Maile wants you to sign her petition.
Local students from George Washington High School (GWHS) and Simon Sanchez High School (SSHS) are raising awareness of a federal attempt to overturn Guam's shark conservation law. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is trying to preempt local shark conservation laws in 11 states and territories because they think the laws conflict with federal laws mandating optimum yield.
The students started an online petition that calls on NOAA and US President Barack Obama to cease attempts to undermine Guam's local conservation laws. They further ask NOAA and the president to create a shark sanctuary.
The students wrote a script and filmed a video Hafa Adai, Mr. President to promote the petition.
The petition started by students Maile Dolores, president of GWHS Marine Mania, and Makaelah Blas, member of SSHS Sharks MADE, has received over 2,000 signatures.
The efforts of the students have attracted the attention of several international conservation organizations. The Oceanic Preservation Society, Shark Savers, WildAid, Blue Sphere Foundation, The Manta Trust, Shark Defenders, Humane Society International, and Shark Attack Survivors for Shark Conservation have promoted the protection of Guam's shark conservation law on social networks in recent days.
"Guam's shark fin law and others like it are critical to addressing the damaging ecological impacts of the shark fin trade," said Peter Knights, executive director of WildAid. "Attempts to overturn or weaken this law, which has the strong support of Guam's citizens and lawmakers and the US Congress, will only cause more harm to sharks by increasing trade."
GWHS Marine Mania and SSHS Shark MADE are well known for their shark conservation advocacy. In 2011, they successfully lobbied the Guam Senate to ban the sale, trade, and possession of shark fin. Last year they called on Parties to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to protect manta rays and five species of sharks.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is trying to preempt local shark conservation laws in 11 states and territories because they think the laws conflict with federal laws mandating optimum yield.
According to Guam Legislature Vice Speaker BJ Cruz, who sponsored the Guam shark law in 2011 along with Senator Rory Respicio, a federal court determined in a recent decision that optimum yield does not mean governments have to maximize fishing or the sale of fish.
Cruz is thankful for the attention Guam receives for its conservation efforts.
"When we've got kids protesting in the streets to protect sharks and the ocean, it tells the world that Guam is a green destination," said Cruz.
Cruz also explained that the federal government has already exempted California, Oregon, and Washington from preemption.
"My colleagues in the Legislature are hopeful that the federal government will respect us like they did the states and let our law stand," said Cruz.
About 100 million sharks are killed each year and as a result more than half of all sharks and shark-like species are estimated to be threatened or near threatened with extinction. In recent years, starting with Palau's creation of the world's first shark sanctuary in 2009, governments have implemented strong measures to protect sharks. Eleven US states and territories have banned the sale, trade, and possession of shark fin, while 9 countries and overseas territories have created shark sanctuaries, collectively protecting sharks in an area about 12.6 million square kilometers, which is about the size of the United States and Mexico combined.
Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay insists a threat to the P.E.I.tuna industry is looming with the possible arrival of long-line tuna vessels gaining access to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued four Mexican citizens whose small boat began taking on water after they were caught illegally fishing near South Texas.
Would it worry you to know the fish on your plate isn't what you think it is or where you think it's from? Considering the U.S. imports 91% of its seafood in a system that makes it easy for businesses to get away with unknowingly selling customers mislabeled fish, maybe it should.
Lawmakers in state capitals and in Washington are working to see that consumers are getting what they think they are getting when buying seafood.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission moved forward this week with the proposed ban and several other measures to tame the lionfish invasion.
In a nation where 92 percent of seafood is imported and labeling fraud is rife, both state and federal lawmakers are moving to pass laws to help make sure customers are getting the seafood they are paying for. A seafood labeling law in the South Carolina General Assembly would mean that, among other things, what is advertised as fresh local shrimp is what it says — not imported and frozen. It would make it a misdemeanor to intentionally mislabel seafood.
As the four-year mark of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster approaches, environmental groups, marine scientists and local leaders warn that its impacts — and the spectre of oil drilling off the Pinellas Beaches — may still linger.
The environmental benefits of seafood traceability are obvious: By tracking a fish through the entire supply chain – from capture to plate – you can ensure the fish wasn't caught using illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices. But many companies, like Norpac Fisheries Export, are discovering that traceability is also good for their bottom lines.
Six Cuban fishermen spotted in Jamaican waters near Negril in Westmoreland were yesterday processed by immigration officers and released.
Wearing protective gloves and masks, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare carried 127 bales of cocaine -- with a street value of about $350 million -- off the ship and into a waiting trailer Tuesday.
Activists say they have discovered a 6.8 tonne shark fin shipment brought into Hong Kong from the Middle East via Philippines Airlines.
New York may someday get another sushi restaurant with an unusual owner: a Japanese university. A-marine Kindai Co., a company started by Kinki University in western Japan, says it hopes to open a restaurant in the Big Apple to serve farm-raised Pacific bluefin tuna, although it is more a wish than a specific plan at this point.
A law change cracking down on alleged slave-like conditions on foreign fishing vessels in New Zealand waters has passed its second reading. It follows claims of physical and sexual abuse, underpayment and other appalling conditions.
Sea border dispute between Vanuatu and New Caledonia has resulted in the arrest and conviction of a Chinese boat captain and members of his crew. New Caledonian maritime surveillance authorities claimed the long line vessel was fishing inside its territorial waters and slapped it with a US$5.5m fine.
WHILE several of Australia's major industries are set to benefit from the recently announced free trade agreement with Japan, Port Lincoln's tuna exports are not likely to be one of them.
Fiji exported FJ$5.9 million worth of fish and fisheries products to the European Union last year.
The ABC's Pacific correspondent, Sean Dorney, was guest speaker recently at a Pacific Media Business Summit in Sydney. He was asked what he considered to be the big business story for the Pacific Islands. His answer surprised me. Sean Dorney told the gathering it's all about tuna.
Personnel from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry fleet under the command of the Marine Resources and Fishery Control Directorate General have arrested five Vietnamese fishing boats for illegally fishing in Natuna waters, Riau Islands.
The Fisheries Department is urging fishing boat operators to register their foreign workers by the end of May.
Up-to-date fishing vessel Taurus has entered service under the survey of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS). The ship was built to the dual RS/DNV class and registered under the flag of the Russian Federation. The ordering customer and shipowner is ZAO TAURUS of Murmansk, RS said in its press release.
Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research on Friday filed briefs in the U.S. District Court in Seattle stating its intent to resume whale hunting in the Southern Ocean as early as fiscal 2015.
Billionaire Guo Guangchang, chairman of Chinese investment firm Fosun International , and three other individuals will be feted in New York this Thursday, April 17, for their efforts to stop the killing of sharks for their fins, which are a delicacy served in soup in Asia.
Indonesia's military on Sunday detained dozens of foreign nationals for fishing in waters off the coast Aceh, after arresting 56 last week for the same alleged offense.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has seized four illegal boats carrying hundreds of illegally-harvested giant clams and sea cucumbers (trepang) in Northern Australia following a coordinated operation by Border Protection Command (BPC), including the Royal Australian Navy, the Department of the Environment and AFMA. The seized vessels were destroyed.
Leaders of New Zealand Maori communities will be questioning how much sway they really hold in the corridors of power with one of their biggest recent victories being taken away from them.
Japan said on Friday it would redesign its controversial "research" whaling mission in the Antarctic after a United Nations' court ruled it was a commercial hunt masquerading as science.
The Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Force made its debut on April 15 in the central city of Da Nang in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Operating under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's General Department of Fisheries, the force's key tasks include patrolling the country's waters, monitoring and inspecting fisheries activities as well as detecting and handling violations.
A SPANISH FISHING boat has been detained by the Navy off the coast of Mizen Head for alleged breaches of fishing regulations.
AUSTIN Mitchell, who has championed the cause of fishermen and the fishing industry for the past 37 years, is stepping down as MP for Grimsby.
Transfer of fishing boat and vessel licences from one governorate to another is barred, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has reiterated. The ministry has published a statement in this regard in a bid to prevent instability in the fish market.
Several Spanish tuna vessels operating in the Indian Ocean are in the "testing phase" to use technological equipment for replacing aboard observers.
Two people were dead and three others missing Thursday after a Portuguese-flagged fishing vessel capsized 20 miles off the coast of northern Spain.
The European Parliament today gave its consent to the EU's Fisheries Partnership Agreements with Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles.
The Secretariat of Rural and Marine Affairs of Xunta de Galicia will allocate more than EUR 13.2 million in aid for permanent cessation of fishing vessels and the summons for 2014.
After the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), the Ministers' Council has approved the draft amendment to the State Maritime Fishing Act with the aim of promoting a number of key priorities for fisheries policy in Spain.
Today, the European Parliament approved the final dossier of the comprehensive reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
A satellite tagging device a Canadian researcher attached to a Greenland shark in the Arctic in 2012 and used to record migratory data was recently found washed up on a beach 6,000 kilometres away.
Iranian Coast Guard has seized seven Saudi fishing boats intruding into Iran's territorial waters off the southern Hormozgan Province, a provincial official said.
Mozambican company Empresa Moçambicana de Atum (EMATUM), set up by the government for tuna fishing, is due to start operating this year, the Fishing Minister, Victor Borges said in Sofala, cited by Mozambican newspaper O País.
While patrolling in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Darwin provided emergency medical assistance for a heart attack victim on a French fishing vessel.
A shark catch that has possibly set a new world angling record has left a shark tourism operator furious, promising to enlist the government's help to stop the illegal fishing of sharks.
The Belgian director of Africa's oldest national park, a reserve in conflict-ridden eastern Congo, has been shot and seriously wounded but his condition is improving, park officials said.
Why has the Gulf of Guinea replaced the Horn of Africa as the global center for maritime piracy? According to experts convened by the International Peace Institute, the reasons include economic deprivation, poor governance, pollution, poor natural resources management, and the ongoing crisis in the Sahel region.
Artisanal fishing in Mozambique, with production of 222,000 tons of a variety of fish, accounted for 87 percent of total fishing production in 2013, Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias reported.
The ocean is a big place, but not all seas are created equal. While 58% of the seas are classified as "high seas," and open to access from all nations, there are over 150 exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which are the sole domain of the countries that operate them. EEZs comprise the remaining 42% of the ocean. The patchwork quilt of economic interests that blanket the ocean pose a problem for the fish who live there and the fisheries that exploit those fish.
