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A post a day in 2011
I've decided I want to blog more. As a commitment, not a hollow resolution, I will make every attempt to post a blog everyday in 2011. I'll still post my columns and articles, but I want to write more poetry, too. Perhaps I'll make other observations as well.
I know it will be challenging, and there will be days when I won't get it done. But it should be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. In so doing, I'm promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similar goals, to help and encourage me along the way. Of course, I will try to encourage others when I can, too.
If you already read my blog, I hope you will encourage me with comments and words of good will along the way. And don't forget to click the "like" button, too.
Thanks for your support, and Happy New Year!
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 30, 2010 Categories article, writingTags blogging, postadayin2011, writing2 Comments on A post a day in 2011
Another crazy year comes to an end
By Bruce Stambaugh
No matter what society you live in, news is an important element of belonging. As social beings, we have an innate need to know. That drive manifests itself differently in different people.
I enjoy the human interest stories that tend to consistently run beneath the mainstream media's radar. Here is a sampling of some of those lesser known but equally important stories of 2010 that I came across.
Jan. 22 – A half-pound meteorite crashed through the roof of a doctor's office in Lorton, Va., landing just 10 feet from the doctor, who was working on patients' charts.
Feb. 9 – The Mortgage Bankers Association sold its building for half the amount it had paid for it, and decided to rent.
Feb. 14 – A pothole delayed the Daytona 500 race for two and a half hours.
March 31 – Minnesota Twins leadoff hitter Denard Span fouled a hard line drive into the stands in a spring training baseball game, hitting a spectator, his mother.
April 5 – Twin boxers Travis and Tarvis Simms were arrested for getting into a fight with each other in Norwalk, Conn.
May 10 – A farm in Oklahoma, where scenes from the movie Twister were filmed, was hit by a real tornado.
May 17 – It took Jack Harris of Shepton Mallet, England, nearly eight years to complete his 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, only to discover one piece was missing.
June 9 – Researchers revealed the discovery of the world's oldest known shoe, a 5,500-year-old single piece of leather laced up the front and stuffed with grass, which was found in a cave in Croatia.
July 13 – Keith McVey, a mail carrier in Akron, saved a man's life by performing CPR. Two years earlier McVey saved a teenage girl from drowning, also while delivering his mail. He had saved yet another man's life 20 years ago.
August 10 – A report on the state of health of Americans revealed that, on average, waistlines have increased an inch per decade since the 1960s.
August 11 – A contractor marking a school zone in Guilford County, N.C., committed the ultimate typo by painting "shcool" across the road.
Sept. 14 – When 5-year-old Andrew Polasky won a moose-calling contest held at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, his mother said she wasn't surprised because her son "is good at making a lot of noise."
Sept. 26 – James Heseldon, 62, owner of the company that makes the Segway, died when he accidentally drove one of the two-wheeled scooters off a cliff near his estate in West Yorkshire, England.
Oct. 6 – National Geographic research linguists in northeastern India found a new language, Koro, still spoken by only about 1,000 people.
Oct. 24 – Jonathan Byrd won the PGA Shriners Open in Las Vegas, Nev. with a hole-in-one on the fourth hole of a three-way playoff.
Nov. 4 – A retired Canadian couple revealed that they had given away to family and selected charities all but two percent of the $11.3 million they had won in a lottery in July.
Nov. 12 – A study showed that people who take notes, scribble, or even doodle while listening have better memories than those who don't.
Dec. 11 – A report by http://www.Forbes.com listed Ohio third in the nation for people moving out of the state. New York was number one.
I wonder what interesting stories 2011 will bring?
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 30, 2010 Categories columnTags 2010, Alaska Zoo, archeology, baseball, belonging, boxing, charity, CPR, Croatia, Daytona 500, Denard Span, doodling, Forbes.com, Guilford County North Carolina, human interest stories, humor, India, James Heseldon, jigsaw puzzles, Jonathan Byrd, Koro, lifesaver, lottery, memories, meteorite, moose-calling contest, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Geographic, news, PGA Shriners Open, Segway, tornado, Twister, typo, weight gain, West Yorkshire England, year-end reviewLeave a comment on Another crazy year comes to an end
Deer in the snow haiku
Where the young deer played.
Where the snow covered
pasture wedged into the woods,
the yearlings frolicked.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 29, 2010 Categories haiku, photography, poemTags deer, forest, haiku, photography, poem, poetry, snow, woods2 Comments on Deer in the snow haiku
Christmas isn't about hustle and bustle
Snowy decorations always add to the Christmas celebrations.
I don't watch much television. But what little I do, I can't help but notice how the torrent of holiday-oriented commercials focuses on the urgency of buying something really nice for that special someone in your life.
Celebrating Christmas in our advanced society seems distorted. A brand new car wrapped with a huge red ribbon and bow sitting in the driveway, a sparkling diamond ring and a gold necklace cannot supersede the original gifts of the Magi.
Eager for customers, the ads have managed to push their way to the forefront of the holiday season much too early. Growing up, the countdown to Christmas started the day after Thanksgiving, now known as Black Friday. Today, it seems to start the day after Labor Day.
Watching for buggies on Christmas Day.
Even here in the heart of Ohio's Amish country, we feel the hustle and bustle of the season. Without admitting it, we might even add to it. It's always easier to see the fault of others than your own.
A frosty holiday decoration.
I don't want to be negative about Christmas. It's my favorite holiday of the year.
I just think that given all the commercialization of Christmas, we need a different approach. As I reflect on the historical account of the Advent season that I learned early in life, it seems more and more obvious to me that Christmas really is more about patience than it is presents.
I have many fond childhood memories of readying for Christmas, and the excited anticipation of Christmas morning. My brothers and sisters and I couldn't wait to raid the pretty packages strewn beneath the tree on Christmas morning. That scene was not the model of patience.
Mom and Dad had stayed up late assembling and wrapping the gifts for us kids. We always pushed our luck at getting up before the crack of dawn to undo what it had taken Santa and our folks hours to prepare.
But what a happy morning it was, with the excitement of surprise with every unwrapping. Those days were simple compared to what passes as season's greetings today. I find the entire holiday hubbub of shopping, buying and spending exhausting.
Exchanging gifts at Christmas is part of the family tradition.
I long for the true peace and quiet of Christmas, with the family gathered, the fireplace blazing, the tree's lights sparkling. Of course, we maintain the gift-giving tradition. We have just toned it down so that reason rules. We want the gifts to represent personal quality instead of absurd quantity.
The stockings hang by the chimney with care. They are filled on Christmas Eve, and emptied on Christmas morn. Just like when I was a child, an orange will be the last to tumble out of each.
The grandkids will watch The Polar Express over and over until the DVR wears out. We'll play games, eat, and bask in the glow of the moment and the season.
The grandchildren enjoy helping to decorate the Christmas tree.
Our modern society may rush the Advent season and judge it by its economic success. But as for me and my family, we will enjoy each others company, joyously share our humble appreciation and rejoice that it is Christmas once again.
