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UIS men's basketball team holds off Lincoln University
Junior Jamall Millison and sophomore Mark Weems Jr. combined to hit seven of eight free throws in the final 36 seconds as the University of Illinois Springfield held on for a 72-67 win over Lincoln University in a non-conference men's basketball game Monday.
Weems put the unbeaten Prairie Stars up 63-48 with 4½ minutes left in the second half. Lincoln answered with a 9-0 scoring run, including three steals.
Joshua Buie's steal and layup pulled the Blue Tigers within six points with 2:18 remaining.
Blake Ralling's steal set up teammate Mike Smith's layup and Lincoln got within four points at the 1:07 mark.
The Blue Tigers cut it 65-62 when Smith converted one of two foul shots with 47 seconds to go. Millison's four straight free throws widened the lead to seven points with 25 seconds left.
Millison finished with a team-high 18 points and two steals. Weems added 15 points and six rebounds. Freshman Vince Walker scored 11 points for the 3-0 Stars.
Victor Scott had 21 points for Lincoln (1-5). Buie scored 20 and grabbed five steals.
In women's basketball, Freshman Shelbi Patterson collected a team-high 20 points, seven assists, five steals and two 3-pointers for University of Illinois Springfield in an 81-40 non-conference victory over Robert Morris University at The Recreation and Athletic Center.
UIS led 40-21 at halftime. RMU went 6½ minutes without scoring during a 15-0 run late in the second half that put UIS ahead 78-35. Senior Courtney Knuckles poured in 17 points for the Prairie Stars (2-3). Junior teammate Briana Starks added a team-leading nine rebounds, 12 points and four steals.
The Eagles (0-6) used just six players. Senior Brandi Bradley led RMU with 16 points. Juniors Jessica Taylor and Laci Porter scored 10 points apiece.
This article appeared online in The State Journal-Register on Monday, November 24, 2014.
Labels: Athletics, Rec Center, Students, Undergraduate
UIS men's basketball team earns second straight win
Mark Weems scored a career-best 25 points on 8-for-14 floor shooting Saturday night to lead the University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team to a 78-71 non-conference victory over Trevecca Nazerene.
Weems also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out three assists. Sammie Elem added 15 points and 11 rebounds — seven at the offensive end that helped UIS to 19 second-chance points — and Dylan Sparkman had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Prairie Stars, 2-0.
UIS was 26-for-57 from the floor (45 percent) and the the Trojans shot 34 percent, 25-for-73. The Prairie Stars owned a 47-44 rebound edge.
The win was reported by The State Journal-Register on November 23, 2014.
Read the article online
UIS softball team adds three players
University of Illinois Springfield first-year softball coach Shannon Nicholson announced the signing of three players to letters of intent during the early signing period.
Alexa Brown (Chatham Glenwood High School), Haley Inman (Anna-Jonesboro) and Hannah Kain (Geneseo) will join the Prairie Stars in the 2015-16 school year.
"With this being our first recruiting class, we are excited to add speed, power, and left-handed bats that make up our three new Prairie Stars," Nicholson said. "These players all are great student-athletes who have successfully raised the bar in their current programs. Each player is looking to step right in to help replace the gaps left by this year's graduating class of seniors."
The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on November 22, 2014.
Academic Movers 2014: In Depth with Sarah Sagmoen
In the latest of our In-Depth Interviews with Library Journal Movers & Shakers from academic libraries, sponsored by SAGE, we spoke with Sarah Sagmoen, learning commons and user services librarian at the University of Illinois Springfield's Brookens Library.
Hired as a visiting instructional librarian in 2009, Sagmoen was managing the reference desk and public computers by the end of her first year.
In her third year at Brookens, her work inspired the library to create the position she now occupies.
Between her academic duties and a lively student outreach program, she is busy building a strong community both inside the library and out.
This article appeared online in the Library Journal's Academic Newswire enewsletter on November 20, 2014.
Sagmoen answers many questions about her passion and creativity as a library leader.
Labels: Brookens, Library, Students
Next UI president: Timothy Killeen
A leading Welsh researcher in geophysics and space science has been named the 20th president of the University of Illinois.
Timothy Killeen, vice chancellor for research and president of the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, will replace longtime UI administrator Bob Easter.
A start date has not been determined.
Killeen will receive a base salary of $600,000 a year and up to $100,000 annually in performance incentives, UI spokesman Tom Hardy said today. He will also be eligible for retention payments that he will receive at the end of five years, starting at $30,000 annually and increasing by $7,500 a year, Hardy said.
Killeen, 62, joined UI officials today for the official announcement at the three campuses and to meet with future colleagues, faculty, students and constituents. The kickoff was at 8:30 a.m. in Chicago, followed by noon on the Springfield campus and 3 p.m. in the South Lounge of the Illini Union in Urbana.
The story was reported by the Champaign News-Gazette on November 19, 2014.
Labels: Public, Students, University
UIS volleyball coach Rooke resigns
Noelle Rooke has resigned as the University of Illinois Springfield volleyball coach to return to her native California.
She grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura and her husband, Max Rooke, is in his first season as a NCAA Division I women's soccer assistant at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Max Rooke was a UIS men's soccer assistant and director of coaching for the Springfield Area Soccer Association.
"I've coached for 18 years at four institutions," Noelle Rooke said. "It's time to put my husband's career first."
Rooke coached the Prairie Stars for three years. UIS wrapped up the 2014 season last weekend. It finished with a 10-18 overall record and a 2-16 Great Lakes Valley Conference mark.
Rooke came to UIS from NCAA Division I Mercer. Her coaching record at UIS was 28-59 overall and 8-46 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
"I strongly feel I'm leaving it better than I got it," Rooke said. "We've changed the culture. I hope it's been a positive experience for these kids on and off the court, and I think that it is all about changing the culture."
Labels: Athletics, Staff
Lincoln Land's Muench says he'll fit in with UIS baseball team
Lincoln Land Community College sophomore outfielder Austin Muench got his first look at his future team when the Loggers faced the University of Illinois Springfield in a fall game.
"Their program is going up and they're starting to win a lot more," Muench said. "We played them in the fall and they were good. I liked the way they played."
Muench signed a letter of intent to play for the Prairie Stars in 2016.
UIS has unveiled a nine-player recruiting class that includes Muench. He had a .295 batting average with 29 RBIs, 11 steals and four triples for LLCC last season. "He throws really well from the outfield. He has baseball speed," UIS coach Chris Ramirez said.
"You can see that with his triples and stolen bases. He is also a strong hitter. He's going to provide good versatility from the offensive side."
