of Flame/Chaos Sanctuary is going to be a problem though, since Abyss Knights are lightning immune and have a ridiculous amount of health for my Blizzard to chew through without me or my merc dying (or getting bored from dodging their shots for 2-3 minutes). I suppose I could respec if it gets too annoying.
Edit - Did about 10 more Meph runs. Got several neat things, like a Thundergod's Vigor and a Naj's Puzzler. The last one I did netted an Azurewrath (267% ED, +10 attributes, lvl 10 aura). I didn't even know Mephisto could drop it, and I've never seen a Lightsabre either. Of course, I don't have any lvl 85 characters yet (Sorc is 84, Paladin 83), so it's just sitting there, but it seems pretty rare.
Hit level 62 in BL2. I have finally killed the Leviathan and I will soon be finishing Pirate DLC. I finished the Torque DLC which was pretty fun. I had to cheese two of the bosses but it still managed to be fun. The Torque DLC ends with the Badassasaurus which was ridiculous. It had a hidden reflect damage on the damn thing. Only way to kill was to use a Torque weapon, which is silly if you think about it. I hid behind a concrete barrier to kill that boss. I am ok with Bosses being tough but it is crazy that you have to cheese them to beat them. That said I am still enjoying leveling up my character and looking for gear.
SSsith, I'm looking at what achievements you still have open, some suggestions, some you might be close:
Completed Level 1 on all non-level specific challenges. This one you need to look at and see what is left. Some are hidden and you have to finish level 5 of one, to open the hidden ones, eg shotgun to the face I think. It can be a grind, but can be good, have a look how close you are.
Blight Explorer
Discover 3 named places (you might already have some)
World Travellor, get the above
Sabre Rattler
Just start the guy with the turrets, 100 turret kills and you are there which doesn't take too long
Definitely An Italian Plumber
Just go to the right place from memory, I think it was easy.
Just a thing to do
Friendship Rules
get someone to get hurt, help them up, easy!
Did It All
A cool thing to say you did All THE THINGS
Visit some pirate areas
Do pirate side missions
carnage side missions
pick up pictures of moxi
Do the hammerlock stuff
get amulet in the DLC you finished
beat that murderlin temple now you are awesome!
Gunzerk for 90 seconds .. this was tricky, i did it in a certain area, had to get my guy up to a certain level to have enough points, and some of its just luck about where the monsters spawn and where you go.
Unseen Predator
A tough one, you have to be a certain level to try this. but then its simple.
Raid bosses .. if you have a good friend who can help, do this, else perhaps skip
I hope to see you mimise this list, or finish it :D I finished it and basically dont want to touch BL 2 again!
Yeah...I will probably try to get some of these off.
I doubt I will to the MP ones as no one is playing the game. I have opened my game to public and no one has joined. Not a big deal. Also might be a while since Tomb Raider is Pre-Loaded and I start my journey on Wednesday.
Post by: Darkness on September 12, 2018, 03:38:54 AM
Quote from: Sssith on September 05, 2018, 05:30:08 PM
For Borderlands 2 the absolute must play DLC is Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. The story is superb and had me in absolute bits at the end. It's really the only Borderlands 2 DLC that actually has a story that meaningfully, really meaningfully, is about the story of the main game.
Agreed. I have played through it twice and they nailed this DLC like few DLCs have been nailed in any game. During regular story progression, when you visit Tina, checkout her book case where you will see a picture of her riding on Roland's shoulder. Both with wide smiles. Roland never smiles. Also during the Wildlife quests you can find echos that tell the tragic story of Tina's parents. Tortured to death in slag experiments, which Tina witnessed. Some people think, I don't agree, that Krieg is actually Tina's father. There are a couple points in favor and several against this line of thinking. In many ways Tina is one of best, and most fleshed out, characters in the BL universe.
I am close to wrapping up my first play through of the Pirate DLC. I have already completed Torgue and I will move on to Sir Hammerlock at some point. I am going to try to complete all the content in UVHM which has been a real challenge. The only think that have truly sucked in UVHM are some of the bosses. I also do not think I will do any Raid bosses solo.
All of this will have to wait a bit as Tomb Raider unlocks TODAY.
Post by: Godji on September 12, 2018, 03:21:53 PM
Since my PC is still somewhere above the Atlantic (hopefully ABOVE is a valid statement here) I keep my evenings at the hotel busy by attacking my PS4 backlog. I finished Detroit, which I quite enjoyed. A few cringy moments, but many scenes work really well. And I've now started God of War. Which certainly isn't bad at all, may have been a bit overhyped where I'm concerned. I really don't think God of War benefits much from having become an open world, and I find fight system to be messier than it used to be.
Buth then when it comes to combat systems, I know I have Devil may Cry 5 on the horizon to keep me happy ;)
Finds for the week so far: Steel Carapace (sadly not ethereal), 2x Wizardspike, Windhammer, Shadowkiller, a +1 Passive and Magic Skills (Amazon)/+38 Life Grand Charm, and a +2 Traps, All Resists +19, +22% MF, +35 Life, 22 Teleport charges Amulet. Also finally found an Immortal King's Will even though I'd found everything else of the set except the Armor before it, so I respec-ed my Frenzybarb to a WW/Concentrate build using the set and the Steel Carapace for great defense (although still mediocre resists right now). Been mostly MF-ing with my Sorc in the Ancient Tunnels and killing Hell Andariel looking for jewelry, since I still haven't found any unique ring above a Manald's, so Cannot Be Frozen stuff has been hard to find (been mostly using upped-Hawkmails on my melee characters).
Post by: Melchior on September 17, 2018, 10:16:04 PM
Hey lads and laddettes!
I have been spending most of my time in Civ 5 lately. Currently working on improving my play on Immortal, with the intent to play on Deity at some point. Mostly just enjoying the game though, as well as trying different Civs to try and get the achievements for winning with each of them. Very time consuming. Would love to do some MP but finding it difficult to set aside 5-6 hours for it.
I also got a very nice set of Fallout drinking glasses for Father's Day and that got me sucked back into Fallout 4. However all my installed mods were out of date, and I couldn't remember what a lot of them actually did, so I started new without mods and have been adding some in as I go.
Haven't played D3 for a while now, might be done with it, or might get back into it, who knows? D2 has been entering my thoughts occasionally too....
Sssith inspired me to dust off BL2 again to see if I could make it to level 72. Playing through the main game was painfully slow going so I looked at a few guides and decided to try farming Sir Tinder Snowflake again, something I'd tried previously and not done too well at. Having already cleared the zone, the boss was ready to farm. Using a handy video guide on how to cheese the boss, I realised I didn't have the damage output to kill him with the weapons I had. A few golden tokens later, I had some better weapons and finally some success. It took me quite a few rounds of killing him before I got into a rhythm that enables me to do it quickly each time. Reaching lvl 58 on my Zero and unlocking critical ascensi0n makes the kills go so much faster.
No decent loot for my Zer0 yet, although I did get a gunzerker legendary from the train.
You are up to lvl 58 already?! I am going to need to watch your videos. Of course I didn't have a lot of the content until recently. Before a month ago the only DLC I had was Tiny Tina.
I am taking a break to play Tomb Raider but I am itching to get back to BL2. I am working on my Maya build and I am trying out different things at this point. The next thing I am going to try is a combination of Scorn/Ruin with her.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is pretty awesome, if you people hadn't figured that out. Highly recommend it and the rest of the series.
You are up to lvl 58 already?! I am going to need to watch your videos.
I'd gotten to lvl 54 on my zer0 before taking a break.
Level 60 now having got through one of the more frustrating parts of the game, Bright Lights Flying City. The gluttonous thresher with the beacon was a pain to kill until I watched a video guide that made the process easier, although it still killed me a few more times. The final defend the beacon part of the quest was made soooooooooooo much easier by reading up and realising that......you don't have to rush to repair the beacon. Ignore Angel's noise and just kill all the mobs you see, then repair the beacon, which spawns more Hyperion bots, rinse and repeat. Keeps the number of enemies manageable and the whole thing becomes a doddle.
Also got my first zero legendary class mod from the train after Sir Tinder Snowflake. Yay!
Now for the wildlife preservation centre..............urrggghhh.
Defending the beacon is a bit of a pain but doable. I assume you are TVHM?
Have you farmed Savage Lee for a Unkempt Harold? If not you might want to pick one up. That is one of the easier farms in the game. People also farm wildlife preservation for the legendary midgets which can drop anything in the game. Though I think it might only be worth doing in UVHM, not sure.
Post by: Darkness on September 21, 2018, 06:38:25 PM
UVHM - as TVHM only goes up to level 50, although with the quests in the expansion content I suppose you could crawl up to lvl 52 in TVHM but, it would be a slog and equipment won't level up 50.
I've not done that farm yet, really should I suppose. I'm presently farming the Good, the Bad and the Mordecai for the various Lyuda sniper rifle types.
I'm also beginning to appreciate what people mean when they say UHVM can be easier than TVHM. In the former you can't be underlevelled for an area, only undergeared. In TVHM you can often be both, depending on how quickly you plough through the main storyline. Case in point, did the Wildlife Preservation Reserve with Axton on TVHM last night and it was a real slog. Then I died to Bloodwing a lot before finally and nervously taking her down.
With my Zer0 on UVHM, the reserve was less of a slog and Bloodwing was one shotted, partially thanks to the power of Lyudas.
Well I about half, to three quarters, the way through the Hunt DLC. I am in the middle of a long stretch without new equipment. I think I am level 63 or 64. Looking forward to having my full build done.
I am in the middle of a long stretch without new equipment. I think I am level 63 or 64. Looking forward to having my full build done.
Just run Marcus Mercenary Day a few times. That's what I do each level to keep my equipment topped up.
I remember Sigilstun saying he farmed someone 200 times and didn't get a legendary. I struggle with replayability in this game. I'm not quite sure why, maybe its similar to early D3 when the chance of something good dropping didn't feel worth playing. The journey to the target is a drag at least for me.
I do mean to get back into the pre sequel one day when my computer is repaired
Not too many great D2 drops this week: near perfect Steelrend (+206 defense, perfect 60%ED, +19 Str), Tal Rasha's Guardianship, Boneflame (near minimum on all rolls though), an 8%LL Carrion Wind, a Reaper's Toll, 2x Ethereal Edges, and a 23% DR Leviathan. Sadly still very few high-end runes, although I am just an Ist away from making a Call to Arms. Getting bored again with it, might finally take the plunge into something else new soon (probably Yakuza Kiwami 2).
Quote from: Timinator on September 23, 2018, 04:31:10 PM
A lot of the legendaries won't drop until you're close to max level. I didn't start seeing legendaries regularly drop from the train chests after Tinder Snowflake until I hit level 61 and there are some I won't see until I hit level 72.
Farming for the Lyuda, I get a legendary drop one in every five kills. So I can quickly build up a selection of Lyuda's that way. Farming Boll for the Fast Ball grenade mod is similarly quick. Not tried Savage Lee for the Harold yet or the Treants for the Bee but, they're both relatively quick farms to do. Same for the Wattle Gobbler.
Some of the best items in BL2 come from quest rewards as well.
I started a Maya yesterday, as I've not played her yet. Got a Legendary drop from the first mini-boss, Knuckledragger. That'll make the first few levels very easy for her to do. After that, I'll bin it as there's no way of getting it to a starting character for it to be useful to them.
The knuckledragger drop is a great weapon.
Did Marcus and got a crap unique grenade mod. Also found a red text jacobs gun that was also crap. After I am done with Sir Hammerlock I will farm for a bee. And do some more Marcus.
Completed TVHM with Axton last night and made a start on UVHM. Got to the first fast travel in Liar's Berg and then straight to Marcus Mercenary Shop to clear Gingerton, which was a little bit of a struggle as I didn't have many lvl 50 weapons. Tinder Snowflake took a few attempts to kill but, nailed him eventually and got some reasonable upgrades from him. Will try again tonight.
The biggest problem that I have with this game is that the quests continually make you go through the same area again and again. Other than that the game is excellent. Lots of loot. Lots of varients to the loot. Great characters with many different builds. Great dialog. A couple of DLCs that are actually fun additions to the game instead of content that really belonged in the main game. I could go on
I am still trying to clear Sir Hammerlock's DLC. I like the DLC but don't love it. One of the weapons I really want is in this DLC but farming of it is insane by all accounts, so I don't think I will do this.
The biggest problem that I have with this game is that the quests continually make you go through the same area again and again.
Yes and the way the game hands out quests in a not entirely sensible order, so sometimes you get the optional quests after you've cleared an area for a main quest. That doesn't happen for every zone but, it does for some and the extent to which that irritates me dependent on the zone. Some side quests take you to parts of the zone the main storyline doesn't touch (such as most of the optional quests in the Dust) and I don't mind that, as it is new content. But, having to retread the same ground over and over for side quests isn't much fun. Lynchwood and Sawtooth Cauldron are the two worst offenders. I really hate Sawtooth Cauldron.
Other than that the game is excellent. Lots of loot. Lots of varients to the loot. Great characters with many different builds. Great dialog. A couple of DLCs that are actually fun additions to the game instead of content that really belonged in the main game. I could go on
Yeah, the loot is good and you only sell/throw stuff away because it isn't as useful as what you already have, as opposed to it being completely useless. And unless you have something really good for your level, you might find a white or green drop to be better than what you have. Something I tend to find with normal damage sniper rifles quite often. Everything that drops is worth a look unless you already have a legendary or pearlescent item for your level equipped.
Post by: Kasferatu on September 25, 2018, 01:48:29 PM
I picked up 'Into the Breach' on the Switch over the weekend as I wanted something I could play mobile in short bursts and Slay the Spire isn't out yet! What an absolutely incredible game, definitely glad I picked it up. Between this, Slay the Spire, Mario Odyssey and Zelda BOTW it is going to be really tough for me to pick my GOTY this year.
I've also decided based on my aging 970 and the price of the 20xx series that I'm going to give new PC games a break and try and clear my old console backlog - mainly PS3 and vita stuff. I finished Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time and have now started God of War: Ascension. After that I have a bunch of RPGs to think about, including Suikoden I & II, Persona 3&4, Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Graces F.
Hit level 65 in Bl2, and immediately started having problems with some of the boss monsters. Time to update my gear so I head over to kill run the train and kill Snowflake. Except my gear at this point is so bad that I was able to do that either. So I went back and started running Boll and Lee for the Fastball and Unkempt Harlold. Somewhere between the 20th to 30th run Savage Lee finally coughs up an Unkempt Harold. Boll never did give the Fastball. The Harold was level 66 which is good except I need more experience to get there so I decide to run Scorch. On my second run of him I got my Hellfire. I also picked up two nice Lascaux which was a bonus. This also got me to level 66 and I visited Snowflake again and this time I punished him twice. I might run him a couple more times before I go questing. I got Krieg's legendary COM even though I can't use it.
Yeah, anything more than a three level difference between weapons and mobs. I use golden keys to try and plug any holes in my gear, even if they're only ever purple or e-tech quality gear. They're usually good enough to get me back on track.
Post by: Pixie on October 13, 2018, 01:48:48 AM
Now playing Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
Or more accurately, Far Cry: Assassin's Odyssey. ;)
Is good.
Post by: Kasferatu on October 13, 2018, 02:50:07 PM
Quote from: Pixie on October 13, 2018, 01:48:48 AM
It looks great. I play most of the AC games but I'm one behind and honestly, I'm not sure I have time for this new super open world RPG direction the series is taking :(
Post by: Lego on October 14, 2018, 12:55:20 PM
I've gotten into reading PC and console gaming magazines from the early 80s to the late 90s on the internet archive. It's very interesting to see and be reminded how far we've come (and regressed). Certainly reading "but you're going to need a high-powered 486 system to enjoy the graphics" is fun :)
Post by: Timinator on October 14, 2018, 05:21:31 PM
link? I loved PC Zone mag from the UK, much better than PC Gamer I found. The mag folded for some reason though.
https://archive.org/details/gamemagazines
Just browse thru there. Next Generation is a good one for the 90's, and Computer Gaming World is a good one for the 80's.
I still can't seem to stay away from Skyrim.
Quote from: Lego on October 17, 2018, 05:20:04 PM
Are you saying that you are to Skyrim what genital warts is to ..
Been playing quite a bit of Yakuza Kiwami 2 this week. About 2/3rds of the way through, just now getting to some of the really good references to the previous 2 games. Laughed out loud several times during the Cabaret Club mini-game, such as the description of playing dress-up with the girls saying "You know you love it." (How did they know?! :o ;)) And I just reached a point where a character from Yakuza 0's version of that game returns in glorious, jaw-dropping fashion that forced me to learn how to take screenshots on my PS4. Combat-wise it's a little less stiff than 0 or Kiwami but also less precise and less deep since there aren't multiple combat styles, though you can move a lot faster and there are a lot more weapons and destructible items around. The biggest upgrade between 0/Kiwami and this one is that the upgrade to Yakuza 6's system which cuts out almost all loading times and makes the world almost completely seamless. You can walk in and out of any restaurant or activity building without loading, and even bring fights inside of them (though they aren't too happy about that). The side stories have been good, but most aren't quite as ridiculously memorable as those in 0. Haven't done too much with the Clan Creator yet, which is kind of a top-down real-time strategy game where you try to defend your construction equipment against enemies, though the victory theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHL_ByLsXZo) is kinda catchy.
Post by: Lego on October 18, 2018, 10:29:18 AM
Quote from: Timinator on October 17, 2018, 09:09:57 PM
I am to Skyrim what genital wars are to hookers.
Finished Yakuza Kiwami 2.
1. Always wondered why more games don't try out the timed dialogue response route that Alpha Protocol tried to great effect, and they finally do here, although only in a few specific group-oriented conversations.
2. Story has a few pretty good twists and turns near the end.
3. Majima's story was short, but pretty satisfying. He finally gets some closure from his story from 0, though I wished it could've been under different circumstances.
4. Some of the more annoying completion tasks from 0 and Kiwami were toned down or were given easier ways to circumvent them like several more cheater items for the gambling games.
5. The Cabaret Club mini-game alone was worth it, especially for all the ways it continued the story from 0. The new golf game was pretty solid too.
1. The Platinum grind is still extremely insane, which is not too uncommon with Japanese games. Winning 30 hands of Mahjong took a little while but wasn't too bad, but getting 3400+ points in the Batting Cages to buy the primers was ridiculous considering you only got a maximum of 150 per game. Even the bonus competition where you "can earn a ton of points" gives you far less than 150 per round of pitches, so I ended up just repeating the same Expert challenge 20+ times. The real roadblock to the platinum though is the damn Bouncer missions, which are basically just combat runs where you kill several dozen enemies without being able to heal. I have the stats to make them relatively easy, but they take 4-7 minutes at a time, and I have to complete 78 of them, and there are THREE trophies tied to this (PLUS the platinum). Something I'll have to go back to later when I'm really bored I think.
2. There were 3-4 twists in a row at the end, which is at least one too many to really care about. The final battle itself also made very little sense, and the pairing that ends the game is also questionable considering what happened.
3. The Amon superboss fights were kinda bad, and the combat has some heavy exploits. One of them has a step-back invincible dodge where he immediately fires like 200 rockets into my face, which nearly instakilled me even with above S-rank defense. I then drank a defense-boosting drink which apparently put me just above the "cap" I guess and then I was essentially invincible (took several rockets to the face for no damage), which I then repeated in later fights.
4. Three games into the series and I usually end up wishing that the antagonists would stick around a bit longer, as they tend to be pretty interesting, but circumstances happen to either get them arrested or die by other hands.
5. There is no indication from anything in the game that one specific weapon dealer gains a giant increase in his inventory if you sell weapons and armor to him, had to read that from a guide.
6. Since Yakuza 3-6 are already out (3-5 might get remastered soon so all 7 games would be on PS4), I already know that at least one of the best characters in this game basically never returns, with no reasoning behind it.
Post by: Timinator on October 26, 2018, 12:41:33 AM
Hellgate: London coming to steam mid November
Post by: mn4nu on October 26, 2018, 08:12:55 AM
Quote from: Timinator on October 26, 2018, 12:41:33 AM
I'm going to have to look into this.
Post by: Sssith on October 26, 2018, 09:48:16 AM
HA WAT!
I loved that game.
Difficult to believe it would have aged well. I wonder if it is the Korean or original version.
Sounds like it is going to be single player with some new expansion content that was planned for Hellgate: Tokyo but never actually was put out. Hanbitsoft (Korean company) owns it now, so it probably isn't the "original" version from 2007.
Post by: Sssith on October 26, 2018, 03:21:34 PM
I saw screenshots and it includes the 'end game' content that I saw in the the Tokyo version.
This is a game that deserves a reboot. Just not a rehash of the old version. There is a small part of me that is tempted to get the game but I will probably pass.
Post by: Pixie on October 26, 2018, 04:22:08 PM
I still have it installed, and played it not long ago using the Hellgate Revival mod. It was pretty solid, still fun. I'll definitely get it on Steam, too, because why not.
If I knew that buying on steam was a solid vote for someone making a version 2 then I would buy two.
Post by: Lego on November 01, 2018, 06:19:58 PM
Got on Amazon and got ready to order D3 for the Switch.
That's just waaaay too much money for me to pay for Diablo at this point. I already have it on PS3.
I was really expecting $39-49. I can afford it, but I just can't justify it.
I think I'm up to about 80% completion in Rise of the Tomb Raider on the toughest difficulty setting. I'm pretty powerful and its normally jumping puzzles where I die. Looking forward to the end of it!
Does 'Looking forward to the end of it!' mean you just want to get it done? Or you are having fun and looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Personally I like the end.
I’ve seen the game end before.
Post by: mn4nu on November 15, 2018, 06:12:03 PM
Hellgate London is now available on Steam for $9.74 (25% off the regular price of $12.99). That's pretty cheap.
I just bought it and I am installing now. I won't have much time to play it tonight, but I should over the weekend.
Post by: mn4nu on November 16, 2018, 07:13:42 AM
OK, so I played this new Hellgate London a little bit last night. I didn't even clear the first zone, so I was basically just messing around, talking to NPCs and getting used to the gameplay again. It is definitely different from the original. The start is really different (station is not the same, quests are different, new things to do, etc.). I think it is going to be fun getting back into this game after not playing it for so long.
Post by: Sssith on November 16, 2018, 11:09:03 AM
I have to say that I am tempted to dip my toe back into these waters. I really wish they would make a sequel.
Quote from: Sssith on July 15, 2018, 10:07:42 AM
I blame Sssith for inspring me. I'm up to the helicopter bit, but I've only had one failed attempt so far. I've pretty much done 100% of everything else apart from some baba yaga documents. I think I'll see if I can get some last upgrades. I know I'm not too far off, and like Sssith, not looking forward to the QTE which got me in the noob difficulty last time.
I would recommend others give it a go. Dying at a jumping puzzle or combat and having to go back to the campfire does suck but I've got this far.
Well good luck.
Hopefully you are fully ready for the fight ahead.
Played a lot of HGL over the weekend. There are a lot of things that are the same, but there are a lot of differences too. Some of the quests and the overall map are different. I think it's totally worth $10 or $12.
Getting ready to start my Red Dead journey. Picked it up for $1.99 at Gamestop for the PS3.
Quote from: Lego on November 21, 2018, 02:26:51 PM
i'm part tempted to see if i can pick it up cheap for 360. I got one years ago for rockband
Post by: maxbeedo on December 01, 2018, 11:47:46 AM
Bought Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition on the Steam sale after seeing a bunch of updates to it (pretty buggy launch from what I saw). I've been using parts of the campaign as inspiration for quests in my D&D campaign, so my trip down memory lane has a bit more function to it. It's still got several graphical glitches, but it hasn't crashed after 20+ hours and loads pretty quickly, so I'm having fun strolling through the main campaign again, though it does get tedious at times in Ch. 1 and 2.
Post by: Lego on December 02, 2018, 12:51:33 PM
I just love reading these old Computer Gaming World magazines. Reading a letter to the editor that states 48k ram gams are clearly superior to 16k ram games due to variability and enhanced AI, and which that the Apple 2 is better than the Atari 400. It's so interesting to me to see how far we've come.
Post by: Pixie on December 02, 2018, 03:11:29 PM
Mutant Year Zero is amazing. That will be all, thank you.
Post by: Sssith on December 03, 2018, 10:05:10 AM
Finished the first boss (which is very early on) in the Spiderman game on PS4. I haven't yet got the hang of all the swinging and fighting, but so far it seems good.
Giving Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition a try when I get home from work tonight. Has anyone here played it? What did you think?
It's Neverwinter Nights: More of the Same.
Post by: maxbeedo on December 04, 2018, 05:48:51 PM
LOL, I just posted about like 4 posts back. So far I've just completed the main campaign and about to finish SoU, haven't tried the premium modules though.
The good: It hasn't crashed once in 40+ hours.
Load times are mostly good.
The bad: Certain areas that had major performance issues in the original still have them here even with great hardware (desert area and wall puzzle in Shadows of Undrentide especially). Dropped to <10 fps when several creatures appeared at once, went back up after a few died.
The graphics aren't any better, but it still tries to make my GPU work semi-hard.
Pathfinding is still extremely bad. Basically no improvements have been made except to get it to run on newer computers.
Quote from: Pixie on December 04, 2018, 04:24:33 PM
You're so cheerful.
I mean, it is though. If you liked it then, you'll probably still like it now. If you did not, it isn't going to be any different...
Post by: dave in the basement on December 06, 2018, 09:00:28 AM
Quote from: Lego on December 02, 2018, 12:51:33 PM
Man, I loved CGW. I think I have a stash of those in a box somewhere, and I'm hoping to discover them during the big move later this year.
As for gaming, I'm sporadically playing D3 on the PC and Switch, and I'm trying to learn Civ6 on the Switch. I'm also looking forward to getting destroyed by my son when Smash launches tomorrow.
Post by: Melchior on December 06, 2018, 08:58:14 PM
I've been ogling that myself. Looks good. Bit pricey atm.
Does it actually play like XCOM as Ive heard?
Quote from: Melchior on December 06, 2018, 08:58:14 PM
It absolutely does. The HUD is even practically ripped straight out of XCOM. You will be in very familiar ground, mechanically.
The game is stupidly gorgeous. The voice-acting is great. The story is engaging so far. The mechanics are solid. Super highly recommended.
Pic 1! (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/964231063352603400/7C86A7859D4A231655DE48F1B52BA386DF3CCF13/)
Pic 2! (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/963104528648436584/FC18191A852CAEF9349A45AA7E564FFE55AC3394/)
Stylish visor on a duck! (https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/963104528648477142/DD5D94E0B2CF8CB923C5CB6037331581812D5A10/) (it's actually called "Stylish Visor")
Looks good, thanks for screenshots.
Definitely on my list for when I finish my current XCOM2 obsession
Post by: Kasferatu on December 11, 2018, 03:21:00 PM
Started playing Titanfall 2. I don't generally play many shooters but this is awesome.
Post by: Kasferatu on December 14, 2018, 04:12:31 AM
I've now finished Titanfall 2. Probably the best FPS campaign I've ever played.
I assume you played it single player? How long was it? I also assume you played it on your PC? If you can't tell you piqued my interest.
Yes, played it on PC. It only lasted about 5-6 hours but there is no padding in there at all. Each mission introduces some kind of new element that in generally it pretty much throws away by the end of the mission so the game feels really varied. Shooting is really satisfying and the set pieces are fantastic.
I only paid £5 for it so only a few awesome hours is worth it to me.
Post by: Timinator on December 27, 2018, 03:12:38 PM
This popped up on my queue in steam today. Very fun to watch the trailer. https://store.steampowered.com/app/671620/Beast_Battle_Simulator/
Post by: Darkness on January 24, 2019, 08:06:45 AM
Completed the main storyline of Gundam Breaker 3 (I've honestly no idea what the ending was about) and unlocked extreme mode for the DLC and a second playthrough. Having messed with this a bit, I'm discovering that this is where the real game is and where action and build optimisation starts to come into play. I need to start looking seriously at the bonuses on my Gundam parts, replacing less useful ones with more useful ones and trying to decide exactly how I want my melee build Gundam 00 to work. I've also started unlocking MG parts, which is making me rebuild my existing HG builds just to make them shiny.
I do like that the game supports a wide variety of builds and the different ranged and melee builds I've tried have a different playstyle to them.
Chinese new year sale on Steam. I see Black Ops 3 40% off, however they increased the list price first to $150 NZD .. WTF
Post by: Lego on February 04, 2019, 04:48:27 PM
Elder Scrolls Online.
Anyone have any recent experience? I know at launch it was a steaming pile of FO76-level shit. I'm wondering if it's any good now?
It's on sale on Steam for the base game, Morrowind and Summerset chapters for 30 bucks. It's the rare game that works on Mac so I'm curious.
Pixie seems to really like it. I have been tempted from time to time.
It has come a long, long, long way since beta. It is now a very solid, meaty, fun MMO that has enough content to keep you going for an insane number of hours without ever repeating a quest... and the quests are rarely the usual "bring me 10 bear asses" MMO grindy quests.
Also, if you liked Morrowind at all (the 2002 Morrowind), you will adore how faithfully they rebuilt it - almost building for building - in ESO.
If you own a PS4 and haven't yet played God of War you need to rectify this immediately. I now understand why it won so many GotYs.
I recently bought GoW 3. I need to finish that first then I will think about the newer one. But I am looking forward to it.
Games on PS4 I am really looking forward to on PS4:
Horizon Zero Dawn <-- In Progress
Red Redemption 2
Uncharted: Lost Legacy
God of War/li]
No shortage of great games ahead of me.
So the new laptop came yesterday. I'm pretty stunned how much more detail and better graphics are in games compared to their PS3/Switch counterparts. Comparing Fallout 3 at 1080p/ultra is insane. Guild Wars 2 at 1080p/Ultra is just beautiful. I really had no idea how good looking PC games were compared to consoles. Even Skyrim is a huge jump up, and I've not even tried it at 1080p yet. Stunning.
Quote from: Lego on February 24, 2019, 12:59:23 PM
I really had no idea how good looking PC games were compared to consoles.
*cough*I've been trying to tell you this for years*cough*
I know. I suck lol
I have a PS3 and a PS4. I play them for exclusives. But if a game is available on both? I'll only ever play it on PC. It just looks so much better.
So the successor to the graphics card my laptop has was literally announced the day my laptop was delivered. Is this what it feels like to be a PC gamer? lol
Post by: mn4nu on February 27, 2019, 07:06:22 AM
It's like buying a new car. :P
Post by: Sssith on February 27, 2019, 09:48:05 AM
After I buy/build a computer I ignore all news about parts for about six months. It is always frustrating to keep up with it after purchase.
So about my laptop graphics card. I was wondering why I can pull 30+ FPS in ultra at 1080 in all the games I've tried, and why youtube videos show it at medium settings at most. It turns out there's 2 variants, a 10 watt and a 25 watt version, with the 25 watt version 33% more powerful. Most of the youtube videos are on the 10 watt version. So pretty happy about that. Next stop, getting 2 8GB sticks, because the laptop came with one 8 GB stick so I'm running in single-channel.
Second thing that made me happy, the MX250 card that replaces the MX150 is actually slower, so now I don't feel bad about an "upgrade" being released.
Oh, also finding out just how fast a 256 gb ssd can fill up lol
Post by: Lego on March 06, 2019, 06:30:36 AM
Unpopular opinion - the Witcher 3 sucks. I'm so bored and the combat is lame.
Also, looking at what kind of tower I could have built for the price of this laptop is depressing :-X
Post by: Pixie on March 06, 2019, 07:57:21 AM
Quote from: Lego on March 06, 2019, 06:58:02 AM
*cough*youshouldhaveaskedme*cough*
Post by: maxbeedo on March 06, 2019, 11:58:34 AM
You're not wrong. I didn't find any of the Witcher games particularly fun to play. The story usually made up for it, and in 3's case especially after I had read several of the books, since 3 far more than 1 or 2 has dozens of references that they assume you know.
Post by: Lego on March 06, 2019, 09:18:56 PM
So I'm finding out I prefer frames per second over resolution. 1366x768@60FPS looks better to me than 1080p@30FPS.
Quote from: Pixie on March 06, 2019, 07:57:21 AM
Oh, i don't have anywhere to put one or i would have. Still depressing tho :(
Stop looking up equipment specs. Love the one you're with.
I've played all 3 Witcher games. Never finished any of them. I just can't stand Geralt as a character and the games bore me after a while. Witcher 3 was the best of them but still couldn't keep my interest very long.
Just don't say that on Reddit ;)
So I just downloaded Fallout 4 last night while I was at work. Got it on sale for $14 on Steam. I've only had a few minutes to play with it so far but it seems fun. My brother swears it's the greatest game not called Mass Effect ever, so I had to try it.
Quote from: Lego on March 10, 2019, 02:52:40 PM
I love Fallout 4 despite its warts but I wouldn't go nearly as far as your brother...
Post by: Kasferatu on March 10, 2019, 03:00:06 PM
I finished God of War a few days ago and, unusually for me, I also platinum'd it. Absolutely bloody incredible. I can't see how anything else I play this year is going to be able to compete with it for my GOTY. It might have ruined gaming for me because other things are just going to feel boring in comparison.
Interesting. Do you need to play the previous ones to understand the game?
I bought GoW3 on the cheap. I played all of 2 and most of 1. So once I get through 3 I will have to tackle the latest one. Annoying that it is called GoW instead of GoW4 which is what it really is.
I can see why they did it though and it kind of answers Lego's question. If you play 3 without playing 2 or 1 you are going to be totally lost. 4 however can be played pretty much completely without knowing about 1-3. Sure there are references back to those games so you'll get more out of it if you have, but it is perfectly playable without. As such, by slapping a 4 on it they may have lost the audience who haven't played 1-3.
So researching games to play, and then messing about with settings and editors/toolsets is almost more fun than actually playing them.
I don't know if this is a thing.
Pixie might be able to answer that question.
Not only IS it a thing, it's the best thing.
Easily the most time consuming, fun and often frustrating part, of any Fallout or Elder Scrolls game.
My fondest memory of Fallout 3 is learning how to make a mod because the specific mod I wanted for a character roleplay I was doing, did not exist.
Post by: mn4nu on March 14, 2019, 06:58:30 AM
It sounds like searching for something to watch on Netfilx. Not necessarily fun, but you can spend more time looking for something than actually watching something.
Quote from: Melchior on March 13, 2019, 07:01:06 PM
I just don't see how that is fun. I buy a game to play it not reprogram it. To each their own.
Since my job for 10+ years was fixing computers, I tended to avoid such hassles when I got home, so I mostly stayed a console gamer during that time. I do spend a lot more time listening to/watching gaming coverage (streams, podcasts, etc.) than actually playing games now though, but that's more to do with saving money by not buying everything as it comes out. Just in gaming podcasts alone I've been consistently consuming 15-20 hours a week, though of course I can be doing other things or playing a game at the same time.
Similar for me in the sense that I program for a living. Do not want to do that when sit down to game. I am enjoying my time on the PS4 but still prefer the PC.
Can't wait to get my laptop paid off and buy another stick of ram. I didn't realize it was single-channel when I bought it. The benchmarks are showing a 30ish FPS difference between single and dual channel. I'm barely pulling 50-60 FPS on Fallout 4 and Skyrim at 1080p Ultra. I could definitely use another 30 FPS.
Bayonetta - worth $4.99 on Steam?
If you already like Bayonetta, yes.
My PS3 is bricked. What a longtime companion. SO many games for it, if anybody wants them. I'm now desperately trying to keep myself from buying an Xbox One S.
Sorry to hear that. My PS3 is still running. Mainly used for Netflix at his point. Impressive that they last this long.
Why would go with an X-Box?
Watching YouTube, they seem to keep a more consistent frame rate. I have a freind who'd give me some games as well - Skyrim, ME: Andromeda, a couple of others.
If you were anywhere close to Texas I'd offer to fix your PS3. I had enough experience taking apart 3 of mine as well as several customers, with moderate success.
Be very careful sinking a ton of money into a new console right now, as it's likely both Microsoft and Sony will be announcing their new consoles this year (though neither are likely to come out soon, Microsoft's will probably be first).
How much longer do you think they'll be supported?
Pretty much any good game you can get on xbox is also on PC. I don't think there's really any good reason to get one.
PS4, on the other hand, has so many good exclusives...
If you have PS3 games you don't want, however, I know someone (me) who'd maybe take them off your hands. :D
PM me your address mate.
Also, what exclusives does the PS4 have that the Xbox doesn't?
Non-exhaustive list of PS4 Exclusives (Metacritic Score):
Bloodborne (92)
Marvel's Spider-Man (87)
God of War 2018 (94)
The Last of Us Remastered (95)
Yakuza 0 (85), Kiwami (80), Kiwami 2 (85) and 6 (83) (0 and Kiwami are also on Steam)
Persona 5 (93)
Infamous Second Son (80)
Tetris Effect (89)
Detroit: Become Human (78)
There are also a ton of games on PS4/PC not on the other consoles, as well as exclusives still to come out in 2019/2020 such as Days Gone, Death Stranding, The Last of Us 2, Ghost of Tsushima, etc.
So Fallout 4 sucks. It's boring for starters. Then, the Brotherhood of Steel quests broke, and then I accidentally shot a Diamond City guard, so the entire town is hostile to me, which means I can't complete the main quest either. Meh.
Fell down the Path of Exile rabbit hole. I've nothing to say about this game that those of you have played it didn't know already.
Quote from: Darkness on March 21, 2019, 05:52:16 AM
Every day its the same question.
HOW CAN YOU DO THIS BETTER THAN BLIZZARD DID WITH THEIR OWN IP? HOW?!?!
Yes I'll buy more stash spaces, I need them for all the worthwhile shit this game drops.
I enjoyed the game but the story bugged me.
I also wish ARPGs would get out of the, you need to complete the game three times in order to get to end game. That is one thing that Blizzard finally got right.
I'm enjoying the story, it's delivery and scope puts me in mind of the Malazan BotF books. It certainly doesn't dumb things down with its exposition and there is an impressive amount of lore material in game which provides necessary context. I also appreciate that the main story is much longer than that of D3, rather than being relatively short and then essentially just the same content over and over.
I've not yet completed the main story but, at level 62, I'm not getting a sense I'll need to repeat the same content over and over to get to the end game. So its leaps ahead of Blizzard in that regard so far.
I think it is the complexity of builds and itemisation harkening back to D2 which does it for me. Having to worry about resistances again, rather than just what my set-build +legendary optimisation will be, is refreshing. I don't necessarily think it is "better" than D3s approach post ROS in that regard, just different.
I refuse to give the time of day to any ARPG in 2019 that still believes class should be gender based.
FO4 didnt grab like previous installments did, though I still enjoy it immensely. That said, I often prefer to make my own fun in sandbox games, rarely do I finish the main quest.
BOS quests are definitely buggy, need to use the Unoffical Patch mod (https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4598) to fix the quest (and many other bugs).
As for the NPC hostility, if you sleep 24 (or 48?) hours in a different cell (like Sanctuary home or whatever you use), they should reset to neutral.
Quote from: Pixie on March 21, 2019, 04:21:44 PM
Yes, time for that system to go. Bothered me way back when I played D2, glad they fixed it in D3. Some developers still haven't caught on though.
Legit!
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is real! (https://store.steampowered.com/app/532790/) It's a thing! It's coming in Q1 2020!
Official website. (https://www.bloodlines2.com/)
OMG SQUEEEEE!
The first has been on my Wish List for so long. I haven't gotten it because I have heard mixed things about how it has aged.
Something to keep an eye on.
I'm going to give Andromeda another try. I haven't played it with the QOL patches. I'll probably uninstall it after a half hour, but we'll see.
It is a serviceable game. I guess it depends on what pissed you off about it in the first place. I finished the game last year after a long hiatus. I still had issues with the game but overall I enjoyed it. It is disappointing, especially when compared to what Mass Effect was.
Please be kind enough to click my VTMB2 link. (https://www.bloodlines2.com/?ref=a3e1cd635623) I'll be super grateful. :D
I did...are you getting a referral bonus?
If you make a paradox account (or log in if you have one already) I do. I get 50 blood points toward unlocking game goodies! :D
So GeForce Experience is retarded. I was satisfied with how they optimized Skyrim, Fallout 4, Guild Wars 2.
But I installed Andromeda. It "optimized" it to low everything at 1024x768. There are videos on youtube of the underclocked version of my card doing medium at 1366x768 and low at 1080p. I now have to run fraps and fuck around with settings to get them how I want them.
Never let a game or Geforce Experience or AMD's equivalent configure your settings. They'll fuck it up every time.
Well I signed up...hope you got the points.
Quote from: Sssith on March 23, 2019, 02:19:39 PM
I did not. :(
Oh well. Thanks for trying!
I'm 10 points from the next unlock, which isn't even revealed yet. Heh.
The lack of saves is already grinding my gears in Andromeda. We'll see if I can hang in there.
Lack of saves?
Yeah, how you can only save at certain points.
Is... is that a console thing? I don't recall ever not being able to save where I wanted.
Nah, I'm playing on my laptop. I'm at the Nexus, and since the game started I haven't been allowed to save. I finally just turned it off and figure I'll backtrack from wherever it auto-saved.
Oh. You can't manually save during priority missions (such as the tutorial), yeah. But the other 97% of the time, you can save whenever you want.
Once you get past the huge prologue it isn't that bad for saves. Like Pixie said...only go into a priority mission when you know you have time.
I downloaded OpenMW. Pretty nice. Give HD resolution, increases the view distance a bit, adds anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, and some optional QoL enhancements. I think I'll use it for my playthrough. I checked amazon for the Morrowind Strategy Guide. i used it back in the OG Xbox days. I have one in storage but I thought for a couple bucks I wouldn't have to go dig through boxes. It's $190 on there. Apparently I'm sitting on a gold mine and had no idea.
My Morrowind strategy guide is sitting right here on my desk...
Not sure what you were looking at but uhhh... I see them for two bucks. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0929843312/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1553571707&sr=8-4)
(that said, like any strategy guide, they're outdated the day the game comes out. You're better off with the wiki.)
My wife surprised me with an Xbox One S tonight for our anniversary. I love that gal.
I'm 10 blood points from the next unlock. C'mon... be a pal. Clicky the linky and sign up. :D
Post by: dave in the basement on March 29, 2019, 09:29:10 AM
I've been off the D3 drug for about a week, and I've been playing Grim Dawn instead. I'm still very clueless, but I finally made it through the first difficulty level and so far I'm doing well in Elite difficulty playing my summoner necro. A new expansion just dropped this week, so check it out if you need a slower-paced ARPG in your life.
Post by: Lego on April 01, 2019, 09:07:20 PM
Morrowind is on Xbox One. Bought and installed. It's how I played it back in the day, on an original Xbox. Just how I remember it. The nostalgia is large.
Downloaded Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, so the next time I have a moment I get to start it.
Quote from: Lego on April 02, 2019, 09:27:40 PM
This game is amazing beyond words. Just be sure you use a good surround headset or surround speakers. The sound is the most important thing in the game.
Post by: Lego on April 05, 2019, 10:34:41 AM
Played some Kotor 2 last night on the Xbox. That thing is a nostalgia machine.
Started playing the Resident Evil 2 Remake. It's pretty damn good. It's also damn pretty.
About to start a Mass Effect playthrough, methinks. The Xbox one is such a nostalgia machine.
Mass Effect needs to be played on PC.
Mods, man. Mods. There's a total hi-res texture overhaul for ME1, for instance, and it is glorious.
I'll have to check that out, thanks.
https://www.nexusmods.com/masseffect/mods/1/
I mean really. Look at the difference in Garrus. (https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/237/images/1/1-1517990262-1828996591.jpeg) Worth it for that alone! ;)
Or the N7 armors. (https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/237/images/1/1-1517990245-1076966496.jpeg)
Well, I have finished my BL1 play through. With Brick, I smashed my way through the main story and then I did Claptrap's Revolution and General Knoxx's DLC.
At this point I have no interest in a second run through or getting to level 61.
I watched Zero Punctuation's reviews of BL1 and 2. He was not kind.
Post by: Pixie on April 17, 2019, 05:51:52 AM
He's an idiot. :P
Playing Sniper Elite 4 because it was on sale on steam. It is a fun game but, not quite the stealth-em-up sniper game I was expecting. Stealth is important but, not so important that you can't murder everyone on your way to the target. I was expecting more of a sneaking to the right location, one shot take down of key objectives and then sneak away. You can play the game like that and it is fun to do so but, you can also murder everyone between you and your objective will little consequence.
For example: taking out a forward position by blowing up a truck by shooting the fuel tank and creating an explosion, does not put the entire area on alert.
Still it is pretty and fun.
Zero Punctuation often misses the mark by a wide margin. What Diablo did for action RPG, Borderlands did to FPS. And yes BL got the loot mechanic from Diablo, but they nailed the loot system in BL2 like few games ever have. BL2 is beloved by many for good reason. This last weekend it was in the top 5 most played games on steam, thanks to the graphics upgrade.
So while I'm off work for this chest cold, or whatever it is, I thought I'd watch a let's play of the Witcher 3 since I couldn't be arsed to play it far. It's even boring as fuck to watch someone who knows what they're doing. I do not understand the love of this game. I'd much rather watch wilburgur glitch out Skyrim and Oblivion.
I've played all three Witcher games. I've never finished one. Geralt is one of the most boring, tedious protagonists ever, and I just can't stand to play him. The games themselves are slow and unexciting. I keep saying I'll go back to W3 and try to finish it and... I just can't. I have too many good games in my library demanding my attention.
Started God of War yesterday. It's... ok, so far. The exploration is pretty limited, and there are a pretty large number of puzzles, all of which have been very simple. The combat is "cinematic", but it's also heavily stat-based, meaning very early on it's easy to run into random enemies that one-shot me because they are a significantly higher level, even though they're surrounded by guys I can take just fine. There are also a crap ton of gatekeeping measures all over the places, several different types of chests and doors I can't open, can't get more health/rage or improve my weapons/armor unless I advance the story, etc. It's a pretty game, and I'm happy to see it go into Norse mythology with the 9 realms and all that, so we'll see how it goes.
Monster Hunter World. Anyone play/played it? It's free now on Xbox Game Pass, so I have it downloading. Probably take a day for that. I've heard alot of good things about it.
It's pretty fun. Grindy as fuck, so if you don't like the "kill a thing to wear its body as armor so you can kill a bigger thing so you can wear its body as armor so you can kill a thing..." circle of life, it's probably not for you. Also, if you dislike silly anime-style oversized weapons, it may not be for you (I manage to grimace and bear it and use the least offensive-looking weapons I can). Other than that - the world is pretty, there's a bazillion challenging things to fight, it's apparently shitloads of fun to co-op (I only solo'd it), the dress-up is fun, etc.
So I got so close to the end of the main quest in Fallout 4. I'm almost there. And then, it wants to make me do base-building bullshit. I've ignored it the whole game for a reason. Jokes on them, I'm not going to play it any further. I'll just look up the ending on youtube or something and delete it.
You don't have to do base building to finish the game. I followed the minutemen quest line and I hate base building. The minimal is really not that bad. But if you play any of the other factions I don't think there is any base building.
In other news, I have started a Zero BL2 playthrough.
Getting near the end of God of War. Not too thrilled with the combat, as it relies on a flash system to tell you if an attack is unblockable, will break your guard, or not, but about half the time the flash doesn't come until after the attack is already hitting you, and a lot of blockable attacks are undodgeable, meaning you get punished either way for guessing wrong. Lots of attacks that should be blockable aren't for no reason, and lots of attacks that shouldn't be blockable are (why am I able to block ground shockwaves with a shield?). I've currently taken out 4 Valkyries which are optional bosses and have interesting movesets, but they are some of the most problematic in regards to how the combat is "supposed to work" as above. The exploration has been very good for the most part, with a lot of treasures shown but without any obvious way of getting to them, hence needing to investigate and solve some puzzles. The lore has been solid regarding the 9 realms, but the main story has taken some somewhat unrealistic turns in the Kratos/Atreus dynamic that I'm still waiting to see get resolved.
Interesting that you are not as impressed as most with this game. When I hear people talking about it it is as if it is a masterpiece.
Finished the main game of Spiderman. A very good game that misses in various areas. There are too many repeated quests in this game. Go to an area, fight wave after wave of enemies. Rinse and repeat. Combat is interesting overall. And eventually, I got to the point where I felt I wasn't just mashing buttons. Most of the boss fights were good and the story was standard superhero fare. Ultimately this is a good game that really didn't excel in any one area.
Definitely missing not having Spiderman on Xbox. Although I dipped into May's game budget today to get Jade Empire. Monster Hunter World is on Gamepass now so finally got that downloaded. Next step is to download Doom (2016). 60 gigs on my shit internet should take a couple of days by itself.
Max, yeah that's suprising. Most people talk about it like it's GOTY/The Second Coming of Geralt of Rivia.
Post by: Timinator on April 22, 2019, 07:23:34 PM
One thing about Doom is there are 13 "classic levels' you can unlock. It looks mostly like some of Doom 1/2 but has new monsters in it.
I've fallen back into Conan Exiles. I guess the first 560 hours wasn't enough.
Now I'm in the process of learning the Unreal Editor so I can mod the damn thing. First successful mod created tonight. It's all downhill from here....
Quote from: Pixie on April 22, 2019, 07:45:36 PM
Dood did you ever fall out of it? Whenever I have steam running it's "Pixie is playing Conan Exiles".
Yeah I took about a 2 month break until this weekend. Played a few other things in that time. Most recently, just finished the remake of Resident Evil 2, which was amazing.
Have a horrible headache, and layed back and gave Borderlands 2 a spin. Have to say I was non-plussed so far. Have to see if the upcoming multi-player with Sssith can drag me in.
Post by: Timinator on April 23, 2019, 12:11:02 AM
You do know what company is behind the Unreal Editor right? :P just checking
Quote from: Timinator on April 23, 2019, 12:11:02 AM
Yeah but I'm not giving them money to use their tool.
Finished God of War (plus the platinum). Kinda disappointed that the game sticks with the very simple and very small stakes, despite all the references to everything going on with some of the "greater" gods. The goal within the first 5 minutes of the game remains the goal all the way through the ending, which is perhaps a bit TOO simple (but maybe why it's so widely praised by the masses). It was a nice touch that the ending credits started while still in control of Kratos. The ending and kinda-mid-credits scene set up several things for a sequel, along with a big twist, but given how powered up my Kratos was by the end, having done all of the Niflheim and Muspelheim trials and grinding, where the final boss literally couldn't hurt me, it's hard to imagine Kratos or Atreus being threatened by anything. Getting the collectables for the platinum did require a guide, since I couldn't be bothered to stand in every spot in every area of the game looking around for ravens, or for one random item I didn't pick up, but thankfully the map does label each "region" with a list of what you've found there, which made it go much quicker. If you're a fan of the Marvel Thor films and like the idea of the Byfrost, this game's version of that looks 10x better, and it was pretty cool to explore "most" of the realms (and is a good excuse to have some visual variety). Overall it's a solid game, with several things I'd tweak to make it better, but I can see why it got so many GOTYs, since it is often "cinematic".
In the tutorial phase of Monster Hunter World. They introduce crafting. God DAMN it. I HATE crafting in games.
Isn't half of Monster Hunter crafting? The other half being killing monsters in order to get crafting materials.
Quote from: Lego on April 25, 2019, 10:31:45 AM
I fucking told you:
One of my favourite ever platformers has come to steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/628720/GODS_Remastered/
They want $20 which sorta sucks, but the nostalgia might make me get it anyway. I played this pre internet, it had no game saving, so you pushed on, and if you failed you had to start over, but by that time you'd been on the computer too long and had to come back another day. It took quite some time to beat the game as there was a lot of trial and error.
Its not the best platformer I've ever played but every now and then I've looked for this game on steam, so amped to see it finally turn up!
Its 30 years old now and looks it. Sounds like a few new features, screw the new graphics. The music from the intro is gone which is a massive shame.
Just a matter of time til I get this! oh and it has achievements! I haven't actually got any new steam achievements in almost 6 months but this has me excited.
Apparently it has leaderboards and a speedrun mode too!
I'm rather stressed with a university assignment .. time for some classic doom! Completed two of the master levels today I'd never tried/beaten before. Only 4 left now.
It's hard to beat Doom, to this day. When I had the PS3, I bought Doom 3 just to have the classic game.
Post by: Darkness on May 01, 2019, 05:32:28 AM
Quote from: Timinator on April 29, 2019, 05:57:23 PM
The music from the intro is gone which is a massive shame.
That's a shame and has somewhat put me off the idea of this now, even though fundamentally the intro music doesn't matter a damn to the game content. So maybe I'll get over that.
I imagine the music change is due to a licensing issue in getting rights to use Nation 12's 'Into the Wonderful' track.
My first computer that did this had no sound card, just PC speaker. This is what I first heard those formative years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOn1vUo_DyI
I then found the actual music version inferior to the higher quality version ..
What can I say .. nostalgia is weird ..
Quote from: Timinator on May 01, 2019, 07:05:48 AM
Legit.
Fun to revisit KOTOR2 from time to time. Did a Dark Side playthrough, Sentinel/Assassin, with the Restored Content Mod. Being really dark side seems to break several quests, as apparently I bypassed several ways to get lightsaber parts and they can't drop from enemies until you build your own, so I was without one until I had basically completely finished Dantooine and Nar Shaddaa. Focused mostly on getting Hanharr's influence up so I could trigger the "Lesson of Strength (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2y51Fu7lGo)" lines from him and Kreia, which are some of the best in the game. The restored HK Factory can be a slog combat-wise, as only HK-47 is involved and he's far from the strongest, but the dialogue is excellent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhp1Q2vg0xQ), listening to the HK droids teach torturing methods to each other ("Exclamation: I will tell you nothing! Electrocute me, dismantle me, as many times as you want, and I shall permit it!"). Interesting that Zez-Kai Ell is the only Master that you aren't forced to fight if you're Dark side (at least until you go back to Dantooine later), Kavarr and Vrook force you to fight immediately, which makes some sense given that he is the most like the Exile, having almost given up the force himself. Always lots to think about after each playthrough, with all of the direct criticism of the Jedi, the Sith, and even the so-called Grey Jedi ("Apathy is Death (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlcaAVUF1uU)").
Thinking of getting Final Fantasy 7 for the Xbox One. Never finished it back in the day. I have so many games started, tho.
More classic Star Wars games have been put on Origin, including Racer, BF 1 and 2 OG, and Republic Commando.
I have A Plague Tale preloaded and set to unlock at 6PM tonight... and RAGE 2 preloaded for tomorrow. It's gonna be a good bit of gaming for two days! :D
I will be curious as to what you think of both games. I played the first Rage a bit but it was mostly meh. Tried to be Borderlands but failed.
I didn't really think it tried to be Borderlands at all. It was leaning into the same sort of violent-comedy vibe that many games were around then (see also, Bulletstorm), but it was doing its own thing. It was decently popular, reviewed well enough. I think it's more fun than BL myself, but opinions.
Anyway, RAGE 2 looks awesome. And if the countdown on my Bethesda launcher is accurate, it actually unlocks at 7 tonight so... hrm. Gonna be some decision-making tonight what game to play first!
Rage came out in late 2011, but I don't think they said "hey lets copy borderlands!" This is a game from id who were making FPS games before Randy Pitchford was a grade A douchebag. I admit I haven't played it much, and some of it seems similar to Borderlands, but its just different. I found a good line that it is basically 90% Doom, 10% RPG, and has only so many fixed guns vs the bagillions of possible ones.
Looking in the Steam forums, you see people comparing it to Borderlands a bit. Others compare it to Fallout or other post apocalyptic games.
I need to play it as I've been a big iD fan going back a long way.
90 minutes into A Plague Tale. Just beat the first boss.
This game is off the charts amazing. 10/10 so far. I daresay, flawless so far.
Stupidly gorgeous. Fantastic voice acting. Compelling story. Great stealth. Fun mechanics in general. Absolutely ridiculous attention to detail on making the 14th century setting come to life - as a medievalist, I'm *impressed* as hell.
Screenshot dump!
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812095284/D7C2678927CAF54EEE45FC872445AD40E4C68812/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217811614001/BFA90D800B620DDBE554D4F7740A95C463AAC102/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217811881777/0E76D2354031E1FCDA2FE03192DA8360AB4DCFD3/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217811896037/02E0B44E9DA0938BC2FFC1A1132B9C9CDF818039/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812013403/4735870677FA84F7A8E74A306229A2AC669EB319/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812011100/3EED97CE20E25416BB21BC4B3211ED3D36ED6525/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812076415/5CC04D254D9B5BD5C1AFE86E4016DEF66C1CEB91/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812095471/06059A543DE9F2E6B34DDBD727E3178C1AB066BA/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812211050/7C1490C1B677DBE7199F7386B29A50C6DB253B3E/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812211283/FFE782282A45C42E50E4FB3DF0BD021A41A98F23/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812300330/F84D155B3E995EEACF8A6EF910559B1C7C857417/
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/809997217812300766/5C7513511260E9B7B7B8A45E4AB6BF1CD9ED5541/
Nice. But is it good?
lol...somehow I missed your post above the links.
5 hours in. It's still absolutely phenomenal.
I've been playing Titan Quest again, since they just kicked out yet another expansion last week. Who'd've thunk, 10 years ago, we'd be playing a new expansion for TQ in 2019? ;D
Having more fun with it now than I did then.....
The character moves so slowly in TQ. I tried to replay it about a year ago and found it painful.
Play a build with faster movement. :D
But really, I don't think it's any slower than Diablo 3?
Just played for another hour. Yeah, my character definitely moves as fast as I ever did in D3. I know they've patched a shitload and made some significant QoL changes... perhaps move speed was among them? You should give it another try.
Tonight I finally finished a game first released at the end of 1995. The Master Levels for Doom2.
I’ve owned this since some time in the late 90s and it’s only 22 levels but it comes in a horrible form where most of the levels aren’t connected. They want you to play one then go back and do another. Over half of the levels are fine to play. Some are challenging and some are just stupid verging on pathetic, at least with keyboard only movement. The Mephisto level made me stop for 2 years and the express elevator to help was my last one. Those narrow corridors with no room to dodge or hide just sucks.
Fuck Cranium. Almost of all his maps have some creative bits but are just shot to play
I see one of the authors John Anderson aka dr sleep recently died. I enjoyed his maps as I did Tim willits who is now the boss of Id software.
It’s a bit weird to finally have it done. I was going for 100% kills and secrets and while a YouTube video shows you where things are, to actually do it yourself is something else.
I think I’ll do it again one day but with the maps knitted together so there is only one pistol start.
I’ve got a bunch of other 90s ones I’ll work on one day
Doom is definitely a mixed bag. The earlier levels are creative, but later levels tend to be over-sprawling messes that make you memorize the clusterfucks. Still amongst my favorite games of all time but the shareware levels really nailed it.
it is interesting watching live streams of 30 levels, especially when others are part of a voice chat and sharing their thoughts for which levels they really dislike. But as you say, if you know the levels, sometimes that can be half the battle. Knowing a good order of where to go and when. Otherwise you get tired of the monster closets and ambushes.
The difference between being lost and or face stomped with rage quits or performing is massive. They don't make games how they used to :)
I've got this idea in the back of my head if I get an entire uninterrupted day, stream from Doom1 and see how far I could go ..
Playing 'Ruiner' on the PS4 following giving it a go on y friends Xbox. Refreshingly challenging for a console title and just on the right edge of frustration. It is quite frantic in places but, the bossfights require strategy and a few attempts to get them right. Great cyberpunk atmosphere and soundtrack.
So Epic goes for their first sale and actually has a cool idea to give them some credit "get $10 off its if more than $15 which is nice, but the more expensive the game, the less it is as a %".
However then getting the devs saying, actually no, remove me from your sale, or take my game out of your store for a while .. FAIL lol
Shit this gets funnier!
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/05/epic-games-store-will-block-your-account-if-you-buy-too-many-games-too-quickly/
What a clusterfuck of a store.
You know, I figured Path of Exile would be more popular here, amidst a bunch of D2 players.
Path of Exile is poop on a stick.
Quote from: Lego on May 26, 2019, 07:59:49 AM
Quite a lot has changed for me between the heyday years of D2 and now with PoE.
no job, no kids, girlfriend for only part of that, and mostly long distance. With my study which I failed a few things and didn't try to hard, I had a LOT of D2 time. Also this was in the days before Steam. There were other games to fight for attention, but less shiny things.
These days.
Full time job, 2 kids, wife who I discovered isn't a big fan if I game too much vs the time I spend with her. i'm also currently doing some study again. Oh and Steam, it says I currently have 762 products in my library, even if you say half is stuff I won't play, thats a lot of competition for my gaming time.
And its from my country which is cool. I really do want to give it a try, but its partly why I haven't played Grim Dawn, even Torchlight 2 back in its day. I'd want a good 100 or more hours to do it properly. Thats a big ask.
If PoE had released back then, I'm sure I'd play it to death.
Different topic: While Epic is banning people's accounts for trying to use it, Steam comes up with a small 4 day event to remind us of the history we all have with them in their "Spring Clean" event.
1) Give people access to certain games free for the weekend
2) A nice meta event with a badge/items available for little effort. Something many people enjoy and of course Epic won't have for a while (shit they don't even have a proper shopping basket)
3) A reminder of games you have in your account that you might have forgotten about, some of the suggestions I had fun firing up
Kept seeing Burnout Paradise Remastered on sale for less than $5, which is a game I enjoyed a lot 10 years ago. The trophy requirements have been lessened quite a bit, as the collectables all require only doing "half" of them instead of "100%". I figured I wouldn't even try doing the online ones, since they require 8 people to cooperate for some of them, but I joined one today and everyone was actually really nice and helpful, and in about 30 minutes I randomly got the platinum. It's generally my type of racing game, where crashing is not really a huge deal and doing "cool" things is rewarded.
So new CoD for the year is announced. Going to have a single player campaign again (good) some of it can be coop (good) no season pass (good). buy it on Battle net .. meh, not ideal but I do have an account. I'm glad its Infinity Wards turn. I seem to prefer their output, even their badder ones.
Playing Metro 2033 and reading the book. I'm enjoying the game, very atmospheric, reasonably challenging and has an interesting story which justifies the game being linear rather than open world, wandery, wandery like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I'm in a Russian setting, shooting people and mutants with a VSS Vintorez, so I'm happy.
So I bought Divinity: Original Sin 2 for the PS4. My wife and I created characters have started playing. Took an hour and we are still on the ship. I think, at this pace, it will take us 20 to 30 hours just to get done with the beginning city.
So far very impressed but also feeling a bit overwhelmed by all there is to learn.
Post by: Timinator on June 10, 2019, 03:10:23 AM
So Bethesda pick up the beloved, but neglected commander keen series and are turning it into a mobile game. It looks awful.
Tom hall the guy behind the original wanted to work on it. They said nah. Then throw this shit out :(
Post by: Pixie on June 10, 2019, 05:57:19 AM
Meanwhile Cyberpunk 2077 adds Keanu to the already ridiculous hype train.
Prediction: it will be the best-selling video game ever.
I am not planning on buying right out of the gate. I am certainly interested. I still need to finish Witcher 2 and then start 3.
Keanu was pretty sweet, although I think most people were already all-in on Cyberpunk. The Bethesda conference was mostly ruined by the audience screaming at every word, so they were obviously employees and/or paid to be there. I've never bought a Devolver game, but I appreciate their meta-style of announcements, and that they announced a new arcade cabinet of all things. All of the conferences so far (besides EA) have shown a few new things that looked interesting, but none of them have really taken advantage of Sony's absence either. I know people interested in Phantasy Star Online 2, but that game came out in Japan in 2012, and finally jumping into an MMO 8 years after its release doesn't seem that enticing.
Quote from: maxbeedo on June 10, 2019, 12:52:25 PM
The Bethesda conference was mostly ruined by the audience screaming at every word, so they were obviously employees and/or paid to be there.
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/044/778/hatersgonnacat.jpg?1318992465)
Quote from: Sssith on June 10, 2019, 09:43:51 AM
I've been a Cyberpunk fan since I played the RPG in the late 80s. And although I didn't like The Witcher because I dislike Geralt, I also appreciate that the last one was a phenomenal game and CDPR has proven they can do justice to Cyberpunk. And then Keanu? In my Cyberpunk? As Johnny Silverhand? FFS, I have no words. I just know that I have so much hype for this I can't stand myself. I'll totally be buying it in a few weeks.
Just watched the trailer and it looks good. But trailer != gameplay.
Still it was a good sign.
FF7 Remake stuff looked great. 3/3/2020, showed off several bosses, combat with Cloud/Barret/Aerith/Tifa. Also FF8 finally getting a remaster.
The Nintendo Direct was pure fire. Breath of the Wild is getting a sequel (eventually). Dragon Quest protagonists and Banjo-Kazooie in Smash. The Dark Crystal (yes, the movie) is getting a Tactics game. Seiken Densetsu 3 is being remade as Trials of Mana, as well as the original in the Mana Collection being out for Switch today. No More Heroes 3 and Luigi's Mansion 3 look cool. I haven't bought a Nintendo console since the SNES, but I have to admit they arguably had the best E3 showing (besides maybe Square-Enix).
... not counting the one with Keanu, of course. ;)
Quote from: Pixie on June 11, 2019, 04:28:18 PM
;) I'm counting the conferences as a whole. Keanu might be the best moment for many, and understandably so, but not every game at the Microsoft conference was as well presented as that.
Played through What Remains of Edith Finch, which was free on PS+ last month (or the month before?). Interesting game, or rather "interactive story". At least there are no fail states, so what little gameplay there is doesn't distract from the story. Very somber tone overall though, and not every mini-story was explained very well so the impact wasn't as strong as it could've been (or maybe I missed some details). Not sure if it would be a great game to play when dealing with family tragedy or a terrible one.
Oh man, I loved Edith Finch. What an amazing experience. Right up there with Gone Home.
Played through Everybody's Gone To The Rapture. Needs a mod that lets you move at 500% speed and it'd be fine. The swirl of light that is supposed to guide you along gets lost sometimes too. Was kinda hoping that more of the character backstories you unfold would focus more on what they thought was actually happening instead of their rather boring domestic issues, and most of the characters end up being very unlikeable. While I think they were going for ambiguity in what is causing the "Rapture", it swung a little too obviously towards one direction to "really make me think" after playing it. Love the music and the graphics though.
After playing so much of Burnout Paradise: Remastered, starting playing Onrush (yet another free PS+ game), which has the same boost/takedown arcade racer mechanics, just in a different style. Not as interesting as exploring a big city or trying to cause as much collateral damage as possible, but good for some quick kinetic fun.
Post by: Melchior on June 18, 2019, 09:22:45 PM
I've playing [/b]Starcrawlers[/b], which is a sci-fi mostly-procedurally-generated 1st person turn-based dungeon crawler. Gets compared to Legend of Grimrock, which I havent played. Its quite fun and cheap on GOG atm
Played a bit of Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime (another free PS+ game), mostly just because of the name. Pretty cool concept, in that it's primarily a 2-player co-op spaceship game where each person has to switch around several stations to fire guns, move the ship, divert shields, etc. Not super fun to play alone though.
(https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/6d/aanb5ct21uyj.png)
Yep, the Steam sale meta-game worked out okay for me I guess.
wow! Personally I used them to boost the badge and my steam profile. I got a new showcase. I wasn't going to play games to boost it
You didn't have to play any games to boost it... At the end of the metagame, all the points accumulated became tokens automatically. It was in the FAQ that it would happen but like, nobody I know actually read it. LOL
Steam Grand Prix 2019
7,600 XP
Unlocked 8 Jul @ 12:08pm
That is where the majority of my tokens went. I started with 4000 tokens unspent from Lunar New Year.
Sadly I did not have time for messing around with the sale this time. Ah well.
Neither did I. That's what was cool about it. I got all these coupons and never played the metagame at all. Woo, best metagame ever!
On Amazon right now, until July 26, with your Twitch Prime account, you can get one of these games (https://www.amazon.com/b?node=19520441011) for $14.99 and then get a $15 Amazon credit added to your account.
Hey, free game, so why not?
Well there was sale, I had time so I bought it, played it, and did ALL the things I did in the past and didn't know how to do before. It was WONDERFUL! Ended up with 100% achievements after 15 hours. The first hour was pretty awful as they change the controls. Previously you had the arrow keys and one button to do everything else (shoot, jump, levers). Having different buttons meant in my head I knew what I wanted to do .. but then found myself jumping into monsters. The second hour took a it of time where I would basically try to say out loud "ok I want to shoot, so I need to press CTRL" then did it and then got into the groove and never looked back.
So frustrating .. but very much worth it.
The speedrun thing I did last, it was fun and not frustrating to see if I could get through the 12 levels in less than 60 minutes. In the end I was 51 and a bit minutes so had some time to spare. I ended up 4th on the speedrun ladder so far.
@Darkness: if you find yourself with a few pounds that need to be spent, I'd suggest you try it at the next sale :)
Epic can't stop fucking up, can they? (https://www.dsogaming.com/news/despite-being-an-epic-games-store-exclusive-tetris-effect-requires-steam-in-order-to-run/)
Its almost as if all the money is in Sales/Marketing types who pay publishers without any actual tech people having any say or control in anything. Best to avoid that Dogturd_in_a_bag_on_fire
Well the developers are more at fault here IMO. They made the game with Steam VR what did they expect? Of course Epic does deserve some blame as they should have guidelines for what works or doesn't work on their platform.
Replayed Batman Arkham Asylum. Over all it has aged pretty well.
I am going to try my hand at Wolfenstein: New Order. No clue where this game sits in the Wolfenstein universe. Can't imagine that the story is that important. One of the very first games I ever loved was Castle Wolfenstein so I am hoping I will enjoy it.
Started Wolfenstein. So far so good. Not the twitch fest that was the latest Doom game. Of course it is early but enjoying it so far.
Ah yes, that came out today didn't it? I may install it this weekend and give it a quick whirl.
He is playing “the new order” from 2014 not the 2019 games.
Assist that’s one I’ve been meaning to go back to. I started it. Enjoyed others from the series
Post by: Sssith on July 25, 2019, 05:31:26 PM
Yeah...I am playing the older one. Need to get some Nazis.
Starting last night, Monster Hunter World has all of their previous events going over the next 5 weeks up to the Iceborne launch, so anyone that has the game that missed the weekly events can go back and get all the unique armor and weapons, plus there's a free (super rare) Attack decoration for logging in at least once. Fun to see everything I missed, and to get the perspective of how many crossovers they've had. Assassin's Creed, Horizon Zero Dawn, Mega Man, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy XIV, The Witcher 3, quite the assortment.
I have made it to the Moon base in W:NO. Overall I am enjoying the game. I am playing it on an easier setting which I think is making the game more enjoyable. There is a surprising amount of stealth to the game.
New Wolfenstein with the twin redneck girls is a lot of fun. I'm awful at it, like I am with any shooter, but the sisters are entertaining enough to keep me at it. I'm only playing solo because I'm allergic to co-op, and I don't have any issues with the AI sister or anything, so that's a plus.
Well keep me up to date with how playing that game is solo. I have enjoyed W:NO. Grant you I am playing on an easier setting than I normally do but still pretty fun. I will probably make my way up the chain of Wolfenstein games.
Well keep me up to date . . .
I would but... well, I just got sucked into Outward (https://store.steampowered.com/app/794260/), and Outward might just be the RPG I've been pining for...
Post by: Liquid Evil on August 06, 2019, 01:10:28 PM
Went to EVO just recently (biggest fighting game tournament in the world, held in Las Vegas) and it was a good time. I got out of the day 1 pools in Street Fighter V and did okayish (2-2) in Samurai Shodown which is a game I have very little time playing. Really cool experience and it's neat how accessible all of the pro players are. You could go up and say hi in between sets or grab a picture with them or whatever. All in all, a worthwhile experience!
I accidentally ended up in Vegas during the Adult Entertainment Conference (a couple of years ago). Unsurprisingly the participants were not as accessible as that.
Finished Wolfenstein, which I enjoyed as a whole. Nothing earth shattering but it was a good time.
I also finished Detroit Becoming Human. That was an interesting experience. I am actually trying it again hoping for some different results. Not sure if I will be able to make it through a whole second play through.
Always wanted to go to EVO, although I'm not sure I'd be confident enough to play any of the current games (maybe SFV, but I'd be lucky to win 1 game), so I'd probably just enter a few of the side tournaments like for CVS2. Thankfully EVO is pretty good about giving space to a bunch of older games, and most of them end up with at least 50-100 competitors each, even really obscure ones.
Kinda sad about Honda/Poison/Lucia being leaked right before EVO, leading Capcom to have basically nothing to announce there, other than "more will be coming in December" around Capcom Cup. They needed something huge to get back a lot of the audience they've lost, and 3 characters isn't going to cut it after 8 months of nothing. Capcom has been doing almost everything right the past 2 years or so EXCEPT with fighting games.
Post by: dave in the basement on August 07, 2019, 02:21:33 PM
Anyone check out Age of Wonders: Planetfall yet? Looks like it would scratch my itch, probably once the price comes down.
I accidentally ended up in Vegas during the Adult Entertainment Conference (a couple of years ago).
Accidentally. OK. :P
Quote from: mn4nu on August 07, 2019, 06:18:13 PM
what/who else did he accidentally end up in? ;)
Post by: Melchior on August 07, 2019, 08:17:09 PM
Quote from: dave in the basement on August 07, 2019, 02:21:33 PM
I haven't played it, but I too am waiting for it to drop in price 8)
Easy there! lol
In my defense one of my college buddies set up the schedule. STOYA! :-P
Post by: Liquid Evil on August 08, 2019, 11:45:34 AM
You look pretty up on the FGC news! Yeah, it was a bummer for Capcom about the leak. Ono clearly took it very hard. I challenged some friends to some Week 1 characters. I'm repping Poison to see if I can shut down their Honda and Lucia respectively. I'm a Vega main and there are some definite similarities to Poison, but SFV is a pretty aggressive game, so mid-long range whip slashes that don't knock opponents down may make for a rough time (and she's pretty different from SF4 where she was basically a shoto). Anyway, we'll see if I can make her work, but definitely not interested in replacing my main. As far as the state of SFV, more characters isn't *really* what's needed imo. I was hoping for new V-skills over new characters, but that's probably just my own wishful thinking.
Quote from: Sith
I also finished Detroit Becoming Human.
Yeah, I picked that one up too (before it was free on PSN :-\) and it looks like a fun playthrough and cool concept. Will have to make some time.
I liked Heavy Rain better which hopefully you got along with Becoming Human. Not sure how well Heavy Rain aged but it was one of my favorite PS3 games.
Quote from: Liquid Evil on August 08, 2019, 11:45:34 AM
Yeah, I've been watching streams getting a feel for the new characters. Lucia looks to be the best (and has the best accent ;)), as her fireball is can be tricky to work around and she has several extended combos, although a lot of her pressure will probably get stopped by matchup knowledge as it's not all safe. Honda is the defensive wall he always has been, which works well in some matchups and not others. Poison may take some time to perfect, and I'm not sure she has all the tools she needs, but her neutral seems decent (standing MK being cancelable is really nice). As far as changes, I was hoping for some type of extended story mode that would link SF4->SF5->SF3 together properly, as SF5 is basically a big meaningless gap in the story where nothing happens and no one has changed. The season 3 and 4 characters have hinted at that change (Cody becoming Mayor, Sakura graduating and getting a job, G eventually becoming Q), but we've yet to see it come together. It would be nice to have a good story for once, but then they'd probably try to force every character in there in awkward ways and bumble it.
Ha! Actually it did come with it! I sort of wrote it off as an unnecessary add-on (and I think someone told me it had gratuitous torture scenes or something?), so never had any intention of playing. Maybe I'll have to add it to the backlog list since it has such high Sssith praise though.
Lucia looks to be the best (and has the best accent ;))
I haven't messed with her at all yet, but the two guys I'm throwing down with on Saturday to put our W1 skills to the test, have both voiced complaints on her voice and changed her to the Japanese voice actor. Different strokes I guess, but I have no opinion. Something I'm not digging at the moment is Poison's st.HP x QCB LP~LK stance cancel nonsense. I'm sure I'll get it consistently if I continue to play her, but forced stance cancels add an unnecessary execution barrier to truly play her to the fullest. Maybe it will be second nature soon, but right now it feels very unintuitive.
I think one thing that can show how good a game Heavy Rain is the completion rate. According to an article I read the completion rate of a game is generally around 25%. At one point Heavy Rain had a completion rate of 72%. What I remember from the game is story that really hooked me. The subject matter is dark, but I don't remember a torture scene. Of course it has been a really long time since I first played that game.
I think one thing that can show how good a game Heavy Rain is the completion rate. According to an article I read the completion rate of a game is generally around 25%. At one point Heavy Rain had a completion rate of 72%.
That's super interesting. This piqued my curiosity, so I googled some more just to check out some other examples. Didn't turn up much in the way of recent posts, but 72% does seem crazy high. I imagine game completion rates will get lower and lower too as time goes on. I don't use steam so probably not as easy to track my own playthroughs, but I imagine my own completion rate for owned games is fairly low as well. Immersive, single-player, story-driven games are probably the best in terms of completion rates, but I wonder what genre of games are the worst in this area.
"9 out of 10 will not finish the game they are playing" - Kotaku article (https://kotaku.com/nine-out-of-10-will-not-finish-the-game-they-are-playin-5832450)
"Statistically, most players don’t finish games. We’ve all seen numbers that say something like a third [do finish games], on average" - IGN article (https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/gdc-most-players-dont-finish-games)
Quote from: old post from like 8 years ago
Call of Duty 4 - 58.20 %
Hannah Montana - 58.33%
Mass Effect 1 - 58.73%
Call of duty 6 (MW2) - 59.14 %
Assassin's Creed II - 59.45 %
Call of duty 7 (BO) - 63.86%
Dead Space 2 - 65.76%
Portal - 65.82 %
Quote from: IGN list
The Walking Dead: Season 1, Episode 1 - 66%
Mass Effect 2 - 56%
BioShock Infinite - 53%
Batman: Arkham City - 47%
Portal - 47%
Mass Effect 3- 42%
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 32%
Borderlands 2 - 30%
I haven't played any of the games on either list I don't think.
Post by: Ray Patean on August 09, 2019, 12:17:08 PM
Don't lie to us. We all know you've played the shit out of the Hannah Montana game!
It is also difficult because what constitutes finishing a game. In Borderlands does doing one play-through with one character meet that mark? I think a game like Heavy Rain it is probably easier to define.
I generally finish a game that I start.
Call of Duty 4 - 58.20 % <--I played one CoD game not sure if this one but whichever one it was I completed the SP side of the game.
Hannah Montana - 58.33% <-- Never played it. I swear
Mass Effect 1 - 58.73% <--completed multiple times
Call of duty 6 (MW2) - 59.14 % <-see above
Assassin's Creed II - 59.45 % <-- never played it
Call of duty 7 (BO) - 63.86% <-- see above
Dead Space 2 - 65.76% <-- completed 1,2,3
Portal - 65.82 % <- completed
Mass Effect 2 - 66.45% <-completed multiple times
The Walking Dead: Season 1, Episode 1 - 66% <- completed
Mass Effect 2 - 56% <-see above
BioShock Infinite - 53% <-- completed 1, 2, 3
Batman: Arkham City - 47% <- completed
Portal - 47% <- see above
Mass Effect 3- 42% <-completed multiple times
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 32% <- completed main game -- never finished the DLC
Borderlands 2 - 30% <-completed the shit out of this
Something I'm not digging at the moment is Poison's st.HP x QCB LP~LK stance cancel nonsense. I'm sure I'll get it consistently if I continue to play her, but forced stance cancels add an unnecessary execution barrier to truly play her to the fullest. Maybe it will be second nature soon, but right now it feels very unintuitive.
I agree, I probably won't pick her up for that reason (I've been holding on to just over 100k fight money to pick up one character... will probably pick Lucia, but I haven't decided). However, that does mean that fewer players will really master Poison, which means she'll be exciting to watch should any top players actually pick her up. Seeing Menat doing optimal V-trigger-1 combos, consistent and optimal Karin launches, etc., differentiates the true execution pros from the randoms.
I even finished Heavy Rain. And I almost never finish a game.
EVEN PIXIE FINISHED THAT GAME!
Post by: syn on August 09, 2019, 07:20:00 PM
Anyone remember Hellgate: London?
So, I've been playing Remnant: From the Ashes (https://store.steampowered.com/app/617290/Remnant_From_the_Ashes/) and this is like playing a fevered dream in which Hellgate: London and Dark Souls got together and spawned a demon child and that demon child grew up playing Fallout games. It is a glorious thing and I highly recommend taking a look. It's a $40 game with every bit of the appearance and polish of a AAA game. Lengthwise, it's said to be 15-20 hours, with at least 3 playthroughs needed to see all the things.
Colour me intrigued!
I've mostly been playing around with PC settings, but now I'm mostly happy I've finally started Rise of the Tomb Raider. Not particularly far through but I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.
Given that I love Hellgate despite its flaws I think I will have to look into this game. Thanks for the heads up.
After finishing the 90s shadow warrior, I’m now playing duke3d. I have a feeling a long time back I did the original campaign. I have extra levels in the two versions I have on steam so doing both those and getting achievements as I go. Might finally try to finish duke nuke forever after!
i've dumped way too much time this last week into Stellaris. seems like it's probably replaced my need to play alpha centauri/alien crossfire any more. definitely easy to lose track of time with this one, as my wife has let me know...
Just upgraded my PC so now I'm just eagerly awaiting Cyberpunk 2077 (is preordered!) so I can put it to the test. Nothing else out right now is stressing the hardware even a little. :D
Quote from: syn on August 27, 2019, 03:36:08 PM
Stellaris is really rather good. I haven't given it nearly the level of attention it deserves.
Got totally distracted from Rise of the Tomb Raider by Frostpunk. Damn this is a great game. It probably isn't the most replayable, but it certainly has enough of an experience in it to justify its price tag!
Steam profile of one of the princes of Saudi Arabia (https://steamcommunity.com/id/Archangel_Yuji/)... he's a weeb. And drops $TEXAS on Steam items.
I am amused.
So now there is a Rockstar launcher, ... what we need, more launchers. you can get GTA San Andreas currently for free which is great, but 15 years old now.
Also it supports some, but not all Rockstar games .. https://support.rockstargames.com/articles/360035474314/Rockstar-Games-Launcher-supported-titles
So not the first 2 GTAs from the top down .. but you can do the 3/VC/SA trilogy. .. but not 4 and Episodes.. but yes to 5.
Sounds odd ..
Every company having their own launcher is a shitty situation. Not sure what the solution is but I hate when I have to install uPlay as an example. I keep Origin on the computer but only use it every once and a while.
What we need is one launcher to combine all the launchers...
>.>
(https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/ipad/ipad/apple_logo.png)
Dear god no, i'd rather have 100 launchers than that ..
Finished Rise of the Tomb Raider. Enjoyed it a lot as I expected to, but I'm a bit Tomb Raider'd out now so will probably wait some time before I play the final one in the trilogy. It's not like I don't have a huge backlog of other things to play :)
I played the crap out of that game. The third is good but 1 >>>>> 2 >>> 3.
This. I've beat the first one 2 or 3 times, the 2nd one once, and I still haven't gotten all the way through 3. I keep getting bored.
Good to know. I won't rush to playing 3 then.
Been slowing going through the endgame of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. The final main boss of the expansion was pretty awesome, and a whole new area opens up with several new monsters, though it requires a ton of grinding to get them to appear. All of the monsters have a ton more health, and like 50 hours in I still haven't found any weapon I like more than my Taroth Assault Glutton heavy bowgun from the base game, despite it being far outclassed in "base damage" rating. Armor options have been really good aesthetically but subpar with skills until late game. The expansion kinda has that D2 NM->Hell feeling where the base stats of your weapons and armor are designed to just not cut it in the higher difficulty (even the worst expansion armor has 25% more defense than the absolute best main game armor), but as you know from D2, it's not just the base defense or base attack that makes gear worth using, and everything else about the weapons and armor were garbage until very very late, so I'm still looking for what I want to use longterm.
Finished Duke 3d Episode 3, had some rough levels in there! Onto the 4th episode now, currently playing the first level which was built by a Randall Pitchford II
Post by: dave in the basement on October 03, 2019, 08:52:29 AM
I just got the new Dragon Quest XI super edition on the Switch and I'm having a blast.
I think I"ll buy my first ever Humble Monthly, mainly just for Cod WW2, one of the last 2 steam releases that hadn't been cheap enough yet. It also comes with trilogies of Spyro and Crash which is just gravy on the side and I might check them out.
I think I'll pick up another bundle with Bridge Constructor portal
I've also just fired up Pillars of Eternity 2 on the ol' PC and I'm having fun with that. I went in blind to character creation, so we'll see if that hurts me down the road or not. I can't wait to get my pirate ship and hit the seas in search of glorious booty! :D
(https://2static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Pirates+booty+_bc9f23_5966765.jpg)
Post by: Liquid Evil on October 11, 2019, 07:10:47 PM
Playing some couch co-op with a buddy to beat Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. It started strong, but a lot of the enemy types got a bit repetitive by the end. Similarly, the run/glyph puzzles also started to feel lackluster. The plot seemed kind of neat with a mental illness angle, but some of the voices (the angry, super deep voice in her head, in particular) were hard to understand so I felt lost in some places. Anyway, it was a quick playthrough and ranked as a middling level of fun to me. Also playing some couch co-op of Bloodstained with another friend who's a big Castlevania fan. We're probably halfway through I'd guess. *Neither of those games is true co-op, so we just pass the controller. To remedy this and assemble all friends, I picked up Dragon's Crown Pro and pre-ordered Trine 4 so we can all play in the same room on the same screen at the same time. I'm looking forward to that. In other news, it looks like a fighting game scene is starting to take root not too far away, so hopefully it is capable of sustaining itself and the monthlies they are planning work out well with lots of attendance. The location seems pretty solid (like a pinball barcade place), so I'm cautiously optimistic. Will bring a fight stick for their first meetup and hopefully knock gloves with some fellow FGC enthusiasts.
Hellblade needs to be played with good headphones or good surround sound. I assume the sound system was lacking if the voices were hard to understand.
Easily one of the best games I've ever played. Pure artistry brilliantly researched and executed.
Oh yeah, it definitely wasn't a bad game by any stretch. It had a great tone and told a different story than most games of this type, so I really dug the aesthetic. A handful of the puzzles were really innovative so it also gets positive marks for that. I even had a character named Valravn back in Torchlight, so some of the bosses and environments were right up my alley. It was just some of the gameplay that made it seem like it quite couldn't live up to what it wanted to be. The enemy types were too few and far between, so it felt like once you'd mastered that parry and appropriate combo, they were no longer a threat. But they were there at every step along the way. Too much of the same plus a mini boss rush thing nearing the end pushed it toward stale. And in a game with so few enemy types, some truly different color palettes would have gone a long way in keeping down the repetition (Remember that shield guy? Did every single shield guy need a red and black shield? I get that modeling a brand new shield with spikes instead of antlers or in a different shape would cost more time/money, but surely a new coat of paint or three on some of the enemies could have been justified). I like the idea of Senua better than the game itself, but it was definitely not a bad game. If I ever do pick it back up for a future replay, I'll try the headphones route since I'm sure that does indeed kick the immersion up several notches with all the voice whisperings and such.
Post by: syn on October 12, 2019, 02:30:03 PM
was amused/irritated when the last patch for stellaris makes steam launch a paradox launcher rather than the game directly. launchers all the way down...
https://twitter.com/AllGamesDelta_/status/1183835850196561921?
Volition found the source code for Saints Row 2, and we're getting a patch to fix the PC port.
Holy shit, I'm excited. Woooooo!
should have said "adding Steamworks" not just "we are patching" ooo excitement!
Started in on Trine 4 with a couple of buddies. I hadn't heard of this game or series as of a month ago, but it has a real Lost Vikings vibe. Anyone remember that Blizzard classic? Anyway, it's a 2D puzzle platformer style game for three players. Each of the three characters is unique and necessary for progressing as a team, and although you could alternate as you go if you'd like, we've stuck exclusively to our respective dudes so far. We made it into Act II today, and I figure there's still several hours to go. Fun with friends, but I imagine this could be painful solo.
Bought original red dead redemption for xbox360 to get an idea of it
The Outer Worlds is pretty okay. So far, nothing to write home about. It's Fallout in Space, for sure, so if you want that, there ya go. Character creation options are super limited, but it's first person so most people won't care.
The first dude I shot, I hit him in the head (with my "light pistol") and his head blew off, then his arms and legs blew off in all directions. So, there's that.
Corpses have an annoying tendency to get lost in the tall grass. I guess they learned that from playing Oblivion or something. ;)
Quote from: Pixie on October 24, 2019, 09:21:05 PM
I'm kind of interested in Outer Worlds but it is an Obsidian game so I'll probably wait a year or two for the patches :D
What I'm really interested in recently and I had never heard of before is Disco Elysium! It sounds fantastic.
By all reports and reviews, this one is decidedly unbuggy.
As for Disco Elysium, I have friends who are raving about it. Supposedly quite awesome.
I'll get to Outer Worlds at some point. At the very least I will wait for Steam version.
Fallout in Space is good enough for me.
Quote from: Sssith on October 25, 2019, 10:50:42 AM
Steam version is a year away I think? I'm playing it on PC Gamepass. Do you have that? Worth a look. You can get it for a buck.
Goddamn, I forgot how cult-y Obsidian fans are. I have been recently reminded. Yikes. ::)
Well apparently Microsoft let me do another £1 trial of xbox pass despite already doing it earlier in the year so I might try out Outer Worlds after all!
So EA is coming back to Steam. I assume it'll work like Ubisoft games do - you can buy them on Steam, but they'll still launch Origin (like Uplay).
That sounds cool. Getting my Origin games to play nice with Steam is a PITA I'd rather avoid.
I saw that and think its a lovely idea. My impression of them will go up if they do so. Wonder how much back catalogue stuff never came to steam we might see?
Eg I have 3 need for speeds that came to steam. I'd happily buy up more if I could (and assuming they actually let you play and not full of microtransactions lol
EA can suck my balls.
I am still mad that they control Bioware.
Having the games available in Steam is nice. But forcing the launch of another launcher still sucks. I guess it is a step in the right direction.
At some point we should have a discussion of which parent company sucks the most ******** (<- insert your own noun).
From least to most suckage?
Bandai > Nintendo > Warner Brothers > Sony > Microsoft > Ubisoft > Take-Two >>>>>> NetEase >>>>>> Tencent >>>>> Activision >>>> EA
Not a very nuanced ranking but that was a quick stab at it. Arguable that NetEase and Tencent should be higher (worse).
Fuck Bandai.
Net Ease: Diablo Immortal at this point is vapourware to me. Of course I mainly hate Blizzard/Activision more but lets see if it comes out, and if so how bad it is.
Bandai/Warner Brothers/Tencent doesn't produce anything that I play from what I know.
Nintendo/Sony hasn't made anything that has made me want to buy things in their walled garden. Also when games I know get there, its normally a bunch of years later.
Activision is a company I've gone off more as time has gone on. I've bought every CoD game (when it drops to a certain price) but the 4 year old Black Ops 3 has never hit the right price. Black Ops 4 they ditched Steam for Battlenet (not helping my decision), but then killed it by not having a campaign! This years Modern Warfare is also Battlenet only, but has a campaign. I see some content is exclusive to playstation for an entire year! I'm in no hurry to give them any money. Besides I still have Infinite Warfare and WW2 to play! Blizzcon **May** spark some future excitement but i'm quite over them at the moment.
Take 2 is mixed. On one side you have Borderlands 3/Epic shitstorm. On the other .. Red Dead is coming to PC and Steam! It feels like the spouse you don't know if they will take you for an exotic holiday or beat you up.
Ubisoft has some things I play, but not much I'm in a massive hurry to. Having to use their launcher is one thing, its not going to make me pay them money to get a pass or look there. I feel about neutral with them.
EA is something that I've hated but less so recently. I enjoyed when they would put out free stuff on Origin but I never played any of that. Later why I never really bothered with anything free on Epic, or Humble Trove. I used to really hate how they put out the yearly thing and just killed off multiplayer or certain features after a while. I understand it in a way but just breaking games as they aren't as popular really helps fully kill the game. But .. hey the tease of them coming back to Steam is great .. lets see what eventuates, but its a great sign and I'm sure they will get some $ out of it.
Microsoft has gone from being needed (Windows) to begrugdingly needed (remember the BS that was making Valve look into SteamOS. Also the joke that was Games for WindowsLive .. at least that died off. Windows Store is a joke I've looked at .. but recently they have really redeemed themselves to one of my favourite parent companies now. Halo which used to be a couple years late to PC, then NEVER on PC is finally getting not just to PC, but on Steam. Not just that, but remastered content and a lot of effort. Look at Age of Empires getting remastered (that was on the Windows Store), now on Steam, and AOE2 (2nd remaster) also coming out on Steam. 2013 had a remaster, they are putting in even more effort in a 20 year old game! They'd rather have people playing their product than caring 100% about the way people are going in to buy it etc. They are giving people choice. And people can play together no matter what store its bought from.
Can't really talk about Microsoft without mentioning PC Gamepass too.
For a frigging buck you can play a bazillion awesome games. Brand new AAA titles. Stuff like Gears 5 and The Outer Worlds.
I'd rank MS pretty damn high on the list actually.
Started playing Outer Worlds but couldn't get past the character creation boss.
Why the hate on Bandai Pixie? I put them that low as I can't think of any of their games that I play. A company seemingly built on the foundation of Naruto and Dragonballz. Kind of pathetic that most of their games originate from cartoons.
you jump from I can't think of anything I play to kind of pathetic?
Oh, no reason. It was mostly a joke just to poke at your list.
That said, they publish a few games I've played (Dark Souls, mostly). None that I consider very good. They are really good at doing really shitty PC ports, so there's that, I guess?
Pathetic that their catalog is mostly Drangonballz and Naruto? Yes. Not sure what is so puzzling about that.
I have played Tekken. And I recognized Dark Souls which is obviously well regarded. But shitty PC ports seems accurate enough.
Post by: maxbeedo on October 29, 2019, 06:43:00 PM
I'll admit I spent a good 20 minutes listening to all of the quotes when you select either a really low or really high stat. Surprised how many of each there were.
I have to give Obsidian credit for writing in a really solid/believable asexual character with an absolutely adorable personal quest line that had me just grinning by the end of it (or at least, the end of it so far.. maybe it picks back up).
Ace doesn't get a lot of representation in games, so it's a pretty cool thing.
I'm still stuck on the Character Creation boss. Since you've a lot of play time into it now Pixie, any tips or pitfalls to avoid during character creation? I'm looking at something like this right now: http://www.rpg-gaming.com/tow/tow.html?A=024141&F=34 (http://www.rpg-gaming.com/tow/tow.html?A=024141&F=34)
That looks a lot like my character (charm + intelligence, just being a smooth-talking leader of peoples - seriously, leadership is awesome) but taking the hit to carry capacity for lower strength is probably gonna drive you batty. This game will load you up on shit constantly.
The "talky" skills have combat functions, which is fantastic. I have a high persuade, for instance, which causes humans that I attack to cower for like 10 seconds at a time. Lie causes mechs to fight their allies. Intimidate terrifies "creatures." Between all that and the leadership skill giving me lots of boosts from my allies (and boosting them in turn), my team is just having a good ol' time.
