Online Gambling: Differences From The Traditional Gambling Actually, there are a lot of forms of gambling. There are this kind of betting at the horse races, or your chance in casino or simply betting for your favorite sport teams. With the advancement of technology today, you can even gamble online using your computers. You can have you gambling activity by opening many websites of casino or sporting. So you might be interested to know the difference of this online gambling compared to the usual gambling. If you are starting, online gambling can be done even at your own home with your computers, internet broadband and your credit or debit cards. There is no travelling and transporting done. While in the usual gambling activity, you need to travel to the gambling site to gamble. That is the first difference between them. With online gambling, you can freely fill a form on their websites. Unlike the traditional one that does not require any filling of forms.
Another difference is that, with the online gambling, you can concentrate thoroughly. To compare with, the traditional gambling is chaotic with noisy people, cigarette smoking, and drunkards that may distract and annoy you. Also, you play around people doing the same thing as yours that makes you conscious. You can focus thoroughly in your homes because of its quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
There are more privileges with online gambling. There is a big number of gambling websites in the internet, so usually, online gambling websites will give bonuses to the players to entice them to join their website instead. These privileges sometimes are big amounts depending on the amount of what you bid. It can be a form of money or a holiday privilege. You can never avail these privileges with the traditional gambling. You are not obliged to tip employees with the online gambling websites, the fifth difference. In the traditional gambling, you should tip employees and waiters to give you better service. However, this could vary in different countries. The online casino experience can be more strict with its rules compared to the physical one. There is a safer security in online gambling since they provide a high quality security in your accounts, the last difference. Also, you can even have your own safety measures by having antivirus protections and antispyware installed in your computers. Make sure also that you are using the registered and regulated gambling website. While with the traditional gambling, your money can be stolen anytime so you will need to be more cautious. These are the differences of online gambling to the traditional one. The decision is still with you whether you will choose which of these gambling methods you will use. Thank you for reading this and I hope that this will help you.


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Faith leaders and institutions, and all of us must stand with our children.
We must be bold, we must be ambitious, and we must have the will. We must keep our promises.
Over fifty years ago, on the first day of my school I met a cobbler boy my age sitting at the school gate, polishing shoes.
I asked my teachers these questions: "Why is he working outside? Why is he not coming to school with me?" My teachers had no answer.
This made me angry. It still makes me angry. I challenged it then, and I am challenging it today.
As a child, I had a vision of tomorrow. That cobbler boy was studying with me in my classroom.
Now, that tomorrow has become TODAY. I am TODAY, and you are TODAY.
TODAY it is time for every child to have the right to life, the right to freedom, the right to health, the right to education, the right to safety, the right to dignity, the right to equality, and the right to peace.
TODAY, beyond the darkness, I see the smiling faces of our children in the blinking stars.
TODAY, in every wave of every ocean, I see our children playing and dancing.
TODAY, in every plant, tree, and mountain, I see that little cobbler boy sitting with me in the classroom.
I want you to see and feel this TODAY inside you.
My dear sisters and brothers, may I ask you to close your eyes and put your hand close to your heart for a moment? Can you feel the child inside you? Now, listen to this child. I am sure you can!
Today, I see thousands of Mahatma Gandhis, Martin Luther Kings, and Nelson Mandelas marching forward and calling on us. The boys and girls have joined. I have joined in. We ask you to join too.
Together, let us globalise compassion, for our children!
I call upon you in this room, and all across the world.
I call for a march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, a march from slavery to liberty, and a march from violence to peace.
Let us march from darkness to light.
Let us march from mortality to divinity.


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Stella Popek Panek
Stella Popek Panek, 93, of Camillus, passed away peacefully on Sunday at Van Duyn. Prior to starting her family, Stella worked for the New York Telephone Company. Having her first three children in subsequent years, Stella became a stay-at-home mother and homemaker. She took pride in her tidy home and always had something baking in the oven. She was an SU sports fan and enjoyed tailgating at SU football games with family and friends. She loved traveling, especially to Las Vegas, and spending time with her extended family. Stella was a member of Holy Family Church. Stella was predeceased by her husband, John Panek. Stella is survived by her four daughters: Susan (Jim) Phalen, Stephanie (Bob) Hamilton, Sandra (Leigh) Scudder and Joanne Sposato; her devoted son, John Panek; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Friends and family may call from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Tuesday, at the Giminski-Wysocki Funeral Home; 1320 W. Genesse Street in Syracuse. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, May 9, at Holy Family Church; 127 Chapel Drive in Fairmount. Burial: Sacred Heart Cemetery in Geddes. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Stella's memory may be made to Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing; 5075 West Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, NY 13215.
Stella Popek Panek, 93, of Camillus, passed away peacefully on Sunday at Van Duyn. Prior to starting her family, Stella worked for the New York Telephone Company. Having her first three children in subsequent years, Stella became a stay-at-home... View Obituary & Service Information
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ruins of Zhentil Keep: Forgotten Realms Campaign Book on * FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ruins of Zhentil Keep Campaign Book Additional Design: David "Zeb" Cook and Ed Greenwood. MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® Booklet Design: Kevin Melka. 18 Jul Ruins of Zhentil Keep (2e) – Visit the Heart of the Black Network Known throughout the Realms as the headquarters of the Zhentarim, Zhentil.
Learn More – opens in a new window or tab Any international shipping is paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. Minimum monthly payments are required. It was during this period that a large keep was raised in the northwestern quarter. Melka remembers hour-long phone calls to Ed Greenwood, which was expensive in those ruiins. Any international shipping and import charges ruins of zhentil keep paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. Ruins zyentil Zhentil Keep 2e.
Book in good condition with only minor wear.
Several ballistae are found on the towers and ramparts. Add ruins of zhentil keep cart to save with this special offer. People who viewed this item also viewed. Refer to eBay Return policy for more details. See all condition definitions – opens in a new window or tab. Covers your purchase price and original shipping. This item will ship to United Statesbut the seller has not specified shipping options. Ruins of zhentil keep, in the roleplaying line, Forgotten Realms Adventures offered a few more pages on the Zhentarim and its leaders.
Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.
ruins of zhentil keep Credit Cards processed by PayPal. Soldiers become more numerous than ordinary citizens and great iron gates were installed around the city to quickly close off main streets in case of city emergency.
Having secured their seats, the now Lord Chess and Lord Manshoon sponsor Fzoul's rise through the ranks of Bane's priesthood.
A writ permitting an individual free passage within the city for the period of one tenday could be bought, upon entering, for five gold pieces. Ruins of zhentil keep item will be shipped through the Global Shipping Program and includes international tracking. Report zhetnil – opens in a new window or tab.
Retrieved from " http: For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program terms and conditions – opens in a new window or ruins of zhentil keep. Author Kevin Melka still has a framed photograph of this cover over his desk at home. Will usually ship within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment – opens in a new window or tab. Check out this similar item we found for you.
For printed books, we have performed high-resolution scans of an original hardcopy of the book. In DRa Chancelgauntian ship owner named Orlephar Flostrenbegan hiring workers and mercenaries to construct fortifications and patrol the surrounding areas.
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Select a valid country. Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands. Composed of spies, Zhent wizards, ruins of zhentil keep Banite priests loyal to Fzoul, the Ruins of zhentil keep allowed Manshoon to extend his influence and intelligence gathering. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. A Monstrous Compendium Appendix containing 16 new creatures.
For more values, visit our Christmas in July sale page. Kevin MelkaJohn Terra. Please log in to add or reply to comments. The replacement lords, five wizards and a rich merchant-priest named Brestall seemed to know Zhentar. They even assaulted Zhentil Keep and killed high-ranking Zhentarim "to show Manshoon we could take the battle to him whenever we felt like it".
Watch list is full. Any international shipping and import charges are paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc. By DRthe Zhentarim had retaken the Keep, however, refugees and their descendants attempting to return to the city were turned away by the Zhentarim and those who stayed and survived the dangers of the previous century.


