VW spent $60 million to launch the GTi in 2006 – this time they are spending $500,000.
Volkswagen licensed the game from Australian developer Firemint, so as well as saving millions be choosing a mobile platform over a 30-second TV spot they save costs by licensing an existing game.
VW is the first to do this and that means huge PR value.
To read a review of the app itself head over to the ADLAB blog.
It will be interesting to see how this works out for VW. Brands have had varying degrees of success with apps but nobody has put all their eggs in one digital basket like this. Good luck.


Happy Quilting: And then There Were 20!!!
So, if you have been following along with me each month when I get my little Sew Sampler box, you will remember that I have been making a fun Sew Sampler Series Recipe Block each month using a variety of Bonnie and Camille fabrics!!! This last month was the final block as the first year of Sew Sampler finished but I still had a stack of leftover Bonnie and Camille HST's from way back that I wanted to use as well to make this quilt a little bigger. So . . . I found a fantastic image of HST blocks at Quiltville, picked 8 of my favorites, and sewed just them up ;) They went fast as the HST's were already made and I am just so loving them!!!! Aren't they just so bright and cheerful!!!
I want to think I will be able to share this finish soon, but I just got word yesterday on some secret sewing,(which is super exciting!!) so these blocks might have to put away for a month. But hopefully no longer than that, and who knows, maybe I will just squeak them in anyway. They are just so happy making I can't help but want to sew them up!!!
I hope you are having just a super Happy Quilting Day!!!
How pretty! What a happy-looking quilt!
That's great that you were able to get some sewing done so soon after your surgery. I am a lot more optimistic now. I need to schedule mine soon. Keep us posted.
Wow! I think this is going to be a wonderful, funderful quilt! Genius!


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Writing Essay: Solve money problems and academic success!
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Join the Lost & Lonesome email list:
Cryptacize
Cryptacize began across the street from the C&H Sugar Factory in Crockett, CA, where Nedelle Torrisi and Chris Cohen lived in an apartment slightly tilted. There, constant dizziness and the smell of burning sugar became a permanent part of their psyches. One morning while brushing their teeth, toothpaste running sideways out of their mouths, Nedelle pronounced the word 'Cryptacize' and things were never the same. Seemingly, the house now inclined in the opposite direction! Soon after this, they discovered something even stranger - a video of a drummer named Michael Carreira playing his cowbell. Having only this video, they sought him out and convinced him to join their band and shortly there after began working on their first album.
Every song on Dig That Treasure is a miniature journey, a free fantasia, a dreamy habitat built out of the minimum of material. Sudden rhythmic gestures and frequent key changes will leave you feeling pleasantly disorientated in a song. But trust your tour-guides! You might feel as if you've come across a small tribe that speaks an unstudied language, and miraculously, find that you can speak it too! Performing live, Nedelle, Mike and Chris watch each other intently, moving in an intuitive way to an unheard pulse, bringing their delicately constructed songs to new life.
Dig That Treasure is humbly inspired by the larger-than-life emotions of West Side Story, the joyfully percussive guitar gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Wizard of Oz's bittersweet escapism, the other-world sentimentality of Sun Ra's Spaceship Lullaby, and Henry Cowell's ethereal piano string strumming.
Cryptacize "Dig That Treasure" CD $18 (L&L048) (Add To Basket)

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Various members of the Lawrence family held prominent positions in the city, and this graveyard serves as the last resting place of many notable members of this family. The half-acre plot has 89 graves, enclosed by a low stone wall topped by a brick wall with iron fence above. Today, the plot lies in the center of a residential block.


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Beloit police investigating death of woman who was in car that crashed into fire engine
Gazette staff
Police are investigating the death of a woman who firefighters say was slumped over in the passenger seat of a vehicle when it crashed into a Beloit Fire Department fire engine at a park on Beloit's east side on Saturday afternoon, police said.
The Rock County Medical Examiner's Office intends to release a cause of death for the unnamed 43-year-old woman who police said died about 4 p.m. Saturday during the crash at Leeson Park.
Police said the driver of the vehicle, Marvin E. Flint, 56, of Rockford, Illinois, was arrested for intoxicated driving after his vehicle struck a Beloit Fire Department truck as it was arriving at Leeson Park for reports of an "unresponsive suspect."
Firefighters said the woman appeared to be "slumped over" in the passenger side of Flint's vehicle prior to the crash, according to a release from Beloit police.
Firefighters said the fire engine had on its emergency lights as it pulled into the park. Flint apparently was in the midst of leaving the park in his vehicle when the vehicle struck the fire truck.
The woman was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.
No Beloit fire department officials were hurt in the crash.
Belolit
Beloit Fire Department
Broadcast_news
Court listings for Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, 2021


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Cleary Gottlieb Partner Romano Subiotto Appointed Queen's Counsel
Cleary Gottlieb partner Romano Subiotto, who is based in the firm's Brussels and London offices, has been appointed Queen's Counsel. The announcement by Baroness Butler-Sloss, Interim Chairman of the QC Selection Panel, said that all those appointed have demonstrated excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. The Queen approves the appointments on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
The scheme provides for the identification of the very best advocates rigorously and objectively and promotes fairness, excellence and diversity. Mr. Subiotto was one of only three Solicitor Advocates included in the 104 appointments this year. Baroness Butler-Sloss said she hopes this will encourage solicitor advocates with the appropriate experience to apply in the future.
Mr. Subiotto said, "I have been arguing cases for some 20 years and this is a great honor. Being appointed QC is a mark of quality, which will enhance my credibility as an advocate, and I hope will make more companies aware of Cleary Gottlieb's extensive national and European litigation expertise."
This prestigious appointment adds to the reputation of the Cleary Gottlieb litigation practice, particularly in the United Kingdom, where the firm will be further developing its litigation offering during 2009, to build on existing strengths and capitalize on Cleary Gottlieb's international reputation.
Mr. Subiotto advises companies on a wide range of issues under European and national antitrust law, and represents companies in arbitrations and before the European Commission, national antitrust authorities, the European Courts in Luxembourg and the High Court in London. Mr. Subiotto has spoken widely on EC law issues and published numerous articles. He is also distinguished as a leading Competition/Antitrust lawyer by Chambers and Partners Global - The World's Leading Lawyers. Mr. Subiotto is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport as well as a member of the Academic Council of Harvard Law School's European Law Research Center.
Mr. Subiotto joined the firm in 1988 and became a partner in 1997. He received his Diploma de Estudios Hispánicos from the University of Málaga, Spain in 1980; his LL.B., First Class Honours, from the University of London, King's College, in 1984 (Harold Potter Prize in Property Law, Laws Exhibition, Second Maxwell Law Prize); his Maîtrise en Droit, Mention Bien, from the University of Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne, in the same year; and his LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1986, where he was a John F. Kennedy Memorial Scholar.
Mr. Subiotto qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1988, and became a Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings) in 2006. Mr. Subiotto is also a member of the Bar in Brussels. He is fluent in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.
Click here for the official QC announcement.


The Warner Theatre will play host to comedian Bill Engvall who is set to stop in Erie February 13th for an 8pm show. Tickets go on sale Friday and will cost $39 to $59. You can get your tickets by calling the Erie Events box office at 814-452-4857 or by going to http://www.erieevents.com.


