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Tag: USA
Photo of the Week: w/c 7th November 2022
On November 12, 2022 By pauljbenthamIn Photo of the Week
20 years ago: Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – c.11th November 2002
Part II of our honeymoon was spent in Las Vegas, five weeks after we got married. Things immediately got interesting when we landed in Philadelphia and went to check in to our connecting flight, to be told that "the airline went out of business yesterday".
Fortunately, for $100 each, we could transfer to an outgoing US Air flight – if we were quick. We weren't quick because US Airport Security was still painfully slow, over a year after 9/11, and the queues stretched back almost to the main entrance. Even more fortunately, we got through it all in time to take the last two seats on the replacement flight.
Here we are in front of the Bellagio's lake, the home of their famous fountain display and a location in the recently-released 'Ocean's Eleven'. The even more recogniseable Caesar's Palace is visible behind my right shoulder.
It had been an expensive year so we couldn't afford to stay on the Strip itself. We stayed just off the Strip at the Gold Coast Resort, on West Flamingo, just the other side of Interstate 15.
We had a week of touring the casinos and various attractions, with a very moderate amount of gambling that reflected our we've-just-funded-a-wedding budget. We rode the rollercoaster at New York, New York and the Big Shot atop the Stratosphere Tower, we visited the car museum in the Flamingo, an Elvis museum…somewhere – and we didn't bother with the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. I was also gutted tho learn that a bit of pre-trip internet research (it was only just becoming a 'thing') would have told me that Aerosmith were playing the MGM Grand…
One morning, I was. a bit too keen to hit the breakfast buffet at [name withheld] and I think I might have had something that had been there a few hours because by that afternoon, I was being violently ill – a lot – with suspected food poisoning. To make it more interesting, we'd booked on a flight over the Grand Canyon the next day.
Consequently, I'm now one of a select group of people to have been spectacularly sick in at least three bags in a small plane over the place consistently named as the Worlds Number One 'Place To See Before You Die'…
CSG: Owning the Problem of More Consumption
On November 25, 2019 November 26, 2019 By pauljbenthamIn Client: Cleansing Service Group
Posted on http://www.csg.co.uk/blog on November 25th 2019
https://www.csg.co.uk/blog/owning-the-problem-of-more-consumption
The countdown is on to another Black Friday, which for many retailers and e-tailers, is still the most frantic, most lucrative day of the year. Throughout its relatively short existence in the UK, it's a date that has brought about opportunity and controversy in equal measure. And yet, despite the countless headlines generated, only now is its greatest controversy truly coming into focus.
If you're unaware of its provenance, "Black Friday" was once just one of many terms used in America to describe the day after Thanksgiving (held on the fourth Thursday of November). The following day became regarded as the official 'start line' of the pre-Christmas shopping binge – the point when retailers often began to make a profit for the rest of the year. In accounting, negative figures are entered in red and positive ones in black, and the expectation of profit explains the relevance of the word 'Black'.
Before long, the day became a chance for competing retailers to gain custom, increase revenue and gather sales momentum. By the 1980s, the practice had become well-established in the Eastern states but was relatively unobserved elsewhere. As recently as the end of last decade, you could see bargain-hunters setting up camp on Thanksgiving Day in the parking lots of most malls and stores across the US but still the term 'Black Friday' was all but unknown in the rest of the world.
By 2010, the effect of the internet, and the 'credit crunch' on consumers and retailers meant that 'Black Friday' had become a fixture in the British retail calendar. With the loss of Woolworths, MFI and Kwik Save, it was viewed by many retailers as the right idea at the right time.
In less than a decade, we in the UK have gone from knowing almost nothing about Black Friday to having very specific expectations about what it represents.
Significant 'one day only' discounts very quickly led to unseemly scrambles and even scuffles around the UK, as shoppers surged to claim genuine bargains before Christmas. Suddenly, Black Friday was considered a necessary fixture in the shopping landscape, but it didn't take long for a backlash to occur. Principally, most retailers would prefer not to give away discounts before Christmas at all, if possible. To some, there was even concern that such naked November salechasing hinted at desperation, even a lack of liquidity – a suspicion no business wants to bring about.
Others were concerned about the additional operational effort and cost, even the health and safety overhead that came with the need to provide crowd control. Notably, Amazon felt they could do better by holding such an event on their terms at a more fallow time of year – 'Amazon Prime Day' in July.
Very low down the list of reasons not to participate in Black Friday was the sense that the whole thing might be harming us all by fuelling overconsumption. With such significant change, there is almost always a 'law of unintended consequences' to consider. The whole thing started merely as a competitive device to win sales from others. Within a year or two, as it became clear that the buzz generated by Black Friday was too big to leave unexploited, leading to a 'mission creep' of more products, cheaper variants and more frivolity. The addition of the adjacent 'Cyber Monday' extended the principle further. Retailers found themselves able to predict a planned orgy of purchasing – a phenomenon that people in Sales and Marketing spend most of their careers trying to bring about.
The problems started to occur with what happened next – the effect on consumption. The Black Friday vehicle would lead to consumers being urged to replace or upgrade more 'stuff' with more abandon. Prices plummeted – and so, it seems, did shoppers' inhibitions.
More Sales = More Consumption
Where extra purchases led to knock-on effects in waste, it started to become clear there would be an environmental price to pay for all this extra acquisition. Electronics had become a particularly favoured category for discounters and shoppers alike, but with e-waste already becoming the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, clearly, the compulsion to throw away old tech to allow for a Black Friday purchase has hardly helped to arrest that problem.
There was a similar effect in the area of clothing, already threatening unsustainably high carbon and water footprints to make the product. Black Friday added to the pressures, increasing the amount of clothing added to landfill sites to 350,000 tonnes each year. With consumption bolstered by cheap product, not expected to last, the problem of 'fast fashion' became even harder to combat.
The growing debate about the wisdom of Black Friday became further complicated because, naturally, cheaper products offer a greater incentive to less wealthy people. There's a danger that any concerns can sound a lot like better-off people telling less well-off people that they're spending their money on the wrong things. Unsurprisingly, where that suspicion takes root, the urge for consumers to act sympathetically is often strongly resisted.
Reversing the Effect
Just when it began to seem futile to expect people to act against their short-term interest, a growing counter-narrative finally began to take effect. The effect of the BBC's Blue Planet II on attitudes to single-use plastic was particularly notable. More recent activism by Greta Thunberg's School Strike for the Climate and globally co-ordinated action by Extinction Rebellion further elevated the issue and this year, the Glastonbury Festival took steps to discourage disposable tents and dispensed with disposable water bottles.
As we in the UK look towards the second decade of Black Friday, we now seem to do so with a far greater level of environmental concern. It may not stop us buying, but even if it doesn't, we're likely to experience a little more guilt about that purchase than ever before. Does this extra consideration mean we give more thought to the product it replaces, with donating or other forms of re-use being more fully explored?
Until now, our choice between a tempting offer and a responsible attitude to the planet has always seemed to be one-sided. With extra encouragement to think longer-term, how far away are we from reaching a tipping point? Have you had cause to reconsider your company's position on Black Friday, based on its environmental impact? As a shopper, have you changed your views about participating? Or is it still a fair way for savvy Christmas shoppers to get more value for money? Perhaps the responsibility should lie elsewhere: why should the shopper bear all the guilt from a process that offer such companies great benefits with little additional responsibility? Ultimately, is this all a symptom of a global problem that prizes economic growth over sustainability?
Unfortunately, only time will tell….
Diaries of a Texan Traveller – pt. 10.3
On April 1, 2017 April 2, 2019 By pauljbenthamIn Something to Say...
The final excerpt of a verbatim record of a diary I wrote while visiting friends (Paul & Rice) in Austin, Texas during the Easter holidays of my second year at University in 1994. Re-blogged on the anniversary of each entry. 2017 Commentary, where necessary for context, added as footnotes in italics.
Friday 1st April 1994, 18:30 (CST) / Saturday 2nd April 1994, 00:30 (GMT)
OVER LAKE MICHIGAN AND CLIMBING
With a setting red sun on the left and what seems like an ocean on my right, we're climbing out of Chicago, out of the USA and out of my Easter adventure. The good news is:
I have a window seat
There is no-one next to me
Filet Mignon is still on the menu
'Beethoven's 2nd' is the film.
Ah well, maybe I will sleep well. As always, travelling eastwards, the dusk is short. At a rate of climb, this is negated but at 26,000 feet, we only have 11,000 left to go. We're an hour ahead of schedule (07:50 ETA) and heading for Detroit.
The reason I said "seems like an ocean" is because Lake Michigan is huge, about twice the size of Wales*, by my reckoning and therefore, you can't see the shores — I guess they don't call them "Great Lakes" for nothing! It's practically dark outside now and hopefully, it may induce some sleep!
The flight time is approx. 6½ hours as opposed to 9 hours westbound. That's the Jetstream for you!
I see land again. We've crossed Michigan lake… …into Michigan state (presumably). I see lights below but we have absolutely no idea what town it is! The sky behind us goes red, orange, yellow, green, blue; while in front, it's a sort of murky navy blue. It's still very clear and, from the black floor, you can see lights arranged in that familiar criss-cross pattern Americans call towns and cities.
The colours behind fade as the navy blue consumes all. And yet, looking along the plane (inside), there is illumination, a duty-free video, a hive of steward(/ess) activity and the occasional remark (or child's shriek) of those adjacent. Eventually, the sky will darken (inevitably), the ground will darken (in Canada) and even the cabin will darken as people decide they would like to be awake during their first day in England.
What have I learned in Austin?
Despite my insistences that the US is not to be viewed as a single entity, I think for the purposes of this observation, I should contradict myself. Therefore, we have the UK and the USA. In many ways, Austin is extremely similar to Lancaster. Lancaster does not have a cityscape skyline, a 'downtown', an airport or any shopping malls. The similarity lies in equivalent terms. Austin, like Lancaster, is an historic, provincial capital. It is now a university town, partly dependent upon the adjacent campus for its wealth. It is relatively of similar proportion (in relation to overall population) although Austin is slightly proportionately bigger.
So what? If we see Austin and Lancaster as equivalents, microcosms of the United States and United Kingdom respectively, here's the difference: the amazing things I've seen and written about — the stadium, the airport, the shopping malls, the trading and commerce therein. The number and variation of food emporia, the transport systems and the television channel variation. That is the distance between us and them. I haven't mentioned the weather because that's not Lancaster's fault, but it does make a helluva bonus!
America is a place where, if you have the money, you have the choice also. Attempt to draw me into an argument about the ethics of wholesale commercialism if you may, but I warn you: it's not nearly so linear as you think I mean. Yes, there are people without. Yes, it does not prohibit the creation of an underclass. It is not, however, simply a case of more money = more fun. While I concede that money increases the choice of fun, you can still exist in America on a moderate allowance. The temptations to overspend may be greater (who is this addressed to?) but I can testify 2 weeks of US living for under £200 — and that's a holiday. Ask Paul or Rice how much you need to *live* in America.
The inherent advantage of the American Dream is not simply to earn more money. The financial motivations act as a catalyst to self-improvement, the desire to 'make it'. If everyone believes this, life improves. Even the postage stamp salesman knows that if he strives, he can sell more stamps. By striving, he improves his standard of service. If everyone's service improves, so do expectations. Then the stamp salesman must strive further. Some dismiss this as greed or money-grabbing. Does this negate the value of a country where motivation to please the customer is almost a religion? I say no. Yes, there are dangers in the plan; aren't there dangers anywhere? "Try telling that to the people who have to work Sundays". you cry. I agree. No-one should be *made* to do what they don't want to do. Isn't life about compromises, though? Do these people consider that their inconveniences are a by-product of a system which offers greater potential for them than any other country on earth.
Do you realise the cost of living in the States is remarkably low? Fast food, borne of competition and old-fashioned economics, much cheaper than at home — because it *has* to be.
I'm not trying to indoctrinate anti-Marxism onto the globe but remember this message the next time your meal is under-cooked or your train has been motionless for an hour. Something has gone wrong because someone has let it go wrong… …de-motivation.
I hope I've motivated you to understand why I never tire of the USA.
I'm sure your next question goes like this: "If you're so bloody enamoured with the USA, why don't you sod off there, then?". The answer is simple. As Roy Walker puts it: "It's good but it's not right."
The United States has achieved so much in its 200 years-plus of independence. Without the constraints of tradition or nepotistic perpetuation, it has excelled on its own merit. It has mineral wealth, room to spare and (if necessary) waste, a variety of climes and a massive resource of labour. We have a lot to learn from America but it does not embody utopia. We may not be able to match its impressive wealth of resources but what we can match and in many ways improve upon are much more important than mere commodities. We need the attitude of success if we are to succeed; how many champion athletes just walk onto the track and simply run? None. They have the attitude for success. We have the foundations for success: the best and most respected education system in the world, a history of innovation in science, technology and arts. Yet all this from a small, seemingly inconsequential nation. We have got something in the system right. What we do not seem to have is the knowledge of what is right, what else needs to be right and the belief that it can be made right. We tolerate ineptitude, we limit our ambition, we pretend to be the poorer cousins of the fold and we spread pessimism like a plague. We can never compete with the acreage-related strongholds of leading agricultural produce worldwide. We can use our advantages properly and have faith in our ability. This sounds like an assertion seminar because we need one. If this was a preach to the converted, the message would seem as regular as the Queen's speech. America has these advantages but they are not exclusive. And the sooner we learn to appreciate this, the sooner we can stare them, as a nation eye-to-eye, instead of squarely in the navel.**