Those are Christmas gifts worth waiting for.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 22, 2010 December 23, 2010 Categories Amish, Christmas, Christmas deocrations, column, holiday decorations, holidays, photographyTags Advent, Amish country, Black Friday, Christmas, Christmas gifts, Christmas tree, decorating, enjoying, family, giving, holidays, hustle and bustle, Millersburg Ohio, patience, peace, photography, presentsLeave a comment on Christmas isn't about hustle and bustle
Schuler remains young at heart
Feeding the birds is one of life's pleasures for Judson Schuler, of Millersburg, Ohio.
In every way, Judson Schuler, 94, belies his age.
His mind is as sharp as a tack. He recalls incidences from 60 years ago as if they happened yesterday. And yet, he can more than carry his own in conversation about current events.
For a man is his 90s, Schuler has maintained his health, too. He attributes that to his regular physical workout routine three times a week at a local physical fitness facility.
"I like to stay active," Schuler said. "I think it's one of the secrets to staying healthy while getting old and enjoying it."
He is true to his word.
"I still like to mow and help out with raking and gathering the leaves," Schuler said. Given the size of his property, that is no small task. Schuler lives on Briar Lane in Millersburg, Ohio. His late wife, Beverly, was the daughter of the president of Briar Hill Stone in Glenmont.
"The original idea for our development was that every home would be built using their stone," Schuler said. "It was to be a model for what could be done in construction."
"Bev and I built this in 1956," he said. "It still suits me well." Accordingly, the home was built using the decorative, multi-colored sandstone. The Schuler's were married 62 years. Schuler has a son, a daughter, four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
The living room and den to the back of the stately home both have large windows and sliding glass doors that afford Schuler good views of the wildlife that he so adores.
"I enjoy feeding the birds, especially the goldfinches," he said. Indeed, he has a thistle feeder and a hopper feeder in the spacious backyard. His binoculars hang at the ready by his favorite chair.
Schuler also gets great pleasure from watching other wildlife, like squirrels and deer that scurry through his tree-studded backyard. Though he wouldn't ever say so, Schuler certainly has earned his right to leisure away his days.
Schuler was a noted attorney in Holmes County for many years. He practiced law well into his '70s. His late brother, John, was one of his partners. Ray Miller was the other.
"I still have an office in the firm," he said. "That was part of the sale, that John and I would always have an office to go to."
Schuler said that when he began practicing law in 1946, Millersburg had six or seven attorneys.
"Now I think there are 20," he said with an ornery smile.
Schuler said he no longer practices, but that he still goes to the office occasionally just to check in with the other attorneys. The Critchfield, Critchfield and Johnston law firm bought Schuler's Millersburg firm when he retired.
"My middle name is Critchfield," Schuler said. "I'm a second cousin to that family."
Early in his attorney days, Schuler was once the Holmes County prosecutor. But his heart was in private practice.
With his successful career behind him, Schuler takes one day at a time and enjoys every minute of his experiences. That approach might be because his life has revolved around relationships with his clients, his friends, his community activities and his family.
Schuler has served in several civic capacities. He was the local veterans service officer. He served on the development disabilities board, the airport authority, and several years on the board of directors of the Commercial and Savings Bank.
Schuler was also appointed by the governor to serve on the Ohio Public Health Council, which processed all the rules for mental hospitals, nursing homes, and even public water supplies.
"That was an incredible experience for me," Schuler said. "I learned a lot during those 12 years."
Schuler is also a member of the American Legion Post 192 and was made a life member of the Killbuck VFW.
Schuler served in the Army during World War II and fought in the battle of The Bulge. He can rattle off details of war stories as if they had happened yesterday.
He likes to read a lot, too, focusing on "the great people at the beginning of the Republic." Schuler also likes golf and of course, watching Ohio State football games. He has owned season tickets for 50 years, as he received both his bachelor's and law degree from The Ohio State University.
Though he has traveled the world and had many exciting experiences, Schuler still considers himself "a small town guy." Likely, there are plenty of local people thankful for that.
Judson Schuler, of Millersburg, often relaxes in his den.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 20, 2010 Categories articleTags battle of The Bulge, Briar Hill Stone Co., Critchfield Critchfield and Johnston, Glenmont Ohio, Holmes County Ohio, Judson Schuler, lawyer, Millersburg Ohio, physical fitness, relationships, The Ohio State University, World War II, young at heartLeave a comment on Schuler remains young at heart
Total eclipse haiku
Take a nap today.
A total lunar eclipse
in the late night sky.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 20, 2010 Categories haiku, photography, poemTags Amish country, haiku, Lakeside Ohio, lunar eclispe, Ohio's Amish country, photography, poem, poetry, total lunar eclipseLeave a comment on Total eclipse haiku
Getting ready for winter
A series of heavy snowfalls hit Ohio's Amish country last winter.
Like it or not, winter is right around the corner. We have already tasted some of winter's appetizers, snow, temperatures in the teens, and, of course, shortened daylight.
Fortunately here in Ohio's Amish Country, the snow didn't amount to much, and the skinny temperatures quickly moderated. Once winter arrives officially next week, that could change. We could have a snow-filled winter like last year, or worse yet, one like 1977 and 1978 when snowdrifts reached 20 feet or more.
Living in Ohio all my life, I have found it helpful to mentally and physically prepare myself for the inevitable. Whether it is prolonged or only stays awhile, the weather will get cold, and it will snow from time to time.
Snowbirds arrive via bus in Pinecraft, FL.
Those who dislike that harsh reality and who are in a position to do so flee south or southwest to warmer climes. At least the snowbirds hope they will be warmer. Last year proved otherwise. It frosted in Florida and snowed deep in the heart of Texas.
It even snowed in Austin, TX last winter.
All of us can't escape the onslaught of winter's harshness. Some of us don't want to. Others are involuntarily stuck here to fend for themselves.
I have fond childhood memories of the benefits of winter, like ice skating, sledding, flinging snowballs and digging snow tunnels. Most of them likely were indeed in the throes of winter. But I do remember delivering newspapers in a glorious Christmas Eve snow.
I also recall hustling our young son and daughter into my in-laws' farmhouse amid stinging, sideways snow, howling winds, and frigid wind chills. There are times when Ohio winters are at their absolute worst in December.
We then anticipate January and February to be utterly horrible. And low and behold they might turn out to be meek and mild, not to mention mucky.
Whether we stay or whether we go, winter, regardless of the weather, will arrive. We might as well get ready for it.
A typical snowy scene in Ohio's Amish country.
In many ways, we already have. The tomato trellises we erected last spring have long been coaxed out of the ground and stored in the garden shed, thanks mostly to one of our kind, strong young neighbors.
The birdfeeders have been cleaned, filled and hung, and the backyard birds, and a couple of mooching fox squirrels, have already been taking advantage of the freebies. Actually, I am the one that is grateful. Watching the birds, and squirrels, rabbits and occasional deer, enjoy the cracked corn, oil sunflower seeds and suet mixes is my winter's entertainment.
A white-breasted nuthatch at my kitchen window feeder.
In truth, I feed the birds year-round. With winter's approach, I merely increase the number and style of feeders to accommodate the various feeding habits of my feathered friends.
Of course, I can't neglect the vehicles that transport us from place to place during the winter weather. I make sure each is winterized and ready to endure whatever winter has to throw at us.