Guns are all fun, though I'm partial to the assault rifle myself. Melee sucks from what I've read. I haven't tried it though.
Aside from that, I don't really have a lot of advice. I'm playing on "normal" difficulty and the game is easy enough you can probably make any build that seems fun and get through without a sweat. If you play on hard, things change but I have no idea what would be good then.
Thanks Pix. Good point on carry capacity. That's always bugged me in Fallout games. I'll probably just drop the point in Dex and move it into Str then.
Didn't have much to do today, so spent upwards of 12 hours getting as far as I can in Outer Worlds. My character is +1 Str (probably not needed), +1 Dex (probably not needed), +3 Int (nice for the skill bonuses I wanted, didn't come up in conversations for a while), +1 Perception (comes up a good amount). Going mostly Long Guns/Hack/Lockpick/Science/Persuade, though not sure if I plan to use any of the Science weapons I've found, as they seem "neat" but pretty weak and a waste of time, mostly because I am playing on Normal so most enemies die really fast. I'm also a completionist so once I got to one area you're heavily warned not to go to (alternative "easier" routes are offered), I was so heavily armed/armored that I "accidentally" strolled straight through that area without taking any damage. That's pretty typical for these games though, fairly easy to get overgeared/overleveled, which is fine, because the conversations and choices are the focus.
I have had at least two entire "combat" areas that I bypassed completely through Persuade/Lie dialogue options, so that's a plus. It also seems pretty feasible to just let your companions do all the combat.
Post by: Kasferatu on November 04, 2019, 06:09:28 AM
I'm also still playing Outer Worlds. Not too far in yet as I've only got off the first planet. Sadly the thing is crashing like crazy now - mostly when transitioning between worlds but in a particular location it is whenever I open inventory or map up. A quick google shows other people having the same problem in the same place so looks like I've just been Obsidian'ed. Otherwise enjoying the game a lot though!
I got to about level 15 or 16 and I might be done with Outer Worlds. I got bored. Went back to Fallout 76 yesterday and had a lot more fun with that.
Finished the game. End comes relatively quickly, though the epilogue seems reasonably thorough. If you're wondering if there's a "different" method you can use with the final boss... yes, yes there is. Multiple things actually. Had a weird... not really a bug, but more of a design quirk, where a quest that involved going into an area with hostile automechanicals, killing any of them resulted in a massive hit with my reputation, so when I got out the entire town I was in was hostile permanently. Not sure if I missed out on quests and such because of that. Achievement-wise I'm still missing quite a bit, so I may start looking up things I missed.
I'm taking a break form BL3 and playing The Last of Us Remastered. I never did the DLC which is supposed to be excellent. I will get through the main game before I do it though.
The one thing that I find annoying is that Normal level is really hard and easy is just that.
Quote from: Pixie on November 04, 2019, 04:21:50 PM
I think I might be at about the same place. Have hit level 17 and just reached an entirely new planet that looks pretty large. I always find these sudden opening up points in games can cause me to feel a bit overwhelmed and do something else! Will attempt to push through this wall.
I finished Last of Us and the dlc Left Behind. Both hugely enjoyable.
(https://i.imgur.com/5boeJL8.png)
https://twitter.com/valvesoftware/status/1196566870360387584?
Lets cound the columns, Valve is 1, Steam VR is 2, HOLY SHIT a THIRD GAME IS COMING!
I'm officially wet
Is it going to be VR only?
Details out in 2 days time, but I think yes. In saying that, while VR users are growing, the number of people who have a computer powerful enough to run VR is growing at a faster rate.
Free BL3 weekend on consoles: https://www.vg247.com/2019/11/20/borderlands-3-will-free-play-ps4-xbox-one-weekend/
If anyone wants to check it out.
Been playing Nioh, since it was free on PS+ this month. Souls-like system, but maybe even deadlier, since I'm finding most enemies can still 1 shot me with some attacks 20 hours into the game. Enemy AI is kinda lacking in spots, and the more difficult fights rely on enemies having hyperarmor. On the plus side, it puts a lot more effort into the presentation of story and information than any Souls game, and there are many ways to cheese fights or thin out weak enemies. Being "mission"-based has some benefits, and I like the fact that if you complete the objective, all the other enemies in the level either disappear or prostrate themselves before you, letting you explore for items freely.
Post by: Darkness on December 04, 2019, 04:44:53 AM
Quote from: maxbeedo on November 29, 2019, 10:51:02 PM
Been playing Nioh, since it was free on PS+ this month. Souls-like system, but maybe even deadlier, since I'm finding most enemies can still 1 shot me with some attacks 20 hours into the game.
Oh good, its not just me finding this. I'm still not past the first boss although, I've only had three attempts so far.
Enemy AI is kinda lacking in spots, and the more difficult fights rely on enemies having hyperarmor. On the plus side, it puts a lot more effort into the presentation of story and information than any Souls game, and there are many ways to cheese fights or thin out weak enemies. Being "mission"-based has some benefits, and I like the fact that if you complete the objective, all the other enemies in the level either disappear or prostrate themselves before you, letting you explore for items freely.
This all sounds very positive and something to look forward to. I am enjoying the combat system, although the stand changing mechanic is something I've not yet mastered with any fluidity.
I like the revenant summoning system, particularly as an item farming mechanic. Some of the revenants are really challenging to fight.
I like the nod to William Adams by having the main character named William, even though he is Irish. I found the backstory of how he learned Japanese fighting styles to be as flangy as hell but, really, really enjoyed the opening Tower of London scenario, which was a really cool way of doing a prologue.
First boss in NIOH down on my 4th attempt.
I think that is better than my average for Soul's bosses.
Post by: Grogs on December 08, 2019, 08:58:29 PM
Excited for the upcoming PoE expansion. Reworked end game, complete with new bosses and a new Atlas system. If you haven't played PoE for a while will be worth checking out! New league starts next weekend at the same time.
I might have to POE when the new version comes out. I did one play through a couple years ago. Enjoyed it but there were some elements that were off putting.
Have you ever done anything from the Borderland series Grog? It has a lot of the elements you enjoy.
Post by: Grogs on December 12, 2019, 02:14:51 AM
I haven't played the boderland series at all. I will have a look though!
HELLBLADE 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJWI4bkD9ZM) OMG! SQUEEEEEEE!
WITH HEILUNG!
Finished Outer Worlds and ended up really enjoying it. It's always nice to see the impact the decisions you've made has on the world at the end of the game.
Finished Nioh. Pretty good overall, although not without its flaws. I did the entire game solo, with 25 deaths, with almost zero uses of the apparently broken Living Weapon mechanic (based on online videos). Story ended up being far more light than I expected given the early cutscenes, but it does do its best to highlight a few dozen actual historical figures from England and Japan from the Sengoku period. It takes some liberties, especially with the mystical/demonic side of the game, but a lot of events play out or are referenced exactly as they actually happened. So it's a Souls-like hardcore action RPG where you might learn something while dying a lot. The loot system is pretty good overall, although tedious to deal with given the item limit. Even with 500 slots, I found myself having to sell/disassemble/donate items quite frequently, since I found 50-100 of them every mission, but every item having a rarity, level, and mostly random abilities did provide some flavor. Other than maybe the last 2, which were more siege-like against way-bigger-than-the-screen bosses, the Yokai bosses were not that enjoyable to me, with their ridiculously huge hitboxes on attacks and infinite hyperarmor. The human bosses, however, were great fun, since they more closely followed the same combat rules as you (and actually react to being hit), with the same stamina system where you can wear them out to get a critical. I've done 6-7 of the post-game missions, and tried 3-4 others where I'm basically like "Nope", because they're pretty much just challenges where you face multiple bosses simultaneously. An entire rarity of loot exists only in postgame, and I believe one higher than that in late NG+ (or maybe just in the DLCs, which weren't included in the free PS+ version), but there are multiple NG+s worth of difficulty to grind for loot and levels even harder, if that's your thing. It is tempting to keep playing for a while, though I do have other games waiting.
Post by: Sssith on December 19, 2019, 07:24:48 PM
I finally got around to buying the first one. Now I need to find the time to play it.
Post by: mn4nu on December 28, 2019, 09:33:15 AM
I bought Stardew Valley the other day and have been playing it a little bit. It reminds me of playing a old Zelda game without the puzzles and combat. It is pretty low stress, there isn't a quest line or anything, so you kind of just do whatever you want...raise crops, animals, explore the mine, interact with townsfolk, etc. I think it is a nice change of pace game.
Post by: Melchior on December 29, 2019, 12:55:09 AM
Quote from: mn4nu on December 28, 2019, 09:33:15 AM
I bought it on sale too! Trying to recapture the magic of Harvest Moon on Super Nintendo, which it does quite well!
Cool Melchior, have fun!
Been playing Code Vein.
I hate anime.
I hate Dark Souls.
By all rights, I should *despise* Code Vein.
But ... I kind of love it?
Post by: dave in the basement on January 02, 2020, 09:25:52 AM
They recently released the 1.4 update for Stardew Valley on the ol' Switch, so I fired that up over Christmas break. This time around I went with a Grinch theme, and Whoville Acres is running fairly smoothly a couple days into Summer, Year 2.
A lot of fun and QOL went into 1.4, and I'm having a blast as usual. Hit me up if you fine folks have any questions!
Post by: syn on January 05, 2020, 12:15:35 PM
there's a solar system in Stellaris named Covfefe. made me lol...
Did end up platinuming Nioh. The late-game loot grind is actually fairly well done, even without the DLCs. Weapons and amor can be upgraded further and further by finding multiple items at a certain bonus past the level cap (so if you find two "+1" weapons you can merge them into a +2, raising all base stats). XP and gold also tend to rise at a comparable level in NG+ to your costs, and apparently the DLCs add 2 additional difficulties that go nuts with it.
Bunch of games on sale on PSN lately, so I purchased DMC5, Spiderman, Persona 5 Dancing All Night, and Torment: Tides of Numenera. DMC5 was pretty disappointing, where the move speed and combat options paled in comparison to Nioh that I had just played, and it was extremely short, although the cutscenes were well done. Starting P5:DAN and it's pretty fun so far, as far as rhythm games go. It's really just an excuse to listen to the same voice actors/characters again, even more so than the pretty great music.
An old friend friend gifted me the newest Tomb Raider. It was funny I'd downloaded the demo, and it refused to run even with settings at the lowest, but the full game got to the menu screen. I've go the trading cards secured now, was too busy to try to play it in slideshow mode last night
My GFX card died so I got stuck playing low res games for a couple weeks.
New AMD RX5700 just arrived though, time to make it hurt. Haven't had a new card in years!
GTA IV isn't available for sale anymore as it was built with Games for Windows live, that cancer of a service that was back in Microsofts shitty days. Many devs have patched their games but not Rockstar. Hopefully now they aren't getting revenue for an old (but still great game) they will spend some resource to fix this.
Hopefully we get full Steamworks and Steam achievements. When it first came out, we needed as well as GFWL the Rockstar Social club.
Not sure how many of you played GTA IV, and the DLC packs The Lost and the Damned. Also The Ballad of Gay Tony. Many excellent hours of content, I'd only played through it to 100% once, so this could be a great excuse to relive it. There is only one achievement that was .. shitty, a grind to a max level which we worked out might be a 50 hour grind. I remember some hacked player joined a game and it gave more reward than it should fixing the problem, a happy accident for us.
The game and the packs were great (from memory) especially a certain heist job which you saw from 3 different angles. That was a cool touch. There was a MP achievement to win a race of all types. It was basically 100 different vehicles, but with a partner taking turns was more relaxing than grindy. Hell even shooting 200 pigeons is something I'd do again. Yep even all the "cousin lets go bowling" and you have the option in the story later to have him killed.
I hope it comes and soon!
Bad news! Cyberpunk 2077 delayed FIVE months.
Good news! Horizon Zero Dawn coming to PC!
it doesn't clash with new Half Life that way ..sure its VR only, but the first half life in over a decade ..
I'm not sure very many people give a shit about Alyx? VR is still a very, very niche thing.
not many in comparison to PC gaming might care about VR for now, but there is a tonne that have been hanging out for half life 3 for ages. This isn't half life 3, but it is in the half life world, it is a new step up and will be a big deal. valves $1000 headset is sold out, This could be something to give VR that next big kick
I've been contemplating asking a friend if i can go to his place to play it, watch him play with his setup or just check out a good Lets Play. You only get one first experience though, so ideally i'd play it, but thats impossible with my current hardware.
Any of you fine people ever play Undertale? I'm thinking of grabbing it for my Switch over the weekend.
No spoilers, please, just looking to see if you enjoyed it. :D
Post by: Kasferatu on January 17, 2020, 11:49:49 AM
Undertale is fantastic, and I absolutely love the soundtrack.
I've not personally played Undertale but it is pretty universally loved among my friends who have played it.
Post by: Sssith on January 20, 2020, 12:38:57 PM
I was flying solo for the weekend, so of course, I was super productive and got tons done.
I played and finished two games and played as a shit ton more of BL3. What a wastrel I am.
The two games I played were AWESOME! The first is Journey, a Playstation exclusive that has been around for a long time. I was always told how great it was, and they were right. Very simple game on so many levels but still very rewarding. Very much enjoyed it.
Then I played the Titan Fall 2 single-player campaign. That was freaking awesome. Best action FPS that I have played in a long time. Pity it is short, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gorgeous game. Fantastic levels. Good story, though a bit cliche at this point. I actually prefered that time out of the mech to the time in it. Though the mech personality was great.
Highly recommend all three games I played this weekend.
So great games, but the best access is one before EA's Origin, a game that I'll never get unless I buy a playstation, and a game with no release date on a platform I use.
How trollish of you to suggest how the grass is greener on the other side :P
As for me, over the weekend I finished Poker Night at the Inventory. A telltale game ... so not for sale anymore. I'm not a poker fan and for me "finished" was getting all the achievements. I spent quite a few hours rerolling the start to get 3 kings and win.
Also recently I finished Keen Dreams on Steam (also not for sale anymore, the original developer melted down and posted lots of hate to GabeN for some reason .. While the game isn't as fun as Keen 4-6, it was still fun, and the challenges of getting all points on each level made me play the game in a way I didn't originally back in the 90s.
One game that is still for sale and I "finished" recently was Day of Defeat Source which is an MP game and as we know almost all MP games die and this is ancient. I was able to play with bots and had lots of fun killing them with the various weapons. For my final achievement I couldn't arrange it with bots, so i asked for help. I had a guy from Germany offer to help me .. and he CHOSE to play on the Axis side .. lol
Titanfall 2 is on my to-play list since it was free on PS+. Platinumed Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight, which I'm glad I got on sale, because it was pretty darn short (roughly 20 hours to get ALL trophies) with relatively few songs, but it was fun to revisit the characters I got to know so well in P5. Currently playing through the DLCs of Marvel's Spiderman. Overall I found the game to be kinda meh, but that's mostly because I'm pretty much done with the open-world checkbox-list-of-repetition style of game, and instant-gameover stealth sections are annoying. The story was surprisingly good, and there are a lot of little touches that make it interesting.
Glad to hear that I am not the only one who was underwhelmed by Spiderman. It just got so repetitive by the end. I started the three DLC's and stopped after the first. The main storyline was good but I got burnt out by the end of it.
Yeah, I have to say my interest in finishing and continuing through to the DLCs was mostly unrelated to the game, in that I'm a huge fan of Laura Bailey (who voices Mary Jane) and Erica Lindbeck (who voices Black Cat).
But is there any more content for Black Cat after the first DLC? That storyline kept me engaged for DLC 1. Halfway through DLC 2 I had enough of fighting mercenary thugs commanded by that woman. It just became tedious. Am I missing anything interesting?
So uPlay (Ubisoft) is having a big sale. Division 2 is on sale for $10. It is only a year old. I was interested in playing the first so I grabbed this one.
When I logged into uPlay to buy I saw that I had Assassin's Creed Unity in my account. No clue how it got there, I would assume some free promotion. Now I have two new games to play. Looking forward to Division 2.
They gave away AC Unity when Notre Dame burned.
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... Huh. Vocaloids again. Not sure what's worse for my health, Vocaloids or Love Live!. Tough call. Ahem. Guess we'd better fling out the standard three notes on this one, so standard that some of this text is actually recycled frmo the Editor's Note for F 2nd (it's economically friendly)- first, we took our own screenshots, so click them to embiggen them. Second, we've done our best to avoid having to parse Vocaloid names in full, using only their first names simply because it gives us a headache. Finally, Sega spoiled our streak! We had three articles on the trot where we didn't touch the DIVA room or Edit Modes, but now the DIVA Room elements are integrated into the game properly, and Edit Mode is gone!... Replaced with Live Edit Mode which we still didn't touch because a) no point, b) yuo can't play these songs and c) traditions never die here at Gaming Hell.
Oh, and ta to Ultra Powerful Pal of Gaming Hell, HokutoNoShock, for checking this over so were weren't talking complete balls.
This is the ever-continuing story of how I became the worst Vocaloid fan in the world.
(Hey, stop! If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend reading Gaming Hell's reviews of 2nd and both F and F 2nd before proceeding!)
When we last left our computer singing friends, the Project DIVA series was at an interesting impasse. F 2nd was a solid game with a brilliant setlist and some light iteration on a formula that worked, but the songs did have a bit of a reliance on those pesky touch-screen/analogue stick notes (mostly noticeable in the PS Vita version, admittedly, which also had way, way worse stuttering problems) and the additions made weren't really super-substantial. Overall I felt it did its job well (on PS3 anyway), but if I had to pick between F and F 2nd, I'd go for F. So, at this point, the series could go any number of ways- try and rein in some of the touch-screen clutter like Miracle Girls Festival but with a bigger, better setlist, or perhaps adjust those elements to make them more conducive to the game, to add to it rather than take away. That and sort out the bloody stuttering on the Vita version. In any case, Project DIVA X was announced as a PS Vita and PS4 (!) game, and similar to the release of F, was going to come to Vita first and PS4 a lot later. Now, I got myself all hyped up for F 2nd, which I feel led to a bit of disappointment in the Vita release, so I decided to not keep up with X at all. This was doubly so as some of the early rumblings about the game- that there was going to be a new Quest Mode with light RPG elements, and the structure of the game was changing dramatically- were a bit troubling. So I kept myself in the dark, even about the songs in the game (for the most part) and made a last-minute decision to go for the game because, well, I had to know.
Anyway, it should be obvious, for a fourth time, that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is a rhythm game.
(Yep, still going with that line.)
Oh, and, er, this is definitely based on the Japanese Vita version. Very important, that.
Let's start with the rhythm mechanics first and foremost- that's how we always do this, but there's a special reason for it this time. The standard game rules apply- notes fly from all over the place, smash the relevant face button to pieces and get a high enough success rate to be ranked and judged accordingly- but there's been a tiny bit of shuffling here and there. The changes to the formula generally indicate a de-emphasis of the Star Notes, with Double Star Notes and Link Star Notes introduced in F 2nd completely gone, and the Star Notes being used a lot more sparingly in songs. This makes things a lot easier on poor PS Vita players! Instead, the only new note is the Rush Note, which just asks you to hit the chosen button repeatedly for extra points until it disappears on its own. So, basically the tapping lines from Groove Coaster in Project DIVA form. Again, these seem to be a 'let's add it so we say something changed' type of note, but they're usually sensibly placed, and can be used to tip your score over the edge for a better grade in tight spots. As a result of the Star Notes being toned down dramatically, X's note patterns are more manageable and refocused on the standard buttons, with highlight note patterns being Ai no Uta, The Lost One's Weeping and Brain Revolution Girl which will really test those fingers of yours. Throw in the medley songs, which are a lot longer and tougher- essentially acting as 'boss' stages- and you have a pretty solid set-list with great patterns to back it up. Although Underhanded Squadron Urotander on Extreme deserves an award for the note pattern best designed to give your hands a headache, somehow.
So, an improvement, right? We're in five-star territory now, surely!
Nope! The rhythm game may be fine, but the game's new structure does its level best to demolish it..
So, let's begin. In my mind, the structure of the Project DIVA games have always revolved around two things- simplicity in accessing songs and modules, and a little grinding. To start with the first one, while way back in 2nd I belly-ached about actually getting to some of those songs because of how surprisingly tough some of the others are, it's always been a pretty simple case of 'beat the song, get a new one, repeat until you're done', and even if you're not unlocking new songs, you're meeting requirements to get new modules in the shop, or building up the necessary DIVA points to buy them, or just getting better at the songs. This simplicity makes them ideal to blast through in one sitting when you start, to get all the songs out the way then work on getting the rest of the game's modules and extras. Well, I mean that's how I tend to do it. However you play them, it's the simplicity, the ease of access, that adds to the appeal of the game, personally, and from there you can make more out of it by aiming for Perfects or getting your score as high as possible.
X does away with this and instead insists on delivering everything through its overly-complicated Quest Mode (Cloud Request in the EN version) where you have to restore power to Miku's world (yes, there's a plot this time, told in talky-head cutscenes that PRESS START TO SKIP) by playing songs divded into five Areas/Clouds- Neutral/Classic, Cute, Cool, Beauty/Glamour and Chaos/Quirky. Starting with Neutral/Classic, songs in Quest Mode now use a Voltage meter which has a percentage that raises as you successfully hit notes, especially the special Rate Up notes (like the special notes in Fever Time in Miracle Girls Festival), and your module and accessory choices can boost it from the off- both have a type associated with them, so wearing a Neutral module for a Neutral song boosts the percentage, as does co-ordinating colours or themed sets of accessories. This percentage serves as a multiplier, so if it's at 150%, you'll be getting 150% of the points for notes you successfully hit. Meet the target score and you beat the 'quest', your points are added to an area gauge that, when filled, unlocks the medley for that area, and beating that lets you unlock one of the other areas, giving you five new songs and a medley at the end. Eventually, you're able to fill the area score meter again, and each subsequent filling unlocks new quests for each area, including higher difficulties and stages with Challenge Items already activated (like drunk notes and randomised note ratings). The overall goal is to fill that score meter for each area seven times (!) to get every challenge available, including special event quests that drop specific modules and either have set characters or songs with special cutscenes that play afterwards. The neat thing about the special events is some let you make a set-list of three truncated songs that have different Technical Zones and Chance Times- a nice way to mix things up!
Now, we'll get back to that 'drop specific modules' bit in a second (and how!) but let's start out positive here, this new structure addresses one of my concerns that goes back to 2nd, where some players might struggle to unlock new songs. You get 5 songs at a time now, and being able to get a head start on the Voltage multiplier means you can unlock the next set of songs a lot easier, and give yourself a leg-up if you need it, especially as modules have effects like increasing voltage over time or adding score after certain note combos. If you just want to get all the songs and have struggled with these games before, you really won't have any trouble here. On the other hand, the later unlockable quests that add multiple challenge items on Hard and Extreme difficulties are there for the veteran players who want to pull off impressive party tricks with their rhythm game prowess, although near the end the par scores get so high that module and accessory co-ordination is a must.
It's an interesting system, but it doles out difficulty increases only after a bit of a grind, barring the Chaos area which is trickier than the others- something like Miracle Girls Festival's Tour Mode, which gradually ups the ante, would've worked better, personally. The grind also applies to unlocking the final medley (basically a boss-rush of previous tough/final songs in the series) where you gotta fill those meters at least twice before it becomes available. The main problem is that it really doesn't quite feel like the older games' standard game mode, because the Voltage system alters the scoring significantly. Not that different is inherently bad, but there is a little bit of randomness involved, as the Rate Up notes that increase the multiplier can have their appearance rate altered. It doesn't quite feel as 'pure' a rhythm game, if that makes sense. That, along with the Voltage bonuses given by modules/accessories, may appeal to some players, as a sort-of min/maxing exercise, and it's fair to say it has more of an immediate impact on the game than the stage effects in Vita Love Live!, but it didn't really appeal to me outside of making some of the later quests easier/actually doable. I'd rather play the game without the Voltage stuff, but luckily you can... Although as we'll see, you may not want to.
... OK, now we've got to talk about module drops because oh wow, are these a bad idea. The DIVA Shop and DIVA Points are gone, so almost all modules are now randomly dropped in a song- clear the Chance Time segment and you'll get one. Let's drop (Arf! Arf!) some key points here- the drops are completely random although some are only dropped in specific songs and there are 'rare' ones that show up less often; certain modules increase the rate of new or rare module drops; if you fail to reach the Voltage goal you will lose the module you acquired; and you absolutely can get duplicates that you cannot trade or do anything with, they're just there to taunt and mock you. This is a problem for several reasons- you can't decide what you get, duplicate modules will drive you nuts, and modules only drop in Quest Mode, so you can't work on your Perfects in a mode that saves your score while grinding. Hell, grinding in Quest Mode is hard enough, as if a Vocaloid wants to request an item from you (yes, they actively hassle you for junk now, so no escape from the DIVA Room stuff) then the option to retry will be greyed out (same thing happens if you fill the score meter), and if you stop replaying a song, the last module you won- whether it's new or a repeat- is automatically applied so you gotta change it for the next song.
On the one hand, as I said grinding for modules has been in the series since the beginning- you had to grind for DIVA Points, and in F 2nd you had some very grindy unlock requirements. I can grudgingly accept a little grind because I like the core game that much. However, there's a big difference here, and it's that it always felt like you were working towards something that you wanted in previous games, in a more immediately-visible way- you are getting the points towards a module you want that you've unlocked in the Shop. Here, you are playing a slot machine constantly where dud rolls are the order of the day, and it adds to a lot of frustration. Technically, X shows you your progress too in the form of the score meters... But really, it feels far more like a chore, because filling those only unlocks an event to unlock a specific costume, so you're not working towards the choice of modules to get. The fact that there's so many modules that drop too is particularly discouraging, and again while you had to grind in previous games, at least you knew, after almost every song beaten, how far you were from the module you actually wanted. That's not even mentioning the meanness of having twelve rare module drops on one song (Coward Ranger Urotander), a move I'm half-convinced was done solely to make the Chaos module unlock key available in the Playstation Network store (oh yeah, it's a microtransaction, baby!) that much more tempting.
What all these things create is a system that overcomplicates a simple game structure for seemingly no reason other than, "well, other rhythm games have a campaign mode, like the Love Live! Vita game or Miracle Girls Festival, and it ties into our theme of live shows an' that, so...". It turns getting modules you actually want into a frustrating process, even if the game tries to account for it (all of the guaranteed drops for the Neutral special events grant New Drops Lv. 4 modules, the highest level available... Except for Miku, you'll have to luck out with rare module drops for her) and while the new quest challenges gives you plenty of stuff to do, the way it doesn't reflect the pure rhythm gameplay of previous titles makes it less appealing to play through. The fact that you have increasingly-large score meters to fill out kinda sapped my enthusiasm to plod on, especially as the songs are divded so, say, if you don't like the songs in Beauty, then tough, you're playing a lot of Ai Dee to fill that bar up to get at the final medley and those Beauty medley costumes (some of the few new costumes, by the way!). What's maddening is the game has a perfectly acceptable solution to the module problem with those special events that have guaranteed drops, but there's a very small number of them (and even then, they're padded, as you have to beat two other events first in the non-element-tied ones) and perhaps Sega felt there were too many modules to accomodate. I would've been much more amicable towards the game if the drops were fairer like that, though.
What vexes me even more is, after I felt I was done with the Quest Mode and happy to not touch it again until I really, really feel the need for the maskeless MEIKO Underhanded Squadron module, I played through the whole setlist in Free Play mode... And it was pretty great. This mode does away with the Voltage meter, and plays much closer to previous games, it's just you won't get module drops here. There's areas to criticise, of course. The chief complaint is the style of PVs has changed dramatically, as you can set them on any of the stages available in the game, but this comes at the cost of more story or proper music video-like PVs, such as Meteor, Two-Sided Lovers and The MMORPG Addict's Anthem. Arguably, this was done to evoke the 'live show' feeling of the game, but honestly it kinda falls flat, and this is something Miracle Girls Festival pulled off a lot better. The punch, the impact of the PVs is lost as a result. Also, non-Miku Vocaloids have never been at the forefront of these games, but they get the boot a lot harder this time- MEIKO and KAITO don't even get their own songs this time, they gotta share duets- and there's also only 30 songs, a little short for a DIVA game. I imagine the longer nature of the medleys were intended to make up for that- and to be fair they're the highlight, with the Mitchie M and OSTER project medleys being the best- but while it's not a super-low number, it's still a little weak, and maybe some of the songs in those medleys would've been better as their own songs. Even so, most of the songs are fun to play with fairly challenging note patterns (I'd pitch the difficulty as between F and F 2nd, mostly owing to the reduced emphasis on the Scratch Notes), with only the Beauty area really being full of songs I didn't care about. Just a shame that a big part of the appeal- unlocking new modules- is implemented so badly. I'm sure you could argue the modules really don't matter, but... C'mon, they do. They're a core part of the DIVA experience, and you know you want that Red Riding Hood module bad.
Ultimately, the question I have to think about is simple: does the structure actively hurt the game? I'm going to say yes. For the 'hardcore' player (certainly not me!), it means you'll have to chin up and put up with the Quest Mode for a little while, and then either accept you're not unlocking any more modules until you leave Free Play, or put up with it more, for a long time, to unlock all the remaining modules. For the more casual player (not meant as an insult, I promise you) you're given a little leg-up when unlocking songs because you can use the Voltage bonuses to your advantage... But if you want cute modules, you'll have to get ready for grinding and disappointment. As I said though, the core game is fine! It's still there! It's just that, comparatively, the improvements made to the base game don't make up for the failings in the structure and aesthetic/visual departments, so you're better playing the other games. Hence, a three outta five, just by the skin of its teeth. We ummed and ahhed about giving it a two, but I felt that the rhythm game foundations, with the touch screen stuff reigned in a little, were scrubbed up enough from F 2nd just enough. It's a game that does its job, and I'd hardly call the base gameplay bad, but you are better served by the others in the series at this point. That's such a shame because without all the padding and grinding and stupid random drops, it would've been... Maybe not amazing, but at least better than this.
So, not essential unless you desperately need that witch MEIKO costume in your life.
Or, as our ending image shows, you need Haku doing The Clash to a guitar.
I mean, I kinda need that in my life, I dunno about you.
For having a great game trapped in a mess of random drops, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is awarded...
In a sentence, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is...
A step backwardss, once more.
And now, it's that time, folks!
EXTENDED PLAY!
Again, we've glossed over some of the finer details regarding both the game and Vocaloids in general.
For more detailed intel on the Project DIVA series, point your eyes at The Project DIVA Wiki which catalogues... Everything.
For more information on Vocaloid itself, go forth to The Vocaloid Wiki although be warned, you're best searching for producers rather than individual songs.
I'm not responsible for what you do with this knowledge. Good luck!
Just a short little 'extra' segment this time, as a lot of the stuff we're about to cover isn't really out yet.
So first up, a bit about the Playstation 4 version. Unlike F 2nd which was a simultaneous Vita/PS3 launch, the PS4 release came several months later in Japan (although a simultaneous release will be happening for the Western release) and actually has a different title- Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X HD. There's two main differences this time around- the entire game now plays in 60 frames per second, a first for the home-based DIVA games (although the PS4 port of Future Tone Arcade also has this distinction) and two extra songs, Sharing the World and Hand in Hand, have been added (and are coming to the Vita version later). That's it, really. Technically we'd be able to cover the PS4 version as we actually have one (Gaming Hell keeping up with the times? I know, man, I know, it's scary, just stay with us) but we'll have to see. The whole structure of the game is the same, though, module drops and all.
We also normally go over DLC in great detail, but most of what's been released so far is not really within our interest zone, aside from the standard Haku, Neru and Teto pack (which now includes all of their modules, and Sakine MEIKO too) and Mikudayo was launch DLC this time, so, you know, that's good.
That's, uh, that's it for now! All the Sega reference costumes are the bloody same as last time too. Boo.
... Although Miku's costume from 7th Dragon 2020, in the screenshot above, is in as standard this time, while it was DLC for F 2nd.
So that's nice.
Oh, rest assured, we will be seeing the Project DIVA series again on this site. Sooner than you think, too!
It'll be a little trip back in time, actually, to 2010... Culminating in a voyage to 2016. Please look forward to it!
Are we going to the arcade? I think we're going to the arcade.
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The flying inn
17. THE POET IN PARLIAMENT
DURING the singular entrance and exit of Dorian Wimpole, M.P., J.P., etc., Lady Joan was looking out of the magic casements of that turret room which was now literally, and not only poetically, the last limit of Ivywood House. The old broken hole and black staircase up which the lost dog Quoodle used to come and go, had long ago been sealed up and cemented with a wall of exquisite Eastern workmanship. All through the patterns Lord Ivywood had preserved and repeated the principle that no animal shape must appear. But, like all lucid dogmatists, he perceived all the liberties his dogma allowed him. And he had irradiated this remote end of Ivywood with sun and moon and solar and starry systems, with the Milky Way for a dado and a few comets for comic relief. The thing was well done of its kind (as were all the things that Philip Ivywood got done for him); and if all the windows of the turret were closed with their peacock curtains, a poet with anything like a Hibbsian appreciation of the family champagne might almost fancy he was looking out across the sea on a night crowded with stars. And (what was yet more important) even Misysra (that exact thinker) could not call the moon a live animal without falling into idolatry.
But Joan, looking out of real windows on a real sky and sea, thought no more about the astronomical wall-paper than about any other wall-paper. She was asking herself in sullen emotionalism, and for the thousandth time, a question she had never been able to decide. It was the final choice between an ambition and a memory. And there was this heavy weight in the scale: that the ambition would probably materialise, and the memory probably wouldn't. It has been the same weight in the same scale a million times since Satan became the prince of this world. But the evening stars were strengthening over the old sea-shore, and they also wanted weighing like diamonds.
As once before at the same stage of brooding, she heard behind her the swish of Lady Enid's skirts, that never came so fast save for serious cause.
"Joan! Please do come! Nobody but you, I do believe, could move him." Joan looked at Lady Enid and realised that the lady was close on crying. She turned a trifle pale and asked quietly for the question. "Philip says he's going to London now, with that leg and all," cried Enid, "and he won't let us say a word."
"But how did it all happen?" asked Joan.
Lady Enid Wimpole was quite incapable of explaining how it all happened, so the task must for the moment devolve on the author. The simple fact was that Ivywood in the course of turning over magazines on his sofa, happened to look at a paper from the Midlands.
"The Turkish news," said Mr. Leveson, rather nervously, "is on the other side of the page."
But Lord Ivywood continued to look at the side of the paper that did not contain the Turkish news, with the same dignity of lowered eyelids and unconscious brow with which he had looked at the Captain's message when Joan found him by the turret. On the page covered merely with casual, provincial happenings was a paragraph, "Echo of Pebblewick Mystery. Reported Reappearance of the Vanishing Inn." Underneath was printed, in smaller letters:
"An almost incredible report from Wyddington announces that the mysterious 'Sign of the Old Ship' has once more been seen in this country; though it has long been relegated by scientific investigators to the limbo of old rustic superstitions. According to the local version, Mr. Simmons, a dairyman of Wyddington, was serving in his shop when two motorists entered, one of them asking for a glass of milk. They were in the most impenetrable motoring panoply, with darkened goggles and waterproof collars turned up, so that nothing can be recalled of them personally, except that one was a person of unusual stature. In a few moments, this latter individual went out of the shop again and returned with a miserable specimen out of the street, one of the tattered loafers that linger about our most prosperous towns, tramping the streets all night and even begging in defiance of the police. The filth and disease of the creature were so squalid that Mr. Simmons at first refused to serve him with the glass of milk which the taller motorist wished to provide for him. At length, however, Mr. Simmons consented, and was immediately astonished by an incident against which he certainly had a more assured right to protest.
"The taller motorist, saying to the loafer, 'but, man, you're blue in the face,' made a species of signs to the smaller motorist, who thereupon appears to have pierced a sort of cylindrical trunk or chest that seemed to be his only luggage, and drawn from it a few drops of a yellow liquid which he deliberately dropped into the ragged creature's milk. It was afterward discovered to be rum, and the protests of Mr. Simmons may be imagined. The tall motorist, however, warmly defended his action, having apparently some wild idea that he was doing an act of kindness. 'Why, I found the man nearly fainting,' he said. 'If you'd picked him off a raft, he couldn't be more collapsed with cold and sickness; and if you'd picked him off a raft you'd have given him rum―yes, by St. Patrick, if you were a bloody pirate and made him walk the plank afterward.' Mr. Simmons replied with dignity, that he did not know how it was with rafts, and could not permit such language in his shop. He added that he would lay himself open to a police prosecution if he permitted the consumption of alcohol in his shop; since he did not display a sign. The motorist then made the amazing reply, 'But you do display a sign, you jolly old man. Did you think I couldn't find my way to the sign of The Old Ship, you sly boots?' Mr. Simmons was now fully convinced of the intoxication of his visitors, and refusing a glass of rum rather boisterously offered him, went outside his shop to look round for a policeman. To his surprise he found the officer engaged in dispersing a considerable crowd, which was staring up at some object behind him. On looking round (he states in his deposition) he 'saw what was undoubtedly one of the low tavern signs at one time common in England.' He was wholly unable to explain its presence outside his premises, and as it undoubtedly legalised the motorist's action, the police declined to move in the matter.
"Later. The two motorists have apparently left the town, unmolested, in a small second-hand two-seater. There is no clue to their destination, except it be indicated by a single incident. It appears that when they were waiting for the second glass of milk, one of them drew attention to a milk can of a shape seemingly unfamiliar to him, which was, of course, the Mountain Milk now so much recommended by doctors. The taller motorist (who seemed in every way strangely ignorant of modern science and social life) asked his companion where it came from, receiving, of course, the reply that it is manufactured in the model village of Peaceways, under the personal superintendence of its distinguished and philanthropic inventor, Dr. Meadows. Upon this the taller person, who appeared highly irresponsible, actually bought the whole can; observing, as he tucked it under his arm, that it would help him to remember the address.
"Later. Our readers will be glad to hear that the legend of 'The Old Ship' sign has once more yielded to the wholesome scepticism of science. Our representative reached Wyddington after the practical jokers, or whatever they were, had left; but he searched the whole frontage of Mr. Simmons's shop, and we are in a position to assure the public that there is no trace of the alleged sign."
Lord Ivywood laid down the newspaper and looked at the rich and serpentine embroideries on the wall with the expression that a great general might have if he saw a chance of really ruining his enemy, if he would also ruin all his previous plan of campaign. His pallid and classic profile was as immovable as a cameo; but anyone who had known him at all would have known that his brain was going like a motor car that has broken the speed limit long ago.
Then he turned his head and said, "Please tell Hicks to bring round the long blue car in half an hour; it can be fitted up for a sofa. And ask the gardener to cut a pole of about four feet nine inches, and put a cross-piece for a crutch. I'm going up to London to-night."
Mr. Leveson's lower jaw literally fell with astonishment.
"The Doctor said three weeks," he said. "If I may ask it, where are you going?"
"St. Stephens, Westminster," answered Ivywood.
"Surely," said Mr. Leveson, "I could take a message."
"You could take a message," assented Ivywood, "I'm afraid they would not allow you to make a speech."
It was a moment or two afterward that Enid Wimpole had come into the room, and striven in vain to shake his decision. Then it was that Joan had been brought out of the turret and saw Philip standing, sustained upon a crutch of garden timber; and admired him as she had never admired him before. While he was being helped downstairs, while he was being propped in the car with such limited comfort as was possible, she did really feel in him something worthy of his ancient roots, worthy of such hills and of such a sea. For she felt God's wind from nowhere which is called the Will; and is man's only excuse upon this earth. In the small toot of the starting motor she could hear a hundred trumpets, such as might have called her ancestors and his to the glories of the Third Crusade.
Such imaginary military honours were not, at least in the strategic sense, undeserved. Lord Ivywood really had seen the whole map of the situation in front of him, and swiftly formed a plan to meet it, in a manner not unworthy of Napoleon. The realities of the situation unrolled themselves before him, and his mind was marking them one by one as with a pencil.
First, he knew that Dalroy would probably go to the Model Village. It was just the sort of place he would go to. He knew Dalroy was almost constitutionally incapable of not kicking up some kind of row in a place of that kind.
Second, he knew that if he missed Dalroy at this address, it was very likely to be his last address; he and Mr. Pump were quite clever enough to leave no more hints behind.
Third, he guessed, by careful consideration of map and clock, that they could not get to so remote a region in so cheap a car under something like two days, nor do anything very conclusive in less than three. Thus, he had just time to turn round in.
Fourth, he realised that ever since that day when Dalroy swung round the sign-board and smote the policeman into the ditch, Dalroy had swung round the Ivywood Act on Lord Ivywood. He (Lord Ivywood) had thought, and might well have thought rightly, that by restricting the old sign-posts to a few places so select that they can afford to be eccentric, and forbidding such artistic symbols to all other places, he could sweep fermented liquor for all practical purposes out of the land. The arrangement was exactly that at which all such legislation is consciously or unconsciously aiming. A sign-board could be a favour granted by the governing class to itself. If a gentleman wished to claim the liberties of a Bohemian, the path would be open. If a Bohemian wished to claim the liberties of a gentleman, the path would be shut. So, gradually, Lord Ivywood had thought, the old signs which can alone sell alcohol, will dwindle down to mere curiosities, like Audit Ale or the Mead that may still be found in the New Forest. The calculation was by no means unstatesmanlike. But, like many other statesmanlike calculations, it did not take into account the idea of dead wood walking about. So long as his flying foes might set up their sign anywhere, it mattered little whether the result was enjoyment or disappointment for the populace. In either case it must mean constant scandal or riot. If there was one thing worse than the appearance of "The Old Ship" it was its disappearance.
He realised that his own law was letting them loose every time; for the local authorities hesitated to act on the spot, in defiance of a symbol now so exclusive and therefore impressive. He realised that the law must be altered. Must be altered at once. Must be altered, if possible, before the fugitives broke away from the Model Village of Peaceways.
He realised that it was Thursday. This was the day on which any private member of Parliament could introduce any private bill of the kind called "non-contentious," and pass it without a division, so long as no particular member made any particular fuss. He realised that it was improbable that any particular member would make any particular fuss about Lord Ivywood's own improvement on Lord Ivywood's own Act.
Finally, he realised that the whole case could be met by so slight an improvement as this. Change the words of the Act (which he knew by heart, as happier men might know a song): "If such sign be present liquids containing alcohol can be sold on the premises," to these other words: "Liquids containing alcohol can be sold, if previously preserved for three days on the premises"; it was mate in a few moves. Parliament could never reject or even examine so slight an emendation. And the revolution of "The Old Ship" and the late King of Ithaca would be crushed for ever.
It does undoubtedly show, as we have said, something Napoleonic in the man's mind that the whole of this excellent and even successful plan was complete long before he saw the great glowing clock on the towers of Westminster; and knew he was in time.
It was unfortunate, perhaps, that about the same time, or not long after, another gentleman of the same rank, and indirectly of the same family, having left the restaurant in Regent Street and the tangle of Piccadilly, had drifted serenely down Whitehall, and had seen the same great golden goblin's eye on the tall tower of St. Stephen.
The Poet of the Birds, like most aesthetes, had known as little of the real town as he had of the real country. But he had remembered a good place for supper; and as he passed certain great cold clubs, built of stone and looking like Assyrian Sarcophagi, he remembered that he belonged to many of them. And so when he saw afar off, sitting above the river, what has been very erroneously described as the best club in London, he suddenly remembered that he belonged to that too. He could not at the moment recall what constituency in South England it was that he sat for; but he knew he could walk into the place if he wanted to. He might not so have expressed the matter, but he knew that in an oligarchy things go by respect for persons and not for claims; by visiting cards and not by voting cards. He had not been near the place for years, being permanently paired against a famous Patriot who had accepted an important government appointment in a private madhouse. Even in his silliest days, he had never pretended to feel any respect for modern politics, and made all haste to put his "leaders" and the mad patriot's "leaders" on the well selected list of the creatures whom man forgets. He had made one really eloquent speech in the House (on the subject of gorillas), and then found he was speaking against his party. It was an indescribable sort of place, anyhow. Even Lord Ivywood did not go to it except to do some business that could be done nowhere else; as was the case that night.
Ivywood was what is called a peer by courtesy; his place was in the Commons, and for the time being on the Opposition side. But, though he visited the House but seldom, he knew far too much about it to go into the Chamber itself. He limped into the Smoking Room (though he did not smoke), procured a needless cigarette and a much-needed sheet of note-paper, and composed a curt but careful note to the one member of the government whom he knew must be in the House. Having sent it up to him, he waited.
Outside, Mr. Dorian Wimpole also waited, leaning on the parapet of Westminster Bridge and looking down the river. He was becoming one with the oysters in a more solemn and solid sense than he had hitherto conceived possible, and also with a strictly Vegetarian beverage which bears the noble and starry name of Nuits. He felt at peace with all things, even in a manner with politics. It was one of those magic hours of evening when the red and golden lights of men are already lit along the river, and look like the lights of goblins, but daylight still lingers in a cold and delicate green. He felt about the river something of that smiling and glorious sadness which two Englishmen have expressed under the figure of the white wood of an old ship fading like a phantom; Turner, in painting, and Henry Newbolt, in poetry. He had come back to earth like a man fallen from the moon; he was at bottom not only a poet but a patriot, and a patriot is always a little sad. Yet his melancholy was mixed up with that immutable yet meaningless faith which few Englishmen, even in modern times, fail to feel at the unexpected sight either of Westminster or of that height on which stands the temple of St. Paul.
"While flows the sacred river,
While stands the sacred hill,"
he murmured in some schoolboy echo of the ballad of Lake Regillus,
While stands the sacred hill,
The proud old pantaloons and nincompoops,
Who yawn at the very length of their own lies
in that accursed sanhedrim where
people put each other's hats on in a poisonous
room with no more windows than hell
Shall have such honour still."
Relieved by this rendering of Macaulay in the style known among his cultured friends as vers libre, or poesy set free from the shackles of formal metre, he strolled toward the members' entrance and went in.
Lacking Lord Ivywood's experience, he strolled into the Common's Chamber itself and sat down on a green bench, under the impression that the House was not sitting. He was, however, gradually able to distinguish some six or eight drowsy human forms from the seats on which they sat; and to hear a senile voice with an Essex accent, saying, all on one note, and without beginning or end, in a manner which it is quite impossible to punctuate,
". . . no wish at all that this proposal should be regarded except in the right way and have tried to put it in the right way and cannot think the honourable member was altogether adding to his reputation in putting it in what those who think with me must of course consider the wrong way and I for one am free to say that if in his desire to settle this great question he takes this hasty course and this revolutionary course about slate pencils he may not be able to prevent the extremists behind him from applying it to lead pencils and while I should be the last to increase the heat and the excitement and the personalities of this debate if I could possibly help it I must confess that in my opinion the honourable gentleman has himself encouraged that heat and personality in a manner that he now doubtless regrets I have no desire to use abusive terms indeed you Mr. Speaker would not allow me of course to use abusive terms but I must tell the honourable member face to face that the perambulators with which he has twitted me cannot be germane to this discussion I should be the last person. . . ."
Dorian Wimpole had softly risen to go, when he was arrested by the sight of someone sliding into the House and handing a note to the solitary young man with heavy eyelids who was at that moment governing all England from the Treasury Bench. Seeing him go out, Dorian had a sickening sweetness of hope (as he might have said in his earlier poems), that something intelligible might happen after all, and followed him out almost with alacrity.
The solitary and sleepy governor of Great Britain went down into the lower crypts of its temple of freedom and turned into an apartment where Wimpole was astonished to see his cousin Ivywood sitting at a little table with a large crutch leaning beside him, as serene as Long John Silver. The young man with the heavy eyelids sat down opposite him and they had a conversation which Wimpole, of course, did not hear. He withdrew into an adjoining room where he managed to procure coffee and a liqueur; an excellent liqueur which he had forgotten and of which he had more than one glass.
But he had so posted himself that Ivywood could not come out without passing him, and he waited for what might happen with exquisite patience. The only thing that seemed to him queer was that every now and then a bell rang in several rooms at once. And whenever the bell rang, Lord Ivywood nodded, as if he were part of the electrical machinery. And whenever Lord Ivywood nodded the young man turned and sped upstairs like a mountaineer, returning in a short time to resume the conversation. On the third occasion the poet began to observe that many others from the other rooms could be heard running upstairs at the sound of this bell, and returning with the slightly less rapid step which expresses relief after a duty done. Yet did he not know that this duty was Representative Government; and that it is thus that the cry of Cumberland or Cornwall can come to the ears of an English King.
Suddenly the sleepy young man sprang erect, uninspired by any bell, and strode out once more. The poet could not help hearing him say as he left the table, jotting down something with a pencil: "Alcohol can be sold if previously preserved for three days on the premises. I think we can do it, but you can't come on for half an hour."
Saying this, he darted upstairs again, and when Dorian saw Ivywood come out laboriously, afterward, on his large country crutch, he had exactly the same revulsion in his favour that Joan had had. Jumping up from his table, which was in one of the private dining-rooms, he touched the other on the elbow and said:
"I want to apologise to you, Philip, for my rudeness this afternoon. Honestly, I am sorry. Pinewoods and prison-cells try a man's temper, but I had no rag of excuse for not seeing that for neither of them were you to blame. I'd no notion you were coming up to town tonight; with your leg and all. You mustn't knock yourself up like this. Do sit down a minute."
It seemed to him that the bleak face of Philip softened a little; how far he really softened will never be known until such men as he are understood by their fellows. It is certain that he carefully unhooked himself from his crutch and sat down opposite his cousin. Whereupon his cousin struck the table so that it rang like a dinner-bell and called out, "Waiter!" as if he were in a crowded restaurant. Then, before Lord Ivywood could protest, he said:
"It's awfully jolly that we've met. I suppose you've come up to make a speech. I should like to hear it. We haven't always agreed; but, by God, if there's anything good left in literature it's your speeches reported in a newspaper. That thing of yours that ended, 'death and the last shutting of the iron doors of defeat'―Why you must go back to Strafford's last speech for such English. Do let me hear your speech! I've got a seat upstairs, you know."
"If you wish it," said Ivywood hurriedly, "but I shan't make much of a speech to-night." And he looked at the wall behind Wimpole's head with thunderous wrinkles thickening on his brow. It was essential to his brilliant and rapid scheme, of course, that the Commons should make no comment at all on his little alteration in the law.
An attendant hovered near in response to the demand for a waiter, and was much impressed by the presence and condition of Lord Ivywood. But as that exalted cripple resolutely refused anything in the way of liquor, his cousin was so kind as to have a little more himself, and resumed his remarks.
"It's about this public-house affair of yours, I suppose. I'd like to hear you speak on that. P'raps I'll speak myself. I've been thinking about it a good deal all day, and a good deal of last night, too. Now, here's what I should say to the House, if I were you. To begin with, can you abolish the public-house? Are you important enough now to abolish the public-house? Whether it's right or wrong, can you in the long run prevent haymakers having ale any more than you can prevent me having this glass of Chartreuse?"
The attendant, hearing the word, once more drew near; but heard no further order; or, rather, the orders he heard were such as he was less able to cope with.
"Remember the curate!" said Dorian, abstractedly shaking his head at the functionary, "remember the sensible little High-Church curate, who when asked for a Temperance Sermon preached on the text 'Suffer us not to be overwhelmed in the water-floods.' Indeed, indeed, Philip, you are in deeper waters than you know. You will abolish ale! You will make Kent forget hop-poles, and Devonshire forget cider! The fate of the Inn is to be settled in that hot little room upstairs! Take care its fate and yours are not settled in the Inn. Take care Englishmen don't sit in judgment on you as they do on many another corpse at an inquest―at a common public-house! Take care that the one tavern that is really neglected and shut up and passed like a house of pestilence is not the tavern in which I drink to-night, and that merely because it is the worst tavern on the King's highway. Take care this place where we sit does not get a name like any pub where sailors are hocussed or girls debauched. That is what I shall say to them," said he, rising cheerfully, "that's what I shall say. See you to it," he cried with sudden passion and apparently to the waiter, "see you to it if the sign that is destroyed is not the sign of 'The Old Ship' but the sign of the Mace and Bauble, and, in the words of a highly historical brewer, if we see a dog bark at your going."
Lord Ivywood was observing him with a deathly quietude; another idea had come into his fertile mind. He knew his cousin, though excited, was not in the least intoxicated; he knew he was quite capable of making a speech and even a good one. He knew that any speech, good or bad, would wreck his whole plan and send the wild inn flying again. But the orator had resumed his seat and drained his glass, passing a hand across his brow. And he remembered that a man who keeps a vigil in a wood all night and drinks wine on the following evening is liable to an accident that is not drunkenness, but something much healthier.
"I suppose your speech will come on pretty soon," said Dorian, looking at the table. "You'll let me know when it does, of course. Really and truly, I don't want to miss it. And I've forgotten all the ways here, and feel pretty tired. You'll let me know?"
"Yes," said Lord Ivywood.
Stillness fell along all the rooms until Lord Ivywood broke it by saying:
"Debate is a most necessary thing; but there are times when it rather impedes than assists parliamentary government."
He received no reply. Dorian still sat as if looking at the table, but his eyelids had lightly fallen; he was asleep. Almost at the same moment the Member of Government, who was nearly asleep, appeared at the entrance of the long room and made some sort of weary signal.
Philip Ivywood raised himself on his crutch and stood for a moment looking at the sleeping man. Then he and his crutch trailed out of the long room, leaving the sleeping man behind. Nor was that the only thing that he left behind. He also left behind an unlighted cigarette and his honour and all the England of his father's; everything that could really distinguish that high house beside the river from any tavern for the hocussing of sailors. He went upstairs and did his business in twenty minutes in the only speech he had ever delivered without any trace of eloquence. And from that hour forth he was the naked fanatic; and could feed on nothing but the future.
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« Live Concept-Horror Party | Main | New posts and writings »
Review of Collapse Volume IV: Concept-Horror
Arbor Deformia, Kristen Alvanson, Collapse IV
Collapse Volume IV // Ed. R. Mackay, D. Veal // May 2008 // 406pp // Limited Edition 1000 copies // ISBN 978-0-9553087-3-4 // £9.99
At a time when the malady of book fetishism seems to have been cured finally (thanks to the modification of the publishing industry according to market sensibility), Collapse has endowed us with the frenzy of fetishism once again. From its cover that easily takes the fingerprint of its reader as a token of fetishistic intimacy to its hand-stamped number to its dimension to its meticulous typesetting and its publication logo, Collapse is saturated with subtleties which can only be spotted by a mind inflicted with fetishism. For readers, receiving Collapse is usually accompanied with the suspense of anticipation and thrill of the unpredictable. Even for the contributors, the arrival of Collapse comes with perspiration and heartbeat, as the contributor hastily flips through the pages to discover the hidden connections between the other contributions with his/her own.
After three volumes with diverse yet connected topics, the fourth volume Concept-Horror was published as a culmination of the previous volumes. Wars, famines, natural disasters and the inevitable fates of the body such as survival and death have given us this illusion that ‘thinking horror’ [1] is an undemanding task requiring no effort other than surrendering to sensation. Ironically nothing has been more disastrous for thinking horror than the overabundance of vacuous cruelties or absurd maladies; for it is relatively easy to mimic a battlefield, a bodily decomposition in a text, image or music. If horror is already everywhere, or in other words, if horror has already been culminated, thinking horror can easily turn into a case study, counting its countless manifestations. Yet it seems that with all the indulgence in horror via different mediums, humans have gained more self-estimation and adopted less hazardous courses for survival, immersed more within the illusion of a cosmos without horror. There is something profoundly wrong and terrible with humans (this might be indeed a compliment), for despite all these horrors, humans have proved that they are able to survive – at least as far as they themselves remember – with a parasitic tenacity and in complete indifference to cosmic horrors. It is as if humans have given a twist to the horror of the universe in a way that through their insistence on survival, economical openness and illusive intelligibility, they have become the very personification of cosmic horror and alienage.
Doubtless, in regard to thinking horror, the present situation is highly discouraging. The nature of survival in all its forms includes a process of openness toward the outside which is predominantly bound to the affordability of the subject of survival in regard to its outside. Yet this outside to which the surviving subject opens itself up is merely an environment whose outsideness is inherently affordable for the principles of survival associated with that subject. Therefore, there is a mutual affordability between the surviving subject and the outside to which the subject opens itself up. The openness of the surviving subject to its outside is marked by its closure – that is the law of affordability associated with survival. The openness of humans toward horrors is inevitably an economical venture for mining that which is affordable. It is in this sense that for thinking horror, first, the so-called daring openness of humans toward the outside must be disenchanted, stripped from its fraudulent heroic role. Second, the affordable outside (the accessible human environment) must be disenchanted in regard to humans by being debunked through the positioning of the radical exteriority, the cosmic outside. Third, the simultaneous disenchantment of the surviving subject to the outside and vice versa must take place on the ground of pure indifference, or else horror is oedipalized, recycled as a fuel for survival and reduced to a matter of sensibility. The most extraordinary quality of Collapse: Concept-Horror is its speculative engagement with these three phases of thinking horror. Armed with a maligned rigor and an unprecedented verve for an all-embracing investigation of horror, Collapse Volume IV is a must for everyone not only obsessed with horror but also with philosophy, art and ethics. In a Lovecraftian sense, reading Collapse is like acquiring a trophy from the Other Side:
George Sieg's Infinite Regress into Self-Referential Horror: Sieg’s essay at the beginning of Collapse IV has been poised to conduct a pre-emptive strike on the discourse of victimhood which has horribly distorted such concepts and domains like the other, the outside, us and them which are shared both by horror genre and socio-political discourses. Through presenting Houellebecq’s study of Lovecraft’s racism, Seig shows how Lovecraft’s fervor for Aryanism can be traced back to a more twisted and darker source: the emergence of the Zoroastrian germ-cell of monotheism which is pregnant with a strange xenophobia for which the inside and the outside have been displaced. For a xenophobia whose loci of attention have turned inside out, not only racism but also a good willed openness leads to irresolvable problems and unforeseen consequences. Seig finds the true manifest of such inside-out racism (or conversely, openness toward the outside) in the concept of Druj which according to the Zoroastrians is the Mother of Abominations, an avatar of cosmic unlocalizability and the main protagonist of Vendidad (The Book of Anti-Demon Laws) – a true precursor for Lovecraftian fiction. The inside-out xenology of Sieg’s investigation also reads as an intriguingly aberrant re-examination of eso-tericism.
Eugene Thacker's Nine Disputations on Theology and Horror: In his erudite essay, Thacker traces the genealogy of a certain strain of horror genre to theological discourses regarding resurrection and afterlife. The horror of the Slime, the Blob or that nameless Thing is the horror that leaks from the fissure or the gap between the living being (to live) and Life itself. It is from such a crack and sharp disjuncture between Life and the living being that the teratological legion of horror genre crawls in. The post-mortem afterlife of theology, Thacker shows, is a recoded form of this fissure which is a spawning zone for certain monstrosities – things which convey the horror of a life without the living being. At first sight, the horror of Thing might be the horror of a fiend without face, without form and without matter, but it is certainly not the only horror that it insinuates. The Thing exposes the externality of life to the living being. For the subject of survival, life itself is an exteriority, an impossible which can only be afforded and rendered possible at the cost of perishing in horror and a teratological holocaust in the realm of the living being. Life, therefore, becomes the very equal of Lovecraft’s cosmic alienage. Thacker’s essay is a startling biohorror odyssey into the depth of theology and its metaphysics.
China Miéville’s M.R.James and the Quantum Vampire: In his ingenious contribution to Collapse: Concept-Horror, Miéville briefly exposes the fantastic and weird conceptual resources of his fictions which are entangled together in an utterly philosophic way. If this is just a fragment of the mechanisms, undercurrents and subterranean resources that Miéville nourishes his fiction with, then what is the rest? And how weird are they? More than anything, Miéville’s essay confirms that pulp is not only a host for the weird and horror but also for philosophical thought; and he himself as a ‘champion of pulp’ [2] is also a weird philosopher (and a philosopher of the weird), just as a horror writer who can be a god.[3] This strongly echoes Graham Harman’s bold defense of continental horror and science fiction to which we will return later. In the Quantum Vampire, Miéville performs an autopsy on the ultimate diagrammatic model of the weird+hauntology, the Skulltopus. Despite its concreteness, Skulltopus refuses to be literal, for it is the production of ‘haptic flirtation’ between two objects, a skull and cephalopodic tentacles, a quantum contact without the possibility of merger. Miéville’s haptic model, in this sense, can be a prototype for a weird metaphysics of objects.
James Trafford’s The Shadow of a Puppet-Dance: In his massive treatise Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity, the German neurophilosopher Thomas Metzinger proposes that we are and have never been in direct and immediate epistemic contact with ourselves. Or simply, self is not but an illusion, ‘no one’s illusion’. Basing his essay on Metzinger’s theory, Trafford argues how the nemonymous horror of Ligotti’s fiction foresees the catastrophic consequences of Metzinger’s philosophy. Horror of Ligotti’s fiction, Trafford rightly suggests, is a horror dissipated by neither us nor them but ‘no one’, its source is the void and its mechanism is nemocentric (nemo-: no one). If self is merely the content of an ongoing and dynamic process i.e. the process of transparent self-modeling, then since childhood, ‘I’ have been a persistent illusion designed by the system as a functional module in order to regulate its interaction with the environment and facilitate the affording of the ‘outside’. And even further, this environment or affordable outside, is merely a fabricated scheme (a mirroring illusion) by which the system can represent itself in the environment and mirror it back to itself, and thereby, conjuring an alibi or illusive cognitive verification for the existence of its Self. Trafford incisively concludes that Ligotti’s fiction, in fact, takes its power as well as narrative formation from the ‘oneiric aphasia’ predestined by this ‘cognitive protectionism’ and ‘organic enslavement’ of the system. However, one question remains that neither Metzinger nor Ligotti have fully elucidated yet: exactly how this dynamic process of self-modeling has internally been generated over the course of evolution and how is this process correlated with the evolution of survival ex nihilo?
Thomas Ligotti's Thinking Horror: A pillar for the venture that Collapse IV has embarked upon, Ligotti’s article is perhaps the coldest and fastest journey to the void. Illustrated by the portraits of dead monkeys, Ligotti’s text is an annotated post-mortem family photo-album dedicated to a bedtime story called human race. Ligotti’s first and foremost thesis, similar to Ray Brassier’s argument in Nihil Unbound, is that horror and thinking are the same thing. To think is to irrevocably plunge in horror and evaporate. The entire survivalist conspiracy of human race, Ligotti states, has been involved with devising schemes to dodge and temporarily escape the brutal consequences of enlightenment, an enlightenment which only emancipates on behalf of the void. For this reason, such enlightenment is comparable to the Cthulhu cult’s ‘holocaust of freedom’, where luminosity is inseparable from extinction. As Robin Mackay suggests in the introduction to Collapse IV, the first survivalist objection to Ligotti’s all-embracing pessimism is that writing itself and the laborious tasks involved in publication (even if all is done with no secret joy whatsoever) are distractions and in contradiction to such pessimism. I absolutely agree that writing on nihil or ranting about uncompromising pessimism ‘forces the reader to secrete something of the poison that is buried within them’, yet I am not fully convinced that this ‘invocation of demons’ through the act of writing is sufficient to tackle the survivalist or even a more pessimistic (albeit problematic) objection: this openness to bleak subjects through the act of writing cannot be entirely absolved from its survivalist impetus, for as we stated earlier, once openness is conceived as ‘being open to’ which in this case is ‘writing about will-to-extinction’, it operates as an implicit but devoted agent of survival. Openness for us – even if it is toward will-to-extinction – only amounts to survival because it is only a matter of our affordability; in other words, our openness is grounded on our survival and is regulated by what is at stake for the subject of survival rather than the target of openness. To this extent, the survivalist objection might indeed project a more fundamental pessimism, perhaps on the nature of pessimism itself. If all doors seem already closed, then we should also look into the nature of survival and see if it really brings with itself a purely survivalist and vitalistic impetus or something exterior to its ontological intention.[4]
Quentin Meillassoux’s Spectral Dilemma: Meillassoux has shown four times in Collapse that he is unquestionably among the most imaginative yet rigorous philosophers of today: first with his essay on time and hyper-chaos, second by his brilliant reconstruction of Deleuze’s text (which is among the best texts I have read on Deleuze), third with his reference to Captain Haddock in the Adventures of Tintin to explain the problem of correlationism, and finally for the forth time, by bringing his previous philosophic texts together in the form of an implicit ghost story with a Lovecraftian twist. Spectral Dilemma is set as an ethical development of the necessity of contingency. What are the consequences of rejecting the Principle of Sufficient Reason and instead embracing the absolute contingency of the laws of nature? Can the necessity of contingency be employed as an ethical resource, or more accurately, can the cosmic dread implicated by absolute contingency be reconciled with ethics, or even further, constitute its infinite resource so that ethics be posited in terms of the cosmic? Meillassoux examines these lines of inquiry by posing a new question: how can we bridge atheism and theism without submitting to either of them? Or is it possible to have a third type of engagement, a third mode of encounter with god and his dead corpse? His answer like his philosophy which shines forth from the most unexpected openings of thought is creatively novel. Meillassoux argues that this atheo-religious dilemma is essentially spectral, that is to say, it is a specter whose memory haunts us and requires a proper mourning in order for us to maintain an ethical rather than morbid living. If the question of the Divine is necessarily spectral because it has begotten by terrible deaths – either as victims of God’s extreme cruelty or God’s own death – then we must devise a space of mourning which can simultaneously conform to these two terrible deaths. Meillassoux then moves on and takes the thesis of divine inexistence through the law of absolute contingency or unbound chaos according to which despite the inexistence of the Divine, God may exist in future. Unfortunately, the end of the essay is too sudden, and leaves us with many questions as if it is a speculative prelude to further investigation and a massive thesis. But this should not dishearten any reader, for after all, when it comes to horror stories, one should anticipate the return of horror, the law of sinusoidal returns.
Benjamin Noys’s Horror Temporis: Iain Grant in his work on Schelling remarks that as Time grows and expands, the role of things in it become progressively more insignificant. In his essay for Collapse IV, Noys claims that ‘the worst’ or ‘the most abominable’ in Lovecraft’s fiction is the yawning gap (khaos) of Time. It is not only because Time is saturated with vampiristic qualities in regard to things in it but also because Time is a blind god who does not even heed calls and cries of its own monsters and offspring. The unspeakable monstrosity of the Ones who threaten humanity is generated perhaps by a trauma induced by the pure indifference of Time to its offspring and natural laws. But since this trauma cannot be resolved by recourse to its origin as a result of itself being uprooted by the abyss of Time, it has no other way than being senselessly wrought upon others, or as in Lovecraft’s fiction, upon humanity. Noys rightly attributes to Time, a vortical structure which is repeated throughout Lovecraft’s stories as stygian gulfs, foaming gaps, black pits and rotting holes. Chaos of Time, Noys sinisterly elaborates, is in fact the blind genesis, a vortex from which the great Old Ones tumble upward and to which humanity is sucked in. This ascent and descent, however, are both the orphans of an absolute Time, begotten by its indifference to the necessity of natural laws.
Iain Hamilton Grant’s Being and Slime: Iain Grant’s essay is my most favorite of all; refined, fresh, deft and beyond everything, it oozes a scholarly philosophy without any constraint. The title of Grant’s essay insinuates a deviation from Heidegger's Being and Time, but even more cleverly, an alternative retrospection for Badiou’s Being and Event and his thesis (which is mathematics = ontology). Those who have read Grant’s work On an Artificial Earth: Philosophies of Nature After Schelling know that the section 3.3 of the book, Organics as Antiphysics: Fichte contra Oken, argues how the notorious Naturphilosophen Lorenz Oken, by drawing upon a ‘mathematics endowed with substance’, develops a system which can generate complex multiplicities which are not only formal (matheme-oriented) but also substantial (substance-infused matheme). Grant’s essay in Collapse is a full-fledged development of the aforementioned chapter. What happens when the substance is mobilized by mathematical ideas, or even more importantly, matheme is invested with substance? If substance invests matheme, then, its germinal ground overlaps and becomes one with the generative ground of mathematics, zero. For Oken, this substantial zero is Ur-Slime (a thesis which makes Grant’s essay a perfect choice for this issue on Concept-Horror). Oken’s philosophy is essentially constructed on polarity (+ -); polarity is the first force in the universe which enables slime to have the ability of differentiation or generative introspection. It is the introspection of zero or slime or realization according to polarity that brings about the possibility of numbers or the manifold of particulars. This strikes me as a Schellingian god, a pure contraction or no-thing. Only out of the horror of problematical intimacy with the void, this god unfolds and creates the contingency of nature or the explicatio of universe. The contingency of nature (the explicatio) is grounded on the necessity of complicatio or God-contraction. Yet the grounding of nature's explicatio (contingency) and the manifold of particulars on the necessity of complicatio is indeed an act of 'ungrounding', for the God as contraction is the problematical binding of the void in its intensive no-thingness. Against theo-tyranny in which the act of grounding (i.e. the grounding of nature on the consolidated body of god) is the stratification of universe as layers of an already sealed god, the grounding that Schelling expounds on is the very act of ungrounding: the founding of contingency of nature on the necessity of no-thing or generative zero. Only once zero comes to terms with its own no-thingness or basal horror, the explication of nature becomes possible and diversity of particulars comes into being.
Graham Harman’s On the Horror of Phenomenology: Lovecraft and Husserl: Beginning with mounting a vehement attack against the insipid and unimaginative dimensions of today’s academic philosophy, Graham Harman offers us an adventurous alternative for cotemporary philosophy. With feisty prose that reminds us of restless travelers and adventurers of the last century, Harman lays out the foundations of his weird and speculative realism. The philosophic resources of weird realism are continental horror and science fiction. If Harman’s reading of Heidegger is rogue and heretical, it is because for him, the role of Hölderlin for Heidegger has been substituted with that of Lovecraft. In his essay, Harman exposes the pulpy and weird body of phenomenology by suggesting that the weird and objects, like wyrd sisters always come hand in hand. First, Harman sets Lovecraft’s stories free from a Kantian reading by showing that the elusive abominations of Lovecraft’s fiction are not noumenal but phenomenal, and even worse part of our world. In demonstrating the non-Kantian nature of these loathing monstrosities, Harman conducts a sabotage against a Kantian reading of Lovecraft rather than adhering to a purely anti-Kantian front: the phenomenal and secured land of the finite, the last front of experience and consciousness, has already been taken over by weird finite things or phenomenal abominations. However, these objects or phenomenal abominations exude an excess of properties, an inner inexhaustible infinity which refuses to be accessed. This is, in a twisted way, equal to the diagonalization of the Kantian healthy finite with the excessively phenomenal (in)finite, the inner infinite life of objects. This excessive or extra-phenomenal finite is a source of pure malignancy and inexhaustible foulness against which Kantian ocean, the noumenal, is a puerile redundancy. In the second phase, Harman shows how this excess (of properties) or ineffability of objects lies at the base of Husserl’s phenomenology. The effect of objects of Harman’s weird realism is both of vertigo and horror, akin to Tilford’s objects whose skins slough off in a vertigo of diabolic particles and aimless electrons which never settle.
Collapse Volume IV is also a visual pilgrimage of the underworld: from the materialist fairy-tale of Rafani to the cartoonism of Eye-care by Jake and Dinos Chapman to Oleg Kulik’s dead monkeys album to slime-vortices of Todosch to Steven Shearer’s impersonal horrographic poems to Keith Tilford’s weird objects and the infinite deformity of those things in the jars photographed by Kristen Alvanson, everything has been deployed throughout the book, in such a way, not to give a sense of distraction or relief but to highlight its fiendish qualities and make anomalous pacts with the texts. Robin Mackay and Damian Veal have curated and refined a book which is a tour de horreur.
[1] Also the title of Thomas Ligotti’s contribution to Collapse IV.
[2] From R. Mackay’s introduction, p. 9.
[3] In John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, after bringing the Old Ones (Them) to our world, the pulp-horror writer Sutter Cane reappears to the insurance detective John Trent and says: 'I am god now'. Trent (Sam Neill) opposes by saying: 'God cannot be a hack horror writer'.
[4] For more details on survival as the implicit enforcer of the void see: The Corpse Bride: Thinking with Nigredo, Collapse vol. iv, Concept-Horror.
Posted by hyperstition at June 13, 2008 03:01 PM | TrackBack
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Barista Health In The Workplace – Part One
Category: Life as a Barista, Retail Articles Tags: barista life, Interesting Leave a Comment
After months of interviews, public polling, private polling, and data collection, Sprudge.com staff writer Alex Bernson presents to you a landmark comprehensive overview of the health risks involved with professional coffee service. This is part one of a three part series.
Working in specialty coffee can be a rewarding, creatively stimulating experience. For some it’s a calling, for others a means to an end – paying the rent, recording your soon-to-be-hit album – but every last barista can tell you about the long hours standing, the highly repetitive physical tasks, and the stress of customer and management demands. For baristas working in high volume and quality-focused environments, there is an additional risk: the endless cups of coffee consumed in the name of “dialing in”, and the self-sampling quality control necessary in the pursuit of high quality coffee service. Over years and years of repetition, these workplace requirements cannot help but affect the physical and mental well-being of those required to perform them, often in negative ways.
The specialty coffee industry is growing; it’s never been more exciting, or more delicious, to be a coffee enthusiast or career coffee professional. But if the industry as a whole wants to continue its growth, thereby providing creating more and more coffee professionals, it’s my opinion (and the opinion of this website) that open dialogue needs to occur with regards to the challenges and risks that come from making high quality coffee on a daily basis. By fostering dialogue and conducting research, its our hope that we can reach some conclusions together, and help to create a professional environment across the industry that rewards honest evaluation. It’s okay to talk about this stuff; workplace health concerns are a real thing, and it’s time for this industry to address them thoughtfully and thoroughly.
This is the first article of a three part series based on a survey of coffee workers, interviews, and in-depth research. This series begins below with a discussion of the survey results; the series will continue by looking in detail at the known physical and mental hazards that people can face while making coffee. I’ll also be addressing some of the potentially unknown or under-considered health effects and potential solutions.
Our only request is that you pursue these articles and consider this research with an open mind. Professional coffee service is challenging and rewarding, but it may also carry with it some very real health side effects. It’s time for us to look at this information together and start a dialogue. It’s time for some real talk.
Talking about the health effects of working in coffee is totally okay.
Can we please acknowledge that working in specialty coffee brings with it a physical and emotional toll? I know I’ve felt it, and many of you have too. It doesn’t make you any less professional to recognize this fact; it doesn’t mean you aren’t worth scheduling for an open shift, and it doesn’t mean you’re better off behind the register in perpetuity. It’s a real thing, and it doesn’t make you weak or unworthy or any less of a capable team member. So why does there seem to be hesitance when it comes to actually talking health? And why is there so little public research available on this topic? We literally had to do our own polling to write this article, so let’s start there.
I freely admit that the survey conducted is meant to be purely informational, and in no way scientifically conclusive, but I assure that I have used the very best practices available in conducting and reporting on this information. My hope is that these articles serve as a starting point for more in-depth and rigorous investigations.
We surveyed a total of 475 coffee workers, using this set of survey questions, and wound up with some very revealing data. 47% of those surveyed had experienced upper body repetitive stress injuries that they attributed to their jobs. 20% had experienced heart palpitations or chest pains. And 62% believed believed their job or caffeine intake had caused emotional problems such as mood variability, depression or trouble interacting emotionally with others.
When asked directly in a separate question, less than half of the people who reported experiencing health affects felt that their job or caffeine intake had negatively affected their over-all health or well-being. I don’t know how to explain this seeming contradiction, but I do know that my job has negatively affected my well-being, and in the name of open dialogue I want to share some of those experiences with you.
For the past two years, I have been having serious and persistent pain in my right (tamping) shoulder. Six months ago I decided to start doing something about it and taught myself to tamp on my left side, and since I am blessed to be on my mother’s health insurance for another year, I eventually began physical therapy. Things are slowly getting better, and I’m glad that I admitted the problem and started talking about it.
About a month ago I was talking a co-worker at Sweetleaf, where I’m a working barista. She admitted she was doing the exact same therapy I was for the same issue. Hearing my co-worker admit to the same problems I had was encouraging—it made me feel not alone in my issues, and helped me to stop seeing the issues I was having as some sort of failure or lack of proper form as a barista.
After going through this, I started talking to other baristas I knew about health issues, and time and again I heard about issues I had no idea my coworkers and friends had been suffering through. I decided to conduct this survey of coffee workers to let people share their experiences, so that we can better understand and more productively talk about the issues we are all facing.
Here’s a look at some graphs from our research:
The makeup of survey respondents seems to agree with the sense most people have of this industry: it is still young, with most respondents having worked in this industry for 2-4 years; working bar is by far the most common occupation; and we all believe we consume 2-4 cups of coffee a day.
One perhaps unsurprising note about length of time in the industry: incidence of physical health issues increased linearly with amount of time spent in the industry, from 65% of people in the 0-1 year range, to 95% of people in the 10+ year range.
The percentage of negative health effects reported is high, but it seems that only a minority find those effects to be very serious. Negative health effects do not seem to overly discourage people from continuing to work in the industry, and despite many people reporting the job to be at times mentally or physically draining, overall the impact seems manageable. This could be a reflection of the “suffer for what you love” sentiment that cropped up a number of times in respondents’ comments; it may also be indicative of a wider problems surrounding open discourse in the specialty coffee industry.
What follows are direct quotes from responses in our survey:
“My general feeling about working in coffee is that it is not sustainable for most people to work four 8 hour bar shifts per week. I have been working in coffee for 15 years and I now have a permanently worn vertebrae in my neck from looking down all the time.”
“My doc said surgery for carpal tunnel is pointless. I essentially had to let my body heal, which meant that I had to quit being a barista. Now I sit behind a desk and I wish every day to be out with my customers, exploring the coffee world, and seeing farms! But those jobs are so hard to find without being forced to deal with torn ligaments.”
“I had intense an incessant pain in my portafilter hand for about a month. After considering the micro-movements involved in pulling a shot, I altered the angle of inclination of my hand while removing and replacing the portafilter. The pain went away.”
80% of respondents reported experiencing some sort of physical health effects from their job or caffeine intake. Some of these effects, such as upper body repetitive strain injuries, are fairly well understood—40% of respondents said that their training involved discussion of ergonomics.
The issues that are less understood, and potentially more worrisome, are things like heart palpitations, chest pains and digestion issues. I’ll be discussing my own experiences with heart palpitations when we examine high caffeine intake more closely in the final article of this series, but the question of digestion issues seemed very much on respondents’ minds in their comments, with many people worrying about the negative effects of the what can be the nutrient-light, pastry-heavy diet of bar shifts.
Particularly worrisome to me were reports of obscure digestion issues such as pernicious anemia and various types of food sensitivity. My unscientific impression is that a disproportionately high number of people in this industry suffer from digestion and toxicity problems—though perhaps the generally more food-aware nature of the business simply means that more people are noticing when they have these sorts of issues.
Another quote from the survey:
“After several years drinking coffee and working in the industry, last May I started having severe anxiety attacks which I am now certain are triggered by my caffeine intake. They haven’t been minor attacks, but have brought me to the ER on two occasions and have severely disrupted my life. I tried to get help from a Dr. but they only told me to stop consuming so much caffeine and to take a vitamin D pill. The former has helped actually–just monitoring it more, that is. I used to drink multiple cups a day and enjoy the buzz, but now I can’t do that. I get scared if I even drink more than one eight ounce cup of coffee. And it’s troubling because I am supposed to be tasting coffee throughout the day at my job…“
Mental health effects and their causes are harder to quantify than physical effects, and it’s been pointed out to me that “depression, mood variability and trouble interacting emotionally with others” could be a general description of the Millenial generation (just look at the mumblecore movies we make). Nevertheless, 66% of people have self-reported some sort of mental health effects from their job or caffeine intake.
Issues such as mood variability and insomnia are probably more tied to the high caffeine intake than to the job itself. I think most people have experienced the highs and lows of over-caffeination—I know that for me endless espresso shots have certainly contributed to mild anxiety attacks and inordinately crabby moods that can make it hard to interact emotionally with other people.
One very common theme in respondents’ comments was how erratic and poor management contributes unnecessarily to the stress of the job, both for baristas and people higher up the food chain. A number of respondents commented that the owners of their shops had made decisions for “aesthetic” or “philosophical” reasons that they knew negatively affected the well-being of their staff.
Quotes from responders:
“I put a ‘3’ for alcohol use as I would typically get a drink on my way home if I worked past 3pm; however, it was more to ‘unwind at a bar’ than to get alcohol in my system, so this number may be misleading.“
“I don’t drink or smoke weed to combat the effects of my caffeine intake per say, but rather to help me get sleepy so I can wake up early. Though I may be tired doing those things bring me over the edge and right to bed.”
67% percent of respondents said that they at least occasionally drank alcohol to combat the effects of their job. Surprisingly, despite my impression that coffee people smoke tobacco heavily, only 23% of respondents said they smoke cigarettes (about in-line with the national average). 30% of respondents said they sometimes consumed marijuana or other drugs to combat the effects of their job, which based on gatherings of baristas, struck me as a little low, but my perception may be skewed by the fact I’ve worked professionally in New York City, Seattle, and Portland, where marijuana consumption is likely higher than the national average.
These numbers would probably be pretty similar for any other high-stress job, but it is important to consider the effects of people self-medicating, especially in light of the lack of health benefits in our industry.
“I once went to work the day after I broke my shoulder in a bike crash. I did not seek treatment for lack of insurance/fear of medical debt. I tamped with my left.”
Out of all the health issues that can come from working in this industry, the most serious is probably the lack of access to health care, due to low wages and only 35% of people receiving health benefits from their job. A related issue is the difficulty of taking time off when sick, with over half of respondents saying they have gone to work while seriously injured or sick. This can either be because of the need for hours or an inability to find coverage.
Without access to proper health care, what would otherwise be manageable health effects from this job can have serious and long term health consequences. This is not a call for unionization or the enforcement of nationalized health care; it’s simply a reflection of facts in our research, and an open call for dialogue around the issue.
Join us again in the next few days as we take a deeper look at questions of barista ergonomics, the mental strains of customer service, and some new developments in the industry that may improve these issues.
The comments field below is open. Let’s have a dialogue.
Sourced from Sprudge.com
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Where flights of mind come to rest for a while
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Home > The Museum > Past Events > Freedom Imagined, Freedom Lived; An Artistic Review of the Passover Promise > Part 5
The Seder table symbols and rituals are the props for the Haggadah script. Imaginative improvisation is necessary to reveal their secrets…
(Click Images To Enlarge)
"Had Gadia" by Billha Zussman
Had Gadia
This sculpture is based on a modern reworking of the traditional Pessach song “Had Gadia” by Hava Halberstein, an Israeli song writer. Although the song recounts the cycle of suffering by living things, at the end, it provides comfort that GOD can smite even the all powerful angel of death. In that context, Hava Halberstein decided to use the song to make a powerful attack on on militarism, suppression, everything that is opposite to freedom. The majority of the song is a simple Hebrew rendition of the Aramaic; however, as she arrives at the following verse, her voice rises to a fierce dramatic intensity as if to better convey her rage at the injustice committed everywhere.
….“That on all nights, all other nights, I asked only Four Questions
This night I have another question:
“How long will the cycle of violence continue?”
Chase and be chased, beat and be beaten,
When will this madness end?
How have I changed, how are you different?
I changed this year
I was once a sheep and a tranquil kid
Today I’m a tiger and a ravishing wolf
I was once a dove and I was a deer
Today I don’t know who I am.
Billha Zussman
www.billha.com
"No Bread, No Freedom" by Naomi Fishman and Sunny Brodsky
No Bread, No Freedom
This artwork is a response to an NPR interview with author Blaine Harden about his book Escape from Camp 14. Camp 14 is the story of a young man who escapes a labor camp because he was hungry.
There are labor camps in North Korea estimated to hold 150,000-200,000 people. The people are given meager rations of 800 calories per day. There are generations of families living in these camps. The hunger is so great that the ties that bind parents to their children have been broken. Parents beat their children when the children take food from them.
I heard in this story the echoes of a people enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, oppressed and afflicted families, threatened with the killing of their newborn sons.
This matzah cover reminds us that freedom was given to families. Just as the ancient Israelites families ate together on the night be the exodus, we also eat together as families at the seder table. The unity of the family exists together with the unity of the people.
During the Passover seder we raise 3 fragile matzahs, recognizing the fragile beginnings of a new society (Kohanim, Levites, and all others) and we say “Let all who are hungry to come and eat.” Painted across the three matzahs is the morning blessing “Blessed art Thou, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe who has not made me a slave.” Near the matzahs is an unfinished matzah cover because freedom and Passover are always works in progress.
Naomi Fishman with the help of Sunny Brodsky
St. Louis, Missouri and Avon, Colorado
"Afikoman" by Suzanna Grünfeld
Afikoman
I was brought up with the aspirations of Zionism- to build a state where every Jew could be and would be equal and every Jew would be welcomed. It was my strongest connection to Judaism- more than religion, more than tradition. Then I came to know that Jews discriminate against other Jews and those Arab inhabitants of the Land were chase away to become slaves, almost like we ourselves were in Egypt. Today there is such a gap in poverty and richness. To me this is not a matter of money or possession. It is cultural and spiritual poverty. Money makes one greedy and forget the essential values in life. We forgot the “we” that had been enslaved in many Egypts and found the “me” that was freedom.
Therefore the chad gadia is stuck. Its burned leg, the one-time Passover offering at the Temple, now symbolizes the spiritual values overcome by short term satisfaction. The afikoman is the part of the broken matzah and must be returned to the seder table to remind us that we are only complete when we are together.
Suzanna Grünfeld
"Women's Seder Plate" by Sandy Kaplan
Women’s Seder Plate
My seder plate, sculpted in terra cotta clay, was specifically made for a Women’s Seder. The Women’s Seder is a special time during Passover when women share stories about their liberation, and a time to rest and recline as free women. Mothers, daughters, grandmothers and aunts, or a group of women friends join together as a family of women.
Our foremothers are also gathered in spirit at the Seder table. We speak of Deborah, our mother – of all of our mothers whose strength, courage and faith in God enabled us to reach this moment in time.
I carved the “Ten Plagues” into my seder plate because they represent a necessary part in the liberation of Jews from slavery. Today, we can consider “Ten Opportunities” facing us as Jewish women. I’d like to share a few of those opportunities with you:
• to value women of all ages involved in the Jewish as well as secular world.
• to recognize our evolving roles as women in an effort to change past rigid roles and stereotypes.
• to honor leadership dedicated to helping men and women affect change for all of the opportunities of Jewish womanhood.
As we open the door for Miriam, the prophetess, we open the door of hospitality and friendship – as a sign that no woman is shut off from other human beings, and as a symbol for all women who are going forth with dignity and pride into the making of a Jewish future for all of our people.
The spirit and talents of all women participating in the Women’s Seder make this gathering a fulfilling moment in time.
Sandy Kaplan
www.sandykaplansculptuor.blogspot.com
"Miriam and the Tambourine" by Berta Goldgaber
Miriam and the Tambourine
And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a drum in her hand, and all the women went out behind her with drums and with dances.
And Miriam sang to them: Sing to G-d for G-dd triumphed! Horse and his rider G-d cast into the sea. (Exodus 15:20-21)
Miriam utilized music and dance at a critical moment in the Exodus account as the water of the Red Sea submerges Pharaoh and his army and as the Israelites cross onto dry land. As depicted on my matzah cover, Miriam’s spontaneous creative expression symbolizes the newly acquired freedom for the Israelites from centuries of slavery under Egyptian masters.
Miriam understands that freedom is just as much a physical experience as a psychological one. In order for the Israelites to truly feel like a free people after years of Egyptian oppression, they must actively pursue freedom through many outlets: intellectual, creative and spiritual. The physical cessation of slavery will not be enough to turn an enslaved people into a free one.
Through the creative expressions of song and dance, Miriam and the Israelite women begin to lead the way for their people’s long and protracted journey into freedom.
Berta Goldgaber
www.judaicafabricart.com
"Freedom From Phantom Pain" by Norman Fishman
Freedom From Phantom Pain
“And in this labyrinth where night is blind, the phantom of the opera, here in my mind…”
These lyrics from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Phantom of the Opera” must have haunting resonance to people suffering from phantom pains. Phantom pain refers to the severe pain a person feels from a limb which no longer exists. The amputation exists in the mind, as if it were still a part of the body. Neuroscientists have figured out how to exorcise this phantom for some patients.
This is a box which my patient built. He inserts his left hand with several amputated fingers into the enclosed chamber. He inserts his normal right hand into the fully exposed chamber which has a mirror that creates a mirrored image of a “normal left hand”. My patient is now free of phantom pain.
Norman Fishman
Copyright © 2020 The Museum of ImaJewnation.
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Longing Heart (2018)
Longing Heart (2018)61
Kang Shin-Woo is a math teacher with a good looking appearance. He has not forgotten his first love Han Ji-Soo for the past 10 years. By an accident, he travels to the past when he was a high school student. There, he meets his younger self. Kang Shin-Woo struggles to make the younger Kang Shin-Woo’s love come true.
Genre:Comedy, Romance
Actors:Jo Seung-Hee, Lee Jung-Shin, Lee Yeol-eum, Seo Ji-Hoon
Directors:Min Yeon-hong
Countries:Korea
Watch Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) Watch Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse (2019) Watch The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Watch Planet 51 (2009) Watch Despicable Me 2 (2013) Watch Love per Square Foot (2018) Watch Entourage (2015) Watch War Machine (2017)
No Trailer Available
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Jealous Hater Book Club: Handbook For Mortals Chapter 3 The Hierophant or, “Nothing Happened.”
It’s the Handbook For Mortals Twitter Round Up, y’all! YEEEEE-HAW!
Twitter user @TheSubliminator actually went to Lani Sarem and Paul Ian Nicholas Thomas Eric John James or whoever’s author event. Highlights include Sarem declaring “It’s not MY fault Angie is a black writer,” in regards to fraudulently knocking Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give from its #1 spot, and straight up plagiarizing Roald Dahl when she signs the damn book. Check out #23HourBS for details.
Why that hashtag name? Well, because Ms. Sarem and Mr. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt are now advertising this book as a #1 New York Times Bestseller for twenty-three hours. Author L.L. McKinney made a Twitter moment about it.
If all of that wasn’t pathetic and enraging enough for you, definitely check out this thread by Jeremy West, in which he calls out another laughably bad attempt by Sarem and the Rookie Of The Year to make the book appear successful. Yes, they are absolutely still trying to claim that this book is a pop culture phenomenon.
If you need something to get the god awful taste of all of this out of your mouth, Snarksquad member and BookTuber @MyNameIsMarines is reading the book on the hashtag #SnarkForMortals. I highly encourage you to check her out.
Meanwhile, I apologize that this recap was delayed. Computer troubles. Namely, me absentmindedly drenching my keyboard with Windex while I tried to clean my desk. Thank you big time to everyone who donated via Kofi in the wake of this senseless tragedy.
All right! When last we met, Lani was about to tell Charles Spellman how she really performs her illusion. I have been on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what her explanation is. Is she going to admit to having real magic? Will it be revealed that Charles Spellman is her father and that he too has real magic? Man, oh man, I cannot wait for this!
Just kidding. We don’t see any of that. Chapter two ended on a hook that felt as though it would lead into the next scene. Charles asked how she did the trick, it seems like we’ll turn the page and see her doing some fast thinking, maybe confessing to having actual magic. But no. We skip ahead to paperwork and living arrangements. Because honestly, who wants to read all that icky plot?
Chapter three opens with Lani explaining the human resources process at the casino. She had to do paperwork and a background check, but in the meantime, she just hangs out in the good graces of Charles Spellman.
It worked out well for me, though, since I had to find an apartment (luckily, the first week I was allowed to stay at the hotel, courtesy of Mr. Wynn and Mr. Spellman).
I like how none of this makes Lani suspicious that maybe she’s getting special treatment of some kind. On the one hand, she could be thinking, well my illusion was so great, obviously, I’m going to be allowed to stay at the hotel rent-free. On the other hand, maybe she knows C.S. is her father, but we’re not supposed to know she knows because it would ruin the twist.
I’m betting it’s a third hand: She knows that Spellman is somehow connected to her family, but isn’t mentioning it to the reader because it will ruin the twist, which is incredibly predictable. When she inevitably finds out that he’s her father, she will be rocked to her very core, and it will lead to the beginning of a tense confrontation scene that won’t carry into the next chapter or ever be mentioned again.
On her first day, Lani has an appointment with wardrobe:
We all have a dressing room area that’s inside a really big room. They are sectioned off smaller rooms — kinda like in a changing room at a clothing store — but the show also has a large wardrobe room where we go for fittings, costumer fixes, etc.
I love the use of “etc.” after listing two things. I wouldn’t normally call it out because etc. is a perfectly acceptable abbreviation, but she could have just written the sentence, “the show also has a large wardrobe room where we go for fittings and costumer fixes.” Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, Lani.
They also keep certain costumes there (like the ones with intricate beading that constantly has to be repaired) and lots of the performers get dressed there because they need assistance with their complex and much more elaborate costumes, which would be impossible to put on by yourself.
No, it would be impossible to put on by themselves. They don’t need assistance putting on the reader’s costume. Although, if anyone wants to imagine me wearing an intricately beaded costume while I do these recaps, I’m okay with that.
The wardrobe department made and maintained the costumes — a huge undertaking for the small group of women who work in the department.
I feel like this is implied when you say, “wardrobe,” but I don’t know. This might be a time when repetitive exposition is necessary. I just assumed that everyone would know that the wardrobe department where the costumes are would be where the costumes are maintained and created. This one, I could genuinely be wrong. Either way, I felt like it was super repetitive to describe the wardrobe department and then describe the wardrobe department again.
Lani goes on to say that the seamstresses make side money selling Halloween costumes, and Lani thinks about how she wants one when the holiday comes. So, of course, this is the perfect time for a sidebar about…IDK. Halloween and how Lani feels about playing dress-up? Because why the fuck not?
Though I never know what to be, I always want a completely recognizable costume that is something so unique that no one else has it.
I bet the costumers can’t wait to fill that order.
It dawned on me they could make incredible costumes for the Renaissance faires that I loved going to, which made my new job and life that much more awesome, since I heard Las Vegas had a pretty decent faire that happened yearly in town.
Thank God she mentioned this. I would’ve had absolutely no frame of reference or context for this entire story if I didn’t know about the Renaissance faire in Las Vegas, or the fact that Lani loves to go to them.
Yes, having your very own costume designer is a must for any girl.
Gosh, I hope she tells the entire costume department that they are now her own personal costume designers. They will so super appreciate that.
So, on her first day, Lani is standing in wardrobe in her underwear, being measured by a “wardrobe girl” named Lil.
Her full name was Lillianne, but she had told me in her first breath to call her Lil, and that only her mom and great aunt Anne called her by her full name. She talked a lot, and fast, while smacking her gum. She continued on about how she only thought her great aunt called her by her first name because her name was Anne and thought that somehow she was kind of named after her.
Ugh. How annoying. I hate people who are hung up on their names, and the story of their names, and how to pronounce their names, and they just go on and on and on multiple times about their names and then have their author frenemy write a foreword to their book to explain how to pronounce their name. That is so obnoxious.
Isn’t it, Zaaaaaaade? Don’t you find that annoying, Zaaaaaaaaaaade?