Jay Cochrane, The Prince of the Air - South Brooklyn Internet Inc.
On highwires and skywires around the world, he lived the life of his dreams, inspiring and entertaining millions of people. Jay Cochrane also discovered something else along the way: the need within himself to help others. His adult life was founded upon those two great desires: to perform some of the greatest, most spectacular, high-wire feats the world has ever seen and to bring joy and hope into the lives of children in need. Nicknamed "The Prince of the Air," his art showed others what was possible.
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Privacy advocates applaud Toronto police for abandoning ShotSpotter technology
Privacy and legal experts are applauding the Toronto Police Service's decision to abandon plans for a citywide gunshot detection system, after consultations brought to light potential legal concerns about the software – concerns advocates say they raised from the start.
The system, known as ShotSpotter, uses a network of rooftop microphones to pinpoint the exact location of a shooting and then alert police. The technology, which is used in several U.S. cities, was green-lit by Toronto city council last summer, following a sharp increase in gun violence, including the attack on Danforth Avenue.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-privacy-advocates-applaud…


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08/12/2018 31/12/2018 applebapsgaming3 Comments on Pet the Black Sheep: Final Fantasy 13
Pet the Black Sheep: Final Fantasy 13
The thing about liking games nobody else likes is that you end up feeling frustrated a lot. It can be incredibly dispiriting to realize that you're one of maybe two or three people on the planet who actually saw the potential and the fun of a game that's widely disliked. It's extra frustrating when the game is disliked for the wrong reasons, when the flaws that people cite are just parroted from some big name video (or, in this case, a circlejerk of them all quoting each other) rather than being derived from their own experience. When those flaws are actually total bullshit, and the game is unironically very good. When the reason people don't understand a game is due in large part to sexism, or the cultural conditioning that men endure thanks to patriarchy. That's like the extra spice on the meatball. Gets me heckin fired up, I tell you what.
So many people work so hard to make games, and they're almost-universally underpaid and underappreciated for what they do. That work ethic and lack of appreciation is doubly true of a game like Final Fantasy 13, made by a truly massive Japanese studio as the next big mainline entry in their flagship series. I'm gonna be honest with you: FF13 is the black sheep game I'm the most passionate about, hands down.
With Tenchu Z, the TLDR there was something along the lines of "yes this game is deeply flawed but it appeals to my own sensibilities and if you're willing to overlook X Y and Z then you'll have a good time." Not so, with FF13. Here, I'm going to show you why this game is actually really great and you're basically an idiot if you write it off as bad. Only the hottest takes here, folks, get your asbestos oven mitts cause here we go.
So, let's start with what actually isn't so great about FF13, to get that out of the way. The game starts in media res, and it throws a TON of characters, specialized terminology and jargon at you immediately. It takes a good while to come to grips with everything that's happening, and you're basically required to read through encyclopedia entries in the datalog to come to grips with all this stuff, which is the only break in the action you get. The opening is extremely similar to the opening of FF7, which also began in media res with a focused soldier-type on a dangerous mission and not much info given to the player. You're meant to just be wowed by the spectacle and go along for the ride. However, by ramping up that spectacle to the insane degree that 13 does, and by using far more specialized terminology than 7 did in its intro, the player can easily be overwhelmed and taken out of the experience. Plus, 13's intro goes on far longer than 7's did, and the pace is rapid fire with no room to breathe.
There's not a super simple fix for this, given the story of the game and how it's all set up. As it stands, the whole first 2-3 hours of the game, up through the defeat of Anima, feels like the best compromise they could cobble together while keeping the story they wanted to tell intact. My verdict on a first playthrough was that it's a bit confusing and feels too "huge", overall, and needs to just be gotten through as quickly as possible. On returning to the game to write this review, however, I don't think there's any easy way to improve what's there, given the burden that the intro bears as far as exposition and setup for what comes later. Essentially, the intro is just okay, and it gives the wrong impression as to what the rest of the game will be like.
I also feel that, given how intense and difficult battles can be in 13, the victory screen could've been handled better. The victory theme is an iconic part of FF games, and 13 really lacks a good one, just a few notes that get cut off into an ambient … thing. The star rating system and scoring feels silly and tacked-on, as well. It almost feels like they wanted to cut any sort of victory screen entirely for immersion, but then someone made them put something back in hastily at the end.
Finally, I feel that the eidolons could have been handled a bit better. Not their visual design, that's fantastic. It's more that they're quite underpowered for their cost of use. For the cost of most of your TP bar and a great deal of time, you get to temporarily miss out on all of the party abilities you've been putting time and crystarium points into. In exchange, you get some underwhelming physical and magic attacks without much stagger potential, and then a single big nuke. Given the visual spectacle of these attacks and the eidolons themselves and how cool they are, it's disappointing that they seem to have been designed for extremely niche use that's a bit at odds with how the rest of the combat system works. I'll get more into that later, because the combat system in 13 is actually quite good and needs a full explanation.
So, those are my only three complaints about Final Fantasy 13. Let's get into why it's actually a fantastic game.
At this point, I'd wager 99% of you are incredulous. "But what about Lightning clopping down endless hallways? What about how she sucks because she doesn't even have a character? What about all these shallow other characters and how everyone just sucks in this game? What about the terrible combat, how can you say it's good? What about the awful story?"
I think a good way to get started on this is to address all the usual complaints individually.
Complaint 1: The game is super linear.
I know every game that comes out now is some open-world thing, but like, linearity in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's not an objectively incorrect design decision. Plenty of great games have linear design. Even classic games that appear open-ended are actually intensely linear. Without sequence breaking, Super Metroid and Castlevania SotN both have a linear intended order in which you need to collect items in order to progress. They guide you toward that path with no small degree of grace, to the point that it's invisible and you feel as though you're exploring on your own. But make no mistake, these are linear games, no less than Castlevania 1 or Mario.
Final Fantasy 13 is, it's true, less graceful about its linearity. This is especially true in the opening chapters, when you're still on Cocoon, and even more so in the intro before the Anima fight. There are plenty of sections where you're just running down hallways during those parts, yes. However, I put it to you that this isn't a bad thing. The combat system in FF13 is intense, and enemy encounters are a big fucking deal. This battle system requires a level of tactical and strategic thought and care that most other games in the series don't even begin to touch. The hallways are there to give your mind a break for a second between battles, to maintain a rising and falling rhythm of action. I do have some sympathy for players in the very early game, before the combat gets really interesting and intense. But the early intro is again, not representative of most of the rest of the game.
Furthermore, once you get out of Cocoon, the game opens up considerably, letting you not only explore wherever you want, with tons of incredibly dangerous enemies everywhere, but also giving you a long list of side quests to undertake and optional bosses to fight however you want. Nobody ever includes how the game looks and feels once you hit Pulse in their analyses and opinions. I put it to you that this is because they're impatient flailing idiots who probably didn't even make it to the Anima fight.
In actuality, 13 is just as open-ended as any other game in the series, and also just as linear and restrictive in places. But I don't hear anyone complaining about the linear progression of 7 before you get out of Midgar, do I? How about the entire first disc of 8? Or just about the entire game in 9? Everybody loves those games, but they still hate 13. Hypocrites.
Complaint 2: Lightning is bad. She has no character / she's a less-interesting Cloud. (also Complaint 2a: 13 has bad characters generally)
So, before I dive into the actual critical response here, I would like to take a moment to say fuck you if you think this. Such a shallow, surface-level reading of her really pushes my buttons. In the post-GG era, it also reeks of sexism on par with people who hate The Force Awakens because "Rey is a Mary Sue" or whatever.
Okay. Deep breaths, Applebaps, let's address the actual issue at hand here. The heart of the issue is this: FF13 is better appreciated by women. It's accidental, I think, and it's for cultural reasons, not biological ones, but it's true. It's this that I blame for a lot of why people have the particular complaints that they do about the game, and why a lot of gamer boys miss literally the entire point of the game. I recognize that this is an extraordinary claim, so let's lay the foundation.
FF13 came out first on the PlayStation 3. This was an era of gaming where the ability to animate realistic facial expressions fluidly was relatively new tech. There was talk of this kind of thing during the PS2 era, but one of the major selling points of the PS3 was this big upgrade to the power of the "emotion engine" that let developers better simulate realistic faces. And 13 has some really fantastic work in this regard.
One of the reasons so many men think 13 has bad characters is because a lot of what goes on in 13 concerning people's inner thoughts and the subtext of their conversations is written plain as day on their faces, and in their non-verbal cues. However, men are notoriously bad at reading these things. It's rare for the dominant gender or ruling economic class in a society to be good at reading non-verbal cues and hearing the tone of a conversation, because they don't have to be good at it. For women, the ability to read the tone of a room and discern subtle changes in social atmosphere or a person's true intentions is a survival skill, it lets us avoid potential violence at the hands of men. And it leads to cultural stereotypes that are relevant to the relative enjoyment of FF13 by men and women.
This is a game with tremendous detail and thought and processing power put into people's faces and their posture above all else. And it has absolutely phenomenal voice acting. These things were very high priorities during development, and it wasn't because 13 was some tech demo. It's because it's the first game in the series where you can actually watch people have conversations and read them like real people. You can draw inferences from not only what people say in this game, but how they say it and what their face looks like when they're talking and reacting to each other. That effort to pay attention to the game in this way actually does pay off narratively and in character arcs. Because this game was the first one to try this, I don't think people really understand how important these things are to fully understanding these characters. That is absolutely fascinating to me, and it should be to you as well.
So! Let's turn now to Lightning herself.
The simple truth is that Lightning fucking owns. She's not a Mary Sue, either, she has a ton of nuance. She's a cop, a soldier, a straight arrow type. She's rigid, and doesn't trust easily. However, to those she does care about, to those who earn her respect, she's very open and even warm in the way of a big sister. She's a fully grown, mature person with her own goals and ideas, and she's incredibly capable, competent, and driven.
I'm gonna be up front with you: I relate a lot to this lady. I can very easily see myself in her shoes. There are obvious, verbally-expressed and not at all subtle beats even early on in 13's story that should have hooked in even people who don't identify with her so strongly, such as her ditching Hope when he's being a whiny little baby, and then later growing to respect and relate to him more and trying to train him to be a more effective person.
The thing is, though, a lot of her character is non-verbal. She just doesn't mince words. What she says has a lot of weight to it, and she sticks very clearly to a life philosophy that works well for her. You pick a goal, you move toward it. You do what you have to do to get the job done, and fuck the rest.