The woodpile is stacked high and wide, ready to feed the hungry fireplace. I'd rather be shunning the cold elements in front of a warm fire than on the outside shoveling them. Who wouldn't?
Winter is nigh. Are you ready?
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 17, 2010 December 17, 2010 Categories Amish, column, photographyTags bird photography, birds, feeding birds, Florida, getting ready for winter, Holmes County Ohio, Ohio, Ohio's Amish country, photography, Pinecraft Florida, Sarasota Florida, scenery, scenic photography, Texas, winter, winter scenery2 Comments on Getting ready for winter
Holiday hospitality highlights church walk
The visitors came from near and far. All were treated to a good measure of holiday hospitality during the first Candlelight Church Walk held in Millersburg, Ohio on Dec. 10.
Five Millersburg churches were chosen for their close proximity to make it easy for people to walk from stop to stop. At each church, visitors were kindly greeted with a combination of church history, tours, Christmas displays and holiday refreshments.
Visitors were given a map to follow to guide them from church to church. They were heartily greeted at each church, which was festively decorated according to its own holiday traditions.
Yet, many common elements connected the quintet of denominations. The candlelight segment of the walk came in the form of luminaries that lined the front sidewalks and guided visitors into the individual sanctuaries. The luminaries were unique to each church, giving visitors a foretaste of what was inside.
Jim and Kim Sabo drove three hours from Bridgeport, West Virginia to do the tour. The Sabo's consider the area their second home. When Mrs. Sabo happened to see the church walk mentioned online, they didn't hesitate to do the tour.
At St. Peter's Catholic Church, a couple that had retired to the Millersburg area for the peace and quiet found it in the sanctity of the walk and the people they met along the way.
Visitors to the Faith Lutheran Church marveled at the handmade decorations on the lovely Christmas tree at the front of the church, and rested at tables in the fellowship hall to enjoy homemade cookies and punch.
Millersburg Christian Church featured a live nativity scene in the sanctuary.
A live nativity scene brought a respectful hush over those who passed through the Millersburg Christian Church sanctuary. The nativity actors, all attired with period costumes, filled the pulpit area.
At First Presbyterian Church, visitors enjoyed refreshments upon entering the foyer, and could inspect the decorated sanctuary at their leisure. Louisa Erb, of Mt. Eaton, said she had always wanted to see the Presbyterian Church but never had.
"I like architecture and the church is very nice," she said.
Arlene Yoder made the piano sing at Millersburg Mennonite Church.
Several members of Millersburg Mennonite Church provided visitors with seasonal music that included various musical instruments. Each church provided a variety of refreshments.
Friends Lisa Lawhead, of Millersburg, and Cindy Funk, of Shreve, met at a local restaurant, and then decided to do the tour. Lawhead echoed a comment heard at nearly every church.
"I have been by this church many times," she said, "but had never been in it until tonight."
Others, like Bill and Barb Roderich and Tom and Pat Albu, of Canton, made the drive to do the tour at the invitation of friends. They said it was more than worth the drive. The evening ended with caroling at the First Presbyterian Church.
Lead organizer Kate Findley, who attends the Presbyterian Church, said she and the other planners were pleased with the turnout.
"We hope to do this again next year," she said. "We really thank all the people from each congregation who made this event go so smoothly, and of course thank those who chose to take the tour."
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 15, 2010 December 15, 2010 Categories article, Christmas, holiday decorations, photographyTags Amish country, Christmas, Christmas church walk, Faith Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, holidays, hospitality, live nativity scene, Millersburg Christian Church, Millersburg Mennonite Church, Millersburg Ohio, nativity scene, St. Peter's Catholic ChurchLeave a comment on Holiday hospitality highlights church walk
Amish sledding haiku
The fresh blanket of snow made perfect sledding conditions for children on this Amish farm.
The boy and the girl
took turns sliding down the hill
in a coal shovel.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 13, 2010 Categories Amish, haiku, photography, poem, writingTags Amish, Amish farm, haiku, Ohio's Amish country, photography, poem, poetry, rural life, sledding, snow, snowfallLeave a comment on Amish sledding haiku
A survival story for the season
The story didn't get much play in the mainstream media of the United States. But I found it incredibly noteworthy if not uplifting, especially during this Advent season.
If you missed it, here's what happened.
Sometime in late September, three teenage boys slipped into a 12-foot boat and headed to one small Pacific island from another. Unfortunately, their outboard motor ran out of fuel before they could reach their destination, the atoll island of Tokelau.
If you have never heard of it, don't feel bad. I hadn't either. Curious though, I looked it up. It's part of an archipelago many miles northwest of Samoa.
Samoa I had heard of. As a child, I perused the many shiny black and white photographs that my late father had taken when he had visited Samoa and surrounding islands during his stint on the U.S.S. San Diego during World War II. The water buffalo and the thatched roof huts of the Polynesian island natives fascinated me.
Maybe it was that bit of sentimentality that drew me to the story initially. Once I read the first few sentences, however, I had to know the full story.
With no oars and no fuel, the boys and their tiny boat drifted far away from any land. Soon they were deep in the expansive Pacific, adrift with only a handful of coconuts they had thrown into the "tinnie," the colloquial tag for their vessel.
The blazing sun beat down on them, and they parceled out the coconuts, the only food they had. The boys floated aimlessly for days, parched without vital drinking water.
Day after day they sat helpless in the tropical sun searching the horizon for signs of land or other boats. A series of fierce storms cropped up at night, nearly capsizing the boat. The boys hit the boat's bottom and clung to the sides to steady their small vessel.
The storms provided an upside, however. The boys lapped at puddles of the fresh rainwater left by the downpours. Once, at night, a ship passed close to them, but because they had no light of their own, the boys could only watched in despair as the big ship glided by.
Once the coconuts were gone, their only food came in the form of small, flying fish that happened to jump into their boat. Another time, a bird landed on their boat and one of the boys managed to grab it. They devoured it raw.
Again desperate for water, the boys began drinking small amounts of seawater. Near the end of November and some 50 days after they had left their little atoll, a deep sea fishing boat approached them. This time it was during the day, and they and their little boat were rescued 800 miles from where they had originally launched.
The boys spent a few days in the hospital to regain nourishment and strength, but it would be more than two weeks until a boat would take them back to their small country of 1,500 residents.
Fascinated by this amazing story, I typed in Tokelau into Google Earth. I wanted to get a visual on their tropical homeland in the middle of the Pacific.
Sure enough, the program took me right to it. I zoomed in to see the series of small islands, all formed from volcanoes. The residents lived on the rims of the inactive craters. Amazingly, picture icons were posted. I clicked on them, and shots of a tropical paradise emerged. Swaying palm trees, pristine beaches, and deep blue bays beckoned.
I mentally kept connecting this joyous, improbable survival story with the one on which the Advent season is based. Like the Bethlehem account from long ago, with its unlikely cast of characters, this miraculous tale had to be shared, too.
Author Bruce StambaughPosted on December 9, 2010 Categories Christmas, column, holidaysTags 55 days stranded at sea, Advent, Bethlehem story, Google Earth, holidays, media, mircale story, Polynesian islands, rescue, Samoa, survival, three boys in Pacific, Tokelau, tropical storms, tropical sun, U.S.S. San Diego, World War IILeave a comment on A survival story for the season