Another local signee is Chatham Glenwood High School pitcher Matt Sekardi. In 28 1/3 innings, he had a 1.73 earned run average, striking out 19 batters. He posted a 3-4 record. He is one of four pitching recruits and seven incoming freshmen.
Wilmot (Wisconsin) High School pitcher Austin Brewer recorded a 1.90 ERA and 9-1 last season. The Stars nabbed a pair of left-handed pitchers in Palos Heights Shepard High School's Adam Gregory and Plainfield North High School's Kyle Strepek. Strepek went 9-1 with a 1.64 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 15 walks last spring. He was also named to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A all-state first team. Gregory had a 0.47 ERA and 10-1 record.
UIS has added a power hitter in Jason Galeano, a sophomore first baseman at Iowa Central Community College from Brooklyn, New York. He drove in 38 runs, hit 13 doubles and seven home runs en route to a .362 batting average. "He is a true hitter," Ramirez said. "He hits for good average. I always like to have some guys like him that can have a physical presence in the middle of our lineup."
UIS has added two catchers. Ashland (Wisconsin) High School's John Sechen is the top-ranked catching prospect by Wisconsin Prep Baseball Report. He hit .462 last season.
First baseman/catcher Ryan Deering hit .259 and had 15 RBIs for Christian Brothers College High School in suburban St. Louis. Second baseman McCauley Cox plays for Janesville (Wisconsin) Craig High School and is ranked 34th by the Wisconsin Prep Baseball Report.
This story appeared online in The State Journal-Register on November 13, 2014.
Read the entire story here.
Adoption Month: UIS Student Shares His Success Story
According to the Department of Children and Family Services, 17,000 foster children were adopted in Illinois over the last decade.
Dominique Wilson, 22, was one of those children.
The Chicago native, now a Junior at the University of Illinois Springfield was separated from his biological parents when he was three-years-old. Though, with help from DCFS, he was not only placed into a loving home, but received funding for a college education.
"There's a support system that is there within DCFS to help you," Wilson said. "So allow them to help you, because I feel like there are so many youth that become very defensive because there have been so many people that have come into their lives and left."
Jennifer Florent, of DCFS says it's important for people in the community to know there is always in need for foster and adoptive homes throughout the state.
If you're interested in more information on adoption, visit, The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
This story was featured on www.foxillinois.com on Thursday, November 13, 2014.
Watch the story here.
Labels: Community, Students, Undergraduate
UIS women's basketball team shoots for a winning season
The University of Illinois Springfield women's basketball team gave fans a sneak peak at the Blue Madness fan event Tuesday.
When UIS plays its first game Nov. 22 in front of the hometown crowd, the Prairie Stars will have three games under their belt and an idea of how they play together. Those are necessary assets for a squad with 11 new players, including nine transfers.
The Stars will have a totally different look from the one that was 7-19 overall and 3-15 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
"We're more athletic," UIS coach Chad Oletzke said. "We're more versatile. We're bigger. We're more skilled. We're deeper. We want to go at least 10, but I think we can go a little deeper ... 10 to 12. We just have to find a way to come together as a team. We're going to need time to gel."
The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on November 13, 2014.
UIS men's hoops team gets Harrisburg's Amaya
Harrisburg High School 6-foot-5 senior wing Bahari Amaya signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play for the University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball team next year.
He was a key reserve on Harrisburg's Class 2A state championship team in 2013. He averaged 15 points and nine rebounds as a junior and received Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state special mention honors.
Amaya is the nephew of Ashraf Amaya, a three-time Missouri Valley Conference first-team pick at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in the 1990s, who later played in the NBA and Europe.
Susan Koch: UIS' Computer Science program providing opportunities
The following is a portion of a guest column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in the November 9, 2014 edition of The State Journal-Register.
"Those ever-increasing opportunities in STEM fields are certainly evident on the University of Illinois Springfield campus, where our Computer Science program has grown from just over 100 students in 1990 to well over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students today.
The program has earned the prestigious Center for Academic Excellence designation from the U.S. National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security and its online Computer Science degree has been cited as one of the four leading online Computer Science programs in the country (along with MIT, Oregon State and Udacity).
UIS Computer Science professor Svet Braynov was attracted to UIS a decade ago from the University of Buffalo because of the department's reputation for high-quality teaching.
'On many campuses, a student can get lost,' he says, 'but not here. Our students feel a great atmosphere in the department and both students and faculty grow together.'
'We don't really recruit students,' adds longtime department head Ted Mims. 'Our recruiting is done by our own graduates, who tell others about their great experience in the program.'
A constantly innovating curriculum is another reason that students are attracted to the UIS Computer Science program."
Read the full column online
Labels: Chancellor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, computer science, Faculty, University
Four honored at UIS alumni event
The University of Illinois Springfield has honored graduates with alumni awards in three categories.
The annual awards were presented Friday evening at the UIS Alumni Gala at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.
Recipients were Ralph Blackman, president and CEO of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (formerly The Century Council); William and Julie Kellner, co-owners of M.J. Kellner Co.; and June Agamah, a public health worker with the International Health and Development Network.
The story was published by The State Journal-Register on November 8, 2014.
Read the full story online
Labels: Alumni, awards, Leadership lived
UIS students honor Veterans with yellow ribbons on campus
The tradition is 3 years old, and Samia Ahmad says she gets emotional every time.
"Thinking about everyone who's deployed," said Ahmad. "Their family and friends who are also probably going through the same thing i had gone through a couple years back."
She spent the afternoon coloring her college campus yellow. In the U.S., a yellow ribbon is a symbol of support for military forces. Samia's boyfriend is in the army, and was deployed three years ago. That same year, this tradition was born.
"My classmate and I had the idea of why not tie ribbons on trees on campus just for more of an awareness that UIS is a friendly military campus and that we're here to support anyone," Ahmad.
Dozens of students from the University of Illinois at Springfield volunteered their time lining the main roads of campus with the ribbons.
"The veterans give us so much on a daily basis," said senior, Shelby Bedford. "Whether they're deployed or home, running back and forth to drill. And it's really nice to just be able to get out and bring a large amount of people with me and see them all supporting them."
And even though Samia has graduated, she says she'll always come back for this.
The story was reported by WAND-TV on November 9, 2014.
Watch the story online
Labels: Alumni, Leadership lived, Students
'Copy Shop' at UIS gives artistic visitors chance to create
Visitors to the reception for the University of Illinois Springfield's Visual Arts Gallery's installation "Copy Shop" can interact with the exhibition on more than one level.
Chicago-based artists Tom Burtonwood and Holly Holmes have created 3D-printed and digitally fabricated objects for the exhibit. But visitors also can bring their own objects to be 3D scanned and 3D printed during the reception to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the gallery located in Room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on campus.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 27.