I'm sorry if this sounds like a combination of 'Mein Kampf' and the American constitution but a visit to America provides so much insight as to what we in Britain lack. It is only through reflecting on the successes across the pond that we can be made to fulfil our own potential. Just as denial of what we take for granted helps us appreciate it so does exposure to that which we choose to ignore in the pursuit of 'fitting in', which is fine as a day-to-day existence but limits the horizons to which you can aspire. Travel, as they say, broadens the mind. Does that go for travellers too?
POST-SCRIPT
03:25 (BST) <— Yes!
Yes, it's completely black now (as promised). The steak was divine, as was the caramel ice cream which followed. I'm hoping that the Bailey's that I'm now sipping will facilitate my quest for sleep. It's been a pleasure talking to you. If you do feel preached to, there remains one final piece of advice: go to America. See for yourself!!
In the meantime, here's to being British and being in Britain. Cheers!
Thank you; Goodnight.
PB (SOMEWHERE OVER CANADA)
* My reckoning was a little inaccurate: Wikipedia says Lake Michigan has a surface area of 22,404 sq mi and Wales covers an area of 8,023 sq mi. Lake Michigan is therefore 2.79 times the size of Wales. I've no idea why Wales is considered to be a standard unit of measurement for such purposes.
** Is any of this any less true in 2017 than it was in 1994?
Diaries of a Texan Traveller – pt. 3
On March 20, 2017 April 2, 2019 By pauljbenthamIn Something to Say...
A verbatim record of a diary I wrote while visiting friends (Paul & Rice) in Austin, Texas during the Easter holidays of my second year at University in 1994. Re-blogged on the anniversary of each entry. 2017 Commentary, where necessary for context, added as footnotes in italics.
Sunday 20th March 1994, 11:39 (CST)
PAUL'S FLOOR, AUSTIN, TX
Well, early to bed, early to rise makes Paul a dull boy! No question of that particular accusation applying. Yesterday, we did what most people go abroad specifically to do: we swam and sunbathed, played pool rugby, hung out next to a river, ate inordinate amounts of various fast food and sat outside until the early hours, watching the world go by. I'm sure there's one missing there… …I don't think we did anything else, though.
Well, apart from the fast food reliance, this *is* European too. Granted the scenery is not up to Italian Alp/Dolomite standard but since when did they have 24-hour supermarkets, eh? No, I won't open up that old debate but I will say the two sides did seem fairly well reconciled here last night. Dan* brought his (American) girlfriend to see us last night (the English one doesn't know about her yet). She was born in Greenwich Village in Noo Yawk.
I really wish I'd rang Dad on Friday night — not only because (whoops) I woke him up but also because if I'd rang him yesterday, he would have told me the scores. Well, I won't be making *that* mistake again. We found the channel on the TV that shows English football (remember Keystone**: United v Spurs). Yesterday was Sheffield Wednesday v Newcastle United. I knew I was at home for this match and confidently told Rice et al it was 1-1, Cole for Newcastle, Andy Preece sent off, and I can't remember who scored for Sheff Wed. Well, Rice was predictably jubilant (again!) when Andy Cole's goal went in; Paul muttering something obscene and magpie-oriented in the corner***. Then the final whistle went and he (Paul) looked painfully at him as if I'd denied him the pleasure of seeing Wednesday equalise. All I could say was "That's why I couldn't remember who scored!". I was right about the rest, though.
I've cultivated the beginnings of a rather nice tan in one day, which I'm afraid means cream and T-shirts for a couple of days and hopefully, I'll look like Grandad after a month in California by next week. To all the detractors reading this, I'd just like to say a quick 'I'M NOT BURNING', so there.
Although this is a Sunday, it will not, I know, carry the atmosphere of a Sunday because Sundays are not allowed in the States, at least not Sundays like I or Luke know them (side-swipe)****. There will probably be a doubling of evangelical TV programmes and that's all. Can't hear any lawnmowers, though. Sorry, Luke, it had to be said!
* Paul & Rice's room-mate.
** Keystone was the place we stayed in when we were skiing in Colorado, two months earlier.
*** Rice is a Newcastle fan, Paul is a Sunderland fan. In football terms, the two are sworn enemies.
**** I think this stems from a late-night, drink-fuelled 'debate' Luke, Matt and I had in our student house in Lancaster about the pros and cons of the American lifestyle (freedom from restriction) versus the European model (where some areas had by-laws that could force residents to cut their lawn each Sunday).
Saturday 19th March 1994, 08:39 (CST)
Firstly, this isn't the important announcement I was going to make*. Would you believe it, my pen exploded shortly after I wrote that. In fact it wasn't really yay important anyway; I'd just taken a photo of the Mississippi/Missouri and was thinking how it must have dried up because it seemed to be but a trickle in a really wide river bed, but no. The 'really wide river bed' is where the flood** happened. Anyway, it doesn't require any more about that story.
I arrived at Austin Airport, picked up my case (which came out early, for a change) and just walked out. Austin is not an international airport so there's no passport control and certainly no deluded customs officials who think everyone nipped over to Holland for some contraband before they left for America. Anyway, Paul & Rice were stood outside and after the customary greetings, everything instantly became normal — only it was in 85° heat. Well, 98° was a bit ridiculous. Bloody exaggerating Americans!!
I dropped my stuff off at Chris's — the guy with the 'phone. He's actually really cool — he's got an acoustic and a bass. His mate's got an Epiphone telecaster. Yeah, so we walked to this 'English Pub' place for a — I've forgotten what Paul called them, the initials I definitely remember — JCB and why do I remember that? Because it's a chilli burger and JCB is about right, 'cause it's that powerful!
I picked up my bags from Chris's place and we bussed it to Paul's (shit, my jeans are still at Chris's — they were the first things to go in this heat!). As we approached 1333 Arena Drive, it was sort of how I imagined it, except the apartment complex is on the right hand side, yet I'd somehow imagined the left. Actually, 'complex' is a good word. It must be the size of, say, Fylde residence rooms*** — much bigger than I'd expected. Anyway, as we approached, there was a police car stopped, but with lights flashing and two cops talking to two guys. Paul said "Oh crap, there's not been another shooting, has there?", at which point, I nearly did (crap).
The apartment, I can tell you, has charms beyond the capability of a camera lens. Of course, I probably will take some photographs**** but I think people should read this first — to be warned, as it were. It's very modern, both in the fact that the building is new and that there's no furniture. The living room consists of a TV set and what I would call a viewing area — i.e. the rest is just floor. Paul, Rice and Dan all have mattresses now — I don't but hey! Who cares? I'm writing this in 'bed' — lying on a cotton sheet on the floor. It's a good job I brought this pillow!
Just a couple more things of interest: when it came to the gift-giving, Rice looked like a seven year-old on Christmas morning and because it was from (lickle, ickle) Lyndsey, he had the inevitable inane grin from the rest of the evening. Paul was a little less overt — well, he's like that, isn't he? You know on the Pink Panther when you can see what he's thinking in a bubble above his head, well when he got his salad cream and curry powder, I could just envisage salad cream and curry powder sandwiches over his head… …don't ask me why.
Also (and I kick myself for not staying awake throughout) was a new episode of 'Beavis and Butt-head'(!!) where Beavis gets bitten by a dog and pretends to have rabies. Yes, I slipped in and out of consciousness and didn't last much longer than 10:30 — but I had been up 22 1/2 hours by then!
Anyway, it's apparently going to get pretty warm so I'm afraid, girls, I shall be forced into getting a sun-tan! Ha ha ha ha ha!
Oh yes, Paul & Rice found Luke quite amusing when I told them about Vicky — I wonder what happened on Thursday night. I'm praying that Matt emailed the night's events through.*****
Well, gotta get up!
PS Sorry for waking you up, Dad.
* See final entry of ~Pt.1. There are lots of back references so it's probable best to read all the entries in sequence.
** The 'Great Flood of 1993'.
*** A reference to part of the campus at Lancaster. According to Wikipedia, there are 16 blocks of student accommodation within Fylde College.
**** I'm sure I did take photographs on this trip but I can't remember seeing any of them developed – another sign of the time!
***** I have no memory of this at all.
I call this account "a video diary in non-video form" because 'diary' sounds… …well a little drab and soft really, doesn't it?
I aim to make the reader feel part of every entry. I hope to match the style of Michael Palin or Clive James* but I'm not sure how that will go. I aim to include the unexpected aspects of visiting America, to educate, evaluate, criticise, elucidate, inform, encourage and probably mislead your perception of real life in this nation look upon as some sort of elevated monolith of the world community, when basically its peoples are the same as us with ambitions, fears, traumas and 'Roseanne'… …just like we are!
I also aim to stop writing like I'm at University – this is my holiday for God's sake!!
Finally and most importantly, I would like to share my most fundamental motivation with you. As Garth Algar** once said: "I just hope you didn't think it sucked"
I think there's a lesson there for us all…
* They both were, and still are, amongst my greatest influences of travelogue writing.
** sidekick to Wayne Campbell in 'Wayne's World', 1992 film.
Friday 18th March 1994, 16:49 (GMT)
MID-ATLANTIC – ACTUALLY, MORE LIKE SOMEWHERE OVER CANADA
Took off from Manchester this morning with no problems. As always*, I had the filet mignon for lunch; an American Airlines speciality I must say. The film ('The Addams Family Values') has just finished. This means I have successfully endured the first 6½ hours without turning to this diary to keep me occupied – I thought I would have written reams and reams by now! Well, there's always the Austin flight (in addition to the 1½ more hours here!)
The reason I have not yet got bored is partly because of the bloke I met. An artist from Huddersfield** no less! More later – snack time!
* Stretching credulity a little! Two months previously, I'd flown to Denver, via Chicago, also with American Airlines for a skiing holiday. I'd had the filet mignon on that flight as well.
** Another friend from University (Matt) is from Huddersfield.
PROBABLY STILL OVER CANADA
The Immigration and Customs forms have just been filled in. Still just over an hour to go. Everything looks white down below but as I do not have a window seat, I can't confirm what's happening right now. The newspaper says 'unseasonably cold' for Chicago. Oh well!
Austin is supposed to be 29°C – Chicago's probably going to be 29°F!! Anyway this bloke (Andrew) lives about 3 miles from Highburton*. He's into skiing and has watched Manchester United for over 20 years — now is it obvious why I haven't started 'The Liar'** yet?! He's going to Toronto to sell his paintings and we had an interesting chat about marketing art — you learn something every day!
* Matt's family lived in the Highburton area of Huddersfield at the time.
** Semi-autobiographical novel by Stephen Fry.
Friday 18th March 1994, 13:46 (CENTRAL; GMT-6)
CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT (T3)
I don't fly to Austin for another hour yet so there's plenty of time to hang out and take in the scenery — again!
Yes I'm once again sat in the little café in Terminal 3. Everything is the same (Michael Jordan is everywhere!) — except it's not snowing. Little things spark off my memory like those bending iron columns — what were the initials again? Must remember to ask Martin!* Well, yes, they're still here, not surprisingly!
It was a weight off my mind to ring Chris (whoever he is!)** who confirmed that Rice and Paul will be at the airport in 3½ hours' time. I think Dad was pleased I rang — from the very same 'phone booth from which he rang Grandma only 8 weeks ago! Not that he was to know that, but it sort of seemed right.
Blasé as I appeared before I left (well I probably was blasé), I'm not now; I can't really comprehend that I was sat in that very yellow plastic chair 2 months ago (unless they swapped them around for some reason) — but the effect is just the same anyway!
OK: an in-joke for anyone who has been to an American airport before: "Mr Bloggs; Mr Joe Bloggs. Please contact the information desk." — it really is the little things, isn't it?!!
[Somebody's just sat in my chair — the yellow plastic one!]
I wonder why that Customs official was convinced I'd been to the Netherlands***. I don't look like Jan****, do I?
Actually, I didn't handle that very well. We both knew it was kidology but instead of being British and saying "I'm sorry but I'm afraid there's some mistake here", I overdid the staunch defence bit and sort of whined "but I havennn't been there!!!" Oh well, better luck next time — there probably will be a next time.
At least I didn't bleep here. In Manchester, I couldn't believe being bleeped a second time! 10 years of air travel… (sigh)
Oh I think I found some Pepsi in my regular cup of ice cubes! — oh no, it's just a trick of the light.
5 past 8 now at home… …I wonder what happened on Coronation Street… …Shit! What time did I ring? 25 past I think… …well that was a close one! I know I'm in Chicago and all but CORONATION STREET! Sorry Mum!*****
* My brother Martin and I had discussed the RSJs visible from the departure gate area (for some reason) during my previous visit, two months earlier.
** Another British overseas student at the University of Texas who had become friends with Paul & Rice, Crucially (and a sign of the time), he was the only person among their circle who had access to a telephone.
*** Looking very bedraggled and student-like as I did, it's no surprise that I was spotted by a US Customs official who came over to ask me if I'd "brought anything in from Amsterdam". I took him literally because I couldn't believe that he would need to speak in euphemisms, even though it was perfectly clear what he meant.
**** Another friend from University, Jan came from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire but had a Dutch mother.
***** My Mum was a regular 'Coronation Street' viewer then. She isn't now.
Friday 18th March 1994, 15:03 (CST)
CLIMBING OUT OF CHICAGO
As I see the last, faint cloud-obscured features of Illinois disappear, my mind turns to filling the time on this 2hr 20min flight. It hardly seems worth starting 'The Liar' now. There's certainly no opportunity for conversation as there's no-one next to me — but I got a window seat!
I realised that, unlike many of the passengers, admittedly American and 'frequent flyers'; who were perhaps nervy about the take-off, I was hugely relieved, probably because I know Paul and Rice are waiting for me and that after a 9hr flight, this little 'hop' is a mere formality. OK, so I'm blasé again!
Sometimes though, I sort of catch myself off-guard and have to remind myself that I'm now in the USA all alone (for the time being) and despite the facade of casual 'shit happens' acceptance, sometimes it is all a little unreal.
I heard a Texan in front of me chatting to an Illinoian (?)*, saying that they wouldn't need warm clothes as it's (I'm sure he said) 98°!! So that's what "damn hot" means!
The captain just said there's some "bumpy air" on the way, although it's pretty clear right now.
What can I see? Well, a large, (very) straight road, probably an Interstate and just lots of fields, like the plains of Eastern Colorado — no circular fields here, though!
There is a grid of roads at right angles separating the fields and tiny houses are dotted randomly about. In the distance, I can see a small town where two roads cross. It just looks like a gigantic patchwork blanket!
Well we are in the Midwest here. Agricultural heartland of the US. There's absolutely no variation for as far as I can see (probably about 40 miles) and it's completely flat.
Whoahh! A large town *quick look at the map*. Could be Springfield, Illinois — I dunno!
8:25 at home; I wonder what's happening at home. More to the point, I wonder what's happening in Lancaster. Hmmm… Paul & Rice will be told. Oh yes, Paul & Rice *will* be told**.
This clock-watching is a bad idea. I'll have to do something or this flight will seem the same as the other one — which for a 9-hour flight, wasn't that bad, but for a 2½?!
Wait! Captain announced we're going over St. Louis. I can't see it but I can see a river. Mississippi or Missouri, I don't know.
<<Important announcement coming up!>> (hereafter referred to as !*!)
* Actually, it's an "Illinoisan", according to statesymbolsusa.org.
** I have no idea what this was specifically a reference to, although it's worded in a 'Wayne's World' style. I think it had something to do with a rumoured sexual encounter of one of my house-mates.