They've been flying through our skies for years. Now, unmanned drones are hitting the high seas.
Bunkering in a country's exclusive economic zone should be regulated, with the operation falling within the jurisdiction of the coastal zone, a Maltese judge declared in an international maritime tribunal ruling.
We need your help! Three years ago we rallied to protect sharks in Guam's local waters and now those protections are being threatened by federal bureaucracy.
Sharks are essential for maintaining balance in the entire marine ecosystem, but these critical species are being driven to the brink of annihilation. About 100 million sharks are killed each year and more than half of all species of sharks and rays are threatened or near threatened with extinction. The global demand for shark fins is fueling their demise.
To stem the decline of sharks, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands banned the trade in shark fins and prohibited the catch and possession of sharks in our waters. This effort was championed by students who rallied the global community to show their support.
Now we need your help again!
A proposed rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could weaken our shark protection laws. NOAA claims that the laws banning the trade of shark fins conflict with federal fishing rules.
To make matters worse, NOAA is proposing a shark cull in the Marianas to "reduce shark biomass." There is no scientifically justifiable reason for culling sharks here and in fact, every stock assessment completed in the western and central Pacific Ocean to date has shown drastic declines.
Send a message to Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Eileen Sobeck, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, and President Barack Obama and urge them to respect our existing, broadly-supported laws. Our people want a shark sanctuary, not a shark fishery.
The Olomwaay Band let us use their song "Ow Woloo" about protecting indigenous cultures for the "Hafa Adai, Mr. President" video. Their album, Trip to Paradise is available on Amazon.com. We encourage you to purchase their album.
When we started the Shark Defenders coalition in 2010, we didn't know how fun it would be. When we asked President Obama to ban shark fin in the United States, Kristen Bell, helped us out with this tweet.
I have since watched Frozen six times (and will probably watch it again on today's flight from Narita to Dulles), which begs the question, "Do you want to ban some shark fins?"
Kevin Bacon retweeted it, which is another thing more likely to happen than being killed by a shark.
Two years ago, with some urging from the Humane Society International, Ke$ha, who now goes by Kesha, gave a shout out to the shark conservation work going on in Fiji.
The Guam shark fin ban is being threatened by federal rulemaking today, but you can show your support by signing this petition created by Maile Dolores and Makaelah Blas students at George Washington High School and Simon Sanchez High School, respectively.
TIDE students with Shark Stanley and Friends during last year's CITES campaign.
We received a message recently from our Shark Stanley partners, TIDE, down in Belize. Caroline wanted to make us aware of a new program they have this summer, and wanted to make sure people interested in gaining field experience knew about it.
Last year I was really proud to support Shark Defenders and Shark Stanley on the run up to CITES. What a success story! I've not been lucky enough yet to see a hammerhead in the wild, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity any day now!
I'm still working in Belize, where I supported the Shark Stanley campaign last year, based at a local non-profit organisation called TIDE. The work TIDE does encompasses both terrestrial and marine environments, in one of the least developed regions in Central America – it's such a beautiful place to be!
This year I'm busy developing a new volunteering opportunity for TIDE to help us with our ever expanding research and monitoring requirements. The program will give participants hands-on, authentic experiences in tropical conservation methods, encompassing all the habitats the region has to offer from lush mountain forests to the wonderfully colourful coral reefs!
Ridge to Reef Expeditions is perfect for anyone wanting to gain valuable field experience, and explore one of the most exciting regions in the area. We are launching with our first team expedition this summer so things are getting really busy here at R2R camp! I've been busy doing promotional work, prepping the field stations and ordering our new diving equipment. Today I met with a local scientist who will help me to develop the new monitoring programs – we are all particularly excited to be starting the first large scale study of manatee populations in southern Belize! Every day is jam packed and completely different to the last, which means there's never a dull day.
Follow Ridge to Reef Expeditions' progress on our Facebook page. I'd love to hear from anyone who's interested in getting involved!
We had the chance to meet up with Julie Hartup of the Manta Trust in Guam this week. After a short dip in the ocean, she agreed to an interview for our blog.
Shark Defenders: What attracted you to study mantas and where can you find them in the Micronesia region?
Julie: While diving in Yap I had some incredible interactions with reef mantas. At the time I was trying to decide if I wanted to return back to school to obtain my Master's degree and what marine animal I would want to spend the rest of my life studying. I was surprised to learn that no one was studying the Yap mantas, and no one knew about any of the manta populations throughout Micronesia. I decided to start studying manta rays, right here in my own backyard, here in Guam through the Master's Program at the University of Guam Marine Lab. We knew from snorkeler's and divers that Guam had a population of manta rays but knew little to nothing about them. It has taken a lot of hard work but we have been learning a tremendous amount about Guam manta rays and manta rays throughout Micronesia, more then I expected. It has personally been rewarding.
SD: What are you learning about the mantas in Guam? Is there something unique about them?
Julie: Mantas can tell you a lot about themselves, just by looking at them. Each manta has unique spot patterns on their belly's that enables you to tell one individual from another. The size of the manta gives you an idea if it is young or a more mature individual. Presence or lack of reproduction appendages tells you if it's male or female. Scars can tell you if the mantas are mating or what natural or anthropogenic pressures they might be experiencing. For instance, in Mozambique mantas have more shark bites, Maui mantas have higher number of missing cephalic lobs (those paddle like appendages coming off the side of their mouth region) from getting tangled in long fishing gear. Guam mantas have cuts and slashes in them, most likely from boats and wave runners.
To date we have found a unique in behavior in our Guam mantas. I had heard of two different times in 2010 people had seen mantas feeding where fish were spawning. It was thought the mantas were feeding off the fish spawn since mantas eat zooplankton. I figured that if mantas were targeting these events to feed, I would need to find out where and when these spawning events were taking place. The idea was that the spawning aggregation of fish would lead me to the mantas. In 2012 I had two predicted spawning dates I had transposed from the 2010 dates and moon phases, a site, two species of fish thought to spawn, and two different daylight times. I was hoping the mantas would show up. Sure enough on my first predicted event, my snorkeling partner Paul Carlson and I went over the reef where we actually had two species of fish spawning (one of those species was unexpected), hundreds if not thousands of fish and 12 mantas were feeding off the fish spawn. Several months later we had the second predicted event of a different fish species, and sure enough we had a huge aggregation of fish spawning and again at least 12 manta feeding. It was the biggest thrill I've ever had. I just couldn't believe my hypothesis, theory, and methods all worked. It had been documented that whale sharks, a relative of manta rays, targets fish spawning aggregations to feed, but this was the first every documented event of manta rays targeting fish spawn as a food source. Our Guam mantas created scientific history, it shows how important studying new things in new areas matters, adding to the overall scientific understanding from other regions. I have been learning so much about mantas and fish spawning aggregations at these events.
SD: The manta rays you are seeing in Guam are just outside the marine protected area in Tumon, which up until the reserve was created a few years ago was full of jet skis, banana boats, and dinner cruises. Do you know if the creation of the protected area is responsible for the appearance of the mantas?
Julie: It would be great to have previously collected data, or information prior to when the MPA was established but unfortunately we didn't. What came first, the fish spawning, mantas, or the MPA? I would love to answer that question. I'm assuming we can't prove this, but I know the MPA has had a huge positive effect on the number of spawning fish. If the MPA were not there, those fish numbers would be dramatically lower, if not completely gone. Fishing at fish spawning aggregations is an easy way to get a high volume of fish with the least amount of time expended, however this can radically increase the potential to overfish a population if not regulated. It's no secret Guam has been overfished, and if the MPA weren't there, I believe all the fish and healthy corals starting to thrive there would not be there as well. We would mostly have intermittent live and dead coral, limited fish, low diversity, and algae, which isn't too attractive to tourists. By creating the MPA the fish population was able to naturally increase. More fish in a spawning aggregation make more noise and emit natural chemicals into the water probably attracting the mantas.
Additionally, manta rays are shy creatures. Loud noises from boats, or waver runner traffic are not a draw for manta rays. Local residents have noticed that in another area where mantas regularly were sighted in the past have decreased. This area, over the years has had increased boat and wave runner action. I wonder if we limited boat and waver runner activity in certain areas if the mantas would return to those habitats? We could have areas where tourists and locals could enjoy wave running and habitat areas unobstructed for the manta rays.
Wouldn't it be great to build up sites where mantas rays are frequenting? We could have a potential of creating areas tourist and locals could see these magnificent animals without chasing them off. Manta rays currently bring in $140 million dollars worldwide annually for ecotourism. If we were able to do this in a correct and controlled manner, as not to affect the mantas or other interest groups, it's a win-win for everyone. By creating the MPA and limiting the boat and wave runner activity it allowed an area for manta rays and fish to naturally flourish. Just like in society we need different roles for a thriving community. We need MPAs or Community Based Managed Area for us to have healthy reefs and "good" fishing. I'm a believer in sustainable management. However, there are some fish or marine animals due to their life history that cannot and should not be fished. Manta rays and sharks can't support sustainable fishing. Living on an island, fish is a major proponent of the communities diet, social interactions, businesses, and cultural history. I just want to make sure all these things can be around for the next generation.
SD: Some of the places you work, including Palau, Yap, and Guam, have legislation protecting manta rays. What is the reason behind doing that?
Julie: Manta rays, just like thier relatives the sharks live long, mature late, and have a limited number of offspring. Mantas are thought to live at least live 50 years and maybe even on up to 100 years. However, we only have documentation of mantas living 30 years since we just started studying them in the last several decades. Marine animals that have life histories such as manta rays need protection. Luckily our Island of Guam and several other Micronesian islands know how important they are and have protected manta rays along with sharks. Yap and Palau have seen the benefits of manta ray ecotourism making them even more important to these regions to protect. These animals are magical. I've spent hours diving next to these creatures and every time I come away in awe of their beauty. I'm very concerned about the recent proposed Shark fishing in the Mariana Archipelago. Our Guam law would be dissolved leaving Guam sharks and manta rays unprotected. These magnificent animals could be fished out for their gill rakers ending up in a Chinese medicine store or as a supplement ingredient for shark fin soup. We would never know if Guam could have actually set up dive ecotours around our manta population.


