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2012: Transylvanian Adventures & The Transylvanian Grimoire
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smathis
Cold-Hearted Immortal
Re: 2012: Transylvanian Adventures & The Transylvanian Grimo
Post by smathis » Thu May 31, 2012 4:37 am
randraug wrote: Do you see the warrior as Inigo Montoya and the charger as Fezzik, using Princess Bride terms?
That's a possibility.
In strictly TA/TG terms...
Fezzik would be a Charger, Inigo would be a Redeemable or Hunter upgraded exclusively on a weapon path (longsword), Wesley would be a Redeemable (possibly cross-upgraded with a Valiant) and Buttercup would be a Valiant.
So, yep, it looks like the Princess Bride gives us a pretty decent party for TA/TG. End result would be as if John Carpenter and Michael Bey wrote a sequel, for better or worse. And Humperdink would need to be turned into a Vampire Noble, possibly thanks to the sorcery of the 6-Fingered Man...
If that sounds fun, then stay tuned!
Liu Jen Hao
A Matter of Vampire VS Religions Not of Their Own.
Post by Liu Jen Hao » Sun Jun 03, 2012 6:25 pm
A quick but VERY important question, since it has been established that your character can be of any nationlity or faith.
In Transylvanian Adventures, would a Vampire or evil creature be repelled by the Holy Symbol of any Good-Hearted Religion, or ONLY the one he (or his culture, if he was athiest) had truck with.
This came up because in a Game of Vampire The Masquerade we had THIS delightful incident.
Christian Priest: (Waving Cross at Chinese Vampire) The Power of Christ Compels You!! The Power of Christ Compels You!!
Chinese Vampire: (Bored, thoroughly offended look on face) I'm a Buddhist, you racist, sanctimonious jackass!! (Rips head off priest)
In this case, Vampires generally see themselves as an abberation and afffront to the laws of nature set by their religion in life, and would logically only feel shame when presented with that which is sacred to their faith.
Similarly, would this also apply in Translyvanian Adventures, or would a Good, Pure and Brave Heart with Faith be enough to hold Dracula at bay, even if you are holding a Manji while chanting Buddhist scriptures?
Re: A Matter of Vampire VS Religions Not of Their Own.
Post by smathis » Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:54 am
Liu Jen Hao wrote: A quick but VERY important question, since it has been established that your character can be of any nationlity or faith.
As written, it's pretty much the last part. A "Good, Pure and Brave Heart with Faith (will) be enough to hold Dracula at bay" with a couple of sticks crossed, a legit crucifix, a star of david, an octagonal mirror, a couple of sticks of sandalwood -- basically any object of faith with which that character would identify. The actual Turn result is more a measure of whether or not this works. In that respect, the dice roll is pretty important too.
The Chinese Vampire situation is defused a bit by the setting being Transylvania. Not many Chinese Vampires in Transylvania. If a group wanted to be more stringent about it and have situations where a Buddhist vampire is unaffected by turn attempts with a cross, that's cool. But TA/TG doesn't assume that to be the case. It might diminish some of the classes (especially the Polymath) where Turning is a big part of what they do. But it wouldn't break anything.
As an interesting aside, there are all sorts of situations in the Hammer movies where an irreligious, even agnostic or borderline atheist, character holds a vampire at bay with a couple of wooden sticks. So I sort of took that as faith and purpose being more fundamental than the religious symbol. I'd say that the character would have more success using a religious symbol that he'd think would work (either having seen it work before or believing that it could) and would probably give a -4 to the roll if a character was using something completely random or that didn't make sense for the character -- as would be the case with a Taoist priest using a rosary or crucifix or something.
Religion in the game (as well as the genre) is pragmatic -- almost to a mercenary degree. Such that, if I'm a Hunter from -- say -- France and the Polymath in our group is a Taoist priest from China... And if I've tried to use this wooden crucifix a few times and just haven't rolled well... Yet I've seen the Taoist priest hold back big nasty demon things with a tiny little mirror or a bell... I could use those based on my belief that they will work. That happens all the time in the movies. Even though it's people randomly picking up crosses and such.
Certain monsters are turned by a some classes and the requirement is that the character holds up some sort of symbol that they believe will work to hold the monster at bay. In theory, this could get really weird. Say I'm a Chaotic Polymath and I worship an undisclosed evil goddess of chance and a symbol that's holy to me is a playing card depicting the Ace of Spades. I use this to turn creatures. Well, the Valiant sees me do this and thinks "hey, that could work". So she starts doing it too. She's not a convert. She just believes it will work because she's seen it work. Might as well be magic to her. TA/TG is fine with that. If the Valiant is Lawful, however, using that Chaotic Holy Symbol might incur some Luck point loss over time. And full on converting to a Chaotic alignment will definitely affect how that character plays but that's the way the Vampire Lord crumbles.
For those keeping score... Yes, there are Chaotic Valiants. Yes, they play differently than Lawful Valiants. All classes differ by alignment in the same way that the DCC Thief does. Some more than others. But they all have significant variations in competency based on their alignment.
I also wanted to note that I've just noticed this thread jumped past 5000 views. That's awesome, even though I have no doubt somewhere between 5-10% of those views are mine.
All the questions, conversations and excitement around TA/TG has really inspired me. It definitely is getting done faster the more interest that's coming its way. And I appreciate everyone taking the time to read through this gargantuan thread, giving feedback and asking questions.
As a big thanks to all of you, I'd like to post something to the blog this week or next. Sometime after the Theorist comes out. Not sure what that would (or should) be right now. So I'm wide open for suggestions. I wouldn't want to post something from the book that may change drastically before publication. So there are some rules tweaks in there I'd be reluctant to post. But I'm willing and able to put up a small(ish) section of the book on the blog as a big thanks to everyone.
It could be a sidebar. A character from one of the playtests. Maybe one of the rules tweaks that you all might be interested in. Or a screenshot of part of the hexmap. Maybe a write-up from some of the more memorable moments in the playtest.
grald_the_hunter
Post by grald_the_hunter » Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:12 pm
This may or may not be related to the blog post, but I really want to know how multiclassing works. Is there a unified xp table (a la 3e) or is there a variable xp table (DCC RPG) for each class? And, either way, how does multiclassing work? Is it like Castles & Crusades (i.e. you add xp goals for next level for each class together to get your multiclassed xp table)? 2e? 3e?
Inquiring minds want to know, 'cause I think multi-classing with some of the classes would be pretty interesting.
blackwingedheaven
Contact blackwingedheaven
Post by blackwingedheaven » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:10 pm
I joined the forums just to post in this thread. As a fan of old Ravenloft (and new Ravenloft for that matter) I'm really liking what I'm seeing from Transylvanian Adventures. As soon as a Kickstarter happens or a sales page appears, expect to have money from me. ^_^
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one." -Voltaire
Post by Manchu » Tue Jun 05, 2012 7:29 am
I also registered here specifically to give some encouragement. IMO, there is no game that really handles the gothic/dark romance genre. Vampires are either gritty, foul-mouthed thugs or domesticated soap opera stars. I want a game where Dracula can smash his crystal goblet and cry "what is a man?" and morph into a gruesome minotaur-esque bat thing.
Post by smathis » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:14 am
grald_the_hunter wrote: This may or may not be related to the blog post, but I really want to know how multiclassing works. Is there a unified xp table (a la 3e) or is there a variable xp table (DCC RPG) for each class? And, either way, how does multiclassing work? Is it like Castles & Crusades (i.e. you add xp goals for next level for each class together to get your multiclassed xp table)? 2e? 3e?
Cool. I'll write that up as the "Happy 5000" blogpost. The section on that will appear in The Transylvanian Grimoire. But it is so straight-forward that I have no doubt most people will start doing it way before TG is released.
DCC has a unified XP table (now). TA/TG uses that.
The way TA/TG does multi-classing is not really how multi-classing is handled in any other edition of D&D. The only open questions at this point are identifying the big breakages the multi-classing will introduce. And if there should be a cost to multi-classing.
The running answers at this stage in development have identified only a couple of serious game-breakers. And it doesn't look like multi-classing will carry any cost. It doesn't seem like one needs to be applied.
Last edited by smathis on Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
blackwingedheaven wrote: I joined the forums just to post in this thread. As a fan of old Ravenloft (and new Ravenloft for that matter) I'm really liking what I'm seeing from Transylvanian Adventures. As soon as a Kickstarter happens or a sales page appears, expect to have money from me. ^_^
Thanks. That's encouraging. I'm not doing a Kickstarter for TA/TG. Mostly because I want to keep all options open on the business end of things. That includes timelines, cost of books, etc.
And when I say all options, I mean that. I'd love to make a little bit of something for all this effort. But I haven't ruled out anything. How much the book costs essentially depends on how much the art winds up costing me and how much the POD service wants.
All options are on the table. So I don't want to put people in a position where they donate X amount of money for a book that winds up costing X - 10 or X - 20. If the art starts to get pricey, I might consider a Kickstarter sort of thing. But at this point, I can't get an artist. So it's chicken and egg.
Raven_Crowking
Post by Raven_Crowking » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:24 am
http://danieljbishop.ca/index_files/Page293.htm
Not the world's greatest art, but I have some images you could use if you want. And I could do some new art for you as well, including images to match specific texts.
For a book like TA/TG, you might also want to consider public domain art, as there is a goodly amount of relevant art available.
SoBH pbp:
Cathbad the Meek (herbalist Wizard 1): AC 9; 4 hp; S 7, A 7, St 10, P 17, I 13, L 8; Neutral; Club, herbs, 50' rope, 50 cp; -1 to melee attack rolls. Hideous scar.
Manchu wrote: I also registered here specifically to give some encouragement. IMO, there is no game that really handles the gothic/dark romance genre. Vampires are either gritty, foul-mouthed thugs or domesticated soap opera stars. I want a game where Dracula can smash his crystal goblet and cry "what is a man?" and morph into a gruesome minotaur-esque bat thing.
You will LOVE this game. I mean LOVE it. If you crossed Marv Wolfman's version of Dracula from the "Tomb of Dracula" comics, inserted some gooey, sanguinous Lovecraftian nougat. And then wrapped that up in the existential question of what it means to be basically a science experiment for a sorcerous Super-Cult that left a shell of a sociopath in a demi-god's body...
Well, you'd have Dracula.
He's like Darth Vader. With fangs. And super-hot chicks in harem girl outfits for his stormtroopers. And he's really ticked that he's only the "Prince" of Darkness. In his world, it's "King" or nothing.
And yeah, he's got some morphage that a typical adventuring party might find unsettling.
Raven_Crowking wrote: http://danieljbishop.ca/index_files/Page293.htm
Thanks, Daniel. Let's chat. I'll send you a PM.
Post by smathis » Tue Jun 05, 2012 8:51 pm
Just wanted everyone to know that the Theorist and the Happy 5000th articles are up on the blog.
What class do we want next week? We've got the Survivor and... Is that it? Is the Survivor the only one left?
That's a bit ironic, don't ya think?
So Survivor it is.
I'll admit that I was lukewarm on this class too (at first). But not anymore. The Survivor is flat out awesome. I have my favorites and Survivor went from worst-to-first (or thereabouts) real quick.
Post by Liu Jen Hao » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:40 pm
Would Indiana Jones and Solid Snake (of the "Metal Gear Solid" Playstation Games) qualify as Survivors? They do kick ass more with their wits than by brute force alone, after all?
Or is there a "sneaky" hero that would suit Snake better?
Conduct modifiers for turning or "God protects the worthy."
Post by Liu Jen Hao » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:46 pm
This suggestion is thematically relevant to the (classic, pre post modern) Gothic Genre. After all, just as The Good Gods of the world grant strength to the pure and kind to fight evil, they would surely frown upon the hypocrisy of the morally monstrous asking for the same strength
In ore words' I suggest that the Dungeon Master ought to keep a piece of scratch paper and record the Heroic/Un Heroic behaviors of heroes who can turn evil. a record of his "Honor points" if you will.
Now come crunch time, when the headless horseman thunders towards you on his burning steed howling for your blood, your most recent conduct prior to the turning will grant you bonuses and penalties to your dice roll.
minor kindness (+1 bonus)
giving the beggar a shilling, staying by a frightened child to help her sleep, saving a cat from a tree, being truthful. ETC
kindness (+2 bonus)
keeping one's promise, protecting an old man from being robbed by young hooligans, giving food and shelter to an orphan for a day, comforting a grieving widow/er and her/his family. ETC
nobility (+4 bonus)
Granting mercy, keeping ones word of honor EVEN TO AN ENEMY, working for extended periods to better the life of the destitute, protecting a village from a bandit massacre. ETC
heroism (+8 bonus)
Redeeming a villain through love and kindness, standing trial against a corrupt nobleman in spite of risks to one's life and limb, forgiving your family's murderer/ the man (or monster) who ruined your life and making peace with him. ETC (NOTE the last example should be GENUINELY role played near a campaign's conclusion so it won't be cheapened for a mere dice roll. It should be an emotional and meaningful event)
conversely...
minor misdeeds (-1 penalty)
Lying, minor theft for one's gain, apathy and refusing to help the weak ETC
transgressions (-2 penalty)
Stealing from church donations, malicious lies, laughing at suffering, torture of enemy, breaking promises, ETC
villainy (-4 penalty)
inspiring despair, denying redemption, breaking families through adultery, refusing to grant mercy to enemies who plead for it, breaking sacred vows, lies that will ruin the livelihood of decent people, robbery, threatening the innocent
And just to drive in the point of what it means to be a HERO, if you committ ANY Of the transgressions below , not only will your next turning attempt AUTOMATICALLY fail, you need to atone if you ever wish to use your faith again (if your God does not strike you down DEAD where you stand),
unforgivable sins (lose the ability to use faith, you f#<>ing monster)
Rape, killing children, murdering innocents, abject cowardice that causes the ruin of entire communities, desecrating the shrines and temples of any decent faith (even those not your own) bring complicit in the slave trade, the trading of opium (which in real life destroyed traditional China), abject greed and hoarding in the face of poverty and suffering, Helping a despot rise to power. ETC.
Note how in general, except the sins are not necessarily linked to religious conduct: an Athiest / Agnostic who does not believe in God can still serve God through love and kindness to his fellow man.
Just want to suggest a system that adds flavor and encourages heroism,
Post by smathis » Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:11 am
Liu Jen Hao wrote: Would Indiana Jones and Solid Snake (of the "Metal Gear Solid" Playstation Games) qualify as Survivors? They do kick ass more with their wits than by brute force alone, after all?
Indiana Jones would probably best fit as a Hunter. He would have all the climbing-around-in-an-ancient-ruin skills he has in the movies, plus Mighty Deeds and his whip would qualify as a Signature Weapon if I'd ever seen one.
I'm not as familiar with Solid Snake from MGS. I played an early Nintendo or Sega version of MGS decades ago. If he hasn't changed too much, Solid Snake might be a good Exotic. Probably fits best there. Not from an Exotic standpoint. But from abilities. If not that, then maybe a Hunter. Exotics can be very sneaky. Hunters not as much. But Hunters get a greater quantity of weapons to work with. I guess that means Solid would be a good candidate for the multi-classing thing. Part Hunter, part Exotic. I'd probably start him out as an Exotic, though.