I quickly learned more about Lil than I know about most people I’ve known for half my life.
Jesus Christ, I know the feeling.
She looked like the stereotypical Goth: black hair, black nails, and more than her fair share of tattoos.
She took more than her fair share of tattoos? So, you’re telling me that some people won’t get tattoos now? God, greedy much, Lil?
I’m pretty sure that if you saw her on the street the last thing you would think is that she make clothes for a living.
That would be in my top five guesses if someone asked me what I thought a person that looked like that did for a living. Number one, in a band. Number two, artist. Number three, professional tattoo artist or piercer. Number four, theater costumer. Number five, works at Hot Topic.
Okay, number five would actually be number one. I’m not hating on Hot Topic. I buy stuff there all the time, and the employees are always lovely. I just feel like any place that sends out an email with the subject line, “Welcome to Gilead,” to publicize their officially licensed Handmaid’s Tale cloaks can’t be taken super seriously.
She continued to ramble on in her fast, chatty way, and pretty soon I tuned out the random gossip and focused on my reflection in the mirror.
This is a scene in which the heroine of the novel ignores someone who is talking to her to look in a mirror and admire herself. Someone wrote this scene with complete sincerity.
The fluorescent lights showed off every angle of me as I stood there staring at myself and all I could think was how white I looked,
Well, we knew this was going to happen eventually. I even said, in the very first recap, “Definitely caucasian and almost guaranteed to lament her pale skin later […]”. This is one of the most basic components of a Mary Sue. From Merry Gentry’s skin that “glows like [she] swallowed the moon,” to Bella Swan not tanning in the desert, one of the most important characteristics for a white girl’s idealized self-insert is porcelain pale skin.
and I wished some parts of my body were different.
See? She’s not self-obsessed. Unlike other girls, when Lani looks in a mirror, she notices her flaws, no matter how often everyone tells her she’s gorgeous. I bet you can identify with this, reader. You do the same thing Lani does, and Lani is a magical girl, so you’re a magical girl, too. All fiction tends to have some variation on this. Authors want their characters to seem relatable, and readers want a relatable character. However, other writers tend to not make this manipulative trick so obvious.
Finally, Lil’s voice cut through my distraction when she mentioned something about Mac. Unfortunately I only caught the tail end of what she had said. Not wanting to admit that I had not heard her at all, I quickly changed the subject even though I genuinely wanted to know the gossip she had spilled about the brooding technical director and the question I did ask came only from minor curiosity.
I feel like this book once had the commas all in the right place but then somebody shook it up like a snow globe and they went absolutely everywhere. That’s the only explanation for why some places have commas where they shouldn’t be, and other places have no commas where a comma is desperately needed.
Every time I think that this heroine couldn’t get more unlikable, I am proved frustratingly, tragically wrong. After spending chapters telling us every inane detail of her life that have nothing to do with the overall story, here’s Lani complaining about someone else doing exactly that, tuning out so she can stare in a mirror at herself, and only bothering to listen to the other human being in the conversation when the topic is the dude that will be part of the love triangle later.
So, what was the question that Lani asked from “minor curiosity?” She wants to know if Lil will be her wardrobe person all the time. Now, Lani said she feels important knowing that she has a costumer assigned to herself, but I choose to interpret this as Lani asking, “ugh. You’re not going to be my costume person all the time, are you? Because I try to make it all about me, and right now, you’re making it very difficult to do that.”
Unfortunately, that’s not how it goes. Instead, Lil complements Lani’s hair and asks if she goes to a salon.
“Oh no, I just go to Sally Beauty Supply and get the colors and do it myself. In the little town I’m from we have one hair salon, and they aren’t exactly willing to do anything — in their words —‘ crazy.’ So I had to start coloring it myself plus it’s so much cheaper.” I put up air quotes as I stressed “crazy.”
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to visualize the small town Lani comes from. It’s so small she can’t even get her hair done but there is a Sally Beauty Supply she can go to? I suppose they don’t have any restaurants, either, so she just has to run down to the local Williams-Sonoma and make do, right?
Lil is so impressed with Lani’s hair that she asks if Lani will color hers sometime. Because apparently, there are no salons in Las Vegas, and definitely a super Goth costumer would have no idea where or how to color her own hair.
I got curious and ran a search on Lil’s name. She appears in just one other scene in this book, and that appearance is very brief. And no, it’s not a scene where they dye her hair. This entire conversation about how Lani dyes her hair is, like so many other things in this book, just there.
Lil asks Lani if she’s excited about joining the show:
“That was a pretty awesome illusion,” she said, tentatively. “I can see why C.S. had, like, a special edition just for you. I’ve never seen them do that for anyone, but you sure brought it.”
We’re still all trying to figure out how she got the audition, too, Lil. I mean, does Zade know that Charles Spellman is her father? Is that how she knew to come here to get the job? It’s not like she was this world-renowned magician asking for an audition. She is, by her own admission, nobody. So, how did any of this happen?
I’m not good with compliments. Some girls are. I’ve always admired those who know what to say and accept them graciously.
“Thank you.” That’s what you say. I mean, that’s what you say if you’re like other girls. But this is Lani. She’s Not Like Other Girls™. She laments the fact that she doesn’t know Lil well enough to say anything nice about her in return and ends up just saying “thanks” anyway, and it’s super awkward.
What do I say? “You measured me well?” That’s not exactly something you compliment someone on. I could say “you talk faster than anyone I’ve ever met.” That also seemed like a less-than-stellar compliment.
This wouldn’t be so awkward if Lani didn’t just assume that other people are fishing for compliments when they give them.
Lil asks Zade how she came up with her illusion, which is a little weird, considering the fact that she works on a magic show and has probably signed a nondisclosure agreement. Like, the people that work on this show should probably understand the importance of secrecy in magic. But Lani is sure that Lil is going to pry, so she changes the subject to talk about a dress.
The one closest to us was a beautiful black dress, decked out in ruffled tulle underskirts of different colors and varying lengths. The top had an incredible angular collar that stood up and away from the body. I’d never seen anything like it. It was amazing, but probably difficult to wear — and almost definitely uncomfortable.
This is either a ballerina version of Mia Sara’s dress after she succumbs to evil in Legend, or the latest from the Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way fashion collection. Which, by the way, I really think Hot Topic should look into licensing. Now that we all know who the author of My Immortal is, it should be no problem kicking a little money her way.
As nervous as I was, I probably would have raved about it dishcloth if that had been my only option, but I really did love the dress.
Zade clearly went to the school of backhanded compliments.
Lil asks her where she’s from, and Zani tells her she’s from Tennessee. Then, there is a little triple moon astrology looking thing that serves as a section break? Please note, I am using text-to-speech to write this recap since I accidentally sprayed Windex over my keyboard and ruined it, and literally, every sentence I write from here on out should be read aloud as though there is a question mark at the end, no matter how the actual punctuation reads. Like, I’m so incredulous in this next section, so disturbed this might have actually seen an editor and that editor said, “this is all fine,” and then that editor got paid for doing that, that my voice is stuck on a permanent Valley Girl upward tilt. Because after the little astrology thing, we’re in Mac’s POV. Or, something that appears to be Mac’s POV, indicated by all of the text being italicized.
As you can probably guess, Mac just happened to wander past wardrobe, where the door was open just a crack:
Mac could see Zade standing in nothing but her lace underwear and bra as Lil pulled a measuring tape around her narrow waist. Both pieces were black and nude with lace trim and the panties, which were a high-waisted cut, framed Zade’s body nicely and showed off her curves and small waist.
In case you are wondering, Zade’s waist is small. We know this because it was mentioned twice. I’m actually really disappointed that he didn’t describe her as having “curves in all the right places,” as is the vernacular associated with terrible fiction.
“But Jenny,” I hear you ask, “what about her skin? Her pale, pale Caucasian skin?”
Under the bright lights, Zade’s skin looked porcelain white. She was beautiful. She wasn’t supermodel hot but there was something about her that just made her stand out.
How to make your male main character sound like a dick in five words: “she wasn’t supermodel hot but…” Seriously, way to make it sound like Mac is making a pained exception for her.
Also, this is another case of Not Like Other Girls™. If Lani looked like a supermodel, we couldn’t root for her. Because the beauty of supermodels is so valued as the standard to which all women are held, there’s this resentment toward women who do share any supermodel-like qualities. We see beautiful women in fiction turned into monsters, while average-looking women are the characters to cheer for. But there’s no such thing as an average-looking heroine in a self-insert fic. Instead, we’ll get a list of all the desirable physical qualities the heroine has, while being told that somehow, only on her, these qualities aren’t attractive. I’m truly shocked that we didn’t see her measurements in print; I was kinda looking forward to seeing that she had a 22″ chest, 18″ waist, and a 20″ hip, followed by her cursing her lush, plus-sized body.
He tried to push the thoughts out of his head; he didn’t want to like her. He couldn’t like her. Zade was the enemy. He tried to repeat that to himself.
Be a little more dramatic, Mac.
Mac stares at her and thinks about how just looking at her makes him forget everything. It also apparently makes the author forget how POV works:
Tad walked up and stopped right behind Mac. Mac was so distracted by Zade and his own internal dialogue that he didn’t even notice Tad approaching. Tad looked through the crack in the door, looked at Mac, cracked a wide grin, and crossed his arms. Tad waited for a few moments to see if Mac was going to notice him or even just stop staring at the mostly naked girl on the other side of the door.
Since Tad can’t possibly know that Mac was distracted by his internal dialogue, that sentence would be Mac’s POV. But the rest of this is Tad. In other words, this whole section is written in omniscient third POV. And it’s not written in omniscient third very well. Why? Why is this section written this way? This is not A Christmas Carol. This is not Oliver Twist. This is not David Copper– Oh.
Startled, Mac whipped around and quickly looks to secret just caught him. He didn’t say anything or show it but, secretly, he was relieved that it was his best friend and not someone else that had caught him watching.
Yeah, lucky thing because peeping on performers changing is probably a fireable offense.
The rest of this long paragraph describes silent communication between the two before they walk off somewhere to have a discussion that won’t be overheard. Tad asks why Mac was spying on Lani.
Mac looked Tad dead in the eye and moved his tongue around his gums.
“Contemplating how to kill her and dispose of the body without getting caught. […]”
Nothing builds romantic tension like the hero talking about murdering the heroine. I know this is supposed to be cute and funny and an indication that he really likes her. After all, aren’t boys supposed to be mean to the girls they like? I mean, that’s what we tell children all the time. In a country where the third highest cause of death for women ages fifteen to twenty-four is homicide, having the hero of what is advertised as a young adult novel (regardless of whether or not it fits in that category) is just fine.
The gist of this section with Mac and Tad is that people are noticing that Zani makes Mac feel some different ways, something that could only have been accomplished with a weird, italicized section in which the point of view bounces around like a god damn Plinko disk.
Fret not, for the attention cannot be long removed from Zani. After another of those little star-map-triple-goddess-combo page ornaments, we’re back in her POV:
I’m pretty sure every inch of me had been measured–
That is 100% the point of measuring someone. If you missed a few inches, you didn’t measure very well.
and I knew Lil’s entire life story. I could practically tell you anything about, including what she had eaten for breakfast–and, no, I’m not even joking about that one. (She had had scrambled eggs with cheese, turkey bacon, whole-grain toast, and some homemade mango jelly. She had gotten all the ingredients fresh from a local farmer’s market–which she recommended I go and try.)
WHY? WHY DID WE HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT? I KNOW THAT ZAAAAAADE HAD TO HEAR ABOUT IT, BUT WHY DID WE HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT? WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DETAIL ABOUT THINGS THAT WE ABSOLUTELY NEED NO DETAIL ABOUT? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? I’M A GOOD PERSON! I’M A GOOD PERSON!
With my mind on other things and still excited about my first day, I waltzed out of wardrobe not paying any attention to where I was walking. I still had my head turned, saying goodbye to Lil, when I collided into what one would most certainly call tall, dark, and handsome. He was exactly my type, if I ever had one. I had crashed into him so hard that I started to tumble to the ground. Luckily, he apparently had catlike reflexes and caught me in his arms.
If a Young Adult/New Adult heroine never fell down again, both genres would still be defined by the fact that the heroines can’t stay upright. In the years 2013-2016, I DNFed more books than I finished because I had a rule about not reading any more books where the heroine meets the hero by falling down in front of him. And this is so straight out of Twilight/Fifty Shades of Grey that I can’t even. I can’t even even.
He held me there for a moment, just long enough for me to look into his deep, sparkling eyes. I’m pretty sure I turned every shade of red imaginable, as I was already embarrassed by my clumsiness–
A flaw-that-isn’t-a-flaw.
and then just in awe of his handsome radiance. He pulled me up slowly and gingerly even slightly tighter into him before he placed me upright and back on solid ground.
Oh my god, just leave her on the floor and wait for Mac to murder her.
What was wrong with me?
That didn’t need to be italicized, but you did it, anyway.
I had just turned into a silly fourteen-year-old girl.
Hey, let me give you a tip, Lani Sarem the author and not Lani Sarem the character in this shitty, horrible, half-assed scam of a “novel”: if you’re writing a YA, don’t insult the audience you’re trying to sell your shitty, horrible, half-assed scam of a “novel” to.
The hot hero dream guy (who has a guitar strapped to his back) already knows who Lani is:
“I know who you are. I actually came up and talked to you right after your audition. I was one of the many fawning over you. I’m Jackson Milsap,” he said, smiling broadly. His grin revealed two rows of perfect, white teeth. All I processed was “Jackson.”
Yeah, that’s where I’m getting hung up, too. Because in the foreword, Lani’s inappropriately self-promoting author frenemy mentions that she and Lani met through a Jackson Rathbone fansite while Lani was managing Jackson Rathbone’s former band, 100 Monkeys, who are thanked in the acknowledgements at the end. And the physical description of tall, dark, and handsome musician fits.
Sarem makes sure to reiterate that so many people were fawning over Zani and how amaaaaaaaazing she was, she couldn’t possibly have remembered even the smolderingest of smolderers. Zade blushes and stammers and can’t form complete sentences.
Jackson smiled again and his cheeks dimpled. He ran his fingers through his perfectly tousled dark chestnut hair, and I realized that I was going weak in the knees whenever he smiled.
During the recap of Apolonia, I talked about how certain phrases and sentence structures remove the reader from the action. This is a good example of that. “I realized that I was going” puts what amounts to a tape delay between the reader and the character. If this were an unconscious physical process (“I realized that I was picking the skin beside my thumbnail and immediately stopped myself,” “I realized that I was holding my breath as I waited for their answer,”), it would be slightly more forgivable (although I hate when I notice that in my own writing). In this case, the action is something so uncommon that you wouldn’t momentarily forget it was happening. You wouldn’t realize that your knees went weak. Your knees would just go weak. It would be impossible to ignore, especially if you were a heroine in a badly written YA/NA novel. It would happen so much, it would be all you could think about. You’d probably see a doctor.
What I’m saying is, “My knees went weak whenever he smiled,” would have been just fine.
“So what do you do around here?” Hopefully I would come up with something better while he was answering me. Even worse, I had a pretty good idea what he did, considering he had an electric guitar strapped to his back.
He’s a janitor.
I bit my lower lip and waited for him to respond as if he was about to tell me the meaning of life.
Jackson is the bandleader, singer, and guitar player for the show’s band. Honestly, the way this section is written is so bad, I can’t figure out how to properly critique it. Lani first thinks that he must be in the house band, because of the guitar. Then, after she asks him what he does and he says he’s in the house band, she chastises herself mentally for not just asking if he was in the house band, because of the guitar. Then she says the guitar gave it away. It’s so needlessly repetitive, with exactly the same words used in exactly the same way over and over.
Look, I’m gonna say it right now: if you are a writer, and you were thinking of submitting to the publishing arm of GeekNation, don’t. They do not edit their books, and if they do, the editors who work for them are not qualified to edit a phone book, let alone a novel. This is their flagship title, and it’s indicative of the quality of work they’re capable of. Your book deserves better.
Lani tells Jackson Rathbone that she also plays guitar, because of course she does.
“Sweet. A girl that can play, that’s hot for sure. I think you get bonus points for that.” The comment could have come off jerkish, but the way he said it sounded kind of sweet.
If you wanted him to sound sweet maybe you should have written him actually saying something sweet, Ms. Sarem. Lots of women play guitars, so this comment comes off as super misogynistic. You just included it to make it sound like your self-insert is so special and Not Like Other Girls™, which fails when the thing that makes her Not Like Other Girls™ is incredibly common. Playing guitar isn’t one of those traditionally masculine, gender exclusionary things. I read a statistic one time that said something like thirteen percent of people in the United States play guitar, and while men did outnumber women, it was only slightly. And a lot of the information was pulled from a Guitar Center poll. I speak on behalf of a lot of women when I say that being female and going to Guitar Center is about as enjoyable as being female and going to a convention panel made up entirely of male literary fiction authors, so the number of women playing is likely higher.
Anyway, Lani says they should jam together sometime, even though she knows she isn’t up to his level. He tells her that aside from his gig with David Copperfield, he has his own band, in which he sings and plays guitar, keyboard, and sometimes drums. If you check out the 100 Monkeys Wikipedia entry, you’ll find that Jackson Rathbone also played the guitar, keyboard, and drums in his own band.
Authors, on the other hand…
Look, writers use real people for character inspiration all the time. I think I even gave the advice recently in a Big Damn Writer Advice Column that casting characters like movie roles in your head kept them from all sounding the same. I stick by that. But wow, is it ever hamfisted when the character is not only named after their real-life inspiration, but the real-life inspiration is mentioned in both the foreword and the acknowledgments.
“That’s awesome. Actually, if it’s not too forward–would you mind if I borrowed a guitar sometime?” I asked sweetly. I could have probably said something more profound about how cool it was, him being able to play multiple instruments, and my head started to flood with all the other questions I could have asked about his original band.
I love that she’s describing, “It’s cool that you play multiple instruments,” as a “profound” statement.
Jackson says he keeps a spare guitar in his dressing room, and she should feel free to borrow it. Then he explains that he’s been sent to give her a tour of the theater. Because who better to do so than…a member of the house band? We know there’s a stage manager. We know there are human resources people. But the band leader is going to show her around? I mean, I guess? Weirder things have happened, but it just seems like a really horrible excuse for this meet-cute.
“Yeah, I was sent here to grab you. I volunteered to give the pretty new girl the nickel tour and introduce you to everyone.”
I was doing somersaults in my head. He thought I was pretty.
And nothing says “somersaults in my head” like an exclamation– oh. You’re going with a period there? Okay. I mean, I can see why she wouldn’t be excited about being called pretty since she just came from a town where everyone constantly told her she was pretty.
He put out his arm like guys do on dates sometimes when they want to be sweet. It’s a weakness for me when a guy does it; it makes me feel special somehow.
How? Because people telling you you’re beautiful, fawning over your illusion, giving you an audition and a job out of thin fucking air, none of that has made you feel special?
Lani remembers that she forgot her phone in wardrobe and tells him she’ll be right back.
“Sure. I’ll be right here…waiting for you.” He emphasized the words “right here” and “waiting for you.” I giggled like a schoolgirl. At least I got his reference and joke. Gotta be cool points for that.
I made sure to say, “Thanks, Richard Marx,” before darting back into wardrobe. Unfortunately, that meant that I had that song stuck in my head and it made me wonder if that comment meant he was actually a fan of Richard Marx.
Richard Marx is amazing. I went to one of his concerts with my friend Gloria for her sixtieth birthday and I was kind of like, oh man, this is going to be so sad and cheesy. Guess what? It was actually really awesome and one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, even though I didn’t really know his music that well.
This was marketed as a Young Adult novel. My fourteen-year old’s response when I asked, “Do you know who Richard Marx is?” was complete silence.
Lani goes and gets her phone and heads back to Jackson, thinking:
I had been so scared about my decision to leave home and move to Las Vegas, up until that very moment.
No the fuck you weren’t. We were there Lani. You were listening to The Dixie Chicks and thinking about how you knew exactly what you needed to do with your life. Also, after you got the job, you didn’t even need to consult your tarot cards because you knew you had what you wanted. You don’t get to change your mind now because you met a hot guy and you need to make him seem more important in the story.
Anyway, Jackson takes Lani off on the tour, and the chapter ends. WOW I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THE TOUR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
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I remember in one of the Anita Blake novels, Anita mentioned her weight as being 110lbs, and a few chapters later saying anyone below a size eight wasn’t a woman, it was a boy with breasts, and 1. Transphobic much? And 2. At the same height and weight, I was barely fitting into a size 2 and was a certified member of the itty bitty titty committee. Such a weird thing – both hating on thin women, and writing her character with the weight of one.
CptPJs
I mean, I am a freak of nature and I look like Jessica Rabbit, but I’m 110lb and a double FF cup, so… It is plausible, if unlikely.
many bells down
My sister is built like that too. Me, I was 105 and built like a Pringles can. Now I’m 150 and … still built like a cylinder.
Sorry, I should have specified – she was talking about her pants! Although she also had huge boobs. While I have zero doubt you can be small and have ginormous boobs, the weight has to fall out in other places – small limbs, or small hips, or whatever. Somehow Anita was larger than a size eight all over and muscular, but also only 110lbs.
Fangs for the Fantasy
For more amusement Anita in later books she goes to 106lbs. Still 5′ 3″ with high muscle tone (and muscle ways more than fat) and adds “curvy” and EEE breasts.
Goodness. For the majority of my life I was easily 105 pounds and very small breasted. I was literally a size zero. I didn’t start gaining weight till I was 30. So nice to know I was “a boy with breasts”.
While I do enjoy some of Laurell K. Hamilton’s works, several of her characters have the tendency to not only be skinny, but large breasted, hippy, but still skinny. Y’know, like, “not hot-girl skinny”
Sigyn Wisch
Re: Anita going to 106 lbs with EEE breasts and a curvy, toned body: IT IS TO LAUGH! I’m 5’3 with DD breasts, curvy but not toned (exercise? what’s that?). I’m 200 lbs and will probably be 210 when my viral cold has passed due to all the bread & juice I’m consuming with my soup and vitamins.
Again, different women have different body types, but I feel like Anita should weigh at least 120-130, 135 being the high end of healthy for her height.
I clearly remember Anita stating she was a six because she was too chesty for a five back in like the third book. Richard was asking her out to a reenactment of some sort. And of course, since it’s Anita, she’s never gained more than those “pesky” five pounds she blamed on Jean-Claude wanting to taste food through her later in the series.
I think I was about 140 lbs when I was a size 10, which would have put me at 120-130 for size 8. Different women have different body types and you know, that comment makes me think of Emilie Autumn’s Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, wherein she admits to being offended by people saying “Real women have curves” because it implies that naturally thin women with less curvaceous body types are “pretend women”.
I think my brain is melting just from the secondhand contact with this book. :I
Andrea Cranford
Is this seriously the text of this book? Jenny, you aren’t just,making it up, are you?Are we sure this isn’t a parody novel? Maybe the whole purpose of writing this book is to get people to rage read it.
Sadly, it’s no joke. This book just gets worse, even when it gets slightly better. There are multiple people sporking/reviewing this. I’ve been following Blandbook for Chortles, which is up to half of chapter 15 already.
As far as I can tell, Lani Sarem just didn’t give a shit. She padded the hell out of her script with the love triangle and more filler than you can shake a stick at (including Lamborghini Girl.) But mostly it’s just her very own NaNoWriMo, so of course it’s piss poor. I’m pretty certain Sarem never revised her book, before submitting it to GeekNation, who definitely didn’t edit it either.
If Sarem wanted people to rage at her book, then she did a very good job.
I really hope Jenny Trout leaves a concise review on Amazon about why this book is so awful. I’m hoping she can express it much better than I can. 😛 🙂
kitryan
It’s very unlikely that the same people who do the costume build also run wardrobe. Some people have the skills for both jobs, but they are two separate categories of job, usually separate unions too.
For a production that size, definitely. In addition, performers requiring help with costumes that would be “impossible to put on by yourself” get it from the DRESSER(S), not the costume builders or wardrobe maintenance folks.
Union rules aside, I think we had more Specialization in the tech departments than she’s describing when my 6th grade class put on “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Yep. Since we know that she’s probably familiar with band tours ( which are not something I’ve worked on) and I can’t imagine that blues traveler has a lot of elaborate Vegas style beaded and befethered costumes (of the kind you’d see in a magician in residence’s Vegas show), she may be envisioning a larger version of what she’s used to-which I’m guessing is a single crew that styles the band (though even here I doubt the primary stylist/designer is touring), maintains the clothes, assists with changes, and sources replacement items as they travel. This would be totally feasible for a touring band without an elaborate stage show, but it doesn’t work for stuff like Cirque du Soleil, b’way, regional theater, ice shows, Ringling Bros., etc.
In all the above, build would happen before the run starts and involves specialists-drapers, painters, dyers, costume crafts… and then during tech those folks start moving on to the next build for another show and hand off the show to Wardrobe, which usually has a couple/a few dressers who set up for each show, run the show, and clean up post show. There’s also often a daywork person(s) who does the bulk of the laundry and repairs.
I also don’t find the layout she describes or how this whole measurement process is playing out makes much sense but it’s so poorly described I can’t tell if it’s wrong in its details or just badly written.
I’ve worked in a tiny tiny theater where two of us were costume design, wardrobe, and dressers. We’re talking a cast of 20-30, all on a volunteer basis. I even had to buy stockings out of my own pocket once for a last-minute cast change.
Everyone doing 3-4 jobs is certainly NOT how a professional theater runs. It’s how Smalltown USA community productions work.
Yes, exactly- small, community or low budget shows- that can totally be how it works. You can even do serious theater with minimal crew – if it’s a one person show and they wear street clothes, only one or two outfits (requiring only laundry/iron levels of maintenance), you *could* have a broadway show with a single designer and a single wardrobe person/dresser. No problem. But no way no how a Vegas residency magic spectacular. No no no.
Oh, also, when doing measurments, even when I was measuring for a high school show I designed, I always always, if there is any way at all to kidnap a friend or bribe them with lunch, bring someone to scribe for me. It is a giant pain in the ass to measure *and* write down your measurments single handedly, since in order to ‘measure every inch’ you measure center back to shoulder, shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, and shoulder to wrist – as one example- and it’s a pain to do each measurments and then write it and then go back to the same spot and take the next measurement- or to try to remember the series and write it down all at once. Especially if I’m carrying on an animated one side conversation at the same time.
This thread makes me so happy. I haven’t worked in costuming in an actual theatre since I did my time in summer stock ten years ago, but this chapter was so full of wrong that it took me three tries to read it. Ugh.
I’m, like, doubly annoyed because I am also definitely a goth. Of course goth chicks work in the costume shop/wardrobe department. Where else would we be, if not building/taking care of pretty clothes?
I am 31 and I don’t know who Richard Marx is…
I’ve heard the song, but I never knew who the singer/songwriter was. I had to look it up. Zade and Jackson’s dumb banter didn’t trigger any memories for me. 😛
I’m ashamed that I only know him because I once illegally downloaded the Anastasia soundtrack. “At the Beginning” is a good song, dammit!
Omg that is who that is? I was born in 88 and I had no idea lol.
That costume designer is 100% Abby from NCIS. I’d be willing to put money on them wanting her for he role.
Would an actress with her resume want to do an under-five in this thing? As Jenny pointed out, the character shows up twice, and the extensive details serve no purpose.
Lani Not-Sarem
Oh god, I just realized that Lani had Zade leave her cell phone in the fitting room for the sole purpose of the Richard Marx joke.
That being said, I have read this book and there are many times at which it pings my troll-dar (the same way My Immortal did back in 2008) because of how ironic certain moments are. But Lani Sarem isn’t trolling. It just gets worse as the book goes on to the point where I think it ranks up there with The Room and Birdemic: Shock and Terror in terms of hilarious artistic failure.
JordieBelle
The sentence: “Mac looked Tad dead in the eye and moved his tongue around his gums.” made me feel faintly nauseous.
sexiersadie
I love (hate) how she goes on and on about the layout of the costume shop/fitting rooms. It’s like she’s saying, “I am a super special snowflake who has actually been in the costume shop before and I am inserting all of this detail so that you know just how CONNECTED I am. Because I have TOTALLY been in a costume shop.
Gah.
I rolled my eyes so hard at that “wow a girl who plays guitar” line that I felt like I sprained something.
Also – Jackson Milsap. First off, not even trying to pretend that isn’t Jackson Rathbone. And then Milsap? Wow, what a sexy name (apparently this is a real surname because I just googled it). One result says that it may derive from the Middle English word “milksop” (“a piece of bread soaked in milk”) which was also a “nickname for a ‘spiritless’ man.” https://www.houseofnames.com/millsap-history
Even Rackson Jathbone would have been a better choice. He’s one of the handful of people in this mess without a one syllable first name… unless she starts calling him Jax or Jack, that is.
Milsap obviously comes from Ronnie Milsap, who’s career pretty much stalled in the ’90’s and hasn’t had much airplay since. So Zadie-girl is saying her love interest is named after a has-been?
Are you SURE she’s not trolling us?
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” (Hanlon’s Razor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor )
So, nah, she’s not trolling, she truly believes it . . .
My roommate just mentioned that. Apparently he was a favorite of roommate’s mom.
Man, Lani’s great keeping her musical references up to date. Kids will really appreciate the nods to 80s singers.
Nods to older singers are bad enough, but she Also feels the need to hold our hands through the references, like she puts them in and knows we won’t get them, but instead of just taking them out she decides to condescend to us. Fantastic.
“I feel like this is implied when you say, ‘wardrobe,’ but I don’t know. This might be a time when repetitive exposition is necessary”
Nah, Jenny. This aside was there to disparage any claims that’s few women in this cast of colorful characters! Look, right there, a whole small group!
I’m so glad that “super ordinary and humble” Zade got used to the stardom life so quickly! I’d say to the point of being an entitled shit.
Why does every single named character need a nickname and a whole backstory for it? I would’ve accepted something along, “Lil was my wardrobe girl. She looked like your stereotypical goth, and she loved to talk.” She’s barely even in the rest of the story, what’s the point?
If you hated hearing her talk as much the reader is supposed to, what makes you think we want you to relay everything Lil has said, Zade?
I’m so sick of hearing how “not like other girls” Zade is! Like, oh my GOD! Next she’ll be like “You’re like a mix between Frodo Baggins and Batman.” And a dude will be like, “Whoa. A woman who knows her fantasy and superheroes. Hawt.”
Nah, all of the comic book references go under the male radar in the book, mostly as personal asides to the reader (but Zade makes a lot of them.) She isn’t even interested in watching Deadpool, until Jackson convinces her to go see it. I get the feeling Lani Sarem didn’t get the memo that it’s okay for women to love superheroes and that geeky girls are also cool now.
Btw, you’ll love the origin of Mac’s nickname and real name. It’s a special kind of hell, where he really should’ve gotten the tongue-in-cheek nickname Supes or Super, and then decided to own it, for reasons you’ll find out later. But instead he has the nickname Mac for even dumber reasons and I highly doubt the YA audience will know who that is. :p
If his name is Clark Kent, I’m gonna FLIP (probably not, because how the hell would you go from “Clark” to “Mac”?)
Not confirming anything, but his last name *is* Kent. . .
NOOOO. Is his mom’s name Martha? Is Jackson’s mom’s name Martha? Will these two fight over Zade, but then find solidarity over their identical names?
Also, I just realized that Jackson is the second leg of the love triangle. Is it creepy shipping your self-insert with a slightly tweaked version of someone you know in real life? I think it’s pretty creepy. Unless they’re dating in real life. But that just throws all tension of the love triangle out the window!
And that would be just terrible.
Haha because Sarem loves her dated references and her dumb names. 😛
As for Jackson Rathbone, they’re definitely not dating IRL. If I’m not mistaken, I don’t think he likes her that much.
A. Noyd
“Luckily, he apparently had catlike reflexes and caught me in his arms.”
Someday I want to read a story where the character’s “catlike reflexes” cause them to react just as dramatically when startled as a real cat. And that’s all.
“‘[…] I’m Jackson Milsap,’ he said, smiling broadly. […] All I processed was ‘Jackson.'”
How can she tell us his last name if she didn’t process it?
It’s a little bit scary, actually. A friend of mine has extremely good reflexes due to a lot of self-defense training and some very bad experiences. On her first day of teaching, one of the kids thought it would be fun to pretend to hit her over the head with a clipboard from behind. She got startled, jumped up, and very nearly had her hand in his face to defend herself when she realized what was actually going on and stopped herself. Seeing a bunch of usually very rowdy, very disrespectful thirteen-year-olds taking VERY great care not to startle their teacher again for the next year and a half was a lot of fun, though 😉
small jar of fireflies
“I fell off the arm of the couch. With catlike reflexes, I got up and walked off like nothing happened.”
Oh god I choked on my muffin
Erin C
I sat down and with catlike reflexes, I knocked over both wine glasses that were sitting on the table with my tail.
“And gave my human a dirty look when she laughed.”
The sound of his footfalls frightened me. With cat-like reflexes, I jumped up, yowled loudly, and scampered out the door, wide-eyed and anxious.
All that running into each other stuff is sooooo unrealistic. And why does nobody ever get hurt when they bump into each other? If it’s hard enough to make someone fall, it’s definitely hard enough to give someone a bruise, or knock out a tooth. Good times! And if you don’t want to go down that road… you could have soooo much fun with those clumsy heroines and them meeting the hero by running into him. Like… heroine has a good stance, hero gets caught unawares and falls. Or… heroine remembers her self-defense training, takes a perfect roll backwards and lands on her feet. Stuff like that!
I’ll never understand why the bump into someone and fall in love trope is so common. When people run into me, I think “ouch! wtf! what an asshole!” not “omg this person is so hot!”
Because she’s supposed to be cute and cluzty girl, to be relatable, bc she tries to rip off Twilight and becme another phenomena teen girls will gobble up because they identify themselves with cltuzy socially awkard character, who people find cute for being like this. and while I’m not saying that meeting a hot musician would spoil my day but like, I still roll my eyes, mostly because of Zade being apparently clumsy but still like going to a frigging magic show where she jumps down and walks several feet above the ground. I don’t find it believable. I for example move gracefully(or so I’m told idk because obviously I can’t see myself move from the sidelines) and I’m not falling or tripping a lot but I don’t have good sense of balance either like I don’t do well on narrow and small spaces where I have to make small steps, and therefore cannot see how I would do well in a Las Vegas magic show doing some acrobatic illusions(and that is ignoring the fact that I additionally have huge fear of hights where my body goes into lockdown mode pretty early). It’s like “you’re either prone to falling and have poor balance or you’re doing magis shows with hights and acrobatics and whatnot
Jane:. That I actually can believe, because ballet dancers and gymnasts are notoriously clumsy outside of practice. It’s like they’ve used up all their concentration and coordination and now there’s nothing to keep them from crashing into people and furniture.
But I doubt Lani has planted this detail as a bit of realism. It’s probabky just more manic pixie dreamgirl adorkableness.
Can confirm. My BFF in middle school did ballet and was so clumsy she once managed to shut her nose in her locker. And that brings up a another point: If you’re going to write a clumsy character, make their clumsiness interesting, FFS.
remember that Miss Lani takes inspiration from Twilight and FSG, which both feature a clumsy girl
my cousin is a clumsy girl. she falls down the stairs at least once a week. (its hilarious, her parents dont even react anymore to the sound of her tumbling down the steps)
Honestly, I don’t think we can blame it all on Twilight/FSG. Anime has been doing it for decades. Serena/Usagi from Sailor Moon is the first that comes to mind. At least there it’s played for laughs.
Gracie Hart in Miss Congeniality was also quite clumsy, and it was also played for laughs.
Usagi was consistently clumsy tho. She didn’t trip and fall when it was convenient or into the arms of another man. Even when she was Sailor Moon, she fell on her ass all the time. Every time Zade falls, it’s always a “whoops, silly me!” Plus, Usagi is a gangly teenager. Zade is a grown woman. Usagi is justified. Zade is cringy.
I knew it! Jackson is the nice one.
Oh god, she doesn`t even know how first or third person works. Or how to write.
For what I see, are two ways this thing could end:
1) After her “I was not expected to be” father sacrifice himself and save her to beat the greates evil of all, no matter if is Cam or Tad or Sophia, Jackson would let her go with Mac because nothings says more “I love you” like wish your death, but by then Mac would be Mr. Darcy so happly ever after for you all.
2) Jackson is evil, wants revenge CS and sees that Zani is so powerful that tries to turn her evil, but Mac and his “oh so pure love” for her stops that, she beats Jackson and again happly ever after Made. (Because I`m sure Lani has a name for her couple)
It’s actually something crazier… *SPOILERS*
3) Jackson shows up frequently, but has no real bearing on the story at all. Later on, Mac thinks Zade is in a romantic relationship with Charles, her father, in a manipulated misunderstanding moment, and that’s what sparks the actual conflict in the plot. I shit you not.
There is a tinfoil theory presented by Lani Not-Sarem that Jackson was an illusion placed on Charles or Zeb in various scenes.
Or wait, I guess that probably is 1) but I don’t know the exact end just yet. Sorry! I made my comment based on what I’ve seen so far in other sporks. XD
Mac only becomes sympathetic in my mind because Zade is worse if you consider her an unreliable narrator. :p
Sorry for the spam. I finally checked out the Something Awful Forum thread, which covers the entire book, including the preview for book two (hahaha there’s no way that’ll get published.)
The plot results in number three. You will never suspect how it ends. I just… wow. ಠ_ಠ
Sofia remains a good person, by the way.
I`m glad to hear about Sofia, she seems awful but in a nice way.
So it was how I first think, Jackson is only a character to make Mac jealous. That isn`t a love triangle, specially because Mac doubts about someone else, good is the dumbest way to make a couple work. He is in his 30s, she is 25, why don`t just date? To dull? But here I am, wanting plot in something that clearly is Lani`s fantasy that Jackson loves her.
Why I have the feeling that Jackson have more spotlight in the second (she wish and we hope never) book? Twilight too much? At this point, and only because that Joffrey joke, I`m thinking is going to have incest in it. Good, prove me wrong I beg you.
Oh god, she literally created a version of her celeb crush not to end up with them but to have them have a crush on her just so she has that fantasy of him fancing her real. This…I…I don’t wanna say it but 50 Shades wasn’t that fucking desperate with it. also this reeks of the silly cliche of “Person A being jelous of Person B, but then it turns out B is C’s cousin/sister/brother or other family”. Like sometimes it can be funny, but…it’s still truly silly and doesn’t really fit here? As Lani is trying to make it into action’/adventure and have this Mystery whatnot going on. I mean if you have your character keep secrets then those secrets are enough to create tension. Because whole everyone is entitled to privacy, lying to someone and obviously being evasive does create tension and issues and this could be the wall, or if we’re adding stuff live saving the world then saving the world too. There is this secret world Love Interest doens’t know about or doesn’t believe and they know they’re being kept in the dark and while they try to reason with it and fight it, it is in the back of ther minds and then the reveal comes in and the LI feels hurt because their partner haven’t told them about this Big Thing that HAS potential of affecting them too(magic, secret world ect is that kind of thing like even without bad guys), and they feel like their partner doesn’t trust them enough to be comfortable with them, their paertner a DOESN’T TRUST THEM ENOUGH TO BE THEMSELVES AROUND THEM. This would be so easy to make here? leave the whole dream of all boys falling for her left and right, just have Mac and the magic and create tension out of keeping him in the dark out of fear. It would make both character relatable because we’d understand why Mac feels hurt because he is being kept in the dark and is lied to and ulitmetely feels like he’s not being trusted by someone he loves; but we’d also understand Zade for doing this, like sure we’d see(if he was better written as love interest) he’s not going to call her a freak but we understand that she’s careful now because of how most of people reacted. But that would take a good writer who actually cares about the story and characters and not just uses them as a bounce-off to money and fame.
OK, maybe this is me just not knowing anything about theatre, but it seems a little unlikely to me that there are no men in the wardrobe department at all and I can’t help wondering if that’s because Zani subconsciously buys into the belief that sewing clothes is women’s work.
It’s not terribly implausible – Costumes is one of the few departments that is female dominated (there was a recent survey on this that I saw) however costume design is closer to 50/50 as it’s more ‘prestigious’ – think cook vs chef. Most shops I’ve worked in were about 80% women. Examples from my life – a shop of about 50 people might have 6 men, one of 12 might have 2 men.
The “weird, italicized section in which the point of view bounces around like a god damn Plinko disk.”
She got that from one of the “50 Shades” books, when suddenly we’re getting the POV of the Evil Boss. It’s the kind of error in construction a 12-year-old wouldn’t make: either you alternate POVS throughout the work, whether through an omniscient narrator or through 1st-person account: letters in “Clarissa” and “Dangerous Liaisons”; diaries in “The Collector”; the omniscient narrator for “East of Eden’s” Trasks alternating with the 1st-person narrator for the Hamiltons. And mind you, not everyone was convinced Steinbeck pulled off that last approach seamlessly.
If she’s taking “50 Shades” as her literary as well as business model, it would explain a great deal.
Erg! Unfinished sentence (too many clauses?): Either you alternate POVS, or you stick with one. You don’t suddenly plop in a different POV for no apparent reason.
Speaking of reasons, “13 Reasons Why” (like “Wuthering Heights”), incorporates various POVs in the account given by a central narrator. As does “Canterbury Tales,” come to that.
I don’t remember that happening in the 50 Shades books. I must have blacked out from my rage when I was reading them. I do remember the weird POV sections of Christian’s childhood bracketing the third book (I think it was). There is so much of that nonsense that I’ve thankfully wiped from my mind.
I find it very hard to believe any hair salon doesn’t do fun colours in this day and age. I live in a town of 1400 people, and both ours do them, plus the (multiple) people who do hair out of their homes. We don’t, however, have a beauty supply store. If you can’t get it at pharmasave, you’re ordering it off the internet.
I am twenty four and I don’t know who Richard Marx is.
Yeah I go to a “normal” salon with clients ranging from kids to seniors, and my stylist was perfectly happy to dye my hair purple and blue on one occasion.
Ok. So Mac and Tad both come up to an open door. On the other side is a woman in her underwear who thinks the door is shut. And they both stand there looking at her? Neither one grabs the knob and eases the door shut?
They both come off as pretty gross here. A similar effect might have worked if Mac had walked up, seen her, shut the door, and then thought for a while about how hypnotic that glimpse had been. Which us still frankly odd in an adult male and raises the question of how he functions at the beach, surrounded by women in bikinis.
Peeping toms, cothing, and a guitarist still don’t make it feel like the story has started.
That’s not quite totally creepy on the peeping tom/nice guy scale. They didn’t actively open the door or gain access, it was open when they walked by. They didn’t go in or violate the threshold to put in any recording devices in the room to view the scene (that’s creepy) Because the women left the door open it’s the equivalent of someone in their own room expecting privacy when they leave their curtains open.
Then again, the writing is so bad we don’t know who left the door open. But the men didn’t and they were in a ‘public’ area in the theater. So I’ll argue that it’s a ‘freebie’ for the guys because they only walked by and saw the opportunity. But I’d think the same rules apply here as out on public streets, namely, if you don’t like someone using a photon-collection device (either eyeball or camera) in a public area, then make sure you don’t emit the photons into the public area that you didn’t want them to collect.
But yeah, they could have shut the door or turned their heads and knocked gently to remind the women they weren’t in a private environment.
In the theaters I’ve worked in, mostly we don’t care all that much about privacy. You’re changing clothes, often just offstage in front of 20 people, sometimes. But you also don’t ogle. It’s like a clothing-optional resort; no one really cares how much clothing you’re not wearing, and you also don’t spend 10 minutes staring right at someone’s genitals.
So in my experience, having the door half-open wouldn’t be weird. Mac even popping in the room to grab something while the fitting was happening wouldn’t be weird. Mac standing there for 5 minutes staring … weird.
Or the Gropenfuhrer walking in while everyone is naked. . . weird.
Agreed. Most of the time you have better things to do during a show or during pre show than to ogle your *coworkers*.
Also, crappy wardrobe (or whatever) person not making sure the door is closed especially for a new person. We were always very careful to not make assumptions with people we hadn’t worked with before. Some people are more private than others and in my experience and my personal work, this is always accommodated to the degree possible to do the show. Obviously if you have a insta-change, there may not be much that can be done, but you would make sure that the costume’s underwear was as opaque and modest as was feasible for the costumes and that the area selected for the change was clear of people who had no reason to be there and as screened as possible. And most people who are shy or modest relax pretty quickly when they realize that everyone’s focus is on their own job and no one is focusing on their body except for their team – who is doing so with the focus and goal of getting them changed as fast as possible and making sure they look right.
Creeper starers don’t last long.
Sorry, prev. comment was in agreement with many bells down – I didn’t realize that all ‘replies’ were kind of all in one. Also, there are so few depictions of actual costuming that this is super frustrating.
@many bells:. That was my first thought. Some shows you have to change in the wings. In one production of “Gypsy,” Electra’s fuses kept malfunctioning, and if they shorted out right before the “Gimmick” number, the tech guess had to work on the costume with her still in it. Awkward, because you can guess where the three main light clusters were–think string bikini. But everyone tried to stay professional, and just made enough wisecracks to ease the tension.
In a Vegas show, there is NO way Mac hadn’t seen plenty of chorus girls in various states of undress before. And if he openly gawped like that, even other het males would consider him a creep.
don’t wanna spoil you but in this instance it doesn’t seem to be hos fault because wait for it…ZADE IS MAGIC. Like really there is an actually piece of dialouge in this book that says all men are attracted to Zade/love her/can’t take their eyes of her because her magic is just so powerful they cannot help themselves. Kind like siren call or a nymph/elf in mythology…making people(men) unable to look away even when they want to because they’re so enchanting.
True. I was picturing it as a stiff door, or with bad hinges, since it’s specified as a “crack,” which can happen in an old building without people noticing.
Still, when you have two people on the other side gawking and making faces, someone should just shut the door.
This novel is just agonizingly horrible, even through the filter of your excellent commentary. I mean, tell me that, in spite of the NYT #1 scam, in spite of hyping something so crappy, when the novel has to stand on its own merits, people will see it for what it is, right?
I thought that would happen for Fifty Shades and the 2016 election, yet here we are, so who the fuck knows. I would like to think that cream rises to the top and true quality will be valued over something trying to shoehorn its way to fame, but here we are, in this shitty present timeline.
The truth is that in life the scum, as well as the cream, rises to the top.
Cody Cromarty
Speaking of commas, in the post-finale thanks section (which itself is as long as a chapter) Lani thanks her editor specifically for making sure she knows where to put a comma.
The aforementioned thanks section includes at least one instance where she forgot a space after a comma.
Did you notice the excessive number of emdashes and semicolons that would have worked better as commas? And the endless word repetition, and redundant statements?
I would love to talk to the editor of this thing.
“Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way fashion collection. Which, by the way, I really think Hot Topic should look into licensing.”
Considering Ebony bought all her stuff from there in the first place, this is excellently meta and I love it.
I do know who Richard Marx is. I’ll be 40 next week.
Good Lord, this book is terrible.
Neurite
Yeah, I just hopped over the 4-0 line myself, and I cried my eyes out to Richard Marx over my teenage crushes back in the day. This is a really, really dusty reference. I don’t expect most people under 35 to get it.
Yikes. The lack of self-awareness all around from both author and character is astounding. She really thinks this is some ground-breaking addition to literature when in reality, you can set your watch by the predictable tropes.
I’ll admit to unconsciously using a lot of similar names in my work (e.g., five people with names that begin with J and, at one point, two unrelated characters with the EXACT SAME NAME) but when I catch it, I, y’know, fix it. There are so many three-letter names floating around that my eyes are starting to glaze over and I automatically skip right over them to preserve my processing faculties.
I agree. Not to mention, many of them could have slightly longer names, for a little bit of variety. Lillianne could be Lily, Tad could be… Thom? Or Thomas. I forget what his full name was. Mac could be Clark, Supes, or Super. Or maybe Bats, to tease his brooding. Zade really should’ve been Melusine/Melusina, so Mel could have a different name (not that it would matter much, since she also barely appears.) Unless that’s Lamborghini Girl’s name… If Lani Sarem writes a sequel, we might find out.
Also, I wanted to add that if the two unrelated characters with the EXACT SAME NAME had a story surrounding them, that would be a good reason to keep them that way. You’d still have to distinguish them somehow, so it’d only be worth it if one was the protagonist and the other was the antagonist or foil who was intentionally or unintentionally getting the protagonist into trouble. XD
That’s a super rare circumstance though.
There are a couple times where I started thinking, “This HAS to be a parody. No one could be that oblivious about how the character sounds, right? She has to realize how self absorbed and shitty this girl sounds.” But no.
It bugs the hell out of me after the whole song and dance about her stupid name and how to pronounce it that she IS saying it wrong, and everyone who calls her Zod is right. The z-a-d-e in Scheherazade is said like zod and not like zade.
Real person fanfic skeeves me out generally, so including the actor as her love interest is gross and creepy.
The level of detail we get about random extras or things that don’t matter at all is mystifying. In anything else if she had to go back and get her phone it would lead to something. She would walk in on something happening, or overhear a conversation. Sure things like forgetting your phone happen all the time in real life, but in fiction we usually get to skip that stuff.
I said this upthread a bit, but I’m pretty sure The reason Zade forgot her phone was so that Jackson could make the shitty Richard Marx joke.
This book would be so much better if Zade was an unreliable narrator, with some kind of payoff that she’s been making herself sound better than she is this whole time. It’s the only excuse she has for leaving the reader in the dark for so long about various subjects, other than most of the middle is pure padding and Zade has absolutely no self-awareness.
I’m with you, in that regard. To me, it’s just weird to treat real people like they’re also characters who are open to interpretation (while they’re still alive… historical fiction is a grey area for me.) This gets grosser and creepier later on, when we finally get sprinkles of Charles… I honestly forgot he was David Copperfield expy until just now, which gives it a whole new level of weirdness. I… need to go wash my hands again. Ugh. >_<;
Ironically, Zade greeting Carrot Top and Wayne Newton at the mall is one of the highlights of the book. Almost as good as Lamborghini Girl.
Becuase that’s what teenagers are into these days: C-list comedians from the 90s!
hell, i was around when Carrot Top was at the peak of his popularity and *I* barely know who he is.
One thing that bothered me about Apolonia that I couldn’t put my finger on until now is how frustrating bad 1st person POV is. I get these authors HAVE to use first-person because they’re living vicariously through the heroine, but good lord is it annoying to read.
The book is advertised as a fantasy book, and the back cover tells the entire plot. We pick up the book KNOWING she’s magic. She knows she’s magic. We are in her head. There’s no reason why her using magic has to be this “BIG” reveal to the reader since it’s the world she’s keeping her magic a secret from, not us. I get these books are all just ripping off Twilight and think “is he/isn’t he a vampire?” is obligatory, but it doesn’t work in a context where Bella/Ana/Rory/Zade enters the story knowing Edward/Christian/Rory/Zade is a vampire/sadist/immortal/witch. There’s no need to spend multiple chapters beating around the bush- just get to plot, already.
Also, when every character keeps telling Zani how exceptional her treatment is, her ignoring the heavy-handed foreshadowing something is adrift doesn’t mean the reader will. It just makes her look clueless and entitled if constantly being told she’s getting special treatment from a stranger doesn’t make her go, “really, why? Was my show THAT good?” and if she’s in on why she’s getting special treatment, when others bring it up she should think about the secret in her head (which we are inside).
Of course all of this, and the pointless skedaddle of Mac peeping on her, could’ve all been avoided by using 3rd person so the audience could easily know things Zani doesn’t and vice versa, but that would mean this book was written for the benefit of the reader and not so the author could view life through the eyes of a magical version of herself who everyone loved and desired. So. TL;DR Bad book.
As much as I hate to defend anything so poorly written, Zani doing her own hair makes sense to me. Where I grew up (southern U.S.) kids could be suspended from school for “non-natural” hair colors. Several stylists I knew would not do fantasy dye jobs on kids for that reason. Granted, any town big enough to have a Sally’s probably has at least one stylist who’d dye it for you, but I can see how finding one might be more work than just dying it yourself.
Yeah, but Zade isn’t a kid at this point; she’s in her twenties by the beginning of the book. I think it depends on whether she got used to doing it herself, and simply gave up on stylists, or if it’s a case of mostly lazy writing. Also, Centertown, TN is apparently a real place and it’s incredibly tiny, less than 300 people IRL. Google Maps says the nearest Sally Beauty Supply is in McMinnville, TN and it’s roughly 15 minutes away. XD
Lani Sarem took some creative liberties, per usual, although I suppose since she can claim this is urban fantasy, her world’s Centertown could’ve expanded further… Although I think the horrible prologue also mentions how tiny it is? I forget.
Or she could just make up a place and do what she likes with it. It’s pretty well-known that Grover’s Corners is Peterborough and Maycomb is Monroeville, but because Wilder and Lee used fictional names, they could play around with the history and geography of their settings.
But again, we’re proceeding as if this were a real book by a real writer.
The problem is Centertown was never the capitol of Tennessee. The capitols were Knoxville, Kingston (for one day only), back to Knoxville, then Murfreesboro, and finally Nashville. Kingston is the smallest, with about 6,000 people, Murfreesboro has about 132,000, and Knoxville about 186,000. Since she said she was from the “town” that was the capitol before Nashville, that would mean Murfreesboro. I live in “M’boro” and I can say unequivocally that there are 2 Sally Beauty Supply stores here, as well as more than 30 salons that would gladly color her hair any shade of the rainbow.
It’s fine if she’s writing about a fantasy town, but to give it the specific claim of “the town that was the State capitol before Nashville” tells me she didn’t bother with research. If she had left that qualifier off, I could almost forgive her attitude that the people here all a bunch of unenlightened, judgemental hicks. I moved here from Michigan at age 21, and I was pleasantly surprised that the folks here were very much like folks from there. Some nice, some not so nice, but most of them very accepting of my “Yankee-ness”, well except for my in-laws, but that’s another story.
Thera Pitts
In my YA book, my main character listens to lots of old music. But this is considered uncommon within the world of the book. I guess there’s a sad case of Not Like Other Girls(TM) going on there, but at least she has a good reason for being well-versed in the classics (her and her father were street musicians). And she doesn’t humblebrag about the speshulness of her oldies preference. Also the most obscure reference she makes is to Carole King, who I believe is more famous than Richard Marx. Anyway, great recap!
I listened to older music more often than newer in high school too. It wasn’t common, but “Not Like Other Girls” out there either. As long as she doesn’t look down on every other girl in existence because of her superior taste, thats fine.
Well she also compares another girl in the book to Beyonce in a favorable light, and mentions liking Janelle Monae, Awolnation and Steve Lacy (although she’s less kind to Katy Perry and Imagine Dragons). So I think I’m good. Thanks for the reply 🙂
Jamoche
I almost wish the movie deal did go through, just for the moment when the professional costume department tells Little Miss Entitled that no, they are not her personal costumers. And no, she can’t take any of it home.
I almost wish the deal went through, and the producers made it a condition of the contract that the leads be played by People of Color.
You know, because “it’s not her fault that the author of The Hate U Give is black….”
Crystal M
This book is the most insipid thing ever. I don’t know how you can bear to read one page.
The thing that keeps striking me over and over is that these people are supposed to be pushing 30 and apart from Zade are established professionals. But all act like they should be in middle school. No wonder a book with adult characters was marketed as YA.
And of course none of the characters can call out Zade’s ridiculous narcissism and entitlement unless they’re the villain.
BlueSimplicity
This is soooooooo looooooooooooooong and boring. Not the flogs, and kudos to you Jenny for getting through this dreck, but the story itself. You’re just posting smaller sections of it, and I have to force myself to get through them, because holy cow, this sh!t is awful. How many more pages/chapters are left in this thing?
And everyone has their Mary Sue fantasies. In mine, I’m Sailor Pluto and Chris Evans and Jason Mamoa are both hopelessly in love with me. (Shut up!!) But ya know, it’s just a fantasy and something I use to amuse myself when I’m stuck in another long boring meeting at work. And while it may be endlessly entertaining to me, I know it’s of absolutely no interest to anyone else. Never mind trying to charge people for the “privilege” of reading my fantasy. **headdesk** This book, this effing book!!
alana skye
I agree! Mine is that I’m a world famous rock star with a PhD in Physics who’s married to Dave Grohl, but I would never write and publish a book about it, that would be weird!
Mine are pretty low key cozy mystery type fantasies. Like I’m a respected medical examiner in a picturesque small new england town. Its always fall there and my sweaters are awesome.
So her would-be scam involved selling a major Hollywood studio her “best selling” novel, after which she expects they’ll just allow her to star in the film as the main character? Is that right? Does that strike anyone else as being the least bit, oh, insane? Has she even done any professional acting? I’ve certainly never heard of her before.
She played “Roxy” in “Trailer Park Shark.” Which I think she might have had a few lines in?
The amount I want this movie to get made according with Lani Sarem’s vision is that I think it would result it a modern classic of so-bad-it’s-good film.
I doubt we’d get a “Plan 9 From Outer Space” or “The Room” out of this. I think we’re talking more like “Red Zone to Cuba” or “The Castle of Fu Manchu”–barely watchable even with MST3K riffing away.
here’s also the thing: Lani is 35 years old. she looks like she’s 35.
now i dont wanna seem like im bashing her looks- miss lani is a very attractive woman- but there’s no way she could pull off looking like 25 year old who is leaving home for the first time in their life. and since i read miss lani wants to make “five or seven movies” from her books, she’ll be well into her forties by the time the sequel comes out.
It’s even more bizarre when you consider that the 25 yr. old in question behaves like a petulant spoiled brat teenager. So if this were ever filmed, you’d have a 35 yr. old playing a 25 yr. old who acts like a bloody 15 yr. old, and a particularly stupid, selfish & self-centered one at that.
In one of the classic Hollywood adaptations of Little Women – either the 30’s or 40’s one, I forget which – they have an adult actress play Jo during her childhood years as well as a young woman, instead of having a child play her as a child and an adult play her as an adult, as the 1990’s remake with Winona Ryder did. The result is…unfortunate. Having a full grown adult portray a kid, especially the scenes where the character’s behaving like a jealous brat, is creepy as hell, and only resulted in making the poor woman look mentally ill. Why am I getting a similar vibe here?
Jenny (but not Jenny Trout)
I spit coffee on my iPad when I read the Lillian has more than her fair share of tattoos. I have two, does that mean I can’t get any more?
I’m not very knowledgeable about tarot, but shouldn’t the Hierophant reperesent a teacher, beliefs, learning, or a connection between theory and practice? (I don’t have a standard RWS deck, so I might be a little off on that.) I know I’m not reading the entire chapter, but I’m not getting a sense of this card from what’s here of the chapter. And if all he chapter titles are the Major Arcana, why not the fool’s journey?
I shouldn’t be looking for consistency and logic in this book, but I’m listening to The Raven Boys and the use of Tarot cards in that is fascinating.
Calling it now, the only song Zade knows how to play is Wonderwall.
Mylissa
I’m not reading this book and I hate this book. It irritates so much, that she claims to be a show biz professional and her writing is like the clueless land of the imaginary. She’s gotten about every part of everything backstage wrong.
What sort of weird ass dressing room is that? How would dressing room cubicles be useful? I cannot imagine this set up anywhere in any theatre, it’s not even practical.
It’s also driving me crazy that she’s being measured in her underwear when it’s completely unnecessary and appears to be an excuse for the boy to see her almost naked. In an industry where it’s not unusual to see your co-workers birthday suit naked. What is unusual? Staring.
Is the twist that the theatre isn’t actually real and she’s magicked it all up poorly?
But since these people didn’t know what a library was, of course they don’t know anything about theatrical productions either.
miss lani did work at/with (?) David cooperfield years ago. maybe that’s how it was done back then….?
but no, im more inclined to believe miss lani is making assumptions and has done no research on this.
Alyssa Crenshaw
I’ve occasionally seen dressing rooms with dividers on the mirror for make-up, like you see in the movies, so maybe she thinks that’s what a cubical is.
I thought she had experience in the theater; how could she be fucking up descriptions this badly? It has to be intentional, right? It reads like it was written by a troll making fun of all these tropes she’s invoking, but that might actually be amusing.
Also, I know he’s a David Copperfield avatar, but I keep picturing Charles Spellman as Charles Shaughnessy.
Maril
“Instead, we’ll get a list of all the desirable physical qualities the heroine has, while being told that somehow, only on her, these qualities aren’t attractive.”
Well, not EXACTLY. These qualities are totally not attractive on her, except, the fact that they’re not attractive on her is exactly why they ARE attractive on her. That’s the key to this trope. It’s the One Direction song where they sing about how you’re super attractive ‘cuz you think you’re ugly. Because you can’t be genuinely beautiful if you know you’re attractive. Confidence isn’t sexy. Remember that young ladies who want people to like them; if you like yourself, you’re hideous and horrible. So know your place and know how much less than you are. Embrace your insecurities! Live in them! Let them completely distort who you are as a person so you never try and do anything above your lowly station out of fear of coming across as believing in yourself!
I’m sorry, this whole mindset just makes me so bitter and angry. I’m fucking sick of it. Stop glorifying people who think they suck, media! People who hate themselves for no good reason are irritating as all goddamn hell and we do not need more of them! We need people who know what the fuck they’re worth and goddamn well aim for it! >_o Don’t settle for a job that’s beneath you because you don’t think you can do better. Don’t settle for a relationship that doesn’t make you happy because you’re afraid if you don’t you’ll be alone forever. Don’t hide yourself because you think you’re ugly, and for the love of god don’t let other people push you around because you think they’re better than you! Be assertive! Know who you are and what you’re capable of! Look in the mirror and know your hair looks fanfuckingtastic today goddamn it!
…I may have some personal experience with people who live this trope… possibly… *cough*
I hear you! I used to be horrifically insecure before I grew up and learned that basically everyone was bullied at some point. I saw how fantastic, beautiful, creative, and worth all the stars in the sky my friends were & it made me realize I’m worth all those things too, so it really grates my cheese when I see things that encourage young folks to feel badly about themselves until someone else validates them. You don’t need other people to validate you. You are valid.
It also sucks because it pushes young women to compete with each other and tear each other down with the Other Girls mindset, rather than build each other up. It’s bad enough that patriarchs hate us without us hating each other.
Thinking about this whole “guys fall for Zade cuz she magic” thing in the book I’ve mentioned couple of comments ago…I just thought up a much better scenario for this travesty(not too difficult, I know) but like what about having the mixed pov but…separated into two parts in the book? First part is First Person Zade and she is the way she well is described and all that jazz but then second POV/part of the story is in third person and we find out that Zade is actually a siren/sccubbus/evil fairy/witch who uses her magical sexappeal to lure people(mostly men) in and feed of their energy to keep her youth and immortality. (Sorta like Mother Gothel in Tangled with Rupunzel’s hair) but Sophia, The Lemonade Girl and Sophia’s friend whose name escapes me, are immune to her power bc maybe they are like other girls and see nothing wrong with it and they are confident in themselves and comfortable with who they are, especially Sophia who knows her worth, ect. and they are not taken in and they feel something is wrong with this Zade chick and decide to investigate and find out she’s the witch as I mentioned and that she has been around for like 1700’s and they decide to act and team up to save Vegas(and their partners whom they truly love, the jelousy, sluttiness and lust for power is Zade’s manipulation of trying to make them look like the bad guys and to project her own personality on them) the show and people they care about. That IMO would be much more interesting than the actual book, because we open up thiking ‘yet another Mary Sue’ but it turns out she is unreliable narrator who is trying to manipulate us as well as the cast of the show.
Ok now I want to write that book. Or something similar.
Cheryl Z
Okay given that creepy book placement Tweet, I’m terrified that Thomas Ian Nicholas is in trouble and Lanie Sarem is holding his first born child hostage or something. Because let’s face it, a man with a first born child NOT held hostage would have probably given up the ghost on this book by now.
Thomas – message us, let us know you’re okay. We can help.
I’ve been thinking about the whole “I’m five-nine and it’s a BIG DEAL GUYS” bit, and one reason it bothers me is because it can be better done.
Consider this section, from Patricia C. Wrede’s book “Dealing with Dragons”, about the heroine Cimorene.
“And she wouldn’t stop growing. Her parents were quite sure no man would ever want to marry a girl who could look him in the eye instead of gazing becomingly up at him through her lashes.”
This is not just shorter and far more elegantly written than Sarem’s “let me interrupt the action for a paragraph to ramble about the average height of a North American woman” interlude, but actually serves a function. Cimorene is, indeed, Not Like Other Girls – but specifically, she is not like her *sisters*, who are fairly typical princesses, and Cimorene is therefore a disappointment to her parents. This disappointment in her leads them to try to force her to marry a man she does not care for at all, and her to run away, which launches the events of the plot. It is actually relevant to her personality, her relationships with others, and her subsequent character arc, and Wrede conveys so much of this with her light, ironic tone. (Also it’s in third person, which if you’re trying to get people to like your protagonist, maybe don’t fill the text with sections where the character brags about themselves in their own voice.)
I looooveeeee! this! book!!!!
I read all of them in middle school and they were just delightful!
I love that book! And the name Cimorene. And the role she takes, and the reason she takes it
BitterAlmonds
You know, a common criticism of this kind of wish-fulfillment novel is that the protagonist doesn’t have a personality. I wish so, so badly that was the case for this one. Lani/Zade is absolutely insufferable. Smug I can live with, disingenuous–this false fucking modesty really chaps my ass. Every sentence drips with how up her own 5’9″ technicolor hair flawed-in-all-the-right-ways ass she is. Frankly, if Lani and Zade really are the same person, I’m not surprised that the book turned out this way. You can’t be good at writing people if you don’t have a genuine interest in them and their motivations. Look at how she treated Lil–Lil spends that section trying to engage and be friendly with the new girl, and Zani completely ignores it in favor of thinking about how hot-but-not-hot she is. That would have been the perfect opportunity to familiarize the reader with who’s who, as opposed to dropping six names (all three letters long) in a single chapter. Instead the reader has to sit through Zade thinking about how bored she is and that Lil talks too much. Maybe you’d learn about something other than farmer’s markets from her if you had an iota of respect for other people, Zani?
The more I read the more sure I am that this is how Lani Sarem behaves in real life when she thinks she can get away with it. If that read is correct then I very much hope all of her endeavors crash and burn. I wish nothing but the worst for her and her garbage attitude towards others.
that’s a very good point you have: here’s someone who is extending a hand of friendship to Zade, and zade doesnt give two hoots.
i think this was the inspiration lani took from twilight. in twilight, all of bellas female classmates are always inviting her to outings, to their meetups, and all bella can give is a half-assed reaction. for goodness sake, they invite bella out for prom dress shopping, something that a lot of girls LOVE to do, and instead of turning down the invite, bella goes with the her “friends” and spends the entire time complaining how “shallow” the prom is.
i forgive bella a lot cause she was just a teenager, but zade in in her twenties, darn it. leave your holier-than-thou attitude back home!
also for all complaining Bella kind of cared about her friends? Like she always worried they might get caught in the middle of her vampire secret and get killed? Also, the most bitchy character she met was Rosalie whom she actually tried to befriend…sure there was Jessica but there was no bs like here with such level of hatred. Bella was a bit holier-than-thou with her thinking her shallow but the books never had Jessica nearly dying as far as I remember to make Bella look good. She was only made to look better in the “I’m not interested in gossip and shopping” department which wasn’t really that different or worse from all the other teen dramas that pull it off. Here tho? Not only is protagonist older, but Sophie is made to be almost cartoonish, she hates Zade and is even ungrateful when Zade saves her life and is bitchy and touches a much younger and I dare say childlike employee…I don’t think Mayer tried this hard with the bitchiness of foils.
Yes, all of this. Also, I don’t think anyone was ever supposed to understand Bella as Meyer. Bella stands in for the reader. Bella holds herself apart from other women so the reader can feel special in their internalized misogyny–she (and the reader) isn’t like other girls. Zade, on the other hand, is so obviously meant to be Lani. So when the author’s self-insert is purposefully dismissive and dickish to other characters–What the actual fuck? That’s not something to be proud of, Lani. Why are you so self-satisfied about what a dickwad you are to other people? That’s what was really getting my goat as I read.
I love snark ladies!
Miimers
I can’t for the life of me understand how something so poorly written still manages to make the MC such a colossally unlikable wafflebladder. How does one do that when they can’t even string a sentence together that sounds like it’s from the 20th century?
Finally getting around to reading these. OMG. All these “YA” books read the same. I think the same person writes all of them. And they’re so incredibly dull.
When I WAS a “YA,” I read much better books than these. YAs aren’t stupid. Give them better books!
“I always want a completely recognizable costume that is something so unique that no one else has it.” Because you’re Not Like Other Girls, even though you want to fit in and have a normal life. What the fuck ever. Make your own sparklyspeshul unique costumes then.
“Yes, having your very own costume designer is a must for any girl.” but you’re NLOG so doesn’t that mean you shouldn’t have one?
I like Lil! She’s a chatty Perky Goth! And jeez, maybe she’s not so much babbling about herself as trying to fill the silence, you know, Zade? Feel free to join in the conversation so it doesn’t feel like an awkward monologue.
Love the snow globe comment!
Come on, Jenny, MANGO JELLY! HOMEMADE MANGO JELLY FROM A FARMER’S MARKET! That is ACTUALLY the most interesting thing in this story! I would much rather read Lil’s life story than Zade’s.
Hey, Jackson Rathbone is pretty hot! But it’s still inappropriate to name a character after him in an obvious self insert fic. Real person fic is creepy, guys. I mean, I do it, but not in anything professionally published or anything I’m asking money for.
He’s not a janitor, he’s a custodian. Gosh.
Oh wow, playing guitar gets BONUS POINTS?? I wasn’t aware being a woman was graded on a point system! I was under the strange impression that women were human beings! I hope Jackson isn’t that douchey in real life. Poor fellow.
I know this is a few months old and Jenny probably won’t see my comment, but I am dying over the Vegas Renaissance Faire thing. Why, you ask? I live in Vegas. I went to the Faire last year. And who had a booth at the very back that exactly NO ONE was stopping to see?
Lani-mothereffing-Sarem.
The meta, it burns.
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The Clay Shaw trial testimony of Frances Newman
MRS. FRANCES GAYLE NEWMAN, a witness for the State, after first being duly sworn by the Minute Clerk, was examined and testified on her oath as follows:
Q: State your full name, please.
A: Frances Gayle Newman.
Q: Mrs. Newman, it is very important that everyone in the courtroom be able to hear you so I will ask you to speak into the microphone as loudly as possible. These gentlemen have to be able to hear you. If you don't understand a question I don't mind you asking us to repeat it.
A: Okay.
Q: State your full name once again.
Q: Where do you live, Mrs. Newman?
A: Dallas, Texas.
Q: Where in Dallas?
A: 227 East Green Drive.
Q: Mrs. Newman, did you live in Dallas, Texas in 1963?
A: Yes, sir. I am a native of Dallas.
Q: Did you have occasion on November 22, 1963 to go to Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas?
A: Yes, sir, we did.
Q: And for what purpose did you go there?
A: We went to Dealey Plaza so we would have a chance to see President Kennedy as he came through town.
Q: Did you in fact observe the Presidential motorcade?
A: Yes, sir, we did. We went out to the airport to see and we were unable to see him so we went to Dealey Plaza.
Q: And in whose company were you in, if anyone?
A: My husband and my two children.
Q: Would you speak just a little louder please, ma'am?
Q: What was your husband's name?
A: William E. Newman, Jr.
Q: And where is he today?
A: He is home sick.
Q: Mrs. Newman, I am going to ask you to please step up, step down from the witness chair and step over here, please. Mrs. Newman, I direct your attention to what for purposes of identification is marked State 34 and ask you whether or not you recognize the scene depicted in this photograph?
A: Yes, I do.
Q: What is this a picture of?
A: A picture of the Triple Overpass and where we were standing at the time of the assassination.
Q: What is this area commonly called in Dallas?
A: Dealey Plaza.
Q: Mrs. Newman, I'm going to give you a small flag which has your name on it and a pin and I direct your attention to the large plaque over here marked State 35 and ask you to please place, stick this pin in the location or approximate location where you and your husband were standing at the time you observed the motorcade.
Q: Mrs. Newman, I also direct your attention to this mockup which has been marked State 36, and I give you this small emblem and I would request you to locate yourself on this mockup, your approximate location.
A: Right in there, right in front of that sign there.
Q: Do you see any other signs on the mockup?
A: Oh, wait, I am too far down. Right in here.
Q: You may return to the witness chair. Mrs. Newman, at what location was the Presidential limousine at the time you were first able to observe it?
A: They were, when we first were able to see them, the limousine as it turned the corner from Houston onto Elm Street.
Q: And did the Presidential limousine remain in your line of vision?
MR. DYMOND: Object to leading the witness.
Q: To what point on Elm Street did you lose sight of the Presidential limousine, if in fact you did?
A: It was after it passed us and went under the Triple Overpass.
Q: Mrs. Newman, while you were in Dealey Plaza did anything unusual occur?
A: Yes, sir, the President was shot.
Q: Did you hear any unusual noises?
A: I heard three of what I thought at first were firecrackers -- three shots.
Q: Did you hear the first of these noises?
A: Yes, sir. Now, do you want me to tell you where the President's car was when I first heard the noises?
Q: If you can.
A: The President's car was maybe 100 or 150 feet from us when I first heard the noise and the first two noises were close together, just seconds apart.
Q: Were you looking at the President at the time you heard the first report?
Q: Were you able to observe any reaction on his part?
A: Yes, sir, at the time of the first noise he threw his hands up.
Q: Could you simulate what you observed?
A: He threw his hands up like this and sort of turned his head.
Q: Did you have occasion to hear a second report?
Q: Before I go into that, were you able to observe Governor Connally after the first report?
A: Yes, sir, I saw Governor Connally with the first shot seemed to turn a little bit like this. (Indicating.)
Q: You said you then heard a second report?
Q: Were you able to observe any reaction on the part of Governor Connally then?
A: Yes, sir, at the time of the second shot Governor Connally grabbed his stomach.
Q: Did he do anything else?
A: Well, his eyes just got real big and he sort of slumped down in the seat.
Q: Were you able to hear a third report?
A: Yes, sir, we heard a third report, it was a short time, not maybe 10 or 12 seconds after the first two shots.
Q: And what were you able to observe the effects of this shot then?
A: Yes, sir, that shot when it happened, the President's car was directly in front of us and it was about a lane's width between us, it wasn't in the lane next to the curb it was in the middle lane, and at that time he was shot in the head right at his ear or right above his ear.
Q: Did you have your eyes upon the President at the time of these shots?
Q: And were you able to clearly observe the effects of that shot?
THE COURT: Rephrase your question, Mr. Alford.
Q: Approximately in feet can you estimate how far you were from the Presidential limousine at the time of the third noise?
A: We were approximately 10 feet. The Presidential limousine was directly in front of us. The President was directly in front of us but 10 feet out in the street.
Q: Now what was the effect of this shot upon the President's head if you were able to observe?
A: The President, his head just seemed to explode, just bits of his skull flew in the air and he fell to the side.
Q: Now what did you do at that time, if anything?
A: At that time we both had a child and we got down on the ground and covered our children with our bodies because we thought we were in a crossfire, the noise --
MR. DYMOND: Object and ask the witness be instructed to not give opinions --
THE COURT: I overrule your objection, Mr. Dymond.
MR. DYMOND: To which ruling Counsel reserves a bill of exception making the question, the objection, the reason for the objection being that this is a conclusion and opinion on the part of the witness, and the Court's ruling and all the testimony to this point and the testimony of this witness.
Q: Where did the noise sound to you to come from?
A: Sounded it was coming from directly behind us.
Q: Mrs. Newman, I now show you a photograph previously marked State 41 and ask you to inspect this photograph and I ask you whether or not you can locate yourself in this photograph?
A: Yes, sir, I can.
Q: Will you please place an X immediately above your head. Now, Mrs. Newman, I now show you what for purposes of identification has been marked State 48 and I ask you whether or not you can locate yourself in this photograph. Were you able to locate yourself?
Q: Mrs. Newman, did you have occasion to testify before the Warren Commission?
MR. ALFORD: Thank you.
Q: Mrs. Newman, did you give a statement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
A: The only statement I gave was given to the Sheriff's Department the afternoon of the assassination.
Q: You did give a statement to the Sheriff's Department?
A: I did.
Q: Did you give a written statement or verbal?
A: It was a verbal statement and they had a secretary to type it and I read it and signed it.
Q: You then gave a typed-up signed statement?
Q: Mrs. Newman, when did you and your husband first learn that President Kennedy was to visit Dallas on this occasion?
A: Probably a week in advance.
Q: About a week in advance of November 22?
A: Yes, uh huh.
Q: As I understand your testimony you heard one noise that sounded like a firecracker?
A: No, sir, I beg your pardon, I heard three noises.
Q: You heard one noise that sounded like a firecracker and then a little later on you heard two more close together?
A: No, sir, I heard two close together and then one.
Q: I see. The first two were close together?
Q: And the second one was -- the third one was seconds later?
Q: Would you mind as best you can by slapping the side of the Judge's bench show us just how you heard those shots?
A: The first two (tap, tap) and then there was a pause, and I don't know exactly how many seconds, but then there was another shot.
Q: You would not pretend to know how many seconds between the second and third one?
A: Not between the second and third one, no, sir.
Q: In other words in your Direct testimony when you said that 10 to 12 seconds elapsed after the first two shots before you heard the third, that was strictly an estimate?
A: Yes, sir, it was more an estimate than a direct fact because I don't know 'cause I didn't time it.
Q: Of course you were very excited at that time, were you not?
A: I don't believe I was very excited until after it all happened and then I realized what happened.
Q: You say it appeared to you that the President's head just exploded, is that correct?
A: Not his head but more or less his ear and head and fragments and things flew up and his brain matter and blood started coming out.
Q: It appeared to you that it hit in the vicinity of the ear?
A: Above the ear not behind the ear, the ear itself but not behind the ear.
Q: Some of the witnesses to this shooting have described the appearance of the President's head in that it appeared to be a red halo and did you observe any such effect?
A: No, sir, I didn't.
Q: Were you able to see any blood or other matter that escaped from the President's head?
Q: Would you describe that as best you can?
A: From what I remember when the President was hit bits flew up and then white matter came out and then blood.
Q: Did you see any of that fly forward, Mrs. Newman?
A: As well as I could remember it flew straight up.
Q: As I understand your testimony when the President -- right after this third shot that he raised up and fell over to the side, is that correct?
MR. DYMOND: That is all, Mrs. Newman.
THE COURT: Is Mrs. Newman excused from the effects of the subpoena?
MR. ALFORD: Yes.
THE COURT: Mrs. Newman, you are excused.
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Other Sabbaths -tf
Leviticus 23:15 "And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Leviticus 23:16 "Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord.
Leviticus 23:24 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Leviticus 23:32 "It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
Leviticus 23:39 "Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
Leviticus 25:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord.
Leviticus 25:4 "But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
Leviticus 25:6 "And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
Leviticus 25:8 "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Leviticus 26:34 "Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
Leviticus 26:35 "As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
Leviticus 26:43 "The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
1st Chronicles 23:31 "And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:
2nd Chronicles 2:4 "Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
2nd Chronicles 8:13 "Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
2nd Chronicles 31:3 "He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.
2nd Chronicles 36:21 "To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Nehemiah 10:31 "And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it of them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.
Nehemiah 10:33 "For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
Isaiah 1:13 "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Isaiah 66:23 "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
Ezekiel 46:3 "Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the Lord in the sabbaths and in the new moons.
Hosea 2:11 "I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
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Mayor Manyenyeni unpacks rot at Harare City Council
Source: Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)3 October 2017Local Government
OF late, council officials in Harare have largely blamed poor service delivery on non-payment by residents.
The claim by council officials is in direct contrast to CHRA’s long held assertion that council’s bloated wage bill, corruption as well as misuse of public funds have largely contributed to poor service delivery in the capital.
Furthermore, government departments, senior public officials and corporates are among the major debtors of Council yet nothing has been done to bring these city clients to book.
To add on to this is the issue of misplaced priorities which has resulted in council allocating over $5 million annually to sports at a time service delivery in Harare is at its lowest. It has to be noted that according to Harare Mayor, Bernard Manyenyeni, council’s expenditure on sports is shrouded in secrecy ad controversy.
During a Residents’ Convention held last week (September 26, 2017) Mayor Manyenyeni poured his heart out and revealed that the Harare City Council’s bloated wage bill and misuse of funds had come with negative implications on the smooth flow of affairs at Town House.
Mayor Manyenyeni revealed that top council officials were in the habit of buying expensive vehicles and allocating each other hefty workshop allowances and all this was being done at the expense of effective service delivery.
He added that it was unacceptable for council officials to host workshops outside Harare yet the capital has a lot of facilities that can be used to host such events.
“It is surprising to see workshops being hosted outside Harare yet we have facilities to cater for that here. On top of that, you see officials being allocated hefty allowances for attending workshops outside Harare and all that is bleeding the council.
“Personally, I refused a $200 000 vehicle and I am now finishing my term on pool cars. At this moment, we cannot afford to buy expensive vehicles because it brings shame to us,” said Mayor Manyenyeni.
He also bemoaned the poor work ethic at council which he said must change.
“There is need to change the work ethic at council from the high ranking to the low ranking worker. Presently, the work ethic at council is not pleasing at all,” said Mayor Manyenyeni.
In light of the mismanagement at council, Mayor Manyenyeni said the Harare City Council had no moral right or obligation to unleash debt collectors on residents.
He was speaking in apparent reference to Wellcash Debt Collectors who were re-engaged by the Harare City Council to collect money owed by residents.
CHRA has upped its campaign against the debt collectors who are charging an extra 10 percent on top of what the residents owe to council. The debt collectors are also issuing threats of attachment of property to the residents.
Although the Harare City Council has tried to justify the operations of the debt collectors, Mayor Manyenyeni admitted that their operations were brutal and arrogant.
He said that it was totally unfair for the debt collectors to target low income households yet there are companies that owe the council huge amounts of money.
“We are saying Wellcash must target companies that owe council huge amounts of money first. We cannot seize property from poor residents and sell the property for a song so that we pay each other overpaid salaries,” said Mayor Manyenyeni.
Of the $12 Million collected monthly by the Harare City Council, $10 Million is going towards salaries and Mayor Manyenyeni bemoaned that council was in the business of paying salaries.
He said that given this unfortunate development, council had “no moral right or obligation to demand money ruthlessly from residents”.
Mayor Manyenyeni reiterated CHRA’s call for a debt audit saying that most of the amounts residents are reported to owe council are largely disputable hence council has no basis to demand money ruthlessly from residents.
Source: Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
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Persson takes programming reins at Turner’s U.K. kidsnets
Cecilia Persson is going to have her hands full over the next year as she steps into the new job as VP of programming, acquisitions and presentation for Turner's four U.K. kidsnets, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami and Cartoon Network Too. She started at CN in 2005 as director of acquisitions, scooping up shows for broadcast across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A few of her key acquisitions included Storm Hawks (Nerd Corps) and King Arthur's Disasters (Zenith/Cake Entertainment). She'll retain those duties and take on responsibility for overseeing the programming and presentation teams and program scheduling.
By Dan Waldman
Cecilia Persson is going to have her hands full over the next year as she steps into the new job as VP of programming, acquisitions and presentation for Turner’s four U.K. kidsnets, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami and Cartoon Network Too. She started at CN in 2005 as director of acquisitions, scooping up shows for broadcast across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A few of her key acquisitions included Storm Hawks (Nerd Corps) and King Arthur’s Disasters (Zenith/Cake Entertainment). She’ll retain those duties and take on responsibility for overseeing the programming and presentation teams and program scheduling.
As a first order of business, Persson is tinkering with the scheduling and content on the four nets to insure the program offerings complement each other. ‘All of our channels are based mainly around boy-skewing animation content,’ she says. ‘We’re trying to broaden the audience a bit and give it sort of a contrast across the channels.’
One of the first moves is to add more live-action to Toonami. She’s looking for gender-neutral tween live-action comedies. The net is scoring big with live-action dramas such as Southern Star’s Blue Water High, so she wants lighter fare to supplement the sked.
Persson is also devoting considerable energy to Cartoon Network Too’s Cartoonito preschool block launching this month. Because CN doesn’t produce its own preschool series, the initial rollout is stocked with acquisitions including Barney (HIT Entertainment) and Fluffy Gardens (Monster Animation). The sked is currently set, but Persson’s viewing the initial offering as an opp to test audience likes and dislikes.
‘The U.K. market is pretty busy when it comes to preschool,’ she says. ‘So we’re going to see what works and go after some of the same material.’ Persson will be heading to MIP Jr. and MIPCOM with initial results in hand that will shape her shopping plans for the preschool block next year.
// Author Page
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Pacific Rim Magazine
Langara College Publishing Program
About PRM
Japan’s recruitment culture causes overwhelming pressure for university students.
Story Kumiko Aoki
Art Eric Berndt
Job-hunting may be stressful for many people, but in Japan, it can be a matter of life and death. In 2013, The Japan Times presented a survey conducted by Lifelink, a non-profit group, that states one in five Japanese college students contemplates suicide during the job-hunting process.
Students in Japan feel immense pressure to succeed because of the traditional recruitment culture, wherein Japanese companies conduct a mass recruitment process that targets up-and-coming university graduates. New graduates, therefore, feel they only have one chance to jump-start their careers.
Strict Deadlines
Prior to 2015, students were expected to start job-hunting in the latter half of their third year of post-secondary schooling, but a new rule (announced by the Japanese government in June 2013) may make this process even more stressful by shortening the recruitment period. Starting in 2015, the recruitment process will target students in their fourth year and will be shortened by three months. Although this may give students more opportunity to focus on their studies, it adds pressure because students will have less time to secure a job.
The screening stages for employment recruitment, such as entry sheet submissions (applications), written exams, and interviews, are pre-set and announced during the information sessions that mark the start of the job-hunting process.
Unique Etiquette
Applicants must meet various requirements in order to be successful. These include wearing only navy blue, black, or dark grey suits, having a natural hair colour (nothing too light), having professionally-taken headshots, using honorific speech (language that shows respect, especially to elders and social superiors), and bowing at a 15 degree angle. “Cram schools” that specialize in teaching recruitment etiquette help students prepare for their interviews.
Limited Room for Change
Since companies hire mostly new graduates, trying to change jobs after being hired can be challenging. Therefore, the idea of dedicating one’s career to a single company is common.
Minori Nakane, an international student at Langara College in Vancouver, has not yet experienced job-hunting in Japan, but already considers the process intimidating. “From what I hear, there is no guarantee that what you study or major in at university will be related to your job. For students who are studying their interest, this can be stressful,” Nakane says.
Kai Mitobe, another international student at Langara, compares the differences between job-hunting in Canada and Japan: “I think it is not as hierarchical in Canada. Job-hunting in Canada is not based on your age but rather on your skills and how you take initiative in marketing yourself to the company.”
According to Japan’s National Police Agency, the rate of suicides among those who failed to find employment increased 2.5 times from 2007 to 2012. Additionally, a 2014 survey conducted by the Government of Japan’s Cabinet Office states that approximately 70 percent of students are concerned that it will be more difficult to find a job with the shorter hiring process.
As job-hunting continues each year, students will suffer from high levels of stress. Finding employment is a priority, but there needs to be more of a focus on students’ mental health.
Tags: 2015, health, Japan, jobs, Published 2015
Eating a meal in total darkness is undoubtedly a unique experience. But dark dining is a growing trend, and provides not only an epicurean adventure, but career possibilities for those with a visual impairment. [read more]
Story Dusty Yurkin
Photos Haley Crozier
A Better Measure of Success
How three Vancouver women are changing business for the better through environmental and social sustainability. [read more]
Story Marie Adamo
Photos Danielle Campani, Meghan Fenton, Samantha Voros
Sento Seeps Away
The traditional Japanese public bath is being replaced by western-influenced pastimes and modern residential amenities. [read more]
Story Carmen Ferreira
Photos Brenndan Laird
Glitter Girls
Japan’s night world lures young Canadian women to play hostess. [read more]
Story Kim Sutherland
Photos Angena Kalhar
Pacific Rim Magazine connects geographically disparate readers across the Pacific Rim through stories of community, art, food, and travel that honour both our cultural diversity and shared experiences. We acknowledge our responsibility to future generations by focusing on community issues and environmental concerns. We celebrate artistic expression and are grateful to live, learn, and create on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied, traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Watuth), Stó:lō, and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations of the Coast Salish peoples.
Copyright © Pacific Rim Magazine 2019 Langara Program Information C + M
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Humanities and Social Sciences Data
Finding Data: Humanities and Social Sciences Data
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The Gender Data Portal is the World Bank Group’s comprehensive source for the latest sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics covering demography, education, health, access to economic opportunities, public life and decision-making, and agency.
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The Global Gender Gap Index 2015 ranks 145 economies according to how well they are leveraging their female talent pool, based on economic, educational, health-based and political indicators.
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Compilation of survey data that includes questions about LGBTQ identity.
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The Henry A. Murray Research Archive is the endowed, permanent repository for quantitative and qualitative research data at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Our collection comprises over 125 terabytes of data, audio, and video.
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The WomanStats Project began in 2001 with the aim of investigating the link between the security and behavior of states and the situation and security of the women within them.
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Data on the number and percentages of women in national parliaments.
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Reports, databases and archives from the UN relating to gender equality and women's human rights
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The WRP provides detailed information about religious adherence worldwide since 1945.
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Paul Silvia
p_silvia@uncg.edu
281 Eberhart Building
https://sites.google.com/a/uncg.edu/paulsilvia/
Research interests:Emotion--Motivation/Goal Setting--Research Methods/Assessment--Self/Identity--Social Cognition--Creativity--Psychophysiology
There are 137 included publications by Paul Silvia :
Aberrant Asociality: How Individual Differences in Social Anhedonia Illuminate the Need to Belong 2011 3571 The need to belong, a fundamental concept in psychology, organizes a wide range of findings in the study of interpersonal relationships. We suggest that human belongingness needs can be illuminated by examining when they go awry. We review research o...
Affective Temperaments: Unique Constructs or Dimensions of Normal Personality by Another Name? 2013 1376 Background: Current models theorize that affective temperaments underlie the development and expression of mood psychopathology. Recent studies support the construct validity of affective temperaments in clinical and non-clinical samples. However, o...
Age-related differences in mind-wandering in daily life 2018 140 In recent years, several laboratory studies have indicated that healthy older adults exhibit a reduction in mind-wandering frequency compared with young adults. However, it is unclear if these findings extend to daily life settings. In the current st...
The ancestral angle on aesthetics, creativity, and the arts. [Review of the book Evolutionary and neurocognitive approaches to aesthetics, creativity, and the arts.] 2007 1128 Anyone who works in a big department—or who enjoys stereotyping—can discern the stereotypical personalities associated with psychology’s subfields. Which member of the department owns a leather briefcase and a pen that requires refills? In a departme...
Anger, disgust, and the negative aesthetic emotions: Expanding an appraisal model of aesthetic experience. 2007 5677 Among Andres Serrano's many controversial photographs—images of corpses in a morgue, portraits of Ku Klux Klan members, images of blood and semen pressed between glass—Piss Christ stands out. Before a 1997 exhibition at the National Gallery of Victor...
Another look at creativity and intelligence: Exploring higher-order models and probable confounds. 2008 9797 How strongly is creativity related to intelligence? Although a large body of work has found a small relationship between them, there are reasons to suspect that their relationship has been underestimated. Most studies have assessed creativity and int...
Appraisal components and emotion traits: Examining the appraisal basis of trait curiosity. 2008 6950 Individual differences related to emotions are typically represented as emotion traits. Although important, these descriptive models often do not address the psychological dynamics that underlie the trait. Appraisal theories of emotion assume that in...
Are rumination and reflection types of self-focused attention? 2005 6204 The study of self-focused attention explores both state self-focus (objective self-awareness) and individual-differences in trait self-focus (self-consciousness). Trapnell and Campbell (1999) proposed a motivational model of individual-differences in...
Are the sources of interest the same for everyone? Using multilevel mixture models to explore individual differences in appraisal structures. 2009 1750 How does personality influence the relationship between appraisals and emotions? Recent research suggests individual differences in appraisal structures: people may differ in an emotion's appraisal pattern. We explored individual differences in inter...
Assessing creativity with divergent thinking tasks: Exploring the reliability and validity of new subjective scoring methods. 2008 24293 Divergent thinking is central to the study of individual differences in creativity, but the traditional scoring systems (assigning points for infrequent responses and summing the points) face well-known problems. After critically reviewing past scori...
Assessing creativity with self-report scales: A review and empirical evaluation. 2012 25672 This article reviews recent developments in the assessment of creativity using self-report scales. We focus on four new and promising scales: the Creative Achievement Questionnaire, the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviors, the revised Creati...
Assessment of Score Dependability of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales Using Generalizability Analysis 2010 1232 To investigate the reliability of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales, this study applied generalizability analysis with two college student samples who completed the scales at two time points. The results indicated that the Revised Social Anhedonia Scal...
Attachment style predicts affect, cognitive appraisals, and social functioning in daily life 2015 964 The way in which attachment styles are expressed in the moment as individuals navigate their real-life settings has remained an area largely untapped by attachment research. The present study examined how adult attachment styles are expressed in dail...
Balance theory, unit relations, and attribution: The underlying integrity of Heiderian theory. 2007 6806 Fritz Heider's (1958c) book The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations and the handful of articles preceding it (e.g., Heider, 1944, Heider, 1946; Heider & Simmel, 1944) provide the cornerstone—and a major part of the foundation—of research and theory...
Being with others and feeling happy: Emotional expressivity in everyday life 2012 6195 An experience sampling study assessed the relation between psychological functioning in daily life and emotional expressivity as measured by the emotional expressivity scale (EES). Four hundred and twenty-nine participants carried personal digital as...
Biased recognition of happy facial expressions in social anxiety. 2006 6250 Recognizing emotional expressions is central to understanding the feelings and intentions of other people. Little is known about how social anxiety affects the recognition of emotional expressions. Recent research finds a recognition advantage for ha...
Brief assessment of schizotypy: Developing short forms of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales 2011 1960 The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales—the Perceptual Aberration, Magical Ideation, Physical Anhedonia, and Revised Social Anhedonia Scales—have been used extensively since their development in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on psychometric analyses using item ...
Cantankerous creativity: Honesty-humility, agreeableness, and the HEXACO structure of creativity. 2011 3293 Creativity research has suggested that creative people are low in agreeableness. To explore this issue, we applied the HEXACO model of personality structure, which offers an expanded representation of interpersonal traits, particularly a distinction ...
Categorizing at the group-level in response to intragroup social comparisons: A self-categorization theory integration of self-evaluation and social identity motives. 2006 1412 Two experiments examined how people respond to upward social comparisons in terms of the extent to which they categorize the self and the source of comparison within the same social group. Self-evaluation maintenance theory (SEM) suggests that upward...
Changing attitudes toward prison reform: Effects of similarity to prisoners on attraction and rejection. 2005 5320 Human-rights organizations and prisoner advocacy groups try to create positive attitudes toward liberal prison reform by emphasizing similarities between the public and prisoners. Theories of similarity and attraction, however, suggest that this stra...
Comparing the factor structure of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire 2014 791 Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that captures the expression of schizophrenic symptoms and impairment from subclinical levels to full-blown psychosis. The present study examined the comparability of the factor structure of 2 leading psycho...