Not only will Pope Benedict XVI not be publishing his third encyclical on the theological virtues, the one on faith, but he leaves before issuing the postsynodal exhortation on the new evangelization.
In his homily for the concluding Mass of the synod of bishops held last October on the new evangelization, Benedict XVI spoke of "the urgent need to proclaim Christ anew in places where the light of faith has been weakened, in places where the fire of God is more like smouldering cinders, crying out to be stirred up, so that they can become a living flame that gives light and heat to the whole house." (Oct. 28, 2012) Visit this article by Fr. John Flynn to read more.


The Conditioned Environment team were hired by Maris to provide mechanical services for Zoopla's new London offices.
Due to the company's recent success, they undertook an extension and refurbishment of their headquarters in Copper Row, London to accommodate their growing team.
The 11 week project was undertaken across three floors and included modifying an existing air-conditioning system, installing a new air handling unit for filtering fresh air into the offices and adding high spec bathrooms on the first and basement floors including showers for employee use.
As a listed building the project team had strict requirements to adhere to – requiring council approval in order to maintain the aesthetic design of the original structure.
Zoopla and the project team worked closely with Maris to maintain the authenticity of this throughout the installations resulting in a high quality, unique workplace which demonstrated a strong brand presence and put the visiting experience at the heart of the design.
The online estate agent and property company Zoopla is the UK's most comprehensive property website, focused on supplying users with the resources they need to make better-informed property decisions. They help consumers both find their next home and research the market by combining hundreds of thousands of property listings with market data, information and community tools.
The company was founded in 2007 and the website launched in 2008 and has since been one of the fastest growing sites in the UK, attracting over 40 million visits per month.