Re: Conduct modifiers for turning or "God protects the worth
Liu Jen Hao wrote: This suggestion is thematically relevant to the (classic, pre post modern) Gothic Genre. After all, just as The Good Gods of the world grant strength to the pure and kind to fight evil, they would surely frown upon the hypocrisy of the morally monstrous asking for the same strength
Thanks for the suggestion, Liu Jen. DCC has a pretty good system in place for this sort of thing with how Luck points are used. I'd toyed with the notion of being a bit more heavy-handed with enforcing genre conventions. But I didn't care for the results. Giving and taking away Luck points are a pretty awesome way of handling this already.
I may give the main adversary in an adventure a bit of a twist to reflect the aspect of discovery in these tales. I'm starting work on the Adversaries and the Monsters section soon, so that should make it in there.
But I've found in playtesting that if I just let the players run with it, they tend to adopt the thematic elements of Gothic Horror all on their own. Once in a while TA/TG interjects something via a random chart or something but most of the time I'm able (as Judge) to sit back and enjoy the show. Half the time, I find myself spending twice as long "towning" (as one player called it) because it's a blast to watch what the players do.
Then it's off to the monster's lair. A familiar narrative, really. But skewed in what I hope is an inventive direction.
I love the way multiclassing works! Are there restrictions, like you can only take cross-class upgrades at x, y, and z levels, or you can only take cross-class upgrades from so many classes?
Post by smathis » Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:17 am
grald_the_hunter wrote: I love the way multiclassing works! Are there restrictions, like you can only take cross-class upgrades at x, y, and z levels, or you can only take cross-class upgrades from so many classes?
Thus far, the only restrictions are that there are X class abilities or features that can't be taken as a cross upgrade. At this time, it's very straightforward. No level restrictions or limits or anything.
Post by Liu Jen Hao » Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:55 am
1) I proposed the bonuses/penalties for honorable/dishonorable behavior due to VERY bad past experiences with the cynical/dark/gothic Emo-crowd who INSIST on playing nihilists who do NOT behave with AN honor, decency or even basic kindness unless it interested them. You know, the kind of leather wearing father-hating Marilyn Manson fas who SCREAM at you to start enjoy killing children because "it's a dark world, stop being such a prude." The WORST are avid players of the DELIBERATELY evil Sabbat from Vampire The Masquerade: BY BUDDAH am I thankful never hang around that group again.
Here is another suggestion: DON'T give bonuses for honorable behavior, as this is what is EXPECTED of heroes to be able to turn undead in the FIRST PLACE. Instead, STILL penalize them for murder, stealing, lying bullying and raping. Remind them that NOT every role-playing game has to turn into a singing-dancing-and-laughnig happily-and-cynically baby killing session of Game of Thrones, that Good Decency and Kindness is meant to be PROTECTED, NOT EXPLOITED.
And if any player decides to sink to crap like torturing and raping children just to get information with the excuse "I'm just accurately role-playing my Chaotic Character who DOSENT care about ANYONE period", take away his ability to turn-evil.... f><k it, just kick the bastard out of the gaming group for good.
Sorry, just too bitter about watching role playing games, which was once about celebrating hope, heroism and idealism, get warped into a tool for lionzing cruelty, apathy and cynicism.
2) Just wondering: I keep seeing the term "cold iron" pop up everywhere in any articles about fairies: just what the heck DOES make iron "cold"?
Changeling the Lost defines a cold-iron sword as a lump of UN-melted iron hammered into a sword with a lot of time and a lot of patience. But that's just darned silly however you look at it.
Since both your hero's starting iron sword and plate mail AND their cold "cold iron", what does make an iron "cold" that enemies like Maleificent and the Queens of Hearts should fear you for having one?
Ravenheart87
Chaos-Summoning Sorcerer
Location: Győr, Hungary
Contact Ravenheart87
Post by Ravenheart87 » Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:01 am
Liu Jen Hao wrote: 2) Just wondering: I keep seeing the term "cold iron" pop up everywhere in any articles about fairies: just what the heck DOES make iron "cold"?
Here's the answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_iron#Cold_iron
Vorpal Mace: a humble rpg blog with some DCC-related stuff.
Liu Jen Hao wrote: Ladies and gentlemen...
Hi Liu Jen Hao. Great feedback as always. I would like a little time to write a full response. At this point, however, allow me to say that there are already sub-systems in place that could address these concerns. The expenditure and recovery of Luck as per the guidelines in DCC being the most expedient.
There's also a fair bit about how law, neutrality and chaos are defined in TATG.
I'll have more on this later. Thanks again.
Post by smathis » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:04 pm
Liu Jen Hao wrote: 1) I proposed the bonuses/penalties for honorable/dishonorable behavior due to VERY bad past experiences with the cynical/dark/gothic Emo-crowd who INSIST on playing nihilists who do NOT behave with AN honor, decency or even basic kindness unless it interested them. You know, the kind of leather wearing father-hating Marilyn Manson fas who SCREAM at you to start enjoy killing children because "it's a dark world, stop being such a prude." The WORST are avid players of the DELIBERATELY evil Sabbat from Vampire The Masquerade: BY BUDDAH am I thankful never hang around that group again.
Sounds like you've had some pretty bad experiences with the V:tM crowd.
I'll qualify my statements by pointing out that I ran a Vampire LARP for over a year whose attendance went upwards of 50 people. I also helped run a Vampire LARP in a different city for a couple of years as sort of an "Assistant Storyteller". So I've got experience managing all sorts of players from the "I'm just here because my boyfriend likes it when I dress up like this" to the hardcore "I'm secretly a member of the Sabbat with a trenchcoat made out of human skin". Not to mention the full spectrum of both nightmare players and nightmare DMs from decades of playing D&D and other RPGs.
Whether or not putting a mechanic in a game to enforce behavior towards one direction or the other is a good/bad thing, let me just say that I don't think TA/TG is in danger of being overrun by this type of crowd. It's just not that type of game. There's really no challenge to slaying scores of "civilians" or committing heinous crimes on the villagers in TA/TG. It would be boring. And mildly sociopathic. And while I'd think the latter would not be a limiting factor, the first one would be. It would be like going from 1st level to 10th level doing nothing but killing rats. It would take forever. And wouldn't be terribly effective.
Part of that is because of the way alignment works in TA/TG -- which is similar to DCC but with a twist. Being "Lawful" means your character is invested into the system -- The Church, the government, the ruling classes, etc. While being "Neutral" takes a humanistic view of things. Right and wrong are taken in relative terms with a Neutral character. They gauge things less on "rules" and more on justice and fairness. "Chaotic" means that a character has a bit of a mercenary bent with a nod towards acquiring personal power. This varies from class to class. What motivates a Chaotic Hunter might not motivate a Chaotic Polymath. And the system a Lawful Half-Breed is bought into is going to be very different from the rules a Lawful Valiant follows.
That said, TA/TG doesn't force any moral code on characters. It argues pretty strongly against it. Sometimes characters are going to be in uncomfortable situations. Sometimes they might choose to do something that isn't quite heroic. In TA/TG, this might cost a Luck point (or 2 or 3) -- see below. But I think a mechanic that forces people to conform introduces unnecessary friction. Moreover, in my experience it doesn't dissuade players from attempting to repeat those actions. If anything, it creates an internal challenge for them to do it just because.
But one might wonder if I would allow characters to run roughshod over the 0-levels in TA/TG. And, well yeah, I guess they could. But I'd actually encourage a player to try that. Just please oh please just once. Preferably in a gypsy settlement. Because they'd do it once. Only once.
TA/TG is set in a fairly detailed setting. And characters never know who they're dealing with or who that person may know. Do something against the Gypsies and it could land you a gypsy curse. Believe me, you don't want to go around collecting those. Moreover, a family of someone a PC harms could "pay" a gypsy to curse a character. If the character's actions were heinous enough, the Gypsy would get the same efficacy as if that act were committed against one of their own. And that chart. Sucks. It drains the life out of anything worth min-maxing. Really it does. Try swinging a Two-Handed Sword when you lose 1 point of Strength permanently every X days. That's the kind of slow death that could make a darkgrim sociopath go muster up an apology. If only to stop having to roll 1d10-3 damage.
In addition, NPCs have families and communities. It's good to have those people on your side. If for no other reason than parties in TA/TG go around collecting Adversaries and Rivals. And the less help those groups get, the better a party does. Think about the rival archaeologist in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Yeah, you don't want the villagers running to THAT guy to get away from you.
And then there's ghosts. Nope. Not talking about the 3-5 HD creature that can be turned/controlled/destroyed. TA/TG has legit Hauntings. And if the PCs are nasty enough, those will start to add up as well. Sure, a party could try to Exorcise those in game. But those are resources that won't be going to fighting those who are trying to kill you and take your stuff.
The PCs also need help from the people of Transylvania. If a party has a seriously bad rep, they won't get information. They won't get maps. They won't get medical assistance. Did I mention there's no magical healing? They won't get SUPPLIES.
Sure, they may (at significantly high level) just burn a village to the ground and take what they want. But that is legitimately unsustainable. A 10th level character will have maybe as many as 60 hit points or little more than a dozen. While supermen compared to a single 0-level villager, a 10th level TA/TG character is simply not strong enough to take on armies. Especially armies with muskets. No matter what level a character is, 36 points of damage could potentially kill them. A musket in TA/TG can do up to 36 points of damage.
And without access to records, archives, private vaults, libraries, it really won't matter how many levels a group has. If they don't have access to the community, they will be facing every Adversary at full power.
And they will die. Research is how parties level the playing field between themselves and this vile monstrosity over here. Burning down villages tends to limit how much a character can look through books and archives. Investigation is a HUGE part of this game. If the priest won't let you in the archives, you're kinda screwed. Remember, Transylvanians held off Huns, Turks, Szeklers and many other invading armies by holing up inside their churches. What's 4 PCs compared to that?
And with a significantly bad reputation, that's what a party would start to encounter: empty villages with villagers holed up in their kirchenburg after being warned by the ghost of some poor villager they'd gruesomely slain. And the villagers can stay in there for years. Could magic help the party? Maybe. Once. Or twice. Before the villagers get wise and just shoot him. I'll gar-OHN-tee a 10th level Theorist won't stand up to a full on musket ball. And some towns even have rifles!
Taking it further, it wouldn't be too long before some survivor of the PC's atrocities gave soul or life to the Big D or an Old Thing to stop the PCs. And let me tell you, Dracula doesn't like competition on his home turf.
A 10th level party taking on Dracula after serious investigation might bring him down with zero casualties with a lucky shot or two. We're talking Epic rolls. Then again, they might just make him mad.
But facing the Big D cold? Or with a Gypsy curse on your head? Or with Hauntings that are messing with you?
Yeah, Dracula would kill them. Maybe toy with them a bit. I mean, Dracula's bad enough as it is. I couldn't imagine facing him with dozens of villagers armed with pitchforks and a handful of them with muskets backing him up. And that would make things that much worse in Transylvania as a whole. Because now Dracula would have a groundswell of support amongst the mortals. Soon Dracula's cultists become an open Army. And then the next campaign, things look a lot like the setting "Midnight" by FFG.
Another good reason for not "going dark" in the setting is there is no power gain. Dracula is LORD of the Vampires. To be a vampire is to be one of his thralls. He makes you (even indirectly). He unmakes you. Being a Werewolf is painful. You don't get to run around with superpowers. Nope, you wake up naked in some random hex after X days have passed with blood all over you. And you have to find your way back. Cue random encounters. It's like the worst GM intro ever: "You wake up naked and all your stuff is gone".
Unlike the White Wolf games, being a "monster" isn't part of the fun. Because monsters lose the one thing that players almost universally value: protagonism. The power to choose what their characters will do. It legitimately sucks (pun intended) to "go to the dark side" in Transylvania. I mean, what good is a Hunter who is a Vampire if Dracula can remotely decide that you shouldn't wake up for another 25 years? And we haven't even mentioned the other Adversaries in TA/TG.
Things also happen to the characters outside of the game. They make connections, friends, lovers (that they don't have to assault) and become assimilated into the world to the greatest degree possible (or should). They even get XP for this. It's pretty important. And when those people are hurt, things are not nice for the character. Being in a loving relationship and having something happen to that person or relationship negatively affects the character. While being loved has a positive mechanical effect that no other spell, potion or otherwise offers. So there's that too. The more community support you have, the better off you are. Just use the charts and stuff like this happens. And players have seemed to enjoy it (thus far).
But even if this wasn't the case in TA/TG, DCC has the Luck stat to help enforce genre behavior. Just as healing a Chaotic Thief might cost a Lawful Cleric a Luck point, slaughtering those you are meant to protect could have a negative effect on Luck as well. Even the darkest of Chaotic classes in TA/TG know that the common enemy is the forces of darkness. Some might want to gain part of their power. But each knows that giving themselves over to Evil is losing their power of choice. It's like being an addict or a kleptomaniac or having a really over-bearing boss.
And nobody likes that.
TA/TG allows players the choice to do what they want in the setting. But just like anything else, choices have consequences. If they walk up and kill the Town Boss and start raping tavern girls, the villagers flee into the kirchenburg. The party doesn't get directions. The party doesn't get a map to the dungeon. The party doesn't even know what's in the dungeon.
And that's a legitimately bad thing in TA/TG. Not to mention if a character's fiancee hears about it and is scandalized or decides to break it off with the character. That's the kind of legitimate bad news that keeps hurting until a character can fix it.
I guess being in love (or falling out of love) is a bit like a Gypsy curse. Hmm, hadn't thought of it that way.
Not sure "cold iron" will be a part of TA/TG. It's part of folklore, for sure. But the source material for TA/TG distinguishes silver items more than other varieties. The fae will be featured in TG but the likelihood they'll let you get near them with anything made out of iron or silver is about as high as Dracula going sunbathing. Not saying he couldn't. It's just not likely he'd want to.
And no one has plate mail in TA/TG. It went out of fashion about 2 centuries ago. It's really expensive. Hard to find. Bulky. Not helpful against firearms.
If using TA/TG rules in a fantasy setting, there's a possibility it might pop up. But I think characters would be more inclined to run around in a loincloth.
I know I would.
After that huge last post (which should've probably found a home on the blog), I'd like to let every one who's contacted me from the Austin area know that I've got your PMs and I'll be in touch to set something up probably early in July. I'm working hard to get TA/TG in a good place. I'll be in contact soon.
Hola... Or Orrlo as the case may be.
The Survivor is up on the blog now. Have fun with that.
I'm also writing up a bit more of an explanation re: disruptive players or groups that want to run-not-jog to the dark side. Not as much a window into TA/TG as an explanation of where I am on the topic and how I got there.
Return to "DCC RPG Third Party Publishers"