Confusion and interest: The role of knowledge emotions in aesthetic experience. 2010 8470 What makes something confusing? Confusion is a common response to challenging, abstract, and complex works, but it has received little attention in psychology. Based on appraisal theories of emotion, I suggest that confusion and interest have differe...
Contrasting regulatory focus and reinforcement sensitivity: A daily diary study of goal pursuit and emotion. 2012 1619 This study examined the moderating effects of motivational orientation on daily affect and goal pursuit. Based on recent revisions to Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, measures of BIS (BIS-r and Fight–Flight–Freeze System or FFFS), BAS, and regulator...
Can positive affect induce self-focused attention? Methodological and measurement issues. 2006 2719 Some studies find that positive affect can induce self-focused attention, but other studies find no effect. We suggest that the contrary findings result from how self- awareness was measured. One group of participants listened to happy or neutral mus...
Creative fixation is no laughing matter: The effects of funny and unfunny examples on humor production 2018 52 How do people come up with humorous ideas? In creative cognition research, exposure to good examples sometimes causes fixation (people get “stuck” on the examples) but other times sparks inspiration (people's responses are more creative). The present...
Creative motivation: Creative achievement predicts cardiac autonomic markers of effort during divergent thinking 2014 1776 Executive approaches to creativity emphasize that generating creative ideas can be hard and requires mental effort. Few studies, however, have examined effort-related physiological activity during creativity tasks. Using motivational intensity theory...
Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest 2014 2681 The present research used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine whether the ability to generate creative ideas corresponds to differences in the intrinsic organization of functional networks in the brain. We examined t...
Creativity and intelligence revisited: A reanalysis of Wallach and Kogan (1965). 2008 13776 Many decades of research have shown that creativity and intelligence are modestly related. Some studies, however, have found that creativity and intelligence are essentially unrelated. The best example may be Wallach and Kogan's (1965) landmark study...
Creativity, ordinary thinking, and the cultures of creativity research. [Review of the book Creativity: Understanding innovation in problem solving, science, invention, and the arts.] 2007 4603 Among science’s many joys is the devilish joy of contrarianism. It’s a special treat to read a book that goes against conventional wisdom and that reinterprets past work in light of a new theory. Robert Weisberg’s hefty, heterodox Creativity is a maj...
The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II: Development, factor structure, and psychometrics. 2009 3756 Given curiosity’s fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being, we sought to refine the measurement of trait curiosity with an improved version of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; [Kashdan, T. B., Rose, P., & Fincham, F. D. (...
Curiosity protects against interpersonal aggression: Cross-sectional, daily process, and behavioral evidence. 2013 1456 Objective Curiosity is the propensity to recognize and seek out new information and experience, including an intrinsic interest in learning and developing one's knowledge. With few exceptions, researchers have often ignored the social consequences o...
Default and Executive Network Coupling Supports Creative Idea Production 2015 1074 2014-2015 Open Access Publishing Fund Grant Winner---The role of attention in creative cognition remains controversial. Neuroimaging studies have reported activation of brain regions linked to both cognitive control and spontaneous imaginative proces...
Deflecting reactance: The role of similarity in increasing compliance and reducing resistance. 2005 6661 On the basis of the approach–avoid dynamics assumed by reactance theory (S. S. Brehm & J. W. Brehm, 1981) and other models (E. S. Knowles & J. A. Linn, 2004), it was predicted that interpersonal similarity can reduce reactance by increasing complianc...
A dimensional analysis of creativity and mental illness: Do anxiety and depression symptoms predict creative cognition, creative accomplishments, and creative self-concepts? 2010 16947 The link, if any, between creativity and mental illness is one of the most controversial topics in modern creativity research. The present research assessed the relationships between anxiety and depression symptom dimensions and several facets of cre...
The dimensional structure of short forms of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales 2015 976 The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales (WSS) are widely used for assessing schizotypy. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicates that a two-factor structure, positive and negative schizotypy, underlies these scales. Recently developed 15-item short forms...
The dimensional structure of the Wisconsin schizotypy scales: Factor identification and construct validity. 2008 1856 The present study examined the factor structure underlying the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales and the validity of these dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis with 6137 nonclinical young adults supported a 2-factor model with positive and negative sch...
Discernment and creativity: How well can people identify their most creative ideas? 2008 2240 Some ideas should never see the light of day. It shouldn't surprise us that someone thought of selling artificial testicles for neutered dogs, measuring the emotions of vegetables, or drinking urine to treat cancer: we all have some misses along with...
Disentangling the cycle: Potential mediators and moderators in the intergenerational transmission of parent-child aggression 2018 120 Although a cycle of harsh and abusive parenting has been recognized for decades, this cycle is not inevitable. Indeed, the mechanisms underlying such patterns, and the resources parents may access to disrupt this cycle, require further study. Researc...
The disguise of sobriety: Unveiled by alcohol in persons with an aggressive personality. 2012 1130 This investigation examined the factor structure of 8 well-validated self-report measures that assess traits that fall under the rubric of an “aggressive personality” and then determined how those factor(s) moderated the association between alcohol i...
Effort deficits and depression: The influence of anhedonic depressive symptoms on cardiac autonomic activity during a mental challenge 2014 860 Motivational approaches to depression emphasize the role of dysfunctional motivational dynamics, particularly diminished reward and incentive processes associated with anhedonia. A study examined how anhedonic depressive symptoms, measured continuous...
Emotion concepts and self- focused attention: Exploring parallel effects of emotional states and emotional knowledge. 2006 2793 Many experiments have found that emotional experience affects self-focused attention. Several approaches to cognition and emotion predict that conscious emotional experience may be unnecessary for this effect. To test this hypothesis, two experiments...
Emotional responses to art: From collation and arousal to cognition and emotion. 2005 18759 Emotions and art are intimately related (Tan, 2000). From ancient to modern times, theories of aesthetics have emphasized the role of art in evoking, shaping, and modifying human feelings. The experimental study of preferences, evaluations, and feeli...
Evaluating self-reflection and insight as self-conscious traits. 2011 8541 Recent years have seen several new models of individual-differences in self-consciousness. The present research evaluated self-reflection and insight as types of self-focused attention. In the self-reflection and insight model, both traits represent ...
Everyday Creativity in Daily Life: An Experience-sampling Study of “little c” Creativity 2014 8247 Richards proposed that everyday creativity—creative actions that are common among ordinary people in daily life, such as drawing, making recipes, writing, and any activity done with the purpose of being creative—both fosters and reflects psychologica...
An examination of the broader effects of warzone experiences on returning Iraq/Afghanistan veterans? psychiatric health 2015 1117 The objective of the present research was to test the hypotheses that: (1) Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans experience a wide range of psychiatric symptomatology (e.g., obsessive–compulsive symptoms, hypochondriasis, somatization); and (2) general psych...
An Experience-Sampling Study of Depressive Symptoms and Their Social Context 2011 1750 Both clinical and subclinical depression are associated with social impairment; however, few studies have examined the impact of social contact in the daily lives of people with depressive symptoms. The current study used the experience-sampling meth...
Exploring alternative deterrents to emotional intensity: Anticipated happiness, distraction, and sadness. 2001 2747 A recent theory of emotional intensity (Brehm, 1999) argues that emotions are functionally identical to motivational states. Like motivational states, the intensity of an emotion should be a joint function of the importance of instigating events and ...
Expressed and measured vocational interests: Distinctions and definitions. 2001 4735 A conceptual look at the distinction between expressed and measured interests is undertaken. Instead of denoting two different aspects of "vocational interests," expressed and measured interests refer to distinct psychological constructs. Expressed i...
The Expression of Adult ADHD Symptoms in Daily Life: An Application of Experience Sampling Methodology 2008 2997 Objective: To use experience sampling method (ESM) to examine the impact of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms on emotional well-being, activities and distress, cognitive impairment, and social functioning assessed in the daily lives...
The expression of bipolar spectrum psychopathology in daily life 2011 1173 Background Bipolar psychopathology has traditionally been defined by categorical diagnoses. However, these disorders may simply reflect the extremes of a broader spectrum of clinical and subclinical bipolar psychopathology. Method The present stud...
The expression of positive and negative schizotypy in daily life: an experience sampling study. 2012 4644 Background. Psychometrically identified positive schizotypy and negative schizotypy are differentially related to psychopathology, personality and social functioning. However, little is known about the experience and expression of schizotypy in daily...
Factor Invariance of Psychometric Schizotypy in Spanish and American Sample 2011 858 The present study extended recent work examining the factor structure underlying the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales by examining the factor invariance of this structure in Spanish and American nonclinical samples of young adults. A series of confirmator...
A First Look at the Role of Domain-General Cognitive and Creative Abilities in Jazz Improvisation 2013 2386 The present study explored the associations among several cognitive and creative abilities and expert ratings of jazz improvisational quality. Ten male undergraduate jazz students (8 performance majors, 2 education majors; 5 winds, 3 strings, 1 piano...
Flexible effects of positive mood on self-focused attention. 2005 2298 How moods influence self-focused attention is controversial. One model (Sedikides &Green, 2000) predicts that different moods have different effects on self-focus; another model (Salovey, 1992) predicts that all moods increase self-focus. Both models...
For Whom the Mind Wanders, and When, Varies Across Laboratory and Daily-Life Settings 2017 1009 Undergraduates (N = 274) participated in a weeklong daily-life experience-sampling study of mind wandering after being assessed in the lab for executive-control abilities (working memory capacity; attention-restraint ability; attention-constraint abi...
For Whom the Mind Wanders, and When: An Experience- Sampling Study of Working Memory and Executive Control in Daily Life 2007 4268 An experience-sampling study of 124 under-graduates, pretested on complex memory-span tasks, examined the relation between working memory capacity (WMC) and the experience of mind wandering in daily life. Over 7 days, personal digital assistants sign...
The grim world of grant writing. [Review of the book Writing the NIH grant proposal: A step-by-step guide.] 2006 1174 Many senior faculty are perplexed by the mentoring expected by junior faculty. In “the old days,” I have heard, professors were simply hired and expected to get to it—no new-faculty brunches, professional skills workshops, or mollycoddling mentors. M...
Gritty People Try Harder: Grit and Effort-related Cardiac Autonomic Activity during an Active Coping Challenge 2013 2095 Grit, a recently proposed personality trait associated with persistence for long-range goals, predicts achievement in a wide range of important life outcomes. Using motivational intensity theory, the present research examined the physiological underp...
How does music training predict cognitive abilities? A bifactor approach to musical expertise and intelligence 2016 443 Many studies have found that variation in music training is associated with intellectual abilities, but research disagrees over whether music education should primarily correlate with general intelligence (g) or with specific lower-level cognitive ab...
Individual Differences in the Executive Control of Attention, Memory, and Thought, and Their Associations with Schizotypy 2016 618 Reports an error in "Individual differences in the executive control of attention, memory, and thought, and their associations with schizotypy" by Michael J. Kane, Matt E. Meier, Bridget A. Smeekens, Georgina M. Gross, Charlotte A. Chun, Paul J. Silv...
Individual differences in self-discrepancies and emotional experience: Do distinct discrepancies predict distinct emotions? 2010 5185 Self-Discrepancy Theory (SDT) proposes that ideal-self discrepancies predict dejection/depression and ought-self discrepancies predict agitation/anxiety, but individual differences research has rarely found clear support for this pattern. After consi...
Interest and interests: The psychology of constructive capriciousness. 2001 16389 The abiding interest that sustains scientific research has only rarely been displaced onto interest itself. What little research there is, however, has pursued one of two parallel paths. The first path is the study of interest as a transient affectiv...
Interesting things and curious people: Exploration and engagement as transient states and enduring strengths. 2009 1835 Curiosity, interest, and intrinsic motivation are critical to the development of competence, knowledge, and expertise. Without a mechanism of intrinsic motivation, people would rarely explore new things, learn for its own sake, or engage with uncerta...
The intersection of self-evaluation maintenance and social identity theories: Intragroup judgment in interpersonal and intergroup contexts. 2000 7550 In two studies, the authors explore the integration of the self-evaluation maintenance (SEM) model and social identity theory (SIT) by focusing on each perspective’s predictions for the evaluation of members of one’s ingroup. SEM’s predictions apply ...
Is creativity domain-specific? Latent class models of creative accomplishments and creative self-descriptions. 2008 4691 Is creativity domain-specific? We describe the value of latent class analysis for appraising domain generality, and we report two studies that explore the latent class structure of creative accomplishments (using Carson, Peterson, and Higgins’s Creat...
Knowledge-based assessment of expertise in the arts: Exploring aesthetic fluency 2007 964 In the article, the words aesthetic and aesthetics erroneously appear with a capital A throughout the text. These errors were introduced after the page proofs had been returned, and did not appear in the original manuscript or proofs. Readers should ...
The latent structure of trait curiosity: Evidence for interest and deprivation curiosity dimensions. 2006 4942 To evaluate Litman and Jimerson’s (2004) Interest/Deprivation (IlD) model of curiosity, 355 students (269 women, 86 men) responded to 6 trait curiosity measures including the Curiosityl Interest in the World scale (ClIW; Peterson & Seligman, 2004), t...
Listening Between the Notes: Aesthetic Chills in Everyday Music Listening 2013 404 Who gets chills—a pleasurable feeling of goose bumps—in response to music, and why? The current study used experience sampling to examine within-person variability in aesthetic chills. For one week, 106 undergraduate participants responded to 10 dail...
Looking past pleasure: Anger, confusion, disgust, pride, surprise, and other unusual aesthetic emotions. 2009 6777 Psychological aesthetics, for the most part, is concerned with people's feelings of pleasure in response to art. The study of mild positive feelings will always be important to psychological aesthetics, but the range of aesthetic feelings is much wid...
Making creative metaphors: The importance of fluid intelligence for creative thought. 2012 2424 The relationship between intelligence and creativity remains controversial. The present research explored this issue by studying the role of fluid intelligence (Gf) in the generation of creative metaphors. Participants (n = 132 young adults) complete...
Masked first name priming increases effort-related cardiovascular reactivity. 2011 1023 Recent research on motivational intensity has shown that explicit manipulations of self-focused attention (e.g., mirrors and video cameras) increase effort-related cardiovascular responses during active coping. An experiment examined whether masked f...
Metaphorically speaking: Cognitive abilities and the production of figurative speech. 2013 1271 Figurative language is one of the most common expressions of creative behavior in everyday life. However, the cognitive mechanisms behind figures of speech such as metaphors remain largely unexplained. Recent evidence suggests that fluid and executiv...
Mirrors, masks, and motivation: Implicit and explicit self-focused attention influence effort-related cardiovascular reactivity. 2012 1351 Using motivational intensity theory as a framework, three experiments examined how implicit self-focus (manipulated with masked first-name priming) and explicit self-focus (manipulated with a large mirror) influence effort-related cardiovascular acti...
Missed Beeps and Missing Data Dispositional and Situational Predictors of Nonresponse in Experience Sampling Research 2013 1012 Experience sampling research measures people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions in their everyday lives by repeatedly administering brief questionnaires throughout the day. Nonresponse—failing to respond to these daily life questionnaires—has been a v...
Motivational deficits differentially predict improvement in a randomized trial of self-system therapy for depression 2015 1194 Objective: A randomized trial compared the time course and differential predictors of symptom improvement in 2 treatments for depression. Method: Forty-nine adults (84% female) who were not taking antidepressant medications and met diagnostic criteri...
Music to the Inner Ears: Exploring Individual Differences in Musical Imagery 2013 275 In two studies, we explored the frequency and phenomenology of musical imagery. Study 1 used retrospective reports of musical imagery to assess the contribution of individual differences to imagery characteristics. Study 2 used an experience sampling...
Must interesting things be pleasant? A test of competing appraisal structures. 2006 4203 Appraisal theories have emerged as a powerful perspective on the elicitation and differentiation of emotional experience (Ellsworth & Scherer, 2003). Given the general acceptance of the appraisal approach, a central task for modern appraisal research...
Network structure of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales—Short Forms: Examining psychometric filtering approaches 2018 64 Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that provides a useful framework for understanding the etiology, development, and risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Past research has applied traditional methods, such as factor analysis, to uncover...
Nothing or the opposite: Intersecting terror management and objective self-awareness. 2001 1060 The human capacity for self-awareness allows people to envision their eventual death and thus creates the potential for debilitating anxiety. Terror management research has shown that self-awareness exacerbates the experience of mortality salience. I...
Noticing the self: Implicit assessment of self-focused attention using word recognition latencies. 2003 4414 Self-focused attention is difficult to measure. Two studies developed an implicit measure of self-focus based on word recognition latencies. Self-focused attention activates self-content, so self-focused people should recognize self-relevant words mo...
Objective self-awareness theory: Recent progress and enduring problems. 2001 42582 Objective self-awareness theory has undergone fundamental changes in the 3 decades since Duval and Wicklund's (1972) original formulation. We review new evidence that bears on the basic tenets of the theory. Many of the assumptions of self-awareness ...
On introspection and self-perception: Does self-focused attention enable accurate self-knowledge? 2001 9917 How is introspection related to accurate self-perception? Self-focused attention is said to facilitate accurate judgments of cognitive aspects (attitudes, standards, and attributions) and somatic aspects (sensations, arousal, physical symptoms, emoti...
Openness to experience and auditory discrimination ability in music: An investment approach 2016 267 Why do people vary in how well they discriminate musical sounds? The present research explored personality traits as predictors of auditory discrimination ability, a cornerstone of many popular musical aptitude tests. According to investment-theory a...
Openness to experience, plasticity, and creativity: Exploring lower-order, higher-order, and interactive effects. 2010 19395 What are creative people like? Openness to experience is important to creativity, but little is known about plasticity, the higher-order factor that subsumes openness. College students (n = 189) completed measures of the Big Five and measures of crea...
Palm or Cell? Comparing Personal Digital Assistants and Cell Phones for Experience Sampling Research 2013 1002 Personal digital assistants (PDA), particularly Palm Pilots, are popular data collection devices in experience sampling research. The declining availability of such devices, however, has prompted researchers to explore alternative technologies for si...
Perfectionism: The good, the bad, and the creative. 2012 3296 The influence of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism on creativity was examined. Initially, six measures of creativity were administered, including creative self-perceptions, behavior, and performance measures. Adaptive perfectionism was weakly po...
Planned Missing-data Designs in Experience-sampling Research: Monte Carlo Simulations of Efficient Designs for Assessing Within-person Constructs 2014 1069 Experience-sampling research involves trade-offs between the number of questions asked per signal, the number of signals per day, and the number of days. By combining planned missing-data designs and multilevel latent variable modeling, we show how t...
Predicting the interpersonal targets of self-serving attributions. 2001 2302 People will, under certain conditions, attribute failure to an external target to avoid an unfavorable self-evaluation. But to what external target do people attribute failure? Based on Fritz Heider’s analysis of similarity and attribution, we predic...
Predicting maternal and parent–child aggression risk: Longitudinal multimethod investigation using social information processing theory 2017 297 Objective: Given the costly outcomes associated with the physical abuse and harsh discipline of children, identifying pathways leading parents to engage in parent–child aggression (PCA) are critical to prevention and intervention efforts. One model t...
Prediction of Psychopathology and Functional Impairment by Positive and Negative Schizotypy in the Chapmans’ Ten-year Longitudinal Study 2013 1193 The present study examined the predictive validity of psychometrically assessed positive and negative schizotypy in the Chapmans’ 10-year longitudinal data set. Schizotypy provides a useful construct for understanding the etiology and development of ...
Psychometric properties and validity of short forms of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales in two large samples 2012 2633 The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales (WSS) have been widely used in the study of clinical and non-clinical samples. However, researchers often find the length of the scales prohibitive. The present study examined the reliability and validity of recently d...
Psychometric Properties of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales in an Undergraduate Sample: Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, and Differential Item Functioning 2011 2143 The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales are widely used for assessing schizotypy in nonclinical and clinical samples. However, they were developed using classical test theory (CTT) and have not had their psychometric properties examined with more sophisticat...
Reactance and the dynamics of disagreement: Multiple paths from threatened freedom to resistance to persuasion. 2006 1882 Many experiments show that threats to attitudinal freedom create reactance, but the underlying dynamics of reactance-based disagreement have not received much attention. The present experiments identified two paths from threats to disagreement. In on...
Rejoinder: The madness to our method: Some thoughts on divergent thinking 2008 1703 In this reply, the authors examine the madness to their method in light of the comments. Overall, the authors agree broadly with the comments; many of the issues will be settled only by future research. The authors disagree, though, that past researc...
The relationship of social anxiety and social anhedonia to psychometrically identified schizotypy. 2008 2939 Schizotypy and schizophrenia involve social disinterest (anhedonia) and social anxiety. To clarify the role of social dysfunction in schizotypy, this study examined the relationship of social anxiety and social anhedonia in 364 young adults. As hypot...
Reopening openness to experience: A network analysis of four openness to experience inventories 2018 132 Openness to Experience is a complex trait, the taxonomic structure of which has been widely debated. Previous research has provided greater clarity of its lower order structure by synthesizing facets across several scales related to Openness to Exper...
The Resource Replenishment Function of Interest 2011 628 Interest is a positive emotion associated with increased approach motivation, effort, attention, and persistence. Although experiencing interest promotes behaviors that demand cognitive resources, interest is as a coping resource in frustrating learn...
Responding to deviance: Target exclusion and differential devaluation. 2006 3279 Two studies explored responses to ingroup deviance. Group- defining opinions of prowar Republicans (Study 1) and prolife Christians (Study 2) were challenged by either an ingroup or outgroup deviate. Participants evaluated the deviate and structured ...
Review of the book Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts 2007 1968 Reviews the book, Group genius: The creative power of collaboration by K. Sawyer (2007). This book is written for a popular audience. It takes several themes from the author's past work on the sociocultural approach to creativity, particularly his re...
Review of the book New Directions in Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. 2006 1464 Reviews the book, New Directions in Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts edited by Paul Locher, Colin Martindale, and Leonid Dorfman (see record 2006-03935-000). This book's 16 chapters reveal the broad themes of modern research on creativity and the...
Review of the book Write to the Top! How to Become a Prolific Academic. 2008 1142 Reviews the book, Write to the top! How to become a prolific academic by W. Brad Johnson and Carol A. Mullen (2007). This is a worthy addition to the family of books about academic writing. It offers practical and informal advice learned the hard way...
Robust prediction of individual creative ability from brain functional connectivity 2018 185 People’s ability to think creatively is a primary means of technological and cultural progress, yet the neural architecture of the highly creative brain remains largely undefined. Here, we employed a recently developed method in functional brain imag...
Self-awareness and constructive functioning: Revisiting "the human dilemma." 2004 7350 Self-awareness-the capacity to focus attention on oneself, and thus to self-evaluate-has a bad reputation in social-clinical psychology because of its ties to negative affect, depression, suicide, and dysfunction. Using Rollo May's (1967) analysis of...
Self-awareness and the emotional consequences of self-discrepancies. 2005 5827 Several self theories explore the effects of discrepant self-beliefs on motivation and emotion. This research intersected two self theories: self-discrepancy theory and objective self-awareness theory. Self-discrepancy theory predicts that ideal and ...
Self-awareness and emotional intensity. 2002 6242 Does self-awareness amplify or dampen the intensity of emotional experience? Early research argued that self-awareness makes emotional states salient, resulting in greater emotional intensity. But these studies induced a standard for emotional intens...
Self-awareness and the regulation of emotional intensity. 2002 5598 People often regulate their feelings by striving for particular emotional states. The self-regulation of emotions should be influenced by self-awareness, which is a primary instigator of self-regulation. Because the outcome of self-regulation depends...
Self-awareness without awareness? Implicit self-focused attention and behavioral self-regulation. 2013 2331 Objective self-awareness theory contends that focusing attention on the self initiates an automatic comparison of self to standards. To gain evidence for automatic self–standard comparison processes, two experiments manipulated attention to self with...
Self-awareness, probability of improvement, and the self-serving bias. 2005 3871 The self-serving attributional bias—attributing success internally and failure externally—appears for many psychologists to have achieved the status of an empirical fact (Brown & Rogers, 1991). Researchers indeed find a consistent tendency for indivi...
Self-awareness, self-evaluation, and creativity. 2004 5576 The present research examined when self-evaluation influences creativity. Based on objective self-awareness theory, the authors predicted that feeling able to improve would buffer against the detrimental effects of self-evaluation on creativity. Two ...
Self-efficacy and interest: Experimental studies of optimal incompetence. 2003 4900 How does self-efficacy affect interest? The interest-and-interests model assumes that factors that induce interest—novelty, complexity, conflict, and uncertainty—do so non-linearly. Self- efficacy should thus affect interest quadratically, because it...
Self-focus and stereotyping of the self 2010 556 A study tested the effects of mirror-induced self-focus on participants’ tendency to self-stereotype. Americans high and low in identification with their nationality rated themselves and the group “Americans” on traits that varied in stereotypicality...
Self-focus and task difficulty effects on cardiovascular reactivity. 2008 1447 Two experiments examined the joint impact of self-focused attention and task difficulty on performance-related cardiovascular reactivity. Predictions were derived from an application of the principles of motivational intensity theory and its integrat...
Self-focused attention, performance expectancies, and the intensity of effort: Do people try harder for harder goals? 2010 2737 Many theories argue that goal striving is more intense when people have optimistic expectancies for achieving the goal and when attention is self-focused. Brehm’s motivational intensity theory, however, predicts that the intensity of motivation is on...
A self-novelty manipulation of self-focused attention for Internet and laboratory experiments. 2004 2788 Conventional manipulations of self-focused attention are poorly suited for Internet experiments and for group-based administration. The authors present a self-novelty manipulation that effectively induces self-awareness for such contexts. In the high...
A skeptical look at dispositional reactance. 2006 2976 Many studies have correlated dispositional reactance scales with other self-report scales, but no experiments have tested whether ?trait reactance? replicates ?state reactance? effects. Using a conventional reactance paradigm, an experiment examined ...
The social world of the socially anhedonic: Exploring the daily ecology of asociality. 2009 3541 The need to belong is fundamental to human motivation. The significance of needs for relatedness and intimacy can be highlighted by examining aberrations in these needs. Social anhedonia, a component of the schizophrenia spectrum, represents a lack o...
Subjective scoring of divergent thinking: Examining the reliability of unusual uses, instances, and consequences tasks. 2011 4406 The present research examined the reliability of three types of divergent thinking tasks (unusual uses, instances, consequences/implications) and two types of subjective scoring (an average across all responses vs. the responses people chose as their...
This is your brain on art. [Review of the book Neuroaesthetics.] 2009 1813 The marvelous human brain excels at finding patterns, at discerning structure, so we feel surprised or confused when our expectations are violated or unmet: Imagine, if you dare, encountering a Starbucks without a laptop-toting freelancer or a suburb...
Throwing away the key: Measuring prison reform attitudes. 2003 2107 The American prison system is larger than ever and ranks among the largest in the world. Yet, prisons have received little research attention relative to other issues in forensic psychology. In an effort to study one facet of the prison system, a sca...
Trait self-focused attention, task difficulty, and effort-related cardiovascular reactivity. 2011 1161 Using motivational intensity theory as a framework, the present experiment examined how individual differences in self-focused attention interact with task difficulty to predict effort, assessed via cardiovascular reactivity. Participants (n = 50) wo...
Understanding inner music: A dimensional approach to musical imagery 2018 333 Musical imagery—hearing music inside your head that isn’t playing in the environment—is a common yet complex experience. To capture the diversity of musical imagery, the present research develops a new conceptual framework consisting of five dimensio...
The undesired self and emotional experience: A latent variable analysis. 2007 8050 Many self-theories presume that discrepancies between the self and goals for the self influence emotional experience. The present research compared how discrepancies from ideal selves, ought selves, and undesired selves predict negative emotions. In ...
What is interesting? Exploring the appraisal structure of interest. 2005 6057 Although the idea that thoughts cause feelings has a long history, systematic research on appraisals and emotions is relatively recent (Schorr, 2001). Modern appraisal theories have made important gains in psychology's understanding of emotion (Ellsw...
When the Need to Belong Goes Wrong: The Expression of Social Anhedonia and Social Anxiety in Daily Life 2007 1441 Baumeister and Leary (1995) proposed that people possess an innate “need to belong” that drives social interactions. Aberrations in the need to belong, such as social anhedonia and anxiety, provide a point of entry for examining this need. The curren...
When the self stands out: Figure-ground effects on self-focused attention. 2004 2016 When do people focus attention on the self? Based on Gestalt notions of figure–ground assignment, two experiments demonstrated that making self figural against a background induces self-focused attention. In Experiment 1, perceiving figural self-symb...
Why are smart people curious? Fluid intelligence, openness to experience, and interest. 2010 3425 The experience of interest is central to intrinsic motivation for learning, so it is important to understand the nature of interest and its sources. Individual differences in fluid intelligence (Gf) predict finding things more interesting, but it is ...
Why do ideas get more creative across time? An executive interpretation of the serial order effect in divergent thinking tasks. 2012 3413 The serial order effect—the tendency for later responses to a divergent thinking task to be better than earlier ones—is one of the oldest and most robust findings in modern creativity work. But why do ideas get better? Using new methods that afford a...
Why don’t we teach graduate students how to write? 2007 2684 Most of us learned academic writing on the street. People learn a lot on the street, but the writing street isn’t the tree-lined boulevard where you learned about smooching or the sandy boardwalk where you learned about what follows smooching. The ...
Working memory capacity and the antisaccade task: A microanalytic–macroanalytic investigation of individual differences in goal activation and maintenance 2018 212 The association between working memory capacity (WMC) and the antisaccade task, which requires subjects to move their eyes and attention away from a strong visual cue, supports the claim that WMC is partially an attentional construct (Kane, Bleckley,...
Worries about Being Judged versus Being Harmed: Disentangling the Association of Social Anxiety and Paranoia with Schizotypy 2014 1429 Paranoia is a dimension of clinical and subclinical experiences in which others are believed to have harmful intentions. Mild paranoid concerns are relatively common in the general population, and more clinically severe paranoia shares features with ...
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Record Store Day + Dengue Fever / Tinariwen 2017 Tour News
Dengue Fever, Music, Press Releases|
DENGUE FEVER CONFIRM SPRING 2017 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH LIKEMINDED GLOBAL PIONEERS TINARIWEN Cambodian and American Rock Band Continue Cultural Mashups on Black Friday Record Store Day 7” Vinyl Collaboration w/ Korea’s Goonam FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOS ANGELES, CA (THURSDAY NOVEMBER...
RECORD STORE DAY NEWS: Frontier Records Announces Ltd. Ed. 7” Vinyl from Punk Supergroup California on Black Friday
FRONTIER RECORDS CONFIRM PUNK ROCK SUPERGROUP VINYL FROM CALIFORNIA AS ITS BLACK FRIDAY RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE Former Members of Green Day, Pinhead, Gunpowder, The Insides and Jawbreaker Release Limited Edition of 250 7” Vinyl for RSD FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOS ANGELES,...
OUT-OF-PRINT FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS, THE NEXT TO LAST JOAN RIVERS ALBUM CONFIRMED FOR RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE FROM STAND UP! RECORDS
Comedy, Press Releases, Stand Up! Records|
Remixed and Remastered Hard-To-Find 1969 Comedy Album Reissued for First Time Ever on Compact Disc Includes New Essay by Sarah Silverman, New Liner Notes by Comedy Historian and WFMU Blogger Kliph Nesteroff and Photos By Look Magazine Photographer John...
Comedy, Ernie Kovacs, Press Releases|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 18, 2013 ORANGE VINYL! CLEAR VINYL! PICTURE DISC! OMNIVORE RECORDS GEARS UP FOR RECORD STORE DAY BACK TO BLACK FRIDAY (NOVEMBER 29) Townes Van Zandt’s Sunshine Boy, Gene Clark’s Here Tonight: The White Light Demos, and Ernie Kovacs Presents A...
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Luca Stella
The Ant or the Grasshopper? The Long-Term Consequences of Unilateral Divorce Laws on Savings of European Households (with V. Angelini, M. Bertoni and C. Weiss)
European Economic Review, Volume 119, 2019.
Abstract: Unilateral Divorce Laws (UDLs) allow people to obtain divorce without the consent of their spouse. Using the staggered introduction of UDLs across European countries, we show that households exposed to UDLs for a longer period of time accumulate more savings. This effect holds for both financial and total wealth and is stronger at higher quantiles of the wealth distribution. Consistent with a precautionary motive for savings, we also find that exposure to UDLs increases female labour supply, numeracy, trust in others and dispositional optimism.
Does Broadband Internet Affect Fertility? (with Francesco C. Billari and Osea Giuntella)
Population Studies, Pages 1-20, 2019.
Abstract: The spread of high-speed Internet epitomizes the digital revolution, affecting several as- pects of our life. Using German panel data, we test whether the availability of broadband Internet influences fertility choices in a low-fertility setting, which is well-known for the dif- ficulty to combine work and family life. We exploit a strategy devised by Falck et al. (2014) to obtain causal estimates of the impact of broadband Internet on fertility. We find positive effects of high-speed Internet availability on the fertility of high-educated women aged 25 and above. We further confirm this result using county-level data on total fertility rate. We show that broadband access significantly increases the share of women reporting teleworking or part-time working. Furthermore, we find positive effects on time spent with children and overall life satisfaction. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that high-speed Inter- net allows high-educated women to conciliate career and motherhood, which may promote fertility with a “digital divide”.
Broadband Internet, Digital Temptations, and Sleep (with Francesco C. Billari and Osea Giuntella)
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Volume 153, Pages 58-76, 2018.
Abstract: There is a growing concern that the widespread use of computers, mobile phones and other digital devices before bedtime disrupts our sleep with detrimental effects on our health and cognitive performance. High-speed Internet promotes the use of electronic devices, video games and Internet addiction (e.g., online games and cyberloafing). Exposure to artificial light from tablets and PCs can alterate individuals' sleep patterns. However, there is little empirical evidence on the causal relationship between technology use near bedtime and sleep. This paper studies the causal effects of access to high-speed Internet on sleep. We first show that playing video games, using PC or smartphones, watching TV or movies are correlated with shorter sleep duration. Second, we exploit historical differences in pre-existing telephone infrastructure that affected the deployment of high-speed Internet across Germany (see Falck et al., 2014) to identify a source of plausibly exogenous variation in access to Broadband. Using this instrumental variable strategy, we find that access to high-speed Internet (DSL) access reduces sleep duration and sleep satisfaction. Results are driven by individuals who face work or family time constraints.
The Acceleration of Immigrant Unhealthy Assimilation (with Osea Giuntella)
Health Economics, Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 511-518, 2017.
Abstract: It is well-known that immigrants tend to be healthier than US natives and that this advantage erodes with time spent in the US. However, we know less about the heterogeneity of these trajectories among arrival cohorts. Recent studies have shown that later arrival cohorts of immigrants have lower entry wages and experience less economic assimilation. In this paper, we investigate whether similar cohort effects can be observed in the weight assimilation of immigrants in the US. Focusing on obesity, we show that more recent immigrant cohorts arrive with higher obesity rates and experience a faster “unhealthy assimilation” in terms of weight gain.
Living Arrangements in Europe: Whether and Why Paternal Retirement Matters
Review of Economics of the Household, Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 497-525, 2017.
Abstract: This paper uses retrospective micro data from eleven European countries to investigate the role of paternal retirement in explaining children's decisions to leave the parental home. To assess causality, I use a bivariate discrete-time hazard model with shared frailty and exploit over time and cross-country variation in early retirement legislation. Overall, the results indicate a positive and significant influence of paternal retirement on the probability of first nest-leaving of children residing in Southern European countries, for both sons and daughters. Focusing on Southern Europe, I find that the increase in children's nest-leaving around the time of paternal retirement does not appear to be justified by changes in parental resources. Rather, channels involving the supply of informal child care provided by grandparents or the quality of the home should be the focus of study.
Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital in Europe: Evidence from SHARE
IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Vol. 2: Article 13, 2013.
Abstract: This paper extends the previous literature on the intergenerational transmission of human capital by exploiting variation in compulsory schooling reforms across nine European countries over the period 1920-1956. My empirical strategy follows an instrumental variable (IV) approach, instrumenting parental education with years of compulsory schooling. I find some evidence of a causal relationship between parents' and children's education. The magnitude of the estimated effect is large: an additional year of parental education raises the child's education by 0.44 of a year. I also find that maternal schooling is more important than paternal schooling for the academic performance of their offspring. The results are robust to several specification checks.
Cohort at Risk: The Long-Term Consequences of Conflict for Child School Achievement (with Hendrik Jürges, Sameh Hallaq and Alexandra Schwarz) - IZA Discussion Paper No. 10994. Revise and Resubmit.
Immigration Policy and Immigrants' Sleep. Evidence from DACA (with Osea Giuntella, Jakub Lonsky and Fabrizio Mazzonna). Under Review.
Robots, Labor Markets, and Family Behavior (with Massimo Anelli and Osea Giuntella) - IZA Discussion Paper No. 12820.
Chapters in Books
The Social Dynamics of Unmet Need, Catastrophic Health Care Expenses, and Satisfaction with Health Insurance Coverage (with Hendrik Jürges). In: Börsch-Supan, A. et al. (Eds.), (in press). Health and Socioeconomic Status over the Life Course: First Results from SHARE Waves 6 and 7. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Broadband Internet, Fertility and Work from Home (with Francesco C. Billari and Osea Giuntella)
Sociological Insights for Development Policy, Volume 4, Number 1, 2019.
Does Broadband Internet Affect Fertility in Germany? (with Francesco C. Billari and Osea Giuntella)
Invited article for N-IUSSP: IUSSP's Online News Magazine, 2019.
Luca Stella, Bocconi University, Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy
Via Guglielmo Röntgen 1, 20136 Milano, Italy
Email: luca.stella@unibocconi.it
© LUCA STELLA 2016.
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Medical Student Admissions/
How to Apply/
Medical Student Admissions
Program Standards
Requirements to Apply
Choose Your Medical School (CYMS)
Early Decision Program (EDP)
Transfer Admissions Process
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
Second Look at Cincinnati
MedCat Orientation
Why choose Cincinnati
Diversity First Look
Contact Us/ Staff
MD Admissions Process
The UCCOM has a proud tradition of training outstanding clinicians and leaders in biomedical research and academic medicine. UCCOM strives to provide a stimulating and challenging environment that prepares graduates for the demands of clinical practice. With each incoming class, we select a diverse group of students with the intellectual and personal characteristics that the admissions committee regards as desirable for prospective medical students and physicians.
Preliminary Review
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine requires all students to apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Upon receipt of the AMCAS application, they are directed to the UC College of Medicine website to complete the UC On-Line Secondary Application. The purpose of the initial review is to select the most appropriate candidates to invite for interview who will positively contribute to the UCCOM learning environment and the practice of medicine.
An application is complete when the Admissions Office has received the following:
AMCAS Application
UC On-Line Secondary Application. If you need your Campus ID ("M number") to change your password while talking to our UC HelpDesk, you can look it up here.
MCAT scores that are no more than two years old at the time of applying. (For example, if you are applying for the 2020 entering class, you must submit scores for an administration taken any month of the following years: 2017, 2018, 2019.)
A front and back copy of your permanent residency card, if you are not a U.S. citizen.
All application materials, including MCAT scores, must be received by the regular admissions due date. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.
Invitations to Interview
Interviews are by the invitation of the Committee on Admissions and are arranged at a mutually convenient time. The Committee selects approximately 650 applicants to interview. After a student is invited for an interview, they must complete a Questionnaire for Interview Confirmation (QIC) located on the MedOneStop Portal status page. The questionnaire gives the student an opportunity to address additional personal information and any unique circumstances.
During the Admissions Interview Day Program, students not only complete the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), but also receive a tour of the medical school from a current student and attend programs that cover financial aid and the curriculum, college and admissions process.
Applicants traveling to and from Cincinnati by air should note that Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is in Northern Kentucky. Please allow at least two hours to get to and from the airport. Students who do not arrive on time may miss valuable information concerning the MMI and their scheduled interview.
Due to the number of individuals involved, if a student misses the start of the MMI, they will have to return to complete the MMI at a later date. On the MedOneStop Portal, students are given a check-in time for the interview day.
The College of Medicine is committed to a holistic review of applicants at every stage of the admissions process. The Admissions Committee does not use a formula as a basis for any interview or admissions decision, and all applicants receive consideration.
The Committee on Admissions reviews the interview report along with letters of recommendation and all other materials supporting the application.
To assess the applicant's readiness for medical school, the committee looks carefully at the following:
Academic background—grades and grade trends, all MCAT scores, postbaccalaureate and/or graduate experiences, honors courses, research experiences and any independent study courses.
Personal Growth and Development—maturity, integrity, leadership skills, empathy and interpersonal skills, involvement in activities helping others, exposure to diverse circumstances and settings, critical thinking skills, communication skills, and distance traveled (i.e., where the applicant has come from to where s/he/they are now).
Professional Development—understanding of humanistic dimensions of medicine, exploration of medicine through physician shadowing, distance traveled, demonstrated experiences in health care and service-oriented settings, knowledge of medical school demands and pressures, research productivity, external vs. internal pressures to pursue a medical career.
Decisions are communicated as soon as possible. Students are notified if they are accepted, placed on the Alternate List or denied acceptance within two to four weeks.
Accepted applicants are required to respond to the Office of Admissions offer within two weeks. The University of Cincinnati abides by the AAMC Traffic Rules and students may hold multiple acceptances until the stated date per the AAMC. After that date, students may only hold one medical school acceptance.
Application Status & Application Updates
Applicants may check their application status by following the below directions:
Step 1: Go to the MedOneStop Portal log-in with your MedOneStop Username and Password.
This information was sent to you in an email after you created your MedOneStop account to start the Secondary Application.
If you have login difficulties, you must contact the UC HelpDesk at 513-556-HELP (4357) or helpdesk@uc.edu.
The UC HelpDesk will ask for your Campus ID ("M number"), which you can find here.
The Office of Admissions cannot help you with login difficulties; please contact the HelpDesk.
Step 2: Under the heading "View Application Status Page", click on "Click Here" to view your status. Applicants may monitor the below information on their personal MedOneStop status page:
Receipt of UC Secondary Application
Confirmation that letters of recommendation have been received
Update changes to an admission status, i.e. interview and acceptance offers
How to Send Updates to Your Application
In some cases, applicants may wish to send the Admissions Committee additional information and updates.
These include but are not limited to:
Courses and grades (transcripts not required)
Research articles (abstracts with authors only)
Activities and shadowing experiences
Updates must be uploaded through your MedOneStop status page. All information must be in a portable document format (PDF). To change documents to a PDF, visit www.adobe.com.
Once uploaded, you can verify that your update has been received through your MedOneStop status page.
Please note that due to the high volume of submissions, the Admissions Office cannot verify the receipt of updates via email or phone.
The Admissions Office cannot process any updates received via U.S. Postal Service or other mail carrier.
Application Withdrawal
You may withdraw your application by doing the following:
Email MDAdmissions@uc.edu
Include your name, AMCAS ID number and “withdraw” in the subject line.
In the body of the email, please state your desire to withdraw, indicate the date, your name and AMCAS ID#. You will receive an email confirming your request within 48 to 72 hours and may verify the withdrawal action by logging in to the MedOneStop Portal.
Letters of recommendation must be processed through AMCAS. Please visit the AMCAS website for information on how recommenders should submit their materials.
Once a letter is submitted to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, applicants are giving permission to the college to certify the document.
Letters of recommendation sent directly to the College of Medicine will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to inform recommenders of the proper protocol. View Frequently Asked Questions regarding Letters of Recommendation.
Letters of Recommendation Requirements
Minimum number of letters: one committee packet or three individual letters
Maximum number of letters: five
The REGULAR MD PROGRAM requires one (1) packet from your pre-professional committee or three (3) letters from individuals who can properly evaluate your strengths as an applicant and future clinician. In addition to our letter requirement, we will accept up to a total of 5 letters. If you choose to submit three (3) letters, we suggest you request two (2) letters from individuals who can evaluate your performance in science coursework or medical settings.
The MD/PhD PROGRAM requires three (3) letters from individuals who served in an instructional or advisory capacity. If you have questions regarding the MD/PhD program, please contact the program office at 513-558-2380.
REMINDER: AMCAS APPLICATION DEADLINE NOV. 1, 2019
View our new Landing Page
At UCCOM the faculty presentations about the medical school were genuine, and it was easy to realize that the administration sincerely cares about not just medical education but also student wellbeing. This coupled with the friendly, “team-oriented” vibes from the UC medical students assured me that this was the place I would thrive the most. I’m happy to say that nearly four years later my initial thoughts have not changed!”
Sydni,
4th year medical student
Medical Sciences Building
231 Albert Sabin Way
Email: MDAdmissions@uc.edu
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Home News The Nigeria Federal High Court, Lagos Acquits Ladoja Of N4.7billion Fraud
The Nigeria Federal High Court, Lagos Acquits Ladoja Of N4.7billion Fraud
The Nigeria Federal High Court, Lagos Acquits Ladoja Of N4.7billion Fraud Delivering the judgment, Justice Idris, reading the 250-page judgment, maintained that the EFCC could not prove a single ingredient in the 11-count charges.Delivering the judgment, Justice Idris, reading the 250-page judgment, maintained that the EFCC could not prove a single ingredient in the 11-count charges.
Rashidi Ladoja, former Governor of Oyo State, has been acquitted of a N4.7billion fraud case by Justice Mohammed Idris of Federal High Court, Lagos.
The case, which was filed in 2008, came to an end on Friday, with the former Governor cleared of the 11-count charge laid against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Idris claimed that the case was badly prosecuted and charges are full of contradictions.
“I examined 914 tendered documents forensically. The court found the defendants not guilty,” the Judge ruled.
Ladoja was accused of converting N1,932,940,032.48 belonging to Oyo State to his personal use through the Guaranty Trust Bank account of a company, Heritage Apartments Limited, despite allegedly knowing that it was proceeds of criminal activity.
He was also said to have removed £600,000 from the state coffers in 2007 and sent it to Bimpe Ladoja in London, as well as allegedly buying an armoured Land Cruiser jeep with N42million for himself using public funds.
The anti-graft agency also said he converted N728,600,000 and another N77,850,000 at different times in 2007, and allegedly transferred N77, 850,000 to Bistrum Investments, which he nominated to help him purchase a property named Quarter 361 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The alleged offence, EFCC said, contravenes sections 17(a) and18 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, punishable under sections 14(1), 16(a) (b) and 18(2).
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St Luke`s Memorial Gates Print Page
Photographs supplied by Peter F Williams
St Luke`s Memorial Gates were erected in memory of those who died in service or were killed in action during World War One.
The new Memorial Gates at the main entrance of the St. Luke's Church of England grounds, are almost completed and have already made a big difference to the appearance of the grounds.
The Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven Advertiser (NSW),
68 Princess Street, St Luke`s Anglican Church, Berry, 2535
Left Side Inscription
ST LUKE`S C. OF E.
BERRY.
MEMORIAL WALL.
ERECTED MAY 1932.
REV.J.R. Le HURAY,
RECTOR.
Right Side Inscription
TO THE MEN
WHO FELL
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The basics of car switching
Tips for operating your model railroad like the real thing
By Andy Sperandeo, Contributing Editor | Published: Friday, December 6, 2019
If you’re new to model railroad operation you may not be familiar with the basic switching moves for picking up and setting out cars and assembling trains. I’ll review the two primary moves you’ll need, and explain how to apply them to a common task that sometimes challenges even veteran operators.
Trailing, facing, and running around. We’ll start with some common terms, which are illustrated here. “Trailing point” turnouts and spur tracks are those you can back an engine and cars into from your current direction of travel. “Facing point” turnouts and spurs are those your engine can head into without changing direction.
You can easily pull a car from a facing point spur using the engine’s front coupler, but it comes out in front of the engine. Cars behind the engine can’t be put into the facing point spur without a momentum maneuver called a “drop” or a “flying switch” that’s impractical with small-scale model trains. Our cars don’t have enough inertia, and it’s hard to open our couplers on the move.
To get a car or cars on the other end of the engine, we make a “runaround” by placing the cars on a double-ended siding, then moving the engine around them on the other track to couple from the opposite end. Such a double-ended siding is known as a “runaround track,” and it can also be formed by crossovers between parallel tracks.
Skip the runaround. Running around can be time-consuming, and crews on the big roads prefer to avoid it if they can. Besides the momentum tricks that we can’t copy (and which now are generally prohibited by rule), you can avoid running around by only working trailing point spurs. If local trains work in both directions on a given line, they might do only trailing-point work and leave cars for facing-point spurs on double-ended storage tracks for the other local to pick up and set out. This was a common practice in the steam era.
A local that works as a “turn,” out and back from its home terminal, may do only trailing-point work on the way out. The crew will leave the other spurs for the return trip, when they will be trailing. A runaround will be necessary at the turnaround point, but this tactic can still be a big timesaver.
A present-day practice to avoid runarounds is to put a diesel unit on both ends of a local train. The crew can use either engine as needed for trailing and facing points, and even a turn doesn’t have to run around to head back home. Our power units can’t freewheel like the prototype’s, but DCC consisting makes this practical on model railroads.
The long shove. Rookies may still be challenged when cars have to be placed at two or more spots along a single spur. There may be several different industries, or several spots at one large plant, but the task is the same in either case.
Here’s a plan that usually works. First, line up the cars to be set out in the order in which they’re to be placed on the spur – any convenient spur lets you sort a string of cars into any desired order. Then keep those cars to be set out next to the engine while you pull all the cars from the spur and set them over with the rest of the train.
If all of the cars pulled are outbound, you’re ready to make the “long shove” into the spur with all the inbound cars, making cuts as necessary to leave cars at the required spots. If some of the “pulls” are going back in – cars the industry is holding because it hasn’t finished loading or unloading them – you’ll have a
little more sorting to do. First, put in cars that go behind the “holds.” Then go out and get the hold cars and put them back on the spur, and finally make the shove with cars that go ahead of them.
This strategy works for either trailing or facing point spurs. A long shove into a facing spur means making a couple of runarounds, but you know how to handle that.
Read and share your comments on this article
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English Eucharist: A boon for Ernakulam
June 24, 2017 - Diocesan News
Fr. Biju P. Thomas,
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Kochi Orthodox International Centre
(It is an initiative of the Kochi Orthodox International Centre to revive the younger generation and affirm them in Orthodox traditions and faith)
Malankara Orthodox Church has begun celebrating Holy Eucharist in English language in Ernakulam. Kochi Diocesan Metropolitan H.G.Dr.Yakob Mar Irenaios had celebrated the Holy Eucharist at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Ernakulam on 11th June 2017.
Celebrating Holy Eucharist in English language would be a great help for the young generation who are more comfortable in English language than Malayalam. Ernakulam has changed to an international hub for studies,employment and tourism. Subsequently, the number of English speaking Orthodox community is tremendously expanding. It is the responsibility of the Orthodox Church to extend spiritual and social support to this upcoming generation.
The language plays an important role for the effective and meaningful participation in the worship. It has been a long cherished dream of the Cathedral church to start Holy Eucharist in English for the people who cannot speak and understand Malayalam service meaningfully.
In fact, many youth have already left the Church. They mainly blame the language problem of the church worship. Some are attending the worship because it has become habitual and customary for them. Most of the beautiful songs, prayers and actions in worship become formal and unreal. This is a real danger the church is facing today. This condition is to be corrected. The only method to rectify this is to educate the people about the importance of worship in human life and the meaning of the actions and symbols that we use in our service. Sacraments especially Holy Eucharist is the centre of Orthodox Church spirituality. The sacramental worship is a special and profound experience of the meeting of heaven and earth. It is unimaginable and incomprehensible. When we understand the real beauty of our liturgy, we can attend the worship with greater appreciation and deeper devotion.
This is a humble effort from the church’s side to attract the people especially the youth to the worship life of the church. Year after year, their number is increasing. If the church fails to attract them to the main stream, it would be a mistake on our part.
(Tommorrow,25th June 2017, Fr. Biju P.Thomas, will celebrate Evening Prayer at 5:30p.m. followed by the Holy Eucharist at Cathedral church.)
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More info on List of fatal bear attacks in North America
List of fatal bear attacks in North America: Map
This is a list of known fatal bear attacks that occurred in North America by decade in reverse chronological order. In this list three species of bear are recognized: the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) and the Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). For purposes of this list, Brown Bear includes the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), the Kodiak Bear and the Mexican Brown Bear. Between 1900 and 2003 there were about 52 recorded deaths due to black bears, 50 due to brown bears and 5 due to polar bears. The most recent data is the most reliable and complete, but does not necessarily include all fatal attacks that have occurred in North America. Prior to recent decades bear attacks were not well documented, particularly those which took place in isolated regions. As a result there were more attacks and fatalities than have been recorded as shown here, particularly in Canada and Alaska. Note that not all of these were in the wild and that there are many more dog attacks than bear attacks each year.
Name, age, gender
Location, comments
Kelly Ann Walz, 37, female October 4, 2009 Black Ross Township, Pennsylvania . Kelly and her husband had an expired license to keep exotic pets. On Sunday, Kelly went out to clean the bear's cage. She threw a shovelfull of dog food to one side of the 15x15ft concrete and steel cage so she could clean the other side. Sometime while she was cleaning, the bear attacked and killed her. A neighbor came over and shot the bear, killing it.
Donna Munson, 74, female August 6, 2009 Black Ouray, Colorado . Munson had been feeding bears for ten years, though repeatedly warned by wildlife officials. A small bear was wounded in a fight with a larger bear. Munson had been feeding the smaller bear. A larger, older bear came up to her house, where she had enclosed the back porch with a wire fence. She was attempting to scare away the older bear, when it clubbed her through the screened porch, dragged her off, and killed her. Wildlife officials ended up killing two bears as a result of this incident.
Robert Wagner, 48, male September 2008 Brown Sundre area, Alberta. Wagner, 48, of Didsbury, didn't return from a hunting trip to the Sundre area. The medical examiner's office says (Mr Wagner) found near Sundre was mauled to death by a bear.
Cecile Lavoie, 70, female May 30, 2008 Black Near La Sarre, Quebec . Lavoie went on a solo fishing trip. After she didn't return to her cabin, her husband went looking for her. He found a bear dragging her body into the woods.
Stephen Miller, 39, male April 22, 2008 Brown Big Bear Lake, California . A famous bear trained to perform in movies unexpectedly turned on a handler, fatally biting him in the neck. Prior to the attack, the bear had been recently featured in the movie Semi-Pro. Pepper Spray was used to subdue the bear, and no further injuries were reported. The bear was a 5 year old male named Rocky. He was being held in the "Predators in Action" animal training facility at the time of the incident. The bear's fate has yet to be determined.
Don Peters, 51, male November 25, 2007 Brown Mountain Aire Lodge west of Sundre, about 90 km northwest of Calgary. Peters, 51, did not return from a hunting trip in Western Alberta . He was killed by a grizzly near his vehicle after going hunting alone. His body was found three days later. His rifle was found nearby. It had been fired but there was nothing to indicate the bear had been hit. Officials were trying to trap the bear but would not say whether it would be killed if captured. Upon capture, the bear may be shot, moved to another area or let go, depending on an evaluation of the bear, said Alberta resources spokesman Dave Ealey.
Robin Kochorek, 31, female July 20, 2007 Black The 31-year-old woman was reported missing on July 20 after being separated from friends while mountain biking at Panorama Mountain Resort, British Columbia . She was presumably killed by a black bear who was right where the body was recovered at 8 a.m. July 21. Indications were that the bear had preyed upon this person or obviously was trying to claim ownership. The bear was shot on site by RCMP .
Samuel Evan Ives, 11, male June 17, 2007 Black Taken from a tent in American Fork Canyon in the Uinta National Forest in Utah County, Utah where he was sleeping with his stepfather, mother and 6-year-old brother. The bear was later killed by state Wildlife officials.
Jean-Francois Pagé, 28, male April 28, 2006 Brown Fatally mauled while staking mineral claims near Ross River, Yukon, Canada. He unknowingly walked right past a bear den containing a sow and 2 cubs.
Elora Petrasek, 6, female April 13, 2006 Black She was killed and her mother and 2 year-old brother seriously injured in an attack in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee .
Arthur Louie, 60, male September 20, 2005 Brown Killed by a female and two cubs while he was walking back to his mining camp after his truck had a flat tire at Bowron River, British Columbia .
Jacqueline Perry, 30, female September 6, 2005 Black Killed in a predatory attack at the Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park, north of Chapleau , Ontario, Canada . Her husband was seriously injured trying to protect her. Ministry staff shot and killed the bear at approximately 8:00 a.m. Saturday, September 10, 2005, near the area where the fatal attack occurred in a remote area of the park. The bear involved had already attempted to attack two fisherman an hour before this attack occurred
Harvey Robinson, 69, male August 26, 2005 Black Fatally mauled while picking plums at Selkirk , north of Winnipeg, Manitoba .
Rich Huffman, 61, male; Kathy Huffman, 58, female June 23, 2005 Brown Killed in their tent at a campsite along the Hulahula river upriver from Kaktovik in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge .
Isabelle Dube, 35, female June 5, 2005 Brown Killed while jogging with 2 friends on the Bench Trail in Canmore, Alberta
Merlyn Carter, 71, male 2005 Black Found dead in the main cabin of his fishing camp located 300 km Northeast of Ft. Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada .
Timothy Treadwell, 46, male ; Amie Huguenard, 37, female October 2003 Brown Found by their pilot, dead and most of their bodies consumed at Kaflia Bay, Katmai National Park , Alaska on October 6, 2003. Treadwell was world-famous for his books and documentaries on living with wild bears in Alaska. State Troopers investigating the incident recovered an audiotape of the attack. Only a few days before, Treadwell filmed himself with the bear that killed him in the background, while commenting that it was a bear just like this one — older, struggling to bulk up for the winter — that posed the most threat to humans. The two were killed on the last night before their scheduled pickup, after spending several months in the Alaskan bush.
Denis Chrétien April 17, 2003 Black Stalked, killed and partially consumed by a large, black bear near Waswanipi, a village in northern Quebec .
Christopher Bayduza, 31, Male September 2002 Black Attacked and killed at a remote oil rigging site in northeastern British Columbia .,
Maurice Malenfant, 77, male September 2002 Black Attacked and killed in his campsite in Gaspé region of Quebec
Ester Schwimmer, 5 months, female August 2002 Black Bear grabs and kills 5 month old infant from stroller on the porch of home in Fallsburg, New York .
Timothy Hilston, 50, male October 30, 2001 Brown Bear attacked and killed an elk hunter as he was gutting an elk in Western Montana.
Adelia Maestras Trujillo, 93, female August 2001 Black Bear breaks into a house in New Mexico and is confronted by the elderly owner who dies during the attack.
Kyle Harry, 18, male June 3, 2001 Black Attacked and killed at a rural campsite 25 km. east of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Canada .
George Tullos, 41, male July 14, 2000 Brown His partially consumed body was found at Run Amuk campground in Hyder, Alaska .
Mary Beth Miller, 24, female July 2, 2000 Black Attacked and killed while on a training run in a wooded area on a military base near Quebec City , Quebec, Canada . Coroner findings suggest victim was able to get away after initial attack but the bear caught up with her and delivered fatal claw blow to the back of the neck. It was determined that a black bear trapped by Wildlife rangers near the site of the incident shortly after the event was not the animal involved in the fatal mauling. Reasons for the attack, one of very few to occur near a large city, remain undetermined.
Glena Ann Bradley, 50, female May 2000 Black Killed and partially consumed by a female and her yearling. The attack occurred near the Goshen Prong/Little River trail junction upstream from Elkmont , Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Ned Rasmussen, 53, male November 1, 1999 Brown Found dead 2 days after he disappeared on a deer hunting trip on Uganik Island, Alaska.
Ken Cates, 53, male May 25, 1999 Brown Killed while hiking on the Funny River Trail near Soldotna, Alaska . Investigators found bear blood at the scene, and determined that Cates fired two shots with his rifle scoring at least one hit. The bear was never found.
George Evanoff, 65, male October 24, 1998 Brown Evanoff was hiking on the Bearpaw Ridge, 45 miles northeast of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. He encountered a grizzly feeding on a moose kill about a half-mile from his cabin. He was bitten on the neck, but his body was not mauled or eaten by the bear. It was not killed, which would have been in keeping with George’s wishes.
Christopher Kress, male Aug 22, 1998 Brown Killed by a grizzly bear on Saturday while fishing on the South Castle river about 12 miles south of the Beaver Mines campground.
Craig Dahl, 26, male May 17, 1998 Brown Last seen alive hiking in the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park . His partially consumed remains were found three days later.
Audelio Luis Cortes, 40, male February 8, 1998 Brown Killed by a single head bite while working with a seismic crew in the Swanson River oil field near Kenai, Alaska
Patti McConnell, 37, female August 17, 1997 Black Died from injuries while defending herself and her 13 year old son from attack near Liard River Hotsprings, British Columbia .
Raymond Kitchen, 56, male August 17, 1997 Black Died from injuries while attempting to rescue McConnell. McConnell's 13 year old son, Kelly and an unidentified 20 year Calgary Alberta man were also injured in the attack Liard River Hotsprings, British Columbia .
Christine Courtney, 32, female July 5, 1996 Brown Killed while hiking in Kluane National Park, Yukon. Her husband was also attacked but survived.
Sevend "Sven" Satre, 53, male June 1996 Black Killed while checking fencelines at his rural ranch in British Columbia
Shane Fumerton, Bill Caspell October 9, 1995 Brown Killed by bear while securing an elk near Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia
Marcie Trent, 77, female; and her son, Larry Waldron, 45 July 1, 1995 Brown Killed by a bear defending a moose carcass on the McHugh Creek Trail near Anchorage, Alaska .
Colin McClelland, 24, male August 10, 1993 Black Killed as a result of a crushed skull after a male Black bear tore open the door to his trailer and attacked at Waugh Mountain, Colorado . The bear was later killed by game wardens.
John Petranyi, 40, male October 3, 1992 Brown Attacked and killed by a female with 2 cubs on the Loop Trail, Upper McDonald Valley, Glacier National Park . The attack occurred less than from the campground area where Julie Helgeson was dragged from her sleeping bag and killed in August 1967.
Darcy Staver, female July 8, 1992 Black Attacked and killed on the roof of their cabin near Glennallen, Alaska . The bear entered their cabin and Staver and her husband fled to the roof. While Staver's husband went for help, the bear killed her.
Anton Bear, 6, male July 10, 1992 Brown The six (6) year-old victim, his mother and three (3) year old sister were walking down a road, just outside of King Cove, Alaska , when they were approached by a grizzly that had just been feeding at the town dump. The family fled, but the boy was chased down by the bear and killed. The bear devoured most of the victim before villagers could kill the animal.
Sebastien Lauzier, male June 14, 1992 Black Attacked and killed on field assignment near Cochrane, Ontario .
Raymond Jakubauskas, 32, and Carola Frehe, 48 October 11, 1991 Black Bates Island, Opeongo Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park , Ontario, Canada
James Waddell, 12, male May 26, 1991 Black Dragged from a tent during the night and killed. Marten River Campground, Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
Gary Goeden, male found September 1, 1987; missing since July 28, 1987 Brown His partially consumed remains were found at Natahki Lake, Many Glacier Valley, Glacier National Park .
Charles Gibbs, 40, male April 25, 1987 Brown He was last seen alive following and photographing a female with cubs at Elk Mountain in Glacier National Park . Investigators recovered film of the female approaching in attack mode at .
William Tesinsky, photographer October 1986 Brown Approached an adult female too closely in the Otter Creek area of Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park .
Brigitta Fredenhagen July 1984 Brown Dragged from a tent during the night and killed at a backcountry campsite at the southern end of White Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
Roger May June 1983 Brown Dragged from a tent during the night and killed at the Rainbow Point campground in the Gallatin National Forest just Northwest of Yellowstone National Park.
Laurence Gordon, male September 30, 1980 Brown Attacked and killed at the Elizabeth Lake campsite in the Belly River valley, Glacier National Park.
Daniel Gibbs, male; Laura Gibbs, female August 17, 1980 Black Killed near Zama, Alberta, Canada
Jane Ammerman, female; Kim Eberly, male July 24, 1980 Brown Attacked and killed during the night at their campsite at Divide Creek in the St. Mary valley, Glacier National Park.
12 year old boy July 18, 1980 Black Killed at Leo Creek, British Columbia, Canada while fishing with two friends
Michael Scott Patterson June 19, 1978 Black Porcupine Mountains State Park, Michigan
George Halfkenny, Mark Halfkenny, Billy Rhindress May 13, 1978 Black All three boys were stalked and killed while fishing near Radiant Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Mary Pat Mahoney, 22, female September 23, 1976 Brown She was dragged from a tent and killed at Many Glacier campground in Glacier National Park .
Alan Precup, male August, 1976 Brown He disappeared while backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness . Days later, searchers found his campsite with his bare skeleton, one intact hand, and both feet, still booted.
Victoria Valdez, 4, female May 16, 1974 Black Mauled to death while playing 200 yards from her home in Glenwood, Washington
Harry Walker June 1972 Brown Killed by a bear that was feeding on food that was left out at his campsite near Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park .
John Richardson, 31, male 1971 Black Killed while camping at West side of Rocky Mountain National Park .
Harvey Cardinal January, 1971 Brown Killed and partially eaten while hunting the bear near Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada.
Unknown, male October 1, 1968 Black Killed near Atikokan , Ontario, Canada.
Julie Helgeson, 19, female August 13, 1967 Brown Killed at Granite Park campsite in Glacier National Park by a female bear. Attack occurred during the night; bear dragged the victim off while still in her sleeping bag. Attack site was less than from where John Petranyi was attacked and killed on the loop trail in 1992. Helgeson's companion, Roy Ducat, was severely mauled during the attack.
Michelle Koons, 19, female August 13, 1967 Brown Killed at Trout Lake campsite in Glacier National Park by a female bear.
Although Helgeson and Koons were the same age and killed on the same night, these were separate attacks by different bears approximately apart.
Phyllis Tremper, 3, female September, 1966 Black Pet bear dragged the girl into its cage at the Ponderosa Trailer Park in Prescott, Arizona. The bear's owner shot the animal, killing it.
Gil Haggerty August 1942 Black Killed at Old Faithful campground in Yellowstone National Park .
Joseph B. "Frenchy" Duret, 60, Male June 12, 1922 Brown Infamous trapper, prospector, guide and cattleman trapped and then was attacked and partially devoured by a huge grizzly. Frenchy crawled back towards his ranch and died in Frenchy Meadow on Slough Creek in the Absaroka Wilderness, Montana
Frank Welch, 61, Male September 8, 1916 Brown Killed at a camp near Sylvan Pass, Yellowstone. A bear was later killed in this area and it was "Old Two Toes".
Charles Brown III, 18, Male 1916 Brown Killed at a roadside camp in Yellowstone National Park
John Graham, 63, Male May 4, 1912 Brown Killed on Crevice Mountain, MT by a bear that escaped from his trap. The bear lost 3 toes and became known as "Old Two Toes"
Ben Hanford, 49, Male January 1910 Brown Killed at a hunting camp in British Columbia, after traveling there from New York.
Franklin Devereaux, 52, male 4 Sept 1883 Brown Killed in Cheboygan County, Michigan ; victim was a hunter and trapper. Both bear and victim were found dead — the bear of a gunshot wound and the hunter from a blow to his head from the bear.
William Waddell, male Oct 1875 Brown Lumber mill owner killed near Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz County, California
Bear danger
Sankebetsu brown bear incident
Hugh Glass-who survived a 1823 bear attack
List of fatal cougar attacks in North America by decade
National Geographic: Hunter and Hunted -- Ambush
Stephen Herrero (2002). Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance, p.65. Globe Pequot. ISBN 158574557X.
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Brexit LIVE: Corbyn destroys Labour as Remainers desert party sending them to RECORD low
Posted on Jul 4 2019 - 12:23pm by admin
BrexitCorbyndesertDestroysLabourLivePartyrecordRemainerssendingThem
A YouGov survey for The Times showed Labour is backed by just 18 percent of voters, two points down on a week ago. The Tories have climbed two points to stand at 24 per cent while the Brexit Party is up one point to 23 percent and the Liberal Democrats also up one to 20 percent. Meanwhile fears of the impact of a no deal withdrawal have been stoked by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay who could not rule out a recession, price rises in the supermarkets, or traffic jams on the roads if Britain fails to leave without a deal.
He told Sky News: “As a former Treasury minister no one can ever rule out what could happen in the future.
“The question is are we doing everything we can to prepare and are we trying to get a deal in the first instance, but if not how do we prepare in a sensible and professional manner?
“And that is what we’re working extremely hard for the Government to do.”
And ahead of Theresa May’s trip to Scotland to give a speech on why Scotland should not seek independence, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage suggested EU withdrawal was more of a priority than preserving the United Kingdom.
He told ITV’s Peston: “Look, being an independent self-governing nation is the number one.
“If there were parts of the United Kingdom that didn’t wish to stay part of it that would be deeply regrettable but I just don’t believe that to be the case – I really genuinely don’t believe it.”
SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE UPDATES
9.17am update: Tories “high-handed, arrogant and dismissive” of Scotland since the Brexit
Nicola Sturgeon has accused Theresa May of being “high-handed, arrogant and dismissive” of Scotland since the Brexit vote three years ago.
The Scottish First Minister said: “Scotland is heading inexorably towards independence – that will be Theresa May’s legacy.
“The Tories’ behaviour towards Scotland in the three years since the Brexit vote has been high-handed, arrogant and dismissive.
“They have demolished any notion of a respect agenda and have destroyed their own claims that the union is in any meaningful way a partnership of equals. People across Scotland can now see that more plainly than ever.”
8.30am update: May tells successor to preserve United Kingdom
Theresa May will warn her successor his Brexit plans must prioritise preserving the United Kingdom.
In a speech in Scotland, the Prime Minister is expected to say: “I am confident that whoever succeeds me in 10 Downing Street will make the union their priority.
“He will be building on work done over the last three years, during which time strengthening the union has become an explicit priority of government.
“The job of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland brings with it privileges and responsibilities which you only really feel once the black door closes behind you.
“One of the first and greatest is the duty you owe to strengthen the union.
“To govern on behalf of the whole United Kingdom, to respect the identities of every citizen of the UK – English and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish.
“And to ensure that we can go on facing the future together, overcoming obstacles together, and achieving more together than we ever could apart – a union of nations and people.”
7.30am update: Starmer tells Johnson MPs will block no deal Brexit
Keir Starmer has warned Boris Johnson that MPs will “do everything to stand in his way” if he tries to force through a “bad deal or a no-deal Brexit”.
Johnson, the frontrunner in the race to be Britain’s next prime minister, has suggested he will “disaggregate” Theresa May’s “otherwise defunct” withdrawal agreement and implement its less contentious elements.
But research commissioned by Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, from the House of Commons library suggests this would still require the government to bring legislation before parliament, which MPs could then reject or amend.
The library’s experts said: “Without an act of parliament, the UK cannot ratify the withdrawal agreement.”
Brexit LIVE: Lib Dem leader's plot to tear apart Johnson's Tory Party by luring Remainers
May's Brexit deal with Corbyn IN CRISIS: Labour Remainers could TORPEDO agreement
Labour PANIC as Remain voters switch to Lib Dems in EU elections sending WARNING to Corbyn
LABOUR IN CRISIS: Field quits in 'major wake up call' as donors DESERT Corbyn
Migration figures PLUNGE by record amount after Brexit as EU citizens desert UK
× three = 24
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Darkest Hour: Overrated
DARKEST HOUR (2017)
Directed by Joe Wright
Perfect World Pictures, 125 minutes, PG-13
Back in 2002, the BBC declared Winston Churchill (1874-1965) the greatest Briton of all time. He was certainly omnipresent—famed orator, Nobel Prize winning author, military man, and the holder of just about every governmental office imaginable, including two stints as Prime Minister (1940-45; 1951-55). Maybe that's why several British audiences gave a standing ovation to Darkest Hour. I, like many others, have reservations about such unbridled hero worship, but I have none about Darkest Hour. It is like Churchill himself—puffed up on its own perceived importance. I say this even though Gary Oldman won the Golden Globe's Best Actor honors for portraying Churchill, and even though some consider this film to be a potential dark horse to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Fiddlesticks, say I! But let's give the film credit for doing a decent job with the situation that gives the film its title. (Churchill never actually uttered that phrase.) It covers just 2 ½ weeks of Churchill's time as Prime Minister—from Neville Chamberlain's resignation following Hitler's invasion of the Low Countries on May 10, 1940, to the successful evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France on June 4. It was an extraordinary moment in history, one in which many British leaders thought the nation's only chance for survival was to sue for peace. Churchill emerged as the perfect wartime leader. He was prescient in warning the government of Hitler's evil intentions, dogged in his resolve, and brilliant in his ability to craft inspirational speeches. As Lord Halifax (Stephen Dillane) says near the end of Darkest Hour, "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle."
This film also looks good. Scenes in the underground war rooms, Parliament, and London streets are bathed in sufficiently drab English hues that enhance the possibility of impending apocalypse, and the film's closing sequence—though cinematic hyperbole—is a stunner. Director Joe Wright also uses effective slow motion street tableaux to capture emotions ranging from fear and dread to resolve and defiance. The overall gloom is further deepened by physical allusions to Churchill's personal financial woes and by the deep-furrowed petty wrangling of Parliamentarians engaged much in political jockeying as dealing the dangers of the moment. I also credit the film for not dodging the possibility that Churchill was an alcoholic. (Franklin Roosevelt certainly thought so and used advisor Harry Hopkins to keep Churchill at arm's length.) It even invites us to question Churchill's past judgment (the bungled World War One Gallipoli campaign) and present (the decision to sacrifice men deployed a Calais).
For all of that, Darkest Hour is at heart a cinematic look at the Great Man Theory of history. Exaggeration, invention, a histrionic musical score, and the dumbed-down fawning of those who sense they are in the presence of a demigod ultimately undermine the power of the visuals. The fawners include Churchill's deputy, Anthony Eden (Samuel West), his young secretary Elizabeth Layton (Lily James), and his long-sacrificing wife Clementine (Kristin Scott-Thomas doing a Sian Phillips imitation). Never mind that Eden was actually among those who thought Britain needed to consider throwing in the towel, that Layton didn't have a brother at Dunkirk and wouldn't be Churchill's secretary until 1941, or that Clementine was equally invested in Winston's legacy. Nor is there evidence that Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) or Halifax were plotting a party coup against Churchill. There is one scene so preposterous that it's Disneyesque on the fantasy scale. Churchill was many things, but a man of the people he was not. He did not, as the film would have it, bolt from his limousine and jump on the Underground to solicit the views of ordinary Brits, trade Macaulay passages with a black passenger, and whip the subway car into bellicose resolve. This is ahistorical nonsense served with a PC twist.
Just to be clear, my brief against Darkest Hour isn't rooted in anti-Churchill views. To repeat an earlier point, Churchill was a valiant wartime leader. Faced with the specter of fascism, better that the leader be a tiger than a Teddy bear. The film works best when Churchill is self-assured, arrogant, even crude (though Oldman seemed too much like LBJ with a cigar in those scenes). I was not enamored of attempts to soften Churchill's gruffness with avuncular interludes in his dealings with Layton. At times, you might also think that Churchill was the one with a stammer, not King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn).
Mainly I don't see what all the fuss is about. If you've seen Season One of The Crown, you have witnessed a far superior portrayal of Churchill—that of John Lithgow. Indeed, Jeremy Northam's Eden was also a better performance, as was Jared Harris of George VI and Harriet Walker's Clementine. Joe Wright's Darkest Hour looks good, but it tries so hard to cover all the bases that it often feels like it's more about 21st century concerns than mid-20th century perils.
Half Holidays and Groundhogs
GRAHAM STONE MUSIC
Until the Day
www.grahamstonemusic.com/
I can't remember the last time I was so bowled over a by a debut release. Graham Stone Music is the performing nom de guerre of Graham McCune Stoll, a young man who hails from Virginia and dispenses insights and wisdom like an old sage. Until the Day is one of those rare albums where you listen to a track and exclaim, "Man, that's one helluva song," and the next one makes you repeat yourself. And the one after that, and….
Stoll's husky baritone immediately puts one in mind of Ari Heist, but Stoll's songs come from the road, not the urban canyons of New York City. "Flowers of Montana" is a gorgeous song. Stool is named for Gram Parsons, who would have been proud to have penned lines like But the flowers in Montana all are bloomin'/And the river by the mountain/is clear and cold/And the flower on my arm will stay forever/ I’m not a young man, but I’ve never felt so old. If it doesn't look like much on the page, listen to the song and ask yourself how a guy barely 30 can write such a line and sing it with such wizened grace. Next, take Stoll's folk persona, add some buzzy electric, head for the open Big Sky lands, and check out "Canyonlands." Pack some sweet country and hop a "Midnight Train" bound for Boston, once the lost rambling is over. Lace the song with thoughts of a woman somewhere along the line. If "Strong Constitution" is to be believed, Stoll likes his women strong and independent. The heroine of this folk country tale shows no fear: She's got a strong constitution/steel in her spine/A spirit more precious than jewels/ She's got a strong constitution/She's made up her mind/She won't take no shit from a fool. "Kathleen Jean" is a sweeter Virginia "queen," but she too knows what she believes.
Stoll's songs move us in many ways. "Free and Homeward" places us in the middle of John Brown's Raid and recounts events from the perspective of a doomed slave. It's dark and tragic and builds to a loud growly moment, yet offers final redemption: …I am free/and I am home. "On the Run" is a rocker with boot kicking grit; "Richmond City Blues" also rocks, but in the vein of songs that get the honky tonkers off their stools and onto the dance floor. "Until the Day" touches things deeply human—livin' alone with all my fears and I defy you to remain stoic during "Meaningless," a dying rich man's gift and dispensation to a young servant.
What a record! Buy it. You'll have a hard time moving it down your playlist.
Movie Madness, Celtic Corner, Cranky Notions Acoustic Music Favorites, Album of the Month, Pop-Rock World
Uncommon Visions at Forbes Library
UNCOMMON VISIONS
Susan Boss, Mark Brown, and Michael Tillyer
You only have a few days left to catch a fine show of three Western Massachusetts artists, whose work is on display on the second floor library. I like local art shows for precisely what this one does; it provides new ways of thinking about things in contexts we've not see many times before. So here are some pictures to whet your appetite: surreal paintings from Mark Brown, contemplate textiles from Susan Boss, and—a personal favorite—the whimsical sculptures of Michael Tillyer.
If you can't make the show before it closes at the end of the month, check out Websites. They may not be household names (yet), but they are worth discovering.
Brown: Harvest. Isn't the late summer garden explosion just like this?
Boss: Our Heads are Round. Take that, blockheads!
Tillyer: The Simmerer
Tillyer: The Artist's Wife
Tillyer: Bird on a Branch
Tillyer: Five Unopened Things (box, package, book, letter, apple!)
Tillyer: Rex (Some might recognize Rex from installations at Art in the Orchard)
Vonnegut Undiscovered: For a Reason
LOOK AT THE BIRDIE (2009/17)
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Dial Press, 297 pages
★★ ½
Readers and writers both have their salad days—readers when they fall hard for a writer and work their way through that writer's oeuvre, and writers when they reach the height of their powers. Back in the 1970s I devoured Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007) like a starving man who crashed a Roman banquet. Forget Cat's Cradle; back then, all Vonnegut was the cat's meow. Well before he died in 2007, I prided myself with having read all of his novels, short stories, and important essays. Since then, however, unpublished Vonnegut short stories have been discovered, so I guess that makes me the fool for thinking myself a completist, right?
Maybe not if we go back to the adjective "important." Look at the Birdie first came out in 2009 and I didn't rush to read these 14 previously unpublished short stories because other such stories disappointed me. But when Amazon reissued them and briefly offered them for $1.99, I took the bait. The verdict? I'm glad I didn't spend more. Look at the Birdie isn't terrible, but there's not much to recommend it unless you are new to Vonnegut's work, in which case let me envy the treat you have in store when you finally bite into masterpieces such as Mother Night (1961), Slaughterhouse Five (1969), and Breakfast of Champions (1973).
As for Look at the Birdie, a few things must be said. The most obvious is that Vonnegut was not yet the writer of the aforementioned classics. Most of the tales were written in the 1950s before he found his voice. Mostly they were a young writer's attempt to earn money by getting magazines to publish him. These offerings weren't "unpublished" because he stuck them in the back of his sock drawer and forgot they were there; they were rejected in an era in which there were many outlets for aspiring fiction writers. Righty so; they're at best mediocre. Like many creative people—artists, musicians, poets, playwrights—Vonnegut tried (too) hard to emulate his heroes: O Henry, Twain, Orwell, Shaw, Swift, Wells…. Once he became the Vonnegut we know, he cast out most of the other voices in his head. (There was always a bit of Twain and Swift.) Second, these are pieces from the 1950s that are time bound, not unstuck in time.
Does a story about finding what looks to be a butter knife but is actually the spaceship of tiny beings entice you? There's no reason "The Nice Little People" should, given that all the aliens do is be tiny—and nice. Smallness also gets a workout in "Petrified Ants," which is actually veiled commentary of Soviet bureaucracy. It won't mean much if you're too young to remember the USSR!
We see Vonnegut trying on genres to see if they fit. "Ed Luby's Key Club" tells of a humble working-class couple that save their money and drive to an expensive out-of-state restaurant each year for their anniversary. On this particular occasion they arrive to find it has become a members-only dinner club, and Luby transformed into an arrogant mobster who tries to frame them for a murder. At best this is a mild social class drama, but mostly it's a mash of The Fugitive and third-rate mysteries. Its contrived ending is testament that Vonnegut was thinking within genres rather than trusting his imagination.
Equally weak is "King and Queen of the Universe" in which a well-heeled and naïve couple get talked into a flawed good deed that turns into a caper. "Hello Red" is a darker version of "The Farkle Family," a future Laugh-In gag. I was also baffled by the choice to name the collection after a particularly contrived tale of a disbarred psychiatrist-turned-extortionist with a unique way of getting away with murder. And so it goes, as Vonnegut would say a decade later.
Any good news? One might find relevance in "Shout about It from the Rooftops" and its takedown of celebrity fame. It revolves around a window salesman, an angry man, and a wife whose tell-all confessional isn't what it seems, though that doesn't prevent it from becoming a mass market hit that brings nothing but misery. "Little Drop of Water" holds interest in our post-Harvey Weinstein times given that its protagonist is a serial womanizer. But I'll warn you to keep an airsickness bag at the ready for the resolution, which is really, really dated.
If given the pick of the litter it would be the opening "Confido" in which humble Henry Bowers invents a machine that tells us what we want to hear and makes us feel good—until it doesn't. Confido learns and begins to call things as they are. Let's just say that honesty isn't always the best or most comforting policy. We might want to read this one as a prescient warning of dangers inherent in artificial intelligence. Maybe.
Mostly this is dated stuff penned by the man who became Kurt Vonnegut. I want to believe that once Vonnegut entered his salad days he squirrled these ideas away for a reason. Perhaps had he lived a few years longer, he might have salvaged pieces of them from his writer's junkyard. I'm fairly certain those reworked parts would be more sublime than these wholes.
Graham Stone Music: Album of the Month
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Quilting the River Region…
Written by Kara Lynn Dunn posted on February 13, 2013 07:33
Readers of Thousand Islands Life well know how the St. Lawrence River inspires artists, poets, writers, and photographers. Quilters, too, have loosed their creativity to capture the uniqueness of the Islands’ history, nature, culture, and beauty.
Summers on the river prompted quilter-turned-designer and now-author, Mary Knapp to hand-dye and sun-dye her own fabrics in lovely shades of blue and green. After several experiments, the retired biology teacher refined her processes to create fabrics she stitched into award-winning quilts, earning honors at shows in New York and Vermont and the prestigious American Quilter’s Society event in Paducah, Kentucky.
“A quilt made with a variety of fabrics is much more interesting to me than one of just four or five fabrics, but always the end result must also be easy to look at. It’s a fine balance between peace and chaos,” Mary says.
In the late 1990s, Mary was encouraged to become a quilt pattern designer by Teresa Mitchell of Clayton. The late President and CEO of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail was an avid quilter who recognized the potential of quilting as a cultural heritage travel theme, and as an event to encourage visitation to the 1000 Islands region of the 518-mile-long byway in the spring season.
Teresa invited Mary to create quilt block patterns for the nine publicly-accessible lighthouses on the byway and to be the featured quilter at the first Great Lakes Seaway Trail Quilt Show in Sackets Harbor, NY, in 2001.
The Seaway Trail Foundation began selling the designs as quilt patterns and notecards and Mary was on the road to a career as a published designer.
Mary created patterns with birding and boating themes for later shows.
“I enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with the Great Lakes Seaway Trail to create patterns that tell the story of the fabulous natural, recreational and cultural resources of the byway region and are patterns that quilters can easily adapt with colors and fabrics to their own personal stories of exploration,” Mary says.
You might think that since she summers on the River, Mary would make only quilts with warm themes. Not so, she credits Teresa and the timing of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail quilt shows in March with inspiring her “Trees of March” blocks that celebrate the end of winter.
“Those star tree designs reflect the burst of color the quilt shows add to the early spring in the 1000 Islands region as we leave winter’s gray behind with the hues of crocus and snowbells about to break through crusty ground,” Mary explains.
The Trees of March patterns are among the 35 designs, templates and projects in Mary’s first book, titled Star Quilts, dedicated to Teresa and published by C&T Publishing.
Mary will be speaking at the 2013 show in Sackets Harbor on Saturday, March 16.
Region’s History Draws Viewers’ Choice
The War of 1812 battles fought on land and water in the River region provided a “regiment” of nine Canadian quilters, all living history interpreters at Upper Canada Village, icons for a pictorial quilt that won the Viewers’ Choice honors at the 2012 quilt show in Sackets Harbor.
“British Major Sir Isaac Brock is front and center. Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost is seen navigating his horse home in shame for not advancing his troops at Plattsburgh,” says Janice Toonders, who demonstrates spinning and weaving at the historic village site in Morrisburg, Ontario.
Janice designed the quilt using an Irish chain pattern. Janice, Martina Bols, Linda Brown, Mary Casselman, Christine Christie, Dianne Helmer, Ivah Malkin, Marjorie Munroe, Judy Neville, and Sharon Shaver used felt, silk thread and cotton fabrics to fashion blocks with Canada’s military and civilian heroes of the war.
The Upper Canada Village quilters included the sloop “Wolf” that fought in one of the Battles of Sackett’s Harbour (historic spelling). First Nation’s Confederacy leader Tecumseh and Joseph Brant, the Mohawk Chief who was working with the British to create a nation in the west, each have a block.
A bear, a moose, a First Nation’s symbol, a British sailor, and Laura Secord who notified the British of a U.S. attack are also among the quilt’s storytelling images.
That quilt is now among the 26 quilts selected for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 educational traveling exhibit touring the U.S. and Canada into 2015. The exhibit has been to Upper Canada Village, Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario, and major quilt shows in the eastern U.S. The exhibit will be at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival in Colorado in August 2013.
A Glengarry Light Infantry Tribute
For Sheila Cornett of Kingston, the War of 1812 quilt theme was a perfect blend of two loves.
“I jumped at the chance to combine two enthusiasms – my love of 19th-century history and quilting,” Sheila says. “I was able to find a lot of research information on the British garrisoned at Kingston to make a medallion quilt with a wool tartan centerpiece commemorating the men of the Glengarry Light Infantry recruited from Upper Canada in 1811 by British Lieutenant-Colonel MacDonnell, known as Red George.”
Sheila adds that some of the recruits had emigrated to Canada with families from the Scotland highlands.
“For my quilt design, I imagined they might have brought a treasured piece of tartan cloth with them,” Sheila says.
Major land battles took place along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario waterfront, throughout the Niagara River frontier, and along Lake Erie. Battles were fought at such places at Lundy’s Lane, Crysler’s Farm, and Fort York in Canada, and at Buffalo, Youngstown, Oswego and Ogdensburg in New York.
Lost Villages Remembered
Bolstered by her first attempt at quilting for the 1812 bicentennial show, and with a love of the history of the St. Lawrence River region, Margot Dixon put her hands to fabric and thread once again for this year’s Beauty of the Byways theme.
Margot, the Training and Research Officer, a costume specialist, and a living history interpreter at Upper Canada Village, humbly says, “I am still not a ‘real’ quilter, but I wanted to represent six small villages lost when the Saint Lawrence Seaway was created to be represented.
“In the 1950s the north shoreline of the St. Lawrence River between Cardinal and Cornwall, Ontario, was changed forever by the St. Lawrence and Ontario Hydro projects. Gone were the wild rapids and in their place was a quiet and placid lake. Gone also was the lifestyle of farmland and small villages,” Margot writes for the story card that will be displayed with her wallhanging.
“Look carefully under the blue waters to still find remnants of times past. Along the shore, a new beauty now lines the river: miles of parkland, beaches and bush, and a wonderful recreation trail for hikers and bicyclists. Beauties lost, but new beauty found,” she adds.
Some of the buildings saved from the flooding of the lost villages are part of Upper Canada Village, where 1860’s homestead and community life is recreated with authentic buildings and costumed interpreters.
Native Quilter Catches Dreams in Fabric
When Dyan Swamp wants to make a quilt, she just has to step into her Dreamcrafters Quilt Shop on the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation on the St. Lawrence River in Hogansburg, NY, to select colors, patterns and textures from more than 5,000 bolts of fabric.
She creates her own designs and puts her creative twist to published patterns. In 2010, Dyan made her first quilted “dreamcatcher” - a small hoop said in Native American cultural lore to trap bad dreams until dawn when they disappear.
“I knew how to make a traditional dreamcatcher using leather and feathers, but I had never made one in fabric,” she says.
That same year, Dyan made a 20-color, round “Rainbow Spiral” quilt voted Viewers’ Choice honors at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail “Circles and Wheels on the Byway” Quilt Show.
In 2012, Dyan was commissioned to make some traditional attire worn by Mohayk Naiton representatives who traveled to Rome for canonization of the first Native American Catholic saint, Kateri Kekakwitha. The “Lily of the Mohawks” lived in a 17th century settlement along the St. Lawrence River in what is now Quebec. Upon her death at age 24, her facial scars caused by smallpox were healed and those attending her funeral were also said to have been healed.
Dyan will be at the March 16-17, 23-24 Great Lakes Seaway Trail 2013 show with some of her work on exhibit and lots of fabric for some shopping fun.
No quilting article on 1000 Islands-inspired works would be complete without mention of the beautiful pictorial quilt that hangs in the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council office in Alexandria Bay, NY. April Neisz created a showcase of the historic recreational playground replete with a sailing ship, Boldt Castle, an 1812 soldier, a lighthouse, a skiff, and a quilt suspended from the International Bridge. The quilt received a Special Honorable Mention award at the 2009 Favorite Seaway Trail Places show.
If you are inspired by all this creative energy to pick up needle and thread, the 2013 show theme is Beauty of the Byways in the U.S. and Canada and for 2014 Vineyards, Fields, Farms and Food. Works can be pieced, appliquéd, traditional, pictorial, contemporary, embellished, art quilts or wearable. Find details at www.seawaytrail.com/quilting.
By Kara Lynn Dunn
Kara Lynn Dunn is the publicist for the New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Program and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. She lives in Mannsville, NY, with her husband and photographer, Brian Whattam, who grew up in Three Mile Bay, NY. She earned a journalism degree at the University of Pittsburgh; is a freelance writer, publicist, and designer; and has authored two books on North Country natural and historic sites. Kara vividly recalls childhood camping adventures along the St. Lawrence River with the Village of Mannsville Summer Recreation Program.
For More Quilting Art Inspiration
Visit the March 16-17, 23-24, 2013
Great Lakes Seaway Trail Beauty of the Byways Quilt Show
Quilts of favorite byways and destinations by American and Canadian quilters, 56-piece Route 66 traveling quilts display, 80-piece Hoffman Challenge Quilts traveling trunk collection, preview of 2014 show theme: Vineyards, Fields, Farms and Food, demonstrations, speakers, vendors in historic venues throughout waterfront village. Co-sponsored by Orleans County Country Barn Quilt Trail.
Entry guidelines and more info: Lynette Lundy-Beck, 315-646-1000 x203, lynette@seawaytrail.com,
web: www.seawaytrail.com/quilting
Mary Knapp's quilt "The Toad: A Wetlands Favorite." Photo: Brian P. Whattam
This lively group of Kingston quilters visited the Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 theme show
Jeanne Stoness of the Limestone Quilters Guild in Kingston
Posted in: People, Sports, Event, News Article
Comment by: Susan Saiter ( )
Left at: 8:30 PM Sunday, February 17, 2013
The quilting article got the first and foremost attention.
How many quilters are out there on our islands, including stitchers, any kind of hand work.
The Guilds don't meet in the summer but maybe we could all get together at our cottages or in Gananoque at a meeting room on an afternoon every week or so.
A great way to get to now other islanders and have a fun sharing time. Bring mending or anything you want to work on and we could see what develops.
Anyone interested? Email me suesaiter at att dot net
Comment by: Susie Smith
Left at: 7:12 PM Monday, February 25, 2013
Please note: "TI Life" does not put email links in comments. Susan Saiter can be reached by typing her email address in her message above - without spaces and placing a . instead. Or, you are most welcome to contact me through "TI Life", and I will pass on her email address to you.
Her idea is a wonderful one - and I am sure those who love hand work will accept her fine offer.
Susan W. Smith, Editor
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Enhanced TCU Site Visits
by Al Kuslikis on 10/9/2018 3:04 PM
One of observations we've made so far through our site visits is that many TCUs rely on vendors who often do not serve the best interests of their client TCU. In addition, vendors often lack technical skills which lead them to make poor recommendations and implementations. We've seen several examples of vendor- installed systems that created technical and operational issues, including
Poor performance and significant gaps in coverage of vendor-installed and supported wireless systems.
Poorly configured campus network architectures with improper use of VLANs and subnet segmentation.
Systems that were not functional and when they were, provided very little benefit to the college. For example, one college had a non-operational Cisco UCS system that was never fully installed and was improperly configured.
Every TCU that we visited had some level of campus networking issues (e.g. network design, improper choices on fiber optic cabling, wireless coverage and performance issues, lack of network monitoring software). These issues were sometime more significant than could be accurately analyzed or characterized during a single day site visit. While general observations and recommendations based on these issue are made, a more rigorous examination of the colleges’ infrastructure would be needed to make specific recommendations for fixes, improvements, and upgrades.
The need on the part of TCUs could potentially be addressed through an initiative that provides support to institutions and organizations that are in a position to offer TCUs deeper technical support. Existing collaborations between TCUs and nearby R1 institutions could be expanded, given the availability of funding to defray costs, to include technical support by qualified engineers and technicians on staff at partnering institutions. Regional research and education network providers could also serve a similar support role to TCUs within their service area.
This concept was the basis for an “enhanced site visit” conducted in partnership with the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) based at the University of Oregon. Tohono O’odham Community College in Sells, AZ received the enhanced visit, the goals of which were to both conduct a relatively comprehensive review of the CI gaps at a TCU, and to test the idea that provision of enhanced technical support by a educational institution partner is a viable strategy. In this pilot activity, NSRC provided the personnel and AIHEC funded the travel of two NSRC personnel who spent two and a half days days investigating TOCC’s networking and general CI issues. It's too early to assess the impact of this pilot activity on TOCC’s campus technology; however, the the level of engagement of the part of the college seems to indicate that this model has great promise as an effective strategy for accelerating TCU CI development.