text:
Crowded House »
The Very Very Best Of
The Very Very Best Of - Crowded House - Top 40 Albums
New Zealand Artist: Crowded House
After Split Enz broke up in 1984, Neil Finn, Paul Hester (Split Enz's last drummer), Melbourne bassist/artist Nick Seymour, and Craig Hooper (guitar) created a band originally called The Mullanes.
They moved to Los Angeles in 1985 in search of a record label. Whilst in LA they stayed in a cramped North Hollywood home which inspired a name change to Crowded House. They soon scored a recording deal with Capitol Records, and with the help of producer Mitchell Froom the band (by this time a trio with the departure of Hooper) wrote and recorded what was to be their biggest commercial success.
For more information check out the muzic.net.nz Profile for Crowded House
The Very Very Best Of debuted in the Official New Zealand Top 40 Albums on 25 October 2010. It has been in the Top 40 Albums for four weeks with a highest position of #12. There are three albums by Crowded House in the Top 40 Albums.
Chart placings for The Very Very Best Of:
Chart placings by Crowded House:
Intriguer Top 40 Albums 21 Jun 2010 7 3
The Very Very Best Of Top 40 Albums 25 Oct 2010 4 12
Time On Earth Top 40 Albums 09 Jul 2007 10 2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The roots of the 2008 crash, as I set out in my 2014 book, Marx and Engels' Theories of Crisis, were laid in the 1980's. Progressive social democracy had hit the buffers. For reasons I'll come to in reviewing the respective chapter on the long wave, the productivity gains derived in the post-war cycle came to an end, the basis of social-democracy, to raise living standards, on the basis of that rising productivity, came to an end with it. Capital, in the developed economies, saw the potential for higher profits in selected developing economies in Asia, and relocated, creating a new international division of labour. At the same time, capital sought to replace what had become high-cost labour-power with technology. It created a new Innovation Cycle that created the new technologies of the microchip, mobile telephony, the Internet and so on that Paul rightly says continued to mushroom even after 2008 (p 7/8).
But, as technology replaced labour in the 1980's/90's, in addition to the shift of production to Asia, it also cheapened constant capital, both in terms of the type and quantity of the capital required, and in terms of the cost of producing it. Together with a rising mass of profit, as wages fell, and the rate of surplus value rose, it meant the annual rate of profit rose sharply, and with relatively stagnant growth, it meant the supply of money-capital, from realised profits, exceeded the demand, pushing interest rates ever lower. It meant workers could be encouraged to borrow without limit, so as to maintain their consumption, even as their wages fell, and it meant that vast amounts could be gambled away, in the purchase of various assets, creating the bubbles that burst at regular intervals after 1987, only to be reflated once more, using even more central bank liquidity, leading up to the 2008 crash.
I had actually theorised this development back in the early 1980's, in documents written for the then Workers Socialist League. I posted them back in 2009. The subsequent consequences of that, in terms of a bifurcation of the global economy, and of global imbalances, I have also described, and which is also briefly set out by Paul (p 8).
For the reasons I've set out earlier, and in numerous posts since 2010, I have never accepted the theories about "secular stagnation", "long depression" and so on. I didn't, in 2010, myself recognise just to what extent the owners of fictitious capital, and their representatives would go to hold back real capital accumulation, and economic growth, so as to reflate their paper wealth, but it is now clear to me that the economic growth we are now witnessing is despite the measures that have been taken not because of them. The policy of QE never was intended to reflate the economy by first reflating asset prices. The two things are mutually exclusive goals, and the real intention of reflating the latter, whilst suppressing the former is shown by the simultaneous implementation of austerity.
It's one of those slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, when writing about financial markets, that whatever you say today is likely to be contradicted by events tomorrow. But, economic fundamentals are not the same as the vagaries of financial markets. In the end, the economic realities impose themselves also on financial markets, via the movement of profits and the rate of interest, but not immediately and mechanically, because these markets are driven by psychology, and as Keynes said, the markets can remain irrational longer than any individual can remain solvent. So, it's unfortunate that, writing this book in 2015, Paul seems to have fallen foul of some of the errors he also describes in others. Were he writing the book today, just a couple of years later, I would hope that the current synchronised growth, in 90% of the world's economies, back to the levels seen in the early 2000's, would lead him to dismiss the ideas about a system that "never regains its dynamism. Ever." (p 9), more clearly.
Paul sets out the issues I have described above, on page 9, where he lists four aspects of neoliberalism that enabled it to flourish, but are now destroying it. They are Fiat Money, Financialisation, Global Imbalances and Information Technology. He deals with them in separate sections, and as I have already covered most of this ground, I can skip through most of them. I will address that in Part 5.
I didn't, in 2010, myself recognise just to what extent the owners of fictitious capital, and their representatives would go to hold back real capital accumulation, and economic growth, so as to reflate their paper wealth, but it is now clear to me that the economic growth we are now witnessing is despite the measures that have been taken not because of them.
IIRC the "trigger" for the 2008 crash was spiralling oil prices: do you think that governments across Europe (and noticeably less so in the United States, which still produces some of its own oil) may be deliberately keeping their real economies suppressed not just to keep interest rates down (and asset prices up) but also in order to limit oil imports?
I don't think the rise in oil prices had any significant effect whatsoever. Global GDP from the 1980's rose seven times faster than the rise in oil consumption, because from the 1970's onwards, capital found ways of using oil far more effectively. After 1999, oil prices quadrupled, but had little effect on growth or inflation. In economies where 80% of value added comes from service industry oil prices have an ever diminishing role, and as I wrote recently, in the next decade electric cars will replace petrol engines anyway. The main role of oil prices, as a I wrote a few years back is that oil producing countries built up large rents, which were recirculated into global financial markets, thereby being one source of the demand for financial assets that pushed up those prices.
In fact, as I pointed out in 2008, when I predicted the actual crash, the indication it was about to happen was not the rise in oil prices, but their sharp decline as banks and other financial institutions that had been gambling on oil futures markets, sold them along with everything else they could get their hand on, to get cash.
So, no, I don't think they are at all bothered about oil imports, but they are bothered about economies overheating, interest rates rising and asset prices collapsing. Trump's trade war might be a way of trying to cool global growth, but if it is its having contradictory effects. This is not the 1930's nor 1980's. The immediate effect of his tariffs on steel and aluminium has been that the price of washing machines, and other domestic appliances, in the US has risen by 19% already! US workers will see that, at a time when labour shortages are already pushing up US wages. Other suppliers of commodities start to see prices rising fast around them, and jump on the bandwagon.
I think we are going to see consumer price inflation rocket in a way the pundits are unable to comprehend, because there are vast oceans of liquidity waiting to swill in and facilitate those price rises. The ECB seems to be totally deluded and disoriented in knowing what day it is, as Draghi's recent speech illustrated. Central banks will have to rush to catch up.


