Summer heat is on and at its peak! Holy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays in the Philippines so that means no work for us and it equates to a long dreaded weekend staying home during hot summer days that's why thousands plan of getting out of town or even out of the country to escape and beat the heat. Throngs flock the beaches like Boracay or Puerto Galera for a dip or the refreshing cool atmosphere up in the mountains in cities like Baguio and Tagaytay. Don't get me wrong here - these days are declared holidays as a time of reflection and fulfillment to religious obligations of the Christians but it is also one of the few scarce days in a year that families all get together complete for bonding time. I'm a firm believer that we can mix both serious matter and pleasure to make the most out of days like these.
We planned to leave early Friday morning for a 2 hour drive from Manila to Pagsanjan, Laguna. This is more of a road trip and everyone welcomed this experience because we haven't done this for quite some time. Due to personal circumstances we left the house later than expected by around 7:00AM and because of this, we were caught up with heavy traffic as we get near Antipolo where a lot of church-goers to a famous church there are also on their way. We detoured a bit and passed by Taytay and was glad to know from the locals that there are pathways leading to the national highway where we plan to pass but on the way, we were caught up with heavier traffic - a reenactment of the carrying of the cross which caused clogging of the already skimpy streets.
In the Philippines, a lot of devotees do this reenactment, most of them even go to the extent of having themselves nailed to the cross and it crossed to my mind that this guy maybe one of them.
After bypassing the group, we finally reached the national highway, the same road that we used on a road trip to Pagbilao, Quezon with Jojo, and passed by the same picturesque view of the surroundings, greeneries, mountains and Laguna lake on our way to Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Somewhere in Laguna we saw two separate groups lashing themselves as their act of penitence, asking for forgiveness while they walk on the sidestreet. The first group's backs were already red, covered with blood because they had metals (probably nails) at the end of their whips hitting their body.
The second group are men in grass skirts who just started their parade.
Half past 10 in the morning and we reached the hotel where we'll be staying for the night - La Corona de Pagsanjan. When searching for hotels to stay, I usually check on sites such as Hotels Combined and check their rates for great deals whenever I travel.
There are six members in the family but we booked instead for a quadruple cottage room because the next bigger room is for 12 persons. The room is spacious, with four twin beds and a big empty space for our bags and things.
The left door obviously is the entrance to our room, the second door is the shower room and the third door is the toilet area. Covered by my younger sister and in the middle is a lavatory for washing.
Originally, we planned to go to Pagsanjan falls by 8:00AM if we have arrived earlier. Changing our plans, we dropped our things and decided to leave for Lucban, Quezon to have our lunch and drop by Kamay ni Hesus. While waiting for our car, these two baloneys (my younger sister and eldest brother) saw this beam and went for limbo rock!
We reached Lucban, Quezon by 12:30PM and looked for a place to have our lunch. We past by town proper and reached Kamay ni Hesus shrine. Traffic around the area is bad and we decided to turn back instead and go back to the town proper for lunch.
We saw Buddy's, a familiar restaurant originally from Lucban that we tried a couple of times back in Metro Manila serving native Filipino food and some dishes native to Lucban, Quezon.
I lodged our orders and stormed out to take pictures while others went to Eker & Ely store to buy Lucban longganisa (a native pork sausage). The food took a while because the place was jampacked so I took my time for snapshots around the area.
Walking furthermore to a sidestreet, I reached Lucban church, one of the oldest churches in Quezon. Looking closer, you will see a marker that states: "Church of Lucban - The first church built in 1595, was ruined in 1629. The second church was constructed between 1630 and 1640, but was seriously damaged by fire in 1733. The present church was completed in 1738 and the convent in 1743."
In front of Buddy's is Rizal Park where a picturesque monument of Jose Rizal, the country's national hero is erected. I previously blogged another monument of Rizal in the capital city of Manila.
When I came back to Buddy's restaurant, food wasn't ready yet and the others are still out for the longganisa shopping so I crossed the street to buy something to take home from Pavino's Broas. I left the store with a can of Broas (ladyfingers) and meringue.