What are your thoughts about this idea? Would an enhanced site visit be of value to your college? Should we pursue the idea of making enhanced site vists available to more TCUs?
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Welcome to the CI Study Team Blog
by Laurance J. Milask on 2/9/2018 6:20 AM
This is where Jim, Dale and Al will be posting thoughts about the project, CI at the TCUs and ideas for projects that build on the CI Study.
No, this isn't actually my picture. I just haven't gotten around to updating this section. It's good to know that someone is reading every last word though. Thanks!
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FEATURELISTINGNEWS
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
David 2019-04-16
Friday 22nd Nov
Grammy Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens is a masterful singer, banjo and fiddle player, blending American musical genres like gospel, jazz, blues and country. Her elegant, prodigious voice and fierce spirit come alive in her performances, bringing audiences to their feet, whilst showcasing her extraordinary emotional range and dazzling vocal prowess.
‘Contagious delight and furious defiance. Giddens covers solemn material but her history lessons are thrilling and delivered with pure enjoyment’ (★★★★★ The Guardian)
Rhiannon Giddens, who had previously won accolades with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, has released two great albums on Nonesuch – Freedom Highway and Tomorrow Is My Turn. She has also recently released Our Native Daughters, a collaborative project with Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah and Alli Russell of Birds Of Chicago, which explores the historical experience of black women in the US.
When Rhiannon Giddens met Italian pianist and percussionist Francesco Turrisi, well versed in jazz, early music and Mediterranean music, they found that her 19th century American minstrel banjo tunes and his traditional Sicilian Tamburello (tambourine) rhythms fit very naturally together. They soon discovered the reason for that – their respective roots coexisted in the past. Pictures of early minstrel bands all represent banjo and tambourine (called tambo) together, where in many cases the tambo is held in the same manner of Southern Italian tamburello traditions today.
The massive effect that West African music and dance has had upon American culture is by now well known; but centuries before, European music was being transformed by Arabic and North African modes, instruments, and rhythms. Working together they trace this musical globalism by reimagining the encounter of the banjo and the frame drum, and other instruments, through their journey from Africa, the Middle East, through southern Europe and England, and over to the Americas.
They release their album there is no Other through Nonesuch next month. Produced by Joe Henry and tracked over an intensely productive five day period in Dublin, the new record is at once a condemnation of “othering” and a celebration of the spread of ideas, connectivity, and shared experience.
Watch the video for I’m On My Way from the upcoming album here: http://smarturl.it/thereisnoother
© 2019 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - A DMP & Kilimanjaro Live Presentation
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Top Man Airs Himself Out
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County Sheriff’s Office patrol corporal wounded himself Wednesday when he accidentally( negligently)fired his weapon during a training exercise, officials said.
OOPSIE!
Sheriff John Mina said the deputy was at a department training facility on Wewahootee Road around 10:30 a.m. when he accidentally( negligently ) shot himself.
He was the only one profeshional enough to carry a fortay.
“The deputies on the scene and the firefighters who responded provided excellent care based on their training,” Mina said. “We were able to stop the bleeding right away and get him transported here to Orlando Health.” Hand claps and back pats all around boys. Good job getting in some realistic training. I wonder what qual scores were like from the police officer who aired himself out.
Mina said the deputy was awake and alert after the incident. Chuckle. I bet he was!
He said the Sheriff’s Office employee has been with the department since 2011 and is currently working as a patrol corporal. I’m sure the people of Orange Co. feel safer knowing this now.
A public relations officer with the Sheriff’s Office said the deputy sheriff was at a department training facility on Wewahootee Road around 10:30 a.m. when he ( violated the firearms safety rules) accidentally(negligently) shot himself.
Sheriff John Mina said the deputy is in stable condition and was shot in the lower half of his body. Sounds suspiciously like he shot himself in the nuts.
“Anytime there’s an incident like this, there is an internal investigation,” he said. “Then, we look at it from a training perspective. What exactly happened? What went wrong? What we can do to fix it going forward?” I think we all can make a pretty good guess…
Mina said an internal investigation will be conducted, which is standard procedure when a deputy fires their weapon.
A similar incident happened in June at the same gun range. Yes indeed, We remember well.
In that case, an Orange County corrections officer accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Mina dismissed any connection, saying it was two different incidents and two different agencies. Oh but there is! The connection is the obviously incompetent TTPs and personnel at the facility.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orange-county-deputy-injured-during-training-after-accidentally-discharging-weapon?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
Categories Scattered Shots Post navigation
Gun Sales Surge After Democrats Demand Buybacks & Confiscation
WHEN GUNS ARE OUTLAWED ONLY OUTLAWS WILL BE CAR WINDOWS
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PhysioNet Tutorials
PhysioNet tutorials are intended to provide hands-on introductions to the data and software available from this resource. This index lists currently available PhysioNet tutorials by category, as well as reference manuals, workshop materials, and links to other tutorials likely to be of interest to PhysioNet visitors.
About the PhysioBank Archives. PhysioBank contains well over 36,000 recordings of annotated, digitized physiologic signals and time series; this brief tutorial begins with an exploration of these archives using your web browser, followed by pointers on downloading data, information about the archives themselves, and recommendations of software available freely from this site for further study of PhysioBank data.
An Introduction to PhysioToolkit. PhysioNet's collection of software for viewing, analyzing, and modelling physiologic signals and time series consists of open-source software that can be studied, verified, and modified to suit the specific needs of your work.
Finding records in PhysioBank. This tutorial describes the PhysioBank Index of over 36,000 records that can be viewed by the PhysioBank ATM, and how to find records with desired characteristics using the web-based PhysioBank Record Search or via command-line tools.
How to obtain PhysioBank data in text form. Many readers wish to convert binary data from PhysioBank (PhysioNet's data archive) into text form for further processing. There are many good reasons not to do so. If you are determined to do it anyway, here's how.
Creating PhysioBank (WFDB-compatible) Records and Data Collections. If you have digital recordings of signals or time series, perhaps with annotations, that you would like to study using PhysioToolkit software such as that in the WFDB software package, or that you would like to contribute to PhysioBank, this tutorial should get you started on creating PhysioBank-compatible records from your data.
How to set up a mirror of PhysioNet. A PhysioNet mirror can run on almost any computer made in the last ten years, and it can provide local users with fast access to PhysioBank data and PhysioToolkit software, even in areas with slow or unreliable Internet connections. PhysioNet mirrors are easy to set up and essentially self-maintaining. Put an old computer to good use and help PhysioNet users in your area.
Using the MIMIC II Database. The MIMIC II Database has many types of data that are not available in other PhysioBank data collections. This tutorial is intended to help you get started on a project that makes use of this rich data collection.
An Introduction to Cygwin. PhysioToolkit includes a large collection of open-source, POSIX-compliant software that can be useful to most PhysioNet visitors. Since almost all of the popular platforms are also POSIX-compliant, it's easy to get PhysioToolkit software running on those platforms, including GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, and all versions of Unix. Microsoft Windows is not POSIX-compliant, but a free software package called Cygwin provides a stable and very complete POSIX layer on top of Windows. By installing Cygwin on your Windows PC, you will be able to run PhysioToolkit software on it. This tutorial explains how to do so, without interfering with any Windows software you may be using.
Applying PhysioNet tools to manage neurophysiological signals. How to import and handle data from commercial devices using PhysioToolkit and other open source software. This tutorial was contributed by Jesus Olivan Palacios, a neurophysiologist who has written an excellent introduction to much of the software available from PhysioNet in the form of a series of hands-on exercises using data provided with the tutorial. Very readable, and highly recommended for neurophysiologists and others alike. (Also see Sciteam, below, by the same author.)
RR Intervals, Heart Rate, and HRV Howto. A brief overview of how to obtain inter-beat (RR) interval and heart rate time series, and of some basic methods for characterizing heart rate variability, using freely available PhysioToolkit software.
Heart Rate Variability Analysis with the HRV Toolkit: Basic Time and Frequency Domain Measures. This tutorial describes how to use the HRV toolkit (available here) to select and prepare time series of inter-beat intervals and to calculate measurements of the basic time- and frequency-domain HRV statistics that are widely used in the literature. Particular attention is given to techniques for identifying and dealing with outliers, in order to permit reliable determination of measurements.
Morphology Representation Using Principal Components. Using the QRS complex of the ECG as an example, this tutorial presents practical methods for principal component analysis of waveforms, including software that can be used as is or customized as desired.
Evaluating ECG Analyzers. How to use PhysioToolkit software and data available from PhysioBank and other sources to measure the performance of a QRS detector or classifier, in accordance with protocols prescribed by current ANSI standards and the US FDA (ANSI/AAMI EC38 and EC57).
Digitizing Paper ECGs and Other Plots. A brief survey of resources that may be helpful.
How to create and manage a PhysioNetWorks project. The essential information needed to create, build, and complete a PhysioNetWorks project.
How to Write HTML pages for PhysioNet. If you are preparing a contribution of data, software, or tutorial material for PhysioNet, this guide illustrates how to create pages with the templates and style sheets used on this web site.
Distributed Computing with PhysioNet data. A brief tutorial on how to cloud processing PhysioNet data with WFDB, StarCluster, Amazon EC2, Octave, and Hadoop.
Also see Reference Guides below, on-line books containing a wealth of additional "how-to" information.
Exploring Data and Novel Analyses
Variability vs. Complexity. Introduces students and trainees to the study of complex variability, especially in physiology and medicine.
Exploring Patterns in Nature. A set of interactive tutorials drawn from current research, focussing on emergent phenomena (random behavior at the smallest scales leading to patterns at larger scales). Subjects include fractal coastline and dimension, measuring randomness, physical and chemical branching structures, biological branching patterns, diffusion, percolation, and motion on a fractal. These tutorials do not assume extensive knowledge of mathematics.
Nonlinear Dynamics, Fractals, and Chaos Theory: Implications for Neuroautonomic Heart Rate Control in Health and Disease. An introduction to some key concepts of nonlinear dynamics.
Exploring Human Gait and Heart Rate Dynamics. Use two sets of time series derived from human subjects to study changes in dynamics with age and disease, with a variety of methods including approximate entropy (ApEn) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA).
Fractal Mechanisms in Neural Control: Human Heartbeat and Gait Dynamics in Health and Disease. Beginning with a definition of fractal dynamics, this tutorial explores how fractal analysis may reveal information of diagnostic or prognostic value when applied to two model systems.
A Brief Overview of Multifractal Time Series. A concise review of how fractal and multifractal patterns in time can be quantified, including a short discussion of multifractality in heart rate.
Approximate Entropy (ApEn). A brief description of how to calculate ApEn, a ``regularity statistic'' that quantifies the unpredictability of fluctuations in a time series, including a worked-out example.
Multiscale Entropy (MSE) Analysis. Introduces the concept of MSE, describes an algorithm for calculating MSE using sample entropy (SampEn), presents a portable implementation of this algorithm, and illustrates its application to analysis of interbeat (RR) interval time series from PhysioBank.
Generalized Multiscale Entropy (GMSE) Analysis. Discusses ways to generalize the concept of MSE by using different coarse-graining functions, and illustrates the differences between these methods using both interbeat interval data and simulated data.
Information Based Similarity Index. An introduction to a novel linguistic analysis method that has been successfully applied to studies of inter-beat interval time series, the origin of the SARS coronavirus, and the authorship of Shakespeare's plays.
Materials from these workshops include tutorial presentations and related materials:
Electronic Interchange of Polysomnography Data. Presentations from a workshop to develop guidelines for PSG transmission and archiving, including presentations on needs of researchers, standards efforts, and existing formats for PSGs and other physiologic signals.
HRV 2006. Materials from our mini-course about heart rate variability, including presentations on physiologic mechanisms of HRV, time and frequency domain measures, complexity measures, clinical applications, and more.
Books describing the major components of PhysioToolkit are also available here. Printed copies of some of these books may be purchased from the PhysioNet Bookstore. These books incorporate both tutorial and reference material:
WFDB Programmer's Guide. Essential material for those wishing to read (or create) PhysioBank data files from their own software. This book includes detailed descriptions of the application programming interfaces for digitized signal and annotation files, and sample applications including digital filters, signal averaging, and a QRS detector.
WFDB Applications Guide. How to use several dozen small tools individually and in combination to view, manipulate, and analyze PhysioBank and similar data. This guide includes the tutorial on evaluating ECG analyzers mentioned above.
WAVE User's Guide. A comprehensive introduction to WAVE, an interactive graphical interface to PhysioBank.
RCVSIM User's Manual and Software Guide. This guide introduces the Research Cardiovascular Simulator (RCVSIM), software for synthesizing realistic human pulsatile hemodynamic waveforms, cardiac function and venous return curves, and beat-to-beat hemodynamic variability. The manual includes a description of the cardiovascular models used by RCVSIM, guides to reading and compiling the RCVSIM source code, and a tutorial with examples illustrating its use
plt Tutorial and Cookbook. This book introduces plt, a highly capable and flexible utility for making publication-quality 2D plots from text or binary data files. plt has a very broad range of applications, and is well-suited for visualizing the output of many of the PhysioToolkit applications.
Other tutorial resources of interest
Tutorials listed in this section are not hosted by PhysioNet. Links will open in a new browser window.
ECG Wave-Maven. This is a self-assessment program on interpretation of 12-lead diagnostic ECGs, with over 400 case studies. Use the program to test your diagnostic abilities, or browse through the cases in reference mode. ECG Wave-Maven was developed at Harvard Medical School and Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Its creators have written a paper describing the goals and technology behind the program, and a survey of its use during its first 17 months of operation.
The Alan E. Lindsay ECG Learning Center in Cyberspace. A comprehensive introduction to clinical electrocardiography, developed at LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City.
A guided tour through TISEAN: Exercises with data sets. This tutorial introduces a large package of software for nonlinear time series analysis developed by Rainer Hegger, Holger Kantz, and Thomas Schreiber (Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Frankfurt (Main) and Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Dresden).
Openeering. This site offers tutorials on Scilab (an open-source programming environment developed at INRIA for ``numerical computations in a user-friendly environment'') and how to use it with PhysioBank data and PhysioToolkit software. Scilab is similar to Matlab, but offers many additional features. The tutorials are written by and for clinical neurophysiologists, and do not assume extensive knowledge of mathematics or programming.
Updated Friday, 01-Feb-2019 20:02:08 CET
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Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets
Estrin, Saul, Mickiewicz, Tomasz M, Stephan, Ute and Wright, Mike (2018). Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets. IN: The Oxford Handbook of Management in Emerging Markets. Grosse, Robert and Meyer, Klaus E. (eds) Oxford University Press.
The level of entrepreneurial activity is higher in emerging markets than in developed economies, driven by high levels of necessity entry and less daunting entry barriers, especially in the informal sector. However, a gap remains in our understanding of its extent and of the drivers of its change. This chapter addresses this gap by conceptualizing and providing evidence about the scale and nature of entrepreneurship in emerging markets. The chapter begins with an empirical analysis of entrepreneurship in emerging economies. In particular, it contrasts the way in which human capital is utilized by entrepreneurs in emerging market economies and in developed countries. The chapter goes on to the theme of human capital, bringing in theory, and considering entrepreneurship in emerging economies at the individual level as well as the role of entrepreneurs’ social capital in the emerging economy context. Furthermore, it considers the scale and impact of the repatriation of human and social capital from abroad, which is found to play an important role in entrepreneurship in many emerging economies, especially when considering innovation. The survey goes on to provide a macro-level analysis, with cross-country comparisons of the effects of institutions and finance on entrepreneurial activity in emerging markets. It concludes by suggesting avenues for future research.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190683948.013.21
Aston Business School > Economics, Finance & Entrepreneurship
Aston Business School
'Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets'. Saul Estrin, Tomasz Mickiewicz, Ute Stephan, and Mike Wright. The Oxford Handbook of Management in Emerging Markets, Edited by Robert Grosse and Klaus E. Meyer. Published online August 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190683948.013.21. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press (http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190683948.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190683948-e-21)
entrepreneurship,emerging economy,international business
http://www.oxfo ... 0190683948-e-21 (Publisher URL)
Published Online Date:
Estrin, Saul
Mickiewicz, Tomasz M ( 0000-0001-5261-5662)
Stephan, Ute ( 0000-0003-4514-6057)
Wright, Mike
Access Restriction: Restricted to Repository staff only until 14 August 2020.
Mickiewicz, Tomasz
Stephan, Ute
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Moms Demand Action Says They'll Win, Because You're Laughing at Them.
Moms Demand Action Hits Home (h/t to the Aurora Beacon News)
This was the answer Annie Craig of Aurora gave when I asked her why she had gone to Indianapolis recently to attend a gathering of the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Why Indianapolis? Because that’s where the National Rifle Association was holding its annual meeting.
And why over a mile away, out of sight of the convention? Because being threatened or spit on is such valuable street cred for this bunch that they're willing to accept stories without evidence, but being photographed amid a sea of friendly, happy people who all think their tiny band are dead wrong would be bad "optics."
“We wanted to go calmly, quietly, and unarmed to protest their leadership and the extremism they are promoting,” said Craig.
Uh huh. It was very important for them to go unarmed, which was why they hired armed security to bear the arms (and the karmic wounds inflicted by carrying guns in Indianapolis.) I actually did see two "Moms Demand Action" folks downtown, I should admit. They were riding yellow bicycles with little "Moms Demand Action" signs. I should have gotten photos, but I didn't. There were actually as many Moms Demand Action ladies downtown as there were NRA-specialist panhandlers, so they've got that going for them.*
“I don’t come from a gun family,” she said, “so I don’t understand gun mentality. Which is not to say that those who want guns and qualify, shouldn’t have them. We just want what we call ‘gun sense’ in our laws.” This gun sense includes universal background checks. This helps keep guns out of the hands of people who are convicted felons or mentally ill. They also want a ban on assault weapons and online guns sales.
But of course they do. Except . . . didn't you just quote Mrs. Craig as saying that her position doesn't mean that "those who want guns and qualify, shouldn't have them."? So, should I have my Colt AR15--the one made in 1971--or shouldn't I?
No one is asking law-abiding gun owners to give up their guns or hunters to stop hunting. In the words of Moms Demand founder Shannon Watts: “Our issue is not really with the members of the NRA, 74 percent of whom believe there should be background checks on every gun purchase. We’re not anti-gun. We support the Second Amendment. Many of our moms are gun owners.” They simply want a return to common sense.
Well, no one except the people who want to ban various types of hunting, from feral hogs to wolves to bear, of course. And no one wants law-abiding gun owners to give up their guns except Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin, both of whom Craig specifically cites as politicians with "gun sense," both of whom have called for and voted for bans on specific firearms that I own. Or Watts' Axis of Bloomberg allies at CSGV, which have spent the last couple of weeks defending New Jersey's policy of banning every firearm except "smart guns," enacted before anyone even knew what form the technology would take or what it would be capable of doing. And, of course, Mrs. Craig herself, who was quoted elsewhere in the same article calling for a ban on "assault weapons." Remember that Colt AR-15 SP1 from 1971 that mentioned above? Do you want to take it away or not? And why should I believe your next answer when your last dozen were self-contradictory?
Craig told me how the NRA ignored them at first, but is now responding with anger, including snarky comments on social media, ridicule at how “small” Moms Demand Action is and outright lies about them. Watts recently had to take down her Facebook page due to all the hate and harrassment directed both at her and her family. But Moms Demand Action is not going away.
Uh huh. Moms Demand Action is one of the latest in a long, proud line of anti-gun activists who defame millions of people daily, refuse to engage with anyone who responds appropriately with facts and reason, and then complains about "harassment" and "bullying." Moms Demand Action has learned from other members of the Axis of Bloomberg on this front; like the CSGV. Their social media strategy for the past few months has been to ban anyone who politely disagreed on their Facebook page (ask me how I know) and carefully cultivate the few idiots who can't resist making threatening, profane or inappropriate comments. These they share widely, and they get twice the bang for their buck because reasonable gun owners who would condemn those comments never get the chance, at least not on the CSGV Facebook wall. In effect, they're curating a collection of gun owners or supporters who will act like the "insurrectionists" they want to believe are running things, and they're willing to prune the majority to get that collection.
Welcome to the internet, ma'am. It's an information superhighway.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Craig, “and our message is taking hold. I’m proud of our national legislators. Both Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk have gun sense. I wish that were the case for all our local representatives.”
Oh, it's a marathon, not a sprint? Just gonna outlast all those fickle gun owners who are only in it for a couple of weeks of activist cred? Good luck with that. I've been active on this issue for 25 years--I was literally a child--while you just got paid to fly to Indianapolis and stand in a park a mile away from the people you claimed to be protesting. Good luck with your marathon.
Personally, I would like to see the NRA return to what they once were and promote responsible gun ownership and hunting rather than fighting common sense things like background checks. But the NRA leadership seems unlikely to return to that legacy. So I expect to see the Moms Demand Action group fight on. Check them out at www.momsdemandaction.org.
You'd like to see the biggest, best-known opponent of your favored policy go away and focus on something else? Well, gee, that does sound like a swell deal. Where do I sign up to have you and yours just fold the tents and go away? Is this that Reasonable Discourse ™ thing I keep hearing about? BTW, congrats to MDA for beating out the Muscular Dystrophy Association and countless MILF-themed adult entertainment operators to grab that choice URL.
Gandhi once said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” If this is true, then Moms Demand Action is well on its way to victory.
Right, sure, gotcha, but there's a catch: if this were true, then being the plucky underdog with no members would assure victory. If being ignored or laughed at were some kind of guarantee of success, the Ku Klux Klan and the Raelians should both be on their way to cultural dominance. Not everybody who's losing is just about to pull off an amazing upset; often you're losing because you're wrong, or because you're not as good at the game you're playing as the other guy is. Muhammad Ali suckered everybody in with the rope-a-dope, sure, but he could do that because he was that much better than almost anybody else. If your strategy is to let George Foreman hammer on you until he gets tired because it worked for Ali, there's bad news: it barely worked for Ali, and you probably aren't on his level. This is really just a restatement of the refrain we've been hearing for 15 years now, that "the gun nuts can't keep winning forever, they just have to start losing . . . we're due for a win!" Mathematicians can tell you there's no such thing as being due for a win. Now, if you want a heartwarming story of a small group of plucky outsiders who made a difference in the end after being ignored and then mocked, consider the scrappy underdogs at Illinois Carry or the Buckeye Firearms Association. Illinois Carry is celebrating its tenth year this summer, and I'll be carrying a pistol to the celebration. Even I didn't see that coming when we started.
*If you were there, maybe you saw these guys? Sitting, reading Bibles, with signs that said things like, "First they took my guns, then they took my home. Any help appreciated." I briefly wondered whether some grad student was writing a paper on generosity and social empathy at the NRAAM, but I'm pretty sure this was just artisanal panhandling, carefully crafted just for you and me.
Posted by Don at 6:30 AM
Labels: 2014 NRAAM, Axis of Bloomberg, Fiskies!, Illinois, Moms Demand Action, Waaaaaambulance
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Portrait of the Regions of Lithuania
Pagėgiai municipality
Development of the regions of Lithuania
Alytus county
Kaunas county
Klaipėda county
Marijampolė county
Panevėžys county
Šiauliai county
Tauragė county
Jurbarkas district municipality
Šilalė district municipality
Tauragė district municipality
Telšiai county
Utena county
Vilnius county
Editorial board and authors of texts
Development of the regions of Lithuania >> Tauragė county >> Pagėgiai municipality
Administrative centre – Pagėgiai
Area – 537 km² (12.2 % of the county’s area)
Population – 11 399 (8.9 % of the county’s population)
Wards – Lumpėnai, Natkiškiai, Pagėgiai, Stoniškiai, Vilkyškiai
Pagėgiai municipality is situated in the western part of Tauragė county, by the Nemunas. The largest part of the municipality is covered by the Karšuva Lowland. The region has no big towns. Pagėgiai municipality is the smallest in Tauragė county. In the southern part of the region, there is the beginning of the Nemunas Delta. There is the Gėgė River with tributaries. The entire lowland is striped with cut-off river bends and covered with deep lakes – Velnežeris, Bitežeris, Kurmežeris, Oplankis and others. Soils are mainly sandy brown. The percentage of forest area is low; larger forests are those of Dinkiai, Pagėgiai, Mikytai, Rambynas. Agricultural land makes up 70.5 %, forests – 16.7 %, roads – 2.5 %, built-up area – 2.6 %, water bodies – 3.7 %, other land – 4 % of the municipality.
There are two towns (Pagėgiai and Panemunė) and one township (Vilkyškiai). The administrative centre of the municipality – Pagėgiai – is situated on a plain, located higher than the periodically flooded Nemunas valley, near a pinewood protecting it from western winds. It was the capital of the tribe of the Scalovians, or Scalvians (skalviai). In written sources, Pagėgiai was for the first time mentioned in 1307 – in one of the acts of the Scalovians (namely in the act on the recording of land and granting of privileges issued by the Master of Prussia Heinrich von Plötzke in Karaliaučius (Königsberg)). Possibilities for Pagėgiai to develop opened up in 1850, when the new Tilžė–Klaipėda road had been laid. However, life became more intense in 1875, after the construction of a railway line Tilžė–Klaipėda. In 1904, trains were already going to Smalininkai, Lauksargiai and Šiauliai. Pagėgiai became a large traffic centre. In 1923, when Pagėgiai was joined to Lithuania, it was granted city rights; up to 1950, Pagėgiai was a county, while in 1950–1962 – district centre.
The location of the municipality is strategically favourable – it is a frontier of the European Union. The municipality is located at a convenient intersection of railways (to Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Kaliningrad) and roads (to Klaipėda, Kaunas, Kaliningrad). Pagėgiai municipality is crossed by the European Via Hansa. Currently it is mostly a region of agriculture, where organic farming and production is developed. It is also a region of well-developed transport and food industry. The southern border of the municipality is separated from Kaliningrad Region by a 40 km long segment of the Nemunas, which allows developing inland navigation, establishing ports.
Many tourists preferring active recreation, fishermen and hunters are attracted by the rivers of Nemunas and Jūra and their basins, Kulmena dam in Kentriai, Oplankis Lake and a cut-off Nemunas river bend in Kucai suitable both for fishing and recreation. Vilkyškiai ward, characterised by secure localities, which are really worth visiting, is particularly attractive for historical and cognitive tourism. The centre of the ward – Vilkyškiai township, located in the centre of the Vilkyškiai chain of hills. The old part of the township is a monument to urban development; there are many extant buildings of the end of the 19th–beginning of the 20th century.
There is the Rambynas Regional Park – one of the representative protected areas of Lithuania Minor, covering the Vilkyškiai chain of hills and water-meadows of the Nemunas valley. In the six reserves situated in the park, the great treasures of the park – the landscape of the Nemunas valley, water-meadows with characteristic flora, Rambynas Hill (with Midsummer Day (Joninės) festivals organised there since the 19th century), Bitėnai and Bardėnai villages, which have preserved the unity of nature and culture, the expressive peak of the Vilkyškiai chain of hills, and others – are preserved. The history of Pagėgiai region as a part of the historical region of the north Skalva is closely related to that of Lithuania Minor. In the years of the ban on the Lithuanian press (1864–1904), the main ways of book-smugglers (book spreaders; so-called knygnešiai) went through Pagėgiai region, bordering on Lithuania Proper in the east. Near the Rambynas Hill, in Bitėnai village, there lived a personality of Lithuania Minor Martynas Jankus. In the years of the ban on the press, he had established a printing house, where he was printing Lithuanian newspapers and books. Today the only museum in the municipality functions there.
From time immemorial, Pagėgiai region has been famous for its Trakehner (trakėnai) horse breed (the stud farm was established by the Prussian king in 1732). By the number of horses and land area (land area – 734 ha, of which 661 ha – agricultural land), the Nemunas stud farm is the biggest in Lithuania. Enthusiasts of equestrian sport from many countries show interest in the stud farm and buy horses. There is also an equestrian sports class in the Pagėgiai additional training school at the stud farm, where children are taught to ride. Horses may also be hired for recreational riding.
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© 2008 Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania), 29 Gedimino Ave, LT–01500 Vilnius Solution UAB NAUJOS SISTEMOS
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Japandroids / Needles//Pins The Cobalt, Vancouver BC, October 5
Photo: Joshua Peter Grafstein
By Gregory Adams
When Japandroids announced their four-night hometown residency at the Cobalt back in August, the beloved indie rock duo had laid dormant for three years. They'd wrapped the lengthy, several-hundred show Celebration Rock tour at the end of 2013 in Buenos Aires, without so much as a murmur after that about when the band would return. Vocalist/guitarist Brian King bounced around Toronto for a while; drummer Dave Prowse could be seen smacking skins for Louise Burns.
At the very least, this new series of sold-out hometown shows meant the boys were back in town and ready to play for an adoring public. Many, no doubt, were also snapping up tickets just in case King and Prowse were into previewing a third full-length. Excitement hung in the air at the Cobalt as it filled up, the beads of sweat building up on neck and ceiling lines alike. This was Anticipation Rock.
Though a little too politely received, local punks Needles//Pins started the night off with punky aplomb. Throughout, guitarist/vocalist Adam Ess's black ball cap was pulled tight across his eyes and resting on the microphone foam while he screeched out songs like the scrappy "Drop It." Late in the set, bassist Tony Dubroy, the only four-stringer the stage would see this night, spilled the beans on Needles//Pins' upcoming recording session with Jesse Gander, a Vancouver producer the musician pointed out had also recorded the as-to-be-detailed third full-length from headliners Japandroids.
Following the opening act's confirmation, King and Prowse climbed the stage and admitted they'd be testing out a handful of new songs from their next record. "There's no point in hiding it," King quipped, after thanking the sardine-packed Cobalt crowd for "remembering we exist." They started off with "Arc of Bar," an extended piece that began with a loop of chunky, '80s-style rock synths and a simply slammed drum rhythm from Prowse. Gripping the mic hard in between each open chord, King knocked off an epic, wordy tale of "hustlers and whores" in the "flesh bazaar." Coming in well over the five-minute mark, it was a lot to absorb for a first listen, but the crowd roared their approval.
The night would see the act delivering a handful of newbies. "Near to the Wild Heart of Life" was a full-on Japandroids fist-pumper that featured a line about getting a smooch and some supportive words from your local's bartender ("give 'em hell for us!"). While Prowse often tag-teams with King on the mic or supports with a round of "whoas" and "ohs," "Midnight to Morning" featured a rare and especially enthusiastic lead vocal from the bearded skinsman.
While the newer tunes fared well with the faithful, the crowd officially went bonkers each time they were treated to a classic. Playful push pits and mass sing-alongs were triggered almost instantaneously for juiced-up rockers like "Evil's Sway," "The Nights of Wine and Roses" and Post-Nothing oldie "Wet Hair," the throng goofily and passionately chiming in with the duo on the latter to howl about French-kissing French girls.
Despite the love, King, his sleeves capped Springsteen-style and clutching a Telecaster, seemed to be especially nervous, making quips all night about how the act are still getting back into shape. "It feels like performing in front of people for the very first time," he said, though he admitted that Japandroids were warming up nicely as the show progressed. At the very least, he joked, they were getting one per cent better each song. That said, there was a long, late-set lull that Prowse called the "What the hell do we do next?" part of their set. After a few minutes, they settled on playing slo-crush shoegaze ballad "I Quit Girls."
They capped the show not with a new song, nor with one of their own, but with their oft-played cover of the Gun Club's "For the Love of Ivy."
"We didn't exactly practice this one, but it makes for a good closer," King said ahead of launching into a banged-and-bashed, occasionally off-the-rails finale.
Under-rehearsed? Possibly, but Japandroids' first show back was full of enough jittery confidence to suggest they're more than ready to handle another three shows at the Cobalt, not to mention however many hundred they could end up booking once the as-yet-untitled album is out.
More Japandroids
Check Out Our The Cobalt Venue Profile
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While some ongoing renovations mean there won't be any Live at Massey Hall concert films in the immediate future, fans will be able to revis...
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Inside the ACC Numbers: Volume I
Posted by Brad Jenkins on January 17th, 2020
With exactly 30 percent of conference play now in the books, it’s time to take a look inside the ACC numbers. This is the first edition of our weekly view at the current ACC standings with a focus on which teams are playing better or worse than their conference records may indicate. We will also delve into some advanced metrics to share a few interesting notes on teams, statistics and trends around the conference. Finally, we will forecast how the final ACC standings may look given current efficiency margins, and what that may mean for teams’ ultimate postseason aspirations.
Note: All numbers are current for games played through Wednesday, January 15.
This early in the conference slate, efficiency numbers can be highly skewed by blowouts. Case in point, Syracuse ranks third in efficiency margin, largely due to 25+ point wins over Georgia Tech and Boston College. Likewise, Jim Christian’s Eagles are .500 in the standings but dead last in efficiency margin because they’ve been outscored in their three losses by a total of 84 points. Virginia is worse in the standings compared to their per-possession play because of its inability to win tight contests. The Cavaliers have tasted defeat each time that they were in a game decided by fewer than eight points. Tony Bennett needs to figure that out as Virginia seems headed for more tight affairs due to its slow pace of play, stingy defense (ranking first in the ACC) and anemic offense (dead last in the leaguge). A depleted North Carolina squad has been reeling lately, and things may get even worse – the Tar Heels’ struggles have occurred against the easiest schedule in the league to date.
Advanced Statistic of the Week: Offensive Efficiency Woes
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, clemson, duke, florida state, georgia tech, louisville, miami, nc state, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
ACC Opening Game Reactions
Posted by Mick McDonald on November 7th, 2019
No conference launched the college basketball season quite like the ACC, with seven league games already in the books by Wednesday evening, in addition to Duke taking down Kansas in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. Here’s are five things that stood out over the opening two nights of ACC action.
Cole Anthony Blew Everyone Away on Wednesday Night (USA Today Images)
Cole Anthony is the real deal. Attention to everyone who did not put Cole Anthony on your preseason first-team All-American teams: You were silly and this is just the beginning of how silly you will look. After a slow start in the season opener against Notre Dame, Anthony took over in the second half, finishing with 34 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on 12-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-11 from long-range. The performance was even more critical given that the Tar Heels were short-handed with Brandon Robinson on the shelf. A star is born in Chapel Hill. Now let’s just see if someone can get him some new glasses.
Should we be more worried about Duke’s offense? The Blue Devils notched a big win Tuesday over Kansas in the Champions Classic, but there are definitely concerns about Duke’s offense. The Jayhawks gifted the Devils 26 turnovers, but they still shot just 35.9 percent from the field and didn’t put the game away until the very end. Additionally, Duke made just eight of its 24 three-point attempts. Tre Jones was 0-of-4 from long range and Jack White and Alex O’Connell (2-of-9 combined) didn’t provide an offensive spark off the bench. The good news? There is plenty of time for Mike Krzyzewski to build an offense around Vernon Carey, Matthew Hurt and Cassius Stanley.
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, cole anthony, duke, georgia tech, jeff capel, louisville, north carolina, tre jones
ACC Burning Questions, Part 2: Clemson, Virginia Tech & Georgia Tech
Posted by Mick McDonald on October 24th, 2019
Clemson Burning Question: Can the Tigers score enough to compete?
Brad Brownell’s 10th Year at Clemson is a Transition One (USA Today Images)
As Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team continue to reel off wins, the Tigers’ basketball team flies under the radar. That might be a good thing for Brad Brownell, as his club loses its top three scorers from a second round NIT squad. To make things tougher, Clemson’s projected starting point guard, Clyde Trapp, suffered a torn ACL over the summer. While Brownell’s teams pride themselves on defense (Clemson ranked 28th nationally in field goal percentage defense and 14th in adjusted defense, via KenPom), they’ll need to find someone to put the ball in the basket if they want to hang around the bubble. Forward Aamir Simms had a promising freshman year in 2017-18, but he regressed last year, seeing declines in his scoring (14.2 to 13.6 PPG) and conversion rate (53.6 to 52.5% eFG) and an increase in turnovers (13.9 to 15.1% TO). Sophomore guard John Newman could never really get going last season, but he’ll be counted on for a big increase in usage this year. Brownell will also rely on transfers, including versatile wing Tevin Mack (formerly of Texas and Alabama) and sharpshooting former Tulsa guard Curran Scott (39.6% 3FG). Look for freshman guards Al-Amir Dawes and Chase Hunter to get some run as well, with Clemson going perimeter-heavy around Simms as a small-ball five.
Virginia Tech Burning Question: Can Mike Young work magic in year one?
| acc, microsites | Tagged: aamir simms, brad brownell, clemson, georgia tech, isaiah wilkins, jose alvarado, josh pastner, landers nolley, michael devoe, virginia tech
Inside the ACC Numbers: Final Edition
Posted by Brad Jenkins on March 11th, 2019
Here is the final edition of our weekly view at the current ACC standings with a focus on which teams are playing better or worse than their conference records may indicate. We will also delve into some advanced metrics to share a few interesting notes on teams, statistics, and trends around the conference. With the regular season in the books, this week we will compare how each ACC squad performed in the second half of league play, with an eye on the teams that might excel in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Finally, we will examine the ACC standings and project what it may mean for teams’ ultimate postseason aspirations.
Note: All numbers are current for games played through Saturday, March 9.
Congratulations are in order for Virginia, which accomplished something this season that no ACC school has done in over a decade. Tony Bennett‘s club posted both the best offense and defense, the first league squad to lead the conference in each metric since North Carolina turned the trick in back-to-back seasons (2007 and 2008). The Cavaliers won the defensive crown for the fifth time in the past six years, while simultaneously trotting out the best offense of Bennett’s career in Charlottesville. Virginia’s shooting acumen has been the main driver to its offensive prowess — the Cavaliers made 43.1 percent of their three-pointers in league play, which represents the ACC’s best mark of the KenPom era. Co-regular season champion North Carolina used a balanced attack to finish with the league’s second-best offense — the Tar Heels finished among the top five in two-point shooting, three-point accuracy, offensive rebounding and turnover percentage. Brad Brownell also deserves credit for the performance of Clemson’s defense, which finished second in the ACC, ahead of more acclaimed units from Florida State and Duke.
Advanced Stat of the Week: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not
| acc, feature, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, clemson, close games, duke, florida state, georgia tech, louisville, miami, n.c. state, ncaa bids, ncaa seed, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
ACC Weekend Review: 03.04.19 Edition
Posted by Brad Jenkins on March 4th, 2019
Two ACC squads in desperate need of a quality win failed to take advantage of their opportunities on Saturday. NC State stayed within striking distance of Florida State throughout their game, but the Pack couldn’t overtake the Seminoles in Tallahassee before falling, 78-73. Likewise, Clemson played North Carolina tough in Littlejohn Coliseum before losing another heart-breaker, 81-79. Elsewhere, co-leader Virginia had no problems with Pittsburgh, winning 73-49 in Charlottesville, and Duke — still playing without Zion Williamson — rolled Miami in Durham, 87-57. Here are the highlights from the weekend around the ACC.
Mfiondu Kabengele led a balanced Florida State attack as the Seminoles held off N.C. State in Tallahassee on Saturday. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)
Best Win / Worst Loss I: Clemson failed to boost its NCAA Tournament resume by losing yet another nail-biter in ACC play. The Tigers have now lost four ACC contests on the very last possession and, as a result, are in serious NCAA bubble-trouble. Brad Brownell’s club owns a lousy 1-9 record in Quadrant 1 games and they’re quickly running out of chances to prove the Tigers can beat good teams. For North Carolina, this win keeps the Tar Heels tied atop the ACC standings, and puts them firmly in the mix for a potential #1 seed in the Big Dance. The biggest scare of the game came late in the first half when Roy Williams collapsed and had to be helped off the floor, never to return. It’s not the first time that his vertigo has struck him down during a game, but fortunately he seemed to be doing well soon after the game ended.
Best Win / Worst Loss II: Much like Clemson, NC State still has work to do to earn a second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack had a chance to grab a signature road win at Florida State on Saturday but couldn’t pull it off, leaving Kevin Keatts’ squad with just two Quadrant 1 wins in 10 tries. Add in the nation’s worst non-conference strength of schedule and their resume has some serious issues. With the win, Leornard Hamilton’s squad remains tied for fourth place in the league with Virginia Tech. The Hokies travel to Tallahassee on Tuesday and the winner will earn a coveted double-bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, clemson, duke, florida state, georgia tech, louisville, miami, n.c. state, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
Inside the ACC Numbers: Volume VI
Posted by Brad Jenkins on February 27th, 2019
Here’s another edition of our weekly view of the current ACC standings with a focus on which teams are playing better or worse than their conference records may indicate. We will also delve into some advanced metrics to share a few interesting notes on teams, statistics and trends around the conference. This week we examine how ACC teams are faring in conference nail-biters. Finally, we will forecast how the final league standings may look given current efficiency margins, and what that may mean for teams’ ultimate postseason aspirations.
Note: All numbers are current for games played through Monday, February 25.
Current Standings
The standings mostly line up with performance, especially among the top six squads in efficiency margin. At the bottom of the league, there is a logjam of six more teams in the 2-4 victory range, but there is a clear best (Miami) and worst (Wake Forest) of the bunch in efficiency performance. Based on their play on a per possession basis, Clemson should not be trailing Syracuse and NC State in the standings, but that is the Tigers’ current reality. Below we will explain why that is the case.
Statistic of the Week: Winning Close Games
Despite its reputation for competitiveness, the ACC ranks 30th among the nation’s 32 conferences in the number of one-possession games played this year. You have to go back to 2002 to find a year when the league had fewer close games than this season’s 15.7 percent rate. No matter how you define close games (one or two possessions), Clemson has struggled mightily in those tight league contests. To rub more salt into the Tigers’ wound, all three of their close defeats this season literally occurred on the game’s final play. NC State has been involved in more (8) nail-biters than any other school and the Wolfpack have pulled out six of those games. Combined with last year’s impressive performance — Kevin Keatts‘ team was 5-2 in games decided by six points or fewer — he is off to a start to his ACC coaching career that can best be described as Leonard Hamilton-esque.
Despite a strong slate of ACC match-ups in the queue on Saturday, the games were mostly devoid of drama. The main takeaway from the weekend is that there is a significant gap between the top three schools and everyone else. Virginia overcame a 10-point halftime deficit on the road to overwhelm a reeling Louisville squad, 64-52; the frontcourt of North Carolina was too much for Florida State in the Tar Heels’ 77-59 win in Chapel Hill; and Duke rallied to beat Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, 75-65. This leaves those three league heavyweights tied at the top of the ACC standings with 12-2 records, clear of the rest of the league by three games in the loss column. Virginia Tech took advantage of those results to move into sole possession of fourth place — the Hokies beat Notre Dame in South Bend by a score of 67-59. Here are the highlights from the weekend around the ACC.
Nassir Little gave North Carolina a strong effort off the bench as the Tar Heels dominated Florida State in the paint on Saturday. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Best Win #1: Those who expected this to be a letdown game for North Carolina should have known better. Yes, the Tar Heels were coming off a huge win over Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but it’s not like Roy Williams‘ club isn’t used to dealing with this situation — playing the game after “The Game” — every season. Florida State kept it close for about 30 minutes, but North Carolina closed the contest on a 21-7 run to put away the Seminoles. The Tar Heels’ frontcourt was the difference, as seniors Cam Johnson and Luke Maye each posted double-doubles and freshman Nassir Little scored 18 off the bench. North Carolina dominated the glass (+15) and held the Seminoles to their second lowest scoring output of the year. Leonard Hamilton’s team saw its eight-game winning streak snapped and damaged its hopes for gaining the the coveted double-bye as the #4 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Best Win #2: With no upsets occurring this weekend we will highlight another big win because of the circumstances surrounding the game. There were several factors going against Duke when it took the floor at Syracuse on Saturday night — the Blue Devils were without the services of National Player of the Year favorite Zion Williamson; they had just been run out of their own gym by arch-rival North Carolina; and they were facing a motivated Syracuse team, who already had beaten Duke earlier this year, in front of an on-campus record 35,642 fans. Furthermore, the Orange controlled things early and led by five at that break. But RJ Barrett reminded us that Williamson isn’t the only star on Mike Krzyzewski’s squad — the other freshman superstar carved up the Syracuse zone to the tune of 30 points and seven assists to lead the comeback. Duke also got a huge boost from Alex O’Connell, who scored 17 second half points.
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, alex o'connell, boston college, clemson, duke, florida state, georgia tech, jay huff, louisville, marcquise reed, miami, n.c. state, nassir little, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, RJ Barrett, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
Inside the ACC Numbers: Volume V
Here’s another edition of our weekly view of the current ACC standings with a focus on which teams are playing better or worse than their conference records may indicate. We will also delve into some advanced metrics to share a few interesting notes on teams, statistics and trends around the conference. This week we look at an interesting recent trend that exists when North Carolina plays its arch-rival Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Finally, we will forecast how the final league standings may look given current efficiency margins, and what that may mean for teams’ ultimate postseason aspirations.
After destroying Wake Forest by 38 points over the weekend, North Carolina has closed the gap considerably on Virginia and Duke in ACC efficiency margin. Offense is the primary reason that these three schools are leading the league. Seven ACC teams are playing excellent defense in conference action, but only the trio of league leaders are also scoring at an elite clip. If only Clemson could get a break — the Tigers have now lost three conference games at the buzzer, including both of their last two outings. If Brad Brownell’s club had won those games, it would have an identical record to Syracuse, which has been much more fortunate. The Orange continue to look good in the standings despite basically breaking even in efficiency margin.
Statistic of the Week: A Tale of Two Halves in Cameron Indoor Stadium
| acc, feature, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, clemson, duke, duke north carolina rivalry, florida state, georgia tech, louisville, miami, n.c. state, ncaa bids, ncaa seed, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
It appears that the ACC is on a regular rotation this season that provides us with a great set of games every other weekend. Still, there were some interesting things happening on Saturday around the league; Louisville almost blew another late lead before holding on to edge Clemson, 56-55; and Virginia had an unexpectedly tough time with Notre Dame, winning 60-54 in Charlottesville. Elsewhere in the conference, North Carolina routed Wake Forest, 95-57, in Winston-Salem, and first-place Duke handled NC State in Durham by a score of 94-78. Here are the highlights from the weekend around the ACC.
Jordan Nwora’s block saved the day for Louisville against Clemson on Saturday as the Cardinals survived another late meltdown. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Best Win: Coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Florida State and Duke — games in which Louisville led both games by double-figures late — Chris Mack’s club almost did it again. This time, the Cardinals led Clemson by eight points with 30 seconds to go, before falling apart again in front of a stunned crowd at the KFC Yum! Center. At the end, Louisville practically handed the game to the Tigers when Marcquise Reed stole Jordan Nwora’s inbounds pass in the lane with three seconds to go — had Nwora not redeemed himself by blocking Reed’s short jumper to preserve the one-point victory, the Cardinals would be in full meltdown mode. Normally, we wouldn’t bestow “Best Win” status to a ranked team that barely survived against a squad with a sub-.500 conference record, but in this case, Louisville gets that distinction because it possibly saved its season.
Worst Loss: We also have an unusual choice in this weekly category. Nobody expected lowly Wake Forest to give North Carolina much of a game on Saturday, but the enormous margin of defeat — 38 points represents the largest in series history — may be the final nail in the coffin for Danny Manning’s tenure in Winston-Salem. After barely squeaking into the 2017 NCAA Tournament First Four, Manning was given a six-year contract extension — reportedly with a huge buyout attached. Since then, the Demon Deacons have posted a 20-35 record, including a pathetic ACC mark of 6-24. If Manning gets fired after the conclusion of this season, we recommend that the school have someone other than athletic director Ron Wellman choose the next head basketball coach. He’s certainly whiffed on his last two selections (Jeff Bzdelik and Manning) and as a result, Wake Forest is now one of the worst power conference programs in college basketball.
| acc, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, cam johnson, clemson, darius perry, devin vassell, duke, florida state, georgia tech, jordan nwora, kerry blackshear jr., louisville, miami, nc state, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
Inside the ACC Numbers: Volume IV
Here’s another edition of our weekly view at the current ACC standings with a focus on which teams are playing better or worse than their conference records may indicate. We will also delve into some advanced metrics to share a few interesting notes on teams, statistics and trends around the conference. This week we look at something Duke is doing offensively that is better than any ACC team has done in the last 17 years. Finally, we will forecast how the final league standings may look given current efficiency margins, and what that may mean for teams’ ultimate postseason aspirations.
Virginia maintains its lead in efficiency margin, but the gap between first and second place was closed significantly after Duke’s recent win in Charlottesville. Syracuse continues to be the most fortunate team in the ACC this season. The Orange have achieved their lofty record despite a slim scoring margin, and Jim Boeheim’s club has faced the league’s easiest conference schedule to date.
Even though Miami is part of the jumbled mess at the bottom of the standings, the Hurricanes have suddenly become dangerous. In their last three outings, Jim Larranaga’s guys played Virginia tough on the road, stomped Notre Dame at home, and took North Carolina into overtime before losing at the Smith Center. If any of the league cellar-dwellers can play the role of spoiler down the stretch, Miami would be the smart pick to do so.
Advanced Statistic of the Week: Duke’s Good Shooting
| acc, feature, microsites | Tagged: acc, boston college, clemson, duke, florida state, georgia tech, louisville, miami, n.c. state, ncaa bids, ncaa seed, north carolina, notre dame, pittsburgh, syracuse, two-point shooting, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest
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District 5180 Rotary Youth Exchange RYE5180
Outbounds Long Term
Outbounds Short Term
Rotex / Rebounds
Important Activities and Dates
Handbook for Host Families
Club Youth Exchange Officers (YEO)
Youth Exchange Handbook
Rotary International Statement
District 5180 Youth Protection Policy
Types of Exchanges
It is strange to think that I almost DIDN’T go on exchange. It has become such an integral part of who I am as a person and who I will be in the future. So if you have any doubts, DO IT ANYWAY.
Noah to Argentina
Going on an exchange you're definitely going to grow and learn about yourself, you gain responsibility and independence. You learn things are tough, but you work through it. I feel going on the this exchange opened my eyes to things I have never seen and heard about.
Kamryn to Germany
Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time
Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and become global citizens. Exchanges are for students 15 to 18 1/2 years old. Whether you participate in Rotary’s long-term or short-term exchange programs, you will be an ambassador, learning from people you meet about their countries, cultures, and ideas and sharing yours with them. You can help bring the world closer, and establish life-long friendships in the process.
Rotary Youth Exchange is a program through Rotary International, which includes 1.2 million business and professional leaders in more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. The members of these autonomous clubs, Rotarians, volunteer their time and talents to serve their local communities and the world. Approximately 100 Rotary clubs worldwide participate in Rotary Youth Exchange with the goal of bringing peace to the world one young person at a time through exchange.
Rotary and our District value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and are committed to inclusion and diversity. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view, as we want to build a culture where difference is valued.
Visit Rotary International online!
For detailed RYE information please see the Rotary International RYE Handbook.
Exchange students unlock their true potential to:
Develop lifelong leadership skills
Learn a new language and culture
Build lasting friendships with young people from around the world
Become a global citizen
What College Admission says about Youth Exchange:
"As an Admissions Counselor and former RYE Exchange student, I know my colleagues in higher education - and specifically admissions – see international exchanges as valuable opportunities to transcend the traditional classroom experience. At a time where American universities are scrambling to diversify their campuses and create global communities that better reflect our hyper-connected multicultural world, applicants who have participated in exchanges are at a premium."
Assistant Director of Recruiting, Office of Admissions
St. Bonaventure University, NY
Rotary District 5180 in the Greater-Sacramento Area:
Rotary District 5180 is located in Northern California and provides RYE students, 15 to 18 1/2 years old, with the opportunity to live abroad. Students do not have to be from Rotarian families. All RYE students live with approved Host families for three (3) months and have, on average, three (3) different Host families during their 9-10 months on exchange. Exchange students are required to attend and study in a foreign high school for 9-10 months, while experiencing and learning the language and culture of the host country.
RYE is a two-way exchange between Rotary Districts, i.e. one of our students goes to Belgium (Outbound student) and we receive a student from Belgium (Inbound student). Our District coordinates with each local Rotary club and their sponsored Outbound student’s family to secure Host families for Inbound students coming to the Sacramento area for their educational exchange in the USA.
For more details and resources go to our About Us pages on this website.
Contact your local Rotary club to explore them being your Sponsor club for your Rotary Youth Exchange year. Click on the link below or go to Volunteers, Club Presidents on this website.
Find a Rotary club near you
8th - RYE Committee Meeting, 5:30-7:00p, Ramada by Wyndham
25th - 1st Outbound Orientation, 8:00a - 4:00p, location TBD This is mandatory for all 2020-21 Outbound students
1st & 2nd - Tahoe Ski Trip: Dependent on weather and Chaperone(s)
12th - RYE Committee Meeting, 5:30-7:00p, Ramada by Wyndham
15th - Short Term Exchange Applicants Interview, TBD
27th - 29th NAYEN Conference, Monterey, Mexico
11th - RYE Committee Meeting, Ramada by Wyndham
21st - STEP Orientation, 9:30a - Noon. Location TBD
View Detailed Events Calendar
Rotary Youth Exchange District 5180
2016 - 17 Youth Exchange Annual Report
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1995 Regina Rams color-w800
Accomplishments: Canadian Junior Football Champions, 1995
Some people consider the number 13 bad luck. In 1995, it was a number the Regina Rams Football Club eagerly embraced. On the strength of Canadian junior football titles the previous two years, the Rams were chasing their 13th national championship in franchise history.
With a proud tradition, winning ways and strong roots in the community, the Rams have enjoyed a great deal of success over the years. They won their first Canadian title in 1966, and followed that up with championships in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1993 and 1994.
The tradition continued in 1995 for the Rams, outscoring the opposition 153-30 en route to three victories early in the Prairie Football Conference season. Behind a strong running game, the Rams defeated the Calgary Colts 57-10 in the opener. They followed that up with a 57-6 win over the Edmonton Wildcats and a 39-14 victory over the Edmonton Huskies. Following a bye week, Regina fell from the ranks of the undefeated with a 33-20 loss to the host Saskatoon Hilltops, but came back the following week with a 51-14 win over Calgary. The Rams improved to 6-1 by shutting out the Wildcats 52-0 and defeating the Huskies 51-17. In between, they cruised to a 91-7 exhibition victory over the Winnipeg Hawkeyes. Avenging their lone loss of the season, Regina came from behind to record a 55-35 victory over the Hilltops in the final game of the regular season.
After defeating Calgary 49-16 in one semifinal, the Rams and Hilltops met again in the conference final. With a 19-8 victory, Regina won for the fourth straight season. Advancing to the Canadian Junior Football League’s Western Canadian final, the Rams edged the Okanogan Sun 11-8. They secured their 13th Canadian title and third straight national championship with a 26-10 victory over the Ottowa Sooners.
Front Row: Leanne LaMontagne, Brad Herschmiller, Alex Smith, Rick Seaman, Ron Senger, Frank McCrystal, Ed Bankowski, Jerry Orban, Bernie Schmidt, Ray Pitre, Trevor Herschmiller, Gary Uhren
2nd Row: Curt Huenison, Darryl Leason, Jason Bula, Chris Harden, Dan Gudmundson, Bereket, Woldu, Chris Frankwoski, Dan Paskiw, Craig Briere, Kevin Hicks, Louise Ashcroft
3rd Row: Chrystal Pelletier, Jason Melnechenko, Corrie McKee, Derek Fink, Tim Lynchuk, Mike Maurer, Shawn Harvey, Chris Briltz, Todd Orthner, Ikenna Ngoka, Cory Olynick, Stu Russell, Monique Knippel
4th Row: Roger Salloum, Rick McCullough, Lee Brentnell, Jeff Zimmer, Randy Srochenski, Royal Harden, John Carmichael, Derek Wollbaum, Barry Rees, Dennis Kotsetas, Todd Krenbrink, Chad Zipchian, Fr. Basil Chomos, Tony Theaker
5h Row: Bob Pelton, Curtis, Morgan, Tim Coucill, Brad Jensen, Ciaran Gilmore, Brad Tarry, Steve Uren, Chris Seibel, Trent Poitras, Mike Moore, Brent Dancey, Trent Langford, Thomas McCord, Jack Kennedy
6h Row: Paul Barnby, Don Fuchs, Doug McKillop, Brent Nicholas, Adrian Gilmore, Devin Gusa, Michael Leason, Chad Ball, Paul Wilson, Travis Taylor, Gary Treble, Wayne Saxby, Fred Dulmage
Ground: Justin Brenner, Terry Bourassa Missing: Chad Ehman, Matt Kellett, Mark Bernard, Wavell Starr, Denis Losie, Josch Shaw, David Howie, Dennis Junior, Earl Kallichuk, Al Kellett, Dean Kleisinger, Larry Kratt, Larry LeBlanc, Gary Mather, Don McDougall, Bob Millar, Dave Rezansoff, Norbert Thurmeier, Doug Tunison
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Simon Turney
Historical Fiction Author
The Ottoman Cycle
The Damned Emperors
Tales of the Empire
Marius’ Mules
Roman Adventures
Other Tales and Short Stories
Downloads & Maps
Crocodile Legion Maps
Damned Emperors Maps
Marius Mules Maps
Ottoman Cycle Maps
Praetorian Maps
Tales of The Empire Maps
Templar Maps
Simon lives with his wife, children, rabbits and dog in rural North Yorkshire. Having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites with his grandfather, a local photographer, Simon fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region, beginning with the world famous Hadrian’s Wall. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Egypt, Greece and Byzantium, though his focus has always been Rome. A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of country, history and architecture, Simon spends most of his rare free time travelling the world visiting historic sites, writing, researching the ancient world and reading voraciously.
Simon’s early career meandered along an arcane and eclectic path of everything from the Ministry of Agriculture to computer network management before finally settling back into the ancient world. During those varied years, Simon returned to university study to complete an honours degree in classical history through the Open University. With what spare time he had available and a rekindled love of all things Roman, he set off on an epic journey to turn Caesar’s Gallic War diaries into a novel accessible to all. The first volume of Marius’ Mules was completed in 2003 and has garnered international success, bestseller status and rave reviews, spawning numerous sequels. Marius’ Mules is still one of Simon’s core series and although Roman fiction features highly he now has Byzantine, Fantasy and Medieval series, too, as well as several collaborations and short stories in other genres.
Now, with in excess of 30 novels available and 5 awaiting release, Simon is a prolific writer, spanning genres and eras and releasing novels both independently and through renowned publishers including Canelo and Orion. Simon writes full time and is represented by MMB Creative literary agents.
Look out for Roman military novels featuring Caesar’s Gallic Wars in the form of the bestselling Marius’ Mules series, Roman thrillers in the Praetorian series, set during the troubled reign of Commodus, adventures around the 15th century Mediterranean world in the Ottoman Cycle, a series of Historical Fantasy novels with a Roman flavour called the Tales of the Empire, medieval religious action in the forms of the Knights Templar, and imperial biographies of the Damned Emperors.
More from Simon Turney
A friendly visual catalogue of the sites I have visited.
My book review blog.
Maps to accompany my books, short stories and Google Earth downloads.
Sign up to receive updates and new book releases straight to your inbox.
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Lionel Shriver and combating the selfishness of freedom of expression
Beyonce's 'Formation'
Perhaps predictably, I’m chipping in to the debate surrounding Lionel Shriver’s dismissal of cultural appropriation at this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival. I won’t write about the controversy itself; for that, read the pieces by Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Yen-Rong Wong, Helen Razer and Nesrine Malik. What I’d like to discuss are the parallels between this topic, the push to repeal Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act, and other issues that have recently made the rounds on social media, such as the “probbo” use of African-American Vernacular English among youth, an Anglo-Australian writer deeming the term “wog” no longer derogatory, and Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham publicly objectifying two black male celebrities.
Talking about #media #diversity in #Australia @MelbWritersFest @rightnowinc #mwf16 pic.twitter.com/3FDKRr8Lzr
— Venus Khalessi (@venuskhalessi) September 3, 2016
At the 2016 Melbourne Writers Festival, I spoke on the “Media Justice” panel and suggested that we be critical even of “stupid” Hollywood films because they embody the politics we subscribe to. I’d argue this extends to all forms of communication: words and images distil our preoccupations and presumptions about the world. This is why literary analysis and media literacy are such priorities in schools – from a young age, we need to be equipped with the tools to decode the implicit messages when, say, a man calls a woman “hysterical” or a white cartoonist satirises Aboriginal fathers as incompetent.
It’s never “just words” or “just a sombrero” or “just a Hollywood film”; to dismiss cultural sensitivity’s seriousness is to disempower those it seeks to safeguard.
Language is, in fact, the perfect conduit for microaggression. These days, prejudice is less overt – more insidious – and the apparently small-scale impact of a word or image conveniently belies its deeper implications.
In a forthcoming piece for Screen Education, David Crewe cites the subtly patronising use of “articulate” as a compliment for African-Americans. Laurence Barber has identified the stealthy silencing of queerness when characters “just so happen” to be gay. In both cases, the seemingly throwaway comments are, at heart, normative judgments about minorities passing the standards of – or even passing as – members of the dominant group. Less “them”, more “us”.
When a figure like Shriver makes light of a concept that has catalysed discussion about ethical responsibility, it robs that idea of its political impetus. Cultural appropriation does have the potential to be oppressive because, as Abdel-Magied has pointed out, for the marginalised, identity is sometimes all we have. Our idiolects, our dance moves, our art and artefacts – these are means by which to make ourselves belong amid a system that has made us feel unwelcome. It’s never “just words” or “just a sombrero” or “just a Hollywood film”; to dismiss cultural sensitivity’s seriousness is to disempower those it seeks to safeguard, especially as Shriver and her ilk are speaking from positions of privilege.
At “Media Justice”, my fellow panellists and I also agreed that, to remedy inequality, change must come from all directions. Top–down instances of targeting inclusivity are the most potent, as they give the movement public validation. One such instance from April this year saw the Merriam-Webster Dictionary institutionalise the terms cisgender and genderqueer, following the Oxford’s lead. Facebook has allowed users to self-identify as one of fifty-six genders since 2014, and the New York City government now legally recognises at least thirty-one genders. The growing acceptance of the gender-neutral “singular they” by editors (see: my own tweet from 2015, despite my earlier – selfish – reservations about it) further exemplifies this. Beyond the acknowledgment of non-binary gender, examples include Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiative and the Indigenous-centric Blak & Bright writers’ festival.
People keep
1) saying they don't know what 'genderqueer' means
2) asking why we added it to the dictionary pic.twitter.com/wsGZ7Y6XB8
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) April 25, 2016
It’s not just up to those in prominent positions, however; change from the grassroots must happen as well. In “Formation”, Beyoncé reminds us that the “best revenge is your paper [money]”, alluding to how our actions as citizens and consumers are inevitably political – whether we want them to be or not. Every choice is loaded, betraying our conceptions of people, culture and society. This illustrates why cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the prevailing method for psychological treatment: we need to unlearn the problematic ideas underpinning our behaviour before we can modify it. Power, therefore, stems from naming and reframing.
Much like with CBT, of course, we need to want the change for the “therapy” to work. And central to all this kerfuffle is the belief that cultural sensitivity “robs” us of our freedom of expression. Yet, as philosopher Isaiah Berlin has posited, we can conceive of freedom in two ways: “negative liberty” (the pet notion of Western liberal democracies) espouses the absence of any obstacles to agency, whereas “positive liberty” focuses on enacting freedom within constructive restraints. Truly “free” expression, I’d argue, is about working within the constraints of transformative ethics and preventing harm.
Last column, I cautioned against militant identity-politicking, which can certainly stunt political discourse if left unchecked. At the same time, protection from being “called out” rests on us – as artists, as communicators, as consumers – taking responsibility for our actions. When faced with the choice between safeguarding others from potential hurt, or risking it just so each of us can “do what I want”, surely it’s better – even if it involves extra effort – to opt for avoiding harm? Words and ideas are weapons; we need to wield them, not just with skill, but with care.
Free speech Gender & sexuality Racism
This column has been assisted by the Australia Council for the Arts.
Adolfo Aranjuez is the editor of Metro, Australia’s oldest film and media periodical.
Quantum Words Interviews: Baba Brinkman
James Atkinson in conversation with Baba Brinkman
James Atkinson interviews rap artist, science communicator and playwright Baba Brinkman about rap, science, the politics of politicking and the importance of human engagement in talking about science.
Climate change Education Sustainability
See What You Made Me Do: a review
By Carl Bradley
Jess Hill’s engaging book is a call for us to rethink the structures enabling the continuing national crisis of domestic violence.
Own Voices Interviews: Philosophising with Nathan Tang
Janelle Koh in conversation with Nathan Tang
Janelle Koh speaks with Nathan Tang for Right Now about workshopping big ideas with young people, and how creativity and philosophy can change the world.
Children & youth Climate change Education Refugees & asylum seekers
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วันพุธที่ 19 ตุลาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Free iPhone games making plenty of money on Apple's UK App Store
analysis reveals half of the 100 most successful titles are free to play, while In-App Purchases are filtering in games also pay
Half of the 100 games iPhone
big hit in the UK is free to play titles, while indicating that freemium games prove lucrative for developers and publishers, the payment of the securities are still an important role in the ecosystem of the App Store.
said, the use of Apple, under Payment (IAP) is to have an impact beyond the freemium games. Of the 50 sets of payment in the table blockbuster 100, 20 use IPA on top of the initial download quota, which means that only 30% of the letter is due to the pure form of payment - despite including the two major parties , Warner Bros. and EA FIFA 12 Scribblenauts Remix.
Guardian analysis of the letter - took place the afternoon of October 17 for an overview of trends in the classification of Apple - reveals that 30 of 50 games cost paid £ 0.69, although 14 of Use IPA as a supplement. Six titles cost £ 1.49 £ 1.99, 11 cost £ 2.99, £ 3.99 a hill and one has an initial price of downloading over 4 pounds:. £ 6.99 Sega Football Manager Handheld
These figures may be distorted by EA Mobile's decision to place a strip of its catalog of £ 0.69 for the launch of Apple iPhone 4S eight of his 10 matches in the table are more than 100 revenue for the sale price.
considerable amounts of money are spent on freemium games in the table, however. 23 of 50 free games to play a £ 69.99 item in the list as one of its 10 most popular In-App Purchases in the App Store lists.
These options are to attract buyers first class, too: more people are buying the car for £ 69.99 in the village of the Smurfs Smurfberries Capcom "option to buy the £ 20.99 per barrel, for example. £ 69.99 cash per 1000 of CrowdStar Girl Top is more popular than the 480 in cash for £ 34.99. And in the game of Storm8 World War I, £ 69.99 for 1700 points of honor is the fourth most popular PAI, more than 60 honor points for £ 2.49 and £ 5.49 for 140.
The App Store is still a fragmented environment in terms of number of different developers and publishers to find success with their games. 58 different companies were represented at the 100 most successful in the table at the time of analysis by The Guardian, although if you take the 55 acquisitions Chillingo EA, PopCap Games and Firemint in total.
EA, TeamLava has five games in the Top 100, while Zynga has four - all free to play in both cases. Capcom also has four titles, including three freemium. Industry Veteran Games Sega has three titles in the list, the same total Addmired freemium ups, Glu Mobile, precious stones and pocket tinyca.
There seems to be plenty of room for further consolidation of free space to play with IOS 30 different companies offering freemium 50 games on the list.
Zynga is the most successful free to play with the title of Zynga Poker, but it is remarkable that there are other 21 freemium games make more money than others of higher rank Hometown meeting CityVille game: perhaps the wildest in the world of social games on Facebook, but has yet to be taxed in the IOS on a similar scale.
See more about : [iPhone][Zynga][TeamLava][Store]
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Category: debt collection
Thursday July 6 2019, Weekly News Digest
News Comments Today’s main news: 3 top execs exit SoFi. Zopa proclaims end of monogamous banking. LendInvest earnings hit the roof. Financial Conduct Authority sets new rules for UK P2P lending. Quarter of global small firms are significant fintech users. Biz2Credit raises $52M. Today’s main analysis: Alternative lenders steal business from banks. P2P lending will be […]
The post Thursday July 6 2019, Weekly News Digest appeared first on Lending Times.
Today’s main news: 3 top execs exit SoFi. Zopa proclaims end of monogamous banking. LendInvest earnings hit the roof. Financial Conduct Authority sets new rules for UK P2P lending. Quarter of global small firms are significant fintech users. Biz2Credit raises $52M.
Today’s main analysis: Alternative lenders steal business from banks. P2P lending will be the next $1 trillion industry (A MUST-READ).
Today’s thought-provoking articles: Yield curve, technology driving bank earnings growth. CFPB’s new rules for debt collection industry. The U.S.-China trade war. Tariffs will kill Chinese economy. Curve CEO declares fintech peak nearing.
SoFi loses three top executives. While significant, this seems innocuous. Could be timing.
Technology drives bank earnings growth. A PeerIQ analysis, but the yield curve and target rate probabilities is more significant.
Alternative lenders are still taking business from banks. This is excellent news, but the focus is on the larger alt lenders, which now includes PayPal and Amazon.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau releases rules for debt collection reform. Read the full report.
Biz2Credit raises $52 million.
Interview with Jared Kaplan of OppLoans.
Lighter Capital intros suite of alt finance solutions to fund up to $3 million for startups.
LendPro unveils dynamic routing capability to streamline POS financing.
Why you should ask your wealth manager about P2P lending.
Possible Finance lands $10.5 million for consumer short-term lending.
Santa Clarita is second highest debt-ridden city in California.
Cities with the highest percentage of black homeowners.
Real Crowd says high net worth individuals will boost real estate investments this year.
WealthStone rolls out new platform for commercial real estate.
P2P lending is recommended for passive income.
Bank of America warns of leveraged lending carnage.
Digital banks to attract older generations.
Technology small banks use to boost deposit growth.
Wharton releases online fintech course.
BlueVine appoints new chief product officer.
Lendio hires senior vice president of lender & partner strategy.
White Oak hires managing director to bolster origination.
Zopa says fintech revolution killed monogamous banking. And that’s a good thing.
LendInvest earnings soar.
FCA sets new rules for P2P lending.
Assetz Capital hits bridging loans, small business lending milestones.
P2P lending sector poised for more growth.
Santander, eBay partner on loans app.
Experts say more P2P lending firms will collapse.
Wagestream says one complaint in three on payday lenders is resolved.
Welendus rebrands as Fund Ourselves.
Arbuthnot Specialist Finance completes first loan since launching.
China/Hong Kong
The China-U.S. trade war. This is an interesting read and includes how it could impact P2P lending.
Tariffs spell doomsday for Chinese economy. Another interesting read on the trade war.
HSBC intros digital wallet for Hong Kong businesses.
Curve CEO: We are close to fintech peak. Interesting interview.
P2P lending will be the next $1 trillion industry. This is a good analysis. I agree with its conclusion.
One quarter of small firms are significant fintech users. Based on an Ernst & Young report. Read the full report.
Tencent, Temesek dump $35 million into TrueLayer.
The fintech bubble floats toward $64 billion.
Europe: ING pushes for open banking with SME financing.
Australia: Reserve Bank of Australia cuts cash rate.
SoFi Loses Three Top Executives (WSJ), Rated: AAA
Tech Driving Bank Earnings Growth (PeerIQ), Rated: AAA
Alternative Lenders Continue to Steal Business From Banks (The Financial Brand), Rated: AAA
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Releases Rules for Comprehensive Reform of Debt Collection Industry (Debevoise & Plimpton), Rated: AAA
Biz2Credit Raises $ 52M In Funding To Expand (PYMNTS), Rated: AAA
Jared Kaplan of OppLoans (Lend Academy), Rated: A
Lighter Capital Introduces Suite of Alternative Financing Solutions to Fund More Startups up to $ 3 Million (Yahoo! Finance), Rated: A
LendPro Unveils Dynamic Routing Capability to Streamline POS Financing (LendPro Email), Rated: A
Why it’s Time to Ask Your Wealth Manager About P2P Lending (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
Possible Finance lands $ 10.5 million to provide consumers softer, kinder short-term loans (TechCrunch), Rated: A
Santa Clarita Ranked Second Highest ‘Debt-Ridden’ City In California (Home Town Station), Rated: A
Cities With the Highest Percentage of Black Homeowners (Black Enterprise), Rated: A
Real Crowd Says HNW Investors Poised to Boost Real Estate Investments in 2019 (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
WealthStone – Democratizing Access to Commercial Real Estate (PR Newswire), Rated: A
3 Investments That Lead to Passive Income (Realty Biz News), Rated: B
BofA, Longtime Leader in Leveraged Loans, Warns of `Carnage’ (Bloomberg), Rated: A
Digital Banks Look to Attract Older Generations (LendIt), Rated: A
The tech banks are using to boost deposit growth (American Banker), Rated: A
Wharton just released an online fintech course for the masses (Technical.ly), Rated: A
BlueVine Appoints Silicon Valley Veteran Herman Man to Chief Product Officer (BlueVine), Rated: B
Lendio Announces New Senior Vice President of Lender & Partner Strategy (Lendio), Rated: B
Thomas M. Affolter Joins White Oak as Managing Director to Bolster Origination Efforts (Yahoo! Finance), Rated: B
Zopa says fintech revolution has killed off monogamous banking (P2P Finance News), Rated: AAA
LendInvest earnings soar as it looks to disrupt ‘slow moving’ banks (P2P Finance News), Rated: AAA
FCA Announces New Rules For UK P2P Lending Platforms (Lend Academy), Rated: AAA
Assetz Capital hits bridging loans and small business lending milestones (AltFi), Rated: A
UK P2P sector poised for “significant further growth” (P2P Finance News), Rated: A
Santander and eBay team up on UK loans app (Techradar), Rated: A
As £165m Lendy collapses, experts warn ‘a dozen more peer-to-peer firms will follow’ (The Telegraph), Rated: A
Wagestream Says One Complaint Against PayDay Lenders is Resolved for Every Three Received (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
Welendus unveils rebrand as Fund Ourselves (P2P Finance News), Rated: B
ARBUTHNOT SPECIALIST FINANCE CONCLUDES FIRST LOAN COMPLETION SINCE LAUNCHING THE BUSINESS (Arbuthnot Latham), Rated: B
The Escalating US-China Trade War, Part 1 (In Homeland Security), Rated: AAA
New US Tariffs Spell Doomsday for China’s Economy (The Epoch Times), Rated: AAA
HSBC Rolls Out Digital Wallet To Hong Kong Businesses (PYMNTS), Rated: A
ING pushes for open banking with SME financing platform and Yolt expansion (Fintech Futures), Rated: A
We are “very close” to peak fintech, with more than 10,000 startups jumping into the boom (Quartz), Rated: AAA
Peer To Peer Lending To Be The Next $ 1 Trillion Industry (ValueWalk), Rated: AAA
One quarter of world’s small firms are ‘significant’ fintech users, says report (AltFi), Rated: AAA
Tencent, Temasek Invest $ 35 Million in U.K. Open-Banking Startup (Bloomberg), Rated: A
The Fintech Bubble Floats Toward a $ 64 Billion Pin (The Washington Post), Rated: A
RBA Boss Warns Banks On Undermining The Economy (SB Dirty South Soccer), Rated: A
Three top executives of Social Finance Inc. are leaving the financial-tech startup in the coming weeks, adding to the challenges the company faces as it moves through a tough environment for online lenders.
Marketing chief Joanne Bradford, head of risk Kevin Moss and Ashish Jain, the lender’s top capital markets executive, recently told Chief Executive Anthony Noto about their plans to step down from their roles. All three had been at the company prior to Mr. Noto taking the reins in early 2018.
US first quarter GDP growth was revised lower to 3.1%. There is fear that the economy is slowing due to the ongoing trade war and the length of this economic expansion. The 3 month-10 year yield curve fell to its most inverted since 2007 to -12.3 bps. Recessions have usually followed within 18 months of this curve inverting. The market is looking to the Fed to bolster economic growth with the odds of a rate cut at the September meeting now at 54%.
Source: CME, PeerIQ
Technology Driving Earnings Growth
Banks and lenders are reaping the benefits of their technology investments now. Banks like Citi have been able to offer new products and grow their deposit base, while Capital One has improved its efficiency ratio by 400 bps. Banks and lenders continue to make large technology investments for faster growth at lower cost.
What is less well known is the rapid growth of PayPal as a digital lending alternative. It may be time for banks and credit unions to wake up, however, as the company announced that they had crossed $10 billion in small business lending in only 5 years.
Amazon Joins PayPal as Top 5 Small Business Digital Lender
Amazon has joined PayPal, OnDeck, Kabbage, and Square as a top 5 digital small business lender. In fact, Amazon revealed that it had made more than $1 billion in small business loans to US-based merchants in 2018.
The peer-to-peer business lender, Funding Circle, also revealed its first-quarter trading update, showing that loans under management rose by 44% compared to the first quarter of 2018, while originations grew by 23% (they have originated $9.5 billion in loans).
On May 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or the “Bureau”) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM” or “Notice”) to increase regulation of the debt collection industry.1 The much-anticipated Notice is the outgrowth of the CFPB’s 2016 Outline of Proposals (the “Outline” or the “2016 Outline”), which was a cornerstone of the Obama Administration’s efforts to protect consumers and overhaul all aspects of consumer finance (see our August 10, 2016 client alert on the Outline here). One presidential election and two CFPB Directors later, CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger announced a more limited plan to put in place substantial protections, but which rejects some of the 2016 Outline’s more ambitious proposals. The NPRM would overhaul the industry by, for example, requiring that debt collectors make no more than seven attempts by telephone per week to reach consumers about specific debts, and allow debtors to opt out of allowing collectors to contact them via e-mail, text messages, or other media. However, the proposal fails to address many of the Outline’s calls for increased regulation of substantiation of debt, decedent debt, and transfer of information to subsequent collectors (among other things).
See the full report here.
Biz2Credit, the online lending platform that helps banks and other financial institutions manage small and medium-sized business (SMB) lending processes, announced Tuesday (June 4) that it raised $52 million in venture funding.
Biz2Credit said the Series B funding round was led by WestBridge Capital.
The next guest on the Lend Academy Podcast is Jared Kaplan, the CEO of OppLoans.
Lighter Capital announced today that it has launched new financing products to better match the capital needs of growing startups. To date, Lighter Capital has provided over $150 million in more than 500 rounds of financing to over 300 startups. The company has historically provided Revenue-Based Financing and has now broadened its portfolio to include lines of credit and term loans, designed to provide startups capital over time as they need it. Unlike most venture debt, startups do not need to have raised Venture Capital to qualify for funding.
1. Lighter Line of Credit – Startups have fluctuations in capital needs, to make essential payments like payroll or wait for a big customer payment. The Lighter Line of Credit is a revolving working capital line. It enables startups to draw and return capital numerous times, to even out their cash needs.
2. Lighter Term Loan – Provides startups growth capital in a traditional structure with predictable payments. Lighter Capital will also make forward commitments, giving startups the right to get additional capital for a period of time. For example, a startup could get a $500,000 loan today and a commitment from Lighter Capital to provide an additional $500,000 over the following six months.
LendPro LLC, a provider of Lending-As-A-Service (LaaS) products and platforms for retailers, today unveiled Dynamic Routing —an innovative POS financing solution that automatically matches consumer credit applications with the best-available lending option.
While alternative lending software moves credit applications through a pre-defined, inflexible process, Dynamic Routing by LendPro dynamically guides borrower application data to lenders in the merchant’s financing portfolio based on the attributes of the sale. For example, if the total price for a specific purchase is too large (or small) for a lender’s target loan size, LendPro’s Dynamic Routing system can route the applicant to a different lender. This technological innovation saves time, increases simplicity, and may help the borrower avoid an unwanted credit application.
Using a crowdfunding platform, however, 5,000 individuals might each invest $1,000 into the company. Each of those individual investors is exposed to a very small amount of risk, and the company is able to raise the funds without surrendering ownership.
It’s one reason that venture capitalist Rebecca Lynn, a managing partner with Canvas Ventures and an early investor in the online lending company LendingClub, has largely steered clear of the numerous startups crowding into the industry in recent years. It’s also why she just led a $10.5 million investment in Possible Finance, a two-year-old, Seattle-based outfit that’s doing what she “thought was impossible,” she says. The startup is “helping people on the lower end of the credit spectrum improve their financial outlook without being predatory.”
LendingTree, an online loan marketplace, released a report this week detailing the accrued debt of all California cities with a population of at least 50,000.
Santa Clarita ranked the second highest in auto loan debt with an average of about $21,000, and second in the state for personal loan debt, excluding mortgages, with an average of just over $6,000.
Source: Home Town Station
Even though housing discrimination has been outlawed for 50 years, studies show that the U.S. black homeownership rate isn’t any higher than when the Fair Housing Act initially passed in 1968. In fact, the racial gap between white and black homeowners today is significant. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the homeownership rate among white Americans is 73.2%, while the black homeownership rate stands at 41.1%. In comparison, 42% of black households owned their homes back in 1970, two years after housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin was outlawed.
According to the report, the U.S. cities that have the highest percentage of black homeowners are San Jose, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Portland. On the other hand, the cities where black homeownership is lowest relative to overall population are Memphis, New Orleans, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, and Milwaukee, where the median household income for black residents is a mere $28,928.
See LendingTree’s report here.
Real estate crowdfunding platform RealCrowd reports that High Net Worth (HNW) investors are looking to increase their portfolio of real estate investments during 2019. According to a survey by the Fintech platform, 53% of surveyed HNW individuals expect to make “two-to-four direct real estate investments in 2019.” Specific details on the survey process were not revealed.
This is a big improvement over year prior when just 33% planned to do the same thus an increase of around 20%.
The survey also stated that 47% of respondents’ desire to allocate more than 25 percent of their investment portfolio to commercial real estate.
WealthStone LLC announces the launch of its new website, WealthStoneLLC.com, where technology brings increased access to institutional-quality commercial real estate investments to a wider audience, while delivering the best customer experience possible for its growing global investor base.
Peer-to-peer lending is a relative newcomer to the world of investments. Lending Club and Prosper were the first institutions to offer P2P loans beginning in mid-2000, and they’ve changed the way countless loans are handled. Instead of going to the bank, borrowers apply for loans from other people. People who have been denied loans from financial institutions are often approved for P2P loans at rates that are lower than those of larger financial institutions.
Sagent Lending Technologies to Transform the Lending Experience, Powered by Microsoft Azure (BusinessWire), Rated: A
Sagent Lending Technologies announced today a strategic initiative to transform the borrower and the lender experience through Microsoft Azure. Sagent will leverage the potential of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and cognitive services available on Azure that will provide a reimagined experience for Sagent clients and their consumer borrowers.
The U.S. economy is on solid footing except for one potential trouble spot, according to Bank of America Corp.’sChief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan: leveraged loans — a business the bank has dominated for a decade.
Bank of America was bookrunner on some $317 billion of leveraged loans this year, accounting for 10.8 percent of the market share, the Bloomberg data show, which captures all leveraged term loans and revolver facilities that are either new or have been amended.
Moody’s Investors Service said covenant quality for 2018’s last quarter was close to a record low, and the rating company sees no signs of improvement this year. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last month that the market looks a lot like the mortgage industry in the run-up to the subprime crisis.
One of the challenges for the challenger banks like Monzo, Starling and Revolut is to go beyond the young demographic they’ve been successful at attracting to their products; not surprisingly, less than 5% of Monzo’s customers over 60; as more bank branch close they are looking to bring in older customers who are no longer being served by traditional banks; Monzo and Starling have both added the ability to make cash deposits; Starling recently partnered with the post office and Monzo partnered with a payments service which is in 30,000 shops in the UK; these digital banks and their competitors are experimenting in how they can have more physical points of contact with customers; Revolut recently shared a plain English customer contract in a move to help their customers better understand the product.
First Arkansas & Trust, for example, is using Plinqit, a goal-oriented savings app from a fintech called HTMA Holdings, in the hopes of boosting deposits.
And some banks have begun to specialize in the banking-as-a-service model to increase deposits.
Following is a look at how regional and community banks are employing tech to help in the race for deposit growth:
On Thursday, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Online announced its new virtual fintech specialization program, “FinTech: Foundations and Applications of Financial Technologies,” for students and professionals who want to learn about the rapidly changing tech.
The four-course financial program is available via online education platform Coursera, and will detail the use of cryptocurrency, robo-advising, crowdfunding and modern investing.
BlueVine, which provides small- and medium-sized businesses with access to fast and simple online financing, announced today that it has named Silicon Valley technology and engineering veteran, Herman Man, its Chief Product Officer. In this role, Man will focus on developing the next generation of BlueVine products and oversee the company’s product vision, strategy, design and execution to deliver on its mission to provide fast, fair and easy financing solutions every small business needs to thrive.
Lendio announced today that Denada Ramnishta has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Lender & Partner Strategy.
White Oak Global Advisors, LLC (White Oak) is pleased to announce that Thomas (Tom) M. Affolter has joined White Oak as a Managing Director based in Chicago. Mr. Affolter will focus on originating new investment opportunities and expanding the coverage network for White Oak’s private debt funds.
ZOPA has declared that “monogamous banking is a thing of the past”, as new research reveals that the average UK adult has a relationship with seven different financial providers.
The peer-to-peer consumer lender, which is launching a digital bank, said that the fintech revolution has changed the shape of financial services for consumers.
It cited a survey that found 71 per cent of UK adults said they do not need a relationship with their main bank, while two thirds are actively using products from banks and financial providers other than their main current account provider.
ONLINE property lender LendInvest has reported an 82 per cent jump in core earnings, as it looks to disrupt the UK mortgage market.
LendInvest, which used to be a peer-to-peer lender before it shut its platform to retail investors, posted core earnings of £4m for the year ended 31 March 2019, up from £2.2m the previous year.
The firm, which is considering a stock market flotation, said that platform assets rose by 69 per cent to £788.3m over the same period, while revenue rose by 36 per cent to £72.7m.
The long awaited changes to P2P lending regulations in the UK are finally here. Today, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that the new rules for peer to peer lending platforms have been set and will come into effect on December 9, 2019.
Introducing more explicit requirements to clarify what governance arrangements, systems and controls platforms need to have in place to support the outcomes they advertise. These new rules focus particularly on credit risk assessment, risk management and fair valuation practices, especially for platforms with more complex business models.
Strengthening rules on plans for the wind-down of P2P platforms.
Applying marketing restrictions to P2P platforms, designed to protect new or less experienced investors. We have also clarified the practical implication of these new rules as they apply to P2P agreements.
Introducing a requirement that an appropriateness assessment (to assess an investor’s knowledge and experience of P2P investments) be undertaken, where no advice has been given to the investor. We have also provided guidance on what the assessment should include.
Setting out the minimum information that P2P platforms need to provide to investors
Peer-to-peer lender Assetz Capital said it has hit a double milestone, providing over £100m in bridging loans and a further £50m in small business funding, “as the appetite for alternative forms of finance continues to rise across the UK”.
The Manchester-based fintech adds that since it was founded six years ago it has lent over £780m to small firms and property developers, helping build 3,700 homes in Britain.
THE UK’S peer-to-peer lending sector is set to experience “significant further growth”, according to Standard & Poor’s.
A report released by the ratings agency this week said that the growing involvement of institutional funds and increased securitisation issuance are set to boost the industry.
In an effort to fend off tech giants and newer digital rivals, Santander and eBay have announced a new lending partnership for small businesses.
The Spanish bank will begin offering loans to over 200,000 small and medium-sized businesses that sell products on eBay in the UK through its financial technology app Astro.
While investments of varying risk are available, some platforms have tempted consumers with returns of more than 12pc on high-risk projects. But the collapse of one large platform, Lendy, which offered loans on property developments, has concerned investors across the sector.
Payday loan alternative Wagestream has issued a release stating the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has received 47,220 complaints against payday lenders since 2018. Yet while many complaints have been received only a fraction have been resolved. Wagestream states that only one out of three are resolved or just under 17,000.
WELENDUS, the peer-to-peer payday lender, has rebranded as Fund Ourselves.
Arbuthnot Specialist Finance (ASFL) is pleased to announce it has concluded its first loan completion since announcing its launch in late May. The deal is a 70% LTV residential product loan on a property located less than half a mile from the University of Central Lancashire campus in Preston.
China is in debt, significantly. Part of the problem is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to assign a figure to the debt. There are Chinese statistics for official debt, but following the 2008 economic crisis, China implemented new restrictions on lending. Over the past decade, those restrictions have shifted from one type of loan to another so Chinese citizens get creative with how they borrow money for business purposes or to purchase property.
Furthermore, the economic crisis took “shadow lending” to new heights. Shadow lending can include everything from organized crime to banks obfuscating the purpose of a loan or peer-to-peer lending. China cracked down on this lending practice too, but the debt amount is significant and official numbers do not typically include shadow lending.
The additional 25 percent tariff imposed by the United States on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods will trigger a new round of factory closures in China, driving economic collapse.
In the context of the blow-up of the P2P (peer-to-peer lending) and other usury, the 8.4 trillion will cause most medium and small-sized banks to fall into bankruptcy crisis.
HSBC has reportedly expanded its PayMe digital wallet to startups and small businesses, marking its first foray into the business payments marketplace.
ING is keen to maximise the possibilities of open banking and is working with Yolt and Funding Options on bringing new features to customers across Europe.
Firstly, ING is launching a marketplace for SME financing in the Netherlands, which will open to other external financing providers, becoming the first Dutch bank in doing so.
According to Curve’s Shachar Bialick, the founder and CEO, an app that lets customers to link all their credit and debit cards to just one card, says there are more than 10,000 fintech startups around the world, and even he can’t keep track of them all. Some, or even most, aren’t going to make it.
Quartz: It’s been about four months since Amex blocked Curve. What are your plans now?
Bialick: Amex was never a critical part of Curve. It was always an opportunity to solve a big problem Amex has in the UK and Europe, which is access.
Curve has continued to grow in Europe without Amex.
Have we reached the peak in terms of new fintech startups?
I don’t know if we reached the peak, but we definitely are very close, because today there are over 10,000 fintechs globally. I don’t know over 90% of them.
By eliminating the need for banks, peer to peer lending allows investors to invest in individual and company debt with 5-10% returns – a far cry from the the lowly 1.5% that you’ll received in a regular CD account.
And it works better for borrowers too. Borrowers are able to take out loans with greater ease and lower interest rates, typically offered in the region of 3-4%.
The average default rate at Lending Works is only 3.2% over the last six years. And many P2P lenders allow you to choose secured loans for additional protection.
Transparency Market Research estimates the industry be worth $900 billion by the end of 2024, with an annual growth rate of 48%, up from $26 billion in 2015.
Source: ValueWalk
Fintechs are becoming the ‘new normal’ in financial services, said a survey by professional services firm EY.
Fintech adoption is by far the highest in China, where 61 per cent of small businesses use their services, followed by the US, 23 per cent, the UK, 18 per cent, South Africa, 16 per cent, Mexico, 11 per cent, with the average set at 25 per cent.
Source: Ernst & Young
Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Singapore government-owned fund Temasek is to invest $35 million in London-based TrueLayer.
Trendy U.S. online payments company Stripe, worth some $22.5 billion according to private-market valuations, is joining Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. in warning about the impact of EU rules aimed at getting customers to double-check payments going out from their accounts.
Adyen trades at a gob-smacking 110 times this year’s earnings, with a market value of 20.8 billion euros. That’s almost twice the worth of Deutsche Bank AG, even though the Dutch fintech only employs the equivalent of 1% of the German lender’s staff. Stripe is the sixth most expensive private company in the world, according to researchers at CBInsights.
THE Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut the cash rate to a new record low.
The online lender announced a new headline variable rate for owner-occupiers at 3.34 percent.
Author Allen TaylorPosted on June 6, 2019 Categories alternative finance, alternative lending, Arbuthnot Specialist Finance, Assetz Capital, Bank of America, bank technology, Banking, Banks, Biz2Credit, BlueVine, bridging loans, CFPB, China, commercial real estate, consumer lending, Curve, Daily News Digest, debt collection, digital banks, digital wallet, eBay, Ernst & Young, FCA, Featured, fintech, Fund Ourselves, HNWI, HSBC, ING, LendInvest, Lendio, LendPro, leveraged lending, Lighter Capital, News, open banking, OppLoans, p2p lending, p2p uk, payday lending, PeerIQ, POS financing, Possible Finance, Real Crowd, real estate investing, Reserve Bank of Australia, Santander, short-term lending, small business lending, SME financing, SoFi, startups, tariffs, Temesek, Tencent, TrueLayer, U.S.-China trade war, Wagestream, WealthStone, Welendus, White Oak, yield curves, Zopa
Thursday May 23 2019, Weekly News Digest
News Comments Today’s main news: DBRS assigns provisional ratings to SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2019-3 Trust. KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust, Series 2019-3. Funding Circle seeds shareholder input on wind-down plans for investment trust. TransferWise valuation doubles to $3.5B. Today’s main analysis: High income, super prime borrowers take bigger share of […]
The post Thursday May 23 2019, Weekly News Digest appeared first on Lending Times.
Today’s main news: DBRS assigns provisional ratings to SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2019-3 Trust. KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust, Series 2019-3. Funding Circle seeds shareholder input on wind-down plans for investment trust. TransferWise valuation doubles to $3.5B.
Today’s main analysis: High income, super prime borrowers take bigger share of personal loans (A MUST-READ LENDINGTREE ANALYSIS).
Today’s thought-provoking articles: Millennial delinquencies on the rise, fintech earnings. Job loss, medical expenses are leading causes of bad credit. How Earnin is rebranding payday loans. Taxi drivers trapped in debt to pay for medallions. How Tencent smashed quarterly expectations.
DBRS assigns provisional ratings to SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2019-3 Trust. Nothing less than BBB.
KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust, Series 2019-3. Nothing above an A-.
Millennial delinquencies on the rise, fintech earnings comparison. A must-read PeerIQ analysis. Included in the fintech earnings report are Enova, GreenSky, Lending Club, OnDeck, and OneMain.
High income, super prime borrowers take bigger share of personal loans. From LendingTree. A lot of good stuff here to look at, great charts.
Job loss, medical expenses are leading causes of bad debt. From Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class.
How Earnin is rebranding payday loans. With the Earnin app, borrowers should not be able to get in over their heads.
Taxi drivers trapped in debt to pay for medallions. Not about online lending specifically, but it’s a darn good read.
Americans use short-term debt to pay off loans.
Bernardo Martinez of Funding Circle USA. A Lend Academy podcast.
Earnin launches HealthAid.
Figure secures $1 billion in financing.
LendKey’s Vince Passione interview on Tearsheet podcast.
Biz2Credit launches lending platform for banks.
Prodigy Finance aims to bridge healthcare gap with new loan offering.
BlockFi slashes interest rates for Ether deposits.
LoanStart helps borrowers find the right loan.
Maxex closes Series B funding.
CFPB sues debt collection law firm Forster & Garbus LLP.
Plaid Direct allows digital banks to connect with fintech apps.
Capital Markets vet to manage institutional sales at PeerStreet.
Dharma supports P2P lending in USDC.
TransferWise doubles valuation to $3.5 billion. Congratulations.
Funding Circle investment trust seeks input from shareholders.
Funding Circle sets hard limit to executive incentive pay.
Span A higher than Span B for Funding Circle fund.
A call for website borrowing curfew.
Monzo hits 2 million customers.
Arbuthnot Specialist Finance makes new offering.