Apartaments: Apartment, One-Bedroom Apartment, Standard Apartment.
Habitacions: Apartment with Balcony, Apartment with Terrace.
Apartaments: Apartment with Balcony, Apartment with Terrace, One-Bedroom Apartment, Two-Bedroom Apartment.
Apartaments: Apartment, Apartment with Balcony, Apartment with Terrace, Family Suite, One-Bedroom Apartment, Standard Apartment, Standard Suite, Suite, Two-Bedroom Apartment, Two-Bedroom Suite.
Apartaments: Apartment, Apartment with Balcony, One-Bedroom Apartment.


text:
package com.xplus.commons.topease.impl.ui.menuitem;

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
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import java.util.List;

import javax.swing.JMenuItem;

import org.slf4j.Logger;
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import com.xplus.commons.topease.api.MethodInitable;

public class DefaultInternalFrameMenuItem extends JMenuItem implements MethodInitable {

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		}
		for (ActionListener action : actions) {
			this.addActionListener(action);
		}
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Lovett Industrial Announces New Projects in the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Area totaling 2.7 Million Square Feet
8 December 2021, 12:02 pm ·3-min read
DALLAS, December 08, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lovett Industrial, the Houston-based real estate investment firm, has announced three new projects in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, consisting of four warehouses totaling approximately 2.7 million square feet, which are 25% pre-leased.
Lovett 35 Logistics Park (Photo: Business Wire)
Construction is currently underway at Texport Logistics in Wilmer, TX, Lovett 35 Logistics Park in the Alliance submarket of north Fort Worth, and Phase I of Trinity West Business Park, located in the West Dallas submarket of Dallas. Texport Logistics is a 40' clear, 826,620 square foot class A cross-docked facility located in Wilmer, TX that broke ground in June of 2021, slated for completion in March of 2022. The building is available for lease and is approximately 60% complete. Lovett 35 Logistics Park in Alliance consists of two buildings, a 215,000 square foot rear-loaded building and a 646,250 square foot cross-dock building, located along Keller Haslet Road, about 1,000 feet to the east of a full interchange at Interstate 35. Estimated to be completed in June 2022, Lovett 35 Logistics Park is 75% pre-leased to an undisclosed tenant. Trinity West Business Park is located on the north-west corner of Norwich Street and Singleton Boulevard in Dallas, TX; Phase I consists of a 40' clear, 1,005,200 square foot cross-dock building, including 195' truck courts, and has an estimated completion date of August 2022. With foundation work underway, the project is actively fielding requirements for lease.
Charlie Meyer, President of Lovett Industrial commented, "In an environment where it is becoming more and more difficult to find actionable industrial land in all markets, we feel very fortunate to have these projects underway in one of the most active markets in the US, and are grateful for the support we have received from our extended team of brokers, attorneys, consultants, lenders, and investors. A special thanks to Kurt Griffin and Nathan Orbin at Cushman & Wakefield for assisting us with the land acquisitions in Alliance and South Dallas, Brad Struck and Jim Hazard at ESRP for bringing us a great tenant in Alliance, and for the countless hours of advice, guidance, and support provided by Steve Berger at CBRE on our Trinity West Business Park project. We are excited to be growing rapidly across the Dallas-Fort Worth market, which we believe will continue to exhibit strong fundamentals for years to come."
Marketing efforts for Lovett 35 Logistics Park are exclusively handled by Kurt Griffin and Nathan Orbin of Cushman & Wakefield. Trinity West Business Park is exclusively listed by Steve Berger of CBRE. General Contractors on the respective projects include MYCON General Contractors (Lovett 35 Logistics Park), The Conlan Company (Trinity West Business Park), and Alston Construction (Texport Logistics). The architect of record for the three projects is Ware Malcomb and the civil engineer is Kimley Horn.
About Lovett Industrial:
Founded in 2020 and based in Houston, Texas, Lovett Industrial is a privately held vertically integrated logistics real estate investment platform that seeks to develop and acquire industrial real estate assets that are differentiated by their quality, location, and functionality. Currently active in 6 markets across the United States, Lovett Industrial's portfolio consists of approximately 5.7 million square feet of completed and under construction warehouses and in excess of 10 million square feet of warehouses planned for future development. Lovett Industrial's founders have combined over 60+ years of experience in the commercial and industrial real estate sectors. For more information, please see our website at https://lovettindustrial.com/.
Paige Chiang
paigec@lovettindustrial.com
Microsoft is bolstering its gaming prowess with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Will this give the software giant the edge over Meta in the metaverse?
Vintage Energy Ltd (VEN.AX) Share Purchase Plan Completed
Vintage Energy Ltd (ASX:VEN) announces its Share Purchase Plan ("SPP") closed on Friday 14 January 2022 with eligible applications for $3.44 million of new shares for the $2.0 million SPP.


text:
/*! \file
    \brief Basic copy routines for tensor views
*/

#pragma once

#include "cutlass/fragment.h"
#include "cutlass/layout/thread/tensor_foreach.h"
#include "cutlass/tensor_view.h"

namespace cutlass {
namespace layout {
namespace thread {

/// Define a functor that performs a copy operation on a tensor.
template <typename View_dst, typename View_src>
struct CopyFunc {
  /// Coordinate of index space
  typedef typename View_dst::TensorCoord TensorCoord;

  View_dst dst;

  View_src src;

  /// Constructor
  CUTLASS_DEVICE
  CopyFunc(View_dst dst, View_src src) : dst(dst), src(src) {}

  /// copy function
  CUTLASS_DEVICE
  void operator()(TensorCoord const& coord) {
    dst.at(coord) = src.at(coord);  // uses tensor view's map()
  }
};

template <typename T_dst, typename T_src, int rank, typename MapFunc_dst, typename MapFunc_src>
struct Copy {
  CUTLASS_DEVICE void copy(cutlass::TensorView<T_dst, rank, MapFunc_dst> dst,
                           cutlass::TensorView<T_src, rank, MapFunc_src> src) {
    // Define a functor called by TensorForEach<>
    typedef CopyFunc<cutlass::TensorView<T_dst, rank, MapFunc_dst>,
                     cutlass::TensorView<T_src, rank, MapFunc_src> >
        CopyFunc;

    // Instantiate on device with TensorViews
    CopyFunc copy_func(dst, src);

    // Invoke device-side for-each computation on the tensor
    cutlass::layout::thread::TensorForEach<CopyFunc,
                                           rank,  // View::kRank
                                           CopyFunc>(src.size(), copy_func);
  }
};