requirements for municipal officials who carry firearms came from Ald. Edward Burke and others on Burke`s staff. Swearingen said only that Chicago aldermen must pass no test nor receive special certification to carry a gun.
- A photo caption on the front of the Business section Nov. 19 misidentified the spot in which Midway Airlines employees were holding a rally. They were standing in front of the Daley Center after having marched there from the Dirksen Federal Building.


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Tesla has been stealing much of the limelight when it comes to electric cars, and for good reason, but Nissan and its Leaf shouldn't be overlooked. The humble hatch is still one of the best-selling electric cars in the world with more than 283,000 examples sold since launch. Now there's a redesigned model.
Nissan took the wraps off its redesigned Leaf on Tuesday. The vehicle, which arrives as a 2018 model, is due to start delivery early next year and has been priced from a very reasonable $30,875. The figure, which includes an $885 destination charge, is actually $690 lower than the 2017 Leaf's starting price.
That's impressive considering the 2018 Leaf has more range, more power and more technology on offer. Here's a rundown of what's coming.
When it comes to range, buyers will have more than one option this time around. The base model will offer an estimated 150 miles of range, up on the 2017 Leaf's 107 miles. We say "base" model as Nissan will add for 2019 a pricier option offering more range, thought to be 225 miles. A 40-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery is fitted to the base model. The pricier model is expected to receive a 60-kwh unit.
Chevrolet's Bolt EV has a 238-mile range and a $37,495 starting price. The Tesla Model 3 in base trim has a 220-mile range and $35,000 starting price.
Peak output from the base 2018 Leaf's electric motor is 147 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. That's up 38 and 26 percent, respectively, on the 2017 Leaf's numbers. Nissan says the pricier option coming for 2019 will offer more power still.
To match the improved output of the electric motor, Nissan designed the car for improved balance and stability. For example, heavier components, such as the battery, have been moved close to the center of the car. Various chassis systems were also tuned to ensure better ride and handling than the outgoing model.
For the interior, the designers strived to maintain the outgoing model's feel of roominess and openness. In addition, the new driver information display has a simple, light configuration without excessive decoration. An infotainment screen features in the center stack and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration for models equipped with navigation.
In the lead up to the 2018's Leaf reveal, Nissan has been making a lot of noise about some electronic driver aids that will feature on the vehicle. For the United States, this will include a partial self-driving system called ProPilot Assist. Designed to be used in a single lane, the feature can automatically control the distance to the vehicle in front, using a speed preset by the driver (between about 18 mph and 62 mph). It can also help the driver steer and keep the vehicle centered in its lane. It will also bring the vehicle to a complete stop if the car ahead stops.
Another driver aid is Nissan's e-Pedal which allows for one-pedal driving. It lets drivers accelerate and decelerate by increasing or decreasing the pressure applied to the accelerator. Releasing the accelerator will bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The brake pedal is still required for emergency stops, however.
There's still plenty to learn about the redesigned Leaf, including what additional models might be spawned from its platform. Stay tuned.


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USF Student's Photography Appears on NBC's Today Show
Joliet, Ill. – Being able to gain real world experience by photographing one of your favorite musicians in concert is rewarding. Learning that those photographs were used during that musician's appearance on NBC's Today Show with Hoda & Jenna is unforgettable.
For University of St. Francis sophomore Jaclyn Duske, the itch to explore photography began back when she was in 7th grade.
"My grandfather was a photographer and actually gave me my first camera – a little Nikon CoolPix – in 7th grade. I enjoyed art and drawing, but I started taking classes in high school. I stuck with it and it looks like it is now paying off," Duske said.
It is certainly paying off. Duske, who is double-majoring in photography and graphic design, is already gaining valuable and memorable experiences as a student in USF's Art & Design Department. With the help of professor Michael "Chester" Alamo-Costello, MFA, Duske arranged for an opportunity to photograph country music star Dwight Yoakam in concert last August at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Ill.
"I did one concert at the Rialto at the end of August, right before the first day of classes. Professor Alamo-Costello has arranged student shoots at Joliet and Chicago music venues since the start of The COMP Magazine (the USF Art & Design Department's nonprofit art, design and culture magazine) in 2013. He reached out to Valerie Devine, executive director of the Rialto. He indicated he had a student interested in concert photography. He asked if I would be able to come in and photograph the upcoming Dwight Yoakam, and she said 'yes'. I got a press pass and had to sign a media release. Per the terms of that release, I was only able to take photographs during three songs and could use only three pictures to accompany a story I wrote for The COMP," Duske said.
From that single experience, Duske was immediately hooked. A few months later, she attended a photography workshop with the photographer for country singer Luke Combs. Then when she saw that country music star Josh Turner was scheduled for a late November concert at the Rialto, she contacted Devine with hopes of photographing that show.
"I love country music and saw that Josh Turner was coming to the Rialto in November, so I reached out to see if I could shoot that show. Thankfully, I was able to and I received a press pass. There was no media release this time around, but I was told that Josh Turner's management team wanted to use some of my photos afterwards. So, I shot the show and sent my photos to his management team, who loved them and asked for permission to use them for promotional purposes," Duske said.
Two days later, the Turner's management team sent an email to Duske with two screenshots of her photos used on NBC's Today.
Understandably, Duske was pleasantly surprised.
"It was absolutely crazy. I just couldn't believe it. I was working on a class project with my friends when I found out and said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm on the Today Show!'", she said.
Duske said that she continues to keep in contact with Turner's management team with aspirations of photographing future shows. She also photographs home athletic contests for the USF Fighting Saints. These experiences are important, as Duske's plans following graduation in two years involve a career in professional photography, either as a concert or touring artist photographer or a sports photographer.
When she is not behind the camera or in class, Duske volunteers at Victory Reigns Therapeutic Riding Center in Peotone, Ill., four to five days each week.
"I started volunteering at Victory Reigns seven years ago. We work with children and adults with disabilities and at-risk youth. I absolutely love it. I love horses and have been riding since I was 8. It's something I have always been passionate about," Duske said.
Duske took notice of USF when she learned of its annual high school art show from her high school art teacher. While participating in the show, Duske toured the university's art facility and soon placed USF atop her list of prospective schools. But it wasn't until she received what she calls "a sign" that she knew she was meant to be at USF.
"When I toured the main campus, the first place they took us was the chapel. When we were leaving the chapel, I saw hanging on the wall a framed panel of wood with praying hands burned into it. I knew immediately that it was one of my grandfather's works. I told my mom I knew it was his and I knew it was a sign that USF was the place I was supposed to be," she said.
After talking with her grandfather, Duske learned that it was, indeed, one of his works that he had given to one of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate, USF's Sister sponsors, years back.
As she begins the second half of her sophomore year, Duske is enjoying her USF experience.
"It has been such a good experience. I never thought that I would have access to the number of opportunities I have had at USF to date. I can't wait to see what's next," she said.
January 12, 2022 January 12, 2022 Art & Design Department, College of Arts & Sciences, Michael "Chester" Alamo-Costello, Today Show
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The phrase "Content is king" has been thrown around more in the last couple of years than Harry Kane in England's opening World Cup game against Tunisia.
But that's because time and time again, much like Harry Kane, content has proven to be a valuable and effective tool. (Note: This has been written on the morning of the England v Columbia last 16 game - all love for Harry Kane may be gone by the time you're reading this).
Despite its proven effectiveness, there are still questions to be asked. Just how many B2B marketers ae implementing content marketing? At what stage do tech buyers engage with marketing content? And how long will Harry Kane keep up this scoring record?
While it is clear that B2B marketers have been won over (or given into) the power of content, there is a much higher adoption across the pond than in the UK.
Of those not currently implementing content marketing, more than half (54%) revealed they have plans to launch a content marketing effort within 12 months.
Meanwhile, the Institute's 'Content Marketing in the UK 2018' research found that 86% of B2B marketers currently use content marketing.
Interestingly, British marketers were more optimistic about the maturity of their organisation's content marketing. Nearly a third (32%) described it as 'mature', meaning they find success but are challenged with integration across the business. Over a quarter (26%) cited it as 'adolescent', in that they had developed a business case and were seeing early success. Meanwhile, 27% described it as 'young', 7% as in the 'first steps', and 7% as 'sophisticated'.
In contrast, maturity in the US was described as: adolescent, 31%; mature, 25%; young, 25%; first steps, 9%; and sophisticated, 9%.
When do buyers engage with marketing content?
We recently attended the Computing Tech Marketing Forum, where the opening talk by Tom Wright discussed this very topic.
The common line of thought is that most decision-makers now consume marketing content when they're further along in the buyer journey. However, his researched revealed that 58% of buyers engage with tech vendor marketing content whenever they see something of interest, regardless of their intent. A similar amount (54%) only does so when they are looking to buy IT, and 16% when a peer recommends it.
If so many decision-makers are simply stumbling across interesting content, as opposed to actively looking for it, what exactly should content marketers be focusing on and where should they be sharing this content?
Nearly two thirds (63.2%) of respondents revealed that they engaged with vendor content when they went directly to the vendor's website. It is, therefore, clear how vital it is for companies to ensure that they are making content readily accessible and easy to find on their website.
But tech vendors also need to use a mix of platforms to share their content, as 58% engaged with content when an email headline caught their attention and 57.5% came across it when a headline grabbed their attention when they were Googling for something. Meanwhile, 15.1% clicked through from related link on a media owner site, and almost one in 10 (9.9%) clicked on an ad.
And marketers still shouldn't rule out the power of recommendations, as nearly half (47.6%) were referred to the content via a colleague.
What are their attitudes towards tech vendor content?
If content really is king, then buyers presumably have a positive attitude towards vendor content? But is this really the case? While it is clear that they engage with content, nearly six in 10 (61.6%) feel there is a very wide spectrum of quality when it comes to tech vendor content, and half (50.2%) described much of it as being the same. Even more worryingly, a fifth (20.4%) feel more if it is bad than good and a similar amount (19%) described some of the content as ill-informed. Less than one in 10 (9%) felt there was more good than bad tech vendor content available.
When they had a negative reaction to content, the research found the following reactions: 75.4% 'scan read' the summary and then abandoned the rest of the content; 46.9% unblocked or unsubscribed from the vendor; 29.4% revealed that something, such as an email headline, an ad, or an editorial, had piqued their interest; 17.1% read it out of due diligence; and 6.2% shared it with their colleagues.
Yes, that old adage that is heard probably just as often as "content is king", is being mentioned again. When it comes to your marketing content, you really do need to focus on quality over quantity. The majority of vendors will be producing content, but how many of them are creating content that engages beyond just a headline? If you know your audience, we mean really know them, there's no reason why you shouldn't be providing them with quality content that answers their questions, gives insights, and positions you as a thought leader in your field.
It really does boil down to how well you know your audience.