Lendwise targets 7.5% return on education loans.
Finastra’s open cloud platform.
Ireland could adopt digital identity technology for post-Brexit fintech. With a part of Ireland in the UK and a part of it in the EU, it could easily become a bridge between the two in lending, banking, and other industries.
1 in 10 European banks could vanish by 2023.
China: Tencent smashes quarterly expectations. How they did it.
International: DBS Bank expects boost in P2P lending market.
Indonesia: Fintech association sanctions two lending platforms.
New Zealand: Commerce Commission-Ferratum case to begin in June 2020.
Africa: Onefi expanding Carbon’s digital banking to Ghana.
DBRS Assigns Provisional Ratings to SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2019-3 Trust (DBRS Email), Rated: AAA
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust, Series 2019-3 (Yahoo! Finance), Rated: AAA
Millennial DQs on the rise; GreenSky earnings; OCC on a fix for Madden? (PeerIQ), Rated: AAA
High Income and Super Prime Borrowers Taking Bigger Share of Personal Loans on LendingTree Marketplace (Lending Tree), Rated: AAA
Job Loss and Medical Expenses Leading Causes of Bad Credit (Yahoo! Finance), Rated: AAA
Americans Use Short-Term Loans to Pay Off Debt (Lexington Law), Rated: A
Bernardo Martinez of Funding Circle USA (Lend Academy), Rated: A
How a Silicon Valley startup is trying to rebrand payday loans (Vox), Rated: AAA
How One Company Wants to Reduce or Even Eliminate Your Unpaid Medical Bills (Forbes), Rated: A
Figure Technologies loan platform secures $ 1B financing facility (CoinGeek), Rated: A
LendKey’s Vince Passione on partnering with banks and credit unions and the future of lending as a service (Tearsheet), Rated: A
Small-business fintech launches lending platform for banks (American Banker), Rated: A
Thousands of Taxi Drivers Trapped in Loans, Top Officials Counted the Money (The New York Times), Rated: AAA
Prodigy Finance Aims to Bridge Healthcare Gap with New Loan Offering (University Business), Rated: A
Crypto Lending Startup BlockFi Slashing Interest Rates on Ether Deposits (CoinDesk), Rated: A
Find the Right Loan Among 300+ Lending Partners for Credit Card Consolidation and More (CardRates), Rated: A
Maxex Closes Series B Funding (FinSMEs), Rated: A
CFPB Sues Debt-Collection Agency Over Deception Allegations (PYMNTS), Rated: A
Plaid gives digital banks and fintech a new tool to bypass traditional finance (CNBC), Rated: A
Capital Markets Veteran Joins PeerStreet to Manage Institutional Sales (BusinessWire), Rated: A
Dharma now supports peer-to-peer lending in USDC to attract mainstream investors to DeFi (The Block Crypto), Rated: B
Funding Circle investment trust asks shareholders to approve wind-down plans (P2P Finance News), Rated: AAA
Funding Circle Sets Hard Limit To Incentive Pay For Senior Executives (Morningstar), Rated: A
Span A Higher Than Span B for Funding Circle Sme Income Fund Limited (FCIF.L) (Williams Business Review), Rated: B
TransferWise doubles its valuation to $ 3.5bn (Fintech Futures), Rated: AAA
Call for ‘credit curfew’ to help late-night borrowers (The Times), Rated: A
Monzo hits 2m customers, adding 1m in eight months (AltFi), Rated: A
Arbuthnot Specialist Finance reveals offering (Bridging and Commercial), Rated: A
New peer-to-peer lender targets 7.5% return with education loans (Your Money), Rated: A
Finastra’s open cloud platform drives collaboration and innovation in financial services (Fintech Finance), Rated: A
A fintech revenue surge helped Tencent smash quarterly expectations (Business Insider), Rated: AAA
DBS Bank Expects a Boost in Chinese P2P Lending Market from the Greater Bay Area (LearnBonds), Rated: A
Identity technology and Dublin’s draw for fintech firms post-Brexit (Forbes), Rated: AAA
1 in 10 European banks to vanish by 2023 (AltFi), Rated: A
Commerce Commission’s court case against payday lender Ferratum scheduled for next year (Interest), Rated: AAA
Indonesian fintech association sanctions lending platform that sets high interest rate (KrAsia), Rated: AAA
Onefi is Expanding Carbon’s Digital Banking Services to Ghana (Technext), Rated: AAA
DBRS, Inc. (DBRS) assigned provisional ratings to the following classes of notes (collectively, the Notes) to be issued by SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2019-3 Trust (SCLP 2019-3):
— $420,000,000 Class A Notes at AAA (sf)
— $31,100,000 Class B Notes at AA (sf)
— $62,500,000 Class C Notes at A (sf)
— $35,600,000 Class D Notes at BBB (sf)
View the full report here.
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to four classes of notes issued by Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust 2019-3 (PMIT 2019-3). This is a $380.99 million consumer loan ABS transaction.
Class Rating Initial Class Principal
A A- (sf) $270,750,000
B BBB- (sf) $51,470,000
C BB- (sf) $39,720,000
D B- (sf) $19,050,000
US consumer debt rose by 0.9% QoQ in 1Q to $13.7 Tn.
Source: Bloomberg, PeerIQ
Mixed FinTech Earnings
FinTech issuers saw growth in revenues and loans. Pace of loan growth weakened slightly as originations fell at Enova and grew by less than 10% YoY at OnDeck and OneMain. Stock price performance post earnings was mixed. Enova saw its stock price increase by 18% post earnings while OnDeck’s stock price dropped by 16%.
Over the past 10 years, the amount of outstanding personal loan debt has increased by 75%.
The share of personal loan inquiries from those with incomes over $108,000 increased by 77% between the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2019, while the share of inquiries from people earning over $84,000 increased by 65%.
The share of personal loan inquiries from super prime borrowers (740 and higher) increased by 47% between the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2019, and the increase in prime and super prime borrowers (680 and higher) rose by 36%.
The share of personal loans closed by borrowers with incomes over $108,000 on the LendingTree marketplace increased by 38% between the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2019, and the share of borrowers earning over $84,000 increased by 26%.
The share of closed personal loans from super prime borrowers (740 and higher) increased by 37% between the second quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2019, and the increase in prime borrowers (680 and higher) rose by 19%.
Borrowers with incomes up to $24,000 decreased their share of closed loans by 22%, and those with incomes up to $48,000 decreased their share by 17%.
The share of loans closed by borrowers with scores below 560 increased by 28%, but the share of closed loans from borrowers with scores between 560 and 619 dropped by 24%.
The share of inquiries from people with incomes up to $24,000 dropped by 27% during the same period, while inquires from those with incomes up to $48,000 dropped by 16%.
The share of loan inquiries by borrowers with scores below 560 decreased by 12%, and the share of closed loans from borrowers with scores below 620 decreased by 9.2%.
For example, in the SoFi Consumer Loan Program 2017-3 LLC, securities show that the average gross income of borrowers as of May 2017, was $141,780, with an average FICO score of 731, and an average VantageScore of 682. The most recent offering, reported in February 2019, showed borrowers had an average income of $151,144, an average 753 FICO score, and a 713 VantageScore.
Job loss and medical expenses are the leading factors causing Americans’ credit scores to drop, according to new research by Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class (CNMC).
According to the new report, 55% of respondents cited job loss or reduction in work hours as the reason why their credit score dipped below 700. Nearly a quarter (24%) cited medical bills as the primary cause. Following these leading factors, a variety of typical, seemingly innocuous expenses follow, including repairing a car (11%), leaving home for the first time (6%), and putting a child through college (5%).
Non-prime consumers are 86% more likely to experience multiple factors that negatively affect their credit score compared to just one. For example, of the 23% who mention a medical reason, about three-quarters (75%) also experienced an income drop, severely complicating their ability to manage and cover medical expenses.
American debt is at an all-time high. How did we manage to dig ourselves into a steep $13 trillion hole? Credit card debt alone accounts for $1 trillion of this debt, with the average balance over $6,000 per capita.
33% of Americans are going into debt to pay off debt
Generation X is most likely to incur short-term debt to pay down long-term debt
Women who use debt to make other debt payments tend to do so multiple times
In this podcast you will learn:
The knowledge that Bernardo brought with him from PayPal.
What he has learned in his first year on the job at Funding Circle.
The range of terms for their small business loans.
The types of investors they have on their platform today.
How and why 72% of their customers came to Funding Circle first.
How their offering compares to what is offered at banks today.
Who Bernardo sees as their biggest competitors.
How they view the SBA and their loan guarantee program.
How the LendingClub partnership came together.
Why no other online platform has reached significant scale in term loans for small business.
How they expanding their business into Canada.
Who they are hiring for their new Denver office.
How they are approaching their relationships with regulators in DC these days.
How they helped get SB-1235 passed in California.
How Funding Circle is monitoring their risk as it pertains to the economic cycle.
What is most exciting for Bernardo today at Funding Circle.
Once every few weeks, Myra Haq withdraws $100 or so from Earnin, an app that lets people borrow small sums of money.
The app lets her withdraw up to $100 a day, and never more than what she actually makes in a pay period, and then withdraws the money from her checking account once her direct deposit hits.
Unsurprisingly, payday lenders typically target low-income people — a 2013 Pew report found that 58 percent of people who use payday loans have trouble meeting monthly expenses at least half the time and usually borrow to deal with “persistent cash shortfalls rather than temporary emergencies.”
The average American household with student debt owes almost $48,000, and experts believe that student loan debt has held millennials back from major life milestones like marriage, homeownership, and having children.
Relying on personal savings or insurance may not even be enough to pay off expensive medical bills. As a result, .
Earnin invited some community members to try HealthAid and was able to find savings for about 90% of people.
In one case, Earnin was able to get a patient’s $48,000 bill fully forgiven.
Figure Technologies looks to be profiting from increased interest in the cryptocurrency industry. Specifically, in a press release dated May 9, it was announced that the company had secured a $1 billion line of credit on the Provenance.io blockchain. The agreement also involves two other companies, Jefferies and WSFS Institutional Services, which will provide the line of credit.
Vince joins us on the show to talk about his partnership model and the challenges and opportunities of working alongside banks and credit unions, which have deployed more than $2 billion in lending capital on the digital platform.
Spurred by bank interest, small-business lending platform Biz2Credit has unveiled a software-as-a-service version of its loan management, servicing and risk analytics product.
After HSBC and New York-based Popular Bank contracted with Biz2Credit to use the software, the company decided to launch the platform for all banks to use.
At a cramped desk on the 22nd floor of a downtown Manhattan office building, Gary Roth spotted a looming disaster.
An urban planner with two master’s degrees, Mr. Roth had a new job in 2010 analyzing taxi policy for the New York City government. But almost immediately, he noticed something disturbing: The price of a taxi medallion — the permit that lets a driver own a cab — had soared to nearly $700,000 from $200,000. In order to buy medallions, drivers were taking out loans they could not afford.
Prodigy Finance today announces it will be supporting international students pursuing Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degrees, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees, as well as those enrolling in Advanced Standing Dental programs and Select Certificate Dentistry programs in the U.S.
Cryptocurrency lending startup BlockFi is almost halving the interest rates it offers on ether (ETH) deposits, while some bitcoin (BTC) rates will increase slightly.
From June 1, customers with 25–100 ETH balances in a BlockFi Interest Account (BIA) will see the interest rate drop from the current 6.2 percent annual percentage yield (APY) to 3.25 percent, the startup announced Tuesday. Those holding over 100 ETH balances will earn just 0.2 percent APY.
Some BTC balances, on the other hand, will see a slight interest rate increase – up to 2.15 percent from the current 2 percent – for deposits of over 25 BTC. Those holding 0.5–25 BTC will continue to earn 6.2 percent APY, BlockFi said.
In a Nutshell: LoanStart helps consumers in search of a loan find a lender that suits their funding needs within just five minutes after submitting a simple, fee-free loan request form. Working securely with more than 300 trusted lending partners, including conveniently located storefront providers, the service makes finding a suitable lender easy. In today’s connected world where loan options abound, LoanStart cuts through the clutter to connect consumers in need of funds with lenders willing to provide financing.
Maxex, LLC, an Atlanta, GA-based residential mortgage loan exchange, closed a Series B funding round of undisclosed amount.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said Friday (May 17) that it has filed a lawsuit in federal court against a debt-collection agency that, the agency said, violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
The lawsuit targets Forster & Garbus, LLP, a debt-collection law firm based in New York.
Start-up Plaid, recently valued at $2.7 billion, already connects bank accounts to fintech apps like Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase and Acorns. It announced “Plaid Direct” on Wednesday, which lets users more easily connect to newer digital banks like Chime.
PeerStreet, a marketplace for investing in real estate backed loans, has announced the appointment of Deepa Salastekar as the Vice President of Institutional Sales. Ms. Salastekar joins PeerStreet to expand the company’s relationship base of institutional partners across all investment types available through PeerStreet.
Defi startup Dharma announced Wednesday that it will start to support peer-to-peer lending of USDC, in a push to engage mainstream investors.
FUNDING Circle is set to begin a managed wind-down of its dedicated investment trust, the Funding Circle SME Income Fund (FCIF), once it gets the green light from shareholders.
The FTSE 250-listed peer-to-peer business lender said last month that shareholders had backed plans to stop investing in new assets and begin the process of returning capital to investors.
Funding Circle Holdings PLC clarified its director pay policy Wednesday following “feedback from shareholder advisory bodies”.
The small and medium enterprise loan platform said the amount granted in each year for a three year period under the company’s long-term incentive plan to can now no longer exceed GBP2.0 million and GBP1.1 million for the company’s chief executive and chief financial officer, respectively.
After a recent indicator scan, we have noted that Span A is currently higher than Span B for shares of Funding Circle Sme Income Fund Limited (FCIF.L). Traders may be paying close attention as this signal may indicate a possible bullish move.
UK-based international payments fintech TransferWise has doubled its value to $3.5 billion after raising $292 million in secondary funding, Jane Connolly writes.
Banning borrowers from accessing high-cost credit websites between 11pm and 7am would ease the numbers of people spiralling into debt as activity peaks during these hours, according to researchers at Newcastle University.
Monzo has hit 2 million current account customers in just two years since getting a banking license, and just eight months after it hit 1 million accounts.
It launched its current accounts less than 18 months ago with customers having spent £10.7bn through Monzo so far.
Arbuthnot Latham & Co has officially launched its specialist finance division.
Arbuthnot Specialist Finance will offer short-term residential finance up to 70% of market value (MV), with rates from 0.65% per month.
For this product, it will offer loans between £30,000–£3m-plus.
For commercial properties, it will offer up to 65% of MV, including interest and fees (up to 85% of the 90-day MV, or 95% of the purchase price, whichever is the lower), with rates available from 0.75%.
Lendwise plans to offer borrowers loans of up to £100,000, with interest rates ranging from 7.5% to 12%. Pricing will be based on a range of factors, which the peer-to-peer lender said go beyond the applicant’s financial profile and credit record. They include the specific postgraduate or professional qualification course they are taking, the length of study and the repayment period.
Today ahead of its FusionONE developer conference, co-hosted with Microsoft, Finastra unveiled the latest developments to its FusionFabric.cloudopen platform for innovation.
The 61 new open APIs (and more than 200 Endpoints) span many of Finastra’s solutions, including retail and corporate banking (both enterprise and North American community markets), consumer lending and mortgage, payments and treasury and capital markets. These are now available in the FusionFabric.cloud API catalog for developers to harness in building financial services applications. Some of these powerful APIs are already enabling:
Tencent posted record quarterly profits and smashed market expectations in Q1 2019, driven largely by surges in its fintech and cloud revenue, per Reuters.
Fintech and business services is now Tencent’s second largest division, responsible for a quarter of its revenue. This was the first time the tech giant broke out earnings for the unit, which brought in revenue of Rmb21.79bn ($3.2 billion), a 44% year-over-year (YoY) spike. Key in driving this growth is its payments wallet for WeChat, whose 1.11 billion users make it the largest social media platform in China, as well as its insurance services, which include a 20% stake in Aviva Hong Kong, and its cloud computing service.
Tencent’s online advertising grew 25% YoY, compared with 55% YoY in the same period last year, suggesting that China’s slowing economy and continued trade tensions with the US are hitting the firm.
Source: Business Insider Intelligence
Greater Bay Area could be the key to reviving the struggling P2P lending market in China, according to DBS Bank.
The Singaporean bank estimates that P2P lending will experience a 17% annual growth rate by 2030.
Bumper banking profits disguise an underlying weakness in traditional banks, as their per customer income has tumbled over the past decade.
That’s the finding of a report by consultants A.T. Kearney, which found data across 92 European banks revealed income per client had fallen 11% since 2008.
A backlog of cases in the Auckland High Court means the next hearing in the Commerce Commission’s legal action against online payday lender Ferratum New Zealand won’t be held until June next year.
Two Indonesian lending platforms regulated under the country’s financial services authority (OJK) have been penalized by the ethics council of AFPI, the industry association for fintech lenders in Indonesia.
The organization revealed that one of the companies in question is P2P lender Do-It, which charged an interest fee rate of 1% per day.
Nigerian digital financial platform, Carbon (formerly Paylater) is taking big steps to introduce its revamped financial services into Ghana. The online lender is looking to hire a new country manager for Ghana and this suggests the company is looking to introduce its new services like PayVest into Ghana.
Author Allen TaylorPosted on May 23, 2019 Categories Acorns, Arbuthnot Specialist Finance, Banks, Biz2Credit, BlockFi, Capital Markets, Carbon, Center for the New Middle Class, CFPB, Coinbase, crypto lending, Daily News Digest, DBRS, DBS Bank, debt, debt collection, delinquencies, Dharma, digital banks, digital identity, Do-It, Earnin, education loans, Elevate, Enova, Ether, Featured, Ferratum, Figure, Finastra, Funding Circle, Funding Circle USA, Ghana, GreenSky, HealthAid, Indonesia, Indonesia p2p, institutional investing, KBRA, lawsuits, Lending as a service, Lending Club, lending platform, LendingTree, LendKey, Lendwise, LoanStart, Maxex, Millennials, Monzo, New Zealand, News, OJK, ondeck, Onefi, oneMain, p2p china, p2p lending, Payday loans, PeerIQ, PeerStreet, personal loans, Plaid Direct, prime borrowers, Prodigy Finance, Prosper Marketplace Issuance Trust, Robinhood, short-term loans, SoFi Consumer Loan Program, Tencent, TransferWise, Venmo
News Comments Today’s main news: Funding Circle US small biz loan portfolio surpasses $2B. JPMorgan Chase to compete with Affirm, Klarna on POS financing. Funding Circle expands into Canada. Funding Circle financial highlights. Revolut fights new allegations. Dianrong lays off 2,000. Today’s main analysis: U.S. credit card debt hits record $870B IN 2018. International P2P lending volumes for February 2019. Today’s thought-provoking […]
The post Thursday March 7 2019, Weekly News Digest appeared first on Lending Times.
Today’s main news: Funding Circle US small biz loan portfolio surpasses $2B. JPMorgan Chase to compete with Affirm, Klarna on POS financing. Funding Circle expands into Canada. Funding Circle financial highlights. Revolut fights new allegations. Dianrong lays off 2,000.
Today’s main analysis: U.S. credit card debt hits record $870B IN 2018. International P2P lending volumes for February 2019.
Today’s thought-provoking articles: Renting vs. owning a home in 50 largest U.S. metro areas. How TrueAccord is making a business model out of debt collections. UK P2P lending tops 800M GBP. 2019 monster funding rounds.
Funding Circle US small business loan portfolio passes $2 billion. Congratulations! This is a huge leap for the industry as it put Funding Circle in the same league with many banks.
JPMorgan Chase enters POS financing. Point-of-sale financing is going to be the largest credit category some day. It may be sooner than we all think. Walmart has already signed on with Affirm. With JPMorgan Chase getting in on the game, there is going to be a race to see who dominates this market. There is potential for this segment of lending to make credit cards obsolete.
Credit card debt hit record $870 billion in 2018. Are you ready to count the charge-offs? The next two years will likely see a surge in delinquent credit card debts.
Renting vs. owning in the 50 largest metro areas. A great study from LendingTree.
How TrueAccord is turning debt collections into a financial services business model. Interesting read and podcast.
Discover to use artificial intelligence for personal loans.
KBRA assigns preliminary ratings to Kabbage Asset Securitization LLC, Series 2019-1.
Beehive raises $4 million.
Loan officers doubt claims of loanDepot.
Company.com integrates SMB funding maretplace.
AI Foundry unveils artificial intelligence platform and mortgage automation solution.
How selfies can snuff out false identities.
Auto loan statistics.
Chime valued at $1.5 billion.
Podcast with Jason Gross of Petal. Lend Academy
FINRA approves Circle’s acquisition of SeedInvest.
Big Picture Loans accused of renting a tribe to get around payday lending laws.
How to invest in real estate without buying property.
Elevate appoints head of enterprise risk management.
Vemanti Group to launch digital security offering for eLoan.
Funding Circle to expand into Canada.
Funding Circle’s financial highlights.
P2P lending tops 800 million GBP in Q4.
Revolut fights new allegations.
Is the IFISA worth it?
How to use IFISA in the property market.
Wealth management and ethics.
Provident Financial fights hostile takeover bid.
10 fintechs have raises monster rounds in 2019.
International P2P lending volumes for February 2019.
Omidyar Network spins out Flourish.
Multi-crypto wallets with P2P lending features.
China: Dianrong lays of 2,000 employees.
Europe: How PSD2 will change lending.
India: P2P lenders develop new ways to build trust.
Vietnam: Deputy PM says P2P lending needs tightened supervision.
Canada: Klarna partners with PayBright on POS financing.
India: Scaling small businesses with alternative finance.
Indonesia: E-money and P2P lending.
Malaysia: FINTERRA envisions global Waqf bank.
Funding Circle US Small Business Loan Portfolio Surpasses Most Banks with $ 2 Billion Lent Through Platform (PR Newswire), Rated: AAA
JPMorgan Chase Enters A Hot Fintech Space: Point-Of-Sale (POS) Financing (Forbes), Rated: AAA
Shopping at Discount Stores Could Help Get You a Loan (WSJ), Rated: A
U.S. Credit Card Debt Closed 2018 at a Record $ 870 Billion (Bloomberg), Rated: AAA
LendingTree Compares Renting and Owning a Home in the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas in the U.S. (LendingTree), Rated: AAA
‘Stop pitting misery against misery’: How TrueAccord is turning debt collections into a financial service (Tearsheet), Rated: AAA
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Kabbage Asset Securitization LLC, Series 2019-1 (BusinessWire), Rated: A
Peer to Peer Lending Platform Beehive Raises $ 4 Million (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
Loan officers cast serious doubt on latest loanDepot, Chase mortgage promises (HousingWire), Rated: A
Company.com Integrates SMB Funding Marketplace (PYMNTS) Rated: A
AI Foundry Unveils Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Platform and Mortgage Automation Solution (PR Newswire), Rated: A
Could A Selfie Put An End To False Identities? (Forbes), Rated: A
Auto Loan Statistics (LendingTree), Rated: A
Online bank Chime now valued at $ 1.5 billion after new funding round (CNBC), Rated: A
Jason Gross of Petal (Lend Academy), Rated: A
FINRA Approves Circle’s Acquisition of SeedInvest, Continues Mission of Tokenization (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
Virginians say online lender uses tribal immunity to get around state laws (Pilot Online), Rated: A
How to Invest in Real Estate without Buying Property (Realty Biz News), Rated: B
Elevate Appoints Kathleen Vanderkolk as Head of Enterprise Risk Management (BusinessWire), Rated: B
Vemanti Group Engages With Securitize And DSLG To Launch Digital Security Offering For eLoan, JSC (GlobeNewswire), Rated: B
Funding Circle Announces Expansion to Canada (PR Newswire), Rated: AAA
Funding Circle Holdings plc (Funding Circle), Rated: AAA
UK Peer to Peer Lending: Loans top £800 Million in Q4 as Industry Matures (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: AAA
Revolut is fighting back after yet more allegations were made against the $ 1.7 billion fintech unicorn after a week from hell (Business Insider), Rated: AAA
Is the Innovative Finance Isa worth it? We look at the pros and cons (City A.M.), Rated: A
How savers can use an Innovative Finance Isa to reap the rewards from the property market (City A.M.), Rated: A
Wealth management firm urges greater awareness in investments (Wealth Adviser), Rated: B
Provident fights back in bitter £1.3bn bid battle as it accuses former boss of destroying shareholder value and failing to grasp modern technology (This is Money), Rated: B
Dianrong has laid off as many as 2,000 employees amid a regulatory crackdown (Business Insider), Rated: AAA
How PSD2 Will Change Lending (PYMNTS), Rated: AAA
10 Fintechs Have Already Raised Monster Rounds in 2019 (Lend Academy), Rated: AAA
International P2P Lending Volumes February 2019 (P2P-Banking), Rated: AAA
Omidyar Network spins out its fintech investment arm as Flourish, with up to $ 300 million (TechCrunch), Rated: A
List of Multi-Crypto Wallets To Consider For Your Portfolio (Cryptomorrow), Rated: A
P2P lenders develop new ways to build trust (India Times), Rated: AAA
Scaling small businesses with alternative finance (India Times), Rated: A
Tightened supervision needed for P2P lending services: Deputy PM (Nhan Dan), Rated: AAA
E-Money, P2P Lending The Hotspots (Fitch Solutions), Rated: A
FINTERRA Calls for All Thought Leaders and Regulators to Envision A Global Waqf Bank (Salaam Gateway), Rated: B
Klarna And PayBright Partner To Give More Shoppers The Ability To Pay Over Time (PR Newswire), Rated: A
Funding Circle, the global small business loans platform, today announced that investors have lent more than $2 billion through its platform to small businesses in the United States. With this milestone, Funding Circle now has more US small business loans outstanding than almost 98% of FDIC-insured banks1.
Funding Circle now has more than $1 billion of small business loans in its portfolio, which means that if it were a bank it would be among the 50 largest small business commercial & industrial loan portfolios in the United States, according to the latest FDIC data available1. However, unlike a bank, Funding Circle provides a single financial product. Its fully amortizing business loans, powered by sophisticated technology and proprietary credit models, enable business owners to access financing with speed and efficiency, allowing them to devote more time to delivering their product or service to the market and ultimately create more jobs and vitalize their communities.
JPMorgan Chase announced that it is moving into the point-of-sale (POS) financing market.
POS financing certainly isn’t new. In 2016, merchants in nine different retail categories saw more than 160 million POS loan applications—only 53% of which were approved, however.
Filene Research Institute
Source: CORNERSTONE ADVISORS
Discount-store shoppers may soon get an unexpected benefit: better odds when applying for personal loans from Discover Financial Services.
Discover, best known for its credit cards, plans to use artificial intelligence to assess hundreds of unusual characteristics about personal-loan applicants in an attempt to get its rising losses under control.
U.S. credit card debt hit $870 billion — the largest amount ever — as of December 2018, according to the data from the Federal Reserve. Credit card balances rose by $26 billion from the prior quarter.
Source: New York Federal Reserve
Nearly 480 million credit cards are now in circulation — up by more than 100 million since hitting bottom after the recession a decade ago.
At the end of last year, credit cards were the fourth-largest portion of consumer debt in the U.S. after mortgage, student loan and auto debt. But the quarterly increase in credit card debt was faster than the other categories. Overall debt reached a record $13.5 trillion.
Louisville, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City are the metros where median rents are cheapest when compared to median mortgages. In these areas, median rent costs are an average of $310 cheaper than median mortgage costs.
Source: LendingTree
Miami and Orlando, Fla.; and Virginia are the metros where rent payments are the most expensive when compared to mortgage payments. Median mortgage payments are an average of $215 cheaper than median rent payments in these metros.
Four of the top 10 metros where monthly rents are higher than monthly mortgage payments are in Florida. According to a recent housing study from Harvard University, low wages and too few rental units are key factors that have caused Florida’s rental affordability crisis to become the worst in the nation.
Ohad Samet has spent his career working on lending analytics — first, at a firm called FraudSciences, which got bought by eBay. He ran analytics at Analyzd, which was acquired by Klarna. As the chief risk officer at the pay later lender, he became aware of how antiquated the debt collections industry was. Call centers, dialing for dollars, it just hadn’t kept pace with the front end of the business.
So, in 2013, he left and with two co-founders started TrueAccord, which is essentially a nearly-automated marketing and sales campaign for debt collection. Based on consumer data and data from the lender, it can determine who to call, what time to call, what communications channel — phone, text, email, chat — and what message to use. It purports to be a much better experience for consumers.
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to five classes of notes (the “Notes”) issued by Kabbage Asset Securitization LLC, Series 2019-1 (“Kabbage 2019-1”).
This transaction is Kabbage, Inc.’s (“Kabbage” or the “Company”) third securitization and it is expected that the proceeds of the sale of the Notes will be used to refinance the Company’s existing $610 million outstanding Kabbage Asset Securitization LLC Series 2017-1 Notes and provide extra funding capacity for Kabbage.
Notes Preliminary Rating Initial Principal Balance
Class A AA (sf) $421,221,000
Class B A (sf) $59,715,000
Class C BBB (sf) $69,348,000
Class D BB (sf) $35,316,000
Class E B (sf) $24,400,000
Beehive, a peer to peer lending platform servicing SMEs in the MENA region, has closed on $4 million Series B funding round, according to a release from the platform. This most recent funding brings the Fintech’s total raised to $15.5 million since platform launch.
In recent LendingLife news, loanDepot announced its new digital mortgage, which it says can identify significant time and cost-savings for borrowers in seven minutes.
The lender claims its digital mortgage, mello smartloan, can now close a loan in just eight days. And, loanDepot is not alone in launching a new lending product promising big results. Chase Home Lending now claims it can close on a borrower’s mortgage in as little as three weeks.
Small business financial services platform Company.com is integrating a solution into its offering through which small firms can access external financing.
Company.com said in a press release this week that it is rolling out its Business Funding Marketplace, which will integrate into its STAC Platform, to help small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) with their unique financing needs and match them with an appropriate financing offering.
AI Foundry, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform company, today announced the launch of its next-generation Cognitive Business Automation Platform along with a new Agile Mortgages solution. This patent-pending technology incorporates the latest in AI, machine learning and machine vision to deliver a higher level of problem solving and decision making for enterprises. The new Agile Mortgages solution, which is built on top of the platform, automates manual, labor-intensive mortgage processes, enabling lenders to dramatically accelerate the lending lifecycle.
Earlier this year,
Americans originated a record 2.5 million auto loans in July 2018, the most recent month for which data is available.
Americans owed more than $1.14 trillion in auto loans as of September 2018, 23% more than 2013.
Outstanding auto loan balances are rising about 3.1% a year in dollar amounts.
Auto loans accounted for about 8% of outstanding consumer debt in 2018, including mortgages, about 2 percentage points higher than a decade earlier.
Gen Xers carry the highest auto loan balances with a median of $18,741 and are the most likely of other age groups to have a car loan.
The average new car loan originated by a finance company is $29,921.27, an increase of more than $5,000 from 10 years earlier.
Average monthly payments are rising, too:
$530 for new vehicles, up 5% year over year
$381 for used vehicles, up 4%
$430 for a new vehicle lease, up 4%
For many Americans, car loans are their largest debt burden, a weight which threatens to become overwhelming as they stretch loan terms to buy increasingly expensive vehicles — new and used. To get the full picture of auto loan debt in the U.S., we looked at auto loan originations, prices and term lengths. Here are the numbers.
Digital bank Chime has tripled its valuation, officially passing the $1 billion-mark this week.
The San Francisco-based company announced a $200 million Series D financing round that brings its new valuation to $1.5 billion. Investors were led by DST Global, which also participated in earlier fundraising rounds, and new investors Coatue, General Atlantic, Iconiq Capital and Dragoneer Investment Group, Chime said Tuesday.
The personal experience that led to the founding of Petal.
Their core product and how it is different to what else is out there.
A profile of their typical customer.
How they are approaching underwriting.
The typical APRs and credit limits they offer on their card.
How they are protecting their company against fraud.
How Petal is getting the word out about their credit card.
The large waiting list they had when they launched last year.
The early signals they are seeing with credit performance.
How they are generating income.
The primary funding sources they use in providing the credit lines.
What they mean on their website when they say “a credit card with a conscience”.
Their biggest challenge as they grow their company today.
The goals the Petal team has for 2019.
FINRA has given their stamp of approval to the acquisition of SeedInvest by Circle. The crypto focused company announced the purchase of SeedInvest in October of 2018. The acquisition of a regulated securities crowdfunding platform by the blockchain based Circle represented a seminal turning point in the crypto industry.
Virginians are taking a lead attacking what they say is a legal loophole that has left thousands of people stuck with debt they can’t escape.
The case involves loans at interest rates approaching 650 percent from an online lender, Big Picture Loans, associated with a small Indian tribe on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Lula Williams of Richmond, the lead plaintiff in one case, still owes $1,100 on the $1,600 she borrowed from Big Picture Loans — debt that she’s already paid $1,930 to retire. One of her loan documents reports the annual percentage rate for her debt at 649.8 percent, calling for her to pay $6,200 on an $800 debt. Her first three installments on that loan, each for $400, would have yielded Big Picture a 50 percent profit on the loan after just three months, court records suggest.
Lastly if you love jumping on the latest trends, then jumping on one of these companies services that how recently cropped up will help you get involved in real estate investing. You are able to invest in commercial and residential real estate investments and receive cash flow distributions in return, and just like the other options on this list, someone else is doing the heavy lifting whilst you reap the rewards.
Whilst there is no one standout company that we can confidently recommend, since they all havent been around long enough for us to make a property judgement, Fundrise returned an average of 11.4% on the invested dollars in 2017 and a further 9.11% in 2019.
The best part is you don’t even need to be an accredited investor to open an account, meaning if you’re new to the market, then this is your chance to get in on something thats shiny and new and that could potentially give you a place to invest your cash and reap the rewards of owning physical property.
Elevate Credit, Inc. (NYSE: ELVT) (“Elevate” or the “Company”), a tech-enabled provider of innovative and responsible online credit solutions for non-prime consumers, today announced that it has promoted Kathleen Vanderkolk to Chief Risk Officer.
Vemanti Group, Inc. (OTC PINK:VMNT), a technology-driven holding company, today announced that it has engaged with Securitize, Inc. (“Securitize”) and Digital Securities Law Group (“DSLG”) to launch a Digital Security Offering (“DSO”) to fund and propel the business objectives for eLoan, JSC (“eLoan”), its portfolio company. The Company recently announced that it has completed its investment in eLoan, a fintech company based in Vietnam.
The offering will be conducted by the Company on behalf of Fvndit, Inc. (“Fvndit” – formerly Directus Holdings, Inc.), eLoan’s US-based parent company, as the issuer. The issuance will be managed by Securitize’s platform and DS Protocol. Details of the offering will be announced at a later date.
Funding Circle, the leading small business loans platform in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands, today announced its plans to enter the Canadian market and expand access to fast, affordable and transparent financing for Canadian small businesses.
Funding Circle will establish operations in Canada in the second half of 2019 with an office located in Toronto. The business will be led by Tom Eilon, who previously led the commercial strategy for Funding Circle in the United Kingdom.
Strong Group performance delivering IPO guidance whilst continuing our strategy of investing for growth
Revenue of £141.9 million (2017: £94.5 million). Year-on-year growth of 55%1 (excluding property2) exceeding c.50% guidance stated at IPO
Segment adjusted EBITDA3 of £7.0 million (2017 loss: £3.9 million) with margin of 5% (2017: negative 4%)
Adjusted EBITDA4 loss of £28.5 million (2017 loss: £25.1 million) with margin improving to negative 20% (2017: negative 27%)
Basic loss per share of 18.2 pence (2017 loss: 14.0 pence)
Loss before tax £50.7 million (2017 loss: £36.3 million)
Free cash outflow5 of £42.0 million (2017 outflow: £35.3 million)
Cash of £333.0 million, £244.1 million higher than at the end of 2017 (£88.9 million), including IPO proceeds of £300.0 million, before expenses of £15.0 million
The UK Peer-to-Peer Finance Association(P2PFA) has published fourth quarter numbers for member platforms. According to their data, cumulative lending now tops £9.5 billion with over £800 million originated during the period.
The P2PFA states that platforms facilitated loans worth nearly £3 billion during 2018.
In Q4, P2PFA platforms originnated £527 million to businesses and £282 million to almost a quarter-of-a-million consumers. Cumulative lending among P2PFA platforms has now exceeded £5.5 billion for business lending and £4 billion for consumer lending.
The Financial Times on Tuesday alleged that the UK National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is examining a complaint from a customer, adding to Revolut’s issues after a difficult week for the fintech.
However, the allegations were denied by Revolut and the Financial Times article was subsequently taken down.
The FT, citing emails, reported on an incident in which £70,000 was incorrectly paid into a Revolut customer’s account.
At barely three years old, the Innovative Finance Isa still has some proving to do. And for some savers, it’s a product that is deemed too risky. But how risky is it really?
Of course, the IFISA is merely a tax-free wrapper, so the risk actually depends on the underlying investments held within.
And while investments can vary wildly, most IFISAs are invested in the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending market, where lenders are grouped together to invest capital through an online platform which distributes funds to borrowers.
Investors can open one IFISA per tax year, and have an annual subscription allowance of £20,000, with substantial tax-free returns.
There are also several different opportunities available when it comes to property IFISAs, including buy-to-let and development.
Last year, the National Trust was criticised for investing in a fund with holdings in fossil fuel companies, while the Church of England was shown to have ploughed funds into Wonga, despite having publicly criticised the payday lender.
A war of words has erupted between the doorstep lender Provident Financial and its former boss John van Kuffeler as he mounts a £1.3billion hostile takeover bid.
The Provvy has accused van Kuffeler of destroying shareholder value and failing to grasp modern technology.
China-based peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Dianrong has laid off as many as 2,000 employees and will shut down 60 of its 90 brick-and-mortar outlets, which helped verify the identities and qualifications of users, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
Additionally, the company has been accused of falling behind on wages and severance pay, per a Chinese media outlet cited by TechNode . The company reportedly started shrinking its business around 10 months ago, despite securinga $70 million funding round in January to expand its services, including SMB lending.
Source: Business Insider
Merchants and customers are now transacting under PSD2 and GDPR in the European Union (EU) — regulations that allow a greater window into how customer data is being used. While these regulations are aimed at increasing consumer trust by allowing them more transparency, many consumers in the region are still adjusting.
French regulatory body, the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL), has fined Googlethe equivalent of $56 million for noncompliance with GDPR within the region, alleging that the information services company was using EU customer data for advertising purposes without obtaining clear consent from those customers.
For third-party providers, such as P2P lending and investment provider Zopa, PSD2’s data transparency rules provide an opportunity to “level the playing field” when it comes to gaining that consumer trust.
We came into 2019 after a strong year of fintech investments with about $40 billion invested globally according to CB Insights.
$105 million round led by NBCUniversal and venture arm of its parent company Comcast. NBCUniversal is now their largest shareholder.
$70 million Series C from American Express Ventures and the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). The company originated $1.3B in mortgages in 2018.
The $65 million Series B round was led by RPM Ventures as CEO Mike Cagney continues to show his fundraising prowess. Their valuation is said to be $365 million today about double the valuation from last year. Read our coverage here.
The total volume for the reported marketplaces in the table adds up to 531 million Euro.
This month I added Bondster (use Bondster Promotion Code 5506 to get 1% cashback).
Source: P2P-Banking
After twelve years spent investing in impact-oriented financial services startups around the globe, the Omidyar Network, which serves as the family investment office for eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, is spinning off its financial inclusion investment arm as Flourish Ventures.
Equipped with up to $300 million in capital for operations and investments, the new Flourish will continue to invest around the Network’s core mission of backing companies with a dual focus on making a social impact and achieving quality financial returns.
Everus is a multi crypto wallet that allows for payment of bills and for mobile top-ups in multiple crypto and management of multiple crypto. The wallet, which is part of an ecosystem featuring bill payment, marketplace, peer-to-peer lending and micro-finance; allows customers to send, receive, store and withdraw multiple cryptocurrencies (more than 50 currently).
Peer-to-peer lending will allow people to offer and accept microloans affordably, which will be more targeted to the un-banked.
Infinito Wallet
Other features to be added soon include crypto lending where users can lend crypto and earn profits, exchange integration to allow users to exchange crypto from the wallet, fiat gateway to let users purchase crypto with fiat, digital identity and KYC where users can register their digital identity and use it everywhere else without needing to create another one, news portal to furnish users with happenings in the crypto space, and App Square for browsing dApps.
Quppy Wallet
It links to other parts of the company’s product ecosystem including decentralized exchange to allow users to buy and sell crypto, a licensed crypto bank, Prepaid co-brand bank cards, a decentralized peer-to-peer lending for borrowers as well as merchants, individuals, corporate, financial and non-financial institutions as well as crypto-fiat payments for merchants and 100% legal fiat-crypto-fiat transactions regardless of region and legislation.
Monexo ensures less risk for lenders by keeping a lender’s contribution to a loan to only Rs 1,000. So if a Monexo customer lends Rs 1 lakh on the platform, it gets split across 100 loans.
Faircent also has a similar strategy. It does not allow lenders to lend more than 20% of a single borrower’s requirement. So for an average loan of Rs 1 lakh, there will be on average 43 lenders funding that. They also advice lenders not to lend beyond Rs 5,000-7,000 for one loan.
Lack of access to finance is the most widely cited constraint by SMEs for growth and scaling up business. Generally commercial banks perceive SMEs fall in the category of high default risk due to limited collaterals, smaller in asset size and limited historical track record.
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has asked competent ministries and sector to enhance inspections, supervision and settlement of violations related to peer-to-peer (P2P) lending model which has been springing up in Vietnam in recent two years.
The e-money and payments segment continues to show strong growth, and consolidation within the sector is positive to improve services and ease competitive pressures.
P2P lending is emerging as a bright spot, and regulation remains lax enough for lenders to thrive.
Cryptocurrencies show little potential for growth as the regulator remains apprehensive towards crypto-based assets.
Malaysia has the potential to become the first nation in the world to set up a global “Waqf” bank using blockchain technology, expounded Hamid Rashid, the Founder of FINTERRA.
The platform is a blockchain-based solution to crowdfund Waqf charity, Islamic investments, and peer-to-peer lending.
Today, Klarna, a global payment provider, announces a partnership with Canadian instant financing provider, PayBright. Klarna and PayBright are joining forces to give Klarna’s 100,000 global retailers the ability to turn on a consumer finance solution for their Canadian shoppers quickly and easily.
Author Allen TaylorPosted on March 7, 2019 Categories Acorns, affirm, AI Foundry, alternative finance, Artificial Intelligence, auto loans, Beehive, Better, Chime, Circle, credit card debt, crypto lending, crypto wallets, Daily News Digest, debt collection, Dianrong, Discover, Elevate, eLoan, Featured, Figure, FINRA, FINTERRA, Flourish, Funding Circle, Funding Circle US, home ownership, Identity Document Verification, IFISA, Indonesia p2p, instant financing, JPMorgan Chase, kabbage, Kabbage Asset Securitization LLC, KBRA, Klarna, LendingTree, LoanDepot, News, Omidyar Network, p2p India, p2p lending, p2p uk, PayBright, payday lending, personal loans, Petal, POS financing, Provident Financial, PSD2, Revolut, securitization, Seedinvest, small business loans, SMB funding, TrueAccord, Vietnam, Waqf bank, wealth management
Friday Match 23 2018, Daily News Digest
News Comments Today’s main news: Prosper changes pricing. Revolut launches disposable virtual cards. OakNorth reports annual profit. Lufax delays IPO. eToro raises $100M for blockchain development. Today’s main analysis: Isas that pay up to 16%. Today’s thought-provoking articles: Is personal service getting lost in digital? What makes big data BIG? How quantum computing can change financial services. Can the blockchain prevent bank […]
Today’s main news: Prosper changes pricing. Revolut launches disposable virtual cards. OakNorth reports annual profit. Lufax delays IPO. eToro raises $100M for blockchain development.
Today’s main analysis: Isas that pay up to 16%.
Today’s thought-provoking articles: Is personal service getting lost in digital? What makes big data BIG? How quantum computing can change financial services. Can the blockchain prevent bank fraud?
Prosper changes pricing. AT: “This is a reaction to the new Fed rates.”
Is personal service getting lost in the digital mindset? AT: “This is worth thinking about. While technology allows alternative lenders to do what they do affordably, efficiently, and at scale, it’s the personal touch that gives companies in this space an edge over big financial institutions.”
What makes big data BIG?
2017 Digital Lending Fraud Report.
Court limits valid-when-made doctrine.
Marlette Funding True Lender case sent back to state court.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had over 84K debt collection complaints in 2017.
Washington state’s new student education loan bill of rights.
Upstate New York popular for millennial home buyers.
Fresno small business environment among the best in the country.
Even Financial expands partnership with Credit.com.
Roostify hires new VP of business development.
Citi restricts gun sales by retail clients.
Revolut launches disposable virtual cards. AT: “Very interesting development.”
OakNorth the first UK digital bank to report an annual profit. AT: “Congratulations. I look forward to the day when most digital banks are turning a profit.”
Isas that pay up to 16%. AT: “A good run down.”
Tide gets FCA approval.
Will China snatch the fintech capital title from the UK?
Lufax delays IPO.
Small business confidence booms.
Will PSD2 open new B2B lending opportunities?
Cerberus Capital Management appoints senior advisor in Europe.
eToro raises $100M for blockchain development. AT: “It will be exciting to see how this turns out.”
How quantum will change financial services. AT: “We are a long way from real use cases in quantum computing, but there is great potential here beyond the blockchain.”
Can the blockchain prevent bank fraud?
Nuo Bank is a crypto bank you can grow with.
New Zealand: Cash, crypto, and crowdlending.
Africa: Naspers to sell $10B Tencent shares to invest in fintech.
Canada: Royal Bank of Canada aunches API developer portal.
Prosper Announces Pricing Changes (Prosper), Rated: AAA
Is Personal Service in Fintech Getting Lost Amid the Digital Mindset? (Lend Academy), Rated: AAA
WHAT MAKES BIG DATA SO … BIG? (AllAboutAlpha), Rated: AAA
2017 Digital Lending Fraud Report (Mitek), Rated: A
Foolishness Versus Fintech: Foolishness Wins Again (Lexology), Rated: A
2nd Colo. ‘True Lender’ Case Sent Back To State Court (Law360), Rated: A
CFPB handled over 84K debt collection complaints last year: Report (American Banker) Rated: A
United States: Taking Stock Of Washington State’s New Student Education Loan Bill Of Rights (Consumer Protection), Rated: A
Upstate N.Y. popular for millennial home buyers, study says (Rochester Business Journal), Rated: B
STUDY: FRESNO SMALL-BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AMONG BEST IN NATION (The Business Journal), Rated: B
Even Financial Announces Expanded Partnership With Credit.com; Will Power Personal Loan Marketplace (Benzinga), Rated: B
Roostify Adds Mark McLaughlin as Vice President of Business Development (Business Wire), Rated: B
Citi sets restrictions on gun sales by retail clients (KFGO), Rated: B
Revolut launches disposable virtual cards (AltFiNews), Rated: AAA
OakNorth becomes first UK digital bank to report annual profit (Financial Times), Rated: AAA
These Isas pay up rates of up to 16%: what’s the catch? (Which? News), Rated: AAA
Tide gets FCA-authorised, launches new card and integrations (AltFiNews), Rated: A
China could snatch the crown of fintech capital, Britain is warned (The Times), Rated: B
Lufax Delays IPO Amid Regulatory Crackdown (Financial Times), Rated: AAA
Small Business Confidence in Mainland China Booms, Driven by Technology, E-commerce and Social Media (Markets Insider), Rated: A
Will PSD2 Open up New B2B Lending Opportunities? (Payments Journal), Rated: A
Cerberus Capital Management Appoints Roberto Nicastro as Senior Advisor in Europe (PR Newswire), Rated: B
eToro raises $ 100m Series E to fund blockchain effort (AltFiNews), Rated AAA
How quantum will change everything (including banking, money and security) (The Financier), Rated: AAA
Cash, crypto and crowdlending: meet New Zealand’s rising FinTech future (The Spinoff), Rated: A
Could blockchain tech help prevent bank fraud? (American Banker), Rated: AAA
Now here’s a crypto bank you can grow with (The Economic Times), Rated: A
Afica
Naspers To Sell $ 10bn Tencent Shares To Invest In Fintech (Forbes), Rated: AAA
Royal Bank of Canada Launches API Developer Portal (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: AAA
Earlier this week in anticipation of the Fed Rate hike, we discussed Prosper’s approach to portfolio pricing in a rising rate environment. Our goal with rate-setting is to deliver value for both sides of the Prosper platform by providing a fair price for borrowers and a reasonable return for investors.
In order to deliver on this objective, the borrower rates offered in our marketplace must react to rate changes in the economy at large. Today, the Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point (bps) increase in the Fed Funds rate. In light of this development, the rates offered to borrowers through the Prosper platform are being modified.
Pricing Change Impact Simulation
The table below summarizes the simulated impact of the rate increase on the portfolio originated through the Prosper platform in March month-to-date (MTD) 2018. Overall borrower rates on the platform are increasing by 26 bps.
Source: Prosper
Profitability of digital-only businesses can be astounding because the model is so cost-efficient. Some just don’t want customers with “high maintenance” needs such as human customer support.
The best overall answer is to offer all options. Enable customers to interact solely in a digital way or with live support to guide through the process, answer questions and solve problems. Make it easy to use both, such as Amazon does. Online ordering is usually a breeze. But when a problem or concern arises, they have caring and competent live human beings to help.
Ways To Show That You’re Invested (Or Want To Be) In Human Caring
Check in with your world.
Beat your “human caring” drum.
Extend human touch company-wide.
A Paper from Citi
A new paper by Citi Business Advisory Services throws a lot of light on where Big Data stands.
The paper argues that due to Big Data, “the innovation seen in systematic trading models over the past decade could accelerate” and (a closely related point) the “differences between what used to represent quantitative versus qualitative research” could disappear.
Not all Roses and Plush Toys, Though
The process by which the new data capabilities and principles get internalized by the swifter funds, those that want to be on the winning side of the arb plays, isn’t a painless one. There are “integration and cultural challenges” that have to be overcome. After all, the experts that an aspiring arbitrageur would hire come from “internet firms, gaming companies, the military” and consumer research. The world of asset management will be new to them, so everyone on the developing teams can “work effectively together.”
The explosive adoption of the digital channel is changing the nature of lending. Consumers are coming to expect the kind of convenience and speed that a digital experience can deliver, and lenders are increasingly looking to oblige. Although many of the consumer benefits of digital lending are clear, certain complications related to fraud arise when lending goes digital. This is a function of the degree of separation and anonymity in the digital lending process. Building on these factors, today’s fraudsters are relying on a diversified playbook of schemes and techniques to commit loan fraud in digital channels, including the use of synthetic identities, volumetric attacks, and technology designed to disguise their digital footprint. In this report, Javelin explores how these issues have come to unfold and the steps that lenders must take if they want to effectively resist this growing epidemic of digital lending fraud.
Key questions discussed in this report:
What effect has the use of digital channels had on the lending space?
How has fraud changed as a result of lending going digital?
What are the technology factors affecting the risk of lending fraud in digital channels?
What are the fraud risks specific to each type of loan product?
How are different segments of consumers affected by digital lending fraud?
What are the steps that FIs and other lenders can take to effectively prevent new account fraud?
A recent decision from a federal district court in Colorado, Colorado ex rel. Meade v. Avant, strikes another blow against many of the financial technology firms that are revolutionizing the way consumers and businesses access credit. Joining what is now a line of decisions, the court limited the valid-when-made doctrine, which provides that a loan that is valid when it is made does not become invalid (i.e., usurious) when it is sold or assigned to a third party.
A Colorado federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Federal Deposit Insurance Act doesn’t so completely preempt a state financial regulator’s claims against nonbank lender Marlette Funding LLC that they have to be heard in federal court.
U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer remanded the case from Julie Ann Meade, the administrator of Colorado’s Uniform Consumer Credit Code, making it the second such “true lender” action to get kicked back to Denver state court this month.
In a joint annual report to Congress released Tuesday with the Federal Trade Commission about debt collection practices, the CFPB said it had initiated four enforcement actions last year, had resolved one case and has five others pending related to unlawful debt collection practices.
Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney has indicated that debt collection will be a top priority for the agency. About 26% of consumers with a credit file have debt that is being collected by a third party, the CFPB said.
The CFPB recovered $577,000 in consumer relief from its enforcement actions while $78,800 was paid into the civil penalty fund, which is used to provide relief to eligible consumers who otherwise would not be compensated.
On March 14, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington signed the Washington Student Education Loan Bill of Rights. This law had been in the works since 2017 when a report, released by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in December, documented significant disparities across gender, income, age, and race in student loan borrowing and highlighted a handful of the hundreds of complaints the office received from student loan borrowers about their student loan servicers. Providing strong protections for Washington’s more than 730,000 student loan borrowers, whose debt now totals $22.9 billion, the law changes Washington’s regulatory schematic for lenders and servicers operating in the student loan marketplace in the following ways:
It creates the position of “Advocate” within the Washington Student Achievement Council to assist student education loan borrowers with student loans, akin to the position off “ombudsman” under proposed and enacted servicing bills in other states.
It requires servicers to obtain a license from the DFI.
Per this law, all student loan servicers, except those entirely exempt from the statute, are made newly subject to sundry statutory duties.
It imposes several requirements on third-parties providing student education and loan modification services.
It compels institutions of higher education to send borrower notices regarding financial aid.
It calls for the establishment, by rule, of fees sufficient to cover the costs of administering the program that it itself creates.
Lastly, the statute provides for a complete exemption for “any person doing business under, and as permitted by, any law of this state or of the United States relating to banks, savings banks, trust companies, savings and loan or building and loan associations, or credit unions.”
Upstate New York is a popular place for millennials to buy houses, according to a national survey by online lender Lending Tree. For home buyers 35 and under, Rochester ranks 16th among the nation’s 100 largest cities for home mortgage requests and offers from borrowers between Feb. 1, 2017, and Feb. 1, 2018.
LendingTree, an online lending exchange company, released a study listing the best and worst cities for a new small business, and Fresno ranked ninth for best cities to start a new small business.
Ranking at first is Sacramento.
To conduct the study, LendingTree used data from over 80,000 queries submitted by new small-business owners seeking loan offers through their small business loan marketplace to find out where businesses tend to perform the best.
Fintech service provider Even Financial has announced an expanded partnership with Credit.com that will make it the sole provider of Credit.com’s personal loan marketplace.
The change will allow Credit.com users to get matched with personal loan offerings that can be pre-approved in real-time without leaving the site thanks to Even’s technology. Previously, users looking for personal loans on the site were referred to individual lender websites.
Roostify today announced the addition of Mark McLaughlin as the company’s Senior Vice President of Business Development. McLaughlin will be responsible for formulating the company’s overall partner strategy, creating a scalable operational model, and further developing an ecosystem of technology partners and strategic alliances.
Citigroup Inc added restrictions on firearms sales for new retail-sector clients, the Wall Street bank said on Thursday, the strongest move to date by a major U.S. lender following last month’s high school shooting in Florida.
In an emailed statement Citi said it will require those clients only sell firearms to customers who have passed a background check, restrict firearms sales for buyers under 21, and not sell so-called “bump stocks” or high-capacity magazines.
In an effort to stay one step ahead of the game at all times, digital banking app Revolut is set to launch disposable virtual cards next week to help users of its Premium service protect themselves against online card fraud.
Revolut users will be able to create disposable virtual cards for online purchases in seconds, with card details that automatically regenerate after each transaction. This will also protect users from inconveniences like chargebacks from sites on one-off purchases, as well as preventing fraudsters from tracking bank account information.
The virtual cards will work alongside existing Revolut security features, such as location-based transaction security, the familiar “freeze/unfreeze” physical card ability, as well as being able to disable swipe and contactless payments.
UK based digital bank OakNorth reported an annual profit of $149mn, becoming the first digital bank to do so; in their second year of full operations the bank has seen their loan book triple in size and deposits double in size; Rishi Khosla, OakNorth chief executive, told the Financial Times, “we build them for profit and on strong foundations so as you grow you’re scaling a real business rather than what happens to a lot of fintech where you just keep building for top-line or number of customers, but don’t necessarily have the strongest business model.”
See the table below to see what Ifisas are on the market, what industry they invest into, the minimum investment amount and what kind of returns you can expect.
Source: Which? News
Among the highest rates, FundingSecure offers up to 16% on investments from £25. However, as a peer-to-peer ‘pawnbroking platform’ borrowers are looking for urgent loans to be given within 24 hours, which are secured against their assets. Borrowers are not required to pass any credit checks. Ablrate offers variable rates up to 16%, but they’re set by the borrower and you have to decide if the return is worth the risk. Past funded loans include units for a film studio, a waste management company and a modular building company.
Where else can I find high interest rates? They may not offer 16% interest, but there are a number of current accounts that pay up to 5% – and they don’t come with the associated risks of a Ifisa.
Nationwide’s FlexDirect account offers 5% AER on balances up to £2,500 when you pay in at least £1,000 a month. This is only for the first 12 months, however.
The TSB Plus account offers 3% AER on funds up to £1,500 as long as £500 is paid in each month and you register for online and paperless banking. There’s also the opportunity to earn up to £10 cashback a month, for a limited time.
The Tesco Bank current account also offers 3% AER on balances up to £3,000. You need to pay in £750 a month and set up at least three direct debits.
From today, digital business bank Tide has been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an electronic money institution (EMI), which according to Bevis will give Tide “the option to access the same banking infrastructure as older banks”. Since the bank launched last January, 1 in 12 of all business accounts opened in the UK has been with Tide.
Now managing the accounts of over 30,000 businesses, Tide has today also launched a new vertical card and updated app design, and an integration with online accounting provider FreeAgent, which will automatically upload Tide transaction data into the software for easy expenses tracking.
Tide’s recent partnership with iwoca for business lending is also proving fruitful, with the fastest rate of service from first click to credit in the user’s account sitting at 6 minutes and 1 second.
Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC, Britain’s largest bank, and Nigel Wilson, chief executive of Legal & General, the insurer, said that there was no room for complacency in Britain’s so-called fintech industry.
Philip Hammond, the chancellor, told an industry conference yesterday that the UK was the “global capital of fintech” and that the emerging industry contributes £7 billion to the economy.
One of China’s largest online lenders has shelved their IPO because of the regulatory crackdown on online lending; the FT reports that Lufax is waiting until the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) required online lenders to apply for a license; the current thinking is the government will approve licenses in April, though the time frame could be a bit longer; Lufax wants to ensure they get it right instead of rushing to be first.
Seventy-eight per cent of small businesses in Mainland China expect to grow in 2018 and 97.5 per cent of small business are confident that the local economy will remain the same or improve in the next 12 months. These are the best survey results for MainlandChina since 2014.
“The high rates of technology use among Mainland China’s small businesses is one of the key drivers of growth, with over 80 per cent of businesses in Mainland China earning more than 10 per cent of revenue from online sales — ranking MainlandChina at the top of the surveyed markets.
This referenced posted blog is a good question and likely the answer is ‘yes’, but also we need to wait and see how effective. Since PSD2 is a legal imperative, one key question posed by the author is whether or not end user companies (the client buying or using a particular financial services product) wishes to share actual bank or account data with the 3rd party vendors for which API-based sharing was designed to assist.
‘When it comes to new services around B2B and working capital, I believe like any good market hypotheses to test, we need to understand a basic question when it comes to corporates – will they provide third party vendors this access? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know it comes down to trust and value proposition. Certainly making sure vendors have the security around your bank data will be important in this age of constant hacking threats’.
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and its affiliates (“Cerberus”), a global leader in alternative investing, announced today that Roberto Nicastro has become a Senior Advisor to the firm. In this role, Mr. Nicastro will consult with Cerberus as it continues its focus on investment opportunities and strategic partnerships in the European financial services sector.
The raise is set to support eToro’s expansion as it heads into new markets, and continued research and development of blockchain technology and digital assets. The round brings the platform’s total capital raised to $162m, following a signficant period of growth for the business driven in part by its foray into cryptocurrency investments.
eToro added Stellar as its eighth cryptocurrency asset listed on its Crypto Copyfund in February, joining fellow cryptos Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereuem and Ripple amongst others. The trader launched its Crypto Copyfund in July 2017, which uses CFDs to enable investors to diversify across all available cryptocurrencies (weighted by market cap) with just one click.
Basically, a quantum computer doesn’t work with bits but with qubits using particles that can be in superposition (two or more quantum states added together to create another state). This is why particles can take on the value 0, or 1, or both simultaneously. The reason that this is important is that it will allow computers to process and store far more information with far less energy and far more speed than current state computers. For example, in 2016, a team of Google and Nasa scientists found a quantum computer was 100 million times faster than a conventional computer. Elsewhere, in a step towards quantum computing, researchers have guided electrons through semiconductors using incredibly short pulses of light. These extremely short, configurable pulses of light could lead to computers that operate 100,000 times faster than they do today.
This is important in banking because it could displace blockchain, ledger and digital identity developments within a decade. This is because the quantum internet would excel at sending information securely through what is known as quantum encryption. This technology enables banks and businesses to be able to send “unhackable” data over a quantum network. This is because quantum cryptography uses a mechanic called quantum key distribution (QKD), which means an encrypted message and its keys are sent separately. Tampering with such a message causes it to be automatically destroyed, with both the sender and the receiver notified of the situation.
It’s this hassle that Hnry (pronounced ‘Henry’) wants to help resolve, doing away with the need for spreadsheets, software and even costly accountants. Whether it’s income tax, GST, ACC or student loan repayments, Hnry will calculate and pay all of these for you. Same goes for your tax returns, which Hnry will complete on your behalf. It’ll also handle all your invoices, regardless of whether you work for a single client or multiple clients at the same time.
Source: the Spinoff
Jrny
Born from a desire to change how enterprise companies and individuals interact with one another, Jrny uses AI and conversational interfaces to create more relevant, two-way channels of communication. Jrny allows businesses to handle thousands of messages instantly in an effort to build a closer relationship between company and customer.
A massive fraud that cost India’s second-largest bank at least $2 billion is highlighting concerns about vulnerabilities in institutions’ internal controls and spurring some to claim that blockchain could have prevented the crime.
In a recent incident at Punjab National Bank, a deputy branch manager and his subordinate allegedly falsified 150 letters of undertaking directing other banks to give loans to a group of jewelry companies, with PNB providing surety for those letters. Virtually all of them defaulted, causing PNB to be on the hook.
What made the fraud so difficult to detect was that, as far as its internal systems were concerned, the transactions didn’t exist. The letters of undertaking were sent using the Swift network, but none were recorded on PNB’s internal record-keeping software, which wasn’t linked to the Swift system.
Source: American Banker
That’s why some are arguing that bockchain, or distributed ledger technology, could have prevented the fraud. Because immutable records are kept on a decentralized database that multiple parties can view, it’s possible that the fraud either wouldn’t have happened or could have been detected sooner.
In this virtual bank, your savings are stored in crypto format on a blockchain, and instead of interest on your savings, you get a virtual share in the revenue of the bank.
This is an unconventional concept developed by Mumbai-based entrepreneurs Varun Deshpande, Ratnesh Ray and Siddharth Verma, whose product Nuo Bank went live this week.
Naspers, the most valuable listed company in Africa, will be selling $10-billion of its shares of Chinese messaging giant Tencent to invest in fintech, classified and online food delivery businesses.
Naspers announced it will sell up to 190-million Tencent Holdings Limited shares, or 2% of Tencent’s total issued share capital. Naspers is reducing its stake in the maker of WeChat and QQ – which is worth an estimated $545-billion – from 33,2% to 31,2%.
On Tuesday, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) announced it has opened its very own API developer platform. According to the bank, the RBC Developers platform will allow eligible external software developers, industry “innovators,” and clients to access select RBC APIs. While sharing more details about the platform, Sumit Oberai, Senior Vice President of Digital Technology at RBC, stated: “Across other industries we’ve seen the transformational effects of APIs. By providing external developers, industry innovators, and clients with access to select RBC APIs, we have the opportunity to increase connectivity, create new tools and experience for clients, and enable open and innovative collaboration to improve the future of banking.”
Author Allen TaylorPosted on March 23, 2018 Categories alternative lending, API, avant, B2B lending, bank fraud, Big Data, Blockchain, Cerberus Capital, CFPB, Challenger Banks, Citi, Credit.com, CrowdLending, cryptobank, Daily News Digest, debt collection, digital banks, digital lending, EToro, even financial, Events, Featured, fintech, fraud, Hnry, IPO, ISA, Jnry, lawsuits, lending fraud, Lufax, Marlette Funding, Millennials, Naspers, Nuo Bank, oaknorth, prosper, PSD2, quantum computing, Revolut, Roostify, Royal Bank of Canada, SMBs, student lending, Tencent, Tide, True Lender, valid when made
Thursday March 1 2018, Daily News Digest
News Comments Today’s main news: RateSetter opens IFISA to new investors today. Amazon customers would bank with e-tailer. Zopa’s VC firm raises 500K GBP in 24 hours. Collateral goes off line. Auxmoney hits profitability. Credy raises $1.4M. Today’s main analysis: Is JPMorgan’s tech investment paying off? Today’s thought-provoking articles: Presenters at LendIt Fintech USA 2018. Klarna’s end-of-year report. Asia’s fintech investment drops. […]
Today’s main news: RateSetter opens IFISA to new investors today. Amazon customers would bank with e-tailer. Zopa’s VC firm raises 500K GBP in 24 hours. Collateral goes off line. Auxmoney hits profitability. Credy raises $1.4M.
Today’s main analysis: Is JPMorgan’s tech investment paying off?
Today’s thought-provoking articles: Presenters at LendIt Fintech USA 2018. Klarna’s end-of-year report. Asia’s fintech investment drops.
Amazon customers would use e-tailer for banking services. AT: “Interestingly, almost half of surveyed Amazon customers would use the e-tailer for banking services, and about half would use Amazon to obtain a personal loan. If that doesn’t give Amazon incentive to encroach upon the space of consumer lending, then what bigger invitation do they need? Maybe a more substantive poll.”
Meet this year’s LendIt presenters. AT: “The exciting thing about this year’s conference is the conference-within-a-conference setup on blockchain and financial services.”
Will JPMorgan’s tech investment pay off? AT: “Just because they’ve got financial clout and spot an opportunity doesn’t mean they know how to capitalize on the opportunity. JPMorgan is really coming to this party late, and they’re not Goldman Sachs.”
Current receives strategic investment from Fifth Third.
Honcker secures $23M funding for expansion. AT: “This car leasing app is an interesting take on auto financing where there is plenty of room for growth.”
How proptech is changing real estate.
InvestFar takes real estate investing beyond local boundaries.
Kabbage survey on small construction companies and technology.
Did the ACLU mislead on debt collection?
Tiny Kansas bank invests in Greenlight.
RateSetter’s IFISA opens to new investors today.
Zopa’s VC firm raises 500K GBP for fund in 24 hours. AT: “Congratulations.”
Collateral goes offline, but are they done? AT: “It isn’t looking for–for Collateral or their investors. This proves investors must perform stringent due diligence on any platform they want to get into.”
Collateral investors in limbo.
Assetz Capital registers 2K investors for IFISA.
Finance startup funding hits all-time high.
Banks scramble to be more open.
Klarna’s year end report.
auxmoney hits profitability. AT: “Congratulations.”
BNI Europa looks at more P2P lending deals.
JSC VIA SMS Group’s 12-month report.
Cerberus Capital Management to acquire Bluestone Group’s Australasian operations.
Credy raises $1.4M.
Asia’s fintech investment drops off.
Katipult-Polymath named a finalist for “Most Promising Partnership” Award.
National Bank CEO praises cybersecurity plan.
KABN launches blockchain-enabled biometric ID validation solution.
Many Amazon customers would welcome banking services (RetailDive), Rated: AAA
Broad Mix of Thought Leaders to Present at LendIt Fintech USA 2018 (Lend Academy), Rated: AAA
Will JPMorgan’s splashy tech investment pay off? (American Banker), Rated: AAA
Fintech Platform Current Announces Strategic Investment from Fifth Third (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
Leasing App Honcker Plans Expansion With $ 23M Funding From IAC (Auto Finance News), Rated: A
How Are Fintech And Proptech Changing The Real Estate Industry In 2018? (Forbes), Rated: A
LA tech startup InvestFar’s innovative platform spearheads globalization of real estate investing (Digital Journal), Rated: A
Small construction companies lukewarm on tech investment (ConstructionDive), Rated: A
ACA International Responds to Misleading ACLU Report on Debt Collection Industry (ACA International), Rated: B
Tiny Kansas bank bets big on fintech (American Banker), Rated: B
RateSetter to open IFISA to new investors on Thursday (P2P Finance News), Rated: AAA
VC firm behind Zopa raises £500,000 for fintech fund in just 24 hours (P2P Finance News), Rated: AAA
What’s Up at Collateral? (P2P-Banking), Rated: AAA
Collateral investors in limbo after lender shuts down site (P2P Finance News), Rated: A
Assetz Capital introduces manual lending Isa (Bridging&Commercial), Rated: A
Funding for finance start-ups hits all-time high in threat to big banks (The Telegraph), Rated: A
Banks scramble to be open as clients shrug (Royal News 24), Rated: A
Klarna year-end report January – December 2017 (Cision), Rated: AAA
German fintech lender auxmoney hit profitability in 2017 (AltFi), Rated: AAA
BNI Europa eyeing up further P2P lending deals (P2P Finance News), Rated: A
JSC VIA SMS Group interim twelve month report for year 2017 (GlobeNewswire), Rated: B
Cerberus Capital Management to Acquire Bluestone Group’s Australasian Operations (PR Newswire), Rated: B
Credy raises US$ 1.4 million in seed round (Tech in Asia), Rated: AAA
ASIA SEES MASSIVE DROP IN FINTECH INVESTMENT AS CHINA LOSES MOMENTUM (CFO Innovation), Rated: AAA
Katipult Named Among Industry Giants as Finalist for “Most Promising Partnership” Award (Cision), Rated: A
National Bank CEO praises federal cybersecurity plan (Financial Post), Rated: A
Crypto KABN launches Blockchain-Enabled Biometric ID Validation (Yahoo! Finance), Rated: B
More than half of 1,000 U.S. Amazon customers recently surveyed said they would be willing to use an Amazon-created virtual currency for purchases, according to a survey conducted by student loan marketplace LendEDU.
Among other findings, the survey (which questioned consumers, including some Amazon Prime members, that made purchases on Amazon within the previous 30 days) found that 44.5% said they would also keep their primary bank account with Amazon if the e-commerce giant offered such a service.
Furthermore, about half of respondents said they would seek personal loans from Amazon if they were available, and roughly 45% said they would use an auto loan offering from the company. Another 30% claimed they would be ready to take out an Amazon-created mortgage.
Jay Farner, CEO, Quicken Loans
Max Levchin, Co-Founder & CEO, Affirm
Anthony Noto, CEO, SoFi
Renaud Laplanche, CEO, Upgrade
Yolande Piazza, CEO, Citi FinTech
Suresh Ramamurthi, Chairman & CTO, CBW Bank
Luvleen Sidhu President, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, BankMobile
Jeremy K. Balkin, Head of Innovation, HSBC Bank USA
Nicolas Kopp, U.S. CEO, N26 Inc.
Blockchain for Financial Services
For 2018 we looked at one of the biggest new trends in financial services, blockchain and decided to create an event within our event. We are debuting our new blockchain event Blockfin by LendIt.
Tim Draper Founder & Managing Director DFJ
Richard Craib, CEO, Numerai
Tom Ding, Co-founder & CEO, String Labs/Dfinity
Vincent Wang, Chief Innovation Officer, China Wanxiang Group
Kathleen Breitman, Co-Founder, Tezos
Catherine Wood, CEO/CIO, ARK INVEST
“Retail distribution is like a muscle,” Chief Financial Officer Marianne Lake said in discussing the company’s recently announced plan to open 400 branches in up to 20 new markets. “You have to exercise it or it goes to waste.”
Nonetheless, the New York megabank raised eyebrows when it said it would invest an additional $1.4 billion in technology in 2018 — the driving factor in projections for noninterest expenses to rise 6% in the year ahead.
Current, the fintech platform that allows teens to connect their money with the people, brands and experiences they value, announced on Tuesday that Fifth Third Capital, a direct equity investment subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB), has joined the recently announced Series A funding, led by QED Investors.
Vehicle leasing startup Honcker secured $23 million in series A funding this week and is using the capital injection to expand nationwide and bring some added features to its app, founder and Chief Executive Nathan Hecht told Auto Finance News today.
InterActive Corp. (IAC) — the media investor behind Investopedia, Tinder, Vimeo, and many others — is making its foray into the vehicle marketplace with this funding round to take a minority stake in the company. Honcker partners with dealers and plugs into their existing lender network to provide an online leasing marketplace.
2. Ability To Reach New Investors Online
The ability to raise capital online and reach new accredited investors through online portals is still in its infancy.
5. Data Analysis To Drive Investment Decisions
Really use data analysis to drive your investment decisions, don’t just look at the headlines. Utilize big data and predictive analytics to dig into what is responsible for the migration of renters, and what those renters are seeking in their new apartment.
7. Reduced Friction In Buying, Owning And Selling
We are constantly pushing to incorporate or develop technologies to improve our business and customer experience by reducing cost, friction and time, as well as improve transparency and security. Some of these we develop ourselves, like application of machine learning and AI to develop a national neighborhood rating system. Others we adopt, like animated 3D visualization software. –
Rising LA startup InvestFar; recently launched its signature mobile app to help aspiring investors with informed investment decisions. Titled as “InvestFar”, the app is the first platform to boast all the tools and resources needed for successful investments in long-distance or local markets nationwide.
Built in LA, this real estate tech startup is on a path to innovating how real estate and investors in this industry scale and manage their investments beyond local markets, especially in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York – where we often see inflated housing prices and shrunken inventory given increasing foreign investment.
A recent customer survey from small business funding siteKabbage revealed that fewer than 35% of small construction companies planned to make investments at some level this year in technologies that could help their businesses and further bring them into the digital age.
More than 65% of contractors who responded to the study did not have a plan to invest in tools like big data solutions or mobile technologies, and the same percentage was either neutral, against or not likely to spend more than 20% on social media advertising.
Kabbage also found that even with well-publicized cyber attacks and other computer-related crimes, not even 40% of small construction firms planned to invest in cybersecurity.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a misguided and heavily misleading report accusing private debt collectors of using the criminal justice system to “punish” and “terrorize” consumers. This is absolutely false and undermines the commitment and integrity of the professional debt collection industry.
Legitimate debt collectors work with consumers to help recover outstanding debt on behalf of businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities.
Nbkc bank in Overland Park, Kan., is comfortable sitting at the same table as many of the banking industry’s biggest innovators.
The $632 million-asset bank, a unit of Ameri-National Corp., recently participated in a $16 million investment in Greenlight Financial Technology, which offers debit cards for kids that parents can control from their phones. Other investors included the Amazon Alexa Fund, SunTrust Bank and Ally Financial.
RATESETTER is opening up its Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) to new investors on Thursday, meaning that two out of the ‘big three’ lenders will be offering the tax wrapper outside of their existing customer base.
Industry onlookers argue that the IFISA will only begin to move into the mainstream once the largest P2P platforms offer the product to new investors.
A FINTECH venture capital firm that has a stake in Zopa has surpassed a £500,000 fundraising target for a new investment company in the first 24 hours.
Augmentum Capital, which has a 7.4 per cent holding in peer-to-peer lender Zopa worth £18.5m, is looking to raise £100m through an initial public offering (IPO) alongside a crowdfunding listing on Seedrs.
A question concerned investors have been speculating on for over 36 hours now, since the website of UK p2p lending platform Collateral went down around 7pm two days ago and is showing a maintenance message. Investors criticize that there was no pre-announcement of this maintenance and worse that Collateral seemed to have ceased all communications to investors and did not react to any phone or email messages.
With no communications from the platform whatsoever investors wondered what to do. Some investors reported the incident to ActionFraud squad of the police while another contacted the FCA to voice his concern and seek advice.
1) How should a p2p lending platform communicate in a crisis?
In my view not communicating at all is the worst choice.
2) What can concerned investors actually do to react, if the platform is seemingly unreachable/unresponding over a longer period of time?
Meanwhile, it emerged that the three limited companies listed on the Financial Services Register that have traded under the name of Collateral have not had regulatory permission to operate as a consumer credit business for at least 11 months and have all now been dissolved.
Cash4Assets, which traded under the name Collateral, had cancelled its interim permissions with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A permission end date is given of 23 March 2015.
Regal Pawnbroker, which also listed Collateral as one of its trading names, saw its interim permissions lapse on 31 March 2016.
And Goldmann and Sons saw its interim authorisation lapse on 31 March 2016.
The P2P lender recently announced it had registered 2,000 investors for its Innovative Finance Isa(IFIsa) since it launched in December last year.
So far, Isa users have invested £14m, with one third coming from transfers from other Isa providers.
Major fundraisings in the UK last year included digital insurance distributor BGL Group getting $900m, while payments venture TransferWise got $280m. Elsewhere Monzo raised £93m in two separate rounds, while Revolut got $66m.
Britain’s two biggest lenders, Lloyds and RBS, announced £5.5bn worth of investment programmes between them last week, with online banking a primary focus of their spending plans.
Open banking, as this particular revolution is known, was introduced on the second weekend of January, forcing Britain’s biggest banks to provide third parties with access to the accounts of any customers who authorise it.
A Citigroup analysis published last week finds three reasons why disintermediation of the established order is likely to be delayed. One is slow consumer adoption. A second is the fragmentation of the market for new “open banking” services in early stages of the regime. The final one is the ability of established payment providers to adapt to the new rules.
July – December 2017
● Compared to last year, total sales volume grew by 43%
● Total operating revenues increased 32% to SEK 2,474m (1,868)
● Operating income for the period was SEK 203m (35)
● Net income for the period amounted to SEK 117m (17)
January – December 2017
● Year over year growth in total sales volumes was 42%
● Operating income amounted to SEK 524m (168)
● Net income for the year amounted to SEK 346m (113)
● 26,000 new merchants, Group total now 89,000
● 19 million new consumers used Klarna this year
Highlights from the year
● Bank license was obtained in June
● BillPay GmbH was acquired in September
● Additional tier 1 capital was raised in May and a senior unsecured bond was issued in September
Its origination volumes rose by 75 per cent during the course of the year, with over 40,000 loans and €316 million funded. Auxmoney has now disbursed more than 100,000 loans in its history, with a cumulative funding total of around €700m.
BANCO BNI Europa is eyeing up further deals in the alternative finance space to diversify its portfolio and widen its product offering for clients.
The Portuguese online bank has announced several funding deals over the past year, including peer-to-peer lenders Funding Circle in Germany and Raize in Portugal, and UK P2P invoice finance platform MarketInvoice.
The Group has closed the reporting period with a net turnover of EUR 20 141 087 that shows 21,5% increase in comparison with the same period in 2016. The largest net turnover was reached in Spain where the net turnover has increased by 63%; the second largest turnover was reached in Sweden – by 55%, the third – in Poland where net turnover increased by 17% in comparison with data reported to December 31, 2016. Company’s EBITDA in 2017 has reached EUR 2 779 456 and has ensured the net profit of EUR 835 542.
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. today announced that one of its affiliates has entered into an agreement with Bluestone Group, the international financial services business based in the U.K., to acquire its Australasian mortgage lending and portfolio servicing operations (“Bluestone Holdings Australia”).
The online lender secured the funding from Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, and Vy Capital, in addition to several Silicon Valley-based angel investors. It will use the capital to expand its loan book, build partnerships with institutional lenders, enhance its underwriting technology, and hire new team members.
Total fintech funding in Asia was US$3.85 billion in 2017—a massive drop-off from the more than US$10 billion invested in 2016 while the amount in Q4 2017 declined to US$748 million across 38 deals after a solid US$1 billion+ in Q3, said KPMG.
Decreased fintech investment in China accounted for much of the decrease in investment in Asia, KPMG explained. According to the firm, China saw just US$45.8 million in investment in Q4’17, while total investment in 2017 was US$1.33 billion.
The top five fintech deals in the region in Q4 are as follows:
WeLab (lending firm in Hong Kong): US$220 million, Series B
GoSwiff (payments/transactions firm in Singapore): US$100 million, M&A
BiWang Group (Institutional/B2B firm in Shenzhen, China): US$100 million, M&A
PolicyBazaar (Insurtech firm in Gurugram, India): US$77 million, Series E
Onlyou (Institutional/B2B firm in Shenzhen, China): US$45 million, late-stage VC
Katipult Technology Corp. (TSXV:FUND) is honoured to announce that it has been nominated, alongside Polymath Inc., for the Most Promising Partnership Award at the second annual Lendit Fintech Industry awards in April. The Katipult-Polymath partnership will be competing against some of the world’s finance and fintech giants including partnerships involving Goldman Sachs, Macquarie Group, Swedbank, and Lending Club.
The chief executive of National Bank of Canada said Wednesday that the federal government’s latest budget included “a big step forward” on cybersecurity.
The federal budget tabled on Tuesday proposed various cybersecurity-related commitments, including $155.2 million over five years so that the Communications Security Establishment could create a new “Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.”
Crypto KABN Holdings Inc. (‘Crypto KABN’ or the ‘Company’) an innovator in financial services, technologies and products for the blockchain industry, is pleased to announce that it is launching a revolutionary Blockchain-enabled biometric validation platform, called ID KABN, as the first component of its suite of financial and technology services, at the FFCON18: Velocity Conference in Toronto on March 5, 2018.
Author Allen TaylorPosted on March 1, 2018 Categories Amazon, Amazon Lending, Assetz Capital, auto financing, auxmoney, Banks, Blockchain, BNI Europa, Cerberus Capital, Collateral, Credy, Current, Cybersecurity, Daily News Digest, debt, debt collection, digital banking, Featured, Fifth Third, Greenlight, Honcker, ID verification, IFISA, InvestFar, JPMorgan, JSC VIA SMS Group, kabbage, KABN, Katipult, Klarna, lendit, mobile apps, News, open banking, p2p lending, personal lending, Polymath, proptech, RateSetter, real estate investing, startups, VC fintech, Zopa
July 29th 2016, Daily News Digest
News Comments Today we have a lot of articles about banks and how banks are surfing successfully on the FinTech wave. The bank articles are mostly in the US section but the Australia section has an interesting article as well. Note the 1st article from Bloomberg and the 7th and 8th articles. In the India […]
Today we have a lot of articles about banks and how banks are surfing successfully on the FinTech wave. The bank articles are mostly in the US section but the Australia section has an interesting article as well. Note the 1st article from Bloomberg and the 7th and 8th articles.
In the India section, you will find an article of quotes from P2P lenders in India which are worth a quick read. And in the UK section a very interesting article, the 1st one, just talking about the profitability of Zopa and Funding Circle, but the real interesting piece are the profitability of LendInvest and RateSetter which are not in the title. And a 2nd article that is also very clear and well thought out.
An extremely good article from Bloomberg covers in depth how banks have been leveraging (pun intended) the FinTech innovation to generate profit. A must read for everybody interested in Fintech. Notice as well the Ayasdi article below, which takes 1 example and dives deeper. And note the landscape we put as the main Newsletter picture as well.
CFPB will likely overhaul the debt collection rules. Obviously, like in many regulatory changes, we expect some bad, some good. Quite a lot of CFPB updates lately: the new payday lending rules (stay tuned for an article on this topic from Lending Times) and the announcement that to prevent stacking all short-term loans may have to be reported to a central repository.
Cloudvirga raises $7.5 mil to automate mortgage applications. Also a very hot trend right now. Quite a few players have multi-billion dollar traction already in this direction. See Better.com for example.
A very useful survey of all the Small Business Lending Associations in the US , done between Lend Academy and Lendio. What do we need ? We need to consolidate this mosaic in order to gain direction, traction, credibility, and weight.
A practical Wall Street Journal article sharing real impact of having or not having co-signers for student loans. Useful information for all lenders ! Just a reminder that putting in place successful co-signer processes is extremely difficult. Article based on a Credible.com survey.
Credible.com survey on co-signing, which lead to the CNBC article about the risks of co-signing. The words risks and co-signing seem to always go together in the media. Like in everything there are risks and advantages and while one needs to be realistic, objectivism is encouraged over sensationalism.
A great article on machine learning, the banking usage of machine learning and the machine learning landscape. Very interesting.
In the same tune as the Bloomberg article : a really interesting survey showing that mobile banking increases customer satisfaction, bank profitability, and many other things. Article with good data and charts. Also a very interesting read about Mobile Fintech, at least.
An article on the profitability of Zopa, Funding Circle , RateSetter and LendInvest, and the reasons behind their profitability of lack of. I would rather focus on RateSetter and LendInvest than Zopa and Funding Circle.
A very clear and well though article objectively proposing the pros and cons of p2p and what the future may be made out of. A must read.
Details on Ablrate’s partnership with Access Commercial Finance as a deal source.
BBVA, the bank, plans to reshuffle management to push digital bank even harder. Vicente Rodero, current head of Country Networks, a unit created last year to boost the results of the group’s lenders in various countries, is set to leave his post.
Quotes from an event with different p2p lenders executives that for the majority show a great maturity in the understanding of the space, with perhaps still 1 or 2 exceptions that err on the side of overpromising.
A great survey by UBS about customer’s plans to use banks vs fintechs, per product and per geography. Very interesting.
Big Banks Turn Silicon Valley Competition Into Profit, (Bloomberg), Rated: AAA
US consumer agency seeks to overhaul debt collection industry, (CNBC), Rated: AAA
Cloudvirga Raises $ 7.5 M to Automate the Entire Mortgage Process, (PR Newswire), Rated: A
Come Together – Finding Common Ground in Small Business Lending Associations, (Lend Academy), Rated: AAA
How Much Lower Will Your Student Loan Rate Be With a Cosigner?, (Wall Street Journal), Rated: AAA
Think twice before you co-sign on a student loan, (CNBC), Rated: AAA
How Ayasdi’s machine learning is giving banks an analytical advantage, (Tradestreaming), Rated: AAA
How Digital Investments Are Changing the Face of Banking, (The financial Brand), Rated: AAA
Britain’s 2 biggest peer-to-peer lenders lost £50 million in the last decade
Is the dream of peer-to-peer lending beginning to fade?, (Thersa), Rated: AAA
Ablrate & Access Commercial Finance Tout Origination Partnership, (Crowdfund Insider), Rated: A
BBVA Plans New Management Revamp as Chairman Pushes Digital Bank, (Bloomberg), Rated: AAA
Fintech firms to take profit-first approach, say panellists at VCCircle summit
Global banks: Is fintech a threat or an opportunity?, (Financial Review), Rated: AAA
It’s not that the upstarts — often called fintech — are failing to gain traction. Internet ventures pitching loans to cash-strapped consumers, small businesses and home buyers, for instance, have posted spectacular growth in recent years. It’s just that banks have a huge lead in lending and are watching the startups closely. As borrowers embrace new services, traditional firms are riding along.
LendingClub’s Backers
In May, LendingClub broke out its sales to banks: Community banks and other old fashioned lenders snapped up about 34 percent of the $2.8 billion of loans it arranged in the first quarter, up from an average of about 25 percent during 2015.
Some of LendingClub’s biggest loan buyers have bolstered their war chests or operations with financing from banks. Colchis Income Advisors entered into a credit agreement with Bawag PSK of Austria, according to regulatory filings. Arcadia Funds arranged for two of its Cirrix partnerships to borrow from Silicon Valley Bank. And MW Eaglewood lined up financing for its main LendingClub fund from Capital One Financial Corp. in 2012. Spokesmen for the funds and banks declined to comment or didn’t respond to messages.
Chasing Entrepreneurs
Small businesses can thank internet ventures for simplifying loan applications, speeding decisions and providing much-needed credit when many traditional banks were pulling back in the wake of 2008’s financial crisis. Nonbanks now provide about one-quarter of the $800 billion in loans outstanding to the sector, according to research by QED Investors and Oliver Wyman. But the interest rates aren’t always low.
For a time, banks were content backing the loans. Goldman Sachs was among firms that entrusted more than $300 million years ago to fund lending by On Deck Capital Inc., one of the largest providers of small business loans over the internet.
Now, established lenders are taking a more active role. JPMorgan announced a deal in December, letting it access On Deck’s proprietary credit-scoring system to quickly evaluate applicants before using its own balance sheet to make loans. On Deck, in turn, gets a foothold in the burgeoning “fintech as a service” market. But the arrangement has done little to stop a 49 percent slide in the company’s stock this year.
More recently, established lenders have announced their own online lending portals for entrepreneurs.
Wells Fargo & Co. said in May that its new “fast decision” platform will help it reach a goal of providing $100 billion in new loans to small businesses by 2019. AmEx, which already provides more than $200 billion of funding to entrepreneurs for business purchases on their credit cards, expects a new online-loan portal will let it handle even more of their spending.
Mortgage Apps
Fintech ventures starred in Super Bowl ads this year, with Quicken Loans toutingRocket Mortgage, a platform letting users apply for home loans on smartphones.
The tidal wave is benefiting banks, too. Behind the scenes, many of the upstarts get support from traditional banks. Detroit-based Quicken, for example, raised $1.25 billion for itself and its parent company last year in a bond sale underwritten by JPMorgan and Credit Suisse Group AG. It also used lines of credit from banks to help close $80 billion in home loans that year.
[Comment: 4th was Blockchain, not very relevant to our readers here]
Robo-Advisers
Top Wall Street firms, seeking stable fee income, are now developing their own robotic arms. Bank of America Corp. will unveil an automated investment prototype this year after assigning dozens of employees to the project in November, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg at the time. Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo also have said they would build or buy a robo-adviser.
“Today we are considering proposals that would drastically overhaul the debt collection market,” said Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray in a statement. “This is about bringing better accuracy and accountability to a market that desperately needs it.”
According to a summary, the proposal would make sure collectors “substantiate the debt before contacting consumers,” by confirming their identities and the amount owed, as well as checking for any payments made after a default. Consumers frequently file complaints at the agency about receiving calls for debts that do not exist.
In an attempt to “limit excessive contact,” the proposal would cap agencies’ calls to debtors to six attempts each week. It would also create a 30-day waiting period after a person dies for contacting survivors.
Agencies would have to communicate specific information to consumers, such as when outstanding debt is too old for a lawsuit. They would also have to make it easier to both dispute or pay a debt through tear-off coupons on the bottoms of collection notices.
Roughly 13 percent of consumers have a debt currently in third-party collection, with an average amount of $1,300, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows.
In a survey released alongside its proposal, the CFPB found more than three-quarters of the country’s 3,994 debt collection firms are small, with less than 100 employees. Larger firms pull in about two-thirds of the industry’s $12.18 billion total revenue.
The agency also found credit card, student loan and automobile debts in collection typically have balances of $2,000 or more.
Cloudvirga, the company developing the cloud-based intelligent Mortgage Platform® (iMP) designed to streamline the mortgage process, today announced it has raised $7.5M in its series A funding sponsored by Dallas Capital with participation from Upfront Ventures and Tribeca Angels.
“Increased regulations stemming from the subprime mortgage crisis have made the entire process more labor intensive and time consuming than ever, and those are the pain points we’re alleviating with iMP,”
So where do we go from here? Advancing the marketplace lending industry’s efforts to create a more transparent and efficient financial system is critical as the industry matures.
The good news is that small businesses today – even those with lackluster or thin credit history – can choose from a dynamic set of loan products including term loans (both traditional and short-term), business lines of credit, loans for startup companies, equipment purpose loans, various SBA loans, accounts receivable financing, merchant cash advances, and peer-to-peer loans. This is a far cry from where we were in 2008-2010, when (according to the Huffington Post) more than 170,000 small businesses shut down.
At Lendio, we’re convinced that there needs to be a single, industry unifier – and we feel the SMART Box is headed in that direction. Lendio will now participate in the 90-day engagement period and I’m asking all those who offer loan products throughout the Lendio platform to consider doing so as well.
Undergraduates who qualified for private student loans with a cosigner–often a parent–were offered average interest rates of 5.37% versus 7.46% without a cosigner, according to Credible.com, a student-loan marketplace. Rates for graduate students were also discounted to 4.59% on average with a cosigner compared to 6.22% without one.
The figures from Credible.com are based on five lenders’ responses and offers—which included a mix of fixed and variable interest rates—to nearly 8,000 applicants who shopped for student loans on the site over a 12-month period through early June. The lenders include Citizens Financial Group—which is quickly gaining market share in the private student loan market—as well as online lenders CommonBond and College Ave Student Loans.
Approval rates fall dramatically without cosigners. Fifty-one percent of undergraduates shopping for loans on Credible.com received offers compared with 20% of those without a cosigner. Similarly, 56% of graduate students–who lenders have historically viewed as relatively safer borrowers–received offers with a cosigner versus 45% without.
In some cases, it can be cheaper for parents to join their children on a private student loan as opposed to signing up for a parent-only loan from the federal government. The 5.37% average rate undergraduates received with a cosigner on private student loans is nearly one percentage point cheaper than the interest rate on the federal Plus loan for parents that charges 6.31% for the upcoming academic year. Private lenders also don’t charge origination fees, while the Plus loan currently has a roughly 4.3% upfront charge.
But co-signing is risky. It ties you to that debt, meaning you could be responsible for the entire amount outstanding if the primary borrowercan’t — or won’t — pay up. Nearly 40 percent of co-signers found themselves on the hook for at least part of the bill, according to a June survey from CreditCards.com, and 28 percent saw a drop in their credit score from the primary borrower’s bad credit habits.
“The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” Banks are increasingly using machine learning to power part of their operations, but the adoption of these new technologies is not uniform.
Top data scientists are employed by financial institutions and working with programming tools like SPCC and R, they filter and analyze huge data sets in order to perform analytical tasks. “No human being can wrap his head around that amount of data,” said Daniel Druker, CMO of Ayasdi, a machine learning company that partners with financial institutions, like Citi and Credit Suisse. Instead, using machine learning algorithms, a computer can surface insights and recommendations from those data sets, while the quants examine and take actions based on those learnings.
According to McKinsey’s 2015 Global Banking Report, banks that have replaced older statistical-modeling approaches to credit risk with machine learning techniques have experienced up to 20 percent increases in cash collections from outstanding loans.
Out of over 20 banks that work with Ayasdi, Drucker said, 100% are either already operating in this stage or actively exploring implementing such technology.
The highest level of machine learning application is the fully automating business processes. Take a life insurer, for example. When a customer applies for a policy, he might be asked to fill out a 40-page long form and get a physical examination. That information is then sent back to the company for approval. The entire process can take over a month to complete.
According to McKinsey, some European banks using these techniques report 10 percent increases in sales of new products, 20 percent savings in capital expenditures, and 20 percent declines in customer churn.
CB Insights has identified 41 companies providing machine learning solutions in the financial industry. Together with the explosion of general applications of AI, deals and investments in AI companies reached record levels in 2016. Since the beginning of 2016, over 15 fintech AI companies have closed investment rounds.
Investment in digital banking is driving increased customer acquisition, cross-selling and satisfaction while decreasing branch traffic and related costs.