We are sitting on a table in a covered street just outside Buddy's. My second brother and father are still waiting for our food to be served and were already bored when a vendor approached them selling this knife. After a few haggling, they agreed on a price and purchased it.
Alas, the food came after an hour and we were already starving. We had crispy buntot ng tangigue (crispy fish tail of tangigue), sizzling gambas (shrimps), sizzling squid, Pancit Lucban (sauteed noodles with seafood), lumpiang ubod and sinigang na tangigue (tangigue in tamarind soup). All we had were seafood and vegetables since it was Good Friday and we practice meat abstinence.
I love Buddy's crispy buntot ng tangigue. In fact, we ordered two and I finished almost the whole plate of it! It was yummy with a good consistency of crispy fish skin and tender meat. Served with a conction of soy sauce, vinegar and some spices, I was solved for that meal!
On our way back to Pagsanjan, Laguna, we passed by a bibingka vendor (rice cake) for snacks to go. It is best eaten while freshly cooked and served hot.
That afternoon, there's nothing else for us to do but to rest in our room so my brother and I took the knife and kinda played with it.
I explored the resort later that afternoon. My brother went here last year for their company's team building. I didn't know that they have a huge estate and had facilities for team building like logs, ropes and challenges for such activities. They also have a court for playing badminton/volleyball and another one for basketball.
Behind our room is the river leading to Pagsanjan falls. I can still see some boats that came from the falls on their way back.
There are also a couple of swimming pools in the resort. We dipped in these pools right before dinner time.
Breakfast by 7:00AM the next day and booked for boats going to the falls by 8:00AM. This experience is fondly called as "shooting the rapids". It is a two-hour ride that starts in calm waters of the river. Each boat is paddled by two boatmen. We had two boats with three passengers each because one boat can up to three. We waited a bit and left a few minutes later, just when rain started to fall on us.
It was a wonderful experience going to Pagsanjan falls. Along the way you will be passing by some small waterfalls like this.
A few minutes the rain stopped and the sun started to shine again.
Although it is an exciting once-in-a-lifetime experience you shouldn't miss, there are some hiccups along the way. The boatmen will steer the banca upstream and at certain times, boatmen have to climb out and step on the boulders to push the boat going up the water, against the flow or to avoid collision when passing between boulders and rocks. Water also gets in the boat and has to be removed from time to time so we had to stop along the way.
Another thing is that there are a number of rocky areas along the way. The boatmen had to climb down, pull our boat or sometimes even have to carry it to get to the other side. What makes it harder is that we are going against the flow of water on our way to the falls.
We reached a resting area 20 minutes later, midway to the falls. We stopped to eat some grilled chicken and coconut while the boatmen take their rest.
Near the resting area is Talahib falls.
After around 20 more minutes, we finally reached the main waterfalls! Even if it was a great experience going there, I was stressed on the way. First it rained, and then the boat rocked left and right that I thought we're going to capsize a number of times. I was stressed because I don't know how to swim and the thought of the boat overturning scared me. The boats were so narrow that it's width is just enough to accomodate you while sitting and you cannot move around since it will outbalance. To make matters most, I have to protect my camera from rain water, water from the river that gets in the boat and from capsizing so I had to balance all these things! I should buy that underwater housing for my compact camera and bring that instead next time!
A minute-walk towards the falls and we finally reached what we came here for! Rafts were waiting to take tourists inside the cave just behind the falls.
The real name of the waterfalls is Magdapio falls. It is commonly known as Pagsanjan falls just because of its where-sake.
Going back, the ride is smoother because it already stopped raining and the sun was shining brightly and the sky is blue. Our direction is going downstream so we are going with the flow. Some parts even felt like we're on a theme park ride.
As we get back to where we started, we see people started to come out and hear videoke machines playing loud music. I was told that the whole area is where "Tabing Ilog", a popular teen show back in the 90s were shot.
We also saw an influx of tourists on their way to the falls. We sure were glad that we left earlier so it wasn't as crowded. We expected a lot of people because it was holiday, a weekend and during peak season. We also saw this group of boatmen which made me think of rowing. I was told that they just had the 11th Pagsanjan Bangkero Festival the week before.