Visitors are welcome to bring objects the size of a softball to be 3D scanned and 3D printed. Original and printed objects will become part of the exhibition. "The plan is to display their originals on the left-side shelves (of the exhibit) and the copies on the right.
Visitors can collect their creations on or after the 27th," Burtonwood said in an email. "The printing process is fairly slow; it would take much longer than the time of the reception to print a single object. Average time is probably 5-6 hours."
What's called 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file, according to 3dprinting.com. The creation of a 3D-printed object is achieved using additive processes in which an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.
Giving visitors the opportunity to have their objects 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to the exhibition at UIS is a reprise of what Burtonwood and Holmes did in January at Firecat Projects gallery in Chicago. People had objects such as stuffed toys, cameras, flowers and keepsakes 3D scanned, 3D printed and added to that exhibition.
"Participants in 'Copy Shop' received a limited-edition, 3D-printed sculpture in recognition of their help in this project," Burtonwood said on his website tomburtonwood.com.
Working from a variety of sources, Burtonwood and Holmes create 3D-printed, modular works that borrow from natural systems of organization.
Among creations in "Copy Shop" are "AIC Candy Dispensers, 2014." There's also the "Dana Thomas House Frieze Interactive Project." "These molds, depicting the frieze design created by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Dana Thomas House in Springfield, have been created through the process of scanning and 3D printing," said an accompanying statement.
"You are welcome to use the available air-drying clay to press into the molds to create your own frieze design. Take the product with you; the clay will harden and serve as a permanent artifact from 'Copy Shop.'"
Burtonwood said the 3D printer/scanner is to sculpture what the sampler was to music.
"The world is open. It can be copied and pasted at the touch of a button. This is a paradigm shift in terms of how we make objects, and the economies that support their production," Burtonwood said.
"Artists have always tinkered with the newest technology and have taken the tech places its creators never intended. With 3D printing, I imagine you'll see the same."
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register online, November 5, 2014.
Labels: Art, arts, Students, Undergraduate
UIS students performing Neil Simon's 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'
The first of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical plays, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," opens the University of Illinois Springfield theater season Friday.
While Simon is best known for comedies such as "The Odd Couple," director Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson noted that "Brighton Beach," which debuted on Broadway in 1983, marked one of the first times that critics recognized Simon's ability to blend comedy and drama in a single work.
"This play has been on my list (of plays to direct) for years," said Thibodeaux-Thompson, an associate professor of theater at UIS. "Simon's work can be deceptive — it's not simple but very, very challenging."
"Brighton Beach Memoirs" takes place in 1937, with 15-year-old Eugene Jerome (Liam Schaver) — a shy Jewish youth preoccupied with baseball, writing and girls — living with his extended family in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The play depicts the antagonism and affection between Eugene, his parents Jack and Kate (Wesley Skym and Liza Torrence), his brother Stanley (Christopher Romero), his aunt Blanche (Diamond Dixon), and his cousins Laurie and Nora (Emily Hartney and Courtney Kincaid), who all live under the same roof.
It is the first in Simon's "Eugene trilogy" of plays loosely depicting his teenage years, his experiences as an Army recruit in World War II ("Biloxi Blues") and his early career as a television comedy writer ("Broadway Bound").
"He's intelligent, but sort of naive at the same time," Schaver said of Eugene. "His ambitions are to be either a sportswriter or a pitcher for the New York Yankees. He's good hearted, but a little self-centered."
Eugene's mother, Kate, "is a busybody who worries about everything, takes on everyone else's problems as her own, and needs to be in control," Torrence said. In contrast, Blanche is quiet and reserved, and "has a hard time finding her voice," said Dixon, because she is ashamed to be dependent upon her sister and her brother-in-law.
The play requires 1930s-era costumes and props and must be staged in a manner that allows the audience to see simultaneous actions in more than one room in the Jerome household. "All of these moving parts have been part of the challenge," Thibodeaux-Thompson said. She and set designer Dathan Powell, UIS assistant professor of theater, began planning the set design over the summer, eventually creating a multi-level set combined with a non-standard seating arrangement for the audience.
"I've always loved this play," which portrays the struggles of a working-class family in the years between the Depression and World War II, Thibodeaux-Thompson said. "I love the relationships it depicts, and that the characters are not one-dimensional. We see these people as flawed human beings, not caricatures."
The article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 5, 2014.
Labels: arts, Students, Theatre, Undergraduate
UIS men's basketball team holds off Lincoln Univer...
UIS men's basketball team earns second straight wi...
Academic Movers 2014: In Depth with Sarah Sagmoen...
Lincoln Land's Muench says he'll fit in with UIS b...
Adoption Month: UIS Student Shares His Success Sto...
UIS women's basketball team shoots for a winning s...
Susan Koch: UIS' Computer Science program providin...
UIS students honor Veterans with yellow ribbons on...
'Copy Shop' at UIS gives artistic visitors chance ...
UIS students performing Neil Simon's 'Brighton Bea...


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Meet the Iconics: Alain
Deference and respect are the privileges of noble birth. Few know this better than the man who calls himself Alain, yet equally well does he know that such things are not always freely given where they are due. And in those cases, it's the burden of the nobly born to correct the error, and to take by force that which is their right.
Alain was born in Taldor with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, son of a wealthy but relatively minor noble house. As a boy, he showed remarkable affinity for both physical activities—especially the martial pursuits—and the ins and outs of courtly etiquette and intrigue. Though both traits made him the quite popular with the peerage—especially the young ladies of the court, necessitating more than one woman being shuffled off to a nunnery on a nine-month "vacation"—Alain's wealth and natural abilities also gave him an excessively healthy sense of self-importance, sometimes getting him into trouble that would have crippled a man of lower station. By the time Alain's father realized that the cane-scarred whipping boy might not be the most effective means of corralling his youngest son, Alain was already near grown, and thoroughly convinced of his own competence in all things.
Though Alain regularly dismissed such noble studies as literature and linguistics—"If the elves want to speak, let them learn a man's language"—he could never get enough of bards' tales of battle and bloodshed, often keeping the minstrels at his favorite taverns playing late into the night. Excel as he might at the joust or the ritualized combat of the nobility, he longed for the primal exultation of war, where his mastery over his fellow men would not just be avowed or lauded, but proved undeniably by the blood on his sword, as clear as the red-dripping talons of an eagle. He had the nobility of society. Now he wanted the nobility of nature.