However, the real meat and nuance of her character is in her expressions as she reacts to the rest of the party. It's in the way she glares off into the distance when Hope reacts like a fawning puppy to a small compliment. It's in the way her mouth twitches with disgust when Sazh starts making excuses that will lead to him lying down to die, even if he can't see it yet (spoilers, though, he totally can and doesn't care). It's in the way she looks sidelong at Snow, trying to gauge his personality and see if he's worthy of marrying the sister she loves so much, and coming up empty. It's in the way her eyes dart about at the slightest prospect of seeing Serah again, nervous and excited and bearing the full burden of that love and what it means to people as doomed as they are. It's in the way her voice shakes almost imperceptibly as she makes the decision to go after Eden, hoping that the others will stand with her, knowing she'll probably die but doing it anyway. This is a woman who holds herself and others to a very high standard, and constantly grapples with having those standards disappointed by those around her. And she's a survivor, first and foremost.
She grows and changes as the game progresses, of course, I'm just trying to paint you a portrait of why you should like her even at the start.
It's not just Lightning, either, all of these characters have incredible depth and nuance that's largely found outside of their spoken lines. I'll spare you the thousand paragraphs as to why each of them is worth the attention. Eventually, the story beats and character arcs all do come together in ways obvious enough that anyone can enjoy them. But if you're not paying attention to non-verbal cues in this game, you're missing out on probably 80% of what makes these characters interesting. That people then turn around and go "oh Lightning has no character she's just stoic" or that they react with outright hostility to such a cool and powerful lady, that shit pisses me right off.
Complaint 3: The story is bad.
Basically, if you think 13 has a bad story because it uses a bunch of technical words that it made up, you're stupid as hell. Nobody gives Tolkien shit for using made-up words. If you think the story is pointless or that the literal events that occur aren't interesting, guess what, you're also pretty dumb. 13 has probably the most interesting theming in the series.
As I admitted above, the game does throw you in headfirst into the deep end, and it can be initially confusing. However, once you find your footing, the story is both interesting in and of itself, and also kinda secondary to the character development and interpersonal interactions.
At its heart, 13 asks questions like: "What does it mean to be a character in an RPG?" "What even is a 'quest'?" "Does being the protagonist mean that your actions are justified?" "What if you had to choose between saving the world and saving those you love?" As it explores these ideas, it deconstructs tropes and themes that the series has almost universally taken for granted up to this point. And it does all this while also offering up some meaty character drama as well!
To help make things easier for you, should you decide to play this game, here's a general overview/summary of the literal events of the early plot:
Lightning is going bam whooshy kapow to try and save her sister Serah. Serah is engaged to Snow, who is also trying to rescue her with a bunch of his friends who have a monster-hunting group called NORA (although they don't matter very much). Serah is slated to be "purged", which is exactly what it sounds like, because the government of Cocoon purges anything that may have come into contact with anything from outside Cocoon, namely the world of Pulse that Cocoon floats above. They're purging the entire town that Serah and Lightning and Snow used to live in, in fact, because they found a powerful Pulsian being there, so in their view the whole town is potentially tainted. One of the people who's supposed to be purged is a woman with a son named Hope. She takes up arms with NORA to try and fight the purge, and immediately dies. Hope is really sad and blames Snow, who leads NORA, for her death. He's just a regular kid, after all. Another of the people who's caught up in the purge is a sad lady pretending to be happy named Vanille. Her whole backstory isn't important until much later, but then it's REALLY important. There's also a random civilian pilot guy named Sazh there. He's just kinda a regular dude (for now), and he follows Lightning and gets in her way because he's a doof (or so it seems).
Those godlike beings are called Fal'Cie, and they can come from either Pulse (the planet, an unknown, wild, natural place) or Cocoon (a technologically-advanced human settlement, above the planet). Cocoon Fal'Cie run the government. Pulse Fal'Cie want Cocoon destroyed, generally speaking. Fal'Cie have the power to curse someone with a geas that the game calls a Focus. Basically, you have to do something on behalf of the Fal'Cie, and there's a ticking clock on it. Once you're given a focus by a Fal'Cie, you're called a l'Cie ("luh SEE"). Being a l'Cie is lose-lose. If you complete your task, you get turned into a crystal statue and it's unclear whether you're alive or not. If you fail to complete your task within the time limit (which is also unclear) you turn into a Cie'th ("seeth" with a soft "th"), a monster basically. To make matters worse, your Focus isn't just told to you outright, it's given in a really vague vision that's open to interpretation.
During the attempted rescue, Lightning, Snow, Hope, Vanille, and Sazh all converge on Serah at the moment she turns into crystal. They barely get to say goodbye before they're thrust into battle with the Fal'Cie recovered from their hometown, Anima, who turns them all into l'Cie and gives them a vision that everyone but Snow thinks means they need to destroy Cocoon. Snow is convinced that their Focus is to save Cocoon, though, and stays behind on his own to mourn his fiance and get his head on straight. Everyone else takes off to run away from the military, who's coming after them now for being l'Cie and fighting against the purge.
There are a few other miscellaneous terms, but honestly you don't need to worry about things like the differences between PSICOM and the Guardians, or the particulars of the War of Transgression, or like half the other stuff the game throws out there (for instance: does it really matter if people "can't use magic" if they have technology that emulates magical effects? probably not). Let the game take you along for a ride, and know that it DOES explain itself eventually. If there's a point you're confused on, just make a note of it and wait a bit. There's a lot that becomes clear in flashbacks or through character arcs and other revelations that I don't want to spoil.
Anyway, that's just where the story starts. So, if you can figure out how to get all those ideas across in a better way than 13 does, be my guest. Comment below with your ideas.
To return to my main point: if you're not engaging with the story on a thematic level, you're missing out on one of the most mature and engaging stories that Final Fantasy has ever told. Only 8, which grappled with themes of loneliness and the redemptive power of intimate relationships, has even come close. And surprise, surprise, everybody hates that one too. Fucking gamers.
I hope that you can see the thematic elements emerging just from my literal plot summary. There's a lot there that the series has historically dealt with, all brought back at once for a big deconstruction. You've got magic and nature versus technology, terrorism, the Other, ignorance and tribalism, you've got loss and grief and coping, you've got the hero who wants to save everyone, you've got soldiers and rebel groups, orphans, etc. The thing about 13 is that, after throwing all this stuff together into a big ol meaty thematic stew, it proceeds to pick through it and dump a lot of it out on the ground, gesturing to it and asking pointed questions about how those things actually work and what they mean. The rest of the series takes these things for granted, but 13 asks what they're even doing there, it explores the implications of those things. That makes it well worth playing.
Complaint 4: The combat sucks / I get what you're saying but I hate the mechanics.
Okay, but you're still wrong.
Every entry in this series has different combat mechanics. They change that part of them up every time. At a completely surface level, however, you generally choose what to do from a list. And the focus has generally been on micromanagement, on turn-by-turn decision-making. The main skill you cultivate is the ability to read and react to situations in very small time increments.
Let's go back in time a bit and talk about Final Fantasy 12, and gambits. In 12, you could still choose what to do from a list, but they introduced the ability to essentially program your party members to act automatically according to certain conditions. You could actually do this to the extent that grinding became a matter of running around with the left analog stick, and watching as your party automatically killed monsters, healed, used buffs and debuffs, etc. A lot of people hated this, but I found it fascinating, because not only did it take a lot of the tedium out of the inevitable FF grind, it also laid bare something essential about how FF combat systems worked up to that point. It revealed that actually, the whole idea of what combat is in these games is largely pretty samey and played out. The surface-level changes could no longer disguise the core thrust of what combat in a Final Fantasy game was. A series of micromanagement decisions vis-a-vis dealing damage, healing damage, etc. That never changed, whether we were dealing with materia, desperations, espers, whatever.
Now, keeping that in mind, know this: FF13 fundamentally changed the purpose and required skills of its combat system. Even if you don't like change, even if you don't like what they did with it, you have to admit that that's really interesting. Why would they do that, after 13 games (counting X-2)? That kind of experimentation is cool, in and of itself. It's bold of them!
So, let's talk specifics. How is 13's combat essentially different from anything that came before? You still choose actions from a list, you still deal and take damage, right? It's kinda like a combination of 12's gambits and 10-2's dresspheres, with a sprinkling of 10's sphere grid for advancement, right? Well, sort of. On a surface level, yes, those are the elements. However, taken as a whole and looked at in the context of a game that also questions what it means to quest in an RPG, we find a very interesting picture of what combat and progression should be in an RPG.
First: A lot more of the game is hands-off when it comes to the micromanagement. There's no longer even a semblance of turns, everything is real time and very fast. You can choose a slew of actions to queue up and perform automatically if you want, and your non-leader party members just do what they're going to do without any direction from you. The pace is such that if you don't act and think quickly, you can be very quickly wiped out as the battle's momentum leaves you behind.
Second: Every enemy has a stagger meter, and HP that's orders of magnitude higher than any previous game. They take miniscule damage normally, but while staggered take obscene amounts of damage. The meter is constantly falling, and different attacks and roles boost it in different ways, which influences how you think about party composition. Enemies also deal some truly insane amounts of damage.
Third: Your characters are healed fully after every fight, for free. Potions and other healing items are vastly reduced in both number and complexity. This reduces the attrition element of combat, and basically eliminates the need for healing item shopping unless you're seriously terrible at the combat. It shifts the role of healing items to a much less central position, and lets you focus on the fights themselves.
Fourth: Your characters have no level. Instead of XP, you accrue crystarium points, which are used to grant small bonuses to stats, of which there are only 3: HP, strength, and magic. Enemies reward substantial CP, enough so that the need for grinding (while not completely eliminated) is much reduced, compared to other games in the series. The focus is now on the story.
Fifth: Characters have roles/jobs, which are similar to dresspheres in that you can switch them on the fly in battle. However, you don't do this on an individual basis. Instead, you switch your entire team to a different "paradigm", which is a combination of roles.
The various roles have different purposes that go far beyond different dresspheres, however. They've dropped the classic FF job system entirely, and re-thought what each role's purpose in a party should be. Commandos have attacks that keep the stagger meter stable and make it decrease more slowly, as well as dealing higher base damage and being able to handle groups of smaller enemies. Ravagers boost the meter much more quickly, but their attacks cause it to fall more rapidly. Their magic is more formidable, and they're suitable for hitting elemental weaknesses during the stagger phase. Medics heal, and they're capable of doing it quite rapidly, which helps because enemies can deal incredible amounts of damage now. Sentinels take less damage and have taunting and counter abilities, which are absolutely required to withstand the bursts that bosses and some regular enemies are capable of dishing out. Saboteurs cast debuffs, and Synergists cast buffs, all of which have had their effectiveness significantly increased.
Swapping paradigms, if done with proper timing, refills everyone's action bar, giving them essentially another "turn" for free immediately. However, the animation to switch takes about 5 seconds or so, which in terms of the pace of 13's combat is GLACIAL and agonizing to watch when you time it poorly. Knowing when to swap is crucial, as is proper setup of your paradigms prior to battle.
Sixth: Enemies don't drop much in the way of materials. However, the main way in which you get stronger quickly is by upgrading your weapons, which requires tons of materials. Most of which can be bought at the various stores you unlock, all of which can be accessed via online shopping from any save point. You're no longer going shopping at towns in between dives into combat-heavy forests or caves. Now, the game is one long hard-charging mission, and you make your own breaks in hallways and at save points.