Just last week, a team of Chinese researchers from the Huazhong University of Science unveiled a truly remarkable 3D printer that could change metal manufacturing altogether: the all-in-one casting and forging metal 3D printer. This revolutionary machine combines 3D printing, casting and forging in a single device, and produces high quality results while eliminating excess material and equipment costs. It thus certainly has the potential to be used in just about any industry, but Chinese aviation specialists are the first to adopt it and are using this 3D printer to produce critical parts for China's fifth generation fighter jets, including the stealthy Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31.
Of course this is by no means the first time the Chinese government applied 3D printing to military production; Chinese warships first started taking 3D printers to sea back in early 2015 with an eye on emergency repairs. But the fact this new 3D printer is already used for critical part production showcases its usefulness and reliability.
The 3D printer itself was developed under the leadership of Zhang Haiou, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Huazhong University of Science. Upon its unveiling, he claimed to have "broken the biggest obstacle facing the 3D printing industry." This disruptive technological is especially remarkable for realizing an increased part strength and toughness (compared to other technologies), an improved product lifecycle, and higher reliability.
According to its developers, the technology can also be used to create thin-walled metal components while eliminating excess material and equipment costs. Relying on an affordable electric arc as a heat source and low-cost metal wire as a raw material, it features a utilization rate of up to 80% or more – whereas traditional techniques are lucky to reach 5%. Of course the need for large casting, forging and milling equipment is also removed – as all processes are directly controlled through the 3D printer – to further reduce the need for investments.
What's more, the 3D printer is very large and open to a wide range of materials. The first iteration of this hardware can work with eight kinds of materials, including titanium alloy, for aircraft and marine use, and steel, for use in nuclear power stations. This machine has already successfully built a part that 2.2 m long and weighs 260 kg, as well as a forging part measuring 1800 × 1400 × 50 mm. An even larger version of the 3D printer is already under development.
But the all-in-one casting and forging metal 3D printer is also remarkable for one other reason: the 60-year-old professor Zhang Haiou developed it in collaboration with his wife professor Wang Guilan, 53, who teaches at the same university. Together, they have been working on metal manufacturing techniques for more than 18 years, and they frequently clashed about it. Back in 2008, they even had a fight about Zhang Haiou's proposal to integrate casting, forging and milling in a single machine – which his wife called a fantasy. "I do not blame her, as casting, forging, milling have existed as separated technologies for thousands of years," the professor recalled.
But the quarrel did open their minds an led to a series of experimentations with a team of students. "At that time I thought that if it does not work, at least he could just give up," his wife recalled. "Although I often criticize his failed tests, I still unconsciously use his methods for testing. When it's wrong, we start arguing, but try again soon." The couple spend most of their time working on R&D.
While the researchers themselves previously said that their innovations will be especially useful in the aerospace, manufacturing and automotive industries, the Chinese defense sector could not pass up on this technology either. Several parts for Chinese fighter jets (understood to be the Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31) have already entered limited production, with all parts made in a single piece – which would've been impossible using subtractive manufacturing methods or other metal 3D printing solutions.
That is a very important breakthrough, as multi-part geometries are believed to negatively affect performance and life cycles. The parts themselves are 3D printed in TC4 titanium alloy, resulting in excellent tensile strength, yield strength, ductility and toughness properties. Experts already verified that the parts are more stable than those made by traditional casting. And with a squadron of twelve J-20 heavy stealth fighters featuring these parts expected to be completed in 2017, it looks like metal 3D printing is also becoming an integral part of China's defense industry.


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Plenary Hall, KLCC, 27 November: The Plenary Session on "Open, Online and Flexible Learning: The Key to Sustainable Development" was chaired by Prof Paul Prinsloo, ODL Research Professor at University of South Africa, in the presence of Prof Belinda Tynan of RMIT University; Prof Elifas T Bisanda, Open University of Tanzania; and Dr Indrajit Banerjee of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The key themes revolved around the equitable access to education and innovations that transform the traditional education structure.
Prof Tynan's passion in open and distance learning stems from her vast experience in understanding different cultures and core values of diverse communities. She also highlighted the fact that open and distance learning (ODL) offers global mobility to learners, with the Youtube channel being the main learning platform.
Prof Elifas said ODL is the saviour for the Africans as it enables learners, particularly those with special needs to have better access to education by leveraging on technology and the Internet.
According to Dr Banerjee, ODL should be made accessible to people with disabilities. Implementing the right policy for the disabled would provide them with equal opportunity for employment, he added.