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Unfortunately for Alain, any serious clash of arms lay far beyond the borders of his father's expansive holdings, and neither his father nor his two elder brothers showed the slightest desire to sustain a blood feud with another house. All three men attempted to turn Alain to knighthood, a socially safe and proper outlet for his bloodlust, yet the idea of serving as a squire for any length of time—of letting someone else give him orders!—was unthinkable to young Alain. At last, when he could stand it no longer, the young scion gathered what funds and personal affects he could carry and declared himself a sellsword, setting off for the "crimson poetry of the fray."
True warfare has little in common with heroic ballads, and few who see its raw and naked face come back unchanged. Certainly this was true for Alain. Yet where some men learn wisdom in the wrack, at last understanding the price of a life and the senseless ease with which it's taken, Alain learned something else. In the clash of spears and the screams of horses, the man who had been a trumped-up merchant's son became an elemental force of destruction, cutting down swaths of men who were never his enemies, but merely his opponents. Though he became rich in his own right off of the heavy purses his patrons heaped upon him, Alain cared only for what the rewards represented: that here was a man whose worth was proven, in fire and iron.
Today, Alain wanders as he wills, taking commissions when they suit his fancy and embarking on his own expeditions when they don't. Thanks to his prowess on the battlefield, warriors are often drawn to fight at his side, and to Alain's secret surprise he's developed quite a knack for leading them, issuing gruff and decisive commands. These companions are almost always cohorts rather than friends—though Alain does a fine job of managing his troops and urging them on to ever-greater feats, long experience has taught him that soldiers are a short-lived lot, and hence he sheds few tears when it's time to pay the butcher's bill.
As much as his life revolves around the battlefield, Alain still retains the social graces that made him so popular (for better or worse) in the courts of his upbringing. If greeting another warrior or potential client, he may introduce himself as simply Alain, comporting himself with a calculated aloofness designed to increase others' opinions of his abilities. Where an attractive lady is concerned, however, his rough edges immediately smooth, and many are the highborn women who've fallen prey to the "rogue knight" calling himself Alain Germande, Third Son of House Germande, Bearer of the Shielding Spear—and any other honorifics that strike his fancy.
In truth, whether leading soldiers in a suicidal charge or booting serving girls out of his bed in the morning, Alain cares little about the people around him. More than money, love, or lust, Alain cares about his reputation, and strives with every encounter to increase his own legend, whether as scoundrel or saint. Perhaps the only creature he truly values is his horse, Donahan. Exceedingly well trained, and having accompanied Alain for longer than any of his human compatriots, Donahan represents everything Alain looks for in a partner: absolute loyalty, absolute trust—and absolute obedience.
James L. Sutter
Fiction Editor
More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Alain Cavaliers Iconics Meet the Iconics Taldor Wayne Reynolds
133 comments.
1 to 50 of 133 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | next > last >>
Kvantum Jul 23, 2010, 01:26 am
4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Companion Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Wow, what a jerk. Seltiyel is more likable and he's Lawful Evil! I mean, yes, he's a competent warrior, but who on Golarion would travel beside Alain when Valeros and Amiri and Seelah are out there with just as sturdy sword arms at their command?
Ardenup Jul 23, 2010, 02:31 am
As a soldier of 10 years I can honestly say I've met many officers with a similar mindset. And believe it or not many soldiers will willingly follow such men. If you believe your commander is a sound tactitician it is very easy to let yourself be lead....
In any case what do you think his alignment is LN? From one of the pics (where he is defending the witch he may be a TWF? Which order?
Lord Fyre RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32 Jul 23, 2010, 02:31 am
Kvantum wrote:
This is a man who needs to be in a party with ... Lem!
DM Wellard Jul 23, 2010, 03:01 am
Order of the Cockatrice presumably...Golarions(braver) version of Harry Flashman
ulgulanoth Jul 23, 2010, 03:07 am
1 person marked this as a favorite.
now i want to see a pic of him and valeros fighting something, with valeros facepalming!
Ardenup wrote:
Not questioning his ability to command loyalty on the battlefield, just why anyone would willingly spend time with him when a high AC and DR aren't vitally important things to have.
DM_aka_Dudemeister Jul 23, 2010, 04:27 am
Because he's such a great target, EVERYONE wants to kill him. So it makes the job of finding a place to hide and throw bombs from.
I'd actually like to see him statted out- I assume either twf or sword and board twf? Mounted is a short feat tree so that's given...
overdark Jul 23, 2010, 04:48 am
I think he part of the Order of the Dragon, could be wrong though. His stats are in The Master of the Fallen Fortress (available free from Paizo.) along with the other 5 new iconics.
Ellington Jul 23, 2010, 04:49 am
LN, Order of the Cockatrice. Lance, Longsword, Flail, or Light Crossbow. Mounted Combat and a lance is (apparently) his main style, despite his TWF on the Master of the Fallen Fortress cover. Bluff, Intimidate, Perception, and Ride for skills. Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12 for starting 1st-level stats.
Carpy DM Jul 23, 2010, 05:02 am
He's Order of the Cockatrice, or at least was in Master of the Fallen Fortress.
When my local playgroup decided to play MotFF, I gave a short thumbnail sketch of each character so they players could decide who they wanted to play. For Alain, my decription went something like this: "cavalier, which is a mounted warrior type with a paladin-like challenge ability. This guy's alignment is Lawful Asshat." (I really loathe the Order of the Cockatrice... which is why I think they are probably the best-written of all of the Orders. ;D )
Grey Wind Jul 23, 2010, 05:38 am
He may be my new favorite iconic. Simply because he's the kind of guy everyone just loves to hate!
Mikaze Jul 23, 2010, 05:47 am
Amiri: So I thought you didn't want to adventure with me anymore.
Seelah: I thought so too. But in the end you're, at worst, violent, rude, messy, a slave to your own passions, and sometimes gassy.
Amiri: Thanks. So what about the new partner that didn't work out?
Seelah: Alain? Guy's a douche.
Matthew Morris RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8 Jul 23, 2010, 05:53 am
Hmm, It's nice to see the Iconic Jerk.
That and it makes my thoughts on Taldor more appropriate as well.
Steelfiredragon Jul 23, 2010, 06:07 am
the leader of Taldor is a jerk, but this iconic is even a bigger jerk.
Seoni could flicker her wrist and fry this guy.
Amael Jul 23, 2010, 06:13 am
Actually I like his personality, it definitely fits him well, and its good to see a cavalier that isn't a lancelot/arthur wanna-be. Seems more of a Pathfinder Achillies, which is always nice. He seems more chaotic to me, like as in chaotic neutral or maybe good...its hard to say though. For some reason he doesn't strike me as lawful, since he doesn't even like taking orders and ran off to do his own thing. He doesn't seem to have any consistent way of doing things, whatever strikes his fancy.
I'm definitely liking the new breed of iconics, looking forward to seeing more.