We were given the opportunity to once again meet with our fellow family members of blup bluppers but this time is to Party!
We were given quite a comfortable space with high top tables and huge sofas. Sitting wasn't a problem at all. That felt exclusive.
The club has fantastic lighting effects right from the main stage to the little balcony outside.
Partying is never fun without familiar faces.
Now how can we drink without a little something to fill our tummy up? Once again we were offered unlimited amount of food. Some of us actually tried the entire menu.
New York Style Tuna Tataki - The Tuna simply melts in your mouth. Extremely fresh, thumbs up!
Marinated Squid (香烤鱿鱼) - Some of us hates the octopus because of the World Cup, so this was a sweet revenge. Haha.
Thai Mango Salad (泰式芒果沙拉) - The ladies never failed to order this. A great appetizer to me I'd say.
Without them the party wouldn't be as pretty as it was. I like!
Without the press, we wouldn't be recognize.
With great live band musics from a Thai group, everything is just complete. Theres great food, great people, great ambiance, and great music. What more do you want?
@LIVE Grill Bar. Live Club, Sunway Pyramid.


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Here at Museum of Liverpool, we receive many generous, interesting, and often poignant donations of objects to our collections. Recently, we were contacted by a lady called Janet, who wished to kindly donate items that had originally belonged to her late grandmother, Margaret Johnson. The items relate to Margaret's children who were tragically killed in the May Blitz, the most concentrated series of air attacks on any British city area outside London during the Second World War.
"During an enemy bombing raid on 4 May 1941, Margaret Johnson took her children, Peter (aged 15), John (aged 7) and Margaret (6 months) to safety in a shelter near their home in Wykham Street, Kirkdale. The shelter was bombed and whilst desperately trying to protect her baby daughter, Margaret kneeled over to shield her from the falling debris. Unfortunately Margaret was injured and the baby suffocated in the shelter. John was killed instantly and his older brother, Peter, was severely injured and sadly died six days later on 10 May.
Margaret was taken to hospital and her sister, Frances, had to search for the two young boys as they had become lost in the aftermath and chaos of the bombing. John was found in a temporary mortuary in Wavertree and Peter, in Liverpool Stanley Hospital. Margaret was buried in a grave with a Canadian airman in Long Lane Cemetery, Fazakerley as there were not enough graves for babies to be individually buried at the time.
Once Margaret had recovered from her injuries, she wanted to have a more permanent keepsake than a photograph to remember her two beloved sons, so she pawned her wedding ring to cover the cost of having their images put onto two mirrors. Unfortunately, because of the war, there were no photographs taken of baby Margaret so her image is lost forever.
We are very grateful to Janet for donating these special items to enable the museum to keep the memory of Peter, John and Margaret alive and to remember the many families across Liverpool that tragically lost loved ones.
Our Liverpool Blitz photographs online feature shows how the city was affected by the bombing in May 1941.
Thank heavens for my good fortune to be living in Crosby and later Wales. I was saved from the horrific horrors of war and the tragic aftermath.
Take a moment as I do to pay homage to those who suffered.
Thank you for your comment Dave, we agree that it's important to remember those who lost their lives.