This is confirmed by the J.D. Power research that showed that there is an immediate lift in overall satisfaction when customers use mobile banking (+27 points on a 1,000-point scale), and this impact increases even more when banks provide their mobile banking customers with a highly satisfying experience (+82). According to J.D. Power, “The outlook for Big Banks remains positive, driven by their (big banks) ability to invest in customer-centric innovations (e.g., digital channels, analytics, and branch transformation), as well as their success in growing customer segments.”
Recent disclosures of mobile banking use by the big banks provides a glimpse of the impact of digital investment on mobile use. Of the three largest U.S. banks, JPMorgan Chase leads the way with nearly 25 million active mobile customers as of the second quarter. That was up 18% compared with the same period last year. Bank of America had the second most active mobile users, with 20.2 million monthly active app users, with Wells Fargo reporting 18 million active users.
The two platforms have facilitated almost £3 billion of loans between them but Funding Circle, founded in 2010, has never made a profit, while Zopa, founded in 2005, made a small profit 2 years running, totalling less than £60,000.
Here’s the breakdown of Zopa and Funding Circle’s financial performance, as per accounts filed with Companies House:
Zopa: losses between 2005 and 2014 total £21.79 million, according to accounts filed with Companies House, on cumulative revenues of £25.84 million. The platform made a small profit in in 2011 and 2012, totalling £58,648.
Funding Circle: cumulative net loss of £28.71 million on total revenues of £20.89 million, according to accounts covering 2010 to 2014. The company has yet to make a profit.
These losses have been funded by investment from venture capitalists: $273 million (£208.1 million) for Funding Circle and at least $56.6 million (£43 million) for Zopa, according to Crunchbase.
Funding Circle, which offers loans to small businesses, declined to comment on its losses when contacted by BI but pointed to comments CEO Samir Desai made to BI last year when we reported the company’s latest financial results. Desai said at the time:
“If you actually look at the core business of doing loans in the UK — strip away the technology investment and all the other extra stuff we’re doing — the business is already profitable in the UK and is moving that way in the US as well. A lot of the investment we’re doing is investing in creating a global business.”
Zopa’s CEO Jaidev Janardana told BI in an emailed statement:
“We have demonstrated that our business model is profitable with two consecutive profitable years in 2011 and 2012. Since then our investors and the business have placed more value on investing in our growth. In doing so we have been able to double our loan volumes last year, deliver positive returns for our customers at the same time investing in talent, technology, and our office.
“This all means we are in the best position to deliver on our strategic plan for continued growth and profitability long-term. Looking forward, I’m glad to say that we expect to be EBIDTA positive in Q4 2016 and profitable in 2017.”
Christian Faes, CEO of the UK’s fourth largest marketplace lender LendInvest, told BI he thinks that loss-making platforms will face increased pressure to turn a profit to “prove that they can.” Remember, the growth that Zopa and Funding Circle are chasing could be disappearing.
LendInvest, which lets investors put money into short-term mortgages for people looking to renovate then sell properties, made a pre-tax profit of £3.1 million in 2015 and £1.1 million in 2014.
A spokesperson for RateSetter told BI: “We have recorded a profit for two consecutive financial years, proving that our model works and is sustainable. We are now investing to scale up, broaden, and deepen our market while continuing to deliver maximum value for investors.”
Why is this a problem? Because unlike banks, which can make money on captive and repeat business in current accounts, credit cards and remortgages, P2P lenders need to continuously find and process new borrowers in order to earn commission. Should the sluggish times continue, the danger is that P2P lenders may soon be tempted to shoot for riskier borrowers in order to maintain their rate of growth. Remember that these platforms have investors of their own to placate and appease, many of whom will be pushing for decisive action to keep transaction volumes on an upward trajectory.
Finally, there is the question of where the money flows to on these platforms. Nesta and Cambridge University’s research is unequivocal: peer-to-peer lending has helped many thousands of people and businesses access loans in the face of rejection from high street banks. Yet only 20 percent of borrowers using P2P consumer lending platforms are women, and only a quarter earn less than £25k (note that the median wage of workers in the UK is £27.5k). Although the makeup of borrowers using P2P platforms may simply reflect lending patterns across the financial industry, it challenges the theory that fintech innovations are inherently more inclusive.
The point of raising these red flags is not to pour cold water on the P2P lending phenomenon. Many of these platforms promise users a brilliant customer experience, faster decision making, more choice and – for some – better rates on loans than they can find elsewhere. Indeed, one of the greatest impacts P2P lenders have had is in changing the practices of long-standing incumbents. Take Wells Fargo, which recently launched a rapid turnaround system for small business loans, partly to match the responsiveness of P2P startups. These innovations should linger on even if P2P platforms fade away, and suggests the sector could catalyse positive transformation in financial services without needing to achieve a dominant position in the loans market.
No, this is not to dismiss the real achievements of P2P platforms. Rather, it is a plea to be pragmatic and realistic about what P2P lending – and all forms of fintech for that matter – can ultimately achieve without a more significant structural change in the nature of the financial industry. John Kay, in his brilliantly detailed new book Other People’s Money, rightly reminds us of the fundamental functions of finance: to enable people to save for the future, receive and send money, manage everyday risks, and borrow to invest in a real economy that truly creates value for others.
Asset-backed peer to peer lender Ablrate has released information on an origination partnership with Access Commercial Finance based in Leeds. The arrangement is said to have generated over £2.5 million of loans so far this year. Ablrate launched as a niche P2P lender focusing on aircraft finance but has since branched out into capital equipment and property. Ablrate’s arrangement with Access is thus driving platform growth. Ablrate also offers a secondary market for investors in their loans.
The origination partnership is said to have resulted in sizeable deals for a range of sectors, including an £800,000 funding boost for a previously mothballed Eco Park, near Newcastle. The deal is expected to grow by £1.4 million. The waste management plant in Blaydon suffered following the collapse of Lehman Bros in 2013. The £800,000 in finance raised through Ablrate and Access is expected to get the plant fully operational by October creating at least 30 jobs.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA is preparing its second management reorganization in 14 months as Chairman Francisco Gonzalez streamlines Spain’s second-biggest lender and accelerates its push into digital banking.
BBVA is pushing to offer more products and services online and via mobile phones as Gonzalez predicts few banks will survive competition from technology companies such as Google Inc. or Facebook Inc.
Vicente Rodero, current head of Country Networks, a unit created last year to boost the results of the group’s lenders in various countries, is set to leave his post. Chief Financial Officer Jaime Saenz de Tejada and Javier Rodriguez Soler, head of strategy and M&A, will be given additional responsibilities.
India’s fintech startups will also learn more from China, owing to similar demographic opportunities and challenges, unlike other industries that primarily learnt from the US, the panellists said. While there are no successful models yet, companies are experimenting with different models that include marketplace, bidding process and intermediary, they added.
Adhil Shetty, founder and CEO of Bankbazaar, said the popularity of the company is that its website received 90 lakh visitors in the month of March alone. Hence, it won’t be an extended arm as the platform offers products from partnering financial services companies as well standalone products.
Gaurav Hinduja, co-founder of Capital Float, which operates a hybrid model by lending online through its non-banking finance company, said these data sets will reduce the time taken from application to disbursal to 10 minutes. He added that social data can be used for verification as well as help in recoveries.
Rajat Gandhi of Gurgaon-based Faircent, which operates a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform facilitating borrowers and lenders through a bidding process, said that credit score would continue to be main criteria for disbursal of loans while data from social media can only be a value-add.
Vaddadi also said that fintech companies are increasing focus on customer acquisition, but added that this will not be done by burning cash.
The panellists also said that chances of default by borrowers are lower for fintech companies as these firms monitor the business performance of the borrower through analytics that can give out an early warning. Vaddadi said his firm has a 0.16% default rate. [Comment: I do not believe this is true unless the fintechs really download the business’s information regularly and reliably. I am not aware of any company who really does this well. ]
UBS banking analysts surveyed 27,914 customers of more than 210 banks in 24 countries, along with 61 management teams from banks around the world. Local UBS banking analyst Jonathan Mott along with analysts in London, New York and Tokyo.
The survey found that a growing number of Australians are considering trying fintech services in the next 12 months: 15 per cent of Australian respondents said they will use a fintech money transfer business; 14 per cent said they will use a mobile payment fintech; 9 per cent will use peer-to-peer lending; and 9 per cent said they are likely to use a “robo adviser” for digital financial advice.
According to the management survey, 38 per cent of banks have a fintech partnership and this is expected to rise to 51 per cent over the next 12 months. The report said that in developed markets, bank returns on equity could be lifted from an average of 9.8 per cent to 10.2 per cent, as global cost to income ratios fall.
The survey found a high level of satisfaction from customers in the US and Britain using P2P lending which pointed to the threat to banks being real.
Australia’s largest P2P lender, SocietyOne, said this week it had appointed DDB Group to lift brand awareness through a TV, online, radio and print advertising campaign after the company, which is being led by former Westpac senior executive Jason Yetton, raised a further $25 million in equity in May.
UBS also predicted “the use of robo-advisers looks likely to grow exponentially” by between 70 and 150 per cent over the next year.
Cyber security is an area of concern, with 35 per cent of the customer respondents indicating a lack of trust in security as an explanation for not using fintech mobile payment services.
Author George PopescuPosted on July 29, 2016 Categories Ablrate, Amex, Ayasdi, Bank of America, Bankbazaar, Banks, BBVA, CFPB, Citizens Financial, Cloudvirga, CommonBond, Credible.com, Daily News Digest, debt collection, faircent, Featured, Funding Circle, JP Morgan Chase, Lending Club, Lendio, News, Quicken, Rocket Mortgage, UBS, Vaddadi, Wells Fargo, Zopa
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PH: 780 485 9944 | FAX: 780 757 7274
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Home » Products » Hazloc.
Hazardous Location Panels
Hazardous location rated panels are the panel which are approved to be installed in Div 1 or Zone 1 and lower divisions or zones. There are various methods of protection which are used to rate the panels or components for this area. We categorized few of the most common ones which we use to rate our panel for the hazardous area. Explosion proof panels or flame proof panels use the heavy cast metal enclosures and this method of protection is called flame proof. Hazardous location panels use various methods of protection which can be from intrinsically safe to encapsulation.
Hazardous location (hazloc) panels and explosion proof control panels are designed for use in the following classified areas:
Class I, Div. 1 & 2, Groups B, C, D
Class II, Div. 1 & 2, Groups E, F, G
The applicable standards for these panels are as follows:
NEMA: 3, 3R, 4, 7BCD, 9EFG
cUL to CSA Standard C22.2 No. 30, No. 25
UL Standard: 1203
Enclosure Type 4X (requires 4X option)
The panels are designed to protect the internal systems from external factors such as explosions, combustible gases and dust particles.
The connections between the filed instrumentation and internal panel components may be connected through Zener barriers or intrinsically safe barriers.
Explosion proof panels are built with robust metal walls to allow the containment of internal explosions from components and the sustainment of external explosions.
Fittings, glands, and other system components will be ensured to have the appropriate rating for the the above mentioned standards. Components with a general area classification cannot be used. The doors of the enclosure sections are built with water tight seal compounds and gaskets between them.
The following are some steps taken to specify such panels:
Determine the environmental specifications
Determine the explosion protection classification
Determine the purging or pressurization requirement (if needed)
Specify any necessary electrical enclosure modification
There are multiple ways of protecting electrical equipment to prevent an explosion when used in the presence of a flammable gas, combustible dust, or easily ignited fibers.
For an explosion to occur, there must be three elements present – fuel, oxygen, and an ingnition source. The fuel and oxygen must be present in the correct amounts – not enough fuel (a lean mixture), or too much fuel (a rich mixture) cannot ignite.
Each method of protection addresses the Fire Triangle in some way – either by containing and internal explosion or eliminating one or more of the components necessary for an explosion to occur.
Explosion Proof or Flame Proof Panels
Explosion proof motor starter c/w main disconnect, start/stop, running pilot light and overload reset operator. This panel rated for Division 1 and 2
Explosion proof motor starter c/w main disconnect, local off remote operator, This panel is rated for Division 1 and 2 and can be started locally or remotely
Explosion proof motor starter designed and built with special controls so it runs only in one direction even the input phase sequence get changed. Mostly this feature is required for the portable units where the input power source is different always and the motor need to be running in one direction only.
These enclosures are designed so that the hot gases generated during an internal explosion are cooled below the ignition temperature of the surrounding flammable atmosphere as the gases are transmitted through the joints of the enclosure. Any parts which are not rated for hazardous area can be installed in these enclosures and then the assembly becomes rated. There are some exceptions apply, that which parts can’t be installed in these enclosures.
Purged or Pressurized Panels
Local operator panel fitted with Z purge which converts the inside of the enclosure from division 2 to non hazardous area so some of the incendive non hazardous approved components are used in the panel and the assembly is approved for class I division 2 area.
Purge Y fitted on a enclosure to convert the inside of the enclosure from division 1 to division 2 so we could use all the division two rated parts which were easily available and the whole panel is approved for class I division 1.
A VFD panel rated for division 2 area. This panel is fitted with Z purge which converts the inside of the enclosure from division 2 to non hazardous area and we could use the variable frequency drive panel controller and all the other non approved incedive components inside this panel. As the VFD controller produce ample amount of heat so we installed a division 2 rated air-conditioner on this panel to cool the inside.
This is type of protection which prevents the entry of the surrounding atmosphere it the enclosure by maintaining positive pressure within the enclosure of a protective gas at the higher pressure than surrounding atmosphere. Purge Types X Changes the area within the unit from Div.1 to nonhazardous Y Changes the area within the unit from Div.1 to Div.2 Z Changes the area within the unit from Div.2 to nonhazardous
Increased Safety Device Panels
HMI and other parts used in this panel are rated for Division 2, so the whole assembly is rated for Division 2. This type of design can be lot economical if there has to be lots of operators on the door and time to time there can be changes in the sequence of operation.
Main panel for a distillation skid in hazardous rated for Division 2. This assembly is built using sealed and non incendive devices. Some of the components required for this panel were not rated for area so we sent those to an inspection company for a destructive test and then were approved to be used on this panel.
Local operator panel for a filtration unit rated for Division 2. It was not economically possible to build the main panel rated for Division 2 due to the parts use in the panel. So the main panel was installed in the non hazardous area and the controls required to operate the filtration unit were designed on this small panel and interconnected together in the field.
These are the panels built by using hermetically sealed devices. Any arcing or sparking contacts in these devices are hermetically sealed against the entrance of gases and vapours
Hazloc. Control Stations
Control Station contains potentiometer, selector switch and emergency stop. This is custom made to control a variable frequency drive from Class I Division 1 area.
This control station approved for Class I Div 1 and Zone 1. This is custom built to start and stop a motor from hazardous area remotely.
This control station approved for Class I Div 1 and Zone 1. This is pre-built start stop control station with a pilot light showing the motor run status.
Q1 - What is a Class 1 hazardous location?
Hazardous locations are those areas where there may be a threat of explosion or fire because of the electrical equipment that has been placed in the area and are operational in it. The threat arises because of the presence of ignitable liquids, gases, vapors, fibers, and dust that may react and cause the explosion. The Class 1 hazardous locations are the areas that have liquids vapors and gases that may have the potential to become ignitable or flammable. Some of the locations that can be classified as a Class 1 hazardous location include the gasoline storage locations and areas, petroleum refineries, spray finishing areas, plants for dry cleaning, and fuel servicing stations and areas among others.
Q2 - What is a Class 1 Division 2 hazardous area?
The Class 1 hazardous areas and locations are further divided into Divisions (Division 1 and Division 2) and Zones (including Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2). The Class 1 Division 2 areas are the areas where flammable and explosive gases, liquids, and vapors may not exist during the regular course of operations but may be present in other seldom-occurring scenarios.
Q3 - Is NEMA 4X and 3R enclosure an explosion proof enclosure?
Enclosures that can contain all kinds of explosions that may occur within its housing are termed as explosion-proof enclosures. To be termed as an explosion-proof enclosure, it should also act as a barrier to the sparks that occur within the housing, and the flammable dust, gases, vapors, and/or fibers that may be present in the outside air. Enclosures with the energy rating of 3R and 4X cannot be used in the hazardous locations and hence cannot be termed as fully explosion-proof. The explosion-proof enclosure for hazardous locations includes the NEMA Type 7, Type 8, Type 9 and Type 10 enclosures.
Q4 - What is the difference between explosion-proof and flameproof?
Both explosion-proof and flameproof enclosures are made of metal only and can resist the explosion. The joints of these enclosures restrict the escaping gases so that the gases do not ignite the flammable or volatile gases that a hazardous area may contain. The explosion-proof electrical enclosures are widely used in countries including Canada and the United States. These enclosures have heavier construction when compared to flameproof enclosures. While the
explosion-proof enclosures are tested to contain five times of the maximum pressure that an explosion may bring on to them, the flameproof enclosures (for projects with IEC standards) are tested to a maximum pressure of up to 1.5 times of the maximum pressure that may be exerted on them during an explosion.
"Certified to CAN/CSA Std. C22.2 No. 14" and "Conforms to UL Std. 508A"
VFD Panels
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Staked in the Heart
Not A Safe Space
General Relationship Advice
Home › In the News › 12 Reasons Why Game of Thrones Was Butchered !
12 Reasons Why Game of Thrones Was Butchered !
By Staked in The Heart • 2019-05-15
Game of Thrones has consistently delivered an outstanding show with great drama, compelling characters and amazing special effects.
It’s been going downhill in Season 8, and is officially in the toilet. The last two episodes, 5 and the Finale were the worst.
GoT became plot driven instead of character driven. This means the characters do whatever inane thing in furtherance of the plot rather than what is natural for them.
Let’s review some highlights from the extreme suckage that was “The Bells” . So awful, it’s rated 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game-of-thrones/s08/e05:
The snoozefest that was the fight between Urine Greyjoy and Jaime. Urine, the discount Jack Sparrow, and Jaime encounterrrr…….oh, sorry I dozed off recalling this. It was a real snore watching them half-heartedly stab at each other. This was a plot device to slow Jaime down so he couldn’t get to Cersei in time to save her.
Jaime uses his faux hand like a VIP pass. When Jaime can’t get through the gate, he frantically waves his golden hand at the Lannister guards like a D-celeb attempting to get into an Oscar after-party. Like Reese Witherspoon getting arrested or Shannon Doherty trying to get past club bouncers, it was the equivalent of the pathetic, “Don’t you know who I am?!” I was embarrassed for him.
Arya decides not to kill Cersei. After teleporting all the way to Kings Landing—and having Cersei at Numero Uno on her To Kill List for years because Cersei had her dad killed—Arya changes her mind at the last minute. WTF?
Arya dies from lung cancer. During the destruction of KL, Arya gets coated in dust, inhales all the building material residue and will die of mesothelioma. Welcome to Asbesteros!
Jon stands around brooding. Again. Another episode where Jon doesn’t do much but look sad posing in the battlefield in his fake fur, Ikea rug costume.
A horse whisks Aryra away. As if she dialed Uber Horse, a pale horse appears in order for her to flee the Kings Landing BBQ.
Maybe it belonged to the leader of The Golden Army, a man who’s apparent only contribution was to conveniently die so Aryra could get his horse.
Drogon should get the Iron Throne
Drogon wipes out a fleet, two armies and an entire city in minutes. What did Daenerys Targaryen need the Dothraki, the Unsullied or three dragons for when just one of her dragons can easily lay waste to entire fleets, armies and cities??
Her armies could have all saved the hassle and stayed safely back at Winterfell.
Dany goes mad because Jon Snow/Aegon won’t bang her. His rejection contributes to her “madness” and subsequent roasting of KL. Seriously?
She’s been a married woman, but she doesn’t know men well enough to know all she has to do to get Jon Snow to bang her is to flash some side boob next time they’re together?
She doesn’t know all she has to do to win Jon’s affection is ignore him while looking her usual, Sexy Dragon Lady self and he’d come panting after her declaring his undying love?
Come on, writers. This is more unbelievable than Drogon’s God-like power of destruction.
Dany really broke bad. Although she’s had moments of ruthlessness, and there was a possible cray-cray family gene in her, Dany was still one of “the good guys”. Her people loved and chose her to be their Queen they kept repeating ad nauseum. The Breaker of Chains is now the Barbequer of Innocents.
She’s the worst villain of them all and everyone hates her — after just one episode.
Cersei is killed by falling chunks of debris. We’ve been waiting for years for evil rotten Cersei to get hers and she dies in the arms of her brother/lover. Killed by a pile of rocks.
She’s supposed to be so clever, but she didn’t have a back-up plan for escape? Worse, Cersei dies her ignoble death offscreen. We don’t even get to enjoy watching her die.
Add to these the 2 Main Reasons the Season Finale was an Epic Failure:
There was no reason to have Jon Snow be a Targaryen. He doesn’t end up with Drogon. He doesn’t take the Iron Throne as the rightful heir. He rides off into the North. He could have been plain ole Jon Snow with the exact same outcome.
And the most ridiculous, frustrating series ending in television history:
Bran the Boring is chosen for the Iron Wheelchair.
Weirdo Bran —- who isn’t Bran Stark anymore and has made this abundantly clear by acting cold and saying he isn’t Bran, so it’s okay you pushed me out a window to kill me —- gets chosen. This after smirking, “I live in the past” and “I don’t want anything anymore”. Right. You don’t want anything but to be king apparently.
That lame ending ruined the entire series.
Honorable mention for stupidity in story telling:
Aryra didn’t need a horse when she wasn’t leaving KL.
When Edmure Tully makes that speech to the new council, the audience doesn’t have a clue who he is. He’s a minor character who did nothing noteworthy, last time we saw him was Season Six.
And who was the fugly bearded dude sitting next to Yara Greyjoy?? He’s a complete stranger.
More interesting were the bottles of water left under everyone’s chair.
UPDATE: As of 6/6/2019 over 1.6 million have signed a petition to get HBO to redo the entire Season 8 with “competent writers”. Sign the petition here: (not that it will do any good)
https://www.change.org/p/hbo-remake-game-of-thrones-season-8-with-competent-writers
Tagged as: aegon, bran stark, bran the boring, Cersei Lannister, Clegane Bowl, Daenerys Targaryen, dothraki, drogon, episode five, euron greyjob, game of thrones, game of thrones sucks, Iron Throne, Iron Wheelchair, Jaime Lannister, jon snow, King Bran, Kings Landing, lannister, mother of dragons, petition to redo Game of Thrones, qburn, sansa stark, season eight, stark, the bells, the hound, the mountain, tyrion lannister, unsullied, varys, westeros, winterfell, worst episode of Game of Thrones
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45+ People Who Have Treated Their Cancer with Cannabis Oil »
2019-05-16 • 8:28 pm
Having a dragon is very useful to burning down fleets, armies, and cities, but you’d still need an army to keep the order after the invasion: unlike an army, a dragon can’t be in many places at once.
Also, if during the invasion the invader uses her dragon to burn the resistance as thoroughly as Dany apparently did, maybe she really wouldn’t need an actual army.
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Nathan Carman: Mother Missing At Sea
Nathan Carman was found by the US Coast Guard after one week at sea in his life boat.
His mother was not found and is presumed deceased.
Analytical Question:
Does Nathan Carman truthfully report what happened?
Several years ago Nathan Carman was Person of Interest in his grandfather's murder but was not arrested. Grandfather left a reported $40 million dollars to his four daughters, one of whom was subject's mother.
Subject: Nathan Carman is reported to have Aspergers. In language, this is similar to adult autism and will impact language, particularly in view of emotions. A lack of emotional language should be considered acceptable. Analysis looks for possible deception via withheld information. With Asperger's, there is an intention to be understood in communication, meaning that with deception, there is an intention to deceive.
Also with Asperger's we often find childhood history of violence, and/or a preoccupation with death, including animals. Many males diagnosed with Asperger's are above average intelligence. With analysis, communication is commonly noted in areas of emotion with those diagnosed with Asperger's. Unlike other developmental delays in adults, Asperger's often reveals very strong intellects with critical thinking while often using avoidance language regarding their own emotions. The language can 'appear' dry and 'matter of fact', which can belie the emotion beneath. Statement Analysis is used whenever communication is presupposed by the subject
This past fall, in watching interviews of Nathan Carman while filming ABC's "20/20", he showed a strong command of facts and was clear in his motive.
I. Transcripts
II. Transcripts with Analysis
III. Conclusion
NC: Hello, this is Nathan Carman.
CG: Nathan, this is United States Coast Guard Boston
NC: Hello” (pause due to echo) “yes I hear you”
CG: Uh, yes sir, I, I need to understand uh, what happened. Over.”
NC: Mom and I, two people, myself and my mom, were fishing at Block Canyon. And there was a funny noise in the engine compartment, I looked and saw a lot of water. I was bringing the line had my mom bring in the reel I brought up the safety stuff forward and I was bringing one of the safety bags forward the boat’s (or just) dropped out from under my feet. Uh, when I saw the life raft I did not see my mom. Uh, have you found her?
CG: “No, we, uh, we haven’t been able to find her yet.
NC: So I got to the life raft after I got my bearings and I was whistling and calling and looking around and I didn’t see her.
CG: understood, ok
NC: We were fishing around block canyon.
CG: And when did that happen?
NC: I don’t have the exact coordinates.
CG: (echo: And when did that happen?)
NC: yes, It was a week ago today around mid day.
CG: ok so last Sunday?
NC: yeah.
For those considering training: please consider that his is a brief and basis statement analysis of the transcript for a single purpose of discerning truth or deception. Content Analysis done upon the statement, along with the emerged psycho-linguistic profile is separate. The analysis is done to answer the Analytical Question
CG: Nathan, this is United States Coast Guard Boston, Ok
This is our most important question, “What happened?”
We consider that with Asperger’s there may be a reduction in emotional language, but often within the language is logic; sometimes a very strong intellect propelled by logic. We expect him to tell us immediately, what happened, with only a brief introduction, such as, "My mom and I went fishing, and we had an accident, and..."
NC: Mom and I, two people, myself and my mom,
Here we have an emphasis upon being only two persons present for the event. With the emphasis, we should consider the possibility of a third person on the mind of the subject. This could be an eye witness, or someone who may known him well. His need to emphasize is not due to Asperger’s, as there is no repetitive language following this.
Note that it is unnecessary for him to clarify that the two “people” were “myself and my mom” here. “Mom” is “my mom” while going out fishing which shows he viewed her positively at this time (while fishing). “Mom”, repeated, increases the sensitivity.
Regardless, he is, in the least, thinking of a third person, whether it be an eye witness, or someone important to him.
The order changes which means change of priority. “Mom and I” to “myself and my mom”, changing the order.
were fishing at Block Canyon.
He begins with the (1) people, (2) activity and (3) location rather than “My mom fell overboard…” or anything like it. “We had an accident…” or any direct answer would have been expected, but is not here.
The introduction is ‘slow’ in pace, which suggests that he does not want to get to ‘what happened’. The overwhelming number of deceptive statements are heavily weighted in the introduction. The deceptive part of the ‘story’ is stressful, therefore, the subject often avoids going directly to it. We measure the ‘pace’ of an account and note that this one, in particularly, is very slow.
And there was a funny noise in the engine compartment,
“And” : There was a pause between sentences. “And” when at the beginning of a sentence indicates missing information. The slow pace continues, avoiding getting to the direct information about what happened to the missing person. This is often associated with psychological guilt; not always guilt meaning remorse, but fear of being caught.
“There was a funny noise”
This is reported in passive voice. Passivity is used appropriately when one does not know the source, but it is also used to conceal responsibility. What is concerning here is the combination of the passivity with the descriptive term: “funny noise.”
He describes the noise as “funny” while using passivity. This will cause us to ask if he caused this “funny” noise. He does not report an emergency, nor something out of control. The passivity would be expected with an explosion, not a “funny noise.”
He is likely telling the truth about hearing the noise, but he may have caused what happened to make the noise, while avoiding telling us the source of the noise, or what made it "funny" to him.
I looked and saw a lot of water.
He does not say “I saw a lot of water”, but he “looked” first. This is akin to story telling and it continues to slow down the pace. He does not tell us where he looked, or what he looked at. This, too, is akin to story telling and indicates he is withholding information. He did not say “I looked at the noise”, but that he “looked” and saw “a lot of water”, not an engine issue.
This is two separate actions in his description. It also avoids telling us what caused him to see a lot of water (note the passivity previously). This separate action (in writing) further suggests that he caused the “funny noise” to have happened. If so, we should expect more passivity in his language, which would remove him from the responsibility.
He does not say that the noise caused water to fill up. A “lot of water” may be his mother overboard. Why was the noise “funny”? Was it the sound of ‘gurgling’ or drowning?
This appears to be when he was looking outside the boat, where there is a lot of water. Did he watch her drown or struggle?
I was bringing the line had my mom bring in the reel
Self censoring is when one stops himself, mid sentence. The audio is difficult but he may have stopped himself here.
He does not say “I brought”, but “I was bringing” which shows ongoing action, (lengthening time) rather than a single, ended action. He soon will use the complete past tense, “I brought” below, so it is not his pattern or habit.
Note “the reel” is not “a reel” and since he has not introduced a reel, it may be that they did not actually fish as this point, but something else took place.
We may consider that his mother may have been impacted by the line; controlled by him, her neck, etc.
I brought the safety stuff forward and I was bringing one of the safety bags forward the boat just dropped out from under my feet.
These are two separate actions. One is complete while the other is ‘on going’ or lengthening of time. This is another indicator of missing information in his answer.
“I brought the safety stuff forward” is a complete action. This, while there was “a lot of water”; yet, he then goes to another activity in which there is no completion, but an elongation of time with “I was bringing…” In this part of his statement, his mother is missing. He does not mention her here, and it is likely that she was already in the water.
The focus: He only brought “one” of the safety bags. This may show intention to save his own life knowing there was no intention on saving two lives; the “two people” he began his statement with. He did not bring “safety bags” but only one
Regarding the “boat just dropped out from my feet” the audio is not clear, but it is, also, passive voice.
We must consider that he knew the cause of the event.
Uh, when I saw the life raft I did not see my mom.
Here, he speaks to time, not an event. He does not say “I saw the life raft” but “when”, which focuses upon time, not action. This, too, suggests missing information.
He reports not when he got to the life raft, but when he ‘saw’ it. He reports what he did not see.
Negation: Truthful people tell us what happened, what they saw, what they heard, etc. In an open statement, when one tells us what they did not see, we must be on alert for deception. He does not say he looked for her, only that he did not see her.
Uh, have you found her?
He offers no concern for her safety. Even with Asperger’s there should be an element of concern, perhaps with low emotional wording. Instead, the focus is upon “I” and he continues about himself:
Here we have deception. He addresses the element of time, which speaks to planning: “after” he got his “bearings.” He wants us to believe he did not have his bearings, but this is not what he said. “After I got my bearings” presupposes the loss thereof, but this is akin to story telling, not reliving a traumatic event from experiential memory.
“Bearings” speaks to disorientation, and its location in the account is “logical”, which, in analysis, is likely to be artificial placement of emotions for the purpose of story telling. It takes time to process emotions and here, even with Asperger’s, it appears to be edited into his account.
He did not look for her. He looked “around.” Consider also the size of the boat with this expression.
He wishes to be seen as someone who did “search” with “whistling, calling, and looking around” specifically, but it is not accurately stated.
This, too, suggests that he has a need to be seen in a favorable light; something associated with guilt.
This indicates he has the coordinates, just not the “exact” coordinates.
III. Analysis Conclusion
Deception Indicated
Nathan Carman is deliberately withholding information about what happened to his mother.
He does not truthfully report events, skips over time, and shows a focus upon himself, rather than his mother.
His wording reveals specific delay, associated with guilty knowledge, and it reveals intent.
The form of his answer shows a lengthy introduction, statistically linked with deception.
In order to be categorized as "deception indicated", intent must be seen. Simply being in error, or mixed up, due to dehydration, health, trauma, etc, will not reveal "intent to deceive" in language. In order to deceive, one must intentionally seek to mislead the interviewer/audience. It is within this intention that we discern truth from deception.
If Mr. Carman is offered a polygraph and the polygraph is conducted using his own language, he is not likely to pass.
The interview strategy should consist of his own wording, and focus upon the gaps of time; not heavily upon the relationship with his mother, due to Asperger's. He should be asked only general questions about her but if permitted opportunity to speak, will likely address her. The interviewer must carefully listen for subtle disparagement of his mother. This is something that guilty parties use to justify their actions. This may even include a subtle blaming of the mother for her death.
Nathan Carman is judicially innocent in this case, and in the unsolved murder of his grandfather.
Several years ago, his wealthy grandmother died of cancer. Shortly after this, his grandfather was murdered, leaving an estimated $40,000,000 to his four daughters; one of whom is Nathan's now deceased mother.
Nathan was suspected but not charged in his grandfather's murder.
Was this classification justified?
Did Nathan Carman commit murder against his grandfather and now his mother?
He spoke to media about his grandfather's death; denying involvement.
For Statement Analysis: What is the classification of his denial?
When one speaks publicly, there is a presupposition that the audience is free to believe him, or not to believe him.
Up next: Did Nathan Carman reliably deny killing his grandfather?
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Detecting Deception here.
We offer training for law enforcement, human resources, journalists, social workers and all those interested in detecting deception at a high level.
It is, for investigators, a most necessary element that saves time and procures justice, while bringing traction to the law enforcement professional's career.
It's great to hear your analysis on Nathan. He's murdered two people now and gotten away with it. It's sad.
Zsuzsanna said...
Wonderful analysis as usual!
I'm hoping someone with the power reads this blog and makes it happen that he is indicted for at least his mother's murder.
Official Find Madeleine Campaign
7 hrs ·
This Christmas marks our tenth without Madeleine. There are no words really. Suffice to say, we will try and make it as happy a family occasion as possible despite being inevitably tinged with pain and longing. The year ahead too is one which we never could have believed or contemplated we would have to face.
Thank you so much to everyone who hasn’t forgotten about Madeleine, for all of your help and continued prayers. The support we continue to have from so many people, friends and strangers, will we’re sure, keep us strong and afloat during the difficult months to come.
Somebody knows. We just hope they find the courage and compassion to let us know too.
We hope your Christmas is a happy one and that 2017 brings hope, joy and peace.
Kate & Gerry
findmadeleine.com
Misha said...
John McGowan. "support we continue to have from so many people, friends and strangers, will we’re sure, keep us strong and AFLOAT during the difficult months to come." My first thought was this was a monetary reference and perhaps their funds are running low.
Hi, Micha
That's a great observation. My thought's were leaning towards to water. Was Maddie taken out to sea.
Baby Ayla. "
Justin DiPietro " He said, "Contrary to rumors floating around out there..."
Then i got to thinking. "Afloat" is to keep ones head above water. Was she buried?
Given the context, i think your observation is more likely (Leakage)
*Misha,
My apologies :)
“The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam,” the president said in 2012.
That will be particularly memorable to Muslims, who construe anything less than worshipful of their prophet to be a “slander.” If a Muslim knows that the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, believes the future “must not” – a moral imperative – belong to such people, that could easily encourage violence against those perceived as slanderous of Islam’s prophet.
Muslims are also well aware that Obama refuses to mention Islam in connection with terrorism. If Muslims know that the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, will hold their religion blameless, that could easily encourage violence against non-Muslims.
During the past eight years, Islamic terrorists have inflicted much violence against non-Muslims in the United States. On November 5, 2009, at Ford Hood, Texas, U.S. soldiers were getting their final medical checkups before deploying to Afghanistan. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and self-proclaimed “Solider of Allah” began gunning down the soldiers, yelling “Allahu akbar,” as he killed.
His victims, all unarmed, included Francheska Velez, a 21-year-old private from Chicago who pleaded for the life of her unborn child. The Muslim major killed two other women that day along with 10 men, more than twice as many victims as the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. Hasan also wounded 33 others, including Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford, who played dead then fled the building. Major Hasan chased down Lunsford, an African-American, and shot him seven times, including one bullet in the back.
The Obama administration proclaimed this terrorist murder spree a case of “workplace violence,” an absurdity for the ages
This is a disgraceful article full of misinformation about autism in general and Aspergers in particular.
You say that the young man demonstrated more concern for himself than for his missing mother. Well, Sir you have just described one of the main features of autism which means "self". People who are on the spectrum have big challenges with communication and in having or displaying empathy for others. That includes grief for a loved one. You also state that his words indicate deception when it is a fact that autistic people may overcome difficulties in communication via use of rote memorization of conversation. By its very nature, learned conversation is "unnatural" so there is absolutely no way you can reasonably hold this to the same standards as others in your "statement analysis".
It is also incorrect to state that childhood violence and a preoccupation with death are common features of the condition. It is true that frustration can result from difficulties with communication and that this can result in violent outbursts. But this is much less so in Aspergers which is a high functioning form of the condition. Also, a preoccupation with death is no more common than a preoccupation with Star Wars or trains or even geckos. Preoccupation with death is certainly not a standard feature of the condition.
Deception does not come easily to Aspies who can be extremely literal. Often, their tendency to state facts and insist that rules are followed to the letter can cause all manner of difficulties for their peers.
If this young man has done something bad, then rest assured it will come out via expert counselling. What he and others on the spectrum don't need is a tidal wave of finger-pointing and speculation sparked by your seriously flawed analysis. It is very dangerous to make such serious and misinformed pronouncements especially as autistic people face more than enough prejudice in their lives as it is. I hope others who work in the field will add their own comments to this post or better still that you will remove it.
Shame on you Sir.
Hi Peter, I wish to weigh in on this too. Aspergers is mostly diagnosed in males and it is common for them to actually verbalize suicidal ideation as early as age 7. This is where the "preoccupation with death" often begins and it can reach a zenith or critical point with the onset of adolescence.
Most experts have removed, at least in practice, Aspergers from the autism spectrum because:
Autism is too widely viewed classified. It can go from mild to non-verbal. It is still undergoing reclassification.
Aspergers, however, is much more pointed and experts frequently find 10 year old males inflicting physical pain (even death) upon pets. They report that after the assault on a pet, there is no remorse verbalized but the actions often indicate a more gentle, sensitive response. This makes it, for them, unpredictable.
My most recent client had an incident in which his parent was driving him to school when she hit a bird. The dead bird was in her car's front trunk opening and the boy refused to let her move it, blocked traffic and was late for school. She reports his fascination with death is incessant and scares his younger siblings. They had a meeting about it at school, where the guidance counselor assured them that they do have strong "eyes on" supervision with him, and have concerns about his flash of anger or rage. They monitor him carefully. I am not weighing in on the analysis part because my own work with Aspergers tells me of the capability for extreme levels of selfishness and how violence can serve this. I wanted you to hear hands on. I am not an expert but I work, 5 days a week, with Aspergers (and others), in the community, at the school, and would like to pursue my doctorate with solely Aspergers, as more schools follow the separation that professionals are doing with Aspergers away from Autism. (Autism is undergoing a rapid re-write itself). Thank you for listening. I do not use my real name here because of privacy for my clients, including , the one referenced above. Robert.
happyuk said...
"Mom and I, two people, myself and my mom, were fishing at Block Canyon. And there was a funny noise in the engine compartment, I looked and saw a lot of water. I was bringing the line had my mom bring in the reel I brought up the safety stuff forward and I was bringing one of the safety bags forward the boat’s (or just) dropped out from under my feet. Uh, when I saw the life raft I did not see my mom.
Uh, have you found her?"
The beginning is clear - they were out fishing, even if the 'me and mom two people' bit reads a bit weird.
Then it all gets utterly confusing. I've read that what you choose to omit is just as important. Just as newspapers and try to influence perceptions by omitting information, so it is the case here. I've read his subsequent sentences maybe about 10 times and they still baffle me. Surely a truthful account would surely read much more like an English essay, with a coherent beginning, middle and end. He has set the scene (they were out fishing) but the reader is still left clueless as to what the consequent conditions and actions were. There is no details of any accident - she hit her head, fell in the water, whatever. No sense of any coherent sequence of events - his poor sentence structures are what really stand out for me.
Is true that Asperger's is often associated with difficult family backgrounds? With Asperger's are the cutting off of noses to spite one's face, flashes of anger for no good reason. His anxiety levels would have been through the roof much of the time. Asperger's symptoms are not symptoms of an ego out of control but of deep struggles that are virtually impossible to overcome without careful intervention and in some cases medication.
the catalog or "text" on Aspergers is overwhelming, and matches my own experience. I work with generalizations and he happened to fit "book" model Aspergers, including the high intellect. The violence/preoccupation is confirmed including one very telling report in MSM. This is why I referred to her to do some research and re think her insults.
The D/V in the household means a specific and dangerous combination: growing up in violence and having Aspergers.
I understand that violence/preoccupation with violence/death (I used one general term to cover) is not something debated (that I am aware of) but that this appears to be from a mother or close relative advocating, personally, rather than having any real interest in the literature (or even justice).
I intend to allow her to respond and if not, it will be deleted. I appreciate your response; just don't copy/paste her as this would end up in the spam folder as well. Sometimes people become offended, so every so often, a warning is added.
This blog is not to propagate ignorance. If she or anyone else wishes to challenge the analysis, it is of great benefit to us all.
But to override reason with emotion is far more popular.
happy,uk
This "what happened?" is very similar to a 911 call. You are correct about its awkward flow. Having heard and read hours of the subject's own speaking only highlighted this awkwardness even more so. He communicates fluidly when the topic is not what happened to his mother.
The comments on this post are a lesson in how our personal experiences and biases get in the way of letting the subject guide us to the truth. It is my belief that making excuses for the language or wanting to find exceptions in it because of Mr. Carman's Aspergers is doing Mr. Carman a disservice. Whatever disorder, disease, syndrome, or condition a person may have does not preclude him from the ability or desire to deceive. Peter has demonstrated on this blog how statement analysis is accurate and reliable even when dealing with those who are extremely mentally ill. Assuming or believing that Mr. Carman defies the principles of SA simply because of his diagnosis is condescending to Mr. Carman.
Yes, "James S", you do use your full name when you call down "shame" on someone.
The assumption of female is within the language.
hippie gyspie they are not talking about you. this is not about you it is about the boater.
People with aspergers have attendant psychopathy which means they have a total lack of empathy for others. They can be very much more dangerous than psychopaths since they dont seem to understand how humans relate and have no positive human emotions like joy or happiness. . Jeffrey Dahmer had aspergers and in some sense, thought he was forming friendships with his victims?!?! I have a family member who I believe has aspergers, who grew up long before the label existed and this individual's behavior was profoundly psychopathic and disturbing, and the individual is a very skilled liar. This individual should actually be in jail imo because they are extremely calculating and dangerous but these people are extremely calculating so are never caught.
Casey Anthony also scored high on a psych eval for having asperger traits.
rjb,
if overwhelming book is compared to my personal experience, I go with the book and here is why:
we do not establish principle upon exceptions, even if it is personal to me.
That Aspergers and preoccupation with death/violence, etc is evident is not something I could find a debate
The anonymous poster wants "shame" called down, and offered no rebuttal nor even questioning of the analysis...just the emotional "shame" and was given the opportunity to state what it was in the analysis that she disagreed with and chose not to.
Hence, delete.
There are places she can go to insult and be cheered. (including fake 'support' posts) This is not one of them. This is for critical thinking and analysis.
I appreciate your post.
I also think many psychologists and people misdiagnose others or themselves with aspergers based on ridiculous things...Ive had a friend who was diagnosed with aspergers based on the fact she had become nasty and self-centered and had had normal focused areas of interest as a kid like being interested in kings and queens?! No, thats bull...all kids have areas have interest as well as this individual has a normal range of human emotion including laughter joy happiness as well as some empathy.
But people who do truly have it have zero empathy which is very disturbing. It's very tragic when these people procreate and subject their children to their monstrous personalities. If someone has ZERO empathy they should understand they should not be subjecting children to that, the damage they do is phenomenal, and they dont care. Picture a robot with zero empathy.
I honestly have no problem if asperger people were forcibly sterilized. An animal has much more compassion and nurturing skills than they do and is less dangerous.
how would james feel if you wrote on his personal blog a insult? these people have so little respect for others what an ass. i don't get it. i though ti was only the davey blackburn and madeline mccann case that brought out the nut jobs lefty loons
Ive seen blogs online where "aspies" (some of them Im sure misdiagnosed) talking about what awesome parents they are. Really?! You people have zero empathy and are totally psycho, just the thing children thrive with.. Ask your kids what kind of parent you were--your kids will tell you they were in hell.
There are those with Aspergers who are preoccupied with death but do not always act out violently. It is during the teenaged years and early 20's that can be really scary. Although a 6 year old killing bugs can be a bit unnerving, what about the same intensity for killing at age 19?
Peter do you think he will be charged?
You know what anon? Many aspies are misdiagnosed, many self-diagnosed over the internet. PEOPLE WHO TRULY HAVE ASPERGERS HAVE NO EMPATHY. DO YOU THINK A CHILD SHOULD BE RAISED BY SOMEONE WITH NO EMPATHY? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IMPLIES? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE BEHAVIOR THESE PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF? You really dont know. Nevermind the fact aspies are highly intelligent in a calculating way, much more intelligent than you or I in that respect. Their intelligence is not creative or empathic. It is completely cerebral and calculating.
Peter is correct--aspergers people are obsessed with violence and death--I think it is because they are sick in the head from their "disorder"....
If an asperger person were to drive by a car wreck with dead people lying on the road bleeding they would think it was cool...they would not have an ounce of empathy. They would find it awesome. These people are very sick in the head, and the blogs they create talking about what great parents they are are ahocking in how delusional they are.
Ive seen a 10 year old male with aspergers (supposedly accidentally) end up shoot another kid in the eyeball with a nerf pellet--the kid whose eye got hit was distressed and his eyeball turned red. This would elicit concern from most human beings that they had hit someone's eyeball--this would instinctively cause concern in most people like "oh no, thats his eye! Thats what he SEES out of." This kid had no reaction but he said about 10 minutes later when the kid's parents were on their way to take him to a doctor "Oh he'll be fine. I do much worse stuff to my brother and he's fine."
Obsession with death, violence, suicide does not always lead to violence.
please be temperate with commenting.
As to charges...
yes, I think he will eventually face justice.
I also think the truth about Amanda Blackburn's murder will come out, too, but it can be years.
In the Carman case, there is no body and no boat. Nathan made very certain of this. There is more to this, but the challenge remains for prosecution.
Yes, I agree, obssession with violence, death etc may not lead to violent action, but it's a very dangerous and volatile combination...specifically the combo of no empathy combined with obsession with violence/death. If these people procreate, protective visitors should come to the house on a daily basis, because these people need to be monitored extremely closely for how they are treating their children. Unfortunately, it's the children of these people who end up being the experimental lab rats as far as will these emotionless, conscienceless people fixated with violence act out or not? Imagine the boat guy with kids! Very scary! My opinion may be extreme but is balanced out well by the vast literature on the internet glamorizing aspergers and its attendant sociopathy as well as asperger parenting.
And even if the aspie parent does not act out violently, he or she will show no empathy to their children which is profoundly damaging. When little Johnny falls off his bike, aspie parent will regard this with no emotion and will not comfort little Johnny. Aspie parent will also do this with emotional injuries the child receives, if little Johnny is being bullied there will be no emotion from aspie parent. Multiply that by 1 million to understand what these children go through with all the incidents of lack of empathy from the parent. It is no wonder either that there are so many sites with aspies bragging about their "parenting" because that is how ridiculous they are, totally self-involved. I would be curious if there is a single child of a true aspie testifying to the good parenting of the aspies. Who even knows if it is a form of autism? The 2 disorders seem vastly different--in autism the person is out of touch with reality, literally in their own world and unable to connect or interact with the world around them. In aspergers, that is not the case, they are involved in reality and things around them except in a sociopathic way. My only point, how is it really autism?
People who are autistic are not sociopaths...they mean noone any harm...I have met people with severe autism and they are literally locked in their own "world" and cannot interact normally in any way with things outside themselves. There is no lack of empathy with autistics, there cannot be, because they are trapped in themselves and cannot relate to the outside world.
Aspergers, in my opinion, may actually be a more severe form of sociopathy involving nothing autistic. If you look at a sociopath like Ted Bundy, the only difference between him and Jeffrey Dahmer (who supposedly had "aspergers") is the fact that Bundy did have some slight conscience in my opinion...if you look at his words in his prison interviews, he has a need to distance himself from what he did and will only speak of his crimes under the terms of "the person who did it" (and this is after he was convicted and sentenced to death penalty so it was not done to avoid consequences)...he explains how the "person who did it" went through a process of objectifying the victims and very intelligently (and sincerely) talks about the way in which "the person who did it" came to view his victims in an objectified way. It is evident there is some slight remnant of a conscience with Bundy. With someone like Dahmer, there's just no conscience whatsoever. He didn't need to objectify his victims, because he just had NO CONSCIENCE or empathy whatsoever. I just don't even believe aspergers is a form of autism...if anything it is sociopathy on the extreme end of the spectrum.
And it is very unfair in my opinion that psychologists diagnose people who may be very intelligent in technical ways and be shy and have poor social skills as having aspergers. Or people on the internet who write that their child has aspergers but he or she is very sweet and concerned about people's feelings...OK well none of those people actually have aspergers then!!!! They may be shy or awkward or even speak a little differently...aspergers involves by it's very definition, extreme sociopathy. And it really should be changed in the DSM to fall under the category of sociopathy NOT autism, NOT being a nerd, NOT being intelligent but shy and awkward.
I have some sad news for you..
naturally shyness is about to become diagnosed and drugged...DSM and big drug company meet.
John Jasper said...
This could be a rare moment of honesty from Obama! Despite the never-ending propaganda fed to Western populations, Obama should know that "Islamic Fundamentalist terrorism" is a Western invention used to achieve geopolitical ends where conventional armies dare not tread. The so-called Muslim jihadists have significant trouble locating Mecca and no love for Muslims, Islamic heritage or anything other than murder and destruction.
The real Muslims that they kill indiscriminately (along with Christians, etc) recognise them as scum who are nothing more than criminals under pay and protection of NATO countries.
well said John J!
The future must not belong to those who slander the pedophile, I mean, prophet, Mohammad
With so many anonymous comments, it's difficult to follow who's saying what but... it seems that this one commenter has an unhealthy obsession with trolling this website. Please assist those of us with a real desire to learn and a valid interest in this subject and disappear to your safe space. If that's too much to ask, try taking your meds regularly and if that doesn't work, please create a user account and post under that name so I don't waste time reading your drivel.
Peter, That is shocking if they begin medicating people for shyness--it seems everything is pathologized these days!
(Apologies for the off topic). I would have thought Kate McCann's book "Madeline" would be a veritable goldmine of information for analysis. The Richard D Hall interview where the subject of possible sexual abuse for raised will be profoundly shocking to a lot of British people raised on a diet of "reality" TV and conventional "news". It certainly was for me - even though I had long suspected their accounts of what happened were amiss, the sexual aspect of it remained beyond my ken. Many will be open minded to this new information, despite it being shocking and unpalatable; however many I think will still suffer the same psychological denial people often get when confronted with something that is too painful for them to face up to.
This phrase from the book particularly stands out, an embedded confession:
“I was feeling a macabre slideshow of vivid pictures in my brain that taunted me relentlessly”.
“I was crying out that I could see Madeleine lying cold and mottled, on a big grey stone slab.”
“I asked Gerry apprehensively if he’d had any really horrible thoughts or visions of Madeleine. He nodded. Haltingly, I told him about the awful pictures that scrolled through my head of her perfect little genitals torn apart“
According to "Ask Betty" the college writing site, the past tense is used to "indicate past events, prior conditions, or completed processes";
Kate is telling us she has seen the "mottled" skin of Madeline, which has naturally started to decay.
She is "apprehensive" and "halting" about asking and telling Gerry what are perfectly reasonable things, given the circumstances. Why the element of fear in all this - supports the hypothesis of an abusive relationship perhaps - no actual physical threat, just the mental thought of Gerry waving the big stick. Also note his non-verbal response - passive aggressive non-communication. "perfect little genitals torn apart" - this statement throws me completely.
I am struggling to interpret the metaphor of "slideshow", "scrolling pictures" she uses - is this some kind of distancing language whereby real events are reduced/belittled to a kind of PowerPoint presentation perhaps.
I believe in that statement Kate McCann is expressing her fear of Madeline being found and ending up on the mortuary slab and the post mortem / toxicology report revealing what actually happened to little Madeline - that it what is really eating away at her. Again, not an ounce of concern expressed in Madeline's safe return as she has already indicated verbally that she is not coming back.
Happy UK, Yes Kate is leaking what she has seen. Unfortunately the language surrounding the case, specifically from Dr Payne, tells us what happened. Payne and Jerry attacked her, and Payne leaks out specifically with what in my opinion, but is too nauseating to discuss. (Im not able to discuss what I see in Paynes language).
And yes she may hsve fallen accidentally post-attack.
Emilia said...
Brilliant analysis! It is very odd how he says "two people". Perhaps, like you said, he is concerned about a potential eyewitness.
Would the sensitivity be surrounding the number itself? Do we need to look at it and question 'could it have been 3 people, or even could it have been one person?' Your analysis was incredibly insightful and caused me to think further about the number issue. Is there a possibility she was killed by him before he got on the boat and then her body discarded by him from the boat? He says "two people"....could the sensitivity point to there only having been one live person and one dead person on the boat at the time he is referring to?
That was really insightful how you identified that the "funny noise" probably was her drowning...I would not have made that connection. But once I did after reading your analysis, I wonder, could it have been the sound of him discarding her body into water?
Nathan said:
"I brought the safety stuff forward and I was bringing one of the safety bags forward the boat just dropped out from under my feet"
It sounds like he had her weighted down with cement bags and then tossed her overboard.
Nathan does not report a single action, vocalization, movement done by the mother. Kinda seems like she was already dead when she went in the water.
A Pennsylvania woman has been identified as a person of interest in the disappearance and murder of her 14-year-old daughter after authorities reported finding the girl’s dismembered remains, according to a report.
Fox 29 Philadelphia reported Thursday that Grace Packer was reported missing from her home on July 11. At the time police said she left her home with $300 in cash in her pocket.
County prosecutors said Grace’s dismembered body was found in remote woods on Halloween by two hunters.
“How did this young girl disappear from her home in Abington Township and end up in a remote area of Luzerne County?” Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele asked.
Bucks County prosecutor Matthew Weintraub said Sara Packer, 41, is a person of interest in the investigation. Police said she was the person who reported her daughter missing.
Packer was charged last month with child endangerment and obstructing the administration of law in connection with the disappearnce, Fox 29 reported. She is behind bars in lieu of a $10,000 bail. She has not been charged in her daughter’s murder.
Authorities say Packer knows more about what happened to her daughter than she has divulged, according to the station. She has been accused by authorities of hindering efforts to find Grace by withholding information, lying to detectives and keeping secret a move to another town.
The station also reports that Packer pocketed $3,600 in disability benefits for her daughter after the disappearance.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/23/missing-teens-dismembered-remains-found-mom-charged-in-disappearance.html
Nathan knows he hurt his Mom. He gets it. He is not stupid. He doesn't care. I actually think that is much more accurate in describing aspies...they have "empathy" just don't give a shit.
Hey Jude said...
Nathan is innocent because i am the mother of a 14 year old aspergers i got him diagnosed to cover up for my failures it worked
Removed the transcript link I posted earlier as it's such a sensitive case - I hope anyone who might want and be able to analyse it, saved it, even if any analysis is not shared - strange case, poor interview, IMO.
I'm having a rough time with some of these descritions of aspergers... My daughter was DX with it in middle sachool,( over 10 years ago) and has always shown appropiate empathy. She does however PROCESS slower, which would mean it can take her a few minutes to show the proper response.
You should question the diagnosis.
Behind diagnoses is money. Always beware.
The recent diagnosing of normal, healthy two year olds for "autism" has become a joke.
With the actual diagnosing of two year olds, you can count on this:
Most all of our future male engineers will be diagnosed at age two with autism that is "on the spectrum."
This will lead to "recommendations" for services.
I feel sorrow for the parents that are prey to this. They love their children desperately and are vulnerable to the suggestions which come, by the way, with this:
"if you really loved your child, you would enroll, but it is not necessary...."
The deception in this element, alone, is overwhelming. These parents need intervention; not the children.
Autism diagnosis is spreading tremendously.
Can anyone explain the sudden "epidemic" of parents of young children who are now cross dressing them?
Limit this to just 2015-2106 to get a sharper view of this acute abuse of children.
Anyone contemplating a career where communication is used, contemplate formal training in discerning lies.
Peter wrote: Can anyone explain the sudden "epidemic" of parents of young children who are now cross dressing them?
I saw a thing on fb with a zillion likes about a 5 year old boy whose parents had him speak to a crowd about being a "transgendered" kid.
These parents are perverted narcissists. I was a complete tomboy when I was a kid, cause I had a lot of energy, wanted to run around, climb trees, play sports, and now will not even leave the house without wearing a dress or skirt and I enjoy nice clothes and dressing femininely.
These parents just want attention in fb. I also think its disturbing when mothers dress their daughters in cheerleading outfits etc, or dressed in high-heeled boots, tight clothes etc things that are not appropriate for a 7, 8, 9 year old and put pictures of that on fb?!?! Honestly my father would have gone through the roof if someone ever dressed me like that as a child!
If I had a daughter I would go through the roof if someone dressed my dauggter like that! These people are exploiting their own kids in my opinion!!!!! I think its horrible!
It is just very weird to see mothers doing that to their daughters. My father had an Irish temper, you would have heard him screaming a mile away if someone ever dressed me like that as a little kid!!!! He would have gond through the roof! Literally!!!
And these mothers take pictures of their little daughters dressed like that and put them up on fb and the daughters often seem to be posing like they are models or cheerleader?!?! It has to be the parent telling them to do that?!?! To try to get likes on fb?!?! I am just being honest when I saw if someone ever dressed me like that and had me pose like a cheerleader when Im like 7, my father would have punched that person in the face!!!!!!! So I dont get it!!!!!
Simply put, we live in an age and a society where being "open-minded" and "progressive" is considered the apex of the human condition. Looking logically and dispassionately at how little thinking this "open-mindedness" requires or daring to ask the question, "Progressing towards what?" gets labeled as hatred, racism, whatever-phobic, because it is far easier to shut down an opposing viewpoint by calling names which eliminate the potential for radical discourse than it is to actually engage in enough open-mindedness that one may risk having one's mind changed.
Should be "reasonable discourse," not "radical discourse."
interestingly enough, Narcissists often have preoccupation with...
narcissism.
Long term readers know that I love the music of Bruce Springsteen.
He is a self disclosed narcissist and his language shows he was a victim of acute sexual abuse early in in life from his grandmother. His working class tough guy image is just that; a complete "show" and nothing like reality.
His autobiography is about his narcissism and he is narcissistic, deceptive when it serves his purpose, and it is fascinating to see how talent often emerges from trauma as well as a good reminder that those who pretend to be what they are not, may not always be the best role models in society. It makes sense why other cultures of years past did not hold entertainers in such extreme high esteem.
For those of you interested in analysis, his autobiography is interesting reading. He is a fake as his midwestern accent when he speaks slowly (it disappears when he speaks at normal pace) and although we are supposed to see his father as the villain, some of you may see it otherwise.
Regardless, it gives great insight into the world of a narcissist, howebeit multi millionaire and talented. That narcissists have preoccupation with narcissism itself, constantly "seeing" it in all others, is really insightful.
I still enjoy his music!
I will be addressing NPD more in both articles and lessons in 2017.
most of the time...
comments here are fresh air...due to logic and critical thinking.
Concerned said...
I just started Bruce's autobiography last night and, after half a dozen chapters, am quite surprised.
It doesn't come across as a narrative written by him and I wonder if there was not a ghost writer.
I hope it's OK that I perceived someone having a 5 year old dressed as a girl and being a "transgender" spokesperson and putting it on fb to get likes and comments as narcissistic. In my opinion, exploiting a child for attention qualifies as narcissistic. If there is a better word to describe it, it doesnt come to mind.
Exploitative doesnt fully describe it, because they are exploiting the child for attention--this is inherent in their action of having the 5 year old dressed as a girl and speaking in front of a crowd and then putting it up on fb so it can go viral amd be seen by tens of thousands of other people. That is certainly an act of narcissism.
Happy Healthy Hippie said...
I was giving insight into Aspergers
Uh, when I saw the life raft I did not see my mom. Uh, have you found her?
"so" blue highlight/sensitive
he didn't see his mom x 2, a need to persuade
So I got to the life raft after I got my bearings/ I don’t have the exact coordinates.
bearing (navigation)
(B) the direction of a distant object relative to the current course (or the "change" in course that would be needed to get to that distant object)
The use of bearings, especially the use of the term "bearings" in context to being on a boat/raft, and the negation around having the exact coordinates sounds like there was premeditation to what happened to his mom.
@ john mcgowan
. The year ahead too is one which we never could have believed or contemplated we would have to face.
Only "the year", not "the years" (past and future?)
They have been force to face many years without Madeleine. What's so special about this specific year ahead they "never" could have believed or contemplated they would "have" to face? In the context of the "Find Madeleine" campaign (money) what did they not anticipate?
Thanks to happyuk's update, I can guess.
Peter said,
In the Carman case, there is no body and no boat.
IMO, that's because he sunk them. IMO, she was tied to the boat.
"the line had my mom bringing in the reel"
IMO, the line was wrapped around her and she was tied to the sinking boat.
"at" Block Canyon changes to "around" Block Canyon.
Block Canyon is sensitive, but I don't believe that is where either the boat or his mom will be found as he needs to persuade that is where they were fishing.
Is the water clear? Maybe an arial view or sonar could reveal a sunken vessel.
RE: Peter Hyatt @3:40 PM December 24, 2106
"Peter Hyatt said...
"That narcissists have preoccupation with narcissism itself, constantly "seeing" it in all others, is really insightful."
Peter- I read this and though "This is so true!". We have both a narcissistic extended family member and a narcissistic former friend. Our family has seen this play out in both people's conversations (and the former friend's Instagram, Pinterest & Twitter accounts). When the family member isn't promoting herself, she's talking contemptuously about how others are "promoting" themselves or she's not-so-subtly pointing out their failures and flaws. She loves to dish about their hard times, under the guise of "keeping everyone updated". She cannot stand it when anyone else gets attention- at Thanksgiving she called two family members loudmouths- they were conversing with one another instead of listening exclusively to her. Other family members were then called Yackity-yaks because they were visiting together before the meal.
The former friend's Pinterest pins and Twitter tweets are full of quotes, announcing how special her personality type is/how women deserve the princess treatment/how narcissistic her mother is...and full of condemnation for anyone besides herself or her children that may be getting attention, winning awards, or being honored in any way. The hypocrisy is stunning and laughable. Nearly 50-years old, she took to Twitter to flame the young lady who won the lead in the school musical (her daughter didn't get the part). She went on to publicly insult the drama teacher and his spouse, and discourage people from attending. The scary part? She has a Psychology degree from a well-known university. She's molded and shaped her daughter in her own image (literally the teen daughter participates in every activity, in the same capacity, as her mother did in high school). I feel sorry for the daughter's teachers and classmates. I hope the daughter gets some good, solid professional counseling- her value is tied to her performance and she knows it. We tolerated the friend for years for her husband's sake, until we realized just how toxic she was and how henpecked he is.
We've developed some handling strategies for the extended family member and we're enforcing boundaries (name-calling/insults= an immediate "Well, it's time for us to go."). Narcissists need an audience...no audience means no performance. When the conversation clearly becomes all about her, we immediately begin diverting the conversation ("Hey have you heard about/ Did you know that/I read the other day that __________ [new product on the market, fascinating new discovery, new TV show, feel-good news story, etc.]?"). Each time she tries to hijack the conversation again, we respond by diverting.
Fools, Just interested in why, if you find someone so intolerable, you follow their Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram account?
With the narcissistic family member, you say the whole family passive-aggressively makes sure the family member never talks about herself?
I would just not invite even invite someone to dinner who I disliked that much.
Just sayin'. Because the older I get the more I only spend time around people I actually enjoy being around and I have cut a lot of toxic family members out of my life, bc it's not enjoyable for me to use any "tactics" to handle being around them--I would just assume not be around them.
Anonymous @ 11:14pm- Your post was rife with assumptions and seemed somewhat snarky.
As far as the former friend goes, I'm not on Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook. I don't follow anyone, nor did I say that I did. Her husband is an old family friend and her father-in-law is in poor health. We also know her extended family on both sides and in our small town, we (or our extended family members) run into them from time to time. I prefer to confirm things for myself, rather than believe everything I'm told (particularly when there's a family history of division and strife).
Secondly, I did not say that "our whole family passive-aggressively makes sure our family member never talks about herself", as you assumed. I said that when she begins monopolizing conversations (plural), to the point of excluding others, we will introduce a diversionary topic at the first small break. Contrary to your assumption, we love her enough to find out her backstory and why she craves attention...which we're happy to give her in more healthy ways. Demanding attention and demeaning others is her family's dynamic- one we prefer neither to reinforce, pass on, nor be abused by.
Thirdly, we're the ones primarily being invited- although we do occasionally do the inviting. We love her and we're not without faults either...it's called acceptance. When she's not feeling the need to prove herself worthy of attention, she's nice and enjoyable to be around.
Finally, my post was specifically in reference to Peter's comments about narcissists "seeing" narcissism in everyone else, the irony of it.
As an Aspie with two spectrum children, I find the misconceptions about Asperger's that have been written here disconcerting. I would invite anyone with questions to research for themselves the correlation between spectrum disorders and violence (there isn't one).
I have read this blog for years, and have wondered how someone with ASD would fare under examination, considering our penchant for speaking in a stilted manner. I'm still curious about this.
Right before Nathan's grandfather was killed, he was in a screaming match with his daughter (Nathan's mother) in a hospital waiting room. She physically attacked this old man, after he threatened to withdraw monetary support if she intervened with Nathan's treatment.
Nathan was best friends with his grandfather. They did everything together, and Nathan looked up to him.
My feeling is that Nathan found out that his mother killed his grandfather, and he decided to correct the problem himself.
I would be interested to see him take a polygraph. People on the spectrum don't typically have guilt or remorse, and while we do not typically lie, I suspect he would be quite capable of it without a machine detecting any change in his physical being.
I think, unfortunately, Nathan will get away with murder, because there is no evidence of his crime, and he has no one to confide in, or really a need to do so.
This is an interesting read, as always.
You wrote " As far as the former friend goes, I'm not on Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook. I don't follow anyone, nor did I say that I did"
Oh OK, well you gave a detailed point by point description of what you have seen on the former friend's instagram and pinterest (?). My point is why do you look in detail at someone's accounts who you find to be intolerable? Yet, you say you dont after you say you do? Just saying it might be healthier not to even look if it just upsets you bc the person is a jerk.
My post wasnt meant to be snarky...more just sharing my own experience that if someone is truly toxic it's best not to be around them...I have a large family in which certain people are very nasty and others triangulate, backtalk, gossip against the nastier ones...I just stay away from MOST of them bc I dont want to be sucked into ANY of it....not saying that is the route everyone should take...but it is how I deal...what these people dont understand is that if it is person A and B gossipping and complaiming about person C, person B think person A is really great...person A understands how awful person C is ...yet person C used to be best buddies with person A and knew person A was a scumbag...person B will be disillusioned when they realize A is as bad as C...point is I dont do complicated stuff, thats just me...if someone is invited into my house it means I like them and when they leave I wont be talking smack about them. If I dont like someone I dont invite them over. This keeps me from ever having to be around people I dont like or having to talk about them in any depth or team up with others to try to deal with them. Only because it hurts me in the end and I myself just choose to detach from truly toxic people and I also dont like hearing about them from other family members who complain bc I just think to myself "well, you knew that person was a scumbag..."
As far as when family members try to gossip about Scumbag A or Scumbag B is doing this or that crazy thing, I dont want to hear many details...I just say "Oh wow." It usually steers the convo in diff direction. I feel like "Why are you telling me this when I stopped talking to that person yrs ago?" Did you not realize the first 500 times you heard about this person being malicious that this person is malicious. But they dont want to get it, they dont want to detach, they would rather triangulate, gossip...I dont get involved in that bc the person is outof my life for a reason. I just say "Oh wow, interesting." It takes a lot of pain to get to the point where you only let decent people in and keep the rest out. Its not the route for everyone to take. But it works for me.
Gracie, That is interesting hearing your take on things since you yourself have Aspergers. Im curious, is it an ego-dystonic phenomenon for aspies that they lack a conscience (you stated they feel no guilt or remorse)? This shows that aspies are aware they lack a conscience...my question is does it upset them that they lack a conscience? Or are they OK with it? My experience has been they do not seem upset by it. Yet I am not inside their head to know.
asperger/straight_talk_about_asperger.html
The link above is great. It talks about all the misconceptions: aspergers is not autism...it is a developmental disorder and may soon be moved into the Cluster A personality disorder category of schizophrenia, schizotypal, etc. IT BELONGS THERE.
The link also notes the actual traits Hans Asperger actually noted in aspies and many are very disturbing and far from the gentle, awkward aspie you read about on the internet.
And I dont care who it offends..."aspies" should not be unsupervised around children. True "aspies" are not the nerdy engineer too shy to talk. These people have profoundly disturbing characteristics. Stephen King could base a character on one of these people...he could not even dream up that stuff...and they are more than intelligent enough to hide the shit they do.
Here is the beginning of the link I posted above. Note how the author says that people do not want to acknowledge known facts about the disorder that they dont want to believe (in my opinion bc it doesnt fit with the "sweet awakward nerd" picture that doesnt match up with reality whatsoever: In the authors words:
"Asperger syndrome, officially called Asperger's disorder in the diagnostic manual, has become a more or less popular diagnosis in the late twentieth century. As result there has been much writing and talk about it, and a relatively wide audience is now aware of the condition and some facts and notions related to it. Not all of these notions are true, while some known facts remain unmentioned; publicity around Asperger syndrome suffers to some extent from the phenomenon of believing what one likes to believe and ignoring what one does not like to know. I will try to set a few things straight. It is assumed in this article that the reader already knows what Asperger syndrome is."
Here he mentions his belief that aspergers differs drastically from autism and one need only look at the characteristics observed by Hans Asperger in "aspies" to understand why
Personally I think Asperger and autism should not be treated as the same disorder and do deserve separate diagnoses. I have heard that some psychiatrists, who believe Asperger and autism are the same, more or less boycott the current diagnostic criteria and simply give everyone "autism". This is bad because it makes research into the possible differences a priori impossible. It would be better to revise the Asperger criteria and make them more different from those for Autistic Disorder, for instance by including the less popular negative features that are missing from the current image of Asperger, but have been observed by Hans Asperger in his original study and are known from forensic psychiatry. These include motor clumsiness, insensitivity to another's feelings, destructiveness, aggression, endlessly bottled-up anger, violent outbursts, and grim sadism. Some of these set Asperger apart from classical autism, and failing to include them in the criteria makes it appear as if Asperger and autism are really the same.
I disagree with the last part of the link however...they lie very well, and they actually take satisfaction in their ability to deceive. They also should not be allowed to be unsupervised around children, as their psychosis mixed with their other traits noted by asperger creates a very bad combo. I do not believe teasing or bullying creates the sadism of the asperger patient either...the writer making that type of excuse for them shows an ignorance of the profound ways the complex weave of psychological handicaps these people have could effect their ability to develop a healthy psyche. He attributes simple explanations for a very complicated issue.
I just read this, and it is, in my opinion, possibly the most disturbing aspect about aspergers--the fact they have trouble "distinguishing people from objects." I dont know how someone can possibly underestimate how serious of an impairment that is! As well as they have trouble understanding that other people even have THOUGHTS, nevermind FEELINGS.
This writer writes of Jeffrey Dahmer, who had aspergers "Dahmer's treatment of his victims, they say, is consistent with the fact that individuals with AD have trouble both in "theory of mind" (the understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings) and in distinguishing between people and objects."
Personally, I have to step back from the topic of aspergers. There is little I can find to read that seems to understand the route of asperger violence which is they are twisted people and they HAVE TROUBLE TELLING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND OBJECTS. I find this VERY disturbing!
It HAS to be that people with aspergers are developmentally stuck in many ways in a very early infantile state of object relations like maybe the first month of life if they cant distinguish between people and objects. Thats my theory! Otherwise how can it possibly be explained? I find it to be very disturbing to think about. There are adults who cant distinguish between people and objects.
Sometimes kids with mild autism are labeled or misdiagnosed "Aspergers."
Regardless of what anyone says, in practice, social service organizations take safety precautions with Asperger males, particularly age 10 and up, for their safety and their clients' safety.
Please keep in mind that the "literature" is heavily influenced by politicians, or "political correctness" along with the pharmaceutical companies peddling the latest drugs.
The poor direct service providers, woefully underpaid, deal with the violence or threat of violence every day. Even when the actor does not appear "angry" or "malicious", the 'deception' becomes evident: the worker "never saw it coming."
Those who work one on one with Aspergers understand. That there are non violent Aspergers is irrelevant to the analysis.
Nathan Carman has a history of violence, which include intimidation.
We have a very public example of domestic violence by his mother against his grandfather, to the point where police were called. This is insight into his home life, where he was raised in great wealth, meaning...you get what you want:
this is a terrible combination alone, without Aspergers.
You can always find someone with the diagnosis who is non violent or has no preoccupation with death. Its a good thing! But it is not relevant to the analysis.
Nathan Carman shows guilty knowledge of his mother's death.
Nathan Carman gives linguistic indication of guilt regarding his grandfather's murder.
Nathan Carman has a history of frightening and intimidating others.
If you find someone with Aspergers who has no preoccupation with death, it will not change the case of Nathan Carman.
In training, students are taught to not interject their own "but me" into analysis.
This is a good example why this is taught.
I'm getting caught up on this case. Reading here:
http://heavy.com/news/2016/09/nathan-carman-rhode-island-vermont-boston-new-york-murder-suspect-linda-carman-missing-boat-john-chakalos-connecticut-millionaire-estate/
I came across this comment from a local (by pictures alone, I agree he looked pretty good for being "lost" at sea for 8 days):
Thanks for the recap Jennifer. Diana, I agree with your thoughts as well. I live in Narragansett and have fished Block Island waters commercially and recreationally for most of my life. My take is this is all a part of a well thought out plan. Here is why. We know through local sources that Nathan topped off the boat fuel. Estimated boat range from those that know the boat is 600 miles.He also bought Ballyhoo (a bait used for fishing tuna in the canyons) and eels (used for fishing for stripers off of Block Island)Covering all bases here. Mom's e-mail said they were headed for Striper Rock Southeast of the windmills.This location does not exist and I have never known anyone to target stipers in that area. Linda's e-mail to her best friend at 11am stated that she was nervous and expected to return to the dock at 9am sunday. That is good timing for a fishing trip to Block Isalnd but Block canyon is a good 6 hour trip one way in conditions better then they were facing. Some wittnesses stated that they did not see fishing gear on the boat but that could have been stored down below. Now witnesses also say that Nathan had removed the trim tabs (stabilizers) on the boat and sealed up the holes with silicone. Why? Peeling the silicon away would be a very convenient way to sink the boat. Previous pictures of the boat do not show a life raft but current ones do. Why did they never find Nathan and why in such good condition after 8 days in a raft? I would expect with his range he traveled farther south to avoid the search, then east where he sunk the boat and went adrift well provisioned with food and water. Furthurmore most boats going that far and equipped with a life raft will have an Epirb device that is automatically triggered when submerged and sends a location signal to the coast guard. And if there was no Epirb on board almost all ship to shore radios (your most basic piece of electronic equipment) manufactured in the last 10 years have a simple distress button to push that sends a signal to the coast guard of your latitude and longitude. If there is no time to call...always time to push that button unless you are swamped by big seas and there were none. There is much more to add but rambling as it is. Bottom line from someone who has fished these waters for 50 years none of this adds up.
“I got to the life raft after I got my bearings, and I was whistling and calling and looking around, and I didn’t see her.”
The thing about this statement that bothers me is that the whistle is usually blown by the one needing help. Really good life jackets have a whistle on them. Nautical emergency kits have a whistle in them. If you're conscious you blow them instead of yelling for help. I don't understand why he would be "whistling" for his mom. (Whistling is in context of his mom.) Calling yes. Looking yes. Whistling is unexpected.
(and) - missing information/time.
I wonder if the vessel is ever found, there would be tape affixed to it windshield (taking a bow-on bearing)
Also, everything he reported he did to locate his mom was passive. "ing" x 3
OK. My partner and I have read this blog, and all the comments, and need to respond.
1) My partner is the parent of a child with Asperger's. That child does have the ability to lie, and convincingly. He can look either of us straight in the eye and tell a lie. When caught, it is never his fault. It is always the fault of someone else that he was caught. When something in his life goes wrong (example:trouble in school) he always blames someone else. As to following rules, and being particular, the rules apply to everyone else but him.
He also has the ability to make up stories and he believes them to be the truth, even when we have shown him evidence (including video recording) to prove otherwise.....in that case, he accused us of "editing the recording", even though we recorded it and showed it to him immediately after, with no time lapse.
2) We live in Vernon VT, which is the town NC lives in. We have had frequent contact with him. Frankly, he scares the shit out of us. We are familiar with his behavior traits as we have seen him often. He has initiated screaming matches in our town offices when something has not gone his way. He has demonstrated violent outbursts- when something on the house has not gone right, loud yelling of profanity, followed by throwing his tools out of the house (including off the fourth floor/roof) soon follows. You may have seen on the news that he was "renovating" a farmhouse- he started this project 2 years ago, and it has really made little progress, as he works on what he wants, when he wants. The house had no roof for over a year. He has done 99% of the work himself. choosing not to involve others. When he has involved others, after the work is done, he has then attempted to not pay the full amount owed.
His neighbors feel the same way we do- when he is out in his yard, they hide in their houses. And they did that even before Mom went missing. When Mom went missing, after he was found, he came home Tuesday, gave interviews Wednesday, then went right back to working on his house like absolutely nothing had happened.
Anon @ 5:40, Yes, some people with aspergers will continue lying in the face of undeniable proof and can cleverly twist the story to blame anyone or anything or any phenomenon BUT themselves...just as you are saying your partners son did by saying the videotapes were edited.
I do believe that aspergers people have neurological/mental problems yet it is very hard for me to reconcile understanding how they are not at fault for horrible actions they engage in or pathological lying they do to cover.
I also do believe they do not grasp the humanity of other people and see them as being "objects that move", yet their high intelligence SHOULD enable them to grasp the humanity of others. But they do not. They regard others the same way a child might regard a toy doll that can move or talk.
I read a scientific article full of lots of scientific mumbo-jumbo that I could understand but cannot speak in such sophisticated terms, however the jist of it seemed to be that the reason why aspies are so fascinated by how things work and the parts that make up a thing rather than the thing itself....is that they neurologically cannot view things or people as a unified "whole"...ie that is a complete person who also has feelings, thiughts, difficulties, talents, etc...they view things and people as fragmented...in my opinion (not the article's), this type of fragmenting of reality is much more similar to disorganized schizophrenia than autism in that it is a profound disturbance in how reality, or the world itself, is processed. I think maybe they lie so much because if things, people, reality seem fragmented to them rather than "whole" things, they figure why not just make it whatever THEY choose? Perfect example...your partners son feeling the videotape did not have the integrity of being a "whole" concrete thing, rather, in his mind, he easily thought...well, it could be edited...which would mean parts taken out and/or added to the videotape. Yet he knew it wasnt edited, I think they just feel no obligation to see things the way others see them, like if he knows it is a possibility that videotapes can theoretically be edited then that should be "equal" to the fact it wasnt edited. I know an asperger person and that is how the person thinks...yet yes they know they are lying. Its very maddening.
Yes! It's Sensory Overload.
Oh also, with what you said with your partners son convincing himself of stories he makes up...that is what it seems like...it seems they fully convince themselves of their version and others must just go along with their version...but deep down, they know they are lying. I know it seems like they dont know, but they do. Part of it I think is that they are convinced that others are not nearly as smart as they are, so to them, their version of the story is the truth and to not be questioned and it hard for them to imagine anyone actually getting proof...they lack that anxiety most people would have. They regard others, even very intelligent people, as inferior intellectually even when that belief is unfounded. If you get them to open up, they will reveal this belief...the one I know revealed they could have and should have been the world's top brain surgeon...said with complete conviction and absolutely no medical training of any kind.
Yes, when parents let the Hooker Beach Barbie look on a 12 yo, then a mother wondering why her 14 yo is pregnant is no mystery.
I too was tomboy, and can climb a tree, play with the kuds, and rock a little black dress with stilettos like nuthin. I even put makeup on O.O but the narcissistic behavior of patents is ruining children, especially if it's generated toward another parent.
The latest girl kicked out of boy scouts is another thing.
But this case here is very disturbing. Parental/children homicide is on the rise sadly.
Thank you. The negative comments are making it sound like anyone, anywhere on the spectrum is a psycho.
People shouldn't confuse aspergers with narcissism. Aspergers lack of empathy is due to sensory overload, and we feel emotions very much so.
Narcissists are heartless. They enjoy your pain and their praise.
I enjoy this blog for years too. Good insight with the grandfather, didn't know that.
Agree. Far sides of the spectrum are nonverbal, head wall banging.....to perfect SAT scores and just socially awkward. It's a vastly long spectrum.
How far apart are 'Smart, shy and awkward' going to be from Aspergers?
IYO, What dx is most like it now? (Not a big Pharma fan btw)
I truly believe Nathan is telling the truth. I have first hand experiences with aspergers victims and they truly act the same way Nathan does. People need to have FAITH.
More to come on the this case...
including addressing the expert opinion that order would not show priority.
Ella H said...
Aspergers involves so many different genes, no one 'asperger' person is like anyone else. That said, there are neurological issues that seem to be similar. Having taught young people on the spectrum aged 12-24, violence was a problem with only a few of the males.
Perhaps a tendency toward depression (and rumination) combined with impaired 'theory of mind' (that is - those on the autism spectrum have trouble knowing instinctively how to act and interpret others action -- these factors could account for how Nathan sought to solve his 'problems'.
Add to that the child not fitting in anywhere - (being shunned by peers/bullied as a kid) causes some (at least my brother - with autism) to interpret innocent things someone has done as purposefully/spitefullly directed against him. Once this happens, expert Tony Atwood said it becomes fixed in their brains. Even trying to negotiate how they felt and what really happened doesn't help. In one video (autism hangout) Tony said how a father refused to speak to his 3 year old child because he messed up his dinner plate - for twenty years.
One of the coping mechanisms many aspies face is feeling superior to others (to make up for feelings of inferiority). That way, they see their way as 'right' and others as 'wrong' - at least in my experience - no matter how bad their behaviour is. There are other coping mechanisms (feeling inferior, developing a sense of humour, mirroring others) but for my brother, he is always right (even when facts say otherwise).
In summary, it wouldn't surprise me if Nathan was ruminating about something to do with his mother - that she did him wrong etc in some way. This anger built - hence his plan to go fishing with her. He wanted her away, to stop her interfering in his life. He felt the same way (this is opinion so of course I could be wrong) about his granddad. HIs ambivalent feelings came to a head and violence was the only way he knew to stop them. Having a conversation about his feelings and a possible solution to suit everyone etc WAS NOT gunna happen.
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← ‘Whistleblower’ Eric Ciaramella Had Multiple Contacts with Other POTUS Candidates
James Clapper: A Serial Liar, Deep State Coup Plotter, and Traitor to the Republic →
Posted on November 4, 2019 by State of the Nation
Schiff’s ‘Whistleblower’ Outed, CIA Agent Aided Obama WH In Trump Coup Attempt
Rebecca Diserio, Opinion Columnist Politics
madworldnews.com
Adam Schiff got dealt a huge blow to his bogus impeachment inquiry last night when his whistleblower was fully outed thanks to investigative reporter Paul Sperry. CIA agent Eric Ciaramella has been named as the whistleblower, and he has an extremely troubling past. Evidence has come out which allegedly proves Ciaramella was part of the 2016 coup attempt led by Barack Obama and his cabal. You don’t want to miss this.
Adam Schiff, Eric Ciaramella & John Brennan, President Donald Trump (Photo Credit: Youtube/Screenshot, Greg Rubini/Twitter, Youtube/Screenshot)
We previously reported on October 14 that CIA agent Eric Ciaramella was most probably Adam Schiff’s whistleblower. At that time we had little information about Ciaramella. We knew he accompanied Joe Biden on his trips to Ukraine, however, we never imagined Ciaramella’s past would put him smack dab inside the deep state cabal, who spied on Donald Trump’s campaign and then attempted to overthrow his presidency.
Well, it turns out Ciaramella was part of the cabal, and it appears he was recruited by former CIA Director John Brennan. While working inside Barack Obama’s White House in 2015-16, Ciaramella aided Democrat National Committee operative Alexandra Chalupa to dig up dirt on candidate Trump.
You might recall Alexandra Chalupa was at the center of crafting the bogus narrative that the Trump campaign was “colluding” with the Russians. Chalupa was a Clinton White House staffer, turned DNC operative. Ukraine Officials recently outed Alexandra Chalupa as the person who solicited dirt on Trump.
“In its most detailed account yet, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington says a Democratic National Committee (DNC) insider [Chalupa] during the 2016 election solicited dirt on Donald Trump’s campaign chairman [Manafort] and even tried to enlist the country’s president to help,” reports The Hill.
Now, we have direct evidence that Chalupa was aided by none other than CIA agent Eric Ciaramella.
“Ciaramella worked with a Democratic National Committee operative [Chalupa] who dug up dirt on the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, inviting her into the White House for meetings, former White House colleagues said,” Real Clear Investigations reports. “The operative, Alexandra Chalupa, a Ukrainian-American who supported Hillary Clinton, led an effort to link the Republican campaign to the Russian government.”
“[Ciaramella] knows her. He had her in the White House,” said one former co-worker, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
“Documents confirm the DNC opposition researcher attended at least one White House meeting with Ciaramella in November 2015. She visited the White House with a number of Ukrainian officials lobbying the Obama administration for aid for Ukraine,” Real Clear Investigations adds.
Eric Ciaramella left Trump’s White House in disgrace after he was outed as a leaker.
Federal documents reveal that the 33-year-old Ciaramella, a registered Democrat, was an Obama hold-over left in place as Trump took office.
Ciaramella left his National Security Council posting in the White House’s West Wing in mid-2017 amid concerns about negative leaks to the media. He has since returned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
“He was accused of working against Trump and leaking against Trump,” said a former NSC official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
By mid-2017, Ciaramella, who was active inside the Obama White House cabal to overthrow Trump, left his White House appointment in disgrace and was sent back to Langley. Being an insider with the cabal you can make the leap he was just dying to get another chance to overthrow the president.
In addition, Ciaramella would still be in contact with other Trump-haters inside the swamp. Next thing we know, Adam Schiff’s staffers are having meetings with Ciaramella. In fact, one of Ciaramella’s best buddies is Sean Misko, who is one of Adam Schiff’s closest advisers.
“Also, Ciaramella huddled for ‘guidance’ with the staff of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, including former colleagues also held over from the Obama era whom Schiff’s office had recently recruited from the NSC. (Schiff is the lead prosecutor in the impeachment inquiry),” Paul Sperry reports.
Ciaramella was dying to do anything to overthrow the Trump presidency.
“Everyone knows who [Ciaramella] is. CNN knows. The Washington Post knows. The New York Times knows. Congress knows. The White House knows. Even the president knows who he is,” said Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst and national security adviser to Trump, who has fielded dozens of calls from the media.
“Republicans participating in the restricted inquiry hearings have been asking witnesses about Ciaramella and repeatedly injecting his name into the deposition record, angering Schiff and Democrats, who sources say are planning to scrub the references to Ciaramella from any transcripts of the hearings they may agree to release,” Paul Sperry adds.
“Their reaction tells you something,” said one official familiar with the inquiry.
Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, asserted the American people have the right to know the person who is trying to bring down the president for whom 63 million voted.
“It’s tough to determine someone’s credibility if you can’t put them under oath and ask them questions,” Jordan said. “The people want to know. I want to get to the truth.”
Eric Ciaramella, the so-called whistleblower, has no right to anonymity. He has a right to stay safe. And now that it is crystal clear this CIA agent has been part of the deep state cabal from the very beginning, every American has a right to know the truth about him.
It’s completely obvious based on this new evidence that Ciaramella is once again part of another coup attempt, and it is time the American people demand an end to this Adam Schiff-led charade on Capitol Hill.
https://madworldnews.com/schiff-whistleblower-obama-trump/
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ST OSYTH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PROGRAMME 2019/20
Meetings will take place on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall
April 11th Churchill’s Secret Army in N.E. Essex – Dr. Hugh Frostick
May 9th History of the Long Bow –Michael Hamilton – Macy
June 13th Visit to All Saints Church, Brightlingsea
July 11th “Make Do and Mend” Liz & Mary
July 25th Outing to Ousden House, Newmarket
August 10th Coffee morning at Alan & Jane Williams’ 40, Point Clear Road
Sept 12th Wind and Water – A Brief History of Milling – Peter Jones
October 10th The East Country – Prof. Jules Pretty O.B.E.
November 14th The Red Barn Murders – Bryan Thurlow
December 12th Magical Mystery Tour – Peter Regelous
to be followed by the Christmas Party
January 9th History of Writtle College – Julia Smith
February 13th Beginnings of Point Clear – Sidge Kenny
March 12th Annual General Meeting
St. Osyth itself is steeped in history: there is evidence of both Bronze Age and Roman settlements in the Parish, and we boast 116 listed buildings.
Our Society was founded in 1995, and at present we have just fewer than 100 members. Subscriptions are currently £17.50 per annum but this includes entry to the monthly meetings as well as some of the many organised trips. Single meeting visitors are encouraged at a charge of £3.50 per visit. The programme includes talks on various historical topics – many relevant to our locality.
Meetings are held in St. Osyth Village Hall on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. The Annual General Meeting being held in March.
The Society also runs the St. Osyth Social History Museum which houses artefacts, maps, documents and hundreds of old photographs of the village. All items are carefully stored, thus safeguarding them for future generations. Due to its small size there is no room for a permanent display, but Open Days are advertised. Family historians making use of school registers, burial records and census returns etc regularly use the museum for research.
For an appointment to visit the museum please contact: Nigel Jeskins, 73 Mill Street, St. Osyth, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, CO16 8EW. (01255 823001)
The Society officers currently are:
Chairman: Christine Harman
Vice-Chairman and Secretary: Mrs Josephine Cole, 98 Colchester Road, St Osyth, CO16 8HB (telephone 01255 821759).
Treasurer: Martin Walsh
Membership Secretary: Judy Ward
Programme Secretary: Joy Clinton
Museum Archivist: Nigel Jeskins
The Society is a Registered Charity. Registration number 1059097.
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Richard Plantagenet (Richard of Eastwell)
Title: Richard Plantagenet (Richard of Eastwell)
Subject: December 22, Richard III of England, Richard Plantagenet, Eastwell Park
Richard Plantagenet or Richard of Eastwell (? 1469 - 22 December 1550) was a reclusive bricklayer who claimed to be a son of Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England.
2 Re-discovery
3 In Fiction
According to Francis Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, Richard boarded with a Latin schoolmaster until he was 15 or 16. He did not know who his real parents were, but was visited four times a year by a mysterious gentleman who paid for his upkeep. This person once took him to a "fine, great house" where Richard met a man in a "star and garter" who treated him kindly. At the age of 16, the gentleman took the boy to see King Richard III at his encampment just before the battle of Bosworth. The King informed the boy that he was his son, and told him to watch the battle from a safe vantage point. The king told the boy that, if he won, he would acknowledge him as his son. If he lost, he told the boy to forever conceal his identity. King Richard was killed in the battle, and the boy fled to London. He was apprenticed to a bricklayer, but kept up the Latin he had learned by reading during his work.
Around 1546 the bricklayer, by then a very old man, was working on Eastwell Place for Sir Thomas Moyle. Moyle discovered Richard reading and, having been told his story, offered him stewardship of the house's kitchens. Richard was used to seclusion and declined the offer. Instead, he asked to build a one-room house on Moyle's estate and live there until he died. This request was granted. A building called "Plantagenet Cottage" still stands on the site of the original.[1]
Re-discovery
The record of Richard's burial was re-discovered in the parish registers around Michaelmas 1720. Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea, came across it when researching his own family. He passed it on, along with family tradition of his story, to Thomas Brett, L.L.D. Brett communicated it in a letter to William Warren, L.L.D., president of Trinity Hall, who in turn passed it on to Peck.
The burial record in the Eastwell Parish Register is a 1598 transcript of the original and is dated 22 December 1550. The handwriting is consistent and not considered a forgery.[2][3] The register entry reads: "Rychard Plantagenet was buryed on the 22. daye of December, anno ut supra. Ex registro de Eastwell, sub anno 1550."
In 1861, John Heneage Jesse published his Memoirs of King Richard III[4] He states:
Anciently, when any person of noble family was interred at Eastwell, it was the custom to affix a special mark against the name of the deceased in the register of burials. The fact is a significant one, that this aristocratic symbol is prefixed to the name of Richard Plantagenet. At Eastwell, his story still excites curiosity and interest ... A well in Eastwell Park still bears his name; tradition points to an uninscribed tomb in Eastwell churchyard as his last resting place; and, lastly, the very handwriting which, more than three centuries ago, recorded his interment, is still in existence.
A rubble-stone tomb with modern pointing, within the floor plan of the now ruined church of St Mary's, Eastwell, has a plaque with the following words:
Reputed to be the tomb of Richard Plantagenet, 22. December 1550
Although his name is inscribed on one of the tombs, the grave is more likely to be that of Sir Walter Moyle, who died in 1480.[5] The church, which has been a ruin since the 1950s, is cared for by a national charity the Friends of Friendless Churches.
In Fiction
Richard Plantagenet a legendary tale, a poem by Thomas Hull was published in 1774. It is written in the first person, spoken by Richard, who grows up in ignorance of his parentage. He meets his father just before the Battle of Bosworth. His father proposes to acknowledge him and raise him to royalty after the battle, but with the king's defeat, Richard spends the rest of his life as a lowly workman.
The Sprig of Broom (1971), Book 2 of the "Mantlemass" series for children written by Barbara Willard, imagines the life of Richard of Eastwell during the years from the Battle of Bosworth to his death at Eastwell, and is told from the point of view of his fictional son.
"Richard Plantagent" is referenced in the opening paragraph of Shirley Jackson's novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) by protagonist Mary Katherine Blackwood, "I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagent, and Amanita phalloides, the death cup mushroom."
The Parallel, or a Collection of Extraordinary Cases Relating to Concealed Births, and disputed successions. 1774.
The History of King Richard III. Edited by A. N. Kincaid. 1974. (from George Buck's original text)
The Hopper Ring. The Ricardian Bulletin. December 1991. Robert Hamblin, with acknowledgement to Audrey Cartwright
Notes on Royal Bastardy, Ricardian Bulletin numbers 5 and 6.
The Royal Bastards of England. Givens-Wilson and Curteis
The Illegitimate Children of Richard III. Peter Hammond.