Callous Jack Jul 23, 2010, 06:50 am
Matthew Morris wrote:
Didn't Valeros already cover this though? I was disappointed to see another dumb jock fighter although Alain seems a lot worse than him.
Mike Dowd Jul 23, 2010, 07:13 am
Um, James.... You *DO* know what a Nunnery was, don't you? When Shakespeare wrote, "Get thee to a nunnery!", he wasn't telling someone to go to a convent and spend time with nuns.
'Nunnery' was an old term for a bawdy house, or as they call them in Texas and Nevada, a Chicken Ranch...
You *may* want to do a quick edit! :)
Callous Jack wrote:
Valeros isn't a dumb jock! Nor is he a jerk. Okay, he has simple tastes (wine, women and well, it's mostly just wine and women). Still despite that he is loyal, caring, trustworthy and will happily stand between a dragon's breath and any of the fine ladies he works with. Not because he hopes to get lucky, but because he genuinely cares for them.
Alain on the other hand is a tool. Which is good, because conflict makes good stories.
Any chance we'll see the iconics in any Pathfinder Fiction?
I don't think he's a tool or a jock really, he's really a mercenary, so he looks out for himself and other peoples needs or feeling don't really register to him. He's not a great person to know, but to me he's more interesting that way. I'm just glad he's not the "tough, brooding, anti-hero with a heart of gold". Character variety is good; he sounds like a lot of medieval/ancient world heroes to me, especially the ancient worlds definition of "hero".
Mike Dowd wrote:
It was both, actually. One was the traditional meaning, the other a slang term; Hamlet was, as was his wont, using both meanings to humiliate Ophelia.
c873788 Jul 23, 2010, 07:44 am
Carpy DM wrote:
So it was a play on words - a pun? Ophelia should have retorted, "Get thee to a punnery!"
Thraxus Jul 23, 2010, 07:59 am
Amael wrote:
Alain is a mercenary (a freelance to be exact), but he is also a tool. He is more interested in money and reputation. He strikes me as the kind of guy that is willing to sacrifice his men to accomplish his mission. He has the charisma to sway men into following him, but he has no problem throwing those men to the meat grinder if he needs to. That does not mean he won't be there beside them, only that he puts the job before those he fights beside (lawful neutral).
Thraxus wrote:
heh heh I don't think that still qualifies as a tool. The part that I thought makes him more chaotic is the fact how he only cares for himself more then anything else, and tends to do as he pleases when it comes to things, like in taking a contract or doing things to suit his fancy, or using his "nobility" to get ladies. Chaotics tend to favor their individuality more then anything else. If he was really Lawful neutral, he probably would have done what his family expected of him, what his noble house expected of him and obeyed, but his lack of regard for being ordered about would in my eyes make him something else. He's definitely not a nice person, but many great heroes and leaders were definitely not nice people, and now they're "admired" for their deeds. He strikes me as someone with that kind of potential.
yoda8myhead Jul 23, 2010, 08:17 am
c873788 wrote:
She did, but that part got cut in development.
Morning Demon Jul 23, 2010, 08:36 am
That's why you can hear some High Schoolers taunt... "Oooooh Ahhh Opppheeeelllliaaahhh.... Oooooh Ahhh I-feeelll-yahhh"
Alain is interesting to me for another reason that has come to mind. He's the opposite of David Drake.
From The Tank Lords:
David Drake wrote:
I'd like to think people had better sense than that. The one thing that ought to be obvious to a civilian is that war zones are an experience to avoid. Nonetheless, I know a couple men who've moaned that they missed "Nam," the great test of manhood of our generation. They're idiots if they believe that, and twits if they were just mouthing words that had become the in thing for their social circles.
LazarX Jul 23, 2010, 10:22 am
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Valeros is more the likable fool.
Coledar Jul 23, 2010, 11:21 am
Wasn't the Cavalier in the old D&D Cartoon a bit of a jerk? Maybe it's an homage to him?
Coledar wrote:
heh heh I was thinking that too. I have the DnD cartoons and theres an interesting commentary as to why they "had" to make the Cavalier that way. Had something to do with interest groups requiring a certain moral message about the group being always right, and the complainer/antisocial person being "wrong". Gotta love good intentions...
Mairkurion {tm} Jul 23, 2010, 11:34 am
Mmm...good blog.
James Sutter Contributor Jul 23, 2010, 11:37 am
Nunnery can mean either brothel or convent. I suspect he's sent women down the road to both, in his time...
Freehold DM Jul 23, 2010, 11:37 am
I LIKE this guy!!!! He's such a jerk! I'm sure the ladies will be all over him.
Voltron64 Jul 23, 2010, 11:52 am
Seems like a chance for a good roleplayer to have Alain grow out of his jerkish behavior.
Cason Snow Jul 23, 2010, 12:56 pm
Based on the heraldry on the banner and shield he is carrying. It is kind of hard to see in the blog entry, but in the line art in the APG file, it stands out much better.
Kryptik Jul 23, 2010, 12:58 pm
Please tell me they have an Order of the Weasel.
Caineach Jul 23, 2010, 01:03 pm
Voltron64 wrote:
Or not, and let the others deal with it. I mean, whats wrong with using the people in your life?
Barator Jul 23, 2010, 01:35 pm
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber
I love this guy the way that he is. I don't much see the problem with him, but I guess I figure Neutral people are often like this. I definitely see no 'good' in him.
David Emmons Jul 23, 2010, 03:08 pm
This guy's face reminds me of a guy at my wife's work. Freaky.
Zurai Jul 23, 2010, 03:44 pm
Yeah, that doesn't sound at all LN to me. Actually, I would peg that background as NE. Extremely self-centered, cares only for the rewards, intentionally avoids making friends, values obedience above all else, etc. LE or NE, for sure. There's nothing remotely redeeming in that personality profile.
James Jacobs Creative Director Jul 23, 2010, 03:48 pm
Zurai wrote:
Who says lawful neutral has to be remotely redeeming? Lawful neutral is actually my second favorite bad guy alignment!
Rathendar Jul 23, 2010, 03:50 pm
Go go Gadget-Alignment-Debate-Version:3856!
Jack Bauer = Lawful Good! FIGHT! :-P
Sebastian Bella Sara Charter Superscriber Jul 23, 2010, 03:54 pm
I just wanted to say thank you for using the word "proverbial" instead of the much more common (and offensively stupid) "literal" that normally gets used in that context.
It literally makes me glow with joy.
Oh wait...that's what I was b~~$#ing about...
Gorbacz Jul 23, 2010, 03:56 pm
Sebastian wrote:
Oh wait...that's what I was b~%%*ing about...