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


You are trying to Influence the Guilds of Cadwallon with your Agents to gain more power than anyone else. If you control the Guilds, you control Cadwallon.
Place District cards in a 3×3 pattern, leaving room to place your Agent tokens, as shown in the picture above.
Place Agents in the "boulevards" between the cards to Influence as many Districts as possible. You may also play Action cards that affect gameplay in some way.
Determine who has control based on Support from neighboring Districts and other card effects.
Each District card is either a Guild, Militia (who count against you), Personalities (who influence the game in subtle ways) and other Action cards. Most District cards have an Influence number, which is used in the Control Phase, and some have Guild points, which count towards victory.
The key to winning is to understand Control. When you are determining control, you add the Support value of all Districts adjacent to where you placed Agents. In the picture of the game above, the yellow player is unopposed in the lower right District, and will Control it at the end of the Control phase, removing it from the board.
When you can no longer refill all the Districts, the game ends immediately and the winner is determined by most Guild points.
This is a fun game, requiring some strategic thinking. The first few Agents placed each turn take the most time, but after that, things move quickly as each player has fewer options. Once you learn the game and understand the Control phase, this is a game that could easily be added to the rotation of most gaming groups.
It's quick (20-30 mins) and allows up to 8 people to play, although the base game comes with only enough Agents for 4 players. I sponsored this game on Kickstarter, so I have the extra colored tokens for up to 8 players. But it'd be fairly easy to substitute dice or some other kind of token for Agent colors you don't own.
1. If you don't like rules that change, you won't like this game. The basic rule is that you "Draw a card, Play a card" but as soon as a "New Rule" is added that might change. Some people really, really (really) hate this type of thing, and will hate the game…because that's really the core of the game. You're constantly changing rules, so keep that in mind if that doesn't appeal to you at all.
2. If you don't like remembering a lot of rules, you won't like this game every time. Don't get me wrong, the game is NOT complicated, but there can be a lot of rules active at the same time. Some people prefer simplicity in games, and while this game can be very simple…it can get complicated fast. It can be a bit overwhelming to have to re-learn the rules every time it's your turn, so keep that in mind as well.
3. If you don't like chaotic or inconsistent games, there will times that this game annoys you. This rule is because of certain situations or cards in the game that reduce the "fun factor" when played. "Hand Limit zero" and "Play All" are good examples, because these two cards reduce the choices you can make.
— When "Play All" is in effect, you have to play every card you draw unless you can remove the rule. The only choice you have is the order in which they are played.
— When "Hand Limit zero" is in effect, all cards you don't play are discarded every turn. This is very frustrating in a variety of situations.
Like most games, if everyone at the table agrees on the type of game being played, this game is far more enjoyable than normal. If nobody likes a card like Play All, then it's likely to never get played, and everyone will have a better experience.
This is a solo game, and so difficult to win that I would place it against any of today's modern Co-Op games, in terms of how tough it is to defeat the boss and win the game. The story is that you have an hour to find and destroy the "Darkness" and save the world…armed with only the gear on your back, and what you find as you go.
The game is set on a time track. You draw a card every 30 seconds, and you run out of time in an hour. Time is such a factor in this game that I highly suggest you run the game with a timer, pausing only to handle some minor bookkeeping in order to get you back on track in real-time.
The cards you draw can be an enemy to fight, a trap to endure or overcome, or nothing. The boss card is shuffled into the second of two decks, and so you need to get thru the first deck before you can win.
Resolving the cards typically involves rolling two d6 and comparing your stats (with gear) against the enemy or trap. And that's about it, as far as how the game plays…but the game is clearly designed to make you lose more times than you can win.
There are a number of common complaints about the game, but simple solutions to avoid them. And all but the most OCD, self-defeating purists would gladly make these changes.
1. The game is very fiddly. In particular, it comes with paper counters for ammo. Obviously, this is ridiculous. Record the ammo you use on a piece of paper, or use some other counters (like dice) to keep track.
2. Game setup takes a while. This is true, but once you have it setup, it takes less time to restart after losing. Also, if you give up on the ammo chits, your life will be much easier.
3. Random gear at the start of the game. Personally, I've played by choosing the gear I start with, and random gear. If I can choose the gear I start with then I don't get any upgrades during the game, and that isn't as fun. But if I go random and get really bad gear, that's not fun either because the game is difficult enough. My solution was to mix it up. Get random gear, and then swap out stuff that's really bad to give myself better chances.
4. There are a few cards that virtually (or literally) guarantee you will lose. And if those cards are in the first deck, or before the boss in the second deck, some people feel that it's a waste of their time. I disagree, but if you feel that way, remove those cards. There aren't that many, and depending on when they are found, it might only be a temporary setback.
5. There aren't many choices. I agree that it seems like it's just draw a card and roll dice, but there is definitely strategy here. Gear has limited use, and sometimes choosing the right weapon or tool for the job is the key to victory. I have the most fun when I imagine myself with only an hour, have a timer on hand to reinforce the end of the world countdown, and get into the STORY. In other words, allow yourself to feel the theme and you'll have more fun. But if you need a game where every action requires a meaningful decision, play something else.
Final thoughts: I think this game struggled to find more traction when it was released back in 1987 because it was simply ahead of its time. Back then, the gaming world hadn't even seen Settlers of Catan. Eurogames (as we know them) didn't exist. And yet, you can clearly see the influence of Chainsaw Warrior in games like Arkham Horror, Elder Signs, Pandemic and even Zombicide.
If you like modern Co-op Board games, and you can find a copy of Chainsaw Warrior, you are going to be happy you did.
This is one of those games where the best suggestion I could ever give you is to get 3 friends together and play it. It's very accessible, and although the rules can be a bit complicated at first, they work so well that it becomes second nature after a short time.
I won't get into a description of how the game is played because there are lot of those reviews here already.
What I will say is that I've had a variety of "favorite games" in my life, from Magic the Gathering, to Age of Renaissance, to World of Warcraft.
The best thing about Power Grid for me is that it's very replayable, with many different strategies and paths to victory. The same small group of people playing the game won't feel like they keep rehashing the same game over and over, like it can happen with some other board games.
And if you ever find yourself getting bored, there are more maps, with additional rules and challenges. This is truly a game that feels like it's adapting to meet the players.
For my money, this is quite simply a pinnacle game. If I had to recommend a balanced, solid game to new gamers who are tired of gateway games, this is hands down what I would suggest. No hestitation.
And you shouldn't hesitate either. Play this game!
I heard a lot about 7 Wonders before I ever played it, because I don't get to play board games as much as I'd like. The overwhelming response about the game was how fast it played, and how many different ways there are to win.
There are always gripes with games, but there were very few complaints about 7 Wonders. I believe this is because it minimizes the "downtime" of players as much as can be done in a game. Obviously, if there is a great divide in experience levels of players, or if you have people who just can't make fast decisions, you'll spend some time waiting. But that's true for any game, and 7 Wonders does its best to eliminate that from happening.
You see, everybody acts at the same time. Every player gets a handful of cards from which they must select one to keep (or discard to get money). Once everyone has chosen a card, they're revealed at the same time and the rest of the cards are passed either left or right, depending on the phase of the game. And once everybody has chosen a set number of cards, you deal out a new hand to everyone and you do it again for the next "Age" of the game.
There are only 3 Ages, so it's very quick and yet very deep in terms of strategy because you are scored on a variety of different ways at the end of the game.
For example, you'll be able to choose Military cards and get points on how large is your army in relation to your opponents nearby every Age. And everybody has a score in Military strength, so if you have the smallest army in the game, you might even have a negative Military score.
But don't think the game is about combat, because that's just one tiny part of it. You can build up Resources and make Goods. You can specialize in Trade and Commerce or Academic pursuits. There are even great monuments that showcase your accomplishments, or Guilds that gain power from a variety of sources among all players in the game.
The key here is that you are going to get points for ALL of these types of categories. And if you ignore too many of them, you'll fall behind the other players and your civilization will likely be forgotten at the end.
Grab a few friends and if nobody has played, learn the rules together and you'll probably find yourself playing 7 Wonders again and again that first day. Not only because it's fun, but because of how quickly the games can be played.
Honestly, because of the size of the box, speed of the gameplay, and universal appeal of this game, I always pack 7 Wonders when I go somewhere to play games.
This is a faithful representation of Carcasonne, and has many features that fans of digital games will love, like Achievements and the ability to play Computer or Human opponents.
Caveat: You play against Human opponents by passing the game to someone in real life. There are no online gaming options. If you had friends over, you'd play the original board game version, but if you're on a long flight or waiting in line, this is the perfect format.
Computer AI: There are a few different Computer player strategies, and some are easier to beat than others. If you're good at Carcassonne, it shouldn't be difficult to out-think the Computer opponents, but just like in the original board game, you still need some luck with tiles.
Cheats: You have the ability during the game to see what tiles are remaining, which is technically cheating in the original game. My suggestion is to either ignore it, or understand that the computer knows what tiles remain also, and play around it.
Overall, I think this is a great addition to my mobile gaming library. It's not quite as faithful to the original as the iPhone/iPod Touch version (made by another company) but with the addition of Achievements, I think it's easily one of my favorite digital board games for Android.
I should start by saying this is a great game. My rating was made based on a very limited group of players that makes the game frustrating for me in particular. In addition, I wasn't aware that game ratings couldn't be changed.