Upgrading is done on a back-and-forth swing, where you use organic materials first to boost the XP the weapon or accessory will get from throwing mechanical components in for a big payoff. There are upgrade trees branching out from several base weapon archetypes, and going down them is required to obtain 90% of the weapons in the game, and 100% of the actually good ones. If you ignore upgrading, you will very quickly fall behind in your ability to cope with the combat, and repeatedly wipe until you eventually give up.
All of this combines to create combat that is frenetic, difficult, intense, lengthy. It is involved in a way that no previous game has managed to be, and removes much of the tedium that characterizes "grinding in a Final Fantasy game", by de-emphasizing some elements and heavily emphasizing others. The player's primary skill is as a strategist, rather than a tactician; you make decisions based on the rhythm and flow of how the battle is going overall, and your decisions must be made quickly and precisely. You have to have an eye for where things are going, rather than what's just happened.
But hey, it's way different and that's bad I guess. You just don't like the mechanics, they're bad mechanics. It's better to repeatedly choose "attack" and then use a bunch of potions after every fight.
Finally, I've heard from some people that the game "lacks visual personality" or that it's somehow a step backward in aesthetics. I really don't know how to answer a claim that's so obviously wrong on its face, to be honest. All I can say is that the game does have its own visual and design aesthetic? It doesn't have any easy touchstones in Western art that we can compare it to, like some previous games have had. But that doesn't make it "generic", far from it.
Look, so, I'm exhausted here. I'm basically done. I hope this has convinced you to give Final Fantasy 13 a fair shake. The game is much maligned and has been since its release, but it doesn't deserve any of this. It's great. So don't be an idiot, okay? If you like Final Fantasy games, just please play this fucking game.
Categories Pet the Black SheepTags fabula nova crystallis, final fantasy, final fantasy 13
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TONI BRAXTON FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY AGAIN
Via BBC News Grammy-award-winning singer Toni Braxton has filed for bankruptcy for the second time, her lawyer has said. The 43-year-old has revealed she is in millions of dollars worth of debt after a heart condition forced her to cancel a series of shows in Las Vegas. Debra Grassgreen said it had been a "very difficult decision" for Braxton to make, who previously filed for bankruptcy in 1998. The star is hoping sell some of her assets to pay for off her […]
UK NEWS: N-DUBZ DRUMMER FIRED AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT CONVICTION
Several months ago it was reported that N-Dubz drummer Aaron Fagan had been found guilty of sexual assault after he groped two women after a gig in Scotland last year. Click HERE to read all about it. Fagen who is now on the Sex Offenders register has now been officially fired from the band. Via AceShowbiz N-Dubz drummer Aaron Fagan has been fired from the band after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two female fans after a gig in Scotland last year. The 25 year […]
VIDEO: NEW NE-YO INTERVIEW
Our friends over at Punchbowl Blog sat down with R&B crooner Ne-Yo during his UK promotional tour. In this interview the singer talks about… – His new concept album 'Libra Scale' – Working with Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna – Wanting to collaborate with Amy Winehouse – What he has planned for the songs he wrote for Michael Jackson – His recent disagreement with Chris Brown ( I wasn't aware they had a disagreement) – His mother appearing on the Wendy Williams […]
UK TV /NEWS: X-FACTOR FARCE! – CONTESTANT KATIE WAISSEL LINKED TO SONY BMG / CHER LLOYD FOOLISHNESS
Those of you who tuned in to The X-Factor over the weekend should now know that this "talent show" is a complete and utter FARCE. The ridiculous Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel made it through to the next round (the live stages of the show) even though both failed to complete their auditions. A disturbing looking Cher claimed she had a sore throat and couldn't sing, while Katie broke down in the middle of her performance and begged to "start again". For some reason the "nations sweetheart" and convicted batterer […]
UK EVENT: URBAN DEVELOPMENT – INDUSTRY TAKEOVER 2010
UK NEWS: BBC 1XTRA GEARS UP TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Yes folks it's that time again! It's Black History Month! So don't be surprised if you see more black faces on British television throughout the month of October. Anyway BBC 1xtra will kick off the celebrations by acknowledging… Music icons (from Stevie Wonder to Dizzee Rascal), black cinema, major historical moments and classic music from over the decades in Old School Sunday – a weekly show which will celebrate black music through the decades. Beginning on Friday 1 October, the Breakfast Show sees […]
UK EVENT: BEFFTA AWARDS 2010
Top black and ethnic personalities within entertainment, film, fashion television and arts gathered to celebrate the red carpet VIP launch of the 2nd annual BEFFTA(Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts) awards several weeks ago. Among the special guests were former Five Star group member Stedman, Fame Academy star Audley Anderson, Junior Giscombe, radio personality Sherry Dixon and Lord Paul Johnson. For more information about this years BEFFTA Awards and to vote click HERE. Check out photographs below taken at the VIP […]
BUJU BANTON CASE – JUDGE DECLARES MISTRIAL
A Florida judge has declared a mistrial for the Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton, who was accused of conspiring to buy cocaine from an undercover police officer last year. U.S. District Judge James Moody declared a mistrial after the 12-person jury sent him a second note on Monday saying they couldn't reach a verdict. They had been deliberating since Thursday afternoon after a four-day trial. Click HERE to read more…
UK MUSIC: NADINE CHARLES – YOU ARE THE ONE
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ISLAND DEF JAM FIRES L.A. REID AND THE DREAM?
This news hasn't been officially confirmed yet but it's been reported that Island Def Jam bigwigs fired label executives L.A Reid and singer/producer The Dream today. Via Gyant Unplugged According to my source, Vin Vivendi, a french international media conglomerate, with activities in music, television, film, and telecommunications, is cleaning house, and Dream as well as LA Reid are out due to disappointing sales figures and exuberant spending . If L.A Reid has in fact "left the building" then I wonder where […]
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Escaping Communist: A Biography of Jan Sisolak
08/12/2009 18/10/2016 by Helena
It's very humbling to realise how you could so easily have never been born, how random it is that you were born. I am half Slovak and half English, born in Canada in 1963 at a time when Slovaks remained behind the Iron Curtain. Consequently, it is a miracle that my father, Jan Sisolak, while not a notable war hero but indeed a villager who like many others made a contribution to Slovak history, survived a period of repression and terror.
Jan Sisolak
My grandmother, Jan's mother, was Helena Sisolakova nee Winko, who married Imrich Sisolak of Zavod in Slovakia around 1920. Helena was one of about 9 children. At the turn of the 20th Century her parents decided to emigrate to America. They agreed to leave behind their youngest child Helena for the grandparents to raise and care for (a very common practise among emigrating families throughout Europe).
Helena lived in the village of Zavod where nearly everyone, or so it seems, is named Sisolak. Helena's eldest brother was one Vendolin Winko and they were able to maintain a close relationship by post. This was no mean feat considering the events of history during their lifetimes. After all, around the time of their weddings the First World War Versailles treaty of 1918 was signed; the regions of Slovakia and the Czech Republic were united as Czechoslovakia; while the population of villages throughout Slovakia were devastated by the effects of World War I and the flu pandemic of 1919.
Helena married Imrich Sisolak, a local business man and in 1924 she gave birth to Jan. He lived in the village with many cousins and other relatives. Jan was encouraged by his father to take exams in business. When Jan was 14 in 1938 Slovakia declared its autonomy within the federal state. On the 15th March 1939 Hitler invaded a non-German country for the first time and Britain realised that his desire was not for unity of the German people but instead for world domination. During this time the Hlinka Guard, a militia force maintained by the Slovak People's Party until 1945 and named after Andrej Hlinka, drew recruits from all walks of life.
In 1939, neighbouring country Poland was invaded by Germany. By 1942 Jews in Slovakia were taken by train to Auschwitz, the organisation of which fell to the Hlinka Guard. In many respects the situation in Slovakia during World War II was much the same of Vichy France; while the government collaborated with the Nazis the will of the general populace was vastly opposed to Nazism.
Imrich & Helena Sisolak Wedding
In 1944 Jan and his brother, Martin, answered the call to arms of the Slovak resistance known as the Slovak National Uprising. It amazes me that in present time of email and internet how a country in the midst of war could organise and galvanise such patriotism, action and courage. Nevertheless, the resistance movement was successfully orchestrated from Banská Bystrica to oust the government.
Unfortunately, Martin was killed in 1944 in a village called Trubin alongside five other men all aged just 19 years. To this day his grave and indeed the village cemetery is tended to by villagers and who on All Souls' Day adorn the graves with flowers and candles.
The exact history of Jan's service is unknown but it is known he spent much of his time in the forests. He regularly recalled eating lamb, cooked quickly on a fire at the bottom of the forest so that the enemy did not notice the fire. This was particularly unusual as lamb was and is not a meat traditionally eaten by Slovaks. Nevertheless, despite the awful texture of the meat, it provided vital sustenance for the resistance movement.
Unfortunately, despite the valiant efforts of the resistance movement, Germans were victorious; although the Partisans remained active until the Soviets liberated Slovakia in 1945. Post war Slovakia was grim under Russian occupation. Those who had acted as Partisans were at continual risk of enduring lengthy prison sentences, torture and worse. The Communist and pro-Russian government wanted to quash Slovak spirit and those who had or continued to collaborate with capitalists.
Dark Blue World, a Czech film starring Tara Fitzgerald and Charles Dance does a good job of illustrating this era. The film portrays two pilots who escape Czechoslovakia in 1939 and retrain in England to fight during World War II.
It was in this same era that Jan could no longer cope with the economic, political or social situation in Slovakia. In August 1951, aged 26, he slipped a note under his nephew's pram cushion stating that he had to leave. Jan left with a friend in the dead of night with their clothes wrapped around a tyre. They crossed the Morava River at a narrow but well policed point into Austria successfully evading Russian Soldiers patrolling the border. From there they made their way to Salzberg to the Refugee Council.
The friends had a choice between Canada and England. It was due to the assisted passage programme, operating between England, America and Canada, that Jan met his English wife (my mother) and they married in 1962. Although his mother- and father-in-law never met Jan they took a coach trip in the 1960s to Czechoslovakia and insisted the guide take them to Zavod to meet Jan's family. It is important to bear in mind that during this decade, the Soviet Union were willing to use severe coercion to maintain control of the area and thus on 20 August 1968 Czechoslovakia was invaded and its so-called Prague Spring of liberalisation was crushed. Despite this and somewhat remarkably, the guide was persuaded and at great personal risk, the English couple met Jan's family. During the trip they learned that Imrich, Jan's father, was regularly imprisioned for his Catholic tendencies.
Jan and his wife separated in 1970 and I came to live in England. Finally, in 1991, Jan and I were reunited in Canada shortly before he died. I learned that during his lifetime he never wore the colour red as a personal stand against Communism.
The federation dissolved peacefully in 1993 in a so-called velvet divorce. By 2001 I desired to meet my family and flew to Prague and took a train to Bratislava. I was almost too scared to get off and when I met the family at the station I looked into their eyes, finally reinforcing my inkling that I truly belonged as part of their family and as part of Slovakian history.
Thanks to the merit of the internet, just last year, Vendelin Winkos' great grandson, who lives in the United States of America, tracked me down and sent me a photograph of Helena and Imrich Sisolakovci on their wedding day.
When in 2004 Slovakia joined the EU and NATO non-residents were finally allowed to legally own land and property in villages. I now own cottages built in 1875 which I run as a holiday business encouraging tourists from all over the world to discover this gem of a country. With a population of only five million people and an incredible 40% of land covered in forest, the country is beautiful with a rich culture and history.
If you would like more information about Slovakia and holiday opportunities please visit www.slovakia-sun-ski-spa.co.uk
Categories Archive Pre-2016, HistoryTags business, communism, communist, cottages, Culture, Czech, Czechoslovakia, EU, German, holiday, Jan Sisolak, NATO, Nazi, Russia, Slovakia, Soviet, Travel1 Comment