Richard III, the Road to Bosworth Field. 1985. Peter Hammond and Anne Sutton
Eastwell Parish Registers
Richard III Crown and People. 1985. Edited by J. Petre.
has original text related to this article:
Desiderata Curiosa
Richard III Society
, article by P W Hammond
Richard of Eastwell novel
Count of Gâtinais (origin)
Count of Anjou
Count of Maine
King of Jerusalem (claim)
Duke of Aquitaine
Duke of Normandy
Lord of Ireland
Duke of Brittany
Lord of Cyprus
King of the Romans (claim)
King of France (claim)
King of Sicily (claim)
King of Castile (claim)
Armorial of Plantagenet
House of Beaufort
Monarchs,
their queens
and issue
Wife: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Richard I of England
Matilda, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria
Illegitimates: William de Longespée, Earl of Salisbury
Henry the
Young King
Wife: Margaret of France
William (died in infancy)
Wife: Berengaria of Navarre
Illegitimates: Philip of Cognac
Wife: Isabella of Angoulême
Henry III of England
Richard, Earl of Cornwall
Joan, Queen of Scots
Isabella, Holy Roman Empress
Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke and Leicester
Illegitimates: Joan, Lady of Wales
Richard FitzRoy
Oliver FitzRoy
Geoffrey FitzRoy
John FitzRoy
Henry FitzRoy
Osbert Gifford
Eudes FitzRoy
Bartholomew FitzRoy
Maud FitzRoy
Isabel FitzRoy
Philip FitzRoy
William de Forz
Wife: Eleanor of Provence
Edward I of England
Margaret, Queen of Scots
Beatrice, Duchess of Brittany
Edmund, Earl of Lancaster
Wives: Eleanor of Castile
Margaret of France
Eleanor, Countess of Bar
Joan, Countess of Hertford and Gloucester
Margaret, Duchess of Brabant
Elizabeth, Countess of Hereford
Edward II of England
Thomas, Earl of Norfolk
Edmund, Earl of Kent
Wife: Isabella of France
Edward III of England
John, Earl of Cornwall
Eleanor, Countess of Guelders
Wife: Philippa of Hainault
Edward, Prince of Wales
Lionel, Duke of Clarence
John, Duke of Lancaster
Edmund, Duke of York
Mary, Duchess of Brittany
Margaret, Countess of Pembroke
Thomas, Duke of Gloucester
Wives: Anne of Bohemia
Isabella of Valois
Wives: Mary de Bohun
Joanna of Navarre
Thomas, Duke of Clarence
John, Duke of Bedford
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Blanche, Electorial Princess Palatine
Philippa, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Wife: Catherine of Valois
Henry VI of England
Wife: Margaret of Anjou
Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales
Wife: Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth, Queen of England
Cecily, Viscountess Welles
Edward V of England
Richard, Duke of York
Anne, Lady Howard
Catherine, Countess of Devon
Illegitimates: Elizabeth
Arthur, 1st Viscount Lisle
Baroness Audley
Edward V
no consort or issue
Wife: Anne Neville
Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales
Illegitimates: John of Gloucester
Katherine, Countess of Pembroke
Richard of Eastwell
Matilda, Lady of the English
Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou
Treaty of Wallingford
Angevin Empire
Revolt of 1173–1174
First Barons' War
Provisions of Oxford
Second Barons' War
Gothic architecture
Competitors for the Crown of Scotland
Treaty of Northampton
House of Capet
Order of the Garter
College of Arms
Royalty Portal
Name Plantagenet, Richard
Date of birth 1469
Date of death 1550
Vietnam, Zimbabwe, 1989, 2010, Bee Gees
Richard III of England
House of York, Henry VII of England, Wars of the Roses, Edward IV of England, Edward V of England
Richard Plantagenet
Richard I of England, Richard II of England, Richard III of England, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
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Power rot DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/11/2012
Power rot
Meralco files plea for 2013 rate hike,” newspapers announced this week. Former Misamis Oriental Gov. Homobono Adaza and Jojo Borja of Iligan Light and Power updated me on this latest attempt of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to pull a fast one on power consumers. This refers to the case filed against the Maximum Allowable Price (MAP) application of Meralco (Manila Electric Co.) before the ERC by octogenarian accountant and consumer advocate Mang Naro Lualhati — a case that is now filled with several anomalies.
First, the notice for the May 7 ERC hearing arrived anomalously late, at lawyer Adaza’s residence on the Sunday afternoon just before Monday. Thus, Adaza had to call Borja to fly from Bukidnon, where the latter had just alighted, back to Cagayan de Oro and then Manila overnight to catch the next day’s event.
At the ERC hearing, only a “hearing officer” presided. Upon arriving and entering his appearance, Adaza asked the “hearing officer” if he was “the” hearing officer. It turned out that the guy was only a clerk of court. Only after being informed that Adaza was there did the chairman of the ERC, Zenaida Ducut, suddenly decide to appear and preside — a basic legal requirement that has never been met in all past ERC hearings participated in collectively or separately by our advocacy groups.
Since the occasion was being used to formally accept so-called evidence that will buttress Meralco’s MAP petition, it was an evidentiary hearing that, according Adaza, was illegal since Jojo Borja also had a pending petition at the Court of Appeals questioning the continuation of the proceedings until prejudicial questions were resolved.
Adaza and Borja would have missed the ERC hearing, with Meralco already laughing all the way to the bank, if the obviously and deliberately late arrival of the notice wasn’t noted that Sunday. Adaza no longer made an issue of it as he had already averted the scheme. Still, he found the order for the hearing anomalous, as it was merely signed “for the ERC commissioners,” even when the law states that such orders need to be signed by all commissioners — an anomaly regularly committed by the ERC, but this time, protested by Adaza — compelling the entire proceeding to be delayed for another five days.
As such, five million Meralco customers got a reprieve, thanks to Adaza, Borja and Lualhati (who wasn’t able to attend due to physical infirmities).
But trust the ERC to continue frustrating consumer advocates’ questioning and exposés of Meralco’s predatory rate hikes.
Since 2003, Meralco and ERC have been having their way in running rings around, despite roadblocks placed by the Puno Supreme Court and the Commission on Audit. This time, they have finally met the determined team that will stop them.
When BS Aquino III stepped into Malacañang, the power oligarchs’ noose tightened even more around the Supreme Court with the appointment of BS Aquino III’s justices, including Justice Lourdes Sereno who has decided in favor of Meralco in the most crucial issue of rate increases and nitpicks on consumer protectionists.
Meanwhile, on the postponed Joint Congressional Power Commission (JCPC) meet that was supposed to be jointly chaired by Sen. Serge Osmeña and Rep. Dina Abad (who was conveniently out-of-town last April to avoid its convening), there is yet no official word as to when the shelved hearing is to be re-scheduled.
The latest reports from Mindanao say the power crisis there is getting worse. Brownouts are getting longer. The cause is supposedly the rehabilitation work being done at the Agus-Pulangi, which energy officials, particularly Department of Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, left undone for two years of the BS Aquino III government, despite calls from Mindanaoans in 2010 that it was desperately needed.
Clearly, the negligence was deliberate, as the delay of the rehabilitation directly led to the power shortfalls that created the power crisis there this season.
In the wake of Mindanao’s electricity woes, government was compelled to call for a summit and schedule a convening of the JCPC. Amazingly, Mindanaoans were even blamed for this by PeNoy while the JCPC was indefinitely postponed due to a lack of quorum — this, as government losses due to the crisis have already reached P15 billion, with Mindanao’s own economy experiencing losses of up to P60 billion.
The attitude and misdeeds of all those involved in the Philippine energy sector, private power companies and the agents they get appointed to government who are horrendously corrupt and rotten — promoting oligarchs’ interests and their own “golden parachutes” — constitute a clear betrayal of the people.
How these people continue to hold on to their posts can only be explained by the complicity of the top appointing power and the corruption of money-based elections of this country.
In all sectors of the Philippine power elite, such betrayal of duty and rot is evident, as when the Senate cavalierly dismisses the plea to inhibit compromised judges; or when media practitioners irresponsibly report false information; or when police officials get involved in the murder of protected state witnesses, ad nausea.
(Tune in to 1098AM, dwAD, Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.; watch Destiny Cable GNN’s HTL edition of Talk News TV, Saturdays, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11:15 p.m., this May 12 on “Power, Manila, and Mindanao” with Bono Adaza, Al Tillah and Jojo Borja; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)
Spinners FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/11/2012
It is amazing how much spin the prosecution propagandists put into impeachment trial developments.
But they really should realize that spins no longer serve the purpose when they become outright lies.
The prosecution is not likely to admit it, but the fact that the Chief Justice, Renato Corona, agreed to testify at his trial, after the testimonies from several of his accusers, namely Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales Riza Hontiveros, Walden Bello and Harvey Keh, to name a few, will shatter its case against Corona.
This is the reason one of the prosecution spinners, Neri Colmenares, questioned why these individuals served subpoenae by the Senate court should be made to testify, claiming that this move by the defense is yet another delaying tactic..... MORE
Loving the bomb: NATO to splurge billions on nuclear weapons overhaul
The US is planning to spend $4 billion to upgrade NATO’s Western Eruopean nuclear arsenal. The “unnecessary and expensive” initiative is likely to stir new animosity with Russia, a report says.
The alliance is preparing to replace “dumb” free-fall nuclear bombs with new generation of precision-guided nuclear gravity bombs, reveals a report by the European Leaders Network (ELN), a political think tank. The new bombs will also require new delivery aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35, each costing $100 million.
The report “Escalation by Default? The Future of NATO Nuclear Weapons in Europe” is authored by Ted Seay, a former arms control advisor to the US mission at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. It points to the fact that the upgrade will target such countries as Russia and Iran, who will be the most unlikely to be overjoyed with the prospect..... MORE
URL: http://rt.com/news/us-nato-nuclear-overhaul-969/
British public sector rises up as 200,000 strike against cuts and reforms (VIDEO)
As many as 200,000 angry public sector workers staged a day of protest on Thursday, taking to the streets of London to voice their disgust at proposed government cuts.
Among the demonstrators were civil servants, lecturers, health workers, Ministry of Defence staff, and immigration officers – fueled by ministers' vows to press ahead with the controversial reforms, made clear in yesterday's Queen's Speech.
About 20,000 off-duty police officers from all 43 forces across England and Wales also took to the capital for the first police march there in more than four years..... MORE
URL: http://rt.com/news/uk-strikes-public-cuts-946/
Apocalypse not now: Mayan relic says 2012 not end of time
The discovery in a Guatemala jungle of a previously unknown version of the Mayan calendar offers humankind a ray of hope: the world is not going to end on December 21, 2012 and could most probably last for another billion years – or more.
The ancient inscription is estimated to be the oldest Mayan almanac found so far. It dates back some 1,200 years, at least 600 years older than previous examples. In many ways, however, the new calendar corresponds with others.
The initial results of its study have been published in Science magazine by experts from Boston University. They say the calendar precisely describes solar and lunar cycles, as well as the motion of the brightest stars. Most probably it was used to conduct ceremonies and rituals, synchronized with the positions of celestial bodies..... MORE
URL: http://rt.com/news/maya-calendar-guatemala-discovery-973/
It ain’t over yet NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 05/11/2012
It ain’t over yet
Just as I was about to do the second part of “On actors as National Artists, and Dolphy,” everything and anything to do the matter of Tulfo vs Santiago/Barretto at the NAIA Terminal 3 hit the fan Monday this week.
That it was headline news at the Philippine Daily Inquirer wasn’t surprising, for the aggrieved Mon Tulfo had been a long time columnist of the paper. That GMA Network’s 24 Oras, Saksi and Unang Hirit not only gave it extensive coverage but more than hinted the aggrieved Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto were not to blame was also no surprise, for husband and wife are regular talents of its soap opera department. That ABC-TV’s news and public affairs programs especially T3 were also on it was expected, as after all, wouldn’t the aggrieved Erwin, Raffy and Ben rush to defend their kapatid?
I tell you, lahat sila, aggrieved, and, hey Raymart and Claudine are said to be planning to sue Tulfo for “child abuse,” for his “acts” that allegedly “traumatized” their two young kids who were in the airport with them, when the incident took place..... MORE
Witness in the poll sabotage case vs GMA blinks 05/11/2012
Witness in the poll sabotage case vs GMA blinks
The electoral sabotage case that was slapped by the Comelec against the former leader suffered another setback as another witness appeared to have blinked, after admitting before the Pasay Regional Trial Court Thursday that she was not certain whether the voting results she had tabulated were different from those actually canvassed.
This as several hearings and more than six witnesses presented, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to link former president, incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo to the crime of electoral sabotage.
At least four hearings had already been conducted on the bail petitions filed by Arroyo, her co-accused former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan and former provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol while some six witnesses had already been presented but neither one pointed to any participation of the former president on the crime charged..... MORE
Beijing suspends RP tours, warns citizens on anti-China protest 05/11/2012
Beijing suspends RP tours, warns citizens on anti-China protest
BEIJING — China is suspending some tourism to the Philippines due to a tense territorial row between the two nations that has prompted state media to raise the possibility of war and growing anti-Chinese sentiment in Manila.
Chinese tour agencies, including Beijing’s biggest travel agency China International Tour Service (CITS), cited safety concerns for the suspension, just two days after Beijing said it was ready for “any escalation” in the row with Manila.
The month-long flare-up is one of the most high-profile incidents for years between the two countries over their competing territorial claims to parts of the South China Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits..... MORE
City hall employees complain to Erap over ‘delayed’ pays By Van C. Suarez and Pat C. Santos 05/11/2012
City hall employees complain to Erap over ‘delayed’ pays
By Van C. Suarez and Pat C. Santos 05/11/2012
Employees of the city government complaining about their delayed salaries and allowances greeted former President Joseph Estrada when he went to City Hall yesterday to obtain his Community Tax Certificate or cedula prior to filing his certificate of registration with the Commission on Elections as a voter of the City of Manila to comply with requirements on his planned bid to become the next Manila Mayor in next year elections.
The other day, Estrada formally announced that he is throwing his hat into the mayoralty race in Manila.
“I’m very particular with procedures. I want everything to be in order so I made the effort to go to City Hall and file my cedula myself,” Estrada said..... MORE
Luisita valuation issue may outlive Carper, Aquino regime 05/11/2012
Luisita valuation issue may outlive Carper, Aquino regime
The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) yesterday said the Supreme Court (SC) ruling provided President Aquino’s family, the Cojuangco-Aquinos of Tarlac, the opportunity to maneuver and maintain control over the more than 6,000 hectares Hacienda Luisita.
KMP deputy secretary general Randall Echanis said that “upon scrutiny of the decision, the Supreme Court has given the Cojuangcos the opportunity to further derail and even evade land distribution.
“The valuation issue alone on Hacienda Luisita could drag for years. It may even outlive the bogus Carper and even the Aquino regime. This case might even go back to the Supreme Court,” said Echanis..... MORE
CJ’s wife merely exercised right on libel case — counsel 05/11/2012
CJ’s wife merely exercised right on libel case — counsel
Branding as “downright malicious” the allegations of being insensitive to a deceased relative after the court awarded Cristina Corona compensation in a libel case she won against her uncle, one of the Corona’s lawyers said the wife of Chief Justice Renato Corona was merely exercising her rights.
“She just exercised her rights. That is the legal course of action of anyone whose reputation is intentionally damaged. She was the aggrieved party in this case and (she) did not go beyond the bounds of the law,” defense spokesman lawyer Tranquil Salvador III said on the various media commentaries that sprang out on the sidelines of Day 36 of the impeachment trial.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC RTC) Branch 216 clerk of court Lucita Masangkay-Cristi took the witness stand and testified that the lower court ordered the late Jose Maria Basa III, Raymunda Basa, et al to pay Mrs. Corona P500,000 as damages for the two counts of libel the latter filed and won..... MORE
Gov’t lawyers uphold legality of diplomatic immunity granted to Panamanian diplomat accused of rape 05/11/2012
Gov’t lawyers uphold legality of diplomatic immunity granted to Panamanian diplomat accused of rape
Government lawyers have upheld the legality of diplomatic immunity granted by the government to the Panamanian accused of raping a 19-year-old girl.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was merely complying with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations when it issued certification for immunity that led to the release from detention of Erick Bairnals Schcks.
“The DFA is the agency with primary competence or authority on the matter. The immunity from criminal jurisdiction accorded to Mr. Schcks under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations was indeed valid,” she told reporters in a chance interview..... MORE
Speaker calls for investigation into murder of witness under WPP By Charlie V. Manalo and Gina Peralta-Elorde 05/11/2012
DILG SECRETARY DISCLOSES YOUNGER BROTHER OF DOMINGUEZ CAR THEFT SYNDICATE LEADERS NOW A SUSPECT IN SUNDAY SLAY
Speaker calls for investigation into murder of witness under WPP
By Charlie V. Manalo and Gina Peralta-Elorde 05/11/2012
House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte yesterday expressed disgust over the killing of a witness under the protection of the government through the Witness Protection Program (WPP), saying a congressional inquiry into the controversy should be initiated by the appropriate legislative committee.
Belmonte said the murder of state witness Alfred “Bading” Mendiola and two other men is “something worth looking into as it raises serious problems in the way government is securing vital witnesses against the accused.
Mendiola was the government witness who had positively identified alleged carjacking syndicate kingpins Roger and Raymond Dominguez as the masterminds in the kidnapping and murder of car dealer Venson Evangelista last year..... MORE
Power rot DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/11/20...
Spinners FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/11/201...
Loving the bomb: NATO to splurge billions on nucle...
British public sector rises up as 200,000 strike a...
Apocalypse not now: Mayan relic says 2012 not end ...
It ain’t over yet NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-R...
Witness in the poll sabotage case vs GMA blinks 0...
Beijing suspends RP tours, warns citizens on anti-...
City hall employees complain to Erap over ‘delayed...
Luisita valuation issue may outlive Carper, Aquino...
CJ’s wife merely exercised right on libel case — c...
Gov’t lawyers uphold legality of diplomatic immuni...
Speaker calls for investigation into murder of wit...
China virus could hit oil prices by $3/bbl: Goldman - Goldman Sachs said a potential drop in oil demand from top energy consumer China due to the outbreak of a new coronavirus could hurt crude prices by about ...
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Pomegranate Film Festival – November 16 -22, 2015
The Pomegranate Film Festival, established in 2006 stems from the Toronto Chapter of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society. A group of young Armenian professionals, bound by a passion for film and culture. Now in it’s 10th year, the Pomegranate Film Festival is a unique community event celebrating Armenian inspired film.
This year over 50 fascinating films will be presented between Nov. 16-22 at the 10th edition of Hamazkayin’s Pomegranate Film Festival. Below are a dozen of particular interest (in order of appearance) as the centennial of the Genocide draws to a close. All films below will be presented at the Hamazkayin Theatre (50 Hallcrown Pl) except for THE CUT.
100 YEARS & WE’RE STILL DANCING! – Monday Nov. 16 @ 7pm – $15
The triumph of joy and dance a century later. Film screening will be complemented with a musical performance by singer/songwriter Isabella Bablumian from Brazil as well as Hamazkayin’s Erepuni Dance Ensemble doing what they do best.
ANTOURA: AFTER THIS DAY – Tuesday Nov. 17 @ 7pm – $10
Popular director Nigol Bezjian will be attending from Beirut to present his brand new film. The true tale about a Turkish pharmacist who saved hundreds of Armenian children from imminent death at the Antoura Orphanage.
ARAM, ARAM – Tuesday Nov. 17 @ 9:15pm – $10
A dramatic action film that has critics raving. Young Aram is forced to leave his peaceful life in Bourj’hammoud (Lebanon) to live with his grandfather, but must deal with the Armenian mob in Los Angeles. Director Chris Chambers, as well as actors Sevak Hakoyan & Levon Sharafyan will be in attendance for this Toronto Premiere.
WESTERN ARMENIA – Wednesday Nov. 18 @ 7pm – $10
A trio of films about Historic Armenia to be presented by activist/attorney Matthew Karanian, the author of the remarkable new travel guide HISTORIC ARMENIA. Signed copies of the book will be available for sale following the screening, a prerequisite for anyone interested in making the trek to trace their roots.
9:15pm – THE RIGHTEOUS TURK – $10
Presented by Kourken Sarkissian on behalf of the Zoryan Institute. The North American Premiere of STONY PATHS, a film that explores righteous Kurds and Turks that saved Armenian lives in 1915. Q&A with Director Arnaud Khayadjanian from France to follow the screening. Traditional Armenian folk music performance led by Harout Bedrossian prior to screening.
THE CUT – Friday Nov. 20 @ 9pm – $15
The Western Armenian version of the incredible epic film 100 years in the making. Filmed across several continents and arguably the most ambitious feature ever made about the Genocide. Legendary screenwriter Mardik Martin, responsible for MEAN STREETS and RAGING BULL, fulfilled a lifelong goal with the completion of this film and will be in attendance to receive the Golden POM lifetime achievement award at the Regent Theatre (551 Mt. Pleasant Rd.)
ANAHIT – Saturday Nov. 21 @ 1:30pm – $5
The North American Premiere of the first Walt Disney style animated feature film made in Armenia. Follow the historic tale of King Vachagan and his comical adventure to win the heart of young Anahit. Due to popular demand, it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance.
OUR ATLANTIS: The Story of Camp Armen – Saturday Nov. 21 @ 3:30pm – $10
Heart warming story about a special place in Tuzla, on the outskirts of Bolis where hundreds of Anatolian children, including Hrant Dink, regained their Armenian identity. The Camp has garnered a lot of media coverage in recent years, having been confiscated by the Turkish government. Cinematographer Tammam Hamza will be attending to make this special presentation and prove that even Armenian films can have a happy ending!
COLLECTIF MEDZ BAZAR – Gala Film – Saturday Nov. 21 with cocktails @ 7pm – $75
A collection of musicians that has taken Europe & Asia by storm will perform for the first time in North America at the 10th annual POM Gala within the milieu of a French Carnival theme under the big tent. This year’s Gala film will be the Toronto Premiere of Robert Guediguian’s light comedy ARIANE’S THREAD.
OPERATION NEMESIS – Sunday Nov. 22 @ 3:30pm – $10
A presentation of the most riveting short films commemorating the Genocide centennial in collaboration with the Armen Karo Student Association. Followed by an in depth analysis about the covert sting that avenged the deaths of 1.5 million innocent victims. Panel to feature authors Eric Bogosian (Operation Nemesis) and Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy (Sacred Justice) who will both be presenting their new books for the first time in Toronto.
WOMEN & THE ARMENIAN CAUSE – Sunday Nov. 22 @ 5:30pm – $10
North American Premiere of the film MAP OF SALVATION, the unbelievable true story about a group of Scandinavian women who helped rebuild the Armenian nation in the aftermath of the Genocide with a network of schools and orphanages in Aleppo & Beirut, laying the groundwork for today’s Diaspora. Keynote address to be delivered by Prof. Isabelle Kaprielian-Churchill and musical performance by Anahit Goudsouzian.
DON’T TELL ME THE BOY WAS MAD – Sunday Nov. 22 @ 8pm – $15
North American Premiere of Robert Guediguian’s blockbuster movie linking the assassination of Talaat Pasha by Soghomon Tehlirian to the rise and demise of the ASALA movement and the eventual founding of a new independent Armenia. Based on the true story of José Antonio Gurriarán, as depicted in his book LA BOMBA. Audience Choice Awards and special guest appearance to follow the screening.
Facebook , Twitter, YouTube
Full Festival Schedule and reserve a Festival Pass at a saving of $75 visit the website. Individual tickets can be reserved from Hovsep 416.838.4135, Nerses 647.833.4780 or Angelique 416.832.0445
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Barkley of Kansas: A Life Remembered
December 20, 2014 By Laurie Eno Leave a Comment
Barkley (aka Barky Boo) enjoyed many a year Corgi-fying his lucky family’s life. He departed for the Bridge recently, at 14, but his big personality and little legs made a permanent impression in the lives of those who loved him best.
Stacey K. recalls how Barkley came to her home after his owner passed and his grandmother was unable to care for him. Initially, he was quite skittish and scared, having learned about mean humans from his late mom’s boyfriend. “It took a long while, but he came to love and trust us. Especially me” says Tracey. “Wherever I went, Barkley was there with me.”
“Working In the kitchen was difficult because he thought he was the cleanup man. We joked about how we’d be rich if we had a dollar for every time we told Barky Boo to move out of the way!”
“When we would say grace at the supper table, he would moan along with us like he was praying too. Probably waiting for us to drop something in his general direction!”
“Barkley was a big fan of popcorn and would beg for it. Our Corgi boy was talkative, moaning and murmuring when we would pet him.”
“Barkley was a proud Daddy twice over, with his Corgi sweetheart Abby. That’s her on the sofa next to him. “He was a loving father to his offspring, all of whom went to good homes. We still keep in touch some of the owners.”
“Our kids were in 4-H and two of them showed Barkley in the dog project. I won senior showmanship with him in open class — the only time I ever showed him. He was grand champion a couple of times with the kids.”
“Barkley didn’t have a tail, but he was good at what we called the butt rumba. When he was excited, he wagged his whole back end vigorously. He gave the best hugs!”
“We babied him in his old age as long as we could, but when he went deaf and very developed painful arthritis, his quality of life meant we had to say a hard goodbye. Barkley is buried in our backyard, and our daughter made a plaque with his picture on it.”
“There are days where I miss him terribly and can’t help but shed tears, but I believe our sweet Barky Boo was reunited with his former owner, and when my time comes he will meet me as well.”
Corgi On, Barkley.
Yogi Boo of South Carolina: Short, red, handsome and available!
Bette of Virginia
Thursday Adoptables Update: Tilly!
Thursday #Corgi Adoptable: Max of Kansas!
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Home » From Florida to Howard, Andrew Gillum Looks Forward
From Florida to Howard, Andrew Gillum Looks Forward
Former Mayor Andrew Gillum Speaks at Howard University
Class is in session! @keneshiagrant invited FAMU classmate and former Mayor @AndrewGillum to guest lecturer her class, State & Local Government. ⚖️✊🏾 #CBLS2019 pic.twitter.com/2IflIreHkR
— Howard University (@HowardU) September 13, 2019
By Ashleigh Fields
Former Mayor of Tallahassee and Florida gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, has been living in a different world with a different perspective since 2000, when he first stepped foot on the campus of Florida A&M University (FAMU).
On Sept. 13, he visited Howard to share his experience with students, faculty and staff through the Cora Brown Lecture Series at the invitation of classmate and Howard professor Dr. Kenesha Grant.
Gillum’s speech began with a very emotional lead. His dream had been to attend Hillman College which became increasingly popular in the 1990’s after the hit TV show, “A Different World.”
“If you came from the kind of tradition I came from and you didn’t necessarily have the lived experience example of college attending individuals in your household, you would connect to whatever the closest thing was that gave you some sense of inspiration to that,” said Gillum. “And to me it was watching ‘A Different World.’”
However, much to Gillum’s disappointment, Hillman only existed in the realm of fantasy. And after graduating high school, he was forced to look at other options.
“FAMU was my Hillman,” said Gillum.
The school is a well respected historically black college in the city of Tallahassee, Florida. The city which would prove to be a pertinent part of Gillum’s political legacy.
“It [FAMU] gave me an experience that says if it stirs in your heart, in your spirit, in your sinew that you are destined to do something, you get out there and you actually do it,” said Gillum.
As a student, he served as president of the FAMU Student Government Association from 2001 to 2002 and was the first student member of the FAMU Board of Trustees. But deep down inside, Gillum knew that leading on his campus wasn’t enough. He wanted to make change in a larger and more impactful space. This led to Gillum becoming the youngest person elected to serve on the city commission.
“Most people didn’t think we would win that race,” said Gillum.
But he did. And the win made him want to continue his stent in politics with the objective of moving “Florida Forward.” After 11 years as a city commissioner, he decided to run for Governor of Florida in a controversial election. Gillum lost, but still gained a lot of popularity due to his engaging platform.
Former Mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum takes a selfie with Howard University professor Dr. Kenesha Grant and students.
“The other speakers in the series have been of interest to me, however, I’m more interested in Mayor Gillum simply because he serves a purposeful role in the black liberation movement by helping us gain some of our civil rights which have been denied for so long,” said senior political science major Nas Sorrell.
Many students say that Gillum has inspired them to start their own career in politics because of all the change he’s been able to create.
“Our professor was speaking so highly of him [Gillum] and what he was about and I am interested in becoming a Houston district attorney; he sparked my interest,” said sophomore political science major Skylahn Gyampoh.
The professor who started the series and invited Gillum said her goal is to have speakers inspire and encourage students. This years theme for the series is, “Young, Gifted, and Black.”
“I thought that since we’re in Washington, D.C. it should be the case that Howard University students get to hear from people who are doing work in this region; and because Howard has such a great brand many people volunteered to come,” said Grant, the creator of the Cora Brown Lecture Series.
Students who attended the speech walked away with a wealth of knowledge.
“I feel charged to do something within my community to spark change,” said freshman civil engineering major Gabrielle Booker.
Gillum stated early in the speech that his goal was to leave students with a message.
“You should want to be a living breathing example of what is possible. You can’t let people put limits on your potential,” said Gillum.
Ashleigh Fields
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Rep. Elijah Cummings Dies at 68
Howard University Students Join Climate Strike
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TN Construction Services
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National Construction Code (NCC) 2015 Free Online Access
A big leap forward for the industry, access to the Australian Building Codes – no cost!. Immediate access to the NCC 2015 Volumes One, Two, Three and the Guide to the BCA, along with a new stand-alone document that extracts the Performance Requirements of the NCC.
January 29, 2015 News, UncategorizedBy admin
Changes to QBCC legislation
Changes to QBCC legislation were announced recently that will impact the building and construction industry. Changes have been made to the following sections:
Domestic building contracts
Statutory Home Warranty Insurance Scheme
Demerit points and penalty points
Classification Summary of Buildings and Structures defined in the NCCS
Classification Summary of Buildings and Structures defined in the Building Code of Australia.
Licensing Information Statement #10 The construction of retaining walls
QBCC has developed this licensing information statement to clarify the licensing requirements for the construction of retaining walls. This information statement does not replace anything contained in the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 or the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Regulation 2003. Pursuant to that legislation, the construction of a retaining wall, greater…
Tie-down details for repair of storm damaged roofs in south east Queensland
Assessment of damage to framing The assessment of damage to structural framing members should only be undertaken by a competent person such as a registered structural engineer or a licensed builder. Where damage has occurred to trussed roofs, any assessment should be undertaken in conjunction with a registered structural engineer. Some important areas to look…
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Check out the Book Trailer for Storm Mountain! Share
A muffled whump beneath her feet cut Cat short. She looked down to see a jagged crack shoot out across the surface of the snow. . . Avalanche! The world went dark. Blocks of wet snow pummeled her from all sides. She tumbled as if tossed by a giant ocean wave. Crashing, spinning, Cat couldn't tell up from down. . . . Gagging, frantic for air, Cat grabbed blindly, pulling, swimming, clawing to get to the surface, but seemed to just sink deeper. . . . Like a fool she had walked right into the dragon's trap. . . . Stupid, she thought, as the dragon's fist closed in on her. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It's stupid, all right, and it's all Ty's fault! It was Cat's impulsive, irrepressible cousin Ty's harebrained idea to spread the ashes of their late fathers from the summit of the same treacherous mountain that had claimed both their lives. Now Cat must put all of her mountaineering knowledge to work if she and Ty are to survive Storm Mountain.
"Add believable characters, the author’s mountain-climbing expertise and a tear-jerking conclusion, and there’s plenty here for young adventure enthusiasts, especially reluctant readers who prefer brief novels with simple, action-packed plots that can be read in one big satisfying gulp." - Kirkus Review
"The pace of the novel is perfect for a young audience. The action doesn't quit. A keeper. Engrossing for any reader, any age." - Gazette Times
"A touching story about a daughter who wants to honor her mountaineer father. Will appeal to aspiring young climbers who want a taste of the big peaks. Tom Birdseye has more than 30 years of mountaineering experience, and it shows in this page-turning work." - Climbing Magazine
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Nebraska Golden Sower Award nominee
Oregon Book Award nominee
Scholastic Book Club selection
THE STORY BEHIND - STORM MOUNTAIN
In 2007 I hiked the 41-mile Timberline Trail that circles Mt. Hood in the Oregon Cascades. Halfway around, gazing up at yet another stunning view of the iconic peak, it suddenly occurred to me that although I loved mountains and scaling them, I had, in fact, never written anything with a climbing focus. What was with that? Why not combine two of my passions -- writing and the alpine realm? It was a head-slapping moment, and in it a book idea was born. By the time I got back to the car, my mind was buzzing with plot and character ideas. Still, it took months of creative incubation and playing with possibilities before the story really began to jell. Initial drafts pointed out the need for more research (aka adventures). Which, I admit, was a blast. Additional versions lead to many changes, both large and small. And more attempts. And more again. Until, at times it seemed as if I'd never finish.
The key to finally completing the novel came, fittingly, by adapting a climber's mind: "Don't obsess on the distant summit," I told myself. "Just the next step. And the step after that. And the step after that. Keep plodding persistently away and eventually you'll look up and there will no more up to scale!" Word by word, sentence by sentence, scene by scene I kept at it, until I reached the writer's summit -- THE END. Safely back down from those airy heights, I humbly offer up a mountain adventure to you . . .
Cat Taylor opened the oven door and pumped a fist in triumph. “Yes!” She grabbed a pot holder from its wooden peg, took a deep breath to steady herself, then carefully hauled a twelve-inch, homemade pizza out into the warm glow of the kitchen.
“Perfecto!” she said, surveying her masterpiece. “Thin crust, pesto sauce, black olives, and artichoke hearts. Who could ask for more?” She tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear and grinned.
Until she spotted her dog, a Husky named Mugs, sneaking around the corner. The grin dropped. “Hey, you, keep your distance,” Cat warned. “Sit.”
Mugs didn’t sit. He’d made it clear from day one that following directions was not a high priority, especially when there was food to be had. Cat figured that in another life Mugs must have been a pig -- with hollow legs. The rascal could flat-out eat. Now the greedy gleam in his eyes shined clear. He’d scarf down every last bit of her prized pizza in a heartbeat if he got the chance.
“No way,” Cat said. She put the baking sheet on the counter. “I agree that this is the best pizza in the world, but Mom made me promise not to feed you human food, remember?”
Cat waited for an answer, then caught herself and thumped her forehead with the palm of her hand. There she went again, talking to Mugs like the dog was human. Ridiculous.
Or was it? Who else was there to talk to at the end of three miles of winding, rutted gravel known as Storm Mountain Road. Trees were plentiful. People were most definitely not.
Of course she texted her friends in town, visited their Facebook pages, and chatted regularly with them on her cell. But it wasn’t the same as having a real person in front of her.
True, her mom, Hope, was usually around. A freelance software developer, she telecommuted out of her office just down the hall. Hope would instantly drop her work if Cat needed anything. She tried really hard to be Cat’s friend, and Cat appreciated the thought. But Hope wasn’t Cat’s friend. She was her mother, and there were some things -- no, actually, there were lots of things -- that Cat didn’t want to discuss with her mother.
Besides, Hope wasn’t home tonight, anyway. In an uncharacteristic move that had caught Cat completely by surprise, Hope had agreed to give a presentation at a software developers’ conference in Portland. In the past she’d always said she’d rather swim with sharks than speak in public, and yet she’d driven all the way to the city to stand up in front of hundreds of strangers. What was with that? Especially on this particular weekend in May . . . Oh, well, no matter. Bottom line: Mom wouldn’t be back until Sunday afternoon, and that left Cat with Mugs. So even if the pooch didn’t have a lot to actually say, he had a way of looking Cat right in the eye that at least gave the impression he was listening, and understood.
Now Cat leaned down and tussled Mugs’ furry, pointed ears. “It’s you and me, boy,” she said.
Mugs looked up at the countertop, where Cat had set the pizza and whined.
“Patience, Mugsy,” Cat said. “I haven’t forgotten your chow. We’re just dining late because . . . well, because we can!”
Mugs wagged his tail. Cat nodded and grinned. “Yep, we are completely, totally, absolutely in charge of our own destiny. You can gobble as much dog food as you want, and I’m going to savor this entire pizza. Then I’m going to wash it down with a Cat Taylor double-shot mocha and stay up all night if I want to!”
Mugs cocked his head and seemed to smile.
“Good boy,” Cat said. “Now let’s shake on it.” She extended her free hand. “C’mon, Mugs, shake.”
No response, as usual. Despite countless hours of effort on Cat’s part, her dog was simply not into learning tricks.
Cat sighed. “Mugs,” she said, for what felt like the millionth time, “you’re hopeless.”
Mugs answered with a lunge for the countertop and almost nabbed the pizza. Cat scooped it up, laughing. “Get back, you rascal!”
Mugs barked and lunged again.
Cat held the pizza over her head and danced around the kitchen chanting, “No pizza for Mugs! No pizza for Mugs! No pizza for --”
Bang! The knock at the front door boomed so sudden and loud, Cat almost dropped her dinner. “Whoa!”
Bang-bang-bang! The pounding echoed through the house. Mugs bayed like a hound on the hunt and dashed into the living room.
Cat shoved the pizza to the back of the counter and followed her dog, although she wasn’t sure why. Alarm bells were going off in her head. “Who is it, Mugs?” she whispered. “Who would be way out here in the boonies, especially this late at night?”
She tiptoed over to the front window and peeked around the curtain. A face loomed inches from her own, nose plastered flat against the glass, lips curled in a crazed grin.
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Killer Motive
Network: Oxygen
Subject Matter: Crime
Hosted by Stephanie Gosk and Troy Roberts, each hour-long episode of KILLER MOTIVE uncovers dark and twisted motives, from vengeance to jealousy to greed that led to gruesome killings. Gosk and Roberts each host four episodes, in which they focus on the reasons why a particular killing occurred and explore how investigators uncovered the motive in order to crack the case. From a staged suicide to a family massacre, Gosk and Roberts strive to understand each crime's motive and to shed light on what drove the killers. They conduct on-the-ground inquiries, returning to the crime scenes and sitting down with victims' friends and family, law enforcement, attorneys, psychologists, and even the killers themselves- to uncover the story of how justice was sought and ultimately attained. At the core of their investigative reporting is the pursuit of a deeper understanding of the relationships behind the horrific killings and of the psychology of the people who committed them.
On Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 7pm ET/PT, Oxygen premiered "Revenge Killings," the season finale of KILLER MOTIVE. A killer targets a town's law enforcement community. Will he be caught before he strikes again?
Stephanie Gosk - Host
Troy Roberts - Host
Produced by Peacock Productions
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Analysis of @Eleanor_Robson FOLLOWERS
@Eleanor_Robson said: My followers live in 57 countries: UK.(40%), USA(19%)... tweepsmap.com/!Eleanor_Robson Get your free map!
About @Eleanor_Robson (Eleanor Robson): Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern History, University College London • The British Institute for the Study of Iraq's voluntary Chair of Council
The top three countries where Eleanor_Robson's Twitter followers are from include UK.(40%)USA(18%)and Iraq(7%). Whearas the top three states/provinces where Eleanor_Robson's Twitter followers come from are England, UK.(33%), Baghdad, Iraq(4%) and Somewhere, UK.(4%). Finally the 3 cities where Eleanor_Robson's Twitter followers are the most from are England, UK.(33%), Baghdad, Iraq(4%) and Somewhere, UK.(4%)
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Crafty Things That You Can Recycle In Your Household
by Jane Wood
Crafty Things You Can Recycle At Home covers all the basics about recycling in your household, this is ideally meant for beginners. It shows you the importance of recycling, and how you can start in your own little ways. This e-Book also gives you a list of ways wherein you can re-use, reduce, and recycle the items you have lying in your home to turn it into something new. ...
Genre: Home & Garden, Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Environment
Free eBook download for Kindle from 21 January 2020 onward
2022 (Percipience Book 1)
by Ken Kroes
If you are comfy with just recycling your soda cans and want to continue to believe that your children and grandchildren will have roughly the same experience with this planet as you have had, then this book and the rest of the Percipience series may not be for you. Through this fast paced eco-fiction series, the author lightly touches on key points of our relationship with the planet and the growing urgency for each of us to take action to avoid a much darker future for our children.The story line of 2022, revolves around a world-wide threat made by an eco-terrorist organization and the efforts to stop them while at the same time setting up a large scale experiment for sustainable living. The book combines murder, espionage, romance and revenge into the fictional story while exploring the...
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Environment, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic
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by S.E. McKenzie
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Two Houses of Oikos: Essays from the Environmental Age
by James A. Schaefer
The 21st century represents the Age of the Environment. For the first time in the planet’s history, one species has achieved the might of a geophysical force. Thoughtful, hopeful, and thoroughly readable, Two Houses of Oikos is a journey through this pivotal age. Schaefer explores our relationship with science, the environment, economy, and living things. Two Houses assumes its title from the Greek, oikos, meaning 'house'–the linguistic roots of both 'ecology' and 'economy’. The common etymology underscores the significance of both houses for human well-being, now and into the future....
Genre: Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Environment, Sport, Fishing & Other Outdoor Pursuits
Worm Farming: How to Start a Worm Farm: Learn About Vermiculture and Vermicomposting
by Danny Gansneder
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Ranger Musings: A Collection of Adventure Stories and the Healing Power of Nature
by B.A. Woodland
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by Francesco Musco
Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment
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Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
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by Kyoji Sassa
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Climate Change Crisis 2019, No End in Sight : Green Deal Includes Donald Trump Impeachment for Fossil Fuel Lies
by Dave Masko
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Genre: Children's eBooks, Science & Maths, Environment, Sport, Fishing & Other Outdoor Pursuits
Lost for Worlds: Extinct Species Seen with Selfish Eyes
by Magnus Lewan
Does it really matter when a species goes extinct?
This book was written out of curiosity. People talk about extinctions of species as something bad and biodiversity as something good, frequently without mentioning any actual consequences for you and me or even for society or the planet. What is “biodiversity” by the way? This book tries to sort out what extinctions actually mean for you and me, and what kinds of biodiversity can be useful.
The book is full of factoids and examples–some of them dry, most of them interesting, and some of them even fun....
Genre: Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Environment
Benefit-sharing in Environmental Governance (Open Access): Local Experiences of a Global Concept (Earthscan Studies in Natural Resource Management)
by Louisa Parks
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Well-being, Sustainability and Social Development: The Netherlands 1850–2050
by Harry Lintsen
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Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change
by Melissa R. Marselle
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The Adventures Of Bizzi Bee - The Queen's Birthday
by Katie Dennington
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by Olga E. Malandraki
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Genre: Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Environment
Climate Bogeyman: The Criminal Insanity of the Global Warming / Climate Change Hoax
by M King
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by Martin van Maarseveen
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Governance for Drought Resilience: Land and Water Drought Management in Europe
by Hans Bressers
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Manual for Developing Intercultural Competencies (Open Access): Story Circles (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Darla K. Deardorff
This book presents a structured yet flexible methodology for developing intercultural competence in a variety of contexts, both formal and informal. Piloted around the world by UNESCO, this methodology has proven to be effective in a range of different contexts and focused on a variety of different issues. It, therefore can be considered an important resource for anyone concerned with effectively managing the growing cultural diversity within our societies to ensure inclusive and sustainable development.Intercultural competence refers to the skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to improve interactions across difference, whether within a society (differences due to age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, political affiliation, ethnicity, and so on) or across borders. The book serv...
Genre: Business & Finance, Economics, Education & Reference, Education, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Environment
LONAVALA : A province sunken in sorcery & malignance of subliminal Allure: Enchantments of the overwhelming Western Region of INDIA (Captivating Clouds Book 1)
by SUBHADIP SAHA
Genre: Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Socio-Environmental Dynamics along the Historical Silk Road
by Liang Emlyn Yang
This open access book discusses socio-environmental interactions in the middle to late Holocene, covering specific areas along the ancient Silk Road regions. Over twenty chapters provide insight into this topic from various disciplinary angles and perspectives, ranging from archaeology, paleoclimatology, antiquity, historical geography, agriculture, carving art and literacy. The Silk Road is a modern concept for an ancient network of trade routes that for centuries facilitated and intensified processes of cultural interaction and goods exchange between West China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. Coherent patterns and synchronous events in history suggest possible links between social upheaval, resource utilization and climate or environment forces along the Silk Road ...
Genre: History, Asia, Middle East, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Earth Sciences, Environment
Design for Sustainability (Open Access): A Multi-level Framework from Products to Socio-technical Systems (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Fabrizio Ceschin
This book discusses the most significant ways in which design has been applied to sustainability challenges using an evolutionary perspective. It puts forward an innovation framework that is capable of coherently integrating multiple design for sustainability (DfS) approaches developed so far.It is now widely understood that design can and must play a crucial role in the societal transformations towards sustainability. Design can in fact act as a catalyst to trigger and support innovation, and can help to shape the world at different levels: from materials to products, product–service systems, social organisations and socio-technical systems. This book offers a unique perspective on how DfS has evolved in the past decades across these innovation levels, and provides insights on its promi...
Genre: Arts & Photography, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment
Fishing for Sanity: A Trout Stream and a Way of Life (The Sanity Series Book 3)
by Mike Reuther
Jack McAllister enjoys what he's sure is close to a happy life in the mountains of Pennsylvania. This unconventional existence he’s carved out for himself amounts to fishing his beloved trout streams near his home with longtime pal Soothsayer, the wizened sage of the Green Spring Valley, and guiding angling clients. But his life is soon to change with the sudden appearance of a mayfly hatch. Soon, the Shad River and the whole remote valley become a destination spot for too many fly-fishers and commercial interests. By the time, an intrepid reporter, a slick and fast-talking attorney, and a lovely magazine editor enter Jack’s life, things have become more than complicated. Fishing for Sanity is an often-humorous story, capturing a place, a way of life and the inevitable changes we all f...
Going Green: The Most Comprehensive Guide To Green Home Upgrades For All Budgets
by Jiles B. O'Neal
A comprehensive guide to going green. This book will give you suggestions on how to change your home, work and vehicle in order to be more environmentally friendly. From starting a compost bin to adding solar panels to your roof, even the smallest changes can help you be more eco friendly and help the environment....
The rules have to change: Global Jurisprudence for the climate emergency
Jurisprudence gives validity to law. When the context of our physical and social environment changes, Jurisprudence also changes. Scientific validation of the causes of the climate emergency strips validity from laws and rules that are incompatible with averting climate disaster....
Genre: Professional & Technical, Law, Science & Maths, Environment
Railway Ecology
by Luís Borda-de-Água
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book provides a unique overview of the impacts of railways on biodiversity, integrating the existing knowledge on the ecological effects of railways on wildlife, identifying major knowledge gaps and research directions and presenting the emerging field of railway ecology. The book is divided into two major parts: Part one offers a general review of the major conceptual and theoretical principles of railway ecology. The chapters consider the impacts of railways on wildlife populations and concentrate on four major topics: mortality, barrier effects, species invasions and disturbances (ranging from noise to chemical pollution). Part two focuses on a number of case studies from Europe, Asia and North America written by an international g...
Genre: Business & Finance, Economics, Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Environment
Weather & Climate Services for the Energy Industry
by Alberto Troccoli
Genre: Business & Finance, Finance, Industries & Professions, Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Earth Sciences, Environment, Nature & Ecology
The Climate-Smart Agriculture Papers: Investigating the Business of a Productive, Resilient and Low Emission Future
Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Law, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Saving Wildlife: What We’ve Lost, Saved and are Losing
by Kenneth Edward Barnes
Genre: Science & Maths, Environment, Teen & Young Adult
Biodiversity of Angola: Science & Conservation: A Modern Synthesis
by Brian J. Huntley
This open access multi-authored book presents a 'state of the science' synthesis of knowledge on the biodiversity of Angola, based on sources in peer-reviewed journals, in books and where appropriate, unpublished official reports. The book identifies Angola as one of the most biologically diverse countries in Africa, but notes that its fauna, flora, habitats and the processes that drive the dynamics of its ecosystems are still very poorly researched and documented. This 'state of the science' synthesis is for the use of all students of Angola's biodiversity, and for those responsible for the planning, development and sustainable management of the country's living resources. The volume brings together the results of expeditions and research undertaken in Angola since the late eighteenth...
Genre: Business & Finance, Economics, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment
Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin (Regional Climate Studies)
by The BACC II Author Team
This book is an update of the first BACC assessment, published in 2008. It offers new and updated scientific findings in regional climate research for the Baltic Sea basin. These include climate changes since the last glaciation (approx. 12,000 years ago), changes in the recent past (the last 200 years), climate projections up until 2100 using state-of-the-art regional climate models and an assessment of climate-change impacts on terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. There are dedicated new chapters on sea-level rise, coastal erosion and impacts on urban areas. A new set of chapters deals with possible causes of regional climate change along with the global effects of increased greenhouse gas concentrations, namely atmospheric aerosols and land-cover change. The evidence collec...
Genre: Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Earth Sciences, Environment
Inorganic Constituents in Soil: Basics and Visuals
by Masami Nanzyo
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Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Environment, Physics
Ranaviruses: Lethal Pathogens of Ectothermic Vertebrates
by Matthew J. Gray
This is the first book on ranaviruses. Ranaviruses are double-stranded DNA viruses that cause hemorrhagic disease in amphibians, reptiles, and fish. They have caused mass die-offs of ectothermic vertebrates in wild and captive populations around the globe. There is evidence that this pathogen is emerging and responsible for population declines in certain locations. Considering that amphibians and freshwater turtles are suitable hosts and the most imperiled vertebrate taxa in the world, ranaviruses can have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function. Additionally, many fish that are raised in aquaculture facilities and traded internationally are suitable hosts; thus, the potential economic impact of ranaviruses is significant. Ranaviruses also serve as a model for replicatio...
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The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment: Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People
by Philippus Wester
Genre: Science & Maths, Earth Sciences, Environment, Nature & Ecology
British Columbia’s “River of No Return”: The Coquitlam River
by Henry E. Prante
Henry Prante, was a well-known crusader for the protection and preservation of the Coquitlam River,"It's unfortunate he didn't live long enough to see the Coquitlam River clean of pollution," said Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club director Al Grist. ''But I'm not sure that will happen in my lifetime either."(Later Al Grist had a fish hatchery named after him)Grist said Prante will be remembered for his love of the outdoors and the work he did to preserve the natural habitat for future generations before it be-came fashionable to do so.He said Prante played a major role in starting the Coquitlam River hatchery by bringing in the first lot of salmon eggs."Henry was very keen on salmon," he said, "and the club still gives an annual salt water salmon fishing trophy in his name."...
Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems:The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Integrated Crop and Economic Assessments ... Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation 3)
by Rosenzweig Cynthia & Hillel Daniel
“Top agricultural scientists from around the world have taken up the challenge of sustainable agriculture, with the specific focus on integrating agronomic, climatological, biophysical and socio-economic perspectives and processes. Every chapter (of the Handbook) contributes to addressing the growing food-security challenges facing the world.”Foreword by Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia UniversityClimate effects on agriculture are of increasing concern in both the scientific and policy communities because of the growing population and the greater uncertainty in the weather during growing seasons. Changes in production are directly linked to variations in temperature and precipitation during the growing season and often to the offseason changes in weather becau...
Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Environment
Size: 1160 pages
Assessing Recent Soil Erosion Rates through the Use of Beryllium-7 (Be-7)
by Lionel Mabit
This open access book is the first comprehensive guideline for the beryllium-7 (Be-7) technique that can be applied to evaluate short-term patterns and budgets of soil redistribution in agricultural landscapes. While covering the fundamental and basic concepts of the approach, this book distinguishes itself from other publications by offering step-by-step instructions on how to use this isotopic technique effectively. It covers experimental design considerations and clear instruction is given on data processing. As accurate laboratory measurement is crucial to ensure successful use of Be-7 to investigate soil erosion, a full chapter is devoted to its specific determination by gamma spectrometry. This open access contribution further describes new developments in the Be-7 technique and incl...
Genre: Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Earth Sciences, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Environmental Education in Indonesia: Creating Responsible Citizens in the Global South? (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)
by Lyn Parker
Indonesia’s wealth of natural resources is being exploited at breakneck speed, and environmental awareness and knowledge among the populace is limited. This book examines how young people learn about the environment to see how education can help to develop environmental awareness and avert vast environmental destruction, not only in Indonesia, but also in the Global South more generally. Based on in-depth studies conducted in the cities of Yogyakarta and Surabaya, complemented with surveys of students in secondary schools, Environmental Education in Indonesia examines educational curricula, pedagogy and "green" activities to reveal what is currently being done in schools to educate children about the environment. The book investigates the shortcomings in environment education, including ...
Political Ecology of REDD+ in Indonesia (Open Access): Agrarian Conflicts and Forest Carbon (Routledge Studies in Political Ecology)
by Jonas I. Hein
Indonesia’s commitment to reducing land-based greenhouse gas emissions significantly includes the expansion of conservation areas, but these developments are not free of conflicts. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of agrarian conflicts in the context of the implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and forest carbon offsetting in Indonesia, a country where deforestation is a major issue. The author analyzes new kinds of transnational agrarian conflicts which have strong implications for global environmental justice in the REDD+ pilot province of Jambi on the island of Sumatra. The chapters cover: the rescaling of the governance of forests; privatization of conservation; and the transnational dimensions of agrarian conflicts and peas...
Genre: Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
The GEO Handbook on Biodiversity Observation Networks
by Michele Walters
Biodiversity observation systems are almost everywhere inadequate to meet local, national and international (treaty) obligations. As a result of alarmingly rapid declines in biodiversity in the modern era, there is a strong, worldwide desire to upgrade our monitoring systems, but little clarity on what is actually needed and how it can be assembled from the elements which are already present. This book intends to provide practical guidance to broadly-defined biodiversity observation networks at all scales, but predominantly the national scale and higher. This is a practical how-to book with substantial policy relevance. It will mostly be used by technical specialists with a responsibility for biodiversity monitoring to establish and refine their systems. It is written at a technical level,...
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help & Counselling, Psychology, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment, Health & Fitness, Mental Health
Transforming Socio-Natures in Turkey: Landscapes, State and Environmental Movements (Routledge Environmental Humanities)
by Onur İnal
This book is an exploration of the environmental makings and contested historical trajectories of environmental change in Turkey. Despite the recent proliferation of studies on the political economy of environmental change and urban transformation, until now there has not been a sufficiently complete treatment of Turkey's troubled environments, which live on the edge both geographically (between Europe and Middle East) and politically (between democracy and totalitarianism).The contributors to Transforming Socio-Natures in Turkey use the toolbox of environmental humanities to explore the main political, cultural and historical factors relating to the country’s socio-environmental problems. This leads not only to a better grounding of some of the historical and contemporary debates on the...
Genre: History, Middle East, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
The Creation: In The Beginning (The Creation Series Book 0)
by The Behrg
In seven days, God created the world. But what happens when a new god arrives, starting The Creation over again?Deep in the jungles of the Venezuelan Rainforest a search has begun that could change the fate of humanity forever. A dying phytopharmacologist, James Dugan, will join depraved scientists and ruthless mercenaries, stopping at nothing in an effort to overcome humanity's one common enemy: Mortality.Meanwhile, plans have been laid by an eco-revolutionary group, led by rebel Faye Moanna, to put an end to the illegal deforestation taking place in the Amazon. But her true motives for going to Venezuela may compromise much more than their sociopolitical objective.Because a frightening power is stirring in the Amazon, an event beginning that only occurred once in the h...
Genre: Fiction, Religious Fiction, Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Teaming With Microbes: The Three Golden Rules That Help You Become the Best Organic Gardener
by James S. Roman
Multifunctional Land Uses in Africa (Open Access): Sustainable Food Security Solutions (Earthscan Food and Agriculture)
by Elisabeth Simelton
Genre: Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Weather: An Act of Man
by Michael Fleming
Humans are the only species willing to destroy their nest.
With their power to create and destroy life and property - some choose the wrong decision due to mental illness. These "mad scientists" who use chemical weapons on American citizens and create un-natural disasters through cloud seeding and geoengineering have ongoing mental issues that need to be solved immediately in order to prevent further harm to planet Earth... our only place to live.
David Keith, geoengineering poster-child and domestic terrorist, believes that he can "save the planet" by "spraying it with battery acid," while admitting to the murder of over 1 million individuals per year from his test-in-progress. Need I say more?...
The Circular Economy in Europe: Critical Perspectives on Policies and Imaginaries (Routledge Explorations in Sustainability and Governance)
by Zora Kovacic
Genre: Business & Finance, Biographies & Primers, Science & Maths, Environment
A Critical Approach to Climate Change Adaptation: Discourses, Policies and Practices (Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research)
by Silja Klepp
This edited volume brings together critical research on climate change adaptation discourses, policies, and practices from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Drawing on examples from countries including Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Russia, Tanzania, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands, the chapters describe how adaptation measures are interpreted, transformed, and implemented at grassroots level and how these measures are changing or interfering with power relations, legal pluralismm and local (ecological) knowledge. As a whole, the book challenges established perspectives of climate change adaptation by taking into account issues of cultural diversity, environmental justicem and human rights, as well as feminist or intersectional approaches. This innovative approach allows for analyse...
Genre: Business & Finance, Economics, Politics & Social Sciences, Science & Maths, Environment
PJ JONOTHON's A Day at The Beach
by PJ JONOTHON
Rewilding European Landscapes
by Henrique M. Pereira
Some European lands have been progressively alleviated of human pressures, particularly traditional agriculture in remote areas. This book proposes that this land abandonment can be seen as an opportunity to restore natural ecosystems via rewilding. We define rewilding as the passive management of ecological successions having in mind the long-term goal of restoring natural ecosystem processes. The book aims at introducing the concept of rewilding to scientists, students and practitioners. The first part presents the theory of rewilding in the European context. The second part of the book directly addresses the link between rewilding, biodiversity, and habitats. The third and last part is dedicated to practical aspects of the implementation of rewilding as a land management option. We beli...
Genre: Nonfiction, Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Agroecological Transitions: From Theory to Practice in Local Participatory Design
by Jacques-Eric Bergez
This Open Access book presents feedback from the ‘Territorial Agroecological Transition in Action’- TATA-BOX research project, which was devoted to these specific issues. The multidisciplinary and multi-organisation research team steered a four-year action-research process in two territories of France. It also presents:i) the key dimensions to be considered when dealing with agroecological transition: diversity of agriculture models, management of uncertainties, polycentric governance, autonomies, and role of actors’ networks;ii) an operational and original participatory process and associated boundary tools to support local stakeholders in shifting from a shared diagnosis to a shared action plan for transition, and in so doing developing mutual understanding and involvement;ii...
Genre: Education & Reference, Education, Professional & Technical, Law, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Environment, Nature & Ecology
Genre: Arts & Photography, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Music, Pop Culture, Biography & True Accounts, Ethnic, Leaders & Notable People, Professionals & Academics, Business & Finance, Biographies & Primers, Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Children's eBooks, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Nature & How It Works, Sport & Outdoors, Comics & Graphic Novels, Computing, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Programming, Crime, Thriller & Mystery, Mystery, Thrillers, Suspense, Fiction, Family Saga, Fiction Classics, Gay & Lesbian, Sea Adventures, Short
David King's Weather Almanac: A Compendium of Knowledge
by David King
Climatic and Environmental Challenges: Learning from the Horn of Africa (Corne de l'Afrique contemporaine)
by Thomas Guindeuil
In the prospect of the COP21 held in Paris in December 2015, the French Centre for Ethiopian Studies (CFEE) organised a scientific conference on environmental and climatic changes in the horn of Africa, with a decisive financial support of the Institut français (Fonds d’Alembert), Paris. The conference was part of a larger event, called “the Road to Paris” and organised by the French Embassy to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network (HoA-REC&N), Addis Ababa University, in HoA-REC&N headquarters at Gullele Botanic Gardens, Addis Ababa, from 7 to 9 April 2015. In this event, our first purpose was to set aside from the pressure of short-term and policy-oriented concerns raised by the international bureaucracies and bilateral donors, as to try to explore...
Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (OPEN ACCESS): Trade-offs and Governance (Routledge Studies in Ecosystem Services)
by Kate Schreckenberg
Understanding how to sustain the services that ecosystems provide in support of human wellbeing is an active and growing research area. This book provides a state-of-the-art review of current thinking on the links between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. In part it showcases the key findings of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme, which has funded over 120 research projects in more than 50 countries since 2010. ESPA’s goal is to ensure that ecosystems are being sustainably managed in a way that contributes to poverty alleviation as well as to inclusive and sustainable growth. As governments across the world map how they will achieve the 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, most of which have poverty alleviation, wellbeing and sustainable envi...
Genre: Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences, Urban Planning & Development, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment
Riverine Ecosystem Management: Science for Governing Towards a Sustainable Future (Aquatic Ecology Series Book 8)
by Stefan Schmutz
Genre: Business & Finance, Economics, Nonfiction, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment
Guideline for Salinity Assessment, Mitigation and Adaptation Using Nuclear and Related Techniques
by Mohammad Zaman
This open access book is an outcome of the collaboration between the Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, and Dr. Shabbir A Shahid, Senior Salinity Management Expert, Freelancer based in United Arab Emirates.The objective of this book is to develop protocols for salinity and sodicity assessment and develop mitigation and adaptation measures to use saline and sodic soils sustainably. The focus is on important issues related to salinity and sodicity and to describe these in an easy and user friendly way. The information has been compiled from the latest published literature and from the authors’ pu...
Genre: Professional & Technical, Technology & Engineering, Science & Maths, Biological Sciences, Environment, Nature & Ecology
The inland water fishes of Africa: Diversity, ecology and human use (Hors collection)
by Didier Paugy
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Home / A Dogs Life (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Book 9)
A Dogs Life (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Book 9)
06 October 2019 Cathy West 15
When Harvey Stops By Sabrina S House With Macdougal, The Dog He S Pet Sitting, He Finds Sabrina Elbow Deep In Brownie Batter She S Trying To Bake Like A Normal Teenager Without Using Her Powers But With Some Of Her Ingredients Missing And Her Electric Mixer On The Blink, Sabrina Decides To Conjure Up A Little Magical Help Suddenly, Sabrina S Mixing Spell Goes Horribly Haywire, Bouncing Into The Dining Room And Zapping Harvey And Macdougal Now Harvey S In Canine Chaos And His Voice Is Coming Out Of The Golden Retriever S Drooling Jaws With The Quizmaster On Her Case And Her Best Friend Chasing Cats, Sabrina S In The Doghouse Unless She Can Find The Trick That Will Get Rid Of Harvey S Dog Days For Good
Is a well-known author, some of his books are a fascination for readers like in the A Dogs Life (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Book 9) book, this is one of the most wanted Cathy West author readers around the world.
Cathy West
15 thoughts on “A Dogs Life (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Book 9) ”
Rottgrl88 Rottgrl88 says:
[Reading] ➿ A Dogs Life (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Book 9) By Cathy West – Ultimatetrout.info
This was an awesome story The writing style was good and the personalities of the characters from the television show from which this series was adapted rang true Sabrina s love interest, Harvey, accidently becomes a dog and Sabrina has to do her best to get him changed back to normal The comedy is great and the nostalgia factor is there for all 90 s kids This is a series I would recommend.
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa
What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815 - 1848
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
Washington's Crossing
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945
Parting the Waters: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-63
A Stillness at Appomattox
Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World
The Radicalism of the American Revolution
Polio: An American Story
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
Embers Of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam
Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898
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Faces of US: Raquel Miller
Community Faces of US
November 4, 2019 November 4, 2019 USM Free PressLeave a Comment on Faces of US: Raquel Miller
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer
Many college graduates might feel the pressure and stress associated with not knowing how to incorporate their passions into a career. For USM alumnus, Raquel Miller, it has been about making more room for her creativity and passions. Specifically, making more room for art in her life. College can be a helpful guide in discovering one’s path in life. However, after college, it is up to the individual to use those fundamentals to nourish and build on their creative passions.
Miller was an English major with a Spanish minor and graduated in 2017. “I use the tools and the skills that I got from my English major and Spanish minor in my artistic practice,” Miller said.
During the art course, Drawing and Media Strategies, taught by Michael Shaughnessy, Miller became excited and inspired to pursue a career in art. “The course was pivotal in showing students how they can be a practicing artist and encourage them to focus on the exploring process of making individual artwork,” Miller said.
Towards the end of her academic career, Miller had classes with painting instructor, Jim Flahaven, where she was able to work in the painting studio. “In that class, it was more about you creating your work… Flahaven is not teaching you how to paint… you are now just making your paintings based on your ideas and concepts,” Miller explains.
As Miller continued her art exploration she came to realize that her art style leans more towards abstract than realism. “In classes, I felt the inclination to create self-portraits wasn’t initially understood, especially when I didn’t make them 100% realistic,” she said. Miller was advised to better her drawing skills so she could create realistic self-portraits but didn’t feel right to her.
After graduating in December 2017, Miller worked hard and endlessly in creating her website, raquelpmiller.com. It took her about a year before she felt it was good enough to share with the public. “I had the basic up on the website for like 6 months, but it took me a year to get it to a point where I wanted to share it,” she said.
In Miller’s pursuit of trying to make more room for art in her life, she began working as a painting instructor at Muse Paintbar and as a sales associate at Artist & Craftsman Supply Co.
Besides selling her artwork independently and through Muse, Miller has been showing her work around Biddeford. Earlier this year, in January, Miller was able to showcase her work at the art space, Engine. “Having my work shown was rewarding to see… I caught a moment with two people physically making a point to squat and look at it…seeing someone make an effort to look and discuss, point and interact was so cool,” Miller said. She has also had her artwork displayed at Pinecone and Chickadee in Portland.
Showing artwork to the public can be a very daunting experience for artists. Miller explains that submitting her artwork to art spaces that are open to everyone is helping her get more comfortable putting her artwork out there for the public to see. “In a sense, it’s like me putting myself out there… and like my vision… my story… like my literal self out there for people to view,” Miller said.
“There is this pressure to create a piece that is well received,” Miller explains. “Then that creates an idea and image of what all my other pieces will be like.”
Like any other inspiring artist, Miller deals with the fear of rejection. To not let fear get in her way of becoming more comfortable and growing as an artist, she submits her artwork to places that are open to all artists. However, she tries to challenge herself by submitting art pieces to publications and applying them to a residency. Although she didn’t get accepted to the publication and residency Miller decides to look at the process as a learning experience.
“I’m still trying because there is no harm in trying… I’m still making art… I’m not letting myself fall stagnant… I make art every single day and it might be small but I’m still making something every day,” Miller said.
Moving forward in this career path, Miller reminds herself to trust her gut, try new things, and not let her ideas get clouded by outside voices. As she articulates in her artistic statement, “I create to heal… my work aims to connect the moments in my life, representations of myself, and repressed emotions in a way to make sense of trauma, pain, and loss, turning it into something greater.”
@Umemeportland garners massive student support
Taking anxiety by the reins
USM Free Press
From empty space to “food forest” – new project alters face of USM Portland commons
September 2, 2013 USM
New student space opens at USM after Gorham stores consolidate
Divest UMaine pushes ahead, strives for more student involvement
September 16, 2013 USM
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/ Travel
Exotic holidays
Exotic holidays >
Thailand safer for tourists than Europe and the US?
Amongst fears of travelling to Thailand due to the unstable context of social unrest, tourists are now warned that travelling to any destination in Europe and US is in fact more dangerous than the Southeast Asian kingdom.
Tourism boss William Heinecke called in an open letter to downgrade the alarming warnings against travelling to Thailand. The CEO of Minor International, one of the largest tourism agency of Thailand, warned that by depriving the country of the much needed financial resources brought upon by tourism may affect livelihoods of thousands of families.
In his open letter, printed on The Nation on Sunday, Mr Heinecke also explained how unrest is anyway limited to certain areas of Bangkok, while the rest of the city, according to him, remains absolutely safe. Safer, indeed, of most European and North American metropolis, where you are more likely to get harmed than in any Thai location, where people are “are extremely welcoming of tourists”.
Mr Heinecke added: “Tourists have never been a target in the protests and to this end all airports in Thailand remain fully operational and hotels and tourist attractions across the Kingdom continue to welcome guests as usual.”
Doubts remain though as violence in the capital escalated during the weekend leaving five dead people on the streets, three of which were unfortunately children.
On Saturday, a shooting in Trat province left dozens wounded and one dead. In the region, about 180 miles east of Bangkok, protesters were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in rally in an outdoor dining area. The victim, a five-year-old girl, is understood to have been shot dead by gunmen while standing near her father’s food stall.
PHOTO GALLERY Thailand 2014 Photo Gallery
Yesterday, a grenade attack near Bangkok's Central World shopping mall injuried 21 people and killed a mother and her two children, a boy of 4 and a girl of 6, who, again, were not taking part in the protests.
Travel warning for Thailand raised by Australian authorities
Guide to Thai cuisine
The world's best relaxed beach breaks
The weather in Thailand
Holidays to Thailand: where to go
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VM projects currently available:
Species information projects:
VultureMAP | FrogMAP | Weaver research | ADDO (African Dragonflies and Damselflies Online)
Other Citizen Science projects managed by or in partnership with the FIAO:
AFRING | BIRP: Birds in Reserves | CAR: Bird Roadcounts | CWAC: Waterbirds | MyBirdPatch | rePhotoSA | SAFRING: Bird Ringing | SABAP2: Bird Atlas 2
Citizen Science Journal:
Biodiversity Observations
Other Project Web Sites:
LepiMAP | FrogMAP | African Odonata |
Bird Pictures Archive
Date started: 2012-08-08 16:17:27
BirdPix curates interesting and important photos of birds. There are no particular constraints on what can and cannot be submitted, apart from needing the locality information. It is an excellent place to deposit photos of species which are out of their normal ranges. For atlasers, it can be used to keep the photos of species for which “Out of Range Forms”? (ORFs) were generated. For bird ringers, it can be used to store photos of birds in the hand which were for some reason interesting: for example, pictures showing unusual patterns of wing moult, plumage variation with age and sex, etc. Records submitted to BirdPix will be included as incidental records for mapping bird distributions.
Birds with Odd Plumages
Birds with all sorts of unusual plumage variations are observed from time to time. Nowadays, with digital photography, pictures of these birds are frequently available. BOP (Birds with Odd Plumage) aims to provide a place where the photographs can be curated into one database. Any bird with any unusual plumage characteristic qualifies for inclusion in the virtual museum. This will provide the opportunity to look for patterns. Do certain species have abnormal plumage more frequently than others? Do unusual plumage patterns occur more in some places than in others?
Atlas of Dung Beetles in southern Africa.
The dung beetles are the family Scarabaeidae within the order Coleoptera, which contains all the beetles. DungBeetleMAP is a project which the ADU is doing in collaboration with Professor Clarke Scholtz and the Scarab Research Group at the University of Pretoria. The expert panel for DungBeetleMAP is drawn from this research group. Dung beetles play a critical roles in both natural and agricultural landscapes; they process the dung of both wild and domestic animals, consuming it and burying it. They are responsible for a key ecosystem service.
If photographs of beetles belonging to other families within the Coleoptera are uploaded to DungBeetleMAP, they will (for the time being) be identified only to family. Hopefully, some time in the future, separate projects will start for these other families.
Atlas of African Echinoderma
Echinoderms (starfish, sea-urchins, brittle-stars and their kin) are conspicuous and attractive marine animals, frequently photographed by divers. Although many can be identified from photographs, no comprehensive guide to South African species exists, making it difficult to accurately identify images. The fauna is also poorly know, making it very likely that divers will encounter species new to the region, or even to science. This site aims to collate all available images of echinoderms from South Africa, thus building up a comprehensive identification guide, as well as mapping the ranges of each species. Images of all South African echinoderms are welcomed and all contribute equally towards a better understanding of the distribution patterns of these fascinating creatures.
Atlas of freshwater fish in southern and eastern Africa.
FishMAP is a Virtual Museum project aiming to: (1) map the current distribution of the fresh water fish occurring in Africa, tentatively, the FishMAP region includes Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia and the countries to the south and east of them; and (2) to serve as a repository of all existing distribution data for this group in the geographic extent of the project.
Frog Atlas of Southern Africa
Date started: 2010-09-20
Web page: http://adu.org.za/frog_atlas.php
FrogMAP is a citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of Amphibians on the African continent. FrogMAP is building the 21st century distribution maps for Africa's frogs. FrogMAP is the continuation of the Southern African Frog Atlas Project (SAFAP). It aims to build on the distribution data collected during seven years of fieldwork (1996-2003), plus earlier data compiled from museum records, private collections, the literature and conservation agencies. SAFAP data was used for the 2003 red listing of all frog species of the region, the results were published in the book Atlas and Red Data Book of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, published by the Smithsonian Institution, USA.
Atlas of African Neuroptera and Megaloptera
The Neuroptera and Megaloptera are collectively loosely termed the "lacewings." Hence the name LacewingMAP. This is a somewhat obscure group of insects, and this project is an ideal way to sensitize everyone to their existence. Are lacewings good or bugly? They are one of nature's best all-purpose predators. They control aphids. So when you make a list of "ecosystem services" (the stuff we get for free from the planet) don't leave off the lacewings. We are doing this project in collaboration with Dr Mervyn Mansel, University of Pretoria, and a world leader in lacewing research.
Atlas of African Lepidoptera
Date started: May 2007
Web page: http://lepimap.adu.org.za
Lepimap is a citizen science project which aims to determine the distribution and conservation priorities of butterflies and moths on the African continent. LepiMAP is building the 21st century distribution maps for Africa's butterflies and moths.
LepiMAP is a joint project of the Animal Demography Unit (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town) and Lepsoc, The Lepidopterists' Society of Africa. It is the continuation of SABCA, the Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment.
Virtual Museum of African Mammals
Date started: July 2010
Web page: http://mammalmap.adu.org.za/
MammalMAP The Animal Demography Unit at UCT and the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria are collaborating to develop the MammalMAP, the Mammal Atlas of Africa. The Cape Leopard Trust was a key catalyst in initiating this project. The objective of MammalMAP is to generate 21st century distribution maps for all of Africa’s mammals.
MammalMAP consists of digital photographic records of mammals along with accurate geographical coordinates of where the pictures were taken. MammalMAP is limited to wild (or feral) mammals. So domestic animals are excluded, and so is Homo sapiens. But the golden rule that applies is: If in doubt, submit.
Atlas of South African Mushrooms
Interest in mushrooms is mushrooming. Mushrooms are somehow mysterious, appearing and disappearing. MushroomMAP aims to help solve one of the big mushroom mysteries: "How are they distributed?" Even within South Africa this information is remarkably incomplete. This Virtual Museum project focuses on the "macrofungi", the mushrooms (and other fungi) that are more than about 5 mm in size. This is the same cut-off as used by Marieka Gryzenhout in her guidebook "Mushrooms of South Africa" published by Struik Nature. In her book, she describes the distribution of many species "widespread." So MushroomMAP provides the opportunity to make a real contribution to our understanding of the distribution of this fascinating component of biodiversity.
Odonata Atlas of Africa
Date started: 22-Sep-2010
OdonataMAP is a Virtual Museum project aiming to: (1) map the current distribution of the insect Order Odonata, i. e. Dragonflies and Damselflies, occurring in Africa; and (2) to serve as a repository of all existing distribution data for this group in the geographic extent of the project.
To participate in the Odonata VM you need to be a registered ADU observer. Close-up photographs of dragonflies or damselflies, along with date and locality information, including geographic coordinates are submited to the VM in the data upload section (available to logged users). The Virtual Museum allows you to upload a maximum of three images per record.
Please take the GPS coordinates as accurately as possible; alternatively you can also find your position on the Google Map available in the upload page, but this may be difficult if you are away from good landmarks.
Atlas of African Orchids
Web page: http://orchidmap.adu.org.za
Orchids are a charismatic and diverse family of flowering plants. With over 470 species in South Africa alone and more than 3300 species throughout Africa and Madagascar, we have a rich orchid flora. However, in recent years the collection of traditional herbarium specimens has been declining and our understating of where orchids are found is becoming ever more outdated. OrchidMap aims to reverse this trend with the help of orchid lovers. By submitting photos of orchid along with details of where and when the photo was taken, you can help us to improve our understanding of the distribution of South African and African orchids. OrchidMap is interested in distributions and flowering times of all orchids in Africa, Madgascar and the Western Indian Ocean Islands including naturalised or wild growing exotic species.
Photos of Weaver Nests
Web page: http://weavers.adu.org.za/
PHOWN (Photos of Weaver Nests) is a conservation project aimed at determining the distribution of colonies or nests of all weaver species globally. Counting weaver nests and taking photos allows monitoring of changes in weaver breeding effort. Many weavers are common while some weaver species are threatened; this project provides an easy way of monitoring them.
PHOWN is a project of the Animal Demography Unit (Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town).
Reptile Atlas of Africa
Date started: 10 May 2005
Web page: http://sarca.adu.org.za
ReptileMAP is the continuation of the Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment (SARCA). It aims to improve our understanding of the diversity and distribution of reptiles in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, and thereby make possible an improvement in the conservation status of these animals.
ReptileMAP also aims to improve public awareness of the value and plight of reptiles and also provide goverment agencies with a clear definition of conservation priorities that will help them to plan their activities.
marmaris excursions dalaman airport transfers
Atlas of African Scorpions
Scorpions are conspicuous and attractive terrestrial animals, and are frequently photographed. Images of all African Scorpions are welcomed and all contribute equally towards a better understanding of the distribution patterns of these fascinating creatures.
Scorpions have captivated much interest by scolars by their great antiquity and the amazing suite of biochemical, physiological, behavioral, and ecological adaptations that have combined to ensure their continued success over the past 450 million years.
Scorpions have a wide geographical distribution and live on all major land masses except Antarctica. Although some species are quite specific in (micro)habitat requirements, many exhibit a high degree of plasticity in habitat use. However, the distribution of most species is poorly known and in most cases it is based on a handful of museum records.
Atlas of African Spiders
SpiderMap is an online repository for photographic species distribution records for this important group of arthropods. Spiders make up the largest proportion of terrestrial invertebrate diversity after the insects and the mites, and they play a significant role as predators in ecosystems. Several initiatives are currently under-way to map spider distributions, and SpiderMap aims to complement these by encouraging submissions from the ADU Citizen Scientist community. Records will be directed to the South African National Survey of Arachnida once identified.
Regarding identification of spiders, particularly the Aranaemorph, which in most cases are impossible to identify beyond family level from photographs. More precise identifications will be provided when the relevant experts are able to look at the submissions, however, there is a lack of experts to fulfill this difficult task.
Virtual Tree Herbarium (TreeMAP)
Instructions for the Virtual Tree Herbarium:
Most trees can be identified with photographs of their bark, their leaves and their flowers and/or fruit. Try to take pictures of all of these, from the same tree. The Virtual Museum allows you to upload a maximum of three images per record. If you are a tree expert, and you know that a photograph of a particular feature provides certain identification, then you can upload just that picture into TreeMAP.
Please take the GPS coordinates, as accurately as you are able, as close to the tree as feasible. You can enter these into TreeMAP in three formats (decimal degrees DD.DDDDD, degrees and decimal minutes DD MM.MMM, and degree minutes and decimal seconds DD MM SS.S). You can also find your position on the Google Map, but this may be difficult if you are away from good landmarks.
If you are walking a transect, the strategy we would suggest you adopt is to take a set of photographs of each species you encounter. Feel free to repeat a species if about a kilometre has passed since last you photographed it.
VultureMAP
VultureMAP .. etc. Records submitted to BirdPix/VultureMAP will be included as incidental records for mapping bird distributions in SABAP2.
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FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town
This work, except photographs, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright of images uploaded into the Virtual Museum remains with the photographers.
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Excerpt from Offspring, by
Michael Quadland
By TNB Fiction
I lie under a stack of blankets. Day-old briefs hug my thighs. My fist makes a miniature vibrating tent of the knobby wool. I should get a life!
I’m due at the New York Hospital Fertility Clinic in half an hour. My Raleigh three-speed stands ready to hustle me to Sixty-Eighth Street and York Avenue, about as far across town as you can get from this one-room walkup at the corner of Fifty-Seventh and Tenth. Yes, I donate my semen. Though it isn’t exactly a donation. I get paid thirty bucks a shot, so to speak. I need the money and childless couples need…well, me. A pretty straight-forward transaction, you might say, with the added satisfaction of helping somebody out in a cosmic sort of way. Though I have a bad feeling about it sometimes, like this morning, the vague sense that I’m doing something wrong, and one day it’ll all catch up with me.
Maybe it’s the idea of charging for something that should be the natural outcome of a good time, even love. Or maybe it’s the thought of a bunch of kids running around with dark wavy hair and eyes that sometimes read gray, sometimes green, like mine. What if two of them met some day and fell in love, not knowing they’re half-brother and sister? Or what if I saw one of my obvious offspring on the street twenty years from now? I’d have this weird feeling, and he—or she—would look through me like I wasn’t even there.
I think about these things.
My clock radio buzzes to life with the news that Nixon and Brezhnev are meeting in Moscow to discuss nuclear disarmament, which they’ve been sparring about for weeks now. And OPEC is ending the oil embargo it put in place after the Yom Kippur War. Maybe now my landlord will consider filling the tank and cranking up the heat.
The inch of snow that accumulated on the window sill overnight is already dotted with soot. A truck downshifts on Tenth Avenue, five dingy floors below. I imagine the smell of its pluming exhaust, half noxious-half enticing, like cheap perfume. In the three years I’ve lived here, I’ve learned to tell the time of day by the traffic sounds. The morning rush hour starts at six with the belching semis and switches to honking taxis an hour and a half later. That continues until about nine-fifteen, or maybe later. Depends. Tuesdays in winter, like this one, are quiet. And cold. I take a guess—7:25—and lean over to my Big Ben windup, which serves as backup for the radio, it’s metallic tick hardly even noticeable anymore. I’m shy three minutes. Can’t quibble with that.
I adjust the radio’s Formica case to line up with the Big Ben which evenly straddles a crack in the floor. A sense of order can get you through sometimes.
I pick up where I left off with the pumping, working at what should be fun. The cracked ceiling overhead, a parchment map of water stains from the roof, sparks thoughts of traveling ancient roads to some remote village, a place I would call home, a concept I find elusive. Fact is, this dump feels more like home than Vermont ever did. I like New York. So why would I think about leaving? Because I can, I guess. Because there’s not that much holding me here, because restless is my middle name.
Home, a fifth floor walkup, basically a tenement. The hot water’s as iffy as the heat. Druggies use the dim area under the first-floor stairway to consummate their deals. So does the occasional prostitute. Glad somebody’s consummating something around here.
I peak under the blankets. You can’t really blame my dick for feeling put upon.
Three years ago, fresh off the bus from debriefing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I took this place so I could live alone, a priority after a year-long stint in Vietnam, where you’re never out of sight of somebody, friend or foe, twenty-four/seven. Since I was a kid, I’d heard stories about New York City. My mom had lived here when she was in her twenties. That was 1954, when New York was as upbeat as the two-way traffic on Fifth Avenue and the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers. She had landed a secretarial job, met my father, had me and gotten divorced, all in the space of two years. Ended up outside Bennington, Vermont, with a couple of hundred bucks and a cache of thwarted dreams. I sometimes wonder if I’m headed in that direction, myself. Of course, you have to have dreams before they can be thwarted.
These thoughts are not doing much for the task at hand, so to speak.
Plenty of nights, I drifted into sleep listening to stories of skyscraper canyons and psychedelic streets, of a place called Times Square, where the lights never dimmed, where theaters lined up one after the other like used cars—take your pick. Since she was a girl, my mom had dreamed of being an actress, but the dad I never met got in the way of all that. Men got in the way of lots of things, according to her, though I can’t really see her letting that happen. Still, the idea of disillusionment probably settled into my heavy-eyed half-sleep and made me cautious of ever giving my own ambition free range. But the thought of living in New York City stuck with me and when I left North Carolina, this is where I headed.
The first thing I noticed, stepping out of the Port Authority bus terminal onto Eighth Avenue, was the tantalizing scent of exhaust, sweat and fast food, all jumbled together and spilling onto the street like an overflowing trash can. For a couple of weeks, I just wandered, rubber-necked, ate hot dogs and apples from street vendors and took it all in. Then I found this walkup advertised in the Village Voice. I was fine with the seedy neighborhood, the stink of piss in the alley, the occasional early-morning fight outside the bar on the first floor-—the ‘top Light,’ once the ‘Stop Light’, before its neon S burned out. I was in Manhattan, which was one very long way from Southeast Asia and as unlike Vermont as pineapples are snowplows.
I take up the pumping. The radio announcer reports the date, Friday, February 4, 1974, and the temperature in Central Park, thirty-four degrees. I figure my room is maybe ten degrees warmer. Less cold. I blow on my fingers and wrap them back around. Cold must be a natural form of birth control. Turn down the heat in suburbia—end of population crisis, oil shortage, beleaguered moms, frazzled dads.
Twenty-three minutes to delivery time. I’ll be late if I don’t get something going here pretty soon.
Those first weeks, I pulled scraps of the previous tenant’s underwear out of gaps around the window and attached weather-stripping to the dry-rotted casing. Washing the glass with a wet sock, I leaned out over the city, fired up by its big dirty anonymity. “Hey!” I yelled to nobody in particular, “It’s me, Hank Preston. I made it!”
For most of that first month, I stripped wallpaper, yanked up layers of cracked linoleum and painted the walls and woodwork and floors all an optimistic white. I adopted an easy chair from the street and a baggage cart on iron wheels which, with the addition of a futon, made a sofa-bed I can push around with my foot, following the light from the window. I made the place mine, though everything had somebody else’s imprint on it. So much the better. I like a sense of history. I keep the place neat as a military barracks. The easiest thing about boot camp for me was keeping my gear in perfect order. Growing up in Vermont, the more chaotic things got—and they got pretty crazy sometimes—the neater my room became. In three years here, I’ve nearly filled one wall with used books, sorted alphabetically by author, and a collection of playbills sorted by date of performance.
I inherited this love of theater, of course, from my mom, who used to drag me to summer stock performances around New England, way back when I had to strain to see over the seatback in front of me. My particular fascination with plays, to this day, is a little weird. Instead of hanging on the action or looking for hidden meaning in the dialogue, my heart’s in my throat thinking how brave the actors are to put themselves out there like they do. I pretty much always fall in love with the ingénue, though she, of course, only has eyes for her leading man with the great voice and the perfect hair.
Maybe it’s the thought of the ingénue, but with a couple of quick strokes, my hard-on rises, finally, like an Atlas missile and I have a lift-off. I fumble with the little vial the clinic provides for transport, as a paltry stream of cum worth the price of a week’s groceries dribbles over my thumb and forms a viscous puddle on my belly. I scoop up all I can and jam on the lid. Vial-ent sex!
My feet hit the icy floor. I pull on my jeans and reach for a flannel shirt and two sweaters, all lodged inside each other like firemen’s garb. I tie my spit-polished boots and stuff the vial into my shirt pocket, where it’ll stay warm against my chest. Parka zipped, knitted cap pulled down around my ears, I shoulder my bike, step into the hallway and double-lock the door with a barely audible click. I take the four flights to the street two steps at a time. Nothing I hate more than being late.
Fifty-Seventh Street lags with cross-town traffic, the night’s precipitation ground into a thick gray ooze that clogs my tire treads. I ease into a lane of yellow cabs, the occasional paneled truck, a stretch limo. A damp wind whips off the Hudson providing a much-appreciated eastward shove at my back. I turn north on Eighth Avenue to Columbus Circle and into Central Park, where a morning haze shimmers in skeletal trees. My frosty brake rubbers whine. I imagine myself a dad, carrying his kid, a tiny warm package wrapped in Eskimo blankets, home to his mom, a former Miss Alaska with a white-as-snow smile and ebony hair. She has a hot walrus stew on the fire and can’t wait to climb naked under a bear skin with the man of her dreams.
Of course, I’ll never see the potential kid I’m carrying against my chest. Or the mom, either.
I take the Seventy-Second Street exit from Central Park and pedal my butt to the East Side. It’s six minutes after eight as I pull up to a Gothic stone building at the east end of Sixty-Eighth Street. Damn! The first time in three years I’m late.
Every Manhattan neighborhood has its own particular character, I’ve noticed. Here, it’s the sense of distinction that emanates from the giant hospital buildings, majestic yet austere in the gray morning light. The sidewalks are cleaner than where I live, which isn’t saying a whole lot. This is a real neighborhood, not a tasteless collection of tenements and warehouses that have nothing to do with each other, despite their proximity. The dampness off the East River carries the vague scent of coffee, absurdly homey.
I shoulder my bike and pull open the building’s heavy bronze door, my legs wobbly as rubber. Warm yellow light spills from the resting elevator to my right. The marble stairway looms to my left. Dr. McAvery, the clinic director, told me to always take the stairs, no matter what, never the elevator. But he’s probably never had to haul a bike up four flights, his fingers and toes half-frozen, running late. I look from the elevator to the stairway, elevator-stairway, warm-cold, light-dark, like I’m taking in the tennis at Forest Hills.
I duck into the elevator and press five, noticing a warm wetness against my chest. I run my fingers up under my sweater. The vial is turned on its side and leaking into my shirt pocket. As I right it, a woman’s leather-gloved hand interrupts the door’s closing. She hustles inside, glances from my face to where my arm juts under my sweater, and presses five, though its indicator is already lit. She turns her back to me. I take in her auburn hair, her fresh citrus fragrance, the tension in her body, visible even under the mink coat, which I can’t help wishing were wool. I‘ve always believed those scurrying little mortals should be allowed to keep their own coats. Obviously this woman doesn’t, which might be fine if I didn’t strongly suspect, if I weren’t somehow completely convinced and therefore panicked to realize, that she is to be the recipient of my sperm. That is, if it hasn’t all leaked onto my chest by now.
Heat rises to my face. I look down at my faded jeans, my boots soaked with slush. Clearly I belong on the stairs. At least there’s no mirrored wall to reflect our images to each other, though I know hers pretty well already—the heavy eye liner, the lipstick-lined pucker, the forced calm. Has she sensed who I am? Will she tell Dr. McAvery she met a waif in the elevator who smelled of semen and a shortage of showers? I glance at the floor numbers advancing overhead, feeling guilty, and, I have to admit, curious.
Neither of us risks another glance. My bike tire drips. The mink glistens in the overhead light. I imagine touching the short hairs at the nape of her neck, so vulnerable and sweet. Should I tell her I know who she is and suggest that it’s not too late for one of us to turn back, that we don’t have to plague ourselves with the “birth parent” image already fixed in our brains? But I say nothing, of course.
The elevator slows to five. The door slides open and she darts to the right. I step into the hallway behind her, my bike pressing into my shoulder. Her legs are muscular, athletic. Her heels click the terrazzo floor like a tap dancer’s. Her lemony fragrance lingers. I lower my bike and recheck the vial. As she pulls open the clinic door, her eyes dart back to me. She grins and—I will wonder, later, if I made this up—winks. The corners of my mouth twitch into the beginning of a grin as she disappears inside.
Feeling weirdly bereft, I make my way to the clinic’s rear entrance. Now I really get why McAvery insisted on the stairs. He knew how strange it would be for a donor to run into the mother of his potential offspring, to picture her stomach swelling to the size of a basketball, to imagine the sweet little shared likeness evolving from this cold morning moment. And what about her, seeing the dad who’s not really the dad but just a stand-in for the dad she wishes was able to make her a mom? Yeah, McAvery had his reasons all right.
He’s waiting for me at the back entrance, dispenses with his usual friendly greeting and ignores my apology, as much of a rebuke for my tardiness as the old man can muster. “There might be a problem,” I say, reaching under my sweater for the vial. “I think it leaked.” I hold up my sweater for him to see.
He glances at the wet spot, then takes the little canister and holds it up to the light. “It’ll do,” he says, handing me three tens.
“You sure?” I ask him.
McAvery raises an eyebrow in my direction as he slips the vial into the pocket of his long white coat.
I picture the semen dripping from my semi-stiff dick half an hour ago, the frigid cross-town ride, the demeaning glance of the woman in the elevator, and this crazy longing comes up in me. I want McAvery to hug me. I want him to say I’m doing a decent thing, that I shouldn’t always be worrying about everything the way I do.
“Is there anything else?” he asks me.
I blink into the florescent light and shake my head.
“I’ll be in touch, then,” he says, turning back into the clinic and closing the door behind him.
I remove my handkerchief from my back pocket and wipe down my bike, recalling the tour of the clinic McAvery gave me during my interview three years ago. I noticed a bulletin board by the front desk, pinned with baby photographs—the clinic’s proud successes. “We should move along,” he said. But I lingered there, taking in that array of cherub faces, homely little angels with drunken eyes, trapezoidal heads and wacky hair. “Donors come and go, Hank,” he said, chuckling and leading me away.
What if this donation business is just some sort of hedge against the worry that I might never have a family of my own? Pathetic as it sounds, the only girlfriend I ever had was in tenth grade, and she only lasted two months. I couldn’t even maintain her interest long enough to bring her to my birthday party, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The guy my mother was seeing at the time was there, along with a couple of his drinking buddies and a woman whose breath smelled like dated hamburger. I was always uneasy about inviting my friends to our house, few as they were, so the celebration wouldn’t have had much to do with me anyway. Still, I remember sitting in my mother’s lounger by the night-blackened picture window and thinking about the girl who’d somehow singled me out that fall. What had she found desirable in me? And what had I done to change her mind? That week, she had steered around me at school like I had BO or wicked acne, or something worse I hadn’t even considered.
My birthday cake had been lifted out of its windowed box and set on the counter. While my mother searched for candles she swore she remembered seeing in a drawer, the woman with the meat breath stole a swipe of icing off the side of the cake. She looked across the room divider at me and shrugged as she sucked her finger. For some reason, this had made me miss my no-longer girlfriend all the more.
I hoist my bike to my shoulder now and take the four flights down to the front door. Maybe the mink-clad redhead will make a good mother. Who knows about these things?
Michael Quadland grew up in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University and a PhD in psychology from New York University. In addition to his private psychotherapy practice, he taught human sexuality at Mt Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and consulted with various private and governmental organizations about AIDS prevention and the emotional-psychological aspects of the disease. He has published many articles in professional journals about AIDS and sexuality. The Los Angeles Times published his nonfiction article, “A Red X,” about the death of a friend.
Quadland left AIDS work in 1995, reduced the size of his psychotherapy practice and restored an eighteenth century farmhouse in Connecticut, doing much of the work himself. His first novel, THAT WAS THEN was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in 2007. His second novel, OFFSPRING, came out March 1, 2012. Quadland also paints, and has three shows coming up in Spring 2012. He lives in Litchfield, Connecticut.
Adapted from Offspring by Michael Quadland. Copyright © 2012 by Michael Quadland. With the permission of the publisher, Red Hen Press.
TAGS: Michael Quadland, new book, new literature, new writing, novel excerpt, Offspring, second novel, TNB excerpts
TNB FICTION is proud to showcase book excerpts and original short fiction from some of the finest writers in the world. Features have included work by Aimee Bender, Dan Chaon, Stuart Dybek, Jennifer Egan, Bret Easton Ellis, Roxane Gay, Etgar Keret, Antonya Nelson, and hundreds of other internationally acclaimed and emerging writers. Spotlighting a recent book release each week, TNB Fiction helps bring awareness of new literary fiction, from both trade and independent publishers, to readers around the world, providing a global, free-access arena for spotlighting the genre in an era of shrinking coverage among mainstream print publications. TNB Fiction has its finger on the pulse of a vibrant new generation of writers, as well as established literary greats whose work continues to shape the future dialogue of literary culture. Fiction Editor Rachael Warecki lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review, The Masters Review, Midwestern Gothic, and elsewhere, and has received residency invitations from the Wellstone Center and Ragdale. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Antioch University Los Angeles and is currently at work on a novel.
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