But there are three things that you might want to know going into this game, to compare against those with whom you'll be playing this game.
1. This game requires alliances. Teamwork is mandatory for this game, and you can't get around it. A single player simply cannot win. So playing against a group of people who always team up (excluding you) is likely to make your game very negative.
2. This game requires betrayal. An integral part of the game is betraying someone before they betray you, hopefully to your benefit. If you play with people that hold grudges, or who don't like this mechanic, you might not have as much fun.
3. This game requires experience. This is less about being an expert as it is about everybody being about the same experience level. If everybody is a novice, or everybody has won Diplomacy tournaments, you're going to have a great game. But it's the kind of game where experts tend to have strong opinions about whether an action or move is "right" or "wrong". Beginners playing with an expert or two that have strong opinions might feel bullied or hampered about the choices they can make.
But after all that is said, you should take an opportunity to play this game, unless you have strong opinions about one or more of the issues I mentioned. Even if you get stuck in a "bad group", you'll definitely see whether this type of game is going to be fun for you.
I've been "forced" to play this game several times now, but no more. It's just not fun to me, and even if it had been fun, I've seen all the jokes.
If you like silly games, play it. If you don't, avoid this game at all costs. After you play it once or twice, you'll probably want to give the game to someone else.
I played a demo game at GENCON, and felt it was a fun, casual game that relied too much on luck. But then we got to the "last turn" mechanics, where the winner was decided…and frustration took away the fun.
You build up 4 vehicles with parts from the Heap (the deck) and you compete (race) to get those parts by attacking and defending one of three colors, with a few exceptions. For example, I play a card that Defends against Green, Yellow or Red and then attacks against one of those colors. The next person either has the right color Defense, or he is out of the race.
That isn't really the part that bothers me though. The vehicles have a normal side to them, and a Turbo side that might be able to flip to on the last turn. The last turn starts when the first player gets 3 parts on all 4 of his vehicles. You get to flip to the Turbo side if you have been able to attach 3 parts to that vehicle.
Then, you discard all parts on all vehicles and discard your hand! Yep, the whole game up to that point was just practice, apparently. You draw a new starting hand and have one more race, hopefully with 4 Turbo vehicles. But then again, the Turbo side isn't much better than the normal side. And since you no longer have any gear on your vehicles, it's much weaker. So not only do you have to start over on the last race, it's possible that everything you did the whole game is totally wasted.
If you like the theme and the look of the cards, you can play without the last turn, or even without the Turbo cards. But as it was taught to us, it's an exercise in futility and disappointment.
Technically, there is a rule where you are not allowed to discuss the cards that tell you your role. This House Rule is really just a reinforcement of that rule, and may not be necessary for your group.
Our group has two guys that continue using jokes as a way to give hints about their allegience. To most people, that kinda ruins the point of the game, but they just don't see it that way.
If you have someone that "accidently" reveals himself quite often, you might consider some House Rule like this.
You may find the cardboard for who does what type of damage to be useful at some point in a fight, but then again you may not.
But almost anything is better than using the cardboard health counters. We use dice to track health. There are printable health markers on the company website that use a dial to track health. If all else fails, keep track on a piece of paper (with a pencil).
Also, this may be what you're already doing, but track the Current Health of Heroes, Villain, and Minion cards. Do NOT track the amount of damage. The reason is that you want to see damage numbers decline on Villain and Minion cards. You don't want to see their numbers grow. It's a subtle psychological trick.
We highly encourage discussion and chatter when playing Apples to Apples when we play with the extended family. Sometimes, the discussion gets so long-winded that we can go 20 minutes between hands!
This is NOT a game to rush people. Let people take their time, discuss the cards and have fun playing.
This game can be crippled with Analysis Paralysis on Scoring rounds, so we've created a Time Limit for moves on the final Scoring round. We're considering placing a time limit on all Scoring turns, but for now the Final round is the only one we enforce.
The major problem we had is that it always felt rushed at the start of the Scoring round placement, so we start the turn by letting everybody look at the board for a minute or two.
Then when we start placing tokens, everybody gets 1 minute to place a token or pass. Since passing ends your turn, and your game, you really need to be quick on your toes.
This works great for our group, but might not work for everyone. Give it a shot and if it seems too tight, try 2 or 3 minutes per person.
This may be an obvious strategy to most of you, but I see a lot of people trying to force the game to do what they want, instead of playing what has been given to them.
For example, thru a string of luck, a friend ended up on his turn with 1 Wheat, 5 Wood, and 4 Brick. Nobody wanted to trade, and he swapped 4 Wood for a Sheep to build a Town, instead of placing 4 Roads and taking Longest Road. Getting Longest Road wouldn't make him win, but sometimes getting it first means you keep it the whole game.
Sometimes the game forces us to avoid the obvious answers, like if you're out of Towns or buying a City is the only way you can win. But most of the time, the cards should guide you towards your goals.
Although this game is fun, the iPod Touch version is probably the least optimal way to play it.
I don't have an iPad, and I have only played a demo of the game before, and both of those made this game a challenge on an iPod Touch.
The tutorial is good, but the icons on the small screen are difficult to see, and it's not always obvious whether you are clicking on Fish or Cattle.
In addition, the tutorial gives you very few options about what to do, so you can't accidently sell the wrong resource. Once you start playing real games, however, that is very easy to do.
I'm sure my difficulty is compounded by not owning the game, and not having more than a half hour demo experience with it. But even still, I have enjoyed myself, and this electronic version has put the boxed game on my Wish List.
This may be an obvious tip to some, but trust me, it's not obvious to everyone.
When you see a Role with a lot of coins on it, TAKE IT…even if you can't use that Role that turn.
There are many reasons, and they all hinge on the actual situation in the game you're playing. But money is very useful in Puerto Rico, perhaps a bit more useful than you might think.
In addition, you might just take the Role that someone else really wanted, or needed.
Unless you're playing a fast "race to victory" kind of game, you should try to get a good mix of cards in your deck. Don't bloat your deck with cards you can't or won't use, but try to stay flexible.
Trash-type cards: I think most people play Trash cards sparingly, which is good. You should always have a few Trash cards in your deck, even if you never use them.
But what I'm warning against is having TOO MANY Trash cards in your deck. If you have ever used a Trash card…to Trash a Trash card…you might be in this group of people. In a typical game, you shouldn't need more than 2-3 Trash cards.
+Buy cards: This one has two sides to it also. Obviously if you can never use the +Buy cards you draw, you should buy more money cards (and probably fewer +Buy cards).
But on the other hand, if you don't have any +Buy cards in your deck at all, you're probably going to fall behind the other players that do. Deck size doesn't guarantee victory, but you can't win with Coppers when everyone else has Silver/Gold.
This one works for a lot of games, but it works well with 7 Wonders…until people figure out what you're doing. The beauty is that you can go for several games before people figure it out!
Basically, you try to convince people that you're looking for cards that you're NOT trying to get. If everyone thinks you're going for Trading (or Military, or Resources, etc.), they might discard them or grab them, leaving the cards you REALLY want.
1. Do NOT make it obvious. The more subtle your fake intentions, the better it works. For example, if you talk about how you "still don't have any of the cards you want" everyone will look at your cards in play, making a mental note of what you're missing.
I'll admit that this strategy isn't for everyone, especially if you play with friendly players who are more likely to pass you the cards you're advertising. But if you play in a more cut-throat environment, I'd say give it a shot.
The basic reasoning behind this is that we teach the game to a lot of new players, including non-gaming players. There is quite enough to learn with scoring and the different meeples just with the core game.
However, even if everyone knows how to play Carcassonne, that doesn't mean you should add 3-4 expansions at a time, because unless one of those expansions is The River, it's probably too much to learn all at once.
Take it slowly, add expansions one at a time. Besides, you might not like all the expansions, and this way it's easier to identify those that you would like to keep (or avoid) in the future.
If you're playing the game with kids, or if you want to play a more friendly game, just leave the Robber in the box.
Anytime you roll 7, you still discard half your cards if you're over the hand limit. But otherwise, rolling 7 means you don't get resources. You can still build things, buy cards or trade with people, but nobody gets any new resources from the dice.
Primarily aimed at kids of a certain age, playing without the Robber prevents hurt feelings and frustration. But I can tell you from personal experience that this helps on those rare occasions when you're playing a game with your wife after a fight.
Nothing like avoiding all conflict when you've had a recent argument!
Unless you've won your way into the World Finals Catan Championship, don't stress about the numbers of where you start the game.
Obviously, if you can get a big Red 6 or 8, they're big and red for a reason. But if you're stuck choosing between a 3/9/10 and a 4/5/11 as your best two options…the odds are not going to skew your game that much to matter which you choose.
A better strategy than getting worked up over the numbers is to find a good combination of Resource tiles. If you can get a Sheep/Ore/Grain combo, or any combination of Resources that let you build Villages, you'll be better off in the long run.
Unless you love the luck factor, don't plop Farmers down simply because there aren't any Farmers there yet.
1. You lose that Meeple for the game.
2. There is no guarantee you will get any points, unless there is already a completed city available.
3. Unless you're a Carcassonne strategy expert, you're much better off dropping that Meeple on a never-ending road, because at least it's worth 1 point each tile.
I'm not suggesting never using Farmers. But I AM suggesting to never use Farmers "just in case" you get lucky.
Although not everyone agrees, we have found that Alchemy doesn't mix well with other expansions. If we ever want to play Alchemy, we always go with the suggested rule of 3-5 cards from the expansion.
We always have an argument about what cards to use in the game, and the random option doesn't always give a good mix.