The incident took place while Hardik Pandya was returning to the team hotel with Ishant and KL Rahul.
The incident took place after the day's play when India was defeat by 31 runs and while Hardik Pandya was returning to the hotel with Ishant Sharma and KL Rahul. While on his way he went straight to the concierge.
While this did not generate enough attention, the hotel staff was mighty impressed by the Hardik Pandya's heartfelt gesture and it also showed them how grounded these players are despite having all the luxury in their day to day life.
After getting defeated by the England team, there are questions being raised over Hardik's performance, with former West Indies fast bowler leading the charge.
"Why not pick a batsman (instead)? Pandya got a few runs in the second innings but is he a better batsman than Pujara? I don't think so, and you don't need him as a bowler in my eyes," Holding was as quoted by Sky Sports.


Hundreds of thousands of pigs in Australia are confined to sow stalls: tiny barren crates that are so small that they cannot turn. That's why the Greens have introduced legislation to ban the use of sow stalls and gestation crates, in line with a voluntary industry phase out.
In 2015 the SA Greens will introduce animal shelter reforms to bring smart sheltering to SA. The aim of the reforms will be to ensure that more companion animals are able to be saved.
Australian consumers are backing better animal welfare practices and truth in free-range egg labelling.
The South Australian Greens have been actively campaigning for funding for a new central city skate space. Our city skating community deserve a facility that will stand the test of time, not a temporary facility that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Greens have recently introduced the Liquor Licensing (Small Venue Licence) Amendment Bill 2016. The Bill intends to effect the extension of the small venue liquor licence commonly called the 'small bars' licence, which caters for venues with less than 120 patrons and reduces 'red tape') to reach beyond the currently prescribed area of the CBD only.