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Sunset - a new Tale of Tales
Defecting from Google Drive
The Rules of Game Worlds
An open letter to Danc at Lost Garden as part of the Republic of Bloggers. Other replies welcome!
Dear Dan,
Last year one of my firestarters on fiction denial (one of my 'four questions' posts entitled Is Fiction Just a Wrapper for Games?) provoked a heated but seriously productive exchange between us. Sadly, at that point Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms landed in my lap and I was suddenly too busy to respond – but I haven't lost my desire to do so! This is my attempt to continue our discussion – and to ask: when we are 'baking' games, what must a game designer understand about fiction and representation? Or to put this another way: what are the 'rules' for making game worlds?
A brief summary of where we got to: I suggested that a problem with the view that games are 'really' just crunchy mechanics and that the player ultimately discards the fictional world is that the contents of the game mechanics tightly constrain the 'theme' that can be attached. You simply can't treat the functional elements of a design as something that could be transplanted wily-nily without utterly mauling the process of game design. I prefer to say 'fiction' to theme, since 'theme' has a very different, specific meaning to me as a writer (i.e. the themes the story is exploring, not the setting to the story). Let's use setting to refer to the fiction/theme of a game world that can be built upon game mechanics (in the bottom-up way you design) or the starting point that can be supported or developed by game mechanics (in the top-down alternative). How does setting function in the practices of game design?
Your approach has always been built on productive reductionist principles – split games into their components, i.e. bottom-up design. I use this kind of technique often in boardgame design and occasionally in videogames, and it's a sound approach. What you have to be careful with is the problems the game designer introduces by being the conduit for the final design and world – a problem you, like almost all great game designers, solve by iteration. We sit players down with the game and learn about how they come to play it, using this to adjust the game's content (both mechanically and in terms of setting).
In your last comment you identified three problems in the relationship between settings and mechanics that really intrigue me, since this is precisely the conversation that is covered up when game designers or scholars pretend the fictional content is at best an enticement to play and at worst entirely irrelevant (my bugbear) – and by academics who treat the narratives emerging from play as strangely isolated from the mechanics (which might more offend your sensibilities!).
Riffing off your comment, here are three rules (or at least, guidelines) for designing game worlds.
1. Avoid Incongruous Settings
The first problem case you identify is when the setting encourages players to understand the play of the game in a way that is contrary to how the mechanics function. You say the setting "activates schema in the player that fail to ease understanding of the system dynamics". I'll translate this as the First Rule of Game Worlds: Setting and mechanics must accord. The only exception to this rule is if the game is intended to discombobulate the player, as for instance Eternal Darkness' insanity cut-aways were trying to do. But usually, the game designer wants the player to learn to play easily according to the mantra for commercial success "easy to learn, hard to master".
This word 'schema' is one you get from psychology (Piaget etc.) although it comes from philosophy prior to the divorce between the two fields, and was coined by Immanuel Kant. The idea is that we have in our minds certain ways of understanding certain situations – schema, or I might say mythologies – and these come into play associatively (since our memories are associative, via the hippocampi). So it's (usually) bad practice to have player's prior associations disrupt their understanding of a game's systems, that is, the game mechanics. Players might eventually overcome this and learn the way the game works, but my sense is that incongruous settings remain unsettling even after the game is learned. You give a great example of the problem in reference to your fantastic game Triple Town:
In Triple Town, we initially made the bears into children. Mechanically, the bears were obstacles that you wanted to remove. When they were children, many players activated the schema that they should be protected. Expectations did not match mechanics. Confusion, irritation and uneasiness results.
Part of my purpose in writing Imaginary Games was to stress that when we talk about the aesthetics of play, it matters whether setting and mechanics (fiction and function) align. To be aesthetically satisfying to a player, it is vital to allow for this since (as you note) the player's experience is always filtered through the setting. An odd consequence of this is that the player's prior experiences become as much a part of their play with any game as the game itself – and there is a style of play (and a set of design approaches that correspond to it) that makes the dominant setting not that of the fiction but of the mechanics. Which brings us to rule number two...
2. Mathematics Imply Settings
The second problem you identify is presented as an opportunity: "self contained systems of value" provide opportunities for "a wider variety" of settings. In fact, you note that such games (puzzle games, strategy games, numbers-heavy combat, to use my previously offered examples) are playable without setting. This leads you to the point that something like Chess, which is mathematical (topological) at base, is easier to transpose between settings than a game that depends on contextual content.
Now my take on this is related to yours but steps from a different angle: mathematics are already a representation, so mathematical games already have a 'setting' of a certain kind. It's what we sometimes call 'abstract', although this can be misleading. What this implies is that when a new fictional setting is applied to, say, Chess, we aren't so much adding a setting that wasn't there, we're actually merging its mathematically-implied 'abstract' base-setting into a fictional one. The Chess mechanics are a little mechanical sub-world, with its own representational implications that are not negotiable in the same way that any fictional content merged with it might be. Even if you changed the names of the pieces to X1, X2, X3 etc. the rules of Chess would still feel like a power struggle because that's what they mechanically represent.
From this follows the Second Rule of Game Worlds: Any and all mechanical sub-worlds must merge with the game world. What made the wrapping paper fallacy appealing was the recognition of two utterly distinct worlds – the abstract world of the mechanics, and the representational game world. But the former can only be removed from the latter if in itself it successfully supplies a sufficient base-setting. Chess does – it's a spatial contest, and anything that supports that metaphor will merge with it, even contexts outside of battle like The Simpsons (in part because metaphors of conflict are transposable into any human or animal relations). But you can't strip (say) bingo or a point-and-click adventure down to a plausible base-setting because the core play isn't forming a self-contained system in the same way. Bingo relies upon its community for its experience (more on this below!) and adventures rely upon their fictional content in a way that is effectively case-by-case rather than a defined and reusable system (even though the lock-and-key puzzle approach does form such a system, and does recur in many kinds of game).
Now, isn't this second rule the same as the first? Not quite, because not all mechanics give us base-settings, only those that form your "self contained systems of value" or something like it. And you can merge any number of such systems provided they accord with the fictional world. Indeed, playground worlds often add games-within-games because they can easily be merged this way (the 90's style arcade games in 90's-set San Andreas, for instance, or gambling in Red Dead Redemption). Merging is also possible in more aesthetically satisfying ways – the circuitry-based influence game in robot-massacre classic Paradroid, for instance, which makes the game so memorable because the 'mini-game' in itself gives the paradigm of the entire play experience of possessing and discarding droids (a style of play that went on to influence the first Grand Theft Auto).
The second rule also gives lie to the whole 'two distinct worlds' conceit of 'rules vs. fiction' in that many games are one coherent fictional world and many congruent mathematical/mechanical worlds that have been merged with it, and often (but not always) with each other. Games that allow you to build or tinker with devices as well as deploying them for racing or combat also show this merging, from tabletop games like Car Wars and BattleTech in the 80's to Forza and Kerbal Space Program now. It is misleading to think the mechanical world could be built and only then 'wrapped' in cars, mechs, or spacecraft. No, at all stages the fictional world and the mechanical worlds must merge congruently, and often it is the fictional setting that informs the design of the mechanical sub-worlds. Nonetheless, each base-setting for each mathematical sub-world is also reusable, just as character archetypes and plot tropes are reusable in narrative fiction. This ability to reuse patterns, however, does not and cannot make the base-settings more fundamental than the fictional worlds, although they can certainly be more important to a subset of players.
3. Play as a Practice
The last of the problems you identify is one that particularly interests me. I gave the example of a sporting game as antithetical to the wrapping paper fallacy because the mechanics – while necessary to their play – aren't the locus of the player's enjoyment. You summarize this issue nicely:
You can retheme/reskin a sport and it loses the vast majority of its value. The culture and the community around the game has turned into an intricate, many layered game of its own. The chants, the commentators, the game night scheduling, the tribal associations are the real game. To copy out the core mechanics and give them a new game is like copying out raw DNA and thinking you have a complete ecosystem of living and breathing organisms.
You suggest that building a new game bottom-up is especially challenging because it's like "terraforming a barren world" where you must "build up culture and community from scratch", and this as you say is terribly difficult. Absolutely – from a bottom-up perspective. But from a top-down perspective the problem is radically different. You still need to build up your own culture and community, but you begin with 'neighbouring' fictional world cultures to provide your 'settlers'. It's something that marketing departments recognise, although generally fail to know how to productively influence. People like certain kinds of fictional worlds, and seek their entertainment within those media that deliver those specific kinds or anything like them.
The reason generic fantasy and urban horror novels sell well in the market for books is that they already have their collective culture and community. Genre fiction forms superset fictional worlds – what I call (after Charles Segal's observations on the interconnectedness of Greek mythological stories) a megatext. Whatever the nuances of an individual book series, it's mythology is rooted in a wider frame of reference, one that spans many other books and series that at first glance are entirely isolated. Mash-up movies like Shrek – and mash-up fighting games like SoulCalibur and Super Smash Bros. – show that they aren't as isolated as they may first seem – they are 'close enough' that other worlds can be made out of collisions between their otherwise isolated content. What's more, there is a connection between otherwise isolated fictional worlds via the people who are interested in them: both the readers and the writers of genre fiction are participating in the practice that sustains that genre.
Videogames are no different, but as well as participating in the practices of setting (fantasy, science fiction, crime) players participate in the practices of mechanical genres too. The First Person Shooter is not defined by its perspective but by the practices of those players who participate in the FPS culture. The games certainly do affect this – Halo: Combat Evolved significantly altered the practices of the FPS (dropping the inventory for two weapons, adding vehicles), as did Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (putting RPG-like advancement mechanics into multiplayer). But changes to mechanics only become changes to practices when the players actually like what has changed and then seek more of the same. And some changes fork the practices into two different cultures – as Battlefield 1942 has effectively done. The words used to form the genre terms don't reflect the practices very well, because we're trained to see games in boxes like 'FPS' that seem to pick out the important feature, but only describe how that practice split from its predecessors. The reason for the name 'First Person Shooter' is that most shooters in the 1980s were rendered in 2D, and so the 3D first person perspective was a step in a new direction.
The Third Rule of Game Worlds is thus: No-one plays alone. Even the most dedicated solo player is embedded in design, genre, fiction, and play practices that are sustained by a community. Even a designer who makes a game that only they will ever play relies upon many others to facilitate the making of that game (especially on an industrially manufactured device like a computer!) as well as the communities that nourished the games that taught them the practices of play they riff off. No-one plays alone, because to learn to participate in the practices of play - whether narrative, mechanical, or both – requires you to have been part of a wider culture. Indeed, Miguel Sicart suggests that to be a virtuous player, you need to recognise your relationship with other players, a point I also raised in Is the Interface the Game?
This rule seems odd, because it does not seem to be about the relationship between rules and fiction, mechanics and setting. But that's because contemporary views of our world have mislead us into thinking everything is explicable in isolation. It's a hangover from the Victorian sciences and their mythology of the universe as a giant mechanism. This viewpoint, while often useful, can sometimes obscure the vital connectivity between things. Terms like 'emergent' actually try to hold onto this older perspective by ignoring complex networks and treating them as still a single thing – 'superorganisms' and the like i.e. as still isolated provided we change the scale that we look at them. There's a place for that point of view, but there's also a place for exploring the network connections themselves, and we are currently at a time where we need the latter perhaps more than the former.
New game designers often seek to amaze the world with their utterly original design – which then inevitably flops. This is primarily because playing games is not simply about isolated artefacts ('the game') that are played by individual players. When seemingly original game concepts take flight it's because existing communities of players pick them up – one games journalist, for good or ill, is always talking to a community of players who must share some commonality of practice with that writer or they would not read them. This can be a common games platform (even in the 80's, games magazines succeeded primarily by being about one kind of microcomputer), or shared aesthetic values for play, or just shared values for talking about the practices of play.
So your terraforming metaphor only lacks the idea that a new place to live creates a new practice from roots in existing practices – the terraforming is just a means to an end, and that end is settlement (something that you clearly recognise yourself!). Understanding that your settlers are choosing between different places to settle – different games to play – helps game designers recognise that since no-one plays alone (or, if you prefer, no-one plays in a vacuum!) you are always recruiting your settlers from other game worlds. A few are novelty seekers, but most find it easier to get into a game if originality is tempered with familiarity, both in the mechanics and the setting.
There's much more I'd like to discuss with you – about your company, your time with Microsoft, your new game project, your positivistic view of the world, and about the 'extinction of blogs' but this has already gone on long enough! I would just like to end by thanking you for the supportive words you gave me that GDC when we first met outside the internet, since along with Jack Monahan your encouragement helped me stick with blogging even when it was seriously depressing me. For this, you have my infinite gratitude.
From one blogging game designer to another, all the best in all your projects!
Danc informs me he has found nothing to disagree with in this letter.
Other replies:
Jed Pressgrove replied with "The Game of Defining RPGs" over at Game Bias.
Posted on Wednesday, 19 March 2014 at 10:30 in Game Design, Republic of Bloggers | Permalink | Comments (3)
I'm a little confused by both your and Dan's standpoints. It seems like you don't think fiction is a wrapper to games. It seems like you and Dan agree but disagree about your arguments.
We just something similar over at Story Games. What that thread starts from is what Greg Costikyan said more than ten years ago, that games and "story" can't be combined.
I think the thing that messes up people's mind when it comes to fiction and games is this old rag: "rules vs. fiction", when it should say this: "fiction as rules" or "rules for fiction". This corresponds to the conclusions that we drew in the linked thread above.
I also think that you need a certain medium for "fiction as rules" to happen. Tabletop roleplaying games can create this, but I'm hesitant if I will ever see a computer- or a boardgame to be able to do this.
Posted by: Rickard Elimää | Wednesday, 19 March 2014 at 11:21
Just a quick note to say how enjoyable this exchange is to read. I've only til now dug just a few layers deep, yet look forward to hitting rock-bottom.
Your "no-one plays alone" idea is certainly where my interests lie, not only as a community of "play practices," but also recognising the co-creativeness of games themselves. My thinking to date considers the designer as a player (through playtesting, iterating etc.) but also the player as a designer (through feedback via the community etc.). In both cases, both individuals contribute meaningfully to the practice of making and playing games. It might be taking it too far to suggest that processes of 'design' and 'play' are synonymous, yet this is something I'm certainly toying with.
The reason I post here is, in extension to your acknowledged metatextual framing of games (as you say, derived from other games, thematic expectations etc.), is recognition that we are also playing someone else's many, multiple playings through--and reframings of--the game we are playing, as wrapped up inside the game itself. In other words, we could consider this as playing with the designers themselves, or at least the consequences of the decisions made during the development process.
Maybe I've gone slightly too far with this as a response to your post, however I think it worth adding that "no-one plays alone" should also encapsulate the idea that we are playing with something that someone else made, and therefore are playing with their actions (or consequence thereof) just as much as our own. Even in the instance where the game being made is only to be played by the makers themselves, perhaps it is useful to consider how the designer plays themselves as part of the design process.
Posted by: James Manning | Wednesday, 19 March 2014 at 23:05
Thanks for your thoughtful comments! I am pressed for time, but will briefly respond...
Rickard: This all begins with the piece linked above, "Is Fiction a Wrapper for Games?" If your interest is in Dan and my positions, following this piece will put this into mcuh clearer context.
It's important to appreciate that the fiction of a game in (my/Walton's sense) is *more* than the narrative - and one of my points here is that *no game* gets by without generating fictional worlds (Rule #2 above).
As for narrative and games, MUDs also generated similar narrative play to tabletop RPGs, and I believe some of this survives in the corners of the MMOs. My wife and I get pretty good narrative play out of the boardgames "Arkham Horror" and "Pandemic", although obviously it's heavily constrained by the design in both cases. I could also point to something like "Journey" or "Bientôt l'été" as an interesting case of narrative play in videogames, where a second player takes the games in question beyond a static narrative.
Thanks for sharing the earlier discussion! Very interesting stuff.
James: Thanks for your kind words! This was my favourite of my blog exchanges from last year and I really wanted to return to it when I had time. Actually, I *still* don't have time, but with a baby due in a few weeks it was now or never! :)
Since finishing writing "Chaos Ethics" (the last part of the trilogy that began with "Imaginary Games") my perspective has really shifted into examining practices, and to understanding games and games design in terms of practices. I do not believe I've even come close to scratching the surface of this topic yet!
I have always suggested the designer is the invisible player at the table/screen of any game, just as the author of a book is always 'present' when you read their books - albeit distant and inscrutable. This thought can go further than I have time to expound upon today, alas!
And yes - "no-one plays alone" is precisely a claim that we should never forget everyone involved in getting to that play experience - I think perhaps I glossed over your point here in my rush to defend the plausible counter-arguments, but I certainly meant to imply exactly what you say here!
As for going 'slightly too far' with a comment - never! My blogs used to generate this kind of thoughtful commentary all the time, and I'm grateful for anyone who takes the time to do so now, when the focus of the internet has moved more into social media. ;)
Posted by: Chris | Thursday, 20 March 2014 at 09:39
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The group resides in Martenstr. 3, 12th floor in the blue high-rise at the south campus.
For more detailed bus connections please look on page: http://www.vgn.de/ (on working days till 7-8 pm the buses from main station leave approx. every 15 minutes).
Hotel Central (http://www.hotel-central-erlangen.com) is a 2-star hotel that offers (according to our guests) good rooms and breakfast, and is quiet despite being very close to the main station.
Altmanns Stube (http://www.altmanns-stube.de/) and Rokoko Haus (http://www.rokokohaus.de/) are two nice 3-star hotels in historic buildings at Theaterplatz. They are in walking distance from Erlangen main train station.
Ibis budget Hotel Tennenlohe (used to be etap Hotel), cheapest acceptable option, well-tested by several PhD students (30-40 Euros per night for a single room, breakfast costs extra, prices vary if there is a fair in Nuremberg). Note that there is a second etap Hotel in Nuremberg (don't book that one).
Note that Tennenlohe has no "night life" and the distance to the city center of Erlangen (6 km) or Nuremberg (15 km) is more a cycling distance than a walking distance.
For more suggestions contact us.