#if !defined(__CUDACC_RTC__) || defined(CUTLASS_NVRTC_HAS_FP16)
template <int rank>
struct Copy<half, half, rank, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> {
  CUTLASS_DEVICE void copy(cutlass::TensorView<half, rank, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> dst,
                           cutlass::TensorView<half, rank, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> src) {
    bool isPacked = dst.isPacked() && src.isPacked();
    if (isPacked) {
      CUTLASS_PRAGMA_UNROLL
      for (int i = 0; i < src.capacity(); ++i) {
        dst.at(i) = src.at(i);
      }
    } else {
      typedef CopyFunc<cutlass::TensorView<half, rank, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor>,
                       cutlass::TensorView<half, rank, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> >
          CopyFunc;

      // Instantiate on device with TensorViews
      CopyFunc copy_func(dst, src);

      // Invoke device-side for-each computation on the tensor
      cutlass::layout::thread::TensorForEach<CopyFunc,
                                             rank,  // View::kRank
                                             CopyFunc>(src.size(), copy_func);
    }
  }
};

/// hgemm swizzle
/// Transform a fragment.
template <>
struct Copy<half, half, 2, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor, cutlass::MatrixLayout::ColumnMajor> {
  CUTLASS_DEVICE void copy(
      cutlass::TensorView<half, 2, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> dst,
      cutlass::TensorView<half, 2, cutlass::MatrixLayout::ColumnMajor> src) {
    // Expose src/dst as int arrays.
    int const* src_int = reinterpret_cast<int const*>(src.const_ref().data());
    int* dst_int = reinterpret_cast<int*>(dst.ref().data());

    int kD = src.size(0);
    int kDhw = src.size(0) * src.size(1);

    // Transpose the data.
    // CUTLASS_PRAGMA_UNROLL
    for (int d = 0; d < kD; ++d) {
      // The indices to read two consecutive "rows".
      int const i0 = 2 * d + 0;
      int const i1 = 2 * d + 1;

      int a0 = src_int[i0];
      int a1 = src_int[i1];

      int b0, b1;
      asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x5410;" : "=r"(b0) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));
      asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x7632;" : "=r"(b1) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));

      // The indices to store with "strides".
      int const j0 = 0 * (kDhw / 2) + d;
      int const j1 = 1 * (kDhw / 2) + d;

      dst_int[j0] = b0;
      dst_int[j1] = b1;
    }
  }
};
#endif

/// igemm swizzle
/// Transform a fragment.
template <>
struct Copy<int8_t,
            int8_t,
            2,
            cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor,
            cutlass::MatrixLayout::ColumnMajor> {
  CUTLASS_DEVICE void copy(
      cutlass::TensorView<int8_t, 2, cutlass::MatrixLayout::RowMajor> dst,
      cutlass::TensorView<int8_t, 2, cutlass::MatrixLayout::ColumnMajor> src) {
    // Expose src/dst as int arrays.
    int const* src_int = reinterpret_cast<int const*>(src.const_ref().data());
    int* dst_int = reinterpret_cast<int*>(dst.ref().data());

    int kD = src.size(0);
    int kH = src.size(1);
    int kWc = src.stride(0);
    int kHwc = kH * kWc;

    // Transpose the data.
    CUTLASS_PRAGMA_UNROLL
    for (int d = 0; d < kD; ++d) {
      CUTLASS_PRAGMA_UNROLL
      for (int h = 0; h < kH / 4; ++h) {
        CUTLASS_PRAGMA_UNROLL
        for (int w = 0; w < kWc / 4; ++w) {
          int const i0 = d * (kHwc / 4) + (4 * h + 0) * (kWc / 4) + w;
          int const i1 = d * (kHwc / 4) + (4 * h + 1) * (kWc / 4) + w;
          int const i2 = d * (kHwc / 4) + (4 * h + 2) * (kWc / 4) + w;
          int const i3 = d * (kHwc / 4) + (4 * h + 3) * (kWc / 4) + w;

          int a0 = src_int[i0];
          int a1 = src_int[i1];
          int a2 = src_int[i2];
          int a3 = src_int[i3];

          int b0, b1, b2, b3, c0;
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0040;" : "=r"(b0) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0040;" : "=r"(c0) : "r"(a2), "r"(a3));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x5410;" : "=r"(b0) : "r"(b0), "r"(c0));

          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0051;" : "=r"(b1) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0051;" : "=r"(c0) : "r"(a2), "r"(a3));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x5410;" : "=r"(b1) : "r"(b1), "r"(c0));

          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0062;" : "=r"(b2) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0062;" : "=r"(c0) : "r"(a2), "r"(a3));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x5410;" : "=r"(b2) : "r"(b2), "r"(c0));

          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0073;" : "=r"(b3) : "r"(a0), "r"(a1));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x0073;" : "=r"(c0) : "r"(a2), "r"(a3));
          asm volatile("prmt.b32 %0, %1, %2, 0x5410;" : "=r"(b3) : "r"(b3), "r"(c0));

          dst_int[i0] = b0;
          dst_int[i1] = b1;
          dst_int[i2] = b2;
          dst_int[i3] = b3;
        }
      }
    }
  }
};

template <typename Shape,
          int Rank,
          typename DstType,
          typename DstLayout,
          typename SrcType,
          typename SrcLayout>
struct Transform {

  typedef Fragment<DstType, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> DstFragment;
  typedef Fragment<SrcType, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> SrcFragment;

  /// The input fragment.
  typedef SrcFragment InputFragment;
  /// The output fragment.
  typedef DstFragment OutputFragment;

  CUTLASS_DEVICE void transform(SrcFragment& src, DstFragment& dst) {
    cutlass::TensorView<DstType, Rank, DstLayout> dstView(
        &dst[0],                            // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH * Shape::kW)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::TensorView<SrcType, Rank, SrcLayout> srcView(
        &src[0],                            // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH * Shape::kW)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::layout::thread::Copy<DstType, SrcType, Rank, DstLayout, SrcLayout> Transformer;
    Transformer.copy(dstView, srcView);
  }
};

#if !defined(__CUDACC_RTC__) || defined(CUTLASS_NVRTC_HAS_FP16)
template <typename Shape, int Rank, typename DstLayout, typename SrcLayout>
struct Transform<Shape, Rank, half, DstLayout, half, SrcLayout> {
  typedef Fragment<half, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> DstFragment;
  typedef Fragment<half, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> SrcFragment;

  /// The input fragment.
  typedef SrcFragment InputFragment;
  /// The output fragment.
  typedef DstFragment OutputFragment;

  CUTLASS_DEVICE void transform(SrcFragment& src, DstFragment& dst) {
    cutlass::TensorView<half, Rank, DstLayout> dstView(
        &dst[0],                            // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH * Shape::kW)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::TensorView<half, Rank, SrcLayout> srcView(
        &src[0],                            // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH * Shape::kW)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::layout::thread::Copy<half, half, Rank, DstLayout, SrcLayout> Transformer;
    Transformer.copy(dstView, srcView);
  }
};
#endif

template <typename Shape, int Rank, typename DstLayout, typename SrcLayout>
struct Transform<Shape, Rank, int8_t, DstLayout, int8_t, SrcLayout> {
  typedef Fragment<int8_t, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> DstFragment;
  typedef Fragment<int8_t, ShapeCount<Shape>::kCount> SrcFragment;

  /// The input fragment.
  typedef SrcFragment InputFragment;
  /// The output fragment.
  typedef DstFragment OutputFragment;

  CUTLASS_DEVICE void transform(SrcFragment& src, DstFragment& dst) {
    cutlass::TensorView<int8_t, Rank, DstLayout> dstView(
        &dst[0],  // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kW * Shape::kC, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::TensorView<int8_t, Rank, SrcLayout> srcView(
        &src[0],  // pointer to base of matrix in device memory
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kW * Shape::kC, 1),  // stride vector
        cutlass::make_Coord(Shape::kD,
                            Shape::kH)  // bounds of matrix
        );
    cutlass::layout::thread::Copy<int8_t, int8_t, Rank, DstLayout, SrcLayout> Transformer;
    Transformer.copy(dstView, srcView);
  }
};

}  // namespace thread
}  // namespace layout
}  // namespace cutlass


I first heard about Baobinga when hunting around Sydney for records in about 2004. Everywhere I went there was this record emblazoned with a clearly Metallica-inspired logo. Eventually I must have picked it up and loved it.
What's not to like? Superb breakbeat sample, lots of sharp filter motion, a horrible dirty reggae/jungle bassline, and prominent sirens - I still get chills listening to the initial drop. Baobinga put out lots of other good stuff, but this is the highlight for me.
This is one of those tracks where I immediately want to hunt down more like this, and 10 years later it's still unique. Let me know if you find something approaching the sound of this!
Also let me know if you know what bashment is.
Update: he's now going by the alias Sam Binga.