Discovering the right company for web design in Beeville, not an easy task. We keep the process simple so you can focus on your business.
We utilize three simple steps – uncover, propose, design. The first step in planning a website is to understand your business and how you compare as it relates to the competition in Beeville Texas. This gives us the opportunity to identify where the industry has set the bar and how we can set new industry standards. Next we will email you a proposal. The last step in the process is web design. Our clients are able to follow the development of the website as our team begins designing from day one. This allows for our clients to request subtle changes as we navigate through the development process. This also gives us the opportunity to make sure that the client is extremely satisfied with the final product. Once your design is completed, our team offers training, hosting plans, security updates and support for every website we develop.
We design your website so that people in Beeville can find you when they search Google.
We have developed a wide variety of websites, some right here in Beeville, Texas. Take a look through our website portfolio. You'll see a variety of clients in a wide range of industry categories. From oil & gas companies to soccer clubs. From non-profits to city districts.


Four KU professors, Dr. Jeremy Justeson, Dr. Maria Asteriadou, Dr. Susanna Loewy and Dr. Daniel Immel performed a compilation of works by the Deadbeat Composers Collective in the Weill Recital Hall on Feb. 9.
The music, written by Craige Biondi, Alphonze Izzo and Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn for the Case Ensemble showcased the skills of these four professors for not only the audience at Weill Hall, but also for students and fellow faculty alike here at Kutztown.
Dr. Loewy explained that they not only worked together, but share an art. The performance was shaped by the interaction between these coworkers as well as their preparation in front of students.
Erin Phillips, a freshman Music Education major, attended the performance.
Overall, the student reception of the Deadbeats Composers Collective was extremely positive and exemplified just how open they are to such new music.
This was not only an opportunity to expose the students to contemporary music, but also a chance to display the product of dedication and hard work their professors have invested into this performance. The fact that these professors continue to work on separate projects takes the learning process to a new level.
"If they just teach, you don't really know how they sound or what they do," Phillips said.
It's one thing to know that these professors rehearse and perform outside of class, but it is another to see so in person.
"Watching them perform gives me the drive to reach their level," Phillips said.
Currently, Dr. Justeson and Dr. Loewy have a commission of flute and saxophone work written by Gregory Wanamaker. Along with their own projects, the professors strive to expose their students to outside talents as well.
Next year, Robert Patterson, a New York City based composer, will be working with the ensemble on their commission of his new work in preparation for its world premier and the Wind Ensemble's debut in the newly renovated Schaeffer Auditorium.
This Spring semester will be seeing a number of recitals and performances by both national and international talents including the Swedish percussion group, Kroumata, numerous student and faculty recitals and a wind Ensemble performance at the Kennedy Center for the 2013 Washington DC International Music festival. With such a successful beginning to the semester, only the best lies ahead.
For over 100 years, Carnegie hall has been a venue for the finest talents, minds and creations in America. Carnegie Hall has welcomed the people such as George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, the Beatles, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Andy Kauffman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


As a job seeker you are probably hard at work building your network. But a strong network isn't just about having lots of people, it's about really connecting and harnessing the power of that network. Your networking relationships should be mutually beneficial. Here are five ways to help your network, and five ways your network can help you in your job search.
Make good use of your network and look for ways to help them. Meeting connections face to face is one of the best ways to strengthen the relationship and make it truly beneficial to both of you. Building solid relationships with a wide variety of people is one of the best ways to propel your job search forward.
This entry was written by Carrie Krueger, Vice President, Jobfully, posted on at 6:49 am, and filed under Complete Index, Networking and tagged how to build a strong network, Networking.