Transportation surely has come a long way. Before, travelling from one place to another wasn't as easy as today. Fortunately, there were a few geniuses back then who thought of innovative and ingenious ways to get people going.
One of them is John D. Hertz who founded the Chicago Motor Coach Company in 1917. This company was created to serve as the first bus transportation service in Chicago back then, especially that street cars were unable to travel in their narrow roads.
Through the years, the company grew exponentially, and in 1952, was bought by the Chicago Transit Authority.
Back then, transportation in Chicago was very hard as the city only had motor coaches. Because of this, John D. Hertz thought of making the city's transportation better by running bus transport services around the city.
He was a full blown businessman as he also run numerous other businesses, such as taxicab manufacturing, taxicab operation, car rentals, and the manufacture of cars and multiple coaches. By 1923, Hertz started the Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company to serve as a subsidiary of his Yellow Cab Company.
This was intended to supervise the manufacture of buses, which were then used for the Chicago Coach Company. By 1925, Hertz sold the majority of his Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company shares to General Motors.
The remainder of the balance was paid more than a decade later in 1943. The Chicago Coach Company was a huge success as it operated 423 buses together with its 1,800 employees that covered 134 miles inside the city.
As of now, there is a different company that's named as the Chicago Motor Coach which operates inside the city by the same website name. This is, however, separate from the original coach company. With this, John D. Hertz' legacy continues to live on.
Transportation Services: Why To Rent A Luxury Car?
No doubt, there are numbers of transportation service provider around us. It is not easy to select the best one service, provider. There are numbers of things are involved with these transportation services. The safety is one of the main aspects and one of the considerable things with transportation services.
Do you want to rent a car? If so, then you have to go for luxury car services. These luxury transportation services can meet the needs and requirements of their clients. They are providing safe and secure services to their clients. The car rental Toronto that is the famous transportation service Provider Company in Toronto, you can contact them.
There are millions of people registers for transportation services in a day for their personal purposes. According to the reports of a travel agency, most of the people prefer to rent a luxury car than driving itself. Reason can be many such as family vacation, friends' trip, business trip, etc. but these transportation services are playing a vital role.
There is another greatest reason to hire a luxury car that they help in saving time. The car rental Toronto agency is the most popular transportation service provider agency that is offering best and secures services.
There is one of the main reasons to rent a luxury car is safety. There is no doubt that safety is a must. There are numbers of transportation service provider those are providing their safe and secure services to their clients.
The list for a reason is not complete because it may include many more. You can get full information with the help of the internet.
It could be boring to drive your car if you do not have music in it. Thus, you want to have a high quality stereo for a good time while driving, but you do not know how to choose the best one to buy. Thus, you should have enough ideas on how to look for the best Bluetooth car stereo that you should install in your car!
How to Find the Best Bluetooth Car Stereo to Purchase?
If you are having a hard time in choosing which Bluetooth car stereo you should buy, you can start by reading through review articles on the web. Such articles can help you identify the top brands of Bluetooth stereo for cars, and you can even know more about the features that they have.
Knowing about the features of certain brands of the best Bluetooth car stereo can help you know which of them you need. This can let you have a shorter list of choices, thus making it easier for you to decide which to buy.
After knowing about the features, it is best to consider the price rates of each brands. Choose one that is practical for you to pay, and do not go for extremely expensive ones. Extremely cheap units is also not a good choice because most of them are on bad quality. Of course, it is best to pick one with a good warranty coverage.
If you already have a brand and unit of your choice, you can buy it from the department store or a reliable online shop. Make sure to test everything before settling your purchase to avoid having defective stereos.
Following those steps can help you have more convenience in looking for the best Bluetooth car stereo to buy. You can read and know more info, for you to have a far better choice.
Unless you live in a considerably dry area, regular car wash services are very important part of car maintenance. Previously, the pain jobs for cars were better and thicker. But the modern car models have thinner layers of paint, which wear off easily, exposing the metal body of the car to the environment. If you are someone who believes that cars must be taken care of and used for years before discarding them, you must send your car for regular car wash service and also invest in a car diagnostic tool.
Another important reason to get regular car was service done is to keep the dust and grime off the vehicle's body. Any regular car driver would know the amount of dust and pollution that settles on the car's body every single day. If left for a long period of time, this grime eats away at the paint of the car, thereby exposing the raw metal body beneath it. Once the metal sheet is exposed, it is easy for the body to rust due to environmental causes. Once the body starts rusting, repairing that is tedious and expensive. If your car has been sent for car cleaning services regularly, there is little of no dust and grime chipping away the paint off the car.
Wax is also an important element of the car's paint. It serves as a thick protective sheath for the car paint, which keeps the dirt from coming in contact with the paint. Since the sun's UV radiation is also harmful for the paint, wax keeps the radiation at bay too.
Apart from protecting the paint, getting your car a regular car wash service helps in keeping the general maintenance in check. While getting a car washing service done, the person inspects for any loose parts such as number plates, or proper functioning of the head and tail lights, side mirrors and even the antennas. A thorough car wash service will make sure your car is in a perfect condition, apart from making it look as good as new.
There is no doubt in the fact that people are facing lots of issues while renting a car for various purposes. If you also want to rent a car then this is not a piece of cake and for this, you have to pay little more attention. There are various types of online rental services present that can make your task easy and simple. You just need to take help from the internet and search for the reliable inchiriere Masini services. Well, every car rental company has a website and you can visit it to check out the collection of cars and also about the rates that they are charging. With the help of visiting the official website, you can know about their various policies and it also helps you to make a quick decision.
If you are going to rent a car online then this is really beneficial and saves lots of time and efforts. The thing which you should do is to visit the official website of a best car rental company and the reserve a car as according to your desire. With the help of this, you can easily see all types of cars that the company is offering to their customers. In this way, you can also compare the rates of different companies and make a quick and wise decision. It is also good to know about the hidden cost of the companies which will help you a lot while selecting the cars.
Well, there are numerous reasons for which people are renting the car and everyone has their own reasons. If you want to travel anywhere and don't want to go by your own vehicle then there is nothing better than renting a car. You just need to pay the charges to reserve it and to have fun with your family members by travelling the different locations.
There is no doubt that the Toyota Supra is one of the most popular sports cars in the automotive industry. Now, it is reported that the Supra line will be replaced by another well-known Toyota line of cars, the Corolla.
Now, the excitement and hype regarding the alleged successor of the Toyota Supra, the all-new Toyota Corolla, will be taking center stage in the car industry. Because of this, the all-new Toyota Corolla is also dubbed as the 2017 Toyota Supra by some people.
According to reports, the all-new Toyota Corolla will be featuring a twin-turbo V6 engine that will be a new model. It is also similar to the engine which is present in the Lexus LS 500. It is also reported that the all-new Toyota Corolla has an eight-speed automatic transmission. It is also possible to have another V6 hybrid powertrain, which is similar to the Lexus LC 500h.
Meanwhile, it is also a possibility that Toyota will be producing a high-powered hatchback that will complement those 12-generation Corolla sedans. The all-new Toyota Corolla is also reported to be having the New Global Architecture platform that can be compared and seen to be similar with that of the new Cmary and Prius. The hatchback Toyota Corolla also has a suspension that is specifically designed to be that of the same caliber with some of the low-end sports cars. This makes it a really good car choice.
With all of these being said, there is no doubt that despite the 2017 Toyota Supra not being released up until this time, it is still good to know that its alleged successor, the all-new Toyota Corolla is up for the same deal. Indeed, it's really good to have this new sedan.
How To Use Vehicle History & Vin Check In Right Manner?
People keep on searching about the best ways to find a best used car which is trouble free and don't create a huge hole in their pocket. Well there are certain ways to achieve the cause but the most ideal one is to opt for vehicle history. VIN check is basically the only clear way to know deep about the selected vehicle. When you are able to attain the VIN check, you will get a clear idea about whether the vehicle is appropriate or not. There is no point in taking the words of the person who is selling the car.
You need to make efforts at your own level and try to gather history of the car or vehicle. For sure the task is little difficult if you don't take external assistance. There is nothing wrong in using the paid services which do provide detailed vehicle history in quick time. You are here just required to select a quality online source for VIN check. Even some of the online sources are offering free history reports but these free reports are of no use.
A complete VIN check will reveal hidden issues of the vehicle like major damage, ownership transfers, DMV transactions and lot more. If you are able to use a quality source to attain VIN check the chances of attaining a perfect condition used vehicle or car will increase. These reports are best known for offering entire picture and you will come to know what exact you are buying. Just spending little amount will allow you to avoid a problem vehicle. It is fair deal indeed in which you are investing little money on vehicle history and buying a trouble free vehicle for a long time.
As a customer, you must not waste your time and energy on free reports as they are of no use. Buying a used car has always been a trying process in which you need to spend little time in collecting some information about the vehicle past. Yes in order to make the process of collecting information easy, you need to approach quality online sources as soon as possible. These quality sources do offer complete vehicle history at highly affordable prices. If you still doubt the efficiency of VIN check and willing to trust the selling person words, entire risk is yours.