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text:
Books & Beauty Are My Bag
by Author Surname
Reading Features
Regarding Reviews
My Ratings Guide
ARC Reviews | Squared Away & Level Up by Annabeth Albert
Squared Away by Annabeth Albert | Out of Uniform #5
Military/Contemporary Romance, LGBT
Publication Date | April 16th, 2018
ARC from Netgalley
Book Blurb:
In the wake of tragedy, SEAL Mark Whitley rushed stateside to act as guardian to his sister's three young children. But a conflicting will could give custody to someone else—someone Mark remembers as a too young, too hot, wild party boy. Even after six years, Mark can't shake the memory of his close encounter with Isaiah James, or face up to what it says about his own sexuality.
Isaiah's totally over the crush that made him proposition Mark all those years ago. In fact, he's done with crushing on the wrong men altogether. For now, he's throwing himself into proving he's the best person to care for his cousin's kids. But there's no denying there's something sexy about a big, tough military man with a baby in his arms.
As the legal details get sorted out, their long-buried attraction resurfaces, leading to intimate evenings after the kids are tucked in. A forever future is within reach for all of them, if only Mark can find the courage he needs to trust Isaiah with his secrets—and his heart.
| Book Review |
It seems impossible to me that we are already five books deep into this series, because while the wait is excruciating between books, it also feels like it just started. Squared Away stands on its own, so you could start here. It's my opinion, however, that this is not the strongest of the series. I'd go back to book one, start there and make your way up to this one. These men are brothers in arms so they do have close relationships and tend to show up in subsequent books. So like I said, while it's definitely not necessary to read in order, I do think it enhances enjoyment of the series.
Mark and Isaiah met years ago when their two families joined at a wedding, but to say they've been carrying torches for each other would be an overstatement. In fact, when they meet up again after their family members have passed and someone needs to take care of the children, they're both determined not to get involved. And I'll be honest here. It got…old. And the sex was…meh. The highlights of this story were (but IMO, should not have been,) the children. They were the most entertaining part, but at the same time, they didn't overwhelm the story; had I enjoyed it, it would have been a good balance. I also love that neither of the men wanted to split up the kids, and how much Isaiah adored them. I think, in them, Isaiah was looking for the family he never had, but he wasn't just looking for something, he was also giving everything, and it made me love his character so much. Mark was a harder sell for me, because I was so over the back and forth with him and Isaiah, and Mark's interest felt more like obligation than an actual desire. While I do understand this happens in real life, I don't think you can run that motivation alongside Isaiah's and expect readers to feel endearment towards Mark, especially if you don't think that he alone is not in their best interest. Also, Mark made a decision in this book that was for the good of all of them, and had he presented it to Isaiah, it could have been fine. But because he didn't and kept getting interrupted when he tried to, chaos ensued when Isaiah found out from someone else – thus causing him to question Mark when Mark hadn't been up front about it, and I was totally on Isaiah's side with this. It felt so contrived just to bring drama upon the characters, and it really lessened the credibility of the story. Lastly, and this really is just a pet peeve of mine, I am so over the 'my person' thing. It shows up in books and shows over and over and over and over again and…can we really not be more creative than this? I wish authors would stop piggybacking off Grey's Anatomy for this. I can't tell if this is a show of laziness or just no creativity.
In the grand scheme of this series, Squared Away was the weakest for me. But that doesn't mean there weren't good parts. It just means that as a whole, Isaiah and Mark didn't feel like equal parts and the story suffered for it. If you're interested in this series, do yourself a favor and start with book one, or my personal favorite book 4, Wheels Up. The author's craft really shows through in that one. (Though I will say, I am reading book 6 now, and so far, it's giving book 4 a run for its money!)
| Rating |
Series | Off Base
Level Up by Annabeth Albert
Contemporary Romance, LGBT
Publication Date | May 17th, 2018
ARC from the author
Landon can't believe he's let himself get roped into participating in a charity calendar, let alone one that features tastefully photographed nudes. The genius physicist is hardly model material, and he's dreading the nude part of the photoshoot. Amid his reluctance, the one bright spot is his emails back and forth with the photographer.
However, Bailey turns out to be not exactly what Landon expects, and their first meeting is decidedly awkward. Bailey's persistent though, and gradually Landon warms to the burly photographer, and they discover they have a shared love of gamer culture.
A tentative friendship is born, but the road from friends to lovers isn't easy. Landon's battling past trauma and must decide how much of a risk he's willing to take. A sexy connection may not be enough to keep them together unless both are willing to put their hearts on the line.
This is going to be a short review for a short story – Level Up was a really good read. I was hooked from the very first page, and there was a lot of depth here for such a small word count. This book is part of the #Gaymers series, but you could jump into it without having read them, and you'd be just fine.
Landon and his reticence to be featured in a nude calendar was presented in such a way that made him endearing from the very beginning. It's nothing he turns his nose up at; he is genuinely nervous about this. And Bailey's easygoing nature and the way he slowly opened Landon up made me adore him as well. There is some drama here as events from Landon's past have really shaped him and made him fear intimacy of any kind, but I like that instead of shying away from the hard conversations, he was up front with Bailey. There was no room for miscommunication here, and I loved that. Landon was also very specific about what he needed, and Bailey always gave it to him, no matter how much it hurt him to give it. He knew what Landon needed, and he wanted to be that for him. I also liked the friends that played prominently in this story. So often when friends are involved they can be over the top and too liberal with personal information about their buddies, but there was none of that here. Landon and Bailey's BFFs were as kind and genuine as they were.This was a short story, and as I find with most of them, pacing was wonderful. With so few words it seems to be more concise storytelling, and here, like I mentioned, I think there were times when the author dove deep. The only thing that could have made this story any better was if it had been a full length novel. There was a side romance in this book that I think could have played out alongside Landon and Bailey's and kept me just as captivated, but this is what we were given, and I do think Level Up was a wonderful story!
Series | #Gaymers
| about the author |
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she's not adding to her keeper shelf, she's a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. The #OutOfUniform series joins her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat and #PerfectHarmony series.
To find out what she's working on next and other fun extras, check out her website: www.annabethalbert.com or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter for free ficlets, bonus reads, and contests. The fan group, Annabeth's Angels, on Facebook is also a great place for bonus content and exclusive contests.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two active children.
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TOP READS OF 2018…SO FAR
Woo hoo | Vacation!
8 thoughts on "ARC Reviews | Squared Away & Level Up by Annabeth Albert"
Priyasha says:
Great review ❤📖 😛❤
~ Angie Elle ~ says:
Sophia Rose says:
I am so bad. I've been interested in both those series and haven't started yet. Each one sounds good and even if there are issues that make them more average reads, I think I'd like the writing and general story enough not to enjoy something. I did read her one older book I had on my TBR pile so that's a start. LOL
Both series have books that I absolutely love! They are definitely worth the read. My favorite series of hers, though, is Rainbow Cove. I love that one so much!
How could you get a taste and then not pick one up again? LOL I was so hooked.
Lauren Becker says:
Oh, I love this author! I really need to check out Level Up. It's a bummer it's only a novella though. And I actually liked Squared Away for the most part – though I can see how their not talking to each other/miscommunications got annoying. I just really love the whole series though! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I love the whole Out of Uniform series, too, even with this miss. I think there is something for everyone here.
Yeah – more than a novella would have been great, but I was still sold on this one! 🙂
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| With My Eyes |
| With My Ears |