The Verona Earrings by Kitte are statement drop earrings. Featuring luxe crystal embellished studs and bold signature bee medallions, these dramatic earrings will turn heads. Available in both antique gold and silver these earrings are perfect for special occasions and brides to be.
Care Instructions: Polish with a silver cloth, avoid contact with any perfumes of creams.


Jet Boat Ride.com is located on the south end of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet on the famous Marshwalk directly behind the Dead Dog Saloon . JetBoatRide behind Dead Dog Saloon.
The jet boats are a great way to spend a few hours on your off day. Hit the rapids paddling, and then hit them in a jet boat- both great experiences. Our guide was informative, knowledgeable and the ride was fun!
Jet-Boat Thrill Ride for One; Jet-Boat Thrill Ride for Two; Picturesque views of the mangrove forest and local wildlife during a one-hour tour on a jet boat that achieves speeds of more than 30 knots.


over time, receiving the shape of a house in a later stage as presented today.
attached porches on all sides of the house and two wooden external stairs.
way as the first, the porch is limited only by wooden poles.
as an original look. From that year, Cula Cartianu hosts an exceptional ethnographic museum."
boyars Cartianu has an amazing architecture and ethnographic collection to offer.
Institute of Architecture "Ion Mincu" in Bucharest.
times, most objects belonging to this family set."


text:
Lamar Police Report – September 6
7:47 a.m. – Officers were called to the 600 blk of E. Oak St on a cold burglary. Upon investigation, the case is a civil matter between two parties still awaiting legal paperwork.
10:02 a.m. – Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of North 12th Street on a report of a disturbance. Officers contacted the involved subject and the subject was transported to Prowers Medical Center for evaluation.
10:56 a.m. – Officers contacted Angelic Orozco, 37 of Lamar, in the 400 block of Hackberry Street. Ms. Orozco was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant out of Prowers County for failure to comply. Ms. Orozco was transported to the Prowers County Jail where she is being held without bond.
11:40 a.m. – Officers contacted Alberto Flores, 41 of Lamar, in the 300 block of West Parkway Drive. Mr. Flores arrested for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of Prowers County for traffic offense. Mr. Flores was transported to the Prowers County Jail where he is being held on a $1,000.00 bond. Mr. Flores was also issued a summons for driving under restraint.
11:40 a.m. – An Officer was given information at the Lamar Police Department lobby about a domestic violence incident at N 10th St and W. Maple. A suspect was arrested in the case, 37 year old Damien Sena for 2nd Degree Assault, Menacing, False Imprisonment, and Domestic Violence. The suspect was transported to the Prowers County Jail and has no bond.
1:49 p.m. – Officer responded to the 600 block of South Main Street for a juvenile problem.
3:27 p.m. – Officer responded to the 300 block of Savage Avenue on report of a theft. Cody Sherwood, 21 of Lamar, was cited for theft.
4:28 p.m. – Officers contacted Cristian Esquivel, 23 of Lamar, in the 400 block of North 8th Street in regards to a disturbance. Mr. Esquivel was arrested for weapon by previous offender and resisting arrest. Mr. Esquivel was transported to the Prowers County Jail where he is being held on a $4,000.00 bond.
7:40 p.m. – Officers responded to Washington and Main Street on a report of a two vehicle non injury accident. Officers took report and cited June Mauch of Lamar for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.
10:23 p.m. – Officers responded to the 700 block of South 4th Street on a report of a stolen bicycle. Officers spoke with the reporting party and took report.
Two Pueblo men arrested following McClave Bank robbery
Columbine High School shooting focused on "Trench Coat Mafia"
Atmos Energy pipe replacement underway in Lamar
More in On The Record
Lamar Police Report: Female possibly drowning
Lamar Police Report: Subject in middle of median
Lamar Police Report: Two reported as tresspasing at Dollar General Store

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Not Without My Daughter
posted in Feminist on April 27, 2017 by TheBookBlog
How does it feel like being in an Islamic Nation? How would you react if you happen to witness a Muslim husband physically abusing his wife in the public? Wait, before you make any hasty decision, Islamic Nations allow men to have full authority over their wife and daughter. (Betty Mahmoody's Not Without My Daughter suggests the same)
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody is a 1987 novel which runs to 420 pages and has an entirely biographical surface. The author is narrating the story of her escape from Iran along with her daughter Mahtob. This novel traces the difficulties that the author and her daughter had to brave in order to land back in the USA from Iran of those days. (Has it changed even recently?)
When I first read the novel, I was filled with an utter disgust against the lawmakers of Islamic nations; how can someone allow a person to beat women in public and everything is fine with the passers by? Iran has been long-known for its hatred against Americans and also to an extent women. All these qualities of this nation are very elaborately captured in Not Without My Daughter.
Talking briefly about the storyline, it might go like the following. In 1977, Betty married Dr. Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody with a hope of better life and a better future. All goes fine and soon they are blessed with a girl child. When the daughter of those, Mahtob, turns five, Sayed tries to persuade his wife to accompany him to Iran. However, Betty doesn't seem to agree and she is forced to go with Sayed. The hesitation on the part of Betty is understood as she is a little troubled with the thought of being in Iran, knowing that the status of women in Islamic nations is very bad. Moreover, as she holds an American passport, her reservations are more obvious! Somehow, she reaches Iran and got the shock of her life when she was forced to remain there. Her husband wanted her to remain there for life and then the struggle of a woman and her daughter begins – getting out of an Islamic nation Iran… Betty could have done it alone, very easily. However, the fact that her daughter is also trapped there makes her a little more careful about her moves. Rest of the novel is the journey to freedom with so many obstacles on the way…
Her escape from Iran turns out to be a big ordeal involving a lot of torturous situations. But she fights bravely against all odds only for her daughter. The indomitable courageous spirit displayed by Betty was for real. While writing this book she changed the name and places associated with people who helped her to save them from execution by the Iranian Government. Overall a controversial book unveiling lot of inside stories. Anyone who is interested in reading the real feminism in action should go through Betty Mahmoody's Not Without My Daughter!
#Novels
← The Liberation of Sita
Sons and Lovers →


text:
import os
import re
import subprocess
import sys

RESULTS_PATH = 'results'
TRACES_PATH = 'cleaned_traces'
ORACULAR_TRACES_PATH = 'oracular_traces'

SCORER_PATH = 'alfalfa/src/examples/scorer'
QUANTILES_PATH = 'alfalfa/src/examples/quantiles'

def extract_metrics(trace_file, mode):
    subprocess.call('cat %s | %s %s > temp1 2> temp2' % (trace_file, SCORER_PATH, mode), shell = True)
    subprocess.call('cat temp1 | %s >> temp2 2>&1' % QUANTILES_PATH, shell = True)

    with open('temp2') as f:
        data = f.read();

    os.remove('temp1')
    os.remove('temp2')

    throughput_metrics = re.findall('Used (\d+) kbps / (\d+) kbps => ([\d.]+) %', data)

    if len(throughput_metrics) > 0:
        throughput, capacity, utilization = throughput_metrics[0]
    else:
        throughput, capacity, utilization = (0, 0, 0)

    delay_metrics = re.findall('med: (\d+), 95th: (\d+)', data)

    if len(delay_metrics) > 0:
        median_delay, ninety5_delay = delay_metrics[0]
    else:
        median_delay, ninety5_delay = (0, 0)

    return int(throughput), int(ninety5_delay)

def run(network, application):
    assert(os.path.exists(SCORER_PATH))
    assert(os.path.exists(QUANTILES_PATH))

    input_file = '%s/%s/%s/cellsim.out' % (RESULTS_PATH, network, application)
    oracular_trace_files = [
        '%s/%s/uplink.out' % (ORACULAR_TRACES_PATH, network),
        '%s/%s/downlink.out' % (ORACULAR_TRACES_PATH, network)
    ]

    uplink_throughput, uplink_delay = extract_metrics(input_file, 'uplink')
    _, uplink_oracular_delay = extract_metrics(oracular_trace_files[0], 'uplink')

    downlink_throughput, downlink_delay = extract_metrics(input_file, 'downlink')
    _, downlink_oracular_delay = extract_metrics(oracular_trace_files[1], 'downlink')

    with open('%s/%s/%s/uplink-throughput' % (RESULTS_PATH, network, application), 'w+') as f:
        f.write(str(uplink_throughput))

    with open('%s/%s/%s/uplink-delay' % (RESULTS_PATH, network, application), 'w+') as f:
        f.write(str(uplink_delay - uplink_oracular_delay))

    with open('%s/%s/%s/downlink-throughput' % (RESULTS_PATH, network, application), 'w+') as f:
        f.write(str(downlink_throughput))

    with open('%s/%s/%s/downlink-delay' % (RESULTS_PATH, network, application), 'w+') as f:
        f.write(str(downlink_delay - downlink_oracular_delay))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    assert(len(sys.argv) == 3)

    network = sys.argv[1]
    application = sys.argv[2]

    run(network, application)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Alpaca socks for the formal you!
The My Comfy Dress Collection includes our more light-weight socks that can be worn with both casual and dress wear. These socks are extremely soft and comfortable. Although they tend to be thinner and more fitting to your foot, they still have all the benefits of alpaca fiber: comfort, flexibility, and temperature control. Best of all, these socks come in a variety of colors and designs.