text:
The Meaning of TDOR; St. Louis Observes
Written by JAIMIE HILEMAN
This is the time of year where it is appropriate for trans people, members of the LGBT community, allies, friends, and all, to discuss the Nov. 20 observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance: What is the Transgender Day of Remembrance? What does it mean, to all or any of us?
So the history is this: the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence that year and began an important memorial that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. From 1999 forward, the service has continued, spreading across the world. A hallmark of the service is the reading of the names, where known, of all of those who have been murdered since the previous year.
According to the founder: "The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice." - Gwendolyn Ann Smith
Why do we continue to commemorate this event? The reason is simple. The underlying ignorance about the trans community, the unintentional and intentional othering, all lead to an atmosphere in which violence is more likely, and justice less likely. The perpetrator of assault, rape, or murder against a trans person is less likely to be arrested, arraigned, tried, convicted, sentenced, and serve time than the perpetrator of the exact same crime against a non-trans person.
So we still have dead sisters, brothers and siblings to remember. And it is important to remember them. As one of the most marginalized groups in our society, with the least access to employment, the least access to opportunity, the least access to health care, the lowest ability to exercise the right to vote, the highest rate of assault and murder, Trans people collectively have little voice. On the Transgender Day of Remembrance, often called "TDOR" by the community (pronounced "TEE-DOOR"), we say the names of those who had little voice, and now have none. We do so to ensure that at least at this time, at this place, they are not forgotten; that they are remembered, and that someday, their collective human sacrifices will have meant something. That someday there will be employment equality. That there will be access to health care. That someday law enforcement will be fully engaged in seeing Trans folk as people. That Trans lives matter. Someday.
For those wishing to attend an event marking the Day of Remembrance, here are some of the events (apologies if not complete) in the area:
St. Louis has one of the oldest traditions commemorating this day, beginning with the ceremony at:
Epiphany UCC Church
2911 McNair Ave
This memorial; has been held by the Gateway Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 2001 and is a community tradition, with the roots of its founding including collaboration with LGBT and Trans rights pioneer Sylvia Rivera. The service begins at 7:00 p.m., no photos please, and is followed by a community potluck (all are welcome; bring a side dish or dessert if so moved).
Ferguson Police Department
222 S Florissant Rd
Ferguson, MO 63135
On Nov. 20, 2014, 6 p.m., Transgender Day of Remembrance, there will be an intersectional gathering of members of the trans community coming together with members of the community of Ferguson to protest against violence. Paper lanterns will be provided, or participants may bring their own.
@Sarah & Chouteau
On Wednesday November 26, a march, beginning with a guest speaker at 9:30 p.m., and then marching together around 10:15 p.m. Meet in the parking lot of Commerce Bank, on the corner of Sarah St. and Chouteau Ave. Dress for winter, bring a sign or flag to carry. The goal is to be visible on behalf of the Trans community and speak through action for those who we lost in this last year. We remember.
According to the TVT Project (TransRespect Vs. Transphobia), in 2013, 238 Trans people were murdered. 237 were trans women. As of 10/29/14, 226 trans people had been killed, all women. Hopefully next year, the number will be smaller, and the next year, and the next.
Maybe some year, we will gather only to remember how it used to be, and will have no new names to commemorate.
Some day.