text:
Topic: Heavy Rain [split topic]
Author Topic: Heavy Rain [split topic] (Read 4997 times)
turnstyle
His wife doesn't like the Sarcastic Butlers
Heavy Rain [split topic]
You can download the heavy rain demo early apparently:
http://kotaku.com/5464839/want-the-heavy-rain-demo-right-now-heres-how
However, the sight seems to have ground to a halt as everyone wants the code. I cannot get the bugger to load at all.
Arse!
If by any chance anyone has a spare code, I will pay you one million pounds*.
* I will not pay you one million pounds.
Yes, blue.
Quote from: turnstyle on February 05, 2010, 12:46:18 PM
Crashed for me. Got a laugh out of it though: the spam filter made me copy out the words "Came Facially" before the site spazzed out.
Got my demo of Heavy Rain yesterday, it's really awesome. It looks beautiful and while the controls seem a bit wonky at first, plays really well. Apparently it's similar to Fahrenheit, but I haven't played that. I'ma cop when it drops.
Nik Drou
Heh-HAY! *glasses*
I'm still not quite sold on Heavy Rain. I've not played the demo, but if the gameplay really is just a series of prompts/quicktime events, surely it'd get old fast no matter how David Finchy the plot and script are.
Sainsbury's are selling Bionic Commando on the PS3 for a tenner. Worth it?
HappyTree
Diz <3
Heavy Rain looks right up my street, I loved Fahrenheit. Pity it's a PS3 exclusive. Or is that "exclusive" in that it will make its way to the Xbox eventually?
"like Louise Mensch but with a sexy beard"
Quote from: Nik Drou on February 08, 2010, 07:16:33 PM
That's a bit like saying the gameplay in Monkey Island is just clicking things though.
Still Not George
Sarcastic arsehole
Quote from: HappyTree on February 08, 2010, 07:37:52 PM
"Exclusive" in the sense that the project is funded by Sony, so, no Xbox version.
It'd be interesting to see if you actually could port Heavy Rain to the 360, actually. That'd put to rest an awful lot of arguments one way or another.
I think it has been said that you couldn't do it on the 360, then again that's said about a lot of exclusives.
Quote from: chand on February 08, 2010, 08:19:25 PM
Hence me saying it would settle a lot of arguments.
I would imagine that a game like that would use the extra space a Blu Ray disk has for the graphics, so it'd be too big to fit on an Xbox disk. The next gen of Xbox better get with the program!
Having said that, do a lot of PS3 games use this extra capacity?
jutl
I haven't seen anything in the demo yet which is particularly impressive. It reminds me of the first generation of CD ROM games like 7th Guest. Which aspects of it are supposed to be impossible on a 360/PC?
I don't really care, to be honest.
Quote from: jutl on February 09, 2010, 08:48:46 AM
I don't know, why don't you ask the developers, since they're the source of the quote?
http://ps3.nowgamer.com/news/504/david-cage-heavy-rain-cannot-run-on-360
Quote from: chand on February 09, 2010, 10:12:50 AM
"We used all the SPUs... I think this game can only be done on Playstation 3"
"I think to do the visuals, and all the stuff we're doing would be too difficult [on the 360]. There are amazing physics there, and stuff with crowds that you just couldn't really get."
OK... I haven't seen anything like that yet in the demo, although I haven't completed it yet. The facial animations seem (so far) not significantly better than those used in Mass Effect 2.
Quote from: hoverdonkey on February 09, 2010, 10:34:09 AM
No love or excitement for Bioshock 2? Out today isn't it?
I'll be buying it, although the 'protecting the little sisters' bit from the first game was my least favourite part, so I'm not really looking forward to that mechanic.
What confuses me about Heavy Rain is that so much of it seems scripted - I don't get why that would be difficult on 360. I would get it if it involved things spontaneously happening and the physics engine having to deal with that but the whole point of the game is that it railroads you into certain situations... doesn't it?
Ah well, I will have a go on the demo tonight and see how it goes. Hoping it's good.
Quote from: falafel on February 09, 2010, 11:01:44 AM
It looks like it, and I was thinking exactly the same thing. The graphics look like those kind of demos written by graphics card manufacturers that max out the hardware under very constrained circumstances. It's almost as though their idea for the game was to create something that looked more detailed than games on competing platforms while being happy to throw out as much user interaction as was necessary to achieve that aim. That's what I meant about it seeming like an old school CD ROM FMV title - it prejudices visuals over interactivity. Having said all that, the visuals just aren't that brilliant in the small section I've seen.
Viero_Berlotti
I really couldn't get into Fahrenheit, I think I just didn't get it. It seemed like I was watching a story unfold and every now and then I'd have to make a dialogue choice or press x or y and the story would go in a different direction than it possibly would have if I had made another choice.
It just seemed like a slightly more advanced version of Dragon's Lair. I can't see any gameplay in those Fahrenheit type games at all. I vaguely remember some combat against some monsters in an office or something, and all it seemed to be was pressing buttons in a certain order, within a time limit, when they came up on the screen. I felt like I was playing Simon Says rather than a supposed sophisticated video-game, and that's when I gave up with it.
I've not played the Heavy Rain demo yet, does it look like much the same but with better graphics?
It's almost as though their idea for the game was to create something that looked more detailed than games on competing platforms while being happy to throw out as much user interaction as was necessary to achieve that aim.
It's more like they were making a game like Fahrenheit and decided to do it with as impressive graphics as they could. Not that it matters since you're not impressed by them anyway.
Ah, well I've never played Fahrenheit. Do you find the Heavy Rain graphics impressive, by the way?
Quote from: jutl on February 09, 2010, 12:01:03 PM
Ah, well I've never played Fahrenheit.
*nods* I figured that from last page.
Viero - don't feel confused, Farenheit is basically gaming Marmite. Either it's the best attempt at a genuine game/movie crossover ever made, or it's a confusing mess of QTEs, and there doesn't appear to be a middle ground.
Fahrenheit was basically the same sort of game, but of an earlier generation.
I thought the graphics were impressive, yes, certainly good enough for what it's trying to do.
Yes - I don't have any complaints about them - it's just that they didn't seem to be anything wildly special.
So to those of you who did play and liked Fahrenheit - are the Dragon's Lair / 7th Guest comparisons unjust, or is it just that you liked those games too?
I don't remember F being particularly lacking in gameplay. But then I like games that tell you a story and let you fiddle about a bit. I also used to like the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when a child.
Well, I like most games. I didn't see much of a parallel with DL/7G though.
Little Hoover
It's totally boss, man.
I think the problem was, the button tapping sequnces, which were just useless, tacked on excuse for gameplay. The idea in theory is that combining an emphasis on narrative with some interactivity, somehow makes you feel closer to the characters, and more invested in the story but the gameplay rarely achives this, it still feels like the story and game are two different things.
this review covers some of the problems with it, although there's quite a few parts I don't agree with.
http://www.gamecritics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=112539#post112539
"My desire to create videogames dates back to the arrival of 3D real time. I remember how many possibilities suddenly opened up because of this new technology. I saw it as a new means of expression where the world could be pushed to its limits. It was my way of exploring new horizons." David Cage, 'director' of Farenheit (Indigo Prophecy) from his introduction.
David Cage does not love videogames, and Farenheit makes this blatantly clear. From his comparison of himself to a pioneer film-maker, to the cinematic cut-scenes, to the mechanics choices, it's patently clear that David Cage loves film, not games. Or if he does love games, then he's not paid much attention to them when he plays them.
[Farenheit] shows how it's possible to create an interactive experience that is more than just killing monsters in corridors and shooting crates to find ammunition. It shows that it's possible to create experiences that are richer and deeper.
Videogames are all about interactivity and interaction. This is their most basic, fundamental point — The player performs an action using the input device, and the game responds in kind to what was done. But in nearly all games, from all the way back to the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Atari 2600, games have understood that the depth of interaction was a key part in a good game. Super Mario Bros. gave Mario only three actions: Run, jump, and shoot. But it allowed players to execute these three actions in as many combinations as possible to navigate the levels to reach their goals.
To convey action in Farenheit, David Cage allows the player to choose exactly one action: Whichever one the plot demands now. And it allows the player to execute it in exactly one way: Whichever way the plot demands. Consider this — When demonstrating action, Farenheit offers less interactivity than Donkey Kong.
(Other parts of the game fare better, but not much. Solutions to most problems are remarkably linear. There are multiple ways to handling conversations, yes, but most seem to end up at the same place regardless. By the game's end, however, action sequences are all that remain.)
How, then, are we supposed to even consider this a game? It is a game, by definition, yes. Simon Says is a game, after all. But it seems churlish, and unfair to other games that have gone to greater effort, to consider this sort of cop-out to be of the same nature.
Worse, these mechanics go against his stated goal of creating emotion. They deny the player a chance to be invested in their characters actions, as they really aren't controlling their character at all. (At best, they can be said to be controlling their fate on a pass-fail basis.) Had the game gone to the greater effort and difficulty of developing a working interface for the game, they would have been able to use it to force players into stronger emotional connections. Some examples, both from Farenheit and other games, follow.