We got back almost 11:00AM and went straight for the pool and checked out by around lunch time.
Somewhere in Laguna, on the way back to Manila, we passed by Kainan sa Manggahan. It is situated along the main highway and we saw a few cars turning here probably for lunch. There aren't a lot of restaurants around either and we were already hungry so we decided to follow.
It is actually more of a canteen eatery and the food were already pre-cooked. We locally call this "turo-turo" where you just point what you want and it will be plated for you ("turo" is a Filipino word for pointing). In front of us is a wide range of food choices and it made it hard for us to choose just a few dishes.
So these are all the items we had for lunch - pork binagoongan (pork with sauteed shrimp paste and coconut milk), menudo, lechon paksiw (roasted pork with vinegar), chopsuey (sauteed vegetables), ginataang tilapia (tilapia in coconut milk), chicken curry and additionally, chicharon (crispy pork rinds).
On our way to Pagsanjan, we saw handicrafts and decided to stop by one of them on the way back. We initially thought of buying a big duyan (weaved hammock) for 450 pesos but we backed out when it came to our senses we don't have an area where to put it and tie it up. Johann was also looking at a sala set made from rattan and is considering to come back and buy it.
The whole trip turned out to be fantastic. Even if it was just a last minute decision, we were lucky to be able to book a hotel room to our liking during peak season. The experience of "shooting the rapids" and being able to finally come to Pagsanjan falls (or officially Magdapio falls as I was told) was great. Ever since I was child I've been wanting to come here because it is one of the most famous tourist spots we have studied in our civics and culture class and now I can finally say "been there, done that!".
All I can say is WOW! You're having the time of your life. What a blast. I enjoy reading your post here. I never celebrated Good Friday and Black Saturday in teh Philippines. (Partly because I belong to the Church or Christ - a non-catholic religion). But I do respect these holidays.
Happy Easter to you. Oh BTW, what made you use the beam for limbo rock? That's funny. And I saw an Abu Sayyaf insurgent person behind you (with his machete), hahaha!
Water rafting is one of the sports that I want to try so badly.
Glad you had a great time with your family. I love the Lucban church. The "bolo knife" photos are absolutely hilarious.
that was an awesome escapade!
im looking forward to experiencing the same fun in pagsanjan. this is one destination i am anticipating.
Such a great vacation indeed.. BTW, the Abu Sayyaf pic is scary.. hehehe..
i am ashamed to admit that i haven't been to Pagsanjan. Promise, I'll visit when I get back. :-) btw, ex links?
that was one extensive tour. i really enjoyed looking at the pics.
will visit more often here. thanks for droppin by my blog.
Hmm, could that be a typographical error? written in a rush? spelled out after the pronunciation? or maybe because I wrote this blog before I went to sleep, and published it a bit late this morning.
Hey, I really appreciate your concern. Thanks Jasper.
how much did it cost you per person?


Ubisoft Forums > Assassin's Creed > Assassin's Creed - General Discussions > Would Ubisoft lie??
View Full Version : Would Ubisoft lie??
Would Ubisoft Support, the guys who help with our problems, lie to us??
I mean, they seem nice and helpful but is it possible that they would tell us about our problem that its Ok, but really would they LIE just to like get our hopes up or as a mean joke??
I am not blaming anyone, but is it possible??
Ok, NOW it's obvious that you're full of crap and simply trolling! Ubi support help with our problems?! GTFO!!!
To Answer your question NO !! other wise their support team would not be fit for purpose ! and i have received help from these guys and they are awesome so its really down to the consumer being incredibly stupid and not understanding their resolution to the problem !
No they will absolutely not lie to you.


Nasuwt condemns the use of support staff.
Discussion in 'Supply teaching' started by Hazel Catkins, Apr 27, 2011.
The question is, what are the NASUWT doing about it?
Strange....I'm a CS (and p/t Instructor) and a member of the NASUWT. Funny how they don't 'agree' with my employment, but are willing to take my money and represent me!