The faintest stars ever seen in an ancient star cluster have been imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The observations provide the most accurate measurement ever made of the mass boundary between lightweight stars and "failed" stars called brown dwarfs – the dividing line is at about 80 times the mass of Jupiter, in line with theoretical predictions.
Stars and brown dwarfs are both made of the same materials – mostly hydrogen and helium – but their long-term behaviour is different. Stars – even those with very low mass, called red dwarfs – can burn hydrogen for many billions of years. Brown dwarfs, on the other hand, are not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion for long, fizzling out after just 1 billion years or so.
Previously, scientists calculated that the minimum mass needed to sustain long-term hydrogen burning is about 75 Jupiters. But observational confirmation has been hard to come by because young brown dwarfs and young low mass stars look very similar.
One way to distinguish the two is to look for the faintest stars in very old star clusters. Stars in clusters are thought to share approximately the same age, so old clusters should contain no observable brown dwarfs – the failed stars would have already cooled and faded from view.
Any faint objects seen in such clusters would be red dwarfs or white dwarfs, dense cores of mostly carbon and oxygen that are the cooling embers of stars like the Sun.
"Globular" star clusters – so named because of their round shape – are ideal for studying these faint stars because they are more than 10 billion years old, and contain hundreds of thousands or millions of stars.
Now, astronomers led by Harvey Richer of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, have used Hubble to find the faintest red dwarfs ever seen in a globular cluster. They looked at a relatively nearby cluster called NGC 6397, which is 8500 light years from Earth.
The cluster is 13.5 billion years old, nearly as old as the universe. "The brown dwarfs have by now faded off into obscurity so there is a very stark contrast between the stars that could burn hydrogen and the ones that couldn't," says team member Jay Anderson of Rice University in Houston, Texas, US.
Theory predicts that the mass cut-off for what constitutes a star is different for objects of different metallicity, which refers to the proportion of elements heavier than hydrogen the object contains.
For objects with a metallicity similar to that of the Sun, theory suggests that anything with less than 7.5% the mass of the Sun – or about 75 Jupiters – will be a brown dwarf.
In the case of NGC 6397, which has a metallicity 100 times lower than that of the Sun, the dividing line is expected to be at 8.3% the mass of the Sun, or about 83 Jupiters.
The members of the dim red dwarf population seen in the Hubble images appear to be heavier than this limit, in agreement with theoretical calculations.
The new observations are sensitive to stars 10 to 20 times fainter than in previous work on the same cluster, Anderson told New Scientist.
"This kind of observation is probably the best kind of constraint one can get," says Gibor Basri of the University of California, Berkeley, US. The theoretically predicted hydrogen burning limits "have stood up to what observational tests we have," he told New Scientist. "I don't think anyone thinks they're off by a lot."
The observations also revealed the telltale signs of very old white dwarfs. Although white dwarfs start out with temperatures of about 100,000° Kelvin, some of those seen in the Hubble images are old enough to have cooled below 4000° K.
That is low enough for hydrogen atoms in their atmospheres to join together to form molecules. This makes the white dwarfs bluer than they would otherwise appear, an effect rarely observed before.


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Detroit Lions Schedule
Tim Staudt
Brock Palmbos
David "Mad Dog" DeMarco
Spartan Football & Hoops News
ESPN RadioESPN Radio
I have spent over 50 years as an entertainer: Rock musician/singer, TV host, author, columnist, actor, producer, emcee and radio broadcaster. The 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln, is my cousin. Favorite actors/actresses include: Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfuss. As for favorite television shows, nowadays everything on TV stinks (unless it's a historic documentary). Favorite music of all-time includes surf, psychedelia, garage bands, Motown and just plain ol' good time Rock & Roll. My NEWEST book, "Johnny's Jukebox Word Search: The 60s" has been released and my rock trivia books, "Johnny's Vintage Rock 'n' Roll Q&A" and "Johnny's Jukebox Trivia" are available along with my two "Paranormal Michigan" books. Make sure you check out my "Haunted Michigan" page found on this site.
The Michigan Ghost Town and Abandoned Mine of Nonesuch
The town is completely gone, and the old mine still sits crumbling as time goes on. CLICK IN to see then-and-now photos of Nonesuch!
The Milkmen of Michigan, 1893-1926
Milk delivered right to your door...what a concept! Check out these vintage photos of Michigan milkmen, delivery service, and more!
Whatever Happened To Farmer Peet's Meats?
Michiganders grew up eating plenty of Farmer Peet products...so why don't we have 'em anymore? CLICK IN for info and photos!
Photos of Grass Lake, Early 1900s (and the 1850s Railroad Conspiracy)
The small town of Grass Lake has some good stories to tell. CLICK IN for some "then-and-now" pics and read some history!
The Day a Michigander Struck Out Babe Ruth
It happened in 1926 when Babe Ruth came to Michigan for an exhibition game. CLICK IN for the details!
The Tale of Turkeyville
It's unique and has been around for decades. Click in for some photos and info on Turkeyville!
The Edsel: Michigan's Biggest Boo-Boo?
What made the Edsel such a flop? Was it an inside joke? Click in for some brief info and photos!
The Wreck of the "Christmas Tree Ship", Lake Michigan, 1912
The 'Christmas Tree Ship' sunk in 1912 and wasn't discovered until 1971, at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Click in for info and photos of the wreck!
PHOTOS: The Detroit Zoo in the 1940s
The Detroit Zoo has been around since 1928...and a history that goes back further. Click in for a 1940s look-back at the zoo!
Did a Michigan Village Called "Bird" Really Exist?
A community called 'Bird' shows up on old maps but did it actually exist? Click in for location and some sketchy details...
Natural Beauty And Winter Fun Abound In Munising
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A North Sydney woman is suing the Cape Breton Regional Municipality over the demolition of her former home.
Sylvia Dolomont filed a lawsuit in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in October, roughly a year after her Campbell Street home was demolished.
She is seeking unspecified costs related to the replacement of the home and its contents, living and remediation expenses, along with general and punitive damages.
Neighbours have been complaining about strange odours and rats at the property since 2008.
The municipality issued a demolition order on the basis that the home was both unsightly and structurally unsound.
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve the last day of the year, is on 31 December which is the seventh day of Christmastide. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated at evening social gatherings, where many people dance, eat, drink alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the new year. Some Christians attend a watchnight service.
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated on the day after Christmas Day. It originated in the United Kingdom, and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or two days later. In the liturgical calendar of Western Christianity, Boxing Day is the second day of Christmastide, and also Saint Stephen's Day.