Welcome to the Monday Title III-PROMESA Update! So much happens every day in Puerto Rico's bankruptcy, including the Friday night news dump that I came up with the idea of updating every Monday morning what transpired during the previous week. Each day I receive dozens of notifications regarding the five Title III cases that comprise the bankruptcy and through this update I will highlight the previous week's developments and shed a little light on their implications both to the case, to bondholders and the general public.
From the statements of Judge Dein during the hearing, it is clear the Board must come up with something that will satisfy the COFINA Senior Parties or one of its members will be deposed. The stipulation must be reached by August 29, 2017 or Judge Dein will decide.
Interestingly, once Judge Dein made her point, counsel for the COFINA Senior Parties seemed to lose interest in the rest of their claims and accepted that most of the discovery was subject to the deliberative process privilege and the procedures would be taken on a case-by-case basis.
The second key issue that came up was the Unsecured Creditors Committee request to do discovery on the GDB, Banco Popular, Inc., Banco Popular, Popular Securities, Banco Santander, Santander Asset Management and Santander Securities pursuant to Rule 2004 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. But first, a little background is needed.
Last year, the Puerto Rican left and Democrats, broadly, were screaming for an audit of the debt so part of it could be declared illegal and hence not paid. Aside from the fact that illegal debt would still have to be paid (see here), Governor Rosselló said he would not do it and Mr. Carrión has said it's a waste of time. Then, after the Board filed for Puerto Rico's Title III and Unsecured Creditors Committee (UCC) was formed, it requested leave to do the aforementioned discovery, mentioning the possible conflict of interest of a member of the Board. All of a sudden, the Board discovered PROMESA allowed the Board to do so and said, no UCC cannot do it, only the Board can do it. Obviously, GDB, Banco Popular, Inc., Banco Popular, Popular Securities, Banco Santander, Santander Asset Management and Santander Securities all said they agreed for the Board to do it but objected that the UCC conduct said discovery. During the hearing, the Board's attorney, Martin Bienestock, said that the UCC did not have to stand down since it simply had not gotten up, ridiculing the discovery request. Even the Retirees Committee waded in support of the Board, no wonder since it has been allowed full payment of pensions.
The UCC, however, came out swinging, pointing out that Mr. Carrión had a conflict as part of the family that founded Banco Popular and an ongoing referral arrangement whereby he provides insurance for many clients of Banco Popular (isn't this where the $1.8 billion is at?), and Mr. Carlos García was mentioned as the issuer of much of COFINA. The UCC also called the Banco Popular, Santander Securities and the GDB relationship a "revolving door" since many of its executives worked at different times in these places.
With this order, Judge Dein essentially authorized the Rule 2004 discovery but in a coordinated form. Hence, if the Board drags its feet, the UCC can come to the Judge and complain. Moreover, in a very elegant way, Judge Dein put a deadline on the Board appointing its investigator in such a way that it can coordinate the discovery by the time the report must be made by September 12 or she will rule on the UCC's motion.
From what we can see of the Board's actions in the Title III proceedings, it wants to claim that all bond debt is illegal for one reason or another so they are unsecured claims with no constitutional priority (see Article VI, section 8 of the PR Constitution). This way it will substantially reduce debt payment and justify the ridiculously low debt service in the Fiscal Plan.
But with the UCC's intrusion it has the problem that some of it members and their protected allies may be sued for millions of dollars. The UCC made it clear that it believes COFINA was illegal, and the 2014 GO issuance, as surpassing the debt limit of Article VI, section 2 of the Puerto Rico Constitution. It is very telling that one of the documents requests of the UCC to the banks is "Documents or Communications concerning any director and officer liability policies." The Board members are immune from liability for their work as members of the Board but not for actions performed BEFORE they were members.
The decisions by Judge Dein seem to have convinced National and other bondholders to request discovery pursuant to Rule 2004, this time on the Fiscal Plan, the Budget and other documents issued by Puerto Rico and the Board. Movants claim they have asked Puerto Rico and the Board for certain documents since before the filing of the Title III petitions and that they are important for the understanding of the future Plan of Adjustment which must be based on the Fiscal Plan. Expect the Board and AAFAF to claim they have been produced or that now is not the time. Judge Dein will have another opportunity to rule on discovery sometime in the next month.
On Friday, August 25, 2017, the Municipality of San Juan filed a Preliminary Injunction in a case it has previously filed against the Board, Puerto Rico and the GDB. The Injunction seeks to stop the GDB from soliciting votes and tabulating them on its RSA, which it said it would start once the Governor signed the statute that permits it. Since it was signed Friday, the Municipality sought the injunction. The Municipality claims the RSA violates section 601 of PROMESA, and it very likely does. The problem as I see it is the proof of irreparable harm required in these procedures, especially since section 601 requires Court approval of any RSA in a hearing in which any party may challenge whether the requirements of the section have been met. Judge Swain would likely postpone any ruling until the aforementioned hearing. In any event, I believe the Municipality's claim, as well as those of the Municipality of Caguas in a separate lawsuit are very valid and require careful scrutiny.
I hope you found this new update helpful… till next Monday…!


The Magnificent Security GOLD is our maximum Doors For Security, providing the ultimate in burglar resistance. Its unique and patented construction was created after extensive research followed by intensive testing.
Testers tried to break our Doors For Security continuously for 77 minutes using crowbars, sledgehammers, cutting and drilling tools but were not able to break in. Following these tests, the Magnificent Security GOLD door was awarded security class 4.
• Main and additional locks installed in protective steel boxes.
• Lock side: six locking bolts, with two additional vertical bolts. Each bolt protected by a steel sleeve in the door frame.
• Combined door structure: grating, steel sheet and grating again.
• Double thermal insulation: a 3 cm layer of rock wool on both sides of the steel sheet provides excellent noise and thermal insulation.
• Exterior covered by finishing board, the colour and design of which can selected from an extensive choice.
• The frame is fixed in the opening by 17 pins, protected by steel liners of 24 mm.
Designed for a high risk of burglary, a Magnificent Security SILVER security door will protect your property from a thief using heavy-duty tools.
Deploying the same research and testing as our PLATINUM and GOLD, the SILVER door also has excellent sound and thermal insulation and is suitable both for apartments and private houses, with materials suitable for indoor or outdoor conditions.
• Door frame fixed in its aperture by 16 pins, protected from cutting by steel liners of 24 mm.
• Thermal insulation by rock wool or foam.
• Door leaf – special bent metal structure total width of the leaf 75 mm.
• Locks, one of which is protected by drill-resistant plate.
Manufactured to meet all the demands of thermal and sound insulation, this can be an ideal high security door to be installed in domestic spaces. Its bent metal construction makes it highly resilient and durable, providing your home with a secure shield.
Finished to perfection, the door is made using a waterproof finish which provides it with sufficient protection from potential external damage and makes its highly durable. It has been constructed to retain its original appearance even after significant mechanical damage.
• Door leaf – special bent metal construction with 100% thermal insulation by two 50 mm rock wool sheets. Total width of the leaf is 75 mm. With a protective plate to prevent drilling of the lock.
• Two hinges with supporting bearings, covered with chrome-plated finishing caps.
• Locks – options available, but no lower than 3rd security class.


text:
People, Objects & Stories
George Frederick Eley
George enlisted at the same time as his uncle Fred, in September 1915. He was 23 years old and working as a clerk. His family lived in Fernleigh in Church Street, Ross. George was a Gunner with the 17th Battery Field Artillery. He arrived in France in March 1916 and just over seven months later, […]
Alfred (Alf or Grat) John Martin
Alfred had been working on wool properties around Ross when he enlisted in January 916, at the age of 23. He served with the 52nd and 51st Battalion in France as a Driver and 'came through without a scratch'. He returned to Australia in 1919. He was granted 200 acres of land in the Lake […]
Gordon Francis Roberts
Gordon Roberts enlisted in April 1916 when he was 22 years old. He had been apprenticed to his father, as a wheelwright. After training in England, he arrived in France in June 1917 as a Sapper with the 7th Field Company Engineers. He was admitted to hospital in September 1917, with reportedly a nervous condition. […]
George Phillip Smith
When George Smith enlisted in September 1915, he had just turned 18. He had been working on Ellenthorpe as a farm labourer, alongside his father Phillip, a wool classer. George served with the 2nd Pioneers, arriving in France in December 1916. He was wounded in April 1917, with a gunshot wound to the right hand. […]
Stanley George Richards
Stanley enlisted in January 1918 at the age of 18, having been working as a clerk. He had his vaccinations, attended basic training at Claremont Camp and, as a Sapper, was sent to the Wireless Training School in Sydney. His progress in the recruitment process was overtaken by the end of hostilities and he was […]
Frederick (Fred) Eley
When Fred enlisted in September 1915, he was 44 years old, married, and working as a saddler. He arrived in France late in 1916, part of the 40th Battalion. He took part in fighting in the Battles of Messines and Broodseinde Ridge. After a bout of influenza, he re-joined his unit just before the action […]
Herbert John Richards
Herbert was 20 years old when he joined up in January 1916. He was married to Corinda Evelyn (nee Adams) and working as a Railway clerk. His father-in-law also worked for the Railways. Herbert arrived in France in April 1917 and served as a Sapper with several different units. He returned to Tasmania in 1919. […]
James Gerald Albert Fitch
James was a police constable when he enlisted in October 1916 at the age of 23. After training in England, he reached France early in 1918. He served in the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion and managed to reach the end of the war without suffering major illness or wounding. After returning to Australia, James worked […]
Bryan Mary Fitch
Bryan joined the 12th Battalion in August 1916, at the age of 26. Bryan was working as a labourer and his father, Thomas, was a shearer on Syndal. The family had strong ties with Tunbridge and owned property there. Bryan arrived in France in April 1917. In September that year, he was shot in the […]
Harry John (Stump) Richards
Harry enlisted in July 1915 at the age of 27. He was, like many of the Richards clan, a monumental mason. Harry arrived in France in November 1916, assigned to the 28th Battalion. In June 1917, during operations near Babaume, Harry was transferred to hospital in England with Trench Fever. He was discharged in January […]
Charles was 41 when he signed up with the 12th Battalion in September 1915. He sailed from Fremantle in January 1916 and arrived in France (via Egypt) in June. In July he was appointed to the rank of Gunner with the 10th Field Artillery Brigade and posted to the 39th Battery. In October 1918 he […]
Henry (Harry) Gillam
Harry had been working as a miner when he enlisted in March 916, joining the 40th Battalion. He was 26, and married to Ellie, the sister of Tom Garwood. From August 1917, he was deployed fighting in France and Belgium. He was awarded the Belgium Croix de Guerre for his role in action at Passchendaele […]
It Takes a Village – Teaching the children of Ross
A Museum of Stories
If you love stories about days gone by, about the people and events from the earliest convicts, soldiers and settlers, visit our museum page for some intriguing tales.
Visit the bridge
The unique and exquisite Ross Bridge was completed in 1836 and is the third oldest and one of Australia's finest sandstone bridges in Australia. Find out more about Ross
Ross is easy to find – we're 120 km north of Hobart and 78 km south of Launceston just off the Midland Highway (Hwy 1).
10.00 am – 4.00 pm, 7 days.
Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, and until 12.00 pm on Anzac Day.
© 2022 Tasmanian Wool Centre All Rights Reserved.