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Improvements in the Panamanian Educational System
With 4% of all global trade passing through its canal, The Republic of Panama boasts the two busiest ports in the world as well as one of the fastest-growing economies in the Americas. Despite this, only recently have long-standing issues with both quality and access begun to effect improvements in the Panamanian educational system.
Traditional Panamanian education comprises three stages (primary, secondary and tertiary) and schooling is free through the secondary level. Then the system splits into an academic track and a vocational track, with more students choosing the latter. Public education is non-profit, serving 87% enrolled students. Rising enrollment reflects increased demands for skilled labor, but quality problems linger and have resulted in a mismatch between educational offerings and market needs. Rural and urban areas show wide divisions in access and delivery of education services, adding to inequality. Indigenous and Afro-Caribbean populations also suffer discrimination, high poverty and low political representation, further reinforcing barriers to their educational achievement. In recognition of these problems, in recent years the following efforts have been undertaken:
In 2010, in a new evaluation process was set up for universities by the fledgling National Council for University Evaluation and Accreditation of Panama (CONEAUPA). The changes emphasized skills training, curriculum unification and quarterly terms during the academic year. They also established a nation-wide team to update curricula.
The government has increased student financial support, quadrupling grants from 2009 to 2013; thus pushing demand for university places in a wider range of study areas. However, areas such as health sciences and export and logistics still face under-enrollment. Panama plans to establish a national, PISA-aligned assessment system to measure learning outcomes.
The 2014 program "Panamá Bilingüe" aims to implement a fully-bilingual education system in twelve years, improving English skills among both teacher and student populations, and sending on average 2,000 teachers yearly to immersion programs in the US, the UK, Canada and Barbados.
Through these efforts and several bilateral agreements with countries like France, Jamaica, Morocco, Trinidad and Tobago and Singapore, Panama envisions becoming an international education hub in the Americas and has set special migration regimes for educational establishmentsin order to attract foreign students, academics and researchers.
Categories ESL News
Tags Panamanian Educational System


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Home High Long. Silv. Clouds Sweet Mtn. Hm. Call it a Dream Bonus Tracks
Welcome to the Music Store
Please use the tabs above to navigate through the various albums available for sampling/purchase. Each track can be bought individually as well. You can also click here to visit Chuck's Band Camp page, which also features other individual tracks. The music available in the store features albums and tracks performed by Chuck Cantalamessa with his band Wind Star, as well as some solo/duo performances. We will occasionally offer other singles, as well as some older items from the archives, so check back frequently.
High Longing
Chuck Cantalamessa teamed up with his long time and favorite music partner Chuck "Trunk" Kirkpatrick on this newly remastered CD. These original compositions, written by Chuck Cantalamessa, were recorded in a unique electric/acoustic fashion. Laced with the lush vocal harmony production of Chuck Kirkpatrick, the vocal melodies are tastefully enhanced by his creative instrumental wizardry. The masterful collaboration of these two veteran musicians takes this latest recording to another level. High Longing by Chuck Cantalamessa
Silver Clouds
This recently digitally re-mastered CD contains 10 original songs composed by Chuck Cantalamessa and performed by his group Wind Star. This collection of mellow rock tunes includes Mystical Lady, the song that won Chuck his first of three appearances on Star Search. Silver Clouds by Chuck Cantalamessa
Sweet Mountain Home
This recently digitally re-mastered CD contains ten original songs composed by Chuck Cantalamessa and performed by his group Wind Star. The title song, Sweet Mountain Home tells of his return to the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Sweet Mountain Home by Chuck Cantalamessa
Call it a Dream
The "Call it a Dream" album consists of numerous "deep tracks" and a few crowd favorites in all-acoustic formats never before released. Most of these songs were captured "live" at premier acoustic venues in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton and Dania. Each track represents the original acoustic versions in which these songs were written and initially performed. While these recordings don't feature the lush studio-quality sounds or slick production embellishments, the raw delivery of a simple performance sometimes says it best. For those who've asked for it, this collection is for you. Call it a Dream by Chuck Cantalamessa
We occasionally add special offers of archived music, solo performances, etc. Here are a few currently available. Mystical Lady (Single -- Love 94 South Florida Album) by Chuck Cantalamessa Oh, Colorado [Live (Single)] by Chuck Cantalamessa / High Sierra Let It Run Wild [Live (Single)] by Chuck Cantalamessa / High Sierra Turn Around [Live at Asbury Park, NJ (Single)] by Chuck Cantalamessa / High Sierra A Rainbow Between Us (Single) by Chuck Cantalamessa You can also always check out our Band Camp page for new items at chuckcantalamessa.bandcamp.com.


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Political Price for Supporting Merkel: Austria's Chancellor Resigns, Calls for 'New Start'
By Mike Shedlock - May 09, 2016, 10:39 AM CDT
On April 25, Austria's far-right, anti-immigration platform FPÖ Freedom party picked up over 35% of the vote in the first round of national elections.
The center-right ÖVP and center-left SPÖ parties were shutout for the first time since WWII. A second round of voting is on May 22 between the Green party and FPÖ.
The vote is for president, a largely ceremonial role, but the fallout has already begun.
The effective leader of Austria is not the president but the chancellor, and today the chancellor suddenly resigned, sending shockwaves throughout the EU.
New elections are likely.
Chancellor Werner Faymann Resigns
The Financial Times report Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann Resigns After Far-Right Surge.
Austria's chancellor has resigned after he lost the support of his own party in the wake of the presidential elections last month in which his social democratic SPÖ was trounced by the far-right Freedom party.
Werner Faymann had come under pressure from his centre-left party to work more closely with the anti-immigration FPÖ after its unexpectedly strong showing in the first round of the presidential election.
Mr Faymann's resignation as chancellor and party leader will send shockwaves through Europe as politicians elsewhere assess the surge in support for anti-immigration parties
Norbert Hofer for the FPÖ won more than 35 per cent of the vote, far more than any other candidate. He had campaigned on a nationalist platform of strict limits on immigration, tough rules for asylum seekers and the break-up of the two-party system that has dominated Austrian politics since the end of the second world war.
The growing support for the far right has placed the SPÖ and ÖVP under greater pressure to work with the FPÖ if they want to remain in power. The social democratic party's official position, set in 2014, rejects working with the FPÖ in coalition. Mr Faymann continued to defend that position even after Hans Niessl, an SPÖ provincial governor, broke ranks last year.
Mr Faymann was booed at an SPO May Day rally after the thrashing in the presidential vote. His popularity had plunged after initially backing the open-door policy of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on refugees.
Faymann Quits Calls for "New Start"
The Wall Street Journal reports Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann Quits on Migrant Issues.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigned on Monday, becoming one of the most prominent casualties of the political upheaval sweeping Europe amid the migration crisis.
Mr. Faymann, 56, a center-left politician who has been chancellor since 2008, said he was giving up his post as head of the Alpine country's government with immediate effect. It was still to be determined, he said, who his long-term successor would be.
"This country needs a chancellor whose party is completely behind him," Mr. Faymann told reporters in Vienna, stating that he was leaving because of insufficient backing within his Social Democratic Party. "This government needs a new start."
Mr. Faymann didn't call for new elections before stepping down, but Austrian media speculated that the government might do so in the coming days. The next regular parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in 2018.
Mr. Faymann's resignation is the latest sign of political turmoil across Europe, driven by euro-skeptic, anti-immigrant, populist parties that are gaining traction as mainstream governments struggle to master growing migrant numbers and tackle economic doldrums.
In Denmark, the right-wing populist Danish People's Party achieved stronger-than-expected election results last year, pushing the centrist government to take tougher measures to keep migrants out. In Germany, the upstart Alternative for Germany party made landmark gains in state elections in March and now polls at 15%, cementing its status as the most successful right-wing party in Germany since World War II.
Austria's next political test comes on May 22, in the runoff presidential vote that will pit the Freedom Party's Mr. Hofer against independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, who favors openness toward accepting refugees.
Presidential Powers
Wikipedia explains ...
Though technically wielding powers comparable to that of the chief executives of semi-presidential systems, in practice, Austria operates under a parliamentary system of government, and the federal president is more a figurehead than an actual interventive politician.
In constitutional theory, the president has free rein in appointing the head of the federal cabinet and, by extension, free rein in appointing federal cabinet ministers, Supreme Court justices, military officers, and most major bureaucrats. The president even has the authority to dissolve the National Council (the more powerful lower house of the Austrian parliament) more or less at will. However, as a practical matter, all the president ever does is fulfill purely ceremonial duties: much like British monarchs, holders of the office of President of Austria are bound by constitutional convention to aim at being nonpartisan custodians of political morality, to serve as symbols of national identity, and not to intervene in actual politics.
The president appoints and swears in the Federal Chancellor and, upon the advice of the chancellor, the federal ministers. In theory, the president can name as chancellor, and by extension a federal minister, anyone whom he sees fit. However the National Council can remove an individual minister or the Cabinet as a whole from office through a motion of no confidence. Also, a cabinet without enough support in the National Council could easily end up paralyzed. In practice, therefore, the cabinet's composition reflects National Council election rather than presidential election results, and the chancellor is almost always the leader of the largest party in the governing coalition.
If FPÖ Freedom party candidate Norbert Hofer wins the runoff as I expect, then if new elections are called (Hofer himself can call for elections), look for an anti-immigration leader to head up Austria, not in 2018, but now.
This belongs on Merkel's head. She should also resign.
China Stops Trying To Fool The World; World Is Sorry
China is Always the News