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THE NEW TYPE OF REPUBLICAN ARMY AND SECURITY FORCES
If the New Gambia is to become a reality we must build a republican army and security forces. What does that mean?
Sankara once said, "A soldier without political education is a virtual criminal." Such a remark from a soldier should be taken seriously and understood by all soldiers and members of the security forces in a republic. A politically educated soldier and member of the security forces would be fully aware that The Gambia is a sovereign republic, meaning that it should not be under the domination of any foreign power or state.
Secondly the person would be aware that sovereignty resides in the people of The Gambia, meaning that they should not be subjected to the domination of any monarch or tyrant and are endowed with rights and freedoms which should be respected and protected by all authorities including the power that determines who should manage their affairs.
A politically educated soldier and member of the security forces would be ready to protect and defend the unity of the sovereign people and the equal rights of all to live in liberty, dignity and prosperity, irrespective of ethno-linguistic origin, gender or any other status. A politically educated soldier or member of the security forces will not entertain any member of the army or security forces on the basis of ethno-linguistic origin, religion, gender or class but would promote unity of all members on the basis of sovereign citizenship and the unalloyed love for country and people, irrespective of diversity in nature or opinion. It is such a soldier or member of the security forces who would be able to protect the country, its people and their properties under a climate of peace which could engender liberty and prosperity. Gambia deserves such a soldier and member of the security forces.
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The cut off mark of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) for admission into 2019/2020 academic session has been published online. The details and update on LAUTECH cut off mark can be found below.
This is to inform all the aspirants of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology that LAUTECH Cut Off Mark For 2018/2019 Academic Session has been released by the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
This is the minimum JAMB cut off mark required from candidates who applied for admission into the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
Before candidates can qualify to sit for or write LAUTECH post-UTME exam, they are required to have passed the minimum JAMB Score set by the school.
The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology cut off mark for 2019/2020 session is not out yet but as at 2018/2019 the cut off mark was 180 which may still apply for 2019/2020 academic session. If it doesn't apply for this year, we will update the cut off mark once the official cut off mark has been published by the management.


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Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Williams' Div. Deployed
By David Seibert, June 15, 2008
1. Williams' Div. Deployed Marker
Williams' Div. Deployed. . July 20, 1864. Williams' div., 20th A. C., having crossed Peachtree Cr. 750 yds. N., deployed his 3 brigades - Robinson's, Knipe's & Ruger's in the order named, on this ridge from this point W. This was part of a general move on Atlanta by Fed. forces – no precautions taken against attack for none was anticipated. . . Geary's div. was posted on ridge .5 mi. S. E. at Collier Rd. A deep ravine separated the two; no road where N. Side Dr. is located. When the attack by Stewart`s A. C. struck both Williams & Geary, the later was forced to refuse his right wing down the slope to connect with Robinson`s brigade at this point. . This historical marker was erected in 1955 by Georgia Historical Commission. It is in Atlanta in Fulton County Georgia
July 20, 1864. Williams' div., 20th A. C., having crossed Peachtree Cr. 750 yds. N., deployed his 3 brigades - Robinson's, Knipe's & Ruger's in the order named, on this ridge from this point W. This was part of a general move on Atlanta by Fed. forces – no precautions taken against attack for none was anticipated.
Geary's div. was posted on ridge .5 mi. S. E. at Collier Rd. A deep ravine separated the two; no road where N. Side Dr. is located. When the attack by Stewart`s A. C. struck both Williams & Geary, the later was forced to refuse his right wing down the slope to connect with Robinson`s brigade at this point.
Erected 1955 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 060-57.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Georgia Historical Society/Commission marker series.
Location. 33° 48.808′ N, 84° 24.447′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. Marker is at the intersection of Northside Drive (U.S. 41), on the right when traveling north on Northside
Drive. Marker is at the entrance to the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center at the Bobby Jones Golf Course. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Atlanta GA 30309, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. O'Neal's Brigade at the Ravine (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Geary's Refused Line (approx. ¼ mile away); O'Neal's Brigade (approx. ¼ mile away); Geary's Division (approx. ¼ mile away); On Geary's Front (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Battle of Peachtree Creek (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Federal Forces Engaged/The Confederate Forces Engaged (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Federal Advance (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.
More. Search the internet for Williams' Div. Deployed.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on August 30, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 998 times since then. Last updated on February 23, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Photo 1. submitted on August 30, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
Editor's want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?


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CHIZ WANTS UPDATE ON METRO MANILA FLOOD-CONTROL PROJECTS
Sen. Chiz Escudero is asking for an update on the flood-control projects undertaken by the government to ease flooding in low-lying areas in Metro Manila, where a total of 4,750 hectares are flood-prone.
Escudero said the Senate Committee on Finance, which he chairs, will conduct a mid-year review of the status of flood-control projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) within the nation's capital region.
The senator made the statement after torrential rains again brought Metro Manila to a standstill, submerging some areas in waist-deep flood waters and making streets impassable to vehicles.
Escudero said he wants to find out from the MMDA whether it will be able to fulfill its promise to reduce the number of flood-prone areas in the metropolis by 10 percent this year.
"The MMDA has promised that it will work for a 10-percent reduction of flooded areas, or from 4,570 to 4, 105 hectares for a rainfall intensity of less than 40 millimeters per hour and that floodwaters in areas under its jurisdiction will subside 40 minutes to one hour after a downpour measuring less than 40 millimeters per hour," Escudero said, noting that the scope of the flood-prone areas is twice the size of the city of Manila.
These "performance guarantees" are attached to the P2.19 billion subsidy the MMDA will receive from the national government, he said.
He added that on top of the subsidy, the MMDA relies on membership contributions from local governments and income from fees such as those paid by traffic law violators to fund its operations, Escudero added.
Escudero, however, said the P276 million the agency has allocated this year for flood control and sewerage management services in a metropolis 63,600 hectares big and with an estimated daytime population of 15 million, is clearly not enough.
"I am of the position that the national government's subsidy to MMDA, insofar as flood control is concerned, should be increased," Escudero said.
He added: "Hindi lang trabaho ng MMDA 'yan, pero ng pambansang pamahalaan din.
Thus, Escudero said the focus of the review will be on the status of flood-control projects being done by the DPWH in Metro Manila.
On a national scale, the DPWH has a budget of P42.2 billion for flood management services this year, a bulk of which will be spent in Metro Manila.
Among the items in the DPWH's flood control budget for 2015 are DPWH-North Manila Engineering District's allocation of P1.26 billion; P680 million for its Las Pinas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office; P1.37 billion for its two engineering districts in Quezon City; P460 million for its Malabon-Navotas district office; and P1.6 billion for its National Capital Region's (NCR) First District Office.
These, he said, are on top of allocations booked under the central office of the DPWH and its regional office for NCR.
"Kaya gusto nating tanungin ang DPWH kung ilang porsyento na ba ng 1,295 projects nationwide para sa taong ito ang nasimulan, natapos na or drawing pa lang," Escudero said.
"Sabi kasi ng DPWH sa kanilang performance targets para sa taong ito na 100 percent of flood-control projects will be completed within contract time," the senator said. "Pinangako din nila na 100 percent o lahat ng flood control structures for repair and rehabilitation ay matatapos on time."
"Hindi ko sinasabing madali ang kanilang trabaho. Ang gusto lang natin ay madaliin nila ang kanilang mga ginagawa. At kung anuman ang kulang - sa pondo, kagamitan - malaman ng buong bayan, para masolusyonan ito," he said.
He said that under Secretary Rogelio Singson's leadership, the DPWH has streamlined processes and pursued activities, which resulted in faster completion at lower cost.
"But the problem is he does not operate in a vacuum. Nandyan ang delay sa release ng pondo, merong mga coordination issues sa local governments, plus right-of-way problems, and let us remember that construction is weather-dependent," he said.
Another challenge that the DPWH is facing, according to Escudero, is hiring 1,300 civil engineers it needs.
When the Senate finance committee begins to review the department's spending package for 2016, "it will not be a finger-pointing exercise, but a frank exchange in search of solutions," he said.
Escudero has continuously harped on government's "losing battle against underspending which has caused us to forfeit economic gains and the chance to generate jobs."
Last year, the national government underspent by P303 billion, or 13 percent of the appropriations for 2104.