The perfect way of earning babies sleep is to make work with of an infant sleep sofa. These sleep sacks are comfortable and have zippers in which an infant can be set while in their sleepwear. In the sleeping sacks, babies could be placed in fact when they're asleep. A baby sleep sack helps in temperatures, thereby making babies to feel comfortable in cold states on account of the material.
These sleep sacks are how they generally seems like that is, cloth pockets that fits snugly round the child leave his/her head and hands free. While having connectors that prevents them from falling 19, they are able to zip up like a sleeping bag. But unlike the sleeping bags that are grown-up, a baby sleep bag has large arm-holes which allows ventilation, also helps to sustain a healthy body temperature.
Whilst keeping all through the night with no blankets to kick off, the sleep sack stick and will move with the child time. In addition, it offers enough leg space to permit the baby for twisting freely. In any case, a well designed and practical baby sleep sack are available in cocoon contour with band. Another feature is the large centre zipper that enables diapers to switch quickly.
It circulate the atmosphere better and also might be a far much better idea to find to get breathing simpler as it empowers the skin. However there is an even more suitable option that the sleep bag that is fleece-made. Hence, when picking a sleep sack, one needs to consider why is the baby comfortable and safe.


text:
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A new feature in Numbers is the ability to add leader lines to pie charts. This makes the charts look more professional and easier to follow. This also works with pie charts in Keynote and Pages.
Closed captioning for this video is available on YouTube: Add Pie Chart Leader Lines in Numbers.
Let's take a look at another small change in the new Numbers version 4.1. This has to do specifically with pie charts. So here we've got a typical table that we might want to use as a pie chart. I'm going to select everything here so I can create a pie chart from these sale numbers.
I'm going to go to Chart, and select Pie Chart. There's my chart and it pretty much looks the same as before. I can choose different styles here on the right. All sorts of different things. But, the new feature is something if you look under Wedges, and I still want everything selected not an individual wedge but just everything, I can now choose Leader Lines. Now we don't see any difference now because the distance from center for these labels is less than 100%. So it's inside the pie chart.
If I move outside the pie chart you'll see the lines actually form right here. Before it looked like this so you wanted to keep everything kind of close in there. But now with leader lines you can actually use these lines here and you have lots of options as you can see.
The main one is the style which is either straight out or angled. You can see the angled version looks rather nice and dignified. Either way we get to choose the type of lines. So you can do dash line. There we go dash line. We can do dotted line or solid. We can choose the color of the line. We can choose the thickness of the line. We can also choose end points. So we can have like arrows that point in or, you know, something on the outside. We can have it done anyway we want.
In addition, if we did wedges that were out you can see it moves the lines out there. So you can set this on a per wedge basis. If I click in here to just change this here I can move this line further out and maybe make it a thicker line there or change it's color. All sorts of things. But I can't actually change the style. I have to have just either the straight or angled for all of them at once. So you get to do that.
You also get to do, if I select the entire thing again, you can see I can use the data point names as well as values. So I have an actual column here that has names and now I get to see things like oranges and peaches and everything in there. If I turn off the legend now you can see it looks pretty nice there. So I can do angled and maybe something a little closer in. Notice that since now this is different I if change it, it will reset it to all of them.
So a nice addition there for pie charts. It makes them look a lot nicer. A lot more professional and just something in general that you should know about in the new version of Numbers.
Excellent! Thanks!! Didn´t know about this. BUT…I can only get leader lines to show when working with a 2D pie chart, not a 3D one! I use a German version of Numbers 4.1 here in Germany, so I don´t know if this "restriction" applies to the US version you´re obviously using…??
Ian: Right. This is for 2D pie charts only.
Thanks for replying, Gary! And I must say that 2D pie charts with leader lines (with all the variations you clearly pointed out) look, IMHO, much nicer and indeed more "professional" than 3D charts!


text:
<< Previous TITLE 15 / CHAPTER 2D / SUBCHAPTER I / § 80a-42 Next >>
15 USC 80a-42: Court review of orders Text contains those laws in effect on January 19, 2020
From Title 15-COMMERCE AND TRADECHAPTER 2D-INVESTMENT COMPANIES AND ADVISERSSUBCHAPTER I-INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Jump To: Source CreditAmendmentsChange of NameEffective Date
§80a–42. Court review of orders
(a) Any person or party aggrieved by an order issued by the Commission under this subchapter may obtain a review of such order in the United States court of appeals within any circuit wherein such person resides or has his principal place of business, or in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, by filing in such court, within sixty days after the entry of such order, a written petition praying that the order of the Commission be modified or set aside in whole or in part. A copy of such petition shall be forthwith transmitted by the clerk of the court to any member of the Commission or any officer thereof designated by the Commission for that purpose, and thereupon the Commission shall file in the court the record upon which the order complained of was entered, as provided in section 2112 of title 28. Upon the filing of such petition such court shall have jurisdiction, which upon the filing of the record shall be exclusive, to affirm, modify, or set aside such order, in whole or in part. No objection to the order of the Commission shall be considered by the court unless such objection shall have been urged before the Commission or unless there were reasonable grounds for failure so to do. The findings of the Commission as to the facts, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive. If application is made to the court for leave to adduce additional evidence, and it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that such additional evidence is material and that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce such evidence in the proceeding before the Commission, the court may order such additional evidence to be taken before the Commission and to be adduced upon the hearing in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as to the court may seem proper. The Commission may modify its findings as to the facts by reason of the additional evidence so taken, and it shall file with the court such modified or new findings, which, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, and its recommendation, if any, for the modification or setting aside of the original order. The judgment and decree of the court affirming, modifying, or setting aside, in whole or in part, any such order of the Commission shall be final, subject to review by the Supreme Court of the United States upon certiorari or certification as provided in section 1254 of title 28.
(b) The commencement of proceedings under subsection (a) to review an order of the Commission issued under section 80a–8(e) of this title shall operate as a stay of the Commission's order unless the court otherwise orders. The commencement of proceedings under subsection (a) to review an order of the Commission issued under any provision of this subchapter other than section 80a–8(e) of this title shall not operate as a stay of the Commission's order unless the court specifically so orders.
(Aug. 22, 1940, ch. 686, title I, §43, 54 Stat. 844 ; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, §32(a), 62 Stat. 991 ; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §127, 63 Stat. 107 ; Pub. L. 85–791, §25, Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 949 ; Pub. L. 91–547, §21, Dec. 14, 1970, 84 Stat. 1430 .)
1970-Pub. L. 91–547 substituted reference to "section 1254" for "sections 346 and 347" of title 28.
1958-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85–791, in second sentence, substituted "transmitted by the clerk of the court to any member of the Commission or" for "served upon any member of the Commission or upon", substituted "file in the court" for "certify and file in the court a transcript of", and inserted "as provided in section 2112 of title 28" and, in third sentence, substituted "petition" for "transcript", and "jurisdiction, which upon the filing of the record shall be exclusive" for "exclusive jurisdiction".
Act June 25, 1948, eff. Sept. 1, 1948, as amended by act May 24, 1949, substituted "court of appeals" for "circuit court of appeals".
Amendment by Pub. L. 91–547 effective Dec. 14, 1970, see section 30 of Pub. L. 91–547, set out as a note under section 80a–52 of this title.
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of functions of Securities and Exchange Commission, with certain exceptions, to Chairman of such Commission, see Reorg. Plan No. 10 of 1950, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3175, 64 Stat. 1265, set out under section 78d of this title.


text:
from __future__ import print_function
import os
import argparse
import subprocess
import time

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument('--gnuplot-filename', default='livedisplay.gnuplot')
parser.add_argument('--data', default='/tmp/livedisplay.dat')
parser.add_argument('--details', default='/tmp/livedisplaydetails.dat')
parser.add_argument('--xrange', type=float, default=300)
parser.add_argument('--yrange', type=float, default=.05)
parser.add_argument('--yrange2', type=float, default=1.0)
parser.add_argument('--remote')
args = parser.parse_args()

if args.remote:
    if os.path.exists(args.data):
        os.unlink(args.data)
    if os.path.exists(args.details):
        os.unlink(args.details)
    syncproc = subprocess.Popen(
        ["ssh", args.remote, "tail -f -n10000 " + args.data],
        stdout=open(args.data, "w"))
    syncproc2 = subprocess.Popen(
        ["ssh", args.remote, "tail -f -n10000 " + args.details],
        stdout=open(args.details, "w"))

while '\n' not in open(args.data).read():
    time.sleep(1)
while '\n' not in open(args.details).read():
    time.sleep(1)

p1 = subprocess.Popen(["gnuplot"], stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
p1.stdin.write(open(args.gnuplot_filename).read())
print('set title "Zoomed out"', file=p1.stdin)
print("set xrange [0:%f]" % args.xrange, file=p1.stdin)
print("set yrange [0:%f]" % args.yrange2, file=p1.stdin)
p1.stdin.flush()

time.sleep(1)

p2 = subprocess.Popen(["gnuplot"], stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
p2.stdin.write(open(args.gnuplot_filename).read())
print('set title "Zoomed in"', file=p2.stdin)
print("set xrange [0:%f]" % args.xrange, file=p2.stdin)
print("set yrange [0:%f]" % args.yrange, file=p2.stdin)
p2.stdin.flush()

procs = [p1, p2]

while True:
    time.sleep(1)
    for p in procs:
        print("replot", file=p.stdin)
        p.stdin.flush()


Pure Data Running on the Raspberry Pi #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi « Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers!
There's been a flurry of discussion on the Pure Data developer lists about how to tweak the sound synthesis program to run well on the Raspberry Pi. Shawn Greenlee got his Pi working and has a video up on Vimeo showing some patches running. It looks like he's using an inexpensive USB sound card for output, but others have had success with the HDMI audio out from the Pi as well. It seems like the analog output still needs some work on the driver side, as most people seem to get choppy output after a while.
This seems like good progress though; I've always thought that sound synthesis (and Pure Data) is a kind of killer app for these tiny cheap embedded Linux computers.