Yeah, it's good that Paizo gets their semantics right on the penultimate week of APG previews.
Also known as the Alignment Debate Week.
Batman = Chaotic Good
Gorbacz wrote:
golf clap
Well played.
Spanky the Leprechaun Jul 23, 2010, 03:59 pm
Batman is Lawful Evil.
Spanky the Leprechaun wrote:
That's Joker ...
Joker is Chaotic Evil (I should know, I've seen him at our meetings).
Batman is Lawful Good.
Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Paizo Products / Product Discussion / Paizo Blog: Meet the Iconics: Alain All Messageboards

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text:
Visiting Faraday House
Michael Faraday was the self-taught chemist and physicist who, among numerous other achievements, was responsible for the discovery of electricity. In 1833 he was made Fullerian Professor of Chemistry, an appointment for life at the Royal Institution, and worked as a government researcher investigating, among other things, the causes of a disastrous colliery explosion.
Faraday came from a working class family, and became a devout follower of the Sandemanian branch of the Church of Scotland. He was offered a knighthood in recognition of his services to science, but declined it, as it was against the Bible to accumulate riches and pursue worldly rewards like titles. Faraday preferred to remain "plain Mr Faraday to the end." He also refused on ethical grounds to help develop chemical weapons for use in the Crimean war.
Faraday House, at 37 Hampton Court Road, Middlesex, was formerly the Master Mason's House. The building was awarded to Faraday as a grace and favour dwelling in 1848, after the Prince Consort is said to have made representations on his behalf. He spent his last years here, and true to spirit, turned down an offer of burial in Westminster Abbey, opting instead to be interred in the dissenters' section of Highgate Cemetery.
You can see a pencil study I did from a bust of Faraday, which sits in the British Library, on my Instagram.
Posted by Russ McP at 06:05 No comments:
Labels: london, nature, peace, protest, surrey
The Stone Bomb Anti-Air War Memorial
"There are thousands of memorials in every town and village to the dead, but not one as a reminder of the danger of future wars." - Sylvia Pankhurst, 1936
Between the years 1924 and 1933 Sylvia Pankhurst lived with her Italian-born partner Silvio Corio at 126 High Road, Woodford Wells, Essex (what is now Woodford Green High Road, part of the north east London suburb of Woodford), opposite the Horse and Well pub, which still stands to this day.
In her lifetime Pankhurst was active in struggles for women's liberation, peace, socialism and, in her later years, the independence of Ethiopia from both Italian and British control. Corio was a journalist and painter who also worked at various times as a waiter and street trader, and for many years was active in the anarchist movement, first in Italy, then briefly France, before finally settling in London. In the early years of the twentieth century, before World War 1, he was part of the collective responsible for setting up a short-lived libertarian school near Euston.
The house Corio and Pankhurst moved into in 1924 was originally called Vine Cottage, but after settling in they re-named the four-room building Red Cottage, running a teashop for visitors making their way to nearby Epping Forest. Pankhurst herself had been a longtime visitor to Epping Forest. During WW1 she was fond of taking long walks with her ailing comrade Keir Hardie, the founding member and first leader of the Labour Party.
Once settled at Red Cottage she began publishing the New Times and Ethiopia News, her contribution to the former British colonies' struggle for independence from another coloniser: fascist Italy.
In 1935, in what was then the building's front garden, a monument was unveiled by R Zaphiro, Secretary of the Imperial Ethiopian Legation London, of a stone bomb on a four-sided plinth. Across the four sides was inscribed a dedication: "To those who in 1932 upheld the right to use bombing aeroplanes this monument is raised as a protest against war in the air."
The protest monument was designed and carved by the sculptor Eric Benfield, who has explained he was personally motivated by a strong feeling that: "Those [members of the league of nations] who had preserved bombing were politically and morally dead, and this was their gravestone."
Visitors to the site may find it somewhat obscured by surrounding foliage.
During the 1930s the monument was subject to vandalism, at least one time by fascist Blackshirts. Sylvia, Silvio and their young son Richard, who was born during their time at Red Cottage, subsequently moved down the hill into a larger Victorian building called West Dene, which stood at 3 Charteris Road, next to Woodford station. West Dene has since been demolished to make way for flats, although in 1995 Redbridge council created a small park in the same vicinity which was named Pankhurst Green.
The building that housed Red Cottage was itself demolished in 1939 to make way for new houses. However, Benfield's unique protest monument of the stone bomb has remained, and was even awarded Grade II-listed status, mainly through the efforts of local activists who, during the 1980s, made the area a venue for peace picnics. So it is thanks to their efforts that the quote I used at the beginning of this article is not strictly true. There is still at least one monument that warns of the danger of future wars.
A moderately steep hill connects the Pankhurst Green in Woodford town centre with the busy road at the top where you will find the stone bomb memorial, but it is certainly worth the visit to bear witness to such a unique monument.
Labels: london, peace, protest
Watch me draw in under 4 minutes
Labels: cartoons, comix, london
You can now have my artwork on your phone case...
...and travel mugs, notebooks etc.
Yes, I now have a Red Bubble account. Just search for 'RussMcP' on Red Bubble or use the link below:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/russmcp
The current images on there at the moment are older pieces which have been sitting on the back burner, simply because they didn't fit with the tone of work I was producing at the time for comics publishers. I will be adding newer pieces in the coming weeks and months, so remember to check back there for updates.
A ride through the Heathrow villages
The River Crane passes through Cranford on its journey south to join the Thames.
Berkley Meadows can be seen in the background of this pic
This is the record of a journey I made by bicycle in early May of this year, as research for a new project I am working on. The spring was just starting to give way to summer, so there were still a few trees bursting with blossom, but by now most were fully in leaf.
I followed the rough path of the Crane Valley, travelling north. The Crane is so-called because it is forged by the river of the same name, which back in the nineteenth century was a dumping ground for industrial pollutants from, among other things, a local gunpowder factory. The river has been cleaned up in recent years and is now increasingly a haven for wildlife.
Striking suburban architecture at the junction in Cranford
(there are four sets of these faux medieval towers on each side of the intersection)
Continuing northwards I arrived at Cranford, a suburban town which is part of the London borough of Hounslow, and apart from the striking architectural features at one of its main junctions also includes the stunning Avenue Park. A beautifully maintained expanse of leafy colour, the park also has a very well equipped children's play area. What surprised me the most however was the free, open air gym equipment.
One of many pieces of exercise equipment in the open air gym in Avenue Park
Heading west out of Cranford, and crossing the little stone bridge over the River Crane, I now found myself in Harlington, a small village which forms part of the neighbouring borough of Hillingdon, and includes the glorious landscapes of Cranford Country Park and Berkley Meadows. The latter takes its name from the wealthy family that once owned Cranford Manor.