Tags: Brick Test, QA & QC. Related Posts. ... How to determine the compressive strength of brick wall? What is the code to follow? Nasir awan November 27, 2015 Reply.
2017-11-12 · Fig: Compressive Strength Test on Brick using Compression Testing Machine. Specimens. Three numbers of whole bricks from sample collected should be taken.
2018-6-5 · Many kinds of test are performed by us while doing brick test like Brick Test, Creep Test, Water Absorption test, Abrasion Resistance test, ... Brick Testing.
2017-11-12 · How do we check the compressive strength of bricks? ... Compressive Strength Test on Brick using Compression Testing ... What is the crushing strength of a brick?
test for brick crushing test in cameroon. South Africa - Wikipedia South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa.
2018-1-16 · View AMR Labs price guide for brick mortar matching, testing, analysis services, ... 00. or for a basic match, you can add a crushing analysis to this test.
Brick Tests: 1. Compressive Strength Test, 2. ... A brick sample is kept on the crushing machine and then the pressure is thoroughly applied axially until it breaks.
The procedure as mentioned in IS 3495 (Part-2) shall be used to determine the compressive strength of brick work. ... Compression test of a Brick specimen.
Prominent HIV testing kits fail crucial WHO test in Cameroon . Apr 19, 2017 Most dominant HIV testing kits used in Cameroon and several other African countries have failed crucial thresholds set by the World Health Organisation.
crushing strength test brick, It is also called crushing strength of brick Generally 5, The testing of bricks should be made on a representative sample of .
Brick & block tests. Compressive strength AS/NZS 4456.4. Fairly obviously, this is the ability of the masonry unit (brick or block) to resist crushing loads, eg the weight of the roof that the wall is supporting, plus the weight of the wall itself.


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PRECIOUS METAL - Melbourne Burlesque Performer and Alternative Model
Welcome to the site of Precious Metal..
(c) Ben Jones
Please note that as of Feb, 2017 I am now based out of Melbourne Australia..
This head banging honey has been rocking stages in Vancouver and across Western Canada for over 10 years. Combining her love of heavy metal and burlesque, Precious Metal is hell bent on musical mayhem. This Villainous and Voluptuous Vixen has a wide range of acts, from comedic to hard-core, all with a signature Metal twist.
Formerly signed with Morrismore Modelling Agency (before its closure in 2012), this Hellcat in heels is a plus sized model, specializing in pin up and alternative modelling.
Proud accomplishments including thrilling audiences at the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival ("VIBF") in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and performing to sold out crowds in Seattle, Victoria BC and of course Vancouver. Precious has also been seen completing at the "Olympics of Burlesque", the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend ("BHOF") in the Best Group category with Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society ("SCTS") in 2010. In 2016, Precious was part of the SCTS award winning performance at BHOF winning "Best Large Group" and "Most Comedic".
A jill-of-all-trades, Precious was Screaming Chicken's stage manager from 2010 and 2014 and is currently head admin for the Vancouver Burlesque facebook and twitter pages and creator/admin of the Vancouver Burlesque website and calendar (www.burlesqueinvancouver.com). Also from 2009 to 2013 Precious was part of the SCTS Board of Directors, three of those years she acted as President. And from 2013 to 2015 Precious is part of the VIBF Board of Directors.
Vancouver's Metal Princess has been produced several shows including the "Newbie Boobie Cabaret", co-produced "A Tantalizing Taste of Burlesque" with Miss Rosie Delight, co-produced the highly successful series of shows "An Intimate Evening with Screaming Chicken" and co-produced Vancouver's version of "Marathong" with Diamond Minx
Combining her dangerous curves with Metal Fusion Burlesque to create mesmerizing and hypnotizing entertainment beyond even your wildest dreams - Precious Metal will rock you.
""Shiney, Awesome and Zombie Stomping"... Vava Vunderbust
"The hard core gal with a soft side" - Lola Frost
"The luckiest Boobs in Burlesque" - Purrrfessor, Kitty Nights West
"She can go from sexy to scary in the click of a single frame.... the beauty and the beast of curvaceous models" - Film2Frame Studios


Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee ended their investigation on Monday into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.
But Democrats and Republicans remain divided over the matter. A series of memos and letters released last month underscore core divisions between the two parties.
As we look ahead to what their conclusion means going forward, here's how the two sides disagree on eight key questions.
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee concluded their investigation on Monday into allegations that President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to tilt the 2016 US election in his favour.
The GOP claimed it "found no evidence of collusion, coordination, or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians," bringing an end to an investigation that was frequently overshadowed by partisan infighting among members on the committee.
Meanwhile, three other investigations conducted by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the special counsel Robert Mueller are still underway.
The House investigation was initially spearheaded by committee chairman Devin Nunes, whose decision to release a highly controversial memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI and Department of Justice sparked a fiery debate in Washington over key facts related to the Russia probe.
Nunes, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, was forced to recuse himself from the committee's investigation last year amid an ethics investigation into his handling of classified intelligence. Although Nunes stepped aside from the Russia probe in April 2017, he has remained a key presence in the panel's inquiry, particularly as it relates to investigating what he characterises as anti-Trump bias and corruption within the FBI and DOJ.
In February, Trump authorised the release of the so-called Nunes memo. The four-page document accused officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice of misleading the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2016 to obtain a warrant against Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign.
FBI and DOJ officials must request permission and obtain a warrant from the court to monitor suspected spies in the US. Page, who had been on the FBI's radar since at least 2013, was suspected on multiple occasions of being an unwitting Russian agent.
But Republicans say top law enforcement officials corrupted the FISA application process to undermine Trump's campaign. Meanwhile, Democrats argue the Republican claims did not hold merit and were meant to distract from Mueller's investigation.
At the center of the debate is Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who spent months in the run-up to the 2016 election researching Trump's ties to Russia for Fusion GPS, a Washington-based private research firm. Fusion GPS was working on behalf of the law firm Perkins Coie, which represented Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Steele's research culminated in what is now known as the Trump-Russia dossier, a compilation of memos that allege Russia has compromising information on Trump. Buzzfeed News first reported on the dossier in January 2017, less than two weeks before Trump assumed office.
On February 6, Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham released a letter providing additional support for the Nunes memo. Then on February 24, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, released a memo of their own to counter Republicans' claims.
How much did the FBI and the DOJ rely on the Steele dossier in their FISA application?
Did US officials corroborate Steele's findings?
Who were Steele's sources for the dossier?
Did the FBI pay Steele for information related to Trump-Russia?
Did the FBI and DOJ explain the dossier's connections to Hillary Clinton?
Did the FBI or the DOJ know about Steele's unauthorised contacts with the media before firing him as an informant in late October 2016?
What's so important about the September 23, 2016, Yahoo News article by Michael Isikoff?
Should it matter that Steele communicated with former DOJ associate deputy attorney general Bruce Ohr?


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Detailed designs presented at latest Bookmark Creek community workshop
The fourth in a series of targeted community workshops to discuss ways to reinstate natural habitat conditions in Bookmark Creek was held online last week, where designs were presented to participants including the reveal of an aquatic multi-purpose structure.
Designs, including 3D modelling of the Jane Eliza Inlet regulator and the Nelwart Street Bridge, which were presented at the workshop.
As part of the Sustaining Riverland Environments (SRE) program, the workshop unveiled designs for a structure to facilitate uninterrupted public canoe access and safe pedestrian path across Bookmark Creek, whilst improving the flow of the creek and allowing native riverine species to bypass Lock 5.
SRE Program Leader Nathan Clisby said that late last year the community selected its preferred option to reinstate better flow, habitat and fish passage through the creek, whilst optimising existing watering activities of the creek's floodplain areas for vegetation.
"At this latest workshop we unveiled the designs, including 3D modelling of the Jane Eliza Inlet regulator and the Nelwart Street Bridge, which were presented to and endorsed by the group," Nathan said.
"The designs also included sections of the creek which will be 're-snagged' to provide vital habitat for native fish including Murray Cod."
The proposed designs at the upstream end of Bookmark Creek, near Jane Eliza Estate, include a flow management structure and bridge, incorporating a multi-access passage that will allow fish, turtles and canoeists to navigate the entire length of the creek.
"Once implemented, the final infrastructure will help create high-value, fast-flowing conditions within the creek, which is important for native fish and other native species," Nathan said.
"The Bookmark Creek Complex is one of three locations identified as ecologically important sites for restoration under the SRE Program.
"By restoring natural fish habitats within Bookmark Creek, the works will unlock a suite of environmental, social and economic benefits, such as supporting the health and wellbeing of the community."
Nathan said the community-endorsed designs will now progress through to final design and start the approvals and construction proposal phase. Construction of infrastructure works are anticipated to commence in the coming months and be completed by December 2022.
The Sustaining Riverland Environments (SRE) Program is a $37.6 million program funded by the Australian Government through the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and delivered by the Government of South Australia through the Department for Environment and Water.
For more information visit: www.environment.sa.gov.au/SustainingRiverlandEnvironments