In this post, I want to talk about a new AR shooter that was just released on the App Store called Space Blastards. A disclaimer, I was taking part in designing the game. Therefore I won't write a review about this game, but rather share general information about the game instead.
Space Blastards is an Augmented Reality first-person shooter developed using Apple's ARKit. The game tells a story of a group of extraterrestrials criminals who escaped from a galactic prison where the most outright criminals of the galaxy are kept. This intergalactic prison is called Space Blastards.
Blastards are those convicts who have received a life sentence and are doomed to serve their life assembling battle robots on the conveyor. One day a villain has decided to free them in order to make them serve his evil cause, to conquer more and more planets in the galaxy.
He opened open portals that send his new recruits over the universe, Earth was on his radar and eventually, Blastards arrived at planet Earth.
his is where you come in. Your job is to protect planet earth and put an end to the invasion.
Space Blastards was designed to be played in any either seated or standing posture. The game doesn't require a surface scan, so you can play it straight away.
The game features two game modes: Campaign and Survival. The survival mode unlocked itself during half of the campaign. The campaign is a good way to get familiar with the characters in the game, which are introduced gradually as the player progresses through the levels. It's also good to get familiar with the weapons, grab mechanics and unlocking new weapons.
There are a total of 20 levels, with new characters introduces in every 1 or 2 levels. Each character has its own unique abilities. Some character like Loopi has defensive abilities, which provides shield enemies, while characters like bomb are offensive. "Bomb" will storm the player in fast speed and explode upon impact, dealing massive damage to the player. My favorite character is the robot character, which is very evasive and very hard to take down, but "Crazy Lulu" is even harder to take down.
In both the campaign and the survival mode you get to meet creatures refer to as "creeps". Creeps are nasty and ugly little creatures that get out of the portal in groups, move towards the player and deal damage on impact. It's important to make sure you eliminate them before they get to close. There are several different creeps, some are easier to kill than others.
The survival mode is a wave-based mode that will test your ability to survive as long as possible. Each wave increases in difficulty and you'll need the most powerful weapons in the game in order to survive.
Before each fight, players have the option to choose two weapons which they want to fight with. When you just start the game, you'll only have a single weapon, which is the slingshot. You'll unlock new weapons as you progress through the game. I will talk about weapons in the next section.
Space Blastards is not just about straight-on shooting. It features a "Grab" mechanic. This mechanic allows the player to grab on power-ups from the scene and use them on demand.
The grab is operated using the left hand. There is a circular lightning icon on the left side of the screen. Once you see a power-up, which can be like a health pack, fast-firing, XP, protective shield, etc, you need to aim the crosshair towards the power-up and tap to grab it. It takes about a second and a half. Once the item is obtained, you can tap on the same button to activate it. Power-ups and items are dropped from creeps and from other Blastards. For example, if you shoot "Bomb", you get a chance to obtain an exploding bomb power-up. This bomb deals massive damage to all enemies currently in the scene.
This is super useful at times where you want to hold a power-up and use it at a specific time. For example, use the health pack when you are low on health, rather than when its full, or use the fast-firing power-ups when there are a lot of enemies on the screen. This system improves the tactical gameplay and allows the player to survive longer during fights, which is especially important when playing the Survival mode.
The "Armory" is where you can buy and upgrade stuff. There are two sections there: Weapons and Loot boxes.
In the weapon section, you can unlock new powerful weapons and upgrade current ones. Upgrading a weapon will improve the weapon's damage output and speed.
You can upgrade weapons using either coins or gems. Coins, Gems or Weapon cards. Gems is an in-game currency which you can purchase using real money, coins are obtainable from completing levels in both game modes, loot boxes and when leveling up. You can also exchange gems for coins, with each gem equals to 1000 coins.
The first weapon in the game is a powerful slingshot, and have unlimited bullets, so you can literally shoot forever with it. However, the other guns do have ammo capacity limit. Bullets can be bought using coins. This means that you need to make sure you are prepared to fight by making sure you have plenty of bullets and also you don't waste your bullets for nothing ("Spray and pray").
Speaking on loot boxes. There are three types of loot boxes in Space Blastards: Bronze, Silver, and Ultimate. The first one costs 9 gems and offers between 250-500 coins and either slingshot or Corngun (shotgun)upgrade cards. The Silver loot box costs 19 gems and gives you between 500 to 1000 coins and either Slingshot, Minigun or Corngun cards. The Ultimate loot box, which is the most expensive of the three, costs 29 gems, gives you between 1000 and 15000 coins and more cards per each type compared to the Silver loot box.
Loot boxes are given also when you complete levels in the campaign, and when you level up your character by obtaining experience points (XP).
One really cool feature in the Armory is the ability to view each gun in Augmented Reality. There is a little "AR" icon with a magnifying glass at the top-right corner of each weapon. Just tap on it to view the gun in AR. You can zoom-in and out on the 3D model of the gun by pinching and rotate it using swipe touch gesture.
Space Blastards features 4 different guns, which can be unlocked and upgraded using weapon cards, coins or gems. You start the game with only a Slingshot weapon and unlock the other weapons as you progress. There are also other weapons that suppose to come soon according to the game, so watch out for more cool new weapons.
Slingshot – the slingshot is a slingshot weapon that shoots fireballs with a maximum damage of 50 and 120 speed after it's upgraded fully. There is no limit how much you can shoot with it. This weapon is good when shooting single targets.
Corngun – The Corngun is a powerful shotgun with a wide-spread pallet which can deal massive damage to a group of closeby enemies. Use this weapon when you want to eliminate a group of creeps when they get too close to you. This gun has a maximum damage of 18 and speed of 60. The damage is lower than the slingshot, but the corngun release several bullets at once, so the potential of eliminating a single closeby target is better than that of the slingshot.
Minigun – the Minigun is a super powerful machine gun that deals a maximum of 50 damage per bullet and shoots at a very high speed of 360 bullets per minute. This is a badass weapon that I always use in my loadout. This powerful machine gun can eliminate enemies really fast. It especially useful against the evasive light attack robot enemy.
Railgun – the Railgun is similar to a sniper rifle. It has slow shooting speed of 60 rounds per minute, but it deals massive 230 damage to enemies. This allows you to eliminate slow enemies really fast but once that have high HP.
Blastards features stunning graphics, visual effects, sound effects and story art screens. The characters loaded with personality, some even with facial animation and voices that makes it even more satisfying fighting them. The game also employs some nice filtering effects, like when using the shield power-up.
Things get really intensive when you more towers the end levels and when progressing deep into the waves in the survival mode. The scene turns into a massive battlefield field with those crazy creatures.
As I said, because I took part in designing the game, I, therefore, won't rank the game. I just want to share more information about the game and its features and inform you about its release.
Download the game for iPhone or iPad from the app store here.


text:
CNN anchor John King reveals he has multiple sclerosis live on air
CNN news anchor John King revealed on air on Tuesday that he has multiple sclerosis during a discussion about Covid-19 vaccines.
King shared that he is immunocompromised in a segment focusing on vaccine mandates.
"It is a shared responsibility if I can do something to help protect somebody else," he said.
"I'm going to share a secret I've never spoken before. I'm immunocompromised. I have multiple sclerosis."
"So I'm grateful you're all vaccinated. I'm grateful my employer says all of these amazing people who work on the floor, who came in here for the last 18 months when we were doing this, are vaccinated now that we have vaccines," he continued.
"I worry about bringing it home to my 10-year-old son who can't get a vaccine."
"I don't like the government telling me what to do. I don't like my boss telling me what to do. In this case, it's important."
Take a look at the clip here:
IMAGE – CNN


text:
Home Countries Bolivia Page 2
The Synod on the Amazon
A synod is a meeting of representatives of Church communities to discuss issues of doctrine or Church governance. So far, for most people, so boring. But when, in February 2019, General Augusto Heleno, President Jair Bolsonaro's senior security adviser, described October's Catholic Church synod on the Amazon as 'relevant to Brazil's national security' and having a 'left-wing agenda', he was...
Bolivia: Forest fires show need for a new economic policy
Amazon fires show Bolivia needs a new economic model Global coverage of the recent Amazon fires has focused on Brazil, but Bolivia has suffered a similar catastrophe. Over the last two months, some 2.4 million hectares of the country have burned, almost half of which is forest. At least six people have died and around 2,000 families have...
Amazon fires — LAB Newsletter September 2019
Dear LAB Supporter and Friend, 11 September 2019 Amazon fires caused by land-grabbing on an industrial scale Amazon burned -- at Terra Nossa, near Altamira, Pará. Neighbouring land occupied illegally by grilheros, was untouched. Photo: José Cícero da Silva/Agência Pûblica. In addition to our...
Petition for the Amazon: put people's rights first
***** to sign, click here Rainforest fires: put Amazonian people's rights first. LAB partner Christian Aid is inviting the public to sign a new petition calling on the UK Prime Minister to put the Amazonian people at the heart of any response to the wildfires raging in the...
Threats multiply – LAB Newsletter June 2019
2 July 2019 Dear LAB Supporter and Friend Threats multiply - to women, diversity and the environment Somos Guerreras is a collective of seasoned artists comprised of rappers Rebeca Lane (Guatemala), Nakury (Costa Rica) and Audry Funk (Mexico). They are visiting London for the first time in early July, and will appear at the Festival of Latin American Women in...
Cholet – the Work of Freddy Mamani, who built Salas de Eventos in El Alto, Bolivia
Documentary film, one hour long, showing the Salas de Eventos - over 60 in number - that have been designed and built by Freddy Mamani in El Alto. They celebrate the growing numbers of wealthy Aymara business people displaying their wealth and offering dance halls and banqueting rooms for rent and often grand apartments on the top...
Bolivia: 21 days working in a tin mine
Spanish journalist Samanta Villar Fans spent 21 days working in an artesanal tin mine in Bolivia in 2009. She filmed it for her programme 21 Days. The full programme can be seen on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/samantavillarfans/videos/1183636485105974/UzpfSTM2Njc2NzkxNjk4NzU5NjpWSzoyNjk2Nzk1MjkzNjY5NDM3/
Bolivia: land rights victory for Tsimane people
Even though Bolivia has had a progressive government for more than a decade (one of the last remaining in the region), indigenous rights are still under threat. Deforested clearing made by illegal settlers. Photo: Ricardo Gutierrez Illegal settlements, mining and timber companies are occupying indigenous territories causing tremendous environmental impact...
Bolivia – UK trade conference
René Orellana speaking in Bolivia-UK trade conference, June 2016.
Conference of World's Peoples on Climate Change and the Defence of Life, Cochabamba
Interview with Rene Orellana, Minister of Development Planning of Bolivia, HispanTV Face to Face programme, 15 November 2015.