There was NO MENTION of the use of Cover Supervisors in the press coverage................JUST that TAs were being used. Big cover up here???? I suspect there are more cover supervisors than TA's now and it could cause a rebellion by parents.
attempts to obtain a qualified teacher have failed."
I agree with this proposition. Use of support staff is valid in certain circumstances.
The real problem is that as far as secondary is concerned the NASUWT agreed to guidance that allows secondary Heads to define what constitutes a 'short term absence', rather than applying the so-called 'three day rule' that is clearly outlined for primary schools. This is based on the notion that absence of a single subject teacher in secondary is less disruptive (due to timetabling) than the absence of a whole class (ie all subjects) Primary teacher.
Until that loophole is closed, secondary Heads are free to decide how long they wait before bringing in supply staff, and will continue to stretch the definition beyond the bounds of credibility.
The way I see it is what supply teacher is going to be willing to go into a school to cover part of a teacher's timetable - e.g. I have taken on 10 hours of teaching this year (spread out over a fortnight) to cover an absent teacher's second subject. Their timetables had been re-jigged so that a qualified supply was brought in to cover their primary subject and I picked up the remains (which happens to be my specialism). Speaking to supply teacher friends, they would not even consider taking on a short term contract that was only for an hour here and an hour there as it means that they can't take full day bookings elsewhere.
The way the school have arranged this makes perfect sense to me - the kids get continuity and the core subject has got a qualified, subject speacialist teacher teaching them.
a) Who is there to tell? The union? Pretty toothless imo.
b) Most teachers don't always know the full laws, so endless debate in the staffroom, but not much else.
c) No-one wants to raise their heads above the parapet.
as supply teacher's i think the majority of us oppose the use of support staff in any teaching capacity and hold that the use of them in the first place is wrongful short or long term.
"The resolution calls on the NASUWT's executive to ensure schools are allowed to use staff without qualified status only to cover short-term absences or allow teachers to plan and prepare for classes, or when all attempts to obtain a qualified teacher have failed."


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We are prefossonal to manufacture all kinds of Sketch Art and coloring books, and some sketch book with the specil foil stickers ,metallic Sticker , puffy stickers to decorate the sketch characters more beautiful. and some styles of sketch pages already printed the character outlines , this way will easy for kids to creative and paiting and coloring follow the outlines. all the designs , styles , shapes are welcomed, we can offer the best cost.


A few updated shots of my office progress, all that remains is two chairs, wall art and a few accessories. I have decided to keep the French Louis chair for my bedroom project. I am now looking for a comfortable, high back chair for my desk and a cosy reading chair. I still haven't found my elusive olive jar, so meanwhile I have created a temporary vignette to fill the gap.
I have to make a few adjustments before the room is ready to shoot in its entirety. The antique, French shutter may be repainted white. It also needs re-positioning lower, however this will wait until I have the perfect accessories for my table top. The French documents are from the 1800's, I will be framing these for the wall beside my desk, and possibly, there will be a number left to sell if anyone is interested. They are really beautiful, hand written in ink and the paper has aged to a lovely patina. They are old legal documents and one has an 1800 blue, ten centimes, French stamp on the back of it. The toile waste paper bin is lacquered bamboo and was a bargain on Trademe. The silver tankard was my fathers... my mother would be absolutely horrified if she knew I was showing an image of it all tarnished. I love the patina though so a little reluctant to polish it up. I am so pleased I am finding spots for some of my family treasures.
These shots were taken on a cloudy day and this is a South facing room with only a small window. The little natural light has not helped me to create the greatest clarity as I had to edit the light in the images. Next month I start my photography course and really excited at trading in auto for manual.
I hope you enjoyed a further peek at my office, I feel it is coming along well and reflecting my original inspiration post. As soon as I have my two chairs and artwork up, I will post 'before and after shots' of the room in its entirety. I will also make notes of where I purchased my items.
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Oh wow Lee, It's looking sooooo pretty! I love the painted baskets, the color in the rug looks exquisite, and the old blue shutter is just perfect, so pretty on the wall. The chandy is perfect too. I can't wait to see the whole thing in the before and afters!