The Bridge over the River Crane
(on the border between Hounslow and Hillingdon)
The journey west from Harlington to Sipson can seem repetitive at times, but as it is surrounded by fields on both sides it makes for an infinitely preferable route to riding along Bath Road, the busy dual carriageway which borders the airport to the south.
The King William pub sits in the centre of Sipson,
at the corner of the road to Harmondsworth
My journey took me through the small village of Sipson, which about ten years ago faced the prospect of complete destruction to make way for a third runway for the airport to the south. Due to a fierce campaign waged by a broad coalition of local campaigners and assorted eco warriors Sipson - including its church and local pub - still stands today.
A row of cottages in the heart of Harmondsworth village
On the road leading out of Harmondsworth village to the nearby Harmondsworth Moor
I ended the ride on this particular day in Harmondsworth village, which I still find striking in its traditional charm. There is a lot of beauty in this region, and I would urge anyone reading this to take the time to experience it themselves.
More doodles to follow soon.
Labels: london, nature, spring
Corporate Watch Pose Alternatives to Capitalism
How many times do you hear people say something like: "Look, I know capitalism isn't perfect, but what are the alternatives?"
To go some way towards answering this question, Corporate Watch UK have collected an interesting and illuminating collections of articles and reports in the Alternatives section of their website. Here you will find articles on the worker-run fair trade food cooperative Zaytoun - which aims to give a fair deal to Palestinian farmers - and democratic confederalism in Kurdistan, as well as analysis of the Eurozone crisis and much more.
It's well worth a visit, and not just for the amazing artwork on display.
Labels: cooperative power, kurdistan, palestine
Art for Spring
Some 'fineliner' drawings which attempt to capture the feeling of hope, optimism and renewed life that often accompanies the return of spring (in the northern hemisphere).
You can see more drawings like this on my Instagram.
Labels: cartoons, nature, spring
The independent micro state of Sweetstopia 2015
This is a very well put together little 16 minute documentary by the Drift Report about last years' occupation of the Sweets Way Estate in Barnet, north London. Sweets Way has been one of the many frontlines in the gentrification of London, which has been transforming the city from a place where ordinary people live into a mere investment opportunity for the global super rich.
The Sweets Way occupation lasted many months, as vulnerable social tenants held out against eviction by private developer Annington Homes, supported by young and seasoned housing and land rights activists. As time went by the site developed into "Sweetstopia", which had aspirations to be an independent micro state, a desire rooted in contemporary history with its echoes of Frestonia (the community that occupied Freston Road in west London back in the late 1970s).
Its a good short film, well worth a watch, as it features some beautiful and inspiring murals, along with a brief explanation of practical DIY permaculture.
In the autumn of 2015 bailiffs finally succeeded in evicting the last tenants and occupiers (including a disabled father), and the area has become a fenced off ghost town. It is inspiring how long they held out, and how much support they received. I think some supporters may have moved on to running the nearby Dollis Valley Resist Community Centre.
London...where resistance is fertile!
Labels: anti-gentrification, cooperative power, eco village, homeless, housing struggles, london, music, nature, peace, post-apocalypse, protest, squatting
Incredible Edible Wild Plants of Spring
There's a few really good plants which pop up in the UK/WISE Isles around this time of the year which make really nice herbal teas. Strangely, these well known plants have often been maligned and ignored as weeds, but it is as pleasant and rewarding to go foraging for these plants in the springtime as it is to go blackberry picking in autumn.
It's generally good advice to only pick stuff you can confidently identify. If you have any doubt, leave it. It's also good to avoid stuff that grows too close to the sides of roads, as they may contain more toxins. And wash everything before you consume it.
I took the picture above on Barnes Common, an area of west London which has remained beautifully underdeveloped on account of the land's marshy, flood-prone quality. While it has little value for property developers it maintains great value to the local ecology. The main plant in the photo is a dandelion, which has just begun to flower.
Now, its generally best to pick dandelion leaves before it flowers, as afterwards it can develop a more bitter flavour. Some people boil them for about 5-10 minutes to reduce the bitterness of raw dandelion leaves. The leaves make a nice peppery addition to salads, while the flowers, as rich in vitamin A and C as the leaves, can form the basis of herbal teas and even be brewed into dandelion wine. Later in the year the roots can be dug up, washed, dried, roasted and then grated up to create a caffeine-free coffee substitute. At present I mostly use the leaves.
I understand that if you take the fresh root as a tea it works particularly well for detoxifying the purifying the liver, kidneys, gall bladder and regular bladder.
The other plant you may be able to see in the photo are the long, thin leaves of the cleaver (or goosegrass), which is also called "sticky willy" because it has a velcro-like texture which probably helps it cling to the fur or feathers of birds and other animals. You can chew it fresh or drink it in hot or cold infusions, and it has a pleasantly refreshing flavour, as well as providing a rich source of natural vitamin C, as well as the same cleansing properties as dandelion. The seeds of the cleaver provide a coffee substitute.
The value of the wild plants that pop up in springtime are as cleansing, detoxifying agents, which means you may have to visit the toilet soon after drinking, so make sure you take precautions. This is why the ancient folk name for the dandelion was "piss-a-bed."
Some cleavers I picked during a wild food walk in Sipson
Labels: nature, spring
Yorkley Court Fundraiser
Related to my previous post on here, I wanted to share this powerful song by Muddy Summers & The Dirty Field Whores. It is filled with beautiful music and fiery lyrics, and has been recorded as a fundraiser for the more than twenty human beings who have been made homeless by the eviction of Yorkley Court Community Farm, to help them rebuild their homes and lives.
If you have the cash then do please click along to https://muddysummers.bandcamp.com/track/landgrabber-for-yccf and donate what you can.
If you don't have the cash you can still share the song with anyone you know who might enjoy it.
One love x
Labels: cooperative power, eco village, homeless, music, nature, protest, squatting
The need to reclaim the fields
So, Yorkley Court Community Farm, the land occupation down near Lydney in the Forest of Dean, is under siege. The possession order has finally been served, and the land rights activists involved have now apparently scattered into the surrounding woods.
Within the current framework of UK land law, this was all sadly inevitable, in spite of several instances of successful eviction resistance at the site over the last couple of years, it now seems that the prime movers will need to find a new site or fresh tactics for highlighting the gross inequalities of land distribution in England and Wales.
Sadly, I was never in a position to visit Yorkley Court. Now it seems I never will. So it goes.
One of the values of occupations like this is not necessarily their permanence or longevity, although undoubtedly more can be achieved within a given community over a longer time frame, nevertheless a feeling of permanence may inevitably run the risk of contributing to a sense of entrenchment both in membership and imagination, as members become more fixated on the day to day running of the space and less on challenging the dominant culture.