text:
Q: Node & Angular, Feedly RSS API call, get data from service and pass to controller. Callback or forming url with auth header for https.get() request I have a controller.js file that I am trying to get data from my feed-service.js file. FEEDLY_USER_ID and FEEDLY_ACCESS_TOKEN are accessible and defined in a separate config.js file.
controller.js:
$scope.feedlyGlobalAll = FeedService.getGlobalAll();

feed-service.js:
var request = require('request');
var globalOptions = {
    url: 'https://cloud.feedly.com/v3/streams/contents?streamId=user/' + FEEDLY_USER_ID + '/category/global.all',
    auth: {
        'bearer': FEEDLY_ACCESS_TOKEN
    }
};

service.getGlobalAll = function(){
    request.get(globalOptions, function(error, response, body){
        if(!error && response.statusCode == 200){
            service.globalAll = JSON.parse(body);
            return service.globalAll;
        }
        // error code here //
   })
}

I'm using an npm package called "request" to make the GET because I couldn't get https.get() work. This Feedly API call requires the URL, my user ID, and an access token passed in the header.
I've been reading and apparently I'm supposed to use callbacks or promises, but I can't get either of them to work. With http.get(), I can utilize promises by http.get().then(yada yada), which works for the forecast.io call I'm making elsewhere. The request module apparently doesn't allow .then(). I typically run into TypeError and .then() is not a function.
When I tried doing https.get(), here is the code I was using. I was never able to acquire a successful response.
var url = {
    url: 'https://cloud.feedly.com/v3/streams/contents?streamId=user/' + FEEDLY_USER_ID + '/category/global.all',
    'headers': {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + FEEDLY_ACCESS_TOKEN
    }
};

https = require('https');
https.get(url).then(yada yada)

I tried numerous things in the var url for the https.get call. I tried with and without quotes, I tried just auth: bearer token as it works with the request module, but wasn't able to get it to work.
Solution to this issue would either be:

*

*Callback from feed-service to controller using existing request module code.

*Figuring out the correct way to form the url for the https.get request and then I can utilize its promise function.

A: Use a promise inside your request callback:
service.getGlobalAll = function() {
   return $q(function(resolve, reject) {
      request.get(globalOptions, function(error, response, body){
         if(!error && response.statusCode == 200){
            service.globalAll = JSON.parse(body);
            resolve(service.globalAll);
        } else {
          reject();
        }
     });
   });
};

$q (angular's promise api) can be injected as a dependency in your service. The above code will return a promise that will resolve when your library's ajax call returns, so you can access it with .then().

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Complete Frank Miller Robocop Omnibus SC
The complete collected adaptation of legendary storyteller Frank Miller's original vision of RoboCop. Included in this omnibus are writer Steven Grant's (2 Guns) adaptations of the unproduced screenplays for RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 originally written by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300). Bear witness to the wall-to-wall violence, black comedy, science fiction, and neo-noir that never made it to the big screen.
(Please write your review for this series. It will stay attached throughout the life of the series. You can modify your review at any time.)
(NOTE: Item advance solicited for December 2016 on sale.)
Frank Miller Steven Grant Ed Brisson
Juan Jose Ryp Korkut ™ztekin
Publisher Rating
MATURE THEMES