Thanks cindy, the baskets I bought already like that from a shop called Wallace Cotton, they were really quite reasonable. They had lined fabric in them but I decided to remove the fabric. I might paint the shutter with a white wash, still undecided, only because I have had them in my bedroom for a couple of years and need a change. Hopefully I can post in a few weeks time the before and after, I am just saving some money for my chairs.
That is a beautiful office. So inspiring to me! I found you today via the G'day link up!
Thank you Suzie, glad you found my blog too :). My office still has a few things to do to it and a few changes to accessories, these photos were to update readers on my progress. I hope to reveal the complete makeover in a few weeks time.
Thanks Kelly, the paint brush holder was an old tankard my father received from a dinner club my mother and he belonged to. When they left the UK it was engraved and given to him to remember the club by. I have let it tarnish, my mother would be horrified that I posted it on my blog without polishing it.


Idaho Falls, ID. eXtension's Impact Collaborative led a statewide Innovation Skill-Building Experience for the University of Idaho Extension at their annual conference. Over the course of two days, the Impact Collaborative worked with 117 Extension professionals on 17 teams from across the state to help build skills in increasing innovation, ideating with project and program teams using a design thinking and lean experimentation methodology, and creating action plans for projects and programs ready for implementation.
The University of Idaho Extension will continue working with the project and program teams that attended to help move vetted projects towards implementation. eXtension will provide direct support to further incubate six teams that are involved with projects that align with eXtension initiatives and new technologies.
Every eXtension member can host the Impact Collaborative annually for a statewide or institution-wide event focused on building skills in Innovation. eXtension provides the staffing and support for these events. Each event is designed alongside our members to adapt to their unique needs and desired outcomes and outputs. To learn more about state and institutional events, click here.


text:
Strong VIP growth for Russia's Tigre de Cristal: analyst
Dec 12, 2016 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck
The Tigre de Cristal casino resort in the Russian Far East is set to enjoy strong growth in VIP rolling chip volumes over the next two years, says Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd.
"As it relates to our forecasts for Tigre de Cristal, we expect monthly VIP volume to be approximately HKD2 billion [US$257.8 million] in the second half of 2016, HKD2.4 billion in 2017 (+19 percent year-on-year), and HKD2.8 billion in 2018 (+17 percent year-on-year)," analyst Grant Govertsen wrote in a Monday note.
He added: "These growth rates are broadly in line with what we've seen in other jurisdictions as their VIP programmes have ramped. We note that our 2018 VIP forecast results in Tigre de Cristal being around 1.0 percent of Macau ['s VIP market size] (from 0.6 percent in the second half of 2016)."
Tigre de Cristal (pictured) began working with two fixed-room junket operators in late June and has seen a significant uptick in VIP play as a result, according to the casino promoter's interim report published in September. Mr Govertsen said that VIP monthly volumes at the property had almost tripled to HKD2 billion since July.
According to the Union Gaming analyst, Tigre de Cristal "is generally a VIP-focused casino, although its current underlying mass market business effectively covers almost all property operational expenses". The brokerage forecast in its Monday note mass gaming table volumes at the property to grow between 8 percent and 9 percent in 2017, to RUB4.82 billion (US$77.5 million).
Union Gaming started on Monday coverage of Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd with a "buy" rating and a HKD3.25 target price. Summit Ascent – a Hong Kong-listed firm controlled by casino entrepreneur Lawrence Ho Yau Lung – is 60-percent owner of Oriental Regent Ltd. The latter in turn holds the entire equity interest in G1 Entertainment LLC, which holds the gaming licence for Tigre de Cristal.
In Monday's memo, Mr Govertsen forecast Summit Ascent to post "mid-teens EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation] growth in 2017 and 2018", with "outsized growth in 2020 on the heels of phase two" of Tigre de Cristal.
The brokerage noted that Summit Ascent generates "the entirety of its revenues and profits via its ownership stake in Oriental Regent in addition to a management fee earned from running the operations at Oriental Regent's casino Tigre de Cristal".