Our House Rule is that each person can choose 2 or 3 cards to play in the game, depending on the total number of players (4 players: 2 each, 3 players: 3 each) then the remaining cards are filled up with cards that fill a gap, or something that's missing. We always want to have at least one card with Buy, one card with Action, etc.
1. Each person picks all their cards from the same expansion. For example, we can have 3 cards from Prosperity and 3 cards from Hinterlands, but players can't split up their choices. This helps bring the flavor of each expansion.
2. We don't do this for Alchemy or Seaside, because they have too many cards dependent on other cards from those sets.
Obviously, you should know how the Judge thinks, so that you know whether making him/her laugh is going to get you a point.
But more than that, don't ever think that telling people what you played is going to help you. Always be secretive! It really makes a difference!
This is really for beginners, or players who are struggling to get better than where they are now.
Get one theme, like…Green monsters, White knights, Red Goblins, etc. Then build the tightest deck you can. The only reason you get to add cards that don't directly match your theme is if have built your deck and you're not at the minimum deck size yet.
This is one of the most popular innovations to Puerto Rico, so you may already be an expert. The key to winning with Corn is try to monopolize it. Get Markets so you can make money. Build Warehouses so you aren't throwing it away. Go for the Wharf (if you can) so you can't be dry docked.
You'll be getting Craftsman and Captain so often that you'll have an honorary title by the end of the game, but with a Hospice, Hacienda, and maybe a few cheap commodities like Sugar or Indigo when you have more workers, you'll be King of Corn and own all of Puerto Rico.
This may be specific to our group, but we never let people choose their Character cards anymore, even when they must choose between two. We have very strong player personalities in our group, and the same people always play with the same Characters.
If that happens in your group, either eliminate those Characters, or completely randomize Character selection at the start. It greatly increases the replayability, in our opinion.
We played with the Military markers a few times, and they were universally despised. With good players, you'll never lose with them. At least with the King's Aid (rolling the dice for army support in the winter), you have a chance to lose.
Skip this part of the expansion. Play with the rest.
One of the common strategies in our game group is to go Combat heavy, buying everything that gives a bonus to Battle. Not only do you get some good value buildings, but you will never lose when winter comes. Plus, you're probably going to get extra VP for having the largest army.
You need to know what you're going to build, especially in later turns. But not only that, you should have something to build as a backup that requires different resources than your first choice, if possible.
It's not necessary to build something every single turn, but if you skip too many turns because you didn't get the right resources, you're probably not going to win.
There are a lot of tips and strategies talking about how scoring adds up all the different "colors" at the end of the game, so generalizing is a good strategy. But if you over-generalize, or focus too much, you'll lose.
I would suggest concentrating on 3 or 4 different "colors" or scoring tracks, and choose those colors by the end of the first age. In other words, don't choose them before you start, because you might not get the right cards passed to you.
For example, if you choose Trade (yellow) as one of your areas of focus, and everybody else takes all the Trade cards in the first age, you won't get very far.
So see what cards are available, pick 3 or 4 colors, and then get as many points in those as possible.
We got a group of players together at a convention, and we all had a copy of 7 Wonders. With that particular group, there was a lot of competition for one Civilization. Someone suggested we all play the same, and it was surprisingly fun!
Techically, you only need one box to do this. You can either place the Civilization everyone is using in the center of the table, or you can photocopy the common board. But we all had a copy of the game, so we opened one box for the tokens and everybody took a copy of the Civilization from their own game.
It works great because you're all competing for the same resources, so grey/brown cards are MUCH more valuable, and if the Civ card has a particular bonus, those cards go much faster.
I'm not sure if it would work for all Civilizations, but if you're a fan of the game give it a shot!
There are a few rare situations where the computer doesn't pause when you'd normally be able to interrupt an action or play a card. Be sure to know how to "Pause" the action or you're likely going to miss that interrupt action.
I believe there are options to pause at each phase; but overall I think that slows the gameplay down too much. Depending on your deck, you might go several games without wanting to interrupt your opponent. But even Green monster decks occasionally cast Giant Growth, so learn how to pause!
If you're new to the game, you get to read all the Powers and choose one. If you're a veteran, you have to pick randomly.
1. Play with cards face up, or at least openly discussing moves.
2. Play one color, with opponents playing an opposite color.
3. After the first game, modify decks together, talking about why to add or remove certain cards.
4. Play a game with too many cards, to see why it's good and bad.
5. Play a tight deck with minimum cards as well, for the same reasons.
6. Finally, play a Booster Draft game.
If you want to have less conflict early in the game, don't limit yourself to specific zones on the map. You could also agree to a specific number of "starting cities" to maximize the distance between other players at the start of the game.
If you feel the conflict level is fine, then skip this house rule.
Learn when and how you're going to get resources, and pay attention to when you can spend those resources. Veteran players know that it's really easy to spend everything you have, and then lose a turn rebuilding.
Agree on a set number of turns to try it out first. Play a few turns to get the mechanics down, seeing who gets resources first, who gets first bid on power plant, etc. Then start over and play for real. It's really going to maximize the enjoyment of newer players who might not understand pros and cons of being first or last.
Got my Rosetta Stone too, melpomene. Grats!
Also, I thought I owned Ave Caesar at first, but after reading the reviews I think it was another chariot game. The interesting thing was that this game was made in 1989, and the other I remember was an older game too. Did they have a run on chariot games in the late 80's?
Yeah, I agree. I hadn't realized Krosmaster was played so much, and I was not surprised with only two reviews.
I'm playing a game my wife and I created called "Packing Up And Moving Everything From California To Illinois" (working title).
It's really brutal, and can be personally intense at times. My wife and I have gotten into several arguments already. But we hope to have a better understanding of our play-styles by the time we're done with it.
Word of warning, this may be the longest game ever created. We're going on 4 days now, and we don't expect to be done before next week.
If we're still speaking to each other when this is over, we'll post a review and upload the rules.
EDIT: My wife interrupted me 3 times while writing this. Apparently, it was my turn. If this seems random or incomplete, chalk it up to an immersive experience.
Yeah thanks for the KS update on this game. I'm sad I missed this game, and now's my chance to get it again. My father was a chemist and HS Chemistry teacher, before retiring. He always wanted to play something with a concept he could grasp…not being a fan of Fantasy or Zombies has left him wanting. This looks perfect for him.
Wow, Fantastiqa looks very interesting…can't believe I've never heard of it before now.
Sweet, got my Explorer up to Level 5.
Hmm, so now that Jim implied that having unique Favorites gives you a better shot at being featured as the host of the week's Explorable Favorites, a lot of people are going to change their Favorites.
Some to create unique game lists so they stand out in a crowd.
Some to put up all really popular games to hide in the shadows.
Love love love me some Caylus. My friend bought T&T, but we never got around to playing it.
Woke up this morning with a copy of Sentinels for my birthday, which is a kind of a surprise, since I'm 45 years old. (Don't get many gifts at my age.) I guess my wife got tired of me talking about it. Can't wait to play it this weekend.
I really enjoyed this game, even though we played only a half game while waiting for another event to start last summer. Add "finding games you forgot about" to the list of reasons I like this website!
Oh the memories. This was one of the first board games I owned that could be played solo, and with all my friends off at college, I'm sure I played more solo games of Chainsaw Warrior than with anybody else. Definitely a fun game!
Warning to those of you who have an older iPod Touch. I bought this game, and it is not compatible with my device. I'm not sure which generation of the iPod Touch is required, but mine is too old. Carpe diem.
I read a few reviews talking about how little conflict there is in this game, and I think people are playing it wrong. It's true that you aren't actively fighting the other players, but on nearly every turn there is an opportunity to block your opponent. I think this game is HIGHLY underrated.
Been trying to get a demo at a local store. I love this price point.
I read up on this game, saw a video review, rifled thru a demo box at a convention, and finally bought it. But I still have yet to play it. So frustrating to be surrounded by jaded gamers, unwilling to step out of their comfort zone.
I think the key to making this a fun game to play is having like-minded players. If everyone is cut-throat, it'll be fun. If everyone is friendly, it'll be fun. If you have a mix…it's going to be less fun for someone.
I don't need a lot of variety with Carcasonne, because the game itself is random. The only expansion I have came with the Edition I bought. I've never played with the pigs or the robber, but we usually start with the River. Solid fun game for people who haven't played a lot of board games.
I've been a gamer my whole life, to hear my parents talk about it. Mom says she could sit me down with a deck of cards or pair of dice in the corner and I'd play by myself for hours at a time. As I was growing up, I played every family boardgame I could get my hands on, often making up new rules. I played a version of Monopoly where you could only have 9 properties at a time. If you landed on one you wanted to buy and were at 9 already, you had to choose one to discard, including all the houses on it. I don't think that game ever ended properly... When I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons in the summer of 1982, I got all my friends hooked. We quickly worked our way thru the Basic and Expert boxed sets until we heard about an "Advanced" version of D&D. We each bought all the AD&D books at the time, and spent a few years creating dungeons and maps on graph paper. In 1985, we thought Unearthed Arcana was the best book to ever be published, right behind Lord of the Rings trilogy. That was trumped by Second Edition, which did everything it could to prevent me from growing up until about 1992, when I finally came back to the real world and went to college. I was well into my 20's at the time, so it was good timing. During college, I went to GENCON (Milwaukee at the time) and discovered Magic: The Gathering. Again, I got all my friends hooked. Somehow I graduated in 1994 from DeVry with a Computer Science degree, and all my money disappeared into tiny pieces of paper and cardboard. Jyhad, Middle Earth, Legend of the Five Rings, and dozens of other CCGs kept me occupied for the next several years. Board games next.