text:
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Humans of BSU
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Students Speak About Their Lives with Alcohol at Straight Talk
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Five BSU students and former students speak at the Straight Talk panel of their past addictions to alcohol and drugs on Wednesday, October 18th.
Alex Schlee | Staff Writer | 10-24-2011
On Wednesday, October 19th, students and community members alike gathered in the Great Room of the American Indian Resource Center to attend Straight Talk where a panel of five BSU students shared their stories about alcohol and drugs and how they nearly destroyed their lives.
Straight Talk is a panel sponsored by Lifestyle Educators as part of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week and has been held for four years in a row. The panel is meant to help reach out to students and tell real-life stories about how alcohol affects the lives of young people. It was headed by Health Education Coordinator Jacob Passa and Connie Aagard, a psychologist at BSU's health counseling center.
"The Straight Talk Panel idea blossomed from an alcohol awareness week planning session with the Lifestyle Educators (student peer educators) four years ago," Passa explained. "I've organized the panel from the beginning with help from the Lifestyle Educators and one of our first panel members who had lots of experience participating in a similar program, while serving time in a penitentiary."
As mentioned before, five people spoke at Straight Talk: Kaylyyn, Keri, Scott, Cole, and Ryan. All of them are, or were, students at BSU. Their last names were not provided, due to some tender stories shared during their speeches.
"Unfortunately we don't have to look too hard to find students that have been in treatment or are in recovery from additions," lamented Passa.
All the speakers were volunteers brought to the panel to share their stories. Scott, a BSU graduate from the class of '99, was connected to the panel through his personal counselor. Kaylynn and Cole, who are both freshmen, heard of Straight Talk through their FYE class where Jacob Passa came to speak to them about alcohol awareness and mentioned it. They both wanted to share their stories, so they decided to participate. Keri, a current sophomore, was hooked up with Straight Talk through her Alcoholics Anonymous group. Ryan first heard of Straight Talk through a friend of his that spoke there and thought it sounded like something he would want to do.
"I wanted to do it last year, but I came too late," Ryan said as he explained how he was contacted this year due to his previous interest.
To date, 24 people have spoken at Straight Talk through the years; most of them have been students. Some speakers in the past have come from prison or rehab to speak at the panel.
The five volunteer speakers participating this year each took turns sharing cautionary tales of their experiences with the audience about what addiction can do to a young person's life. Their stories dealt with problems ranging from the financial crises addiction can impose, to how growing up in an environment where drugs are the norm influenced their views on substance abuse.
Scott went first, explaining about the grievous financial effects of alcohol addiction. A DUI costs $22,000, and Scott had paid off four of them before realizing he needed counseling.
"Financially […] it does a lot," Scott warned.
Keri also warned against the financial difficulties imposed by drug addiction. She was addicted to methamphetamine, and had to start selling drugs in order to support her dependency.
"Drugs are not a cheap habit," Keri explained. Despite this, Keri couldn't quit her addiction, and ended up going to prison, where she received treatment.
"I said when it wasn't fun anymore, I would quit, but I couldn't," said Keri. "Going to prison was the best, and worst, day of my life."
The next speaker was Cole, who is a freshman this year. She told about how the addictions of others can affect the lives of those around them, sharing her story about her father's alcoholism and how it impacted her.
"I was done with my dad. His addiction was bringing me down. . .You can't blame yourself for someone else's addiction," Cole said.
The other two speakers, Ryan and Kaylynn, both dealt with addiction from a very early age. Ryan grew up in an apartment complex where drugs and alcohol were the norm, and Kaylynn was introduced to drugs through her father. Both of them had substance-abuse issues by their mid-teens.
Fortunately for the two of them, they took control of their lives as they got older. Kaylynn sought counseling and got clean when she found out she was pregnant, and Ryan went sober because he was sick of the direction his life was going.
"You're going to have to help yourself. No one is going to do it for you," Ryan advised the audience. "It's not a game. . .Alcohol will destroy your life."
Each speaker's presentation lasted about 20 minutes or so. This year's Straight Talk panel had some very heartfelt speeches that delivered the message of abstinence from drugs and alcohol to its audience with stark honesty.
"The Straight Talk panel is not about alcohol-related school policy, state laws or tough love, it's about cruel reality," Jacob Passa said. "We want to give our students the straight facts so that you can make informed decisions and help them to avoid negative consequences. . .We've been
fortunate to have some very special people on our Straight Talk panel over the years with the courage to share their personal stories of triumph over adversities. We ask them to speak from the heart and the message usually comes across with honesty and passion."
Tagged Alex Schlee
A&E Local News
Little Big Town Rocks Bemidji
October 11, 2015 October 13, 2015 wm5332gt
By Melissa Mathies and Whitney Jackson [caption id="attachment_4138" align="alignright" width="576"] The band's members, Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman,
Student senate makes and breaks tobacco law
One of the major changes to Bemidji State University within the last year has been the ban on tobacco use,
Campus National News
The Capital's Christmas Tree Begins its Tour
By Emilie Brouse [twitter url="http://northernstudentonline.com/2014/11/05/the-capitals-christmas-tree-begins-its-tour/" float="left"][fbshare url="http://northernstudentonline.com/2014/11/05/the-capitals-christmas-tree-begins-its-tour/" type="button"][linkedin_share url="http://northernstudentonline.com/2014/11/05/the-capitals-christmas-tree-begins-its-tour/"] [hr] This year's Christmas tree for the U.S. Capitol Tour arrived
Public Safety Reports 10/11-10/16
AskAllie


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Iron Mountain Member Case Study
Iron Mountain Achieves Peak SIG Adoption
Pioneering Influence
Given its heritage of storing, protecting and managing information and other assets for tens of thousands of client companies, it's no surprise that Iron Mountain has played a pioneering role in advancing third party risk management (TPRM) standards and practices.
As an early member of the Shared Assessments Program, Iron Mountain often has been the sole vendor on steering committees primarily comprised of outsourcers, consultants and other experts. As Shared Assessments membership expanded to include more third parties in recent years, Iron Mountain has remained an influential shaper of TPRM policies, processes, practices and tools. The company's inbound TPRM service team has developed an instructive approach for driving the adoption and use of the Standardized Information Gathering (SIG) Questionnaire Tools among client companies.
Kudos to Shared Assessments for developing tools that capture and quantify all the necessary risk data. At this point, the SIG acceptance rate is higher than it's ever been in the marketplace.
That was not always the case, however. During the past decade or so, Iron Mountain's inbound team worked diligently and creatively to steadily increase the use of SIG tools among its client companies, according to Seth Bailey and David O'Connor, a Manager in Iron Mountain's Information Security team. More recently, Bailey's team has contended with a surge in information security schedules — lengthy and complex addenda to vendor contracts designed to address soaring cybersecurity risks — that necessitate similar levels of diligence, ingenuity and collaboration to manage. The discussions that follow focus on the strategies and tactics Iron Mountain deploys to address both challenges.
Three Ways to Increase SIG Adoption
Bailey's GRC group, which includes inbound and outbound TPRM services teams, is part of the company's enterprise risk function, which is led by a Chief Risk Officer. This central function houses physical security, information security and all other functions responsible for second and third lines of defense in the global enterprise. This organizational structure, which was recently put in place, is helpful in that it gives TRPM and other risk groups a say at the senior decision-making table, Bailey emphasizes.
As Iron Mountain has a massive, global client base, negotiating with customers over TPRM-related information requests can be time consuming. Iron Mountain typically qualifies as a high-risk vendor given the fact that it stores data and information for its customers. "Our customers' ranking systems flag us as a high-risk — not all of the time, but quite frequently," Bailey explains. "That tends to trigger everything from stringent policies, to on-site assessments, to corporate audits."
This motivated Iron Mountain to join the Shared Assessments Program to help shape the development of the SIG tools (and, more recently, the SIG Lite tool) — and to encourage the adoption of those tools by thousands of customers. As SIG adoption increased, Iron Mountain experienced significant reductions in the time, effort and money associated with manually responding to unique TPRM questionnaires and/or related information requests submitted by different customers.
Completing custom TPRM information requests typically requires eight full-time-equivalent (FTE) hours, O'Connor estimates while noting that the most comprehensive requests can consume up to a full week's worth of FTE labor. "We get some extremely large and detailed questionnaires from customers," he notes. "It requires a very labor-intensive response." Bailey agrees. "All of that time adds up," he says, "and it represents a material cost to our company."
After selling customers, as well as internal sales colleagues, on the benefits of the SIG tools, Iron Mountain's inbound TPRM team managed to reduce the portion of manual questionnaires it completes to a little more than 9 percent: In 2018, only 199 of the 2,173 security/risk management documentation requests customers submitted needed to be completed manually, O'Connor notes. The SIG questionnaire tools comprised the vast majority of automated questionnaires Iron Mountain submitted in 2018.
Getting to that point took significant time and effort, and Bailey and O'Connor indicate that the following approaches were especially helpful:
Selling customers on speed: Given the amount of manual work involved, Iron Mountain's normal turnaround time on completing a custom questionnaire is roughly four weeks. "While we certainly have accelerated that turnaround time," O'Connor notes, "we do not have an unlimited capacity to respond quickly when we get a surge of custom requests. During peak audit season, when the team is extremely busy, the turnaround time for custom questionnaires can increase to five or six weeks. For those reasons, Iron Mountain promotes the time-savings benefits of the SIG tools to customers. "We'll say, 'Hey, listen, we understand you're in a rush and we can give you the SIG instantly — just ask and we'll send it over,'" O'Connor continues. "If they decline that offer, we explain how long their custom questionnaire will take to complete."
Educating sales colleagues on SIG benefits: Iron Mountain's inbound TPRM team delivers formal training to sales and operations colleagues. These efforts raise awareness of the need to involve the inbound team whenever a customer submits a TPRM-related request (i.e., a contract or a questionnaire); emphasizes the time- and cost-savings value the SIG tools generate for the company; and provides an overview of the security assurance reference (SAR) guide that the inbound team developed and continually updates (see below). "The main thrust of our training is educating them about our request process and underscoring the importance of having requests come through us," O'Connor notes. "Sales has been great. Once they understand the SIG tools, they really get on board and push the benefits of the SIG for us."
Publishing and continuously updating a security assurance reference (SAR) guide: About ten years ago, Iron Mountain's inbound team developed a security assurance reference (SAR) guide as a more efficient way for validating completed questionnaires against policy. The SAR contains policies, workflows and screenshots that portray the security and risks management activities and practices customers want to see and evaluate. "The SAR validates what's in the SIG," Bailey notes. The guide has grown significantly more detailed during the past 10 years given that it is updated on a quarterly basis in response to new risks, varying types of security risks, customer requests and, of course, internal policy adjustments. "Many of our customers love the guide because it contains most of the policy and program information that they want to see," O'Connor notes. "Some of our largest customers request to see the SAR after every single quarterly update. They value having the most current information about our program."
While those three steps were instrumental in increasing the rate of SIG acceptance over in recent years, Iron Mountain continually evaluates new approaches and tactics for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of sharing security and risk-management information with customers. "We recognize that some other companies charge customers for certain inbound third-party risk services," O'Connor notes. "While Iron Mountain has not taken this step, we're always evaluating potential adjustments that can drive improvements."
Information Security Schedule Requests Soar
Iron Mountain also continually calibrates its inbound third party risk management activities in response to changing customer expectations. In the past two years, for example, the volume and complexity of information security-specific schedules have increased dramatically.
"We've experienced a massive uptick in the information security requirements companies are asking for in their contracts," O'Connor reports. "Customers are getting very specific and more stringent about what they expect us to do from an information security perspective and what they want us to provide during audits."
These information security schedules require extensive initial reviews by experienced information security experts, and often a second round of review by Iron Mountain's Legal team. Time-consuming and detailed discussions between the two companies can ensue, and that back-and-forth can sometimes extend the sales cycle.
"These requests are our biggest pain point right now," O'Connor says. This is really an industry wide concern." To address this challenge, the inbound team has taken the following two actions:
Creating a default security schedule: Working closely with the Iron Mountain's most experienced information security professionals, the inbound team developed a security schedule that it offers to customers. Most companies have responded enthusiastically to the template, but the team continues to update the default schedule to reflect common requests and requirements contained in all of the security schedules Iron Mountain receives – including those from our largest customers.
Developing an internal guidance document for Legal: To strengthen their legal colleagues' negotiating hands — and to save them time — internal information security specialists developed a guidance document containing explanations of common technology requests, how those issues are addressed in practice and, in some case, alternative language that legal can suggest be used in the contract. "It's definitely a work in progress," O'Connor notes, "but it has helped further reduce our internal review time."
Continuous Maturity
Bailey and O'Connor remain optimistic about the progress of TPRM standardization.
"The value we gain from the SIG tools is much higher now than it's ever been, because the acceptance rate is so high," says Bailey. "There are several reasons for that, one of which is that the industry is maturing. You can see that in how many people from Shared Assessments' steering committees have moved to new companies over time. Each time that occurs, awareness grows."
Iron Mountain Incorporated, founded in 1951, is the global leader for storage and information management services.
Trusted by more than 225,000 organizations around the world, and with a real estate network of more than 90 million square feet across more than 1,450 facilities in over 50 countries, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of valued assets, including critical business information, highly sensitive data, and cultural and historical artifacts.
Providing solutions that include information management, digital transformation, secure storage, secure destruction, as well as data centers, cloud services and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps customers lower cost and risk, comply with regulations, recover from disaster and enable a digital way of working.
www.ironmountain.com
9 percent: Portion of all inbound third party risk management questionnaires containing custom requirements
8 hours: Typical number of FTE hours required to complete a custom questionnaire
40 hours: Amount of FTE hours required to complete the most comprehensive custom questionnaires