The Union Gaming analyst said factors benefiting Tigre de Cristal included "first-mover advantage in a fast-growing market, an exceptionally operator-friendly tax environment (there is no gross gaming revenue tax and gaming-related profits are exempt from Russia's corporate income tax), an under-penetrated VIP and locals story".
Tigre de Cristal had a soft launch in October 2015 followed by an official one in November the same year. The property is currently the only casino in operation in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone, a casino development area located 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Russia's Pacific port of Vladivostok.
Phase two of Tigre de Cristal – with a total area of 100,000 square metres (1.08 million sq feet) and with construction expected to start in the second half of 2017 – is to include additional hotel rooms, shops, conference facilities and restaurants. It is forecast to cost about US$500 million.
According to Union Gaming's note, phase two "will represent an entirely new resort (rather than an expansion of the existing Tigre de Cristal)" and will feature 100 VIP gaming tables, 70 mass tables and 500 slot-machine and electronic gaming machine positions.
Four licences have so far been granted for the development of casino resorts in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone, coupled with land grants totalling almost 1.4 million square metres. Hong Kong-listed casino operator NagaCorp Ltd is expected to be the second firm to open a venue in that area. NagaCorp's chairman Tim McNally has told GGRAsia that the construction programme is on schedule and the group expects to open its property there in the summer of 2018.
NagaCorp again delays share award due...
NagaCorp says biz 'normal' despite...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Foundation Medicine Announces 2016 First Quarter Results and Recent Highlights | Foundation Medicine, Inc.
Published 9 manuscripts in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and delivered 41 podium and poster talks at various medical and scientific meetings.
Foundation Medicine reported total revenue of $30.4 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $19.3 million in the first quarter of 2015 and $26.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Revenue from clinical testing in the first quarter of 2016 was $10.2 million, compared to $11.1 million in the first quarter of 2015 and $12.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.
The company reported 8,985 clinical tests in the first quarter of 2016, a 14% increase from the same quarter last year. This number includes 7,957 FoundationOne® tests and 1,028 FoundationOne® Heme tests.
Revenue from biopharmaceutical customers more than doubled year-over-year to $20.2 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $8.2 million in the first quarter of 2015 and $14.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. This growth was fueled by the achievement of milestone revenue during the first quarter. The results of 2,622 tests were reported to biopharmaceutical customers in this year's first quarter.
"Foundation Medicine delivered a solid first quarter highlighted by strong revenue growth and healthy clinical volume," said Michael Pellini, M.D., chief executive officer of Foundation Medicine. "Since the beginning of the year, we have also made great strides in generating a tremendous amount of data to support the clinical utility of our comprehensive genomic profiling approach across a diverse set of cancers. We expect that these data, coupled with our best-in-class portfolio of analytically validated assays, which now includes FoundationACT, will be critical differentiators with physicians, payers, and most importantly, patients."
The company's molecular information knowledgebase, FoundationCORE, grew to nearly 80,000 patient cases. FoundationCORE is a unique asset and critical component of the value that Foundation Medicine delivers to its biopharmaceutical and physician customers. The increasing scale and breadth of a high quality, clinically relevant oncology data set derived from the company's analytically validated testing platform continues to enhance clinical practice and enable improved outcomes for patients.
Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2016 were approximately $36.5 million compared with $34.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2015. Net loss was approximately $17.3 million in the first quarter of 2016, or a $0.50 loss per share. At March 31, 2016, the company held approximately $213.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.
Launched FoundationACT, the company's ctDNA assay to clinical customers. FoundationACT was developed with the same rigorous analytical validation standards as FoundationOne and FoundationOne Heme, and is the third clinical product launch by the company in just four years.
Announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to develop novel companion diagnostic assays to enable physicians to identify patients most likely to benefit from targeted medicines within AstraZeneca's oncology pipeline.
Expanded the company's U.S. laboratory footprint to include a second site at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. When operational, the company expects this new facility will support continued innovation and expansion of its product portfolio, provide important lab redundancies, increase operational flexibility, and broaden commercial opportunities.
The company expects to deliver between 37,000 and 40,000 FoundationOne and FoundationOne Heme clinical tests in 2016.