text:
Rob Allan awarded honorary membership with SNAME
(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — Robert Allan Ltd. has announced that Robert G. (Rob) Allan has been made an honorary member by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), making him one of only 50 living individuals to enjoy this privilege. This membership is awarded to a person as result of their dedicated service to the maritime industry and the Society and is a symbol of recognition offered as a token of the high esteem in which their colleagues hold them.
SNAME has previously honored Rob Allan with many accolades. In 2000, he was nominated and elected as a fellow with both SNAME and RINA. In 2005, he was awarded the SNAME David W. Taylor medal for notable achievement in naval architecture and he has twice been awarded the American Bureau of Shipping/Joseph H. Linnard Prize for the best paper presented to a SNAME Annual Meeting.
Allan is a third-generation naval architect (all of the same name), whose family moved to Vancouver from Scotland in 1919. Since graduating with honors from the University of Glasgow in 1971 with a bachelor of science degree in naval architecture, Allan has been designing commercial workboats of all types, most notably high-performance tugboats for tanker escort and offshore terminal operations. In 1981, he succeeded his father as president of Robert Allan Ltd. and led the growing company to a position of international prominence in the field, including attaining several major International design awards for projects such as the unique Z-Tech tug design for the Port of Singapore.
He is internationally recognized as a leading authority on the subject of tug and workboat design. He has been recognized by his peers for this work with major awards including of the Meritorious Achievement Award by Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) in 2017, BC Export Award for Leadership in 2017 and Legacy Award from the Council of Marine Carriers in 2019.
He is a long-term trustee of the Vancouver Maritime Museum and a member of the SS Master Society.
Since selling the company to senior employees in 2008 and retiring from active daily duty in June 2017, Allan continues to serve as executive chairman of the board at Robert Allan Ltd. and mentors the next generation of designers within the company.
– Robert Allan Ltd.
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The Volkswagen Tiguan has above-average cargo and passenger space for a compact SUV. It also has a smooth ride and a long list of standard and available technology features. The Tiguan was a finalist for our 2018 Best Compact SUV for Families award thanks to its combination of space, family-friendly features, and positive feedback from the automotive press. Its third-row seating is a rarity for the class, but the seats are too small for adults. Also, its lone available engine has lethargic acceleration and subpar fuel economy.
There are many reasons to like the 2018 Tiguan, but you can do better. This Volkswagen has one of the highest starting prices in the class, and some rivals have many of the Tiguan's virtues without the missteps.
The Mazda CX-5 excels in areas where the VW falters, such as athletic handling and good fuel economy. However, it also has far less space than the Tiguan. The Honda CR-V bests the Tiguan in several key areas; it has a larger cargo hold, roomier rear seats, and better gas mileage. However, it doesn't offer third-row seating. Both the CX-5 and CR-V's MSRP are lower than the Tiguan's.
VW redesigned the Tiguan for the 2018 model year. The new edition's engine puts out 16 fewer horsepower, but it feels more energetic and gets about 2 more mpg than the old engine. The old six-speed automatic transmission is swapped for an eight-speed automatic. While the previous-generation Tiguan sat just five, the 2018 model is larger and offers a third-row seat that ups seating capacity to seven. The new model has much more cargo space, a larger infotainment touch screen, and many more driver assistance features, including adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking.
It is possible for you to save money by shopping for a used Tiguan, but you won't get the benefits of the vehicle's redesign. If you're considering an older model, be sure to read our 2017 Tiguan review to help you decide if you can live without the 2018 model's extra features. If you decide an older model is right for you, check out our Used Car Deals page for savings and incentives on used vehicles.
Here at U.S. News, we do your car-buying research for you and put everything you need to know into one comprehensive review. Our analysis combines professional reviewers' opinions with hard data, letting us provide an accurate appraisal of every car we rank. For this overview, we analyzed 26 Volkswagen Tiguan reviews.
This overview includes reviews and data for the 2018 model year.
U.S. News & World Report has been ranking cars, trucks, and SUVs since 2007, and our Best Cars team has more than 75 years of combined experience in the auto industry. We use our expertise to craft unbiased car reviews. To ensure objectivity, we don't accept expensive gifts or trips from automakers, and a third party handles all advertising on our site.
The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan has a base MSRP of $24,595. That's higher than almost every nonhybrid competitor's starting price (by $2,000 in some cases). There are three higher trims, each of which is a few thousand dollars more than the one below it. The highest trim is the Tiguan SEL Premium. It starts at $36,250, which is a really high price for a compact SUV. However, it comes standard with almost every feature you can get in a Tiguan, so the price doesn't escalate much from there.
It's easy to see why the Honda CR-V sits near the top of the compact SUV class every year. It has a user-friendly infotainment system and a substantial cargo area that exceeds the Tiguan's already ample cargo hold. In addition, the CR-V's upscale cabin has two rows of seats that are roomy for all but the tallest passengers. While the Volkswagen only offers one meager engine, the Honda offers two fuel-efficient power plants. The CR-V is fairly maneuverable in tight spaces, and its ride is smooth. The CR-V does all of this at a more affordable price, making it the obvious choice.
As one of the most fun-to-drive vehicles in the class, the Mazda CX-5 is also one of our highest-ranked compact SUVs. Its quick acceleration and efficient engine are impressive, but the CX-5's sharp handling is its strongest feature. The Mazda's high-grade cabin and two rows of roomy seats are other standouts. However, the CX-5's infotainment system isn't as intuitive as the Tiguan's, it has much less cargo space, and its lower reliability rating is concerning.
The base Tiguan seats seven people across three rows. All-wheel drive-models come standard with two rows of seats and carry up to five people; the third row is optional in these models.
The front seats are supportive, and the second row is spacious. The third row is smaller than in most other 3-row vehicles, and it doesn't provide enough room for adult passengers.
The Tiguan's second-row seats have two full sets of LATCH car-seat connectors. The middle seat has a tether anchor only. The tether anchors are easy to find and identify, but the lower anchors are a little difficult to access.
The Tiguan's cabin materials are as nice as any compact SUV's, but other SUV interiors have more panache.
The standard 3-row Tiguan has 12 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats in use. That's enough for several shopping bags but probably not enough for the whole family's luggage. With all seats down, you have nearly 66 cubic feet of space, which is above average for the class.
The 2-row Tiguan has even more room. It has more than 37 cubic feet of space with all seats in use. That's enough space for luggage for a long vacation or plenty of cookout gear, including a portable grill and a cooler. The 2-row Tiguan has a maximum cargo capacity of 73.5 cubic feet, which is higher than nearly every other compact SUV.
Standard features in the Tiguan include a 6.5-inch touch screen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, MirrorLink, and a USB port. Available features include a panoramic sunroof, Volkswagen Digital Cockpit, a nine-speaker Fender audio system, and an infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen, satellite radio, HD Radio, navigation, and two additional USB ports.
Unlike some rivals, the Tiguan comes standard with connectivity features for Apple and Android phones. It also offers a user-friendly infotainment system and the excellent Digital Cockpit, which provides a 12.3-inch screen behind the steering wheel (in place of the traditional gauge cluster) that can show speed and fuel data, audio and climate settings, and even your navigation.
You know how some vehicles make the hair on your neck stand up when you put the hammer down? The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan isn't one of them. The only powertrain is a 184-horsepower four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The engine delivers a generally flaccid response when you hit the gas. Power output is OK for driving around town, but it's slow to get up and go on the highway.
The Tiguan trails many class rivals when it comes to fuel economy. It gets 22 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway in front-wheel drive models, while all-wheel-drive models lose 1 mpg in the city.
Rival compact SUVs will save you some scratch at the fuel pump though. You'd save about $200 in gas money each year by driving the Honda CR-V instead of the Tiguan, and you'd save about $150 by driving the Mazda CX-5 instead of the VW.
As part of the redesign, Volkswagen focused on the Tiguan's ride quality, but it comes at the expense of athleticism. The Tiguan rides smoothly over almost any road surface, but there is plenty of body roll in corners. The available all-wheel-drive system provides reliable road grip even during inclement weather.
The 2018 Tiguan has an above-average predicted reliability rating of four out five from J.D. Power.
The VW Tiguan features one of the best warranties in the class. While many compact SUVs come with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, Volkswagen backs the Tiguan with a six-year/72,000-mile limited warranty.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2018 Tiguan the highest rating of Good in all five crash test categories and named it a Top Safety Pick. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Tiguan a perfect five-star rating for its performance in side crash tests, as well as four stars for rollover crash safety.
A rearview camera comes standard. Available active safety features include adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert, pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and autonomous emergency braking.
There are four Tiguan trims. All trims come with three rows of seats and front-wheel drive. You can add all-wheel drive to any trim for an additional $1,300. All-wheel-drive models only come standard with two rows, but you can add a third row to AWD models for an additional $500.
There are some notable differences (features-wise) between the Tiguan's trim levels. The base trim costs the least, but it also provides the least. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, the Tiguan SE is a great choice. It still carries a starting price under $27,000, but it comes with more features, including some driver assistance tech.
The two highest trims provide more in the way of comfort, but they also provide the most features. If you're going to go above the SE trim, you might as well go all the way up to the SEL Premium. It comes standard with virtually every feature you can get in a Tiguan, many of which are not available in lower trims.
The Tiguan S is the base trim, and it has a starting price of $24,595. There aren't a ton of available features in the S trim besides AWD, though you can get the Driver Assistance package for $850. It includes blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and autonomous emergency braking.
The Tiguan SE starts at $26,750. In addition to the S trim's standard features, the SE comes with leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, the equipment from the S model's Driver Assistance package, and an upgraded infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen, satellite radio, and two additional USB ports. The SE is the lowest trim to offer a panoramic sunroof, which you can get for $1,200.
The Tiguan SEL has a starting price of $31,090. In addition to the standard features from the lower trims, the SEL comes standard with a panoramic sunroof, a power liftgate, adaptive cruise control, and an upgraded infotainment system with navigation. Front and rear parking sensors are available.
The highest trim is the Tiguan SEL Premium, which starts at $36,250. This trim comes standard with just about every feature you can get in a Tiguan, including leather seats, a hands-free power liftgate, lane departure warning, a 360-degree camera, and a nine-speaker Fender audio system.
The redesigned 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan is a good compact SUV for families. It has two rows of roomy seats, plenty of cargo space, and many tech features, though the engine feels weak at times and the mpg ratings are below average. Overall, the Tiguan is a good SUV, but it's not necessarily the smartest buying choice because of its high starting price. Most class rivals cost less, and several deliver everything that's good about this Volkswagen and then some.


text:
DAMON GUPTON JOINS THE CAST OF "CRIMINAL MINDS"
Photo Credit: Damu Malik
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Damon Gupton has joined the cast of CRIMINAL MINDS as a series regular. His character will be introduced in this season's eighth episode, on the CBS Television Network.
Gupton will play Special Agent Stephen Walker from the Behavioral Analysis Program which is the counterintelligence division of the FBI. He's a seasoned profiler who will bring his spy-hunting skill set to the BAU.
"Our BAU family is growing," said Erica Messer, Executive Producer/Showrunner. "We're excited to have Damon join the show and work alongside our amazing cast and crew."
Gupton is a graduate of the drama division of The Julliard School, and has a Bachelor's in music education from the University of Michigan. After winning numerous awards and successfully touring the country as a symphony conductor, Gupton turned his attention to acting.
His television credits include starring roles in "The Player," "The Divide," "Prime Suspect" and "Deadline." His recurring roles include "Bates Motel," "Empire," "Rake" and the upcoming series "Goliath."
Gupton's feature film credits include "Whiplash," "La La Land," "This is Forty," "The Last Airbender," "Helen at Rish," "Before the Devil Knows," "You're Dead," "Unfaithful" and "The Loretta Claiborne Story."
CRIMINAL MINDS stars Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler, Kirsten Vangsness and Adam Rodriguez. It is produced by ABC Studios in association with CBS Television Studios.
CHEAT TWEET: Casting Alert! Actor & Symphony Conductor @DamonGupton joins #criminalminds as the BAU's newest profiler! #CBS http://bit.ly/2dC3nNQ
Photos available at www.cbspressexpress.com
On the Web: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/CriminalMinds
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CrimMinds_CBS
CBS Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet
Vernon Cheek 818-655-1588	vernon.cheek@cbs.com
Photo Contacts:
Amanda Beane	818-655-1543 amanda.beane@cbs.com
Mary Kouw 212-975-4107 mary.kouw@cbs.com
Amanda Beane
amanda.beane@cbs.com
Mary Kouw
mary.kouw@cbs.com


text:
Q: Catch unique constraint exception and retry not working Web API with C# In Web API running on .NET FW 4.6, I am trying to catch the unique constraint exception and retrying the insert with a new value but it's NOT inserting into SQL Server.
I am using Dapper and I am able to see both the insert statements in Profiler, but I don't see the data in SQL Server. If I do the same code in a console app, it works fine.
int retryNum = 0;
var ConfirmationId = string.Empty;

do
{
    try
    {
        // Hashids will set a 6 character code here.
        ConfirmationId = ConfirmationIdGenerator.getConfirmationID();

        // This used dapper SQL to insert into a table having only
        // 1 column which is  unique PK varchar(6).
        Insert(ConfirmationId);
        break;
    }
    catch (SqlException ex) when (ex.Number == 2627)
    {
        // Generate again
        ConfirmationId = ConfirmationIdGenerator.getConfirmationID();
        retryNum++;
    }
 // It is retrying and I am seeing another INSERT statement hitting
 // SQL Server through Profiler but I don't see the data.
 // Is there an issue with Web API NOT inserting if it detects
 // exception even though we suppress the exception with a catch?
} while (retryNum < 5);