text:
Angler's Map of Saskatchewan
Outdoor Adventure Map
The Saskatchewan Border
Winter, Backpacking, Duck Mountains
Booze, Balance and the Art of French Cooking
Rowing Down the Red Deer River
Backpacking, Porcupine Hills
The Path to Armit River Canyon
The Lost Population of Plains Grizzlies
Catching Brook Trout in the Prairie and Parkland
Prairie Peaks: Bald Butte, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Artwork by Kim Freiheit
Artwork by Bhupinder Singh
Artwork by Brenda Maas
Autobiology
Little Boggy Creep
Grizzly cub near Alaska Highway south of Haines Junction, Yukon (Photo by Lacey Hebert, www.lbearphotography.com)
February 28, 2017 in Nature & Ecology
WRITTEN BY ANDY GOODSON
Bumbling black bears were not always the apex predators of Saskatchewan's boreal forest. Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos, formerly known as 'ursa horribilis') were once an abundant species in the prairie provinces whose range extended from the Rocky Mountains to east of Winnipeg.
Although the plains population of grizzly bear was deemed extirpated in the 1880s, reports in east-central Saskatchewan and western Manitoba occurred relatively late within the past century. The last reputable sightings occurred in the Pasquia Hills until 1950, and Porcupine Hills in 1960.
One September morning, Sean, Mitch, Nate and I were driving north on the Saskota Highway for a weekend backpacking trip at Rice River in the Pasquia Hills. We were passing by some farmland south of Hudson Bay at the skirt of the forest when a black bear caught our attention just before sulking off into the bush across the highway.
The sighting sparked Sean's memory of an experience he had while camping in the Rocky Mountains when distant grizzly bear calls had kept him up all night in an anxious sweat. He said: "Say what you want about the prairies, but at least we don't have to deal with the threat of six-hundred-pound carnivores, where the only thing to do if you get attacked is roll over, play dead and hope they don't rip off too many limbs."
I, too, believed wolves and cougars are enough of an added concern while camping in the backcountry. The hills may have been a refuge for the prairie-dwelling grizzly bears, but the chance of finding any today, or in the near future, is highly unlikely.
Grizzly bear range in North America (adapted from Mattson et al. 1995, McLellan 1998, Kansas 2002, Ross 2002, and Hamilton et al. 2004; prepared by Environment Canada 2008).
WHY DO BEARS SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR?
Written accounts of grizzly bears in the prairies and boreal regions date as far back as 1691, with several reports from explorers, surveyors and fur-traders in the following two centuries.
Encounters with grizzlies were often near major river valleys and wooded uplands, such as the Saskatchewan River and fringes of the northern forest. These areas offered high vegetation productivity and greater quantities of large prey species such as deer, elk and bison.
As the number of European settlements increased during a period of rapid colonization, so did fur trade expeditions and the proliferation of firearms. Grizzly furs passed through Fort Pelly on a regular basis by 1857 and were reported in trading posts near the Saskatchewan River delta up until the First World War.
A large population of grizzlies thrived in the Cypress Hills where hunting the species was taboo among indigenous tribes (Nielsen 1975). The influence of the fur trade eventually overcame superstitions, and hunting in Cypress became a profitable venture. Isaac Cowie, an explorer and fur trader of the Palliser Expedition, received 750 grizzly skins at Cypress Hills in 1871. Just twelve years later, Cypress was reported empty of grizzlies (Stegner 1962 in Nielsen 1975). Horses still beared claw marks from grizzlies that no longer existed.
The entire plains population of grizzly bear took its final nose-dive in tandem with wild bison by the turn of the century. Habitat loss, lack of food, and the grizzly's slow reproductive rates provoked their quick decline. Widespread agriculture, hunting and fur-trading were chief contributing factors in the plains grizzly's demise.
The Last Encounters
Grizzly bear sightings occurred in the Pasquia Hills for decades after their supposed extirpation. The indigenous people who lived in the Nipawin area had a separate name for a species that was different than a black bear and had a reputation of being fierce. They would not venture into the nearby Pasquia Hills unless they were in a large group and well armed (White, 1965).
In 1965, Thomas White wrote an article detailing the latest stories of grizzly sightings in Saskatchewan. One was a story he had heard of a local towerman, stationed at the Pasquia Hills' plateau known as Wildcat Hill. The man was trapped for several days while a large bear returned each evening, trying to force its way into the tower. He finally escaped by leaving food outside and running to a nearby reserve. The size, aggression and persistence were not typical for black bears.
White recounted another story of Gerry Murdock, who killed a grizzly bear south of the Pasquia Hills in 1939 and had photographic evidence. The bear terrified Murdock's family for several days, and at one point had "broke into the home, drank a five gallon crock of cream and caused much damage." The bear was shot between the eyes with a gun triggered by a trip wire on the other side of a shed door.
In a 1967 article by R.W. Sutton, a story originating from Duck Mountain raised the question of how far south the dwindling population may have lived. In 1923, two men trapping for pelts, found a black bear in one of their traps that was already dead and partially eaten. The men reset their trap with some adjustments for a larger, more powerful creature, but when they checked the trap the next day, it was missing. They later found the bear and were rushed several times despite it being bound by the trap. The bear was eventually shot and the men collected the remains—long claws, a massive skull and a heap of twisted metal, the likes of which impressed the men who had trapped hundreds of black bears in their lifetime.
The last grizzly bear in the area was spotted by helicopter in the Porcupine Hills, between the Duck Mountains and Pasquia Hills, in 1960. Most of these hills and forests had little to no road access at the time and were far removed from human disturbances allowing for a small population of grizzlies to survive undetected. Within the last fifty years, however, logging operations, motor vehicles and trail cutting encroached once again on the grizzly's refuge.
Rice River in the Pasquia Hills would have been a likely habitat for grizzlies until the early 1900s. (Hootz)
Reintroduction
In 2009, Environment Canada published a recovery strategy for the prairie population of grizzlies. The controversial reintroduction was laid to rest in the report's opening statement:
"Recovery of this species is considered not technically or biologically feasible at this time."
There was no doubt a collective sigh of relief among some who did not feel strongly for releasing violent animals into their backyard. Deciding which animals to protect out of personal convenience, however, was the peak of wishy-washyness and a point scrutinized by conservation groups.
The one-sentence dismissal hid the fact that the chief problem was an issue of public acceptance—grizzlies required vast tracts of public land to hunt and reproduce, as well as, you know, not being shot in the face.
Unfortunately for bears, attitudes hadn't changed and the grizzly's history on the prairies was left to obscurity. The loss remained worth noting, if not for future reintroduction, then as a reminder that our concept of wilderness preservation has always been self-serving.
Environment Canada. 2009. Recovery Strategy for the Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos), Prairie Population, in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. v + 28 pp.
Nielsen, P.L. 1975. The past and present status of the plains and boreal forest grizzly bear in Alberta. Canadian Wildlife Service, unpublished report 75-40. Edmonton, Alberta. 65 pp.
Sutton, R.W. 1967. Possible recent occurrence of grizzly in Manitoba. Blue Jay 25: 190–191.
White, T. 1965. The possibility of Grizzly bears still existing in Saskatchewan. Blue Jay 23:136- 140.
Tags: Grizzly Bear, Environmental History, Lacey Hebert, Environment Canada, Plains bison, Pasquia Hills, Porcupine Hills, Cypress Hills, Battle River, Black bear, Fort Pelly, Saskatchewan River, Duck Mountain, Rice River Canyon, Saskota Highway, Hudson Bay Area, Nipawin, Cumberland House, Extirpated species
Catching Brook Trout in the Prairie and Parkland →