The company expects to expand upon reimbursement progress made in 2015 and drive additional coverage decisions.
The company will conduct a conference call today, Tuesday, May 3rd at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial performance for the 2016 first quarter and other business activities, including matters related to future performance. To access the conference call via phone, dial 1-855-420-0652 from the United States and Canada, or dial 1-484-365-2939 internationally, and for either number reference Foundation Medicine and provide the passcode 85678817. Dial in approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call. The live, listen-only webcast of the conference call may be accessed by visiting the investors section of the company's website at investors.foundationmedicine.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website for two weeks following the call.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the benefits of our products to clinicians, payers and biopharmaceutical companies in the treatment of cancer and the recognition by physicians, payers and patients of the differentiating characteristics of our tests; the number of tests to be conducted, the generation of revenue, and the incurrence of operating expenses in 2016; the expansion of the company's laboratory operations to a new facility in North Carolina; and payer support for comprehensive genomic profiling, including coverage decisions by Medicare and third-party payers. All such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include the risks that Foundation Medicine's test, revenue or operating expense projections may turn out to be inaccurate because of the preliminary nature of the forecasts; the company's products, including FoundationACT, do not perform as expected; establishing a new laboratory facility in North Carolina is delayed, or the new laboratory is not able to provide anticipated operational and commercial benefits to the company; the company's expectations and beliefs regarding the future conduct and growth of Foundation Medicine's business are inaccurate; Foundation Medicine is unable to achieve profitability, to compete successfully, to manage its growth, or to develop its molecular information platform; and the risks described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Foundation Medicine's Quarterly Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other risks detailed in Foundation Medicine's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Foundation Medicine undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.


For the ultimate authentic Yerba Mate experience, try using a traditional gourd and bombilla! Featured here is our Hand Carved Mate Gourd with pyrographed "Poker Cards" design. A fun and totally unique design to showcase your style and enhance your Mate drinking experience. Each gourd is unique! This one features beautiful artwork and lively colors.
Pair it with one of our authentic "bombilla" straws, sold separately!


Kickstart your day with new Clif Energy Granola. Made with whole grains and full of protein, this granola is what breakfast is all about!
Mocha Almond Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Pea Protein Crisps (Pea Protein, Rice Flour), Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Syrup, Almonds, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Oat Flour, Alkalized Cocoa, Pumpkin Seeds, Sea Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant). Contains almonds. May contain peanuts, other tree nuts, milk, and soy. May contain nutshell fragments.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Pea Protein Crisps (Pea Protein, Rice Flour), Brown Rice Syrup, Cane Sugar, Oat Flour, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Cashews, Macadamia Nuts, Cocoa Butter, Sea Salt, Vanilla Extract, Sunflower Lecithin, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant).
Cinnamon Almond Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Pea Protein Crisps (Pea Protein, Rice Flour), Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Syrup, Almonds, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Seed Butter, Oat Flour, Pumpkin Seeds, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant). Contains almonds. May contain peanuts, other tree nuts, milk, and soy. May contain nutshell fragments.
Blueberry Crisp Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Pea Protein Crisps (Pea Protein, Rice Flour), Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Syrup, Oat Flour, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Almonds, Dried Wild Blueberries, Pumpkin Seeds, Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant).


Enjoy a half- or full-day journey down the beautiful Colorado River. As you paddle into the Black Canyon, take in the beautiful desert scenery and watch out for Big Horn Sheep, deer and even Bald Eagles. Visit Willow Beach, Emerald Cave and the cool, clear waters. Hotel pickup and drop-off, all necessary equipment, snacks and bottled water are included.
Join your guide for a half- or full-day kayaking tour along the Colorado River and into the Black Canyon. All necessary equipment, National Park fees, snacks and hotel pickup and drop-off by a comfortable Mercedes Sprinter are included. Review options below for more information.
Half-day Tour (4-miles/6.4km round-trip): After hotel pickup you will arrive at Willow Beach where your guide will get you prepared for the day ahead. After you are fitted into your kayaks you'll start paddling upstream into Black Canyon. As you take in the natural scenery around you, scour the banks to be the first to spot Desert Big Horn Sheep or look above and see if you there are any Bald Eagles.