What matters is the example of another way.
This is as true of Yorkley Court as it was of other land occupations of the last five years or so, including some I have visited and reported on here and elsewhere such as the Hounslow Community Land Project and Runnymede Eco Village. Where else can people go to find ordinary women, children and men, no different from themselves, who have chosen instead of endlessly theorising or petitioning for a better and more equitable world, to create a working model in the here and now? By the very nature of their work they create a literal 'demonstration' of an alternative, more ecological and liberated future, that any visitor can bear witness to. Some passersby may be so inspired they even choose to become a part of it themselves.
I have little doubt that those who participate, at whatever level, in experiments such as this remain forever changed by the experience, their awareness of the relative strengths and weaknesses of this way and life informed by their own direct experience rather than any second-hand testimony such as this.
Labels: cooperative power, eco village, protest, squatting
Radical History: The (Occupied) Cambridge Arms Pub
There used to be a pub at 42 Cambridge Road in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey (overlooking the Cambridge Estate) which ceased trading sometime around the millennium. It was called, imaginatively, The Cambridge Arms. All you'll find there now are a small block of modern, fairly unremarkable looking flats.
However, in its fallow period, which probably would have been in about 2004 or so, the pub was squatted, the ground floor painted red with the words "BUY SECOND HAND" painted in bold white letters across the front.
Although I never met any of the residents, I understood the message, and this may have been what made me decide to take a photo while passing by one day.
The image above is an embellished rendition made using some image manipulation software like Photoshop. I have included it here to create a semi-permanent record of a highly transitory and easily overlooked period in history. If anyone passing by this blog has any memories of the building as a pub, or even as a squat, you are welcome to share them below.
Labels: anti-gentrification, london, post-apocalypse, protest, squatting, surrey
Blossoms in Teddington
For me, one of the most beautiful times of the year is springtime, when the whole world appears to be bursting with exuberant life and colour. I have seen some blossoms and bulbs emerging already this year, which is somewhat concerning (along with blackberry picking, a traditionally autumnal activity, but one which I have been doing since 2011 in early August and even July).
To brighten things up until things revive fully, here are a series of photos taken in the south west London suburb of Teddington over the last two springtimes.
Even in the midst of death there is life.
This picture was taken in Teddington Cemetery, which includes the final resting places of the author and market gardener R.D. Blackmore, the "fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall, musician Art Wood, and many more.
Labels: nature, spring, surrey
Radical History: The (Occupied) Cambridge Arms Pub...


text:
Q: How find this interesting sum $\sum_{n=1}^\infty\ln(f(n))+\ln(g(n))$ How  find this following interesting sum

$$\sum\limits_{n = 1}^\infty  {\left\{ {{{\ln }^2}\left( {n - \frac{1}{4}} \right) + {{\ln }^2}\left( {n{\rm{ + }}\frac{1}{4}} \right) - {{\ln }^2}\left( {n - \frac{1}{2}} \right) - {{\ln }^2}\left( {n + \frac{1}{2}} \right)} \right\}}  = \ln 2\ln \pi  - \frac{5}{2}{\ln ^2}2$$

I think we can use
$$n!\approx\left(\dfrac{n}{e}\right)^n\sqrt{2n\pi}$$
and before I have solve following this
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\left(n\ln{(\dfrac{2n+1}{2n-1})}-1\right)=\dfrac{1-\ln{2}}{2}$$

A: Here is my solution to the problem. The idea behind it is not difficult. It's the same thing that one can do to evaluate series like
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{n^2}{2^n} = 6$$
using generating functions. Note that
$$\frac{d}{ds} \frac{1}{(n+a)^s} = \ln^2(n+a) \frac{1}{(n+a)^s}$$
We can view the series in question as the second derivative of function evaluated at 0.
So we're going to consider the following function
$$F(s) = \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(n+1/4)^s}+\frac{1}{(n-1/4)^s}-\frac{1}{(n+1/2)^s}-\frac{1}{(n-1/2)^s}$$
For $s$ with real part greater than 1 we can split the sum into a sum of Hurwitz zeta functions but we're not going to actually consider them explicitly since we'll calculate what the series are directly. Let's take care of each one.
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n+1/4)^s} = 4^s \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(4n+1)^s} = 4^s\left(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(4n+1)^s}-1\right) \tag{1}$$
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n-1/4)^s} = 4^s \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(4n+3)^s} \tag{2}$$
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n+1/2)^s} = 2^s \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} = 2^s \left(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} - 1\right) \tag{3}$$
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n-1/2)^s} = 2^s \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(2n-1)^s} = 2^s \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} \tag{4}$$
We combine $(1)$ and $(2)$
$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n+1/4)^s} + \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}  \frac{1}{(n-1/4)^s} = -4^s + 4^s\left(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(4n+1)^s}+\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(4n+3)^s}\right) \\= -4^s + 4^s \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n+1)^s}$$
We combine this with $(3)$ and $(4)$ to get
$$F(s) = 2^s-4^s + (4^s-2\cdot2^s)\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n+1)^s}$$
The last series is not difficult to find a closed form of. We have
$$\zeta(s) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} + \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n)^s} = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} + 2^{-s}\zeta(s)$$
so
$$\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(2n+1)^s} = (1-2^{-s})\zeta(s)$$
Finally,
$$F(s)  =2^s-4^s + (4^s - 2\cdot 2^s)(1-2^{-s})\zeta(s) = (2^s-1)((2^s-2)\zeta(s)-2^s)$$
Using
$$\zeta(0) = -\frac{1}{2}$$
$$\zeta'(0) = -\frac{1}{2}\ln 2$$
we find that
$$F''(0) = \ln^2 2(-\zeta(0)-1)+2\ln 2(-\ln2+\ln2 \zeta(0)-\zeta'(0)) \\= -\frac{1}{2}\ln^2 2 + 2\ln 2\left(-\frac{3}{2}\ln 2 + \frac{1}{2}\ln(2\pi)\right)\\= \ln2 \ln \pi - \frac{5}{2}\ln^22$$
and we're done.
Note: We are actually doing things that are not explicitly allowed. For example, we're implicitly assuming that we can interchange the infinite summation with term by term differentiation and some other complex analytic phenomena. Someone with better analytic knowledge than me can hopefully point out justification as to why we're allowed to do all that.
Note 2: I'm thinking that we're really using something equivalent to Abel's theorem but with Dirichlet generating functions. Perhaps one could view this as using Perron's formula to convert to an ordinary generating function and then using Abel's theorem.

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