Much has been made of the opening scene of the game, taking place in a diner's bathroom. And to be fair, it's a great scene, well designed from a gameplay perspective. Had the game followed this sort of logic throughout, I'd have a very different opinion of the game. A more typical example of the sort of gameplay offered occurs late in the game, as you attempt to hide from a policeman in an in-renovations apartment. Where you hide barely seems to matter — All that matters is if you can match the Simon Says movements on your gamepad. If you match them accurately, you don't get found.
Imagine if, instead, you had been free to pick up the boxes laying about the apartment and stack them in front of your hiding spot, making it look disused and difficult to look into anyway, deterring the policeman from looking in it. Once you're hidden, you can do nothing but pray that your preparations were strong enough. Imagine the tension this would bring. The sense of powerlessness. By encouraging interactivity earlier, the lack of it here would create an emotional punch far beyond what the cheap Simon Says device can. But it would not have been filmic in the same way that the close shaves of the Simon Says routine was, and thus that solution won out.
Another scene features a character being chased down by three cars in a parking lot in an attempt on their life. Imagine playing this in a conventional game interface — Having to dive left or right at the last moment to send cars crashing into walls, hiding behind support pillars, diving to the ground to avoid being run over. How powerful does that scene sound? All this happens in the game, of course, but you don't control it. How much less powerful does the scene sound now?
Or instead, consider another scene late in the sterling PS2 game Ico, wherein your loyal companion Yorda has become impossibly weak. As the player instinctively pushes full-forward on their gamepad, Ico runs and Yorda, too weak to follow, falls to the ground. The player could always run back, pick her up, and run again. But instead, they will more likely move slowly, accomodating Yorda, trying to help her in her moment of weakness.
See? Interactivity can be used to encourage the player to consider their actions on an emotional basis. By controlling a character directly, the player can be invested in them and the emotions surrounding them, and furthermore be asked to act on that investment. When, by contrast, a player is reduced to merely pushing directions that vaguely correspond to a character's actions (at best) how can they be invested? How can they be asked to act in accordance with a character's emotions if they do not act for their character?
Videogames were only exploiting a tiny part of their amazing creative potential, because they focused on 'Action' and totally neglected a fundamental element of all human experience —*emotion.
Fear is not an emotion? And it hasn't been explored in games like Silent Hill? Joy is not an emotion, and hasn't been explored in games like Super Mario Bros.? Or even friendship, and intimacy, in games like Ico?
Emotions and videogames are interconnected. We all feel something while playing games. Maybe it's tension, a never-ending paranoia that marks games like Splinter Cell (especially in its versus mode) or Counter-Strike. Maybe it's the thrill of successful puzzle solving. Or even (yes) the exciting joy of action that can be found in blowing up enemies good.
But again, the real problem David Cage seeks to alleviate here is the way that these emotions are handled. They're implicit, told in minor keys and subservient to the larger goal of creating a game for the player. They are, in other words, exactly the reverse of film, in which the acting, writing and direction are in the service of the story and its emotions.
And that's not really a problem, is it?
One even senses that David Cage knew that he was contorting the whole idea of a videogame to make his concept work. In the much ballyhooed sex scene in Farenheit (but not the US version, Indigo Prophecy) the player is asked to press up at paced intervals to make their character thrust.
What on Earth, may I ask, does this serve? How does asking the player to press up on the gamepad increase the scene's dramatic relevance? How does it increase the emotional impact of the scene? It doesn't, is the brief answer. But without it there, it wouldn't be as easy to argue for the scene being part of a game.
What's sad is that the scene would have worked well... in a film. It's well placed, well thought out. Love comes from unexpected places in the darkest of times. It would work great... in a film.
I think David Cage loves film. Videogames? I'm not so sure. I don't think he understands the pure thrill of hunting down another player in a deathmatch. If he's played Ico, it doesn't seem like he's grasped the subtle emotional interplay of the main characters, and how much depth there was in the way it handled character death and save games. When playing Deus Ex, if he did, then did he stop to consider the morality of shooting policemen who were only doing their job to stop you, or did he just shoot the crates to get more ammo because that's all he saw? If he played Half-Life or Half-Life 2, did he rejoice when he successfully saved the lives of scientists and soldiers who aided him?
We don't need games to be like film. Film still is, in fact, the best medium out there in being film. By basing his work within videogames, he is never really able to capture film's best qualities. And worse, by desperately trying to emulate film, he closes himself off to the power videogames have to offer.
And yet he has a point. Some games aren't emotional in the slightest and never give a thought beyond shooting stuff up real good. (In fact, I can think of a particularly popular shooter on the Xbox whose emotional content approaches absolute zero.) But he seems to ignore the vast amount of effort into endowing emotion into videogames that's been done already, because it doesn't match his pre-conceived notions of what it should look like. If we truly want videogames to develop artistically, then yes, we do have to condemn or at least reject those games that make no effort to even nod to art. But we can't praise those that pretend to art while making nothing but token efforts to advancing videogames.
However, it would be likewise foolish to deny the game does some things right, and what's more, that there's a larger point here that bears further investigation.
First of all, the game does split-screen and does it right. This is no small feat —*Split-screen is hard to do well. Several scenes employ shots of imposing characters (such as a policeman) advancing on the character while a timer roughly informs the player of how long they have to ward off their doom. It's an effective device, and it builds up tension admirably. Better yet is a scene in which a detective tries to forge links between disparate pieces of evidence. As the detective considers each individual piece of evidence, it emerges in a separate split-screen, memorized, at the forethought of the detective's mind. If two pieces fail to link logically, both vanish, the thread dismissed. It's a perfect way to peer into the character's mind, and beautifully done.
And if anything else, that's a worthwhile goal in videogames. Emotions are something games have done often, but getting into the heads of their characters is rarer, usually because (sensibly) it's argued that the player itself is what is inside their head. But if David Cage keeps up his attitude, arrogant and pretentious as it is, he may well accomplish something remarkable. The game's early, very personal tone is an indicator — Could he make a game about a family in crisis after the death of its father? What about a story about a man abused as an altarboy now trying not only to prosecute the priest who abused him, but also to come to terms with the incident and his faith?
I'm not interested in the shock value of the latter, I'm interested in the idea of a game requiring small-scale and the need for game mechanics that deal with emotion directly. Farenheit isn't that game. Its mechanics for handling emotion are truly clumsy, and the small scale of the start is well and truly destroyed by the time its Big-Ass Boss Battles kick in by the end. But it hints at that game, and suggests that (should he ever get over trying to turn videogaming into movies) David Cage might just have it in him to create it. Let's hope so. Because that really would be original and bold in all the ways Farenheit isn't.
Final Score: 4.0
Slaaaaabs
Cuss
The demo (and opening) of Fahrenheit was great, it really looked like it would do something different and deep. Then it began a steady tumble downhill.
I'll give Heavy Rain a try, but it will be an eBay purchase later on down the line if I like it.
Also David Cage is a bullshit merchant.
Ahh, now I remember the game. I remember I got to do the bunky-bunky with my ex-wife and you had to press the buttons for the thrusting motions, lol.
TotalNightmare
Thank you for giving me the term 'bunky-bunky'. It will be a gift that i demand keeps giving!
Re: Videogaming v2.0
So Heavy Rain is getting pretty good reviews - with one or two issues, and it looks like they might be dealbreakers for me.
First - the reviewers seem to be split into a couple of schools.
1) The story is really gripping but starts a bit slowly, the gameplay mechanics are well executed but sometimes textures are a bit meh.
2) The artwork and attention to detail are fantastic and the gameplay is involving but the story, script and voicework are poor, although it starts well
These roughly fall into two recognisable schools of contemporary games journalism: (1) being the traditional, techy-minded, long-term gamer who isn't that fussed about narrative depth as long as they get their rocks off, and (2) being the sort that come to a review of a game like this with an expectation of genuine artistry and complexity. Roughly comparable to the difference between people who thought Avatar rocked because of the story, and those who liked it despite of the cookie-cutter plot.
Each is fine but I would generally be in the latter camp, so I am worried. From the demo I did get a real feeling of disconnection. The QTE bits were brilliantly done and exciting but what drama there was, was utterly cliché. The game seems to be working incredibly well with the visual language of film, but I can't help but feel it's coming from that typical gaming perspective of having seen loads of cool movies but not spending enough time reading screenplays, or plays, or getting to understand the emotional or intellectual subtleties that really underpin great drama and simply can't be translated: the end result really is the tip of the iceberg, there is so much thought that goes on underneath. I have a feeling I will end up feeling utterly subservient to a series of devious plot machinations, just as I was in Fahrenheit. And that it will start to get s bit silly, contrived and shoehorned towards the end, just like in Fahrenheit, although hopefully a lot less bonkers.
I'll still buy it though.


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