You'll then break and enjoy a complimentary snack before setting off for Emerald Cave. Plunge into the cool clear waters before the group heads back to Willow Beach.
Full-day Tour (12-miles/19.3km one-way): After pickup you'll be transported to the launch site at the base of the Hoover Dam for a prompt 7am launch. Your first stop will be one-mile upstream at a historical overlook where you'll see amazing views of the legendary Colorado River. Your guide will provide you with expert commentary about the history of the river. Make sure to keep an eye out for Big Horn Sheep and all the other critters that the desert has to offer.
As you paddle down the Black Canyon with you guide, you'll stop along to way to see historical artifacts and natural features. After your first 4-miles you will be treated to amazing natural occurring 100-degree hot springs.
Break for lunch at a beautiful beach by the river before finishing your day with a visit into Emerald Cavern.
Your day will end at Willow Beach where you'll be shuttled back to Las Vegas.
Important note: in order for the local operator to obtain the necessary permits for this tour ALL traveler names must be provided as they appear on a government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport. Your tour will not be confirmed unless all names are provided. Please ensure all names are spelled correctly, names cannot be changed once reservation is submitted.


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Discovering Digital Media Day
Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
Continuing Lecturer
Paul's current research is in the fields of innovation, business ethics and strategy, business cluster analysis and the management and commercialization of ideas. He is heavily involved in developing innovative ideas and accelerating business opportunities. He is the founder/co-founder of several start-up companies and acts as a consultant in the energy industry.
Kevin Harrigan
Lecturer, Stratford/Drama and Speech Communication | Head of Gambling Research Team
Kevin Harrigan is a lecturer at the University of Waterloo where he teaches courses in multimedia and computer game design and conduct research on slot machine addictions.
Hira Javed, BBA, MDEI
Instructor | Sr. UX Researcher, Digital Factory at Scotiabank
Hira joined University of Waterloo in 2012 and teaches User Experience Design for the Global Business and Digital Arts program. Her area of interests includes digital memory, online communities, ephemeral messaging, gamification, and user experience research.
Karin Schmidlin, MDM
Lecturer, User Experience Research and Design
Karin is a passionate teacher, she loves being surrounded by smart, driven students that inspire her and keep her on her toes. She feels very fortunate that the things she loves also pay the bills. She brings 14+ years of design and digital media experience to the table and currently teaches User Experience (UX) and Applied Leadership.
Christine McWebb, PhD (On Sabbatical until July 2019)
Director and Professor, Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
I am the founding director of the academic programs at the Stratford School and have enjoyed this work tremendously. Building a wonderful campus (yes, I did have to wear a hard hat at times during the construction phase of the campus) and brand new programs from scratch has been challenging and extremely rewarding. I would do it all again!
Gerald Voorhees
Assistant Professor, Stratford / Drama and Speech Communication (on leave)
I teach classes in digital culture and media analysis at the Stratford School as well as classes in public communication and social justice in the Department of Drama and Speech Communication. I am also faculty advisor for the online publication FirstPersonScholar.com, which publishes articles about games and game cultures aimed at both academic and public audiences.
Jessica Thompson, MFA
Associate Director Graduate Studies, Stratford | Assistant Professor, Hybrid Media, Stratford/Fine Arts
Jessica Thompson is a media artist whose practice investigates urban environments through interactive artworks situated at the intersection of sound, performance and mobile technologies. Her current research investigates the ways that sound reveals spatial and social conditions within cities and how these conditions may be articulated through networked performance, gestural interaction and data visualization. Before coming to Waterloo, Thompson taught courses in sound, media and urban practice in the Department of Visual Art at Brock University and the Department of Media Study at SUNY at Buffalo.
Jane Tingley
Associate Director Undergraduate Studies, Stratford | Assistant Professor, Stratford/Fine Arts
Jane Tingley is a recipient of the Kenneth Finkelstein Prize in Sculpture and holds a BFA