prone to false perceptions. It's how he has gotten elected.
narcissistic quest towards the presidency over 6 years ago.
Harvard education alone doen't make you a Varsity player.
First String to begin with.
natural state. a giddy child-like caricature of an adult.
troops, he prefers either to finesse, or send in the drones.


Darin D. Dougherty, M.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Darin D. Dougherty is the Medical Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute at McLean Hospital, the Director of the Neurotherapeutics Division in the Department of Psychiatry at MGH, the Director of the Mood Disorders Section of the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group, and the Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group. Dr. Dougherty is also the Director of Medical Education at the Massachusetts General Hospital Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute and the Co-Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Trichotillomania Clinic. Additionally, Dr. Dougherty is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Clinical Associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Visiting Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Dougherty currently serves on the scientific advisory board for both the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. He serves on the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neurosurgery Committee. He also serves on many editorial boards and award committees. He has given over a hundred invited lectures and presentations and is a current member of many professional societies. In 2003 Dr. Dougherty was awarded an NARSAD Young Investigator Award. In 2005 he was named one of the Future Leaders in Psychiatry. Dr. Dougherty has co-authored over 100 original articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and review articles, and has co-edited two books on neuroimaging. Currently, Dr. Dougherty is the Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on several government and industry funded studies investigating neuroimaging and medication and neurosurgery treatments of OCD and mood disorders.
Dr. Dougherty received his MD from the University of Illinois and completed his residency in general psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a graduate of the Clinical Investigator Training Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Dougherty's research interests include neuroimaging, neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and neurotherapeutic (device and/or surgical) interventions for the treatment of treatment-refractory psychiatric illness.


text:
Stephen Drake: Final Exit Network, Zealotry and Groupthink
Stephen Drake, the research analyst at Not Dead Yet, is possibly the leader who is following the Final Exit Network (FEN) arrests the closest.
Two days ago Drake commented on the recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution where they interviewed Dr. Lawrence Egbert, with the Final Exit Network who basically says they did nothing wrong. Drake's comments:
The latest story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution centers on Dr. Lawrence Egbert, the "medical director" of Final Exit Network (FEN). According to the AJC, Egbert's own words describe him as some sort of Bizarro-world version of Will Rogers, who said "I never met a man I didn't like."
In the Bizarro world of Egbert and company, it runs like this: "I (almost) never saw a suicide plea from someone who didn't deserve to die."
As medical director and co-founder of the Georgia-based Final Exit Network, Egbert in the past four years approved the applications of people who wanted to die because they were diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He approved the applications of people who wanted to die because their bodies were wasting away with ALS or multiple sclerosis.
He approved the applications of people who had not been diagnosed as terminally ill but whose quality of life, in their mind, was no longer worth living.
Egbert, an 81-year-old Baltimore anesthesiologist and teacher affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in an interview Friday that there were times when he rejected people who wanted to die, "but not very frequently."
Of course, the allegations from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation go beyond simply providing information and "being there.":
The GBI says the group has a pattern of assisting people in suicides in which a "hood" is lowered over the person's face, and the person breathes helium until losing consciousness. Death can take 10 or 20 minutes longer.
The GBI alleges that the group breaks state law by holding the hands of the person to prevent struggle or removal of the hood.
There's no word yet as to whether or not the GBI has this on tape, which is a common practice in "sting" operations.
Friends and sympathizers reject the notion that members of FEN could ever have actively prevented someone from taking the "exit bag" off.
Yet, out of at least 200 (Egbert admits to this) suicides, there apparently hasn't been one single case in which a person changed their mind - rejecting the feeling of suffocation and claustrophobia. Not one. If there had been one, that person would have needed immediate medical attention. There would be no time to get rid of evidence - paraphernalia, fingerprints, etc. before the paramedics arrived. There sure would be a lot of unpleasant questions to deal with - and possibly a civil suit by the family if brain damage occurred.
But that is pretty cynical and self-serving motivation. It's easy enough for those of us who don't think much of the ethics of pro-euthanasia/assisted suicide activists to believe members of FEN would slide from "assistance" to "murder."
But most people probably don't feel that way. It's unthinkable, many would say, that intelligent and ethical people could let their behavior lapse so badly.
Guess what. It's not unthinkable at all. In fact there's a name for the phenomenon in which intelligent and ethical individuals - as members of a tightly knit group - can do stupid and unethical things.
It's called groupthink - originally studied and defined by psychologist Irving Janis. It's a fascinating and complex topic, with some real-world examples.
Janis identified eight symptoms that put a group of individuals at risk for falling into groupthink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink
- Illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.
- Rationalising warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions.
- Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions.
- Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, disfigured, impotent, or stupid.
- Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty".
- Self censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus.
- Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed as agreement.
Mindguards — self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information.
After years of operating without any consequences, it's easy to see how FEN members could have developed a feedling of invulnerability. Anyone who has lurked on Derek Humphry's (Humphry is an advisor to FEN) email list or engaged the most zealous euthanasia supporters has encountered the symptoms covered in numbers 2-4 firsthand. Number 5 has played out on Derek Humphry's email list several times - most notably when one member suggested that Jack Kevorkian's activities in assisted suicide might have been reckless and irresponsible. Seeing that kind of thing play out makes it quite possible that there is at least some degree of self-censorship going on within the movement to avoid the dogpiling that occurred in the Kevorkian episode. That, of course, leads to the illusion of unanimity. While it's impossible to know if there were "mindguards" in FEN itself, Humphry is pretty careful in handpicking information sent out to his list, highlighting news items that reinforce the "rightness" of his cause and framing the opponents as opportunists and/or religious zealots.
So, even starting from the highly questionable assumption that FEN members are moral and ethical people, they operate in a world that is geared toward the erosion of those aspects of their character in favor of group cohesion, loyalty and self-preservation. --Stephen Drake
Link to the original blog article:
http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/03/final-exit-network-zealotry-and.html
Link to the article in the Atlantic Journal Constitution:
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/03/08/finalexit0308.html
Posted by Alex Schadenberg at 8:47 AM
Labels: Final Exit, Not Dead Yet, Stephen Drake
Bob Levine said...
More nonsense from Stephen Drake. He has no solutions - just criticisms of elderly volunteers working for nothing who, when asked, were only trying to guide disparately ill people who wanted to end their life.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if he had some solutions - even one!
Bob Levine suggests that Stephen Drake lacks solutions.
Dear Bob:
Since when did killing people become the solution for people with disabilities or people who are depressed? When did taking advantage of people who need social and psychological support in their time of need become a social good?
Final Exit Network is about people who feel a high when they are directly and intentionally involved with causing the death of another person.
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What do we need to do post Washington State?


text:
South China Mall () in Dongguan, China (formerly New South China Mall) is the third largest shopping mall in the world when measured in terms of gross leasable area, and third in terms of total area to after Iran Mall (which has extensive non-shopping space including a musical fountain, food court, mosque and hotel).

South China Mall opened in 2005 and for more than 10 years it was mostly vacant as few merchants ever signed up, leading it to be dubbed a dead mall. In 2015 a CNN story reported that large parts of the mall were "full of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues" after extensive renovations and remodeling, though large portions of the mall still remained vacant. But CNN also added that most of the those unoccupied units, in addition to halls and walkways, were still under renovation. According to another article published in January 2018, after more than a decade of high vacancy, most retail spaces were expected to be filled soon, and the mall featured an IMAX-style cinema and theme park.

The mall was built on former farmlands in the Wanjiang District of Dongguan in southern coastal China. The project was spearheaded by Hu Guirong (Alex Hu), who became a billionaire in the instant noodle industry. Upon opening, South China Mall became the largest mall in the world, surpassing the Golden Resources Mall. The cost of its construction is estimated around $1.3 billion.

The mall was owned by Dongguan Sanyuan Yinghui Investment & Development (), Hu Guirong's company, but a controlling interest in the mall was later sold to Founder Group, a division of Peking University.

After opening in 2005, the mall suffered from a severe lack of occupants. Targeted initially to an affluent market (the big cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen are adjacent), Dongguan is itself mainly a city of low income migrant laborers who failed to respond to all the attractions the mall had to offer. Much of the retail space remained empty, with over 99% of the stores still vacant in 2008. The only occupied areas were near the entrance where several Western fast food chains are located and a parking structure re-purposed as a kart racing track. A planned Shangri-La Hotel was not completed.

Filmmaker Sam Green made a short film about the South China Mall called Utopia Part 3: the World's Largest Shopping Mall which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS's documentary series POV.

Originally called "South China Mall", the centre was redubbed as  "New South China Mall, Living City" in September 2007. The 2007 makeover was orchestrated by Founder Group, which took over the property from the original owner Hu Guirong in December 2006.