Just when I thought I was done posting Mad Men-related links, I found one I must share. It's a compilation of the books some of the characters are shown reading. Hmm, maybe it's time to start compiling my fall reading list! What about you? Are you still in beach reading mode or are you ready for a new season with new books?
Here's what caught my eye in online this week.
This entry was posted in a.k.a writer archives, Cognitive Connection, Freelancing, Writing and tagged Freelancing, Personas, resources, Storytelling, Writing. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Marta Becket and the Amargosa Opera House
Heather King | The Crux
Sep 15, 2016 • 3 Min Read
The Amargosa Opera House. (Shutterstock)
Several springs ago, I took a road trip to Death Valley, stayed at the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel and fell in love with Marta Becket.
I never actually saw Marta — the opera house's founder, owner and, for more than four decades, its star solo performer. At the age of 84 at that point, she performed only Saturday nights. But I did fall in love with her story.
In 1967, Marta (b. 1924), a New York ballerina, singer, painter and pianist on a road trip to California with her husband, stopped in Death Valley Junction with a flat tire. While their car was being fixed, she peeked through the window of a dilapidated dance hall, deserted since mining days, and saw her future: her unlived life, her destiny. So she and her husband packed up, moved, rented the dance hall and opened the opera house.
Death Valley Junction at one point had a population of two, and has topped out over the years at roughly 20.
The first show was in February 1968. The audience would often be five or six people and if nobody came, as happened frequently, Marta danced anyway. In the middle of the desert, by herself, she danced anyway.
Then she got the idea to paint the walls of the opera house with an imaginary audience: nuns, courtiers, courtesans, popes, dukes. She spent four years painting the walls and two more painting the ceiling, during which time her husband, who was tending bar at a nearby brothel, got tired of playing second fiddle to Marta's art, found a girlfriend and eventually left.
"Amargosa," a documentary by Todd Robinson, was released in 2000. Someone asked, "You spent six years painting the walls of this place that could be sold, or torn down, any minute?"
"No one can take away the hours of joy I had painting it," Marta responded. "The experience is what's important. No one can take that from me."
Her husband left, but Marta stayed: painting, playing the piano, sewing costumes, practicing, dancing, acting, singing, creating new shows, such as "Comeback Vaudeville," "Turkish Fairytale" and "The Mirror, the Carpet and the Lemon." She appeared every Friday, Saturday, and Monday night without fail. The audiences slowly picked up.
"National Geographic" did a special. Busloads of folks came from Las Vegas, LA, and, in time, even farther afield.
She danced for decades: through her broken heart, her mother's death, the floods that covered the floor of the opera house with mud. Living in the eerie desolation of Death Valley has to require nerves of steel and a transcendent vision. The desert there is beautiful, but isolated and harsh. In summer, the temperature can reach 125.
In later years Marta "discovered" the handyman Tom Willet, a.k.a. Wilget — who under different circumstances might have been in danger of being called an eccentric and a clown — and incorporated him into her act.
"He willingly put on a hoopskirt and picked up a fan in 'Gossip,' " observed Marta. "His best turn was as Miss Victoria Hoops in 'Looking for Mr. Right.' " The two were soul mates, this unlikely couple: the refined ballerina and the prankster who rode a golf cart around the property barking like a seal. They "took their meals" together and, Marta delicately got across, went their separate ways to sleep.
They put on the show together for 20-odd years and then one morning in 2005, Marta called Wilget, as she did every morning to wake him, and he was gone: felled by a stroke from which he died a few days later. She took one Saturday off and then she was back on stage. She painted Wilget into the circus backdrop of her next show.
In 2007, she published a memoir, "To Dance on Sands."
At 80, she was still dancing en pointe. "I'm still dancing and I'm going to keep moving until I drop."
She broke her hip in 2009 and went on to create what she called "The Sitting Down Show." She gave her last performance on stage in February 2012, at the age of 87.
Jenna McClintock saw Marta perform as a girl of six. She went on to train in ballet and to a career with the Oakland Ballet. In 2010, she returned to the Amargosa Opera House to thank Marta and decided to stay. During the 2015 season, she gave performances — often spottily attended — three nights a week.
As for Marta, she apparently lives alone, in back of the opera house, with a menagerie of stray cats and a revolving cast of resident caretakers.
"Society laughs at old people's dreams. They even laugh at dreams … until they come true."
"I must keep going, alone. ... I'm determined to keep going as long as I can."
Death Valley is an easy place to picture Golgotha. The cross on a hill, that day when we will all be called to give an account of what we did with our gifts.
Or as Marta Becket — nearing her last season — puts it: "I listen for Wilget in the wind, even though I never liked the wind."
The Crux
Heather King is a blogger, speaker, and the author of several books. Visit heather-king.com.
House passes farm bill and controversial rule on Yemen debate by Christine Rousselle December 14, 2018
Faith and flowers: Special rules keep God's house simply beautiful by Carol Glatz March 14, 2019
'A house of prayer for all peoples' by Archbishop José H. Gomez August 20, 2017


So, you've decluttered, purged, and got rid of the stuff(at least for this round,)and things look pretty good.
Now comes some organizing. Let the fun begin.
In my pantry, which is a stainless steel restaurant shelving, I use Ikea jars.
Plus 1/2 gallon Ball jars.
I like them equally but the IKEA jars are almost 1/2 the price. When I'm in Ikea, I always try and pick up a few. So into these jars, I put my organic long grain white rice, organic short grain brown rice, pasta, polenta, WW flour, and organic white flour. Also, my black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and green lentils.
The glass jars make the pantry look more attractive. Especially since my shelves are open.
In my bathroom, I use Target's white baskets and keep q-tips and extra stuff in.
You can be very creative in creating organized belongings. I use vintage suitcases to store my kid's Waldorf wood toys that I just haven't gotten rid of yet. I did donate the Waldorf dolls as they were made of cotton and wool and would eventually degrade.
I also have 2 under bed bins to hold my vintage tablecloths and a few odds and ends. Our bedframe(homemade) is wood and low to the floor so using the area underneath it is wise and useful.
After the purge, organize in a neat and clean way. Your home will be easier to keep tidy and to clean.


This assessment is to evaluate your knowledge retention of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) ethics modules completed 3 months earlier. After you take the module assessment the correct answers with explanations will be provided to help you fill any content gaps.
It is asked that the entire assessment be completed in one single sitting in a environment with minimal distractions.


Woodpeckers have developed the practical habit of clinging to vertical surfaces and bracing themselves by means of their tail feathers, which in turn have become stiffened and thereby definitely modified for the purpose.
In the birds, the tail is formed internally by a short bony support, the pygostyle, and by the surrounding muscles, and externally by dermal elements, particularly feathers. It is in the feathers that the most obvious and interesting avian variation exists.
Perhaps in no group of animals have the tails become more specialized for purposes of ornamentation or display than in the birds, particularly in the males. In this regard, it is only necessary to mention such striking examples as the lyre bird, the bird of paradise, and the peacock. On the other hand, woodpeckers and chimney-swifts have developed the more practical habit of clinging to vertical surfaces and bracing themselves by means of their tail feathers, which in turn have become stiffened and thereby definitely modified for the purpose.
The wide variations shown by the tails of mammals are thoroughly interesting. For instance monkeys of the New World, belonging to the family Cebidae, nearly all have prehensile or grasping tails, but monkeys of the Old World, curiously enough, have only ordinary, non-prehensile ones, which may, perhaps, be considered decorative, but which perform no useful arboreal or gymnastic duties.
Then, there is the very short tail of the "cottontail" rabbit, which is covered by thick, soft, white, downy fur, as the common flame implies, and is consequently incapable of any monkey-like uses, but for all that it is still useful enough. Since the back and sides are brownish and much darker in color, this fluffy little ball is very conspicuous when the rabbit is running. Therefore, an enemy in pursuit of "bunny," be it man or beast, usually finds his attention fixed upon the "cottontail" rather than upon the prospective victim as a whole. This frequently results in the rabbit's escape, for when it suddenly ceases its zigzag run and as suddenly squats to hide the tail from view, the pursuer frequently finds himself completely baffled, for with the disappearance of the "white spot" the whole animal seems to disappear.
The flying squirrel has a large, flattened, hairy tail, which serves as a balancer in his soaring jumps from tree to tree, but the opossum has a long hairless, prehensile tail that could not possibly aid its owner in the same manner.
In contrast to the rabbit's type, the tail of the jumping mouse is sparsely haired and of an inconspicuous color. Moreover, instead of being short, and rounded, it is very elongate, measuring about twice the length of the body.
The flying squirrel has a large, flattened, hairy tail, which serves as a balancer in his soaring jumps from branch to branch and tree to tree, but the opossum has a long, hairless, prehensile tail that could not possibly aid its owner in the same manner. Instead, the opossum often grasps objects by winding its tail about them. This trait appears early in life, for each baby opossum thus clings tightly to "mamma" opossum's tail as she swings it over her back and goes for a quiet evening stroll; while later, in the adult, the entire weight of the body may be easily supported from some convenient limb by this remarkable appendage alone.


for $289,900 with 3 bedrooms and 1 full bath. This 1,050 square foot home was built in 1952 on a lot size of 11.5000 Acre(s).
Equestrian lovers delight! Amazing views surround this well cared for 11.5 acre horse farm just West of Madron Lake. Riding the countryside will be a visual pleasure while viewing the mature trees, rolling hills, wildlife, dirt roads and so much more. Fenced pastures, Outdoor Riding Arena 64x120, and 28X40 barn with 5 large horse stalls, tack room, hay loft storage, plus equipment lean storage. Darling country ranch with full basement, 3 bedrooms, breezeway, attached 2 car garage and country style eat in kitchen with newer appliances. A space and place for everyone including your animals. Ready to make a change and leave the city for the quiet life of the country? Ideal for anyone involved in 4-H or horse showmanship. All fencing and charger stay with sale.