1 Me: Hmmm. Wikipedia has a page about comics that mention Wikipedia.
And just because I know that someone might be tempted to actually add such a page, let me say that I do not condone messing around with actual Wikipedia data just for laughs. The character of "Me" in this comic is not me. I am not asking you to make such a page on Wikipedia. If you do make such a page based on this comic, then frankly you're a jerk. Got it?
2016-03-12 Rerun commentary: Well, I just checked the above-linked page for the first time in ages, and I see someone has added a small section to it titled "Comics that mention the page on Wikipedia about comics that mention Wikipedia". I suppose that's okay - I just didn't want anyone to make a whole page for it.
xkcd is ridiculously popular amongst the sort of nerds who edit Wikipedia to add references to webcomics that mention Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is now simply a regular part of daily life, rather than some new social phenomenon that any webcomics other than xkcd feel is necessary to refer to and make jokes about any more.
Last Modified: Saturday, 12 March 2016; 02:11:03 PST.


text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
Mycol. Pap. 138: 140 (1975)

#### Original name
Coryneum monochaetoides Speg.

### Remarks
null

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Altidore suspended extra game after red card
331dESPN
Toronto FC's Jozy Altidore suspended one extra game after red card
Altidore gets red card for kicking out at Callens (1:57)
Major League Soccer: Jozy Altidore (9') Toronto FC 0-0 New York City FC (1:57)
Major League Soccer has suspended Jozy Altidore an additional game following the Toronto FC striker's red card against New York City FC on Aug. 12.
Altidore was sent off for kicking NYCFC defender Alexander Callens in the ninth minute of the game, which NYCFC went on to win 3-2.
The U.S. international had already served his automatic one-game ban last Saturday in the 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes, and will now miss this weekend's game against the Montreal Impact. MLS also issued an undisclosed fine.
Toronto FC is facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs after winning MLS Cup a year ago, and after the play, Toronto coach Greg Vanney was critical of Altidore.
"We don't have time for things that don't matter. It's about points," Vanney said after the NYCFC game. "These things are so irrelevant."
Altidore has only played in seven MLS games this year while dealing with a hamstring injury. A source told ESPN FC last week that the 28-year-old has drawn the attention of a French club over a potential transfer.
Meanwhile, MLS also suspended and fined the Earthquakes' Shea Salinas for Saturday's game against Vancouver after his red card on Aug. 11 against Colorado. Salinas hit Dillion Serna in the face with his elbow.


text:
Q: Conditional link in GridView TemplateField with NavigateUrl also conditional ASP.NET 4 I am new to ASP/C# and am trying to create a HyperLink in a GridView Template that will:
a) not display if a database value is NOT true (I have accomplished this)
b) query the SQL database to see if one of two possible fields have values (ISSN or ESSN) - in which case I want to insert that value into a link that queries an external website (PubMed if you are familiar with that).
My ASPX file is:
<asp:TemplateField HeaderText="PubMed">
    <ItemTemplate>
        <asp:HyperLink ID="lnkPubMed" runat="server" Text="S" Target="_blank" NavigateUrl='<%# Targetlast3Search(Eval("myVar")) %>' Visible='<%# Convert.ToString(Eval("Indexed_NIH")) == "True" ? true : false %>' >
       </asp:HyperLink>
   </ItemTemplate>
</asp:TemplateField>

Codebehind is:
public string Targetlast3Search(object objlast3Search)
{
    Convert.ToString("ISSN");
    Convert.ToString("ESSN");
    char PubMed = 'http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term="ISSN"[Journal]%20AND%20%28%22last%203%20years%22[PDat]%29';

    if ("ISSN" != null)
    {
        return (ISSN in URL);
    }
    else if
    {
        ("ESSN" != null);
        {
            return (ESSN in URL;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        return "";
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In January, we were honored to be a part of the Love is Love Wedding Giveaway, concepted by photographer [Lisa Woods] and coordinated by Kate Goddard of [Wild Sky Events]. Lisa and Kate, along with a host of local vendors (who are all listed below), teamed up to create a stunningly gorgeous, one of a kind wedding for Cassie + Amber, the lucky winners of the giveaway. And they each did it on their own dime.


A reading by k.g. Guttman from It's like hammering into nothing when I speak it followed by a conversation with curator Alison Cooley.
Responding to our current exhibition of Sharon Lockhart's film installation, Rudzienko, educator and curator Karyn Sandlos will host a study session thinking through the lens of critical pedagogy, psychoanalysis and ethics.
Expanding upon Working Conditions' interrogation of power dynamics, blind spots and measures of success contained in the cultural economies and ecosystems, this salon will investigate invisible structures used to organize time bodies and space.
In dialogue with the current exhibition, Working Conditions, join artist Joshua Schwebel and ARCA Director Anne Bertrand for a conversation around Schwebel's contribution to the exhibition and working conditions within artist-run culture.
The exercise of oppression is more subtle than putting people asleep in front of a television.
In conjunction with the exhibition Working Conditions, this film program looks at labour, visibility, and self-determination. Organized by Sam Cotter.
In dialogue with the exhibition Isla Santa Maria 3D, join artist Oliver Husain and special guest, filmmaker Ali Kazimi, to discuss stereography, colonialism, and Siegfried and Roy with some 3D show and tell.
In conjunction with the exhibition Say Something Bunny! join Alison Kobayashi and Tess Takahashi for drinks and conversation about the live documentary, identity contortion, reenactment, play, staging, research, family dynamics, and whatever else you want to bring to the table.
Throughout the month of January, writer and filmmaker Eric Cazdyn, artist Aleesa Cohene, and dancers/choreographers Jared Gradinger and Angela Schubot will work together in residence at Gallery TPW. Each brings a specific aspect of their practice to the collaboration. Aleesa Cohene, Jared Gradinger and Angela Schubot bring their 2013 trio all my holes are theirs to the table, an attempt by two performers to disappear through radical devotion to a third.


Sonic and the SEGA crew have been given yet another genre within which to strut their stuff. Unlike the lackluster sports, pinball, and fighting games that have taken some of the sheen off the Sonic brand, Sonic and his pals seem to be quite at home in their new RPG confines.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a laudable yet imperfect effort from the newly formed handheld division of BioWare. Unfortunately, it isn't the gameplay masterpiece many were hoping for, but the RPG format does a very nice job of fleshing out the personalities of the varied characters in the SEGA stable (heretofore left in relative obscurity.) Moreover, the beautiful artwork and interesting story surprises should have Sonic fans smiling through this first entry and chomping at the bit for the next game in the Sonic Chronicles line.
The Dark Brotherhood is a very simple RPG experience. Gameplay consists mainly of simple plot and side quests made up of pitched battles, mild exploring, and elementary puzzles. The plot quests, as you can imagine, are the most engaging missions. They help further the story and engender a sense of accomplishment through their more challenging nature. Side quests, on the other hand, are little more than errand-running level-boosters. That means a large portion of the available content is largely forgettable.
Nevertheless, combat in The Dark Brotherhood is pleasant, if not particularly epic. I really enjoyed the diverse skills, abilities, and unique character of each of the myriad party members. The team at BioWare did an excellent job of classifying each of the playable characters and giving them interesting skill sets. The various character talents as well as the general ability scores can be upgraded upon leveling up. There are also a ton of items and equipment that can be both purchased and looted. These treasures provide your party members with the typical boosts common in RPGs. I wouldn't say character development is particularly deep, but the unique abilities of each individual make party selection for both combat and exploring (more on this later) an integral part of the game and a real highlight of the title.
Doubtless, many will enjoy the touch-screen battles, as they are technically very well executed. But, I found they became tiresome after the first couple chapters. That's because controls largely consist of endlessly selecting battle commands such as Attack, POW Moves, Defend, Items, or Flee. Tapping through the command lists at the beginning of each round and then watching your characters fight is not ideal; you're liable to feel somewhat disconnected from the brawl because of the repetition. Graciously, initiating POW Moves is decidedly better, and the Flee sequences help break up the monotony.
POW Moves are character skills, tantamount to magic abilities in other RPGs, that consume accrued PP (POW Points) in order to provide buffs to your characters, blight your opponents' performance, and, as is most often the case, cause direct damage to your enemies. Unlike the unimpressive standard commands, these skills are only made successful (or their power maximized) by executing a series of touch-screen prompts. You can think of these as God of War-like QTE button presses, but instead of mashing the appropriate key, players will have to perform a far more intricate series of swipes and taps. While initially demanding, these too become a bit dull as you progress deep into the title.
Interestingly, the Flee mechanic for both enemies and your party in The Dark Brotherhood involves more than just selecting the Flee command. Players actually have to earn their freedom from battle or re-engage cowardly baddies by successfully negotiating a gymkhana of obstacles, rings, and dash pads. With four party members in all, it can get a bit hectic. This simple feature was a nice touch, though somewhat of an add-on.
All in all, the control scheme is a mixed bag. They clearly were not developed with challenge in mind and, subsequently, lack core appeal. The upside, however, is that nearly anyone can play this title. I expect youngsters and the uninitiated to gush over the game's accessibility.


From either the main menu or the pause menu, click on "Options".
Click on the "Gameplay" tab.
Uncheck the checkbox next to the "Game Introduction" option.
This only skips videos which appear upon starting a new game.
Uncheck the checkbox next to the "CGI" option.
Uncapped when Texture Detail enabled; otherwise, capped at 60 FPS.
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tested by Expack3.
This page was last edited on 30 March 2019, at 01:00.