In 2013, Vagabond Journey writer Wade Shepard wrote about his recent visit to the mall. He acknowledged that most visitors attend the mall for its movie theaters featuring IMAX, and that families did gather in the play area. He also noticed that 4 full floors of the mall were unused, and that the water of the artificial indoor canals had turned green.

Description

Its total area is , with almost  of leasable space sufficient for as many as 2,350 stores.

The mall has seven zones modeled on international cities, nations and regions, including Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Venice, Egypt, the Caribbean, and California.  Features include a  replica of the Arc de Triomphe, a replica of Venice's St Mark's bell tower, a  canal with gondolas.

See also
List of the world's largest shopping malls
List of shopping malls in China

References

External links

Official website
Utopia, Part 3, PBS documentary on South China Mall, August 18, 2009. Note: this documentary is actively filtered to prevent non-US visitors from accessing the content.

Shopping malls in China
Shopping malls established in 2005
2005 establishments in China
Buildings and structures in Dongguan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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A Wonderful Sterling Silver Claddagh design pendant with a very special Connemara Marble stone as the Heart of the piece.
In Irish tradition the Claddagh represents – Love , Loyality and Friendship.
The Claddagh measures 20mm x 16mm and hangs from a Sterling Silver 18″ chain.


text:
Are you familiar with "middle-child syndrome"? Then you'll know how ethereum (CCC:ETH) has felt all these years. Since January 2020, ETH has trounced bitcoin (CCC:BTC) with a nearly 750% return. Yet, the world's #2 cryptocurrency received less attention than its big brother BTC or problem-child XRP (CCC:XRP).
A stack of ether or ethereum coins on a gold background.
But don't be fooled. Ethereum looks set to break out in 2021. As its technological advantages gain steam, Ethereum investors could see $1,500 in the near term and $2,500 sometime by the end of 2021. But strap on your seatbelt and hold on tight; it's going to be a wild ride.
InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips
Ethereum sits on a superior technology.
ETH has greater room to grow.
Volatility will remain high.
Ethereum 2021: Better than Bitcoin
The future of ethereum wasn't always so bright. In June 2016, the infamous DAO Hack sent $55 million of ether into hacker's hands. And a rash of bitcoin clones like bitcoin cash and dogecoin made ethereum look like yet another shiny bauble in a massive cryptocurrency soup.
Ethereum 2021 Price Graph
Source: Data courtesy of Yahoo Finance
But ethereum quickly recovered. To handle the DAO Hack, the ethereum community decided to effectively roll back its blockchain to undo the damage. It regained its #2 position by 2018.
Ethereum holds several technological advantages over its older bitcoin and altcoin siblings. Firstly, the cryptocurrency acts more like a contract than a coin. That makes it more like Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Wallet or Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Apple Pay, rather than a $100 bill. For instance, an e-commerce buyer might hold ETH in an escrow that automatically releases payment on receipt of goods. Bitcoin, on the other hand, offers no such mechanism.
Secondly, ethereum solves the thorny problem of speed. While bitcoin takes about 15 minutes to complete a transaction, ETH will do the same in under 15 seconds.
Finally, it has a theoretically unlimited supply, unlike bitcoin's 21-million-coin cap. That means ETH won't run into a mining "wall" and run out of coins to reward miners.
That makes ethereum one of my favorite cryptocurrency plays of 2021. With a $132.5 billion market capitalization, the cryptocurrency is still only one-fifth the size of bitcoin. And as adoption spreads on PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) and other payment processors, the forgotten middle child could quickly catch up to its older brother.
But just like bitcoin, there's a wrinkle to the ethereum story. Unlike gold or bonds, ethereum is NOT a safe-haven asset. Instead, it's a "risk-on" asset that tends to rise when times are good and fall otherwise.
The data backs this up. The correlation between ethereum and the S&P 500 now sits at 64%, meaning that stocks explain almost two-thirds of ethereum's monthly returns.
Not convinced? Consider March 2020, the month the stock market fell out of bed. As the stock market tumbled 30% on coronavirus fears, cryptocurrencies provided no cushion. In a matter of weeks, bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies lost over half of their value. (The same pattern happened during the December 2018 market wobble.)
But there is a silver lining: Ethereum also tends to magnify stock market gains. With more fiscal stimulus on the way, that also means higher stock valuations. Cryptocurrencies will naturally follow.
How High Can Ethereum Go?
Make no mistake: Ethereum is as volatile as a moody teenager. $10,000 invested in January 2018 would have melted to $830 in a year. But the same $10,000 invested in January 2020 would have rocketed to $85,000. Without an underlying hard asset, ethereum's value has no basis in the real world.
That makes the cryptocurrency's valuation more of a popularity contest than a technical exercise, at least in the short term. The cryptocurrency could easily double to $2,500 in 2021 if more users keep jumping on board. But it could also crash to $500 if a major hack shakes investor confidence. (More likely, a 25% loss would cause investors to panic-sell, sparking a self-fulfilling downward cycle.)
Ethereum prices also tend to reverse course in the near term. Since 2015, ethereum returns have doubled-back almost 60% of the time, when a winning month gets followed by a losing one and vice versa. Even in its 2018 peak, the coin never notched more than two consecutive months of gains.
Don't Miss the Forest for the Trees
However, like a maturing middle-child, ethereum is starting to find its footing. Since April, Ethereum has only notched one losing month. And despite its huge 2020 run, the cryptocurrency still trades 16% below its all-time peak in 2018. (Bitcoin, meanwhile, is up about 110%.)
Plenty of troubled middle-children eventually became stars. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates both overcame early stumbles. And ethereum, with its superior architecture, could one day become a staple of payments processing. Its ability to complete transactions within seconds (versus bitcoin's minutes) makes it a viable alternative to Visa (NYSE:V) and other online payment processors.
In short, don't miss this boat. If the broader cryptocurrency market has a good 2021, you can be sure ethereum will have an even better one.
On the date of publication, Tom Yeung did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.
Tom Yeung, CFA, is a registered investment advisor on a mission to bring simplicity to the world of investing.
The post Ethereum 2021: ETH Rises 800%, and More Gains Are Coming appeared first on InvestorPlace.


Firmly at the forefront of the flourishing upbeat and soulful house music movement, Polish duo Catz 'N Dogz have rightfully earned their pedigree as one of underground music's most sought after acts. With their eagerly anticipated 'Basic Colour Theory' set for release in September, Greg and Voitek now proudly announce their latest EP from the forthcoming album titled 'Get It Right' (Feat. Tanika) which perfectly and elegantly delivers the trademark sound of Catz 'N Dogz. Staying true to all things that Catz 'N Dogz have grown so accustomed to, their eccentric bass-driven and groove heavy productions have consistently drawn in fans since their 2008 debut album 'Stars Of Zoo'. 'Get It Right' pays homage to their roots and builds upon their reputation as one of most eclectic dance acts to date. 'Get It Right' perfectly captures the experimental ethos that Catz 'N Dogz portray within their music. The signature exuberant baselines that the duo are recognizable by are effortlessly complimented by crisp a drum rhythm. Transforming this track into an assured dance floor winner is undoubtedly the tranquil vocal melody from South London singer Tanika. A raw yet melodic vocal hook that almost whispers through the ears of the listener. 'Get It Right' is a duskier offering from the LP compared to the first EP's 'Nobody Cares' and 'Parallel Problems'. Each Catz 'N Dogz track holds its own sense of identity yet never straying too far from their charming sound. 'Get It Right' maintains their warm assertions to electronic music yet the haunting vocal sample and jazz sounding synth arrangement make this a standout production from 'Basic Colour Theory'. 'Get It Right' once more reiterates the message that Catz 'N Dogz hold dearly within their music, to create soulful and charismatic dance tracks for world to hear. Whether it be delivering dynamic live performances across the globes most profound clubs and festivals, or hosting their own infamous 'Pets Parties' with the biggest names in electronic music, Catz 'N Dogz have embedded themselves in the minds of electronic music fans world wide. Delivering a fruitful remix to the EP is one of dance music's heavy weight producers, DJ's, and label bosses, Claude Vonstroke. Responsible for releasing the duos first two albums through his own Dirtybird Records imprint, he's been a strong advocate of Catz 'N Dogz since the beginning of their musical journey. Adding his own distinctive touch on the production, Vonstroke's remix injects a euphoric feeling of nostalgia into the EP making this release a unique listening experience like no other. A key release from 'Basic Colour Theory', 'Get It Right' is assured to build on the already monumental catalogue of productions that the duo have created since they arrived on the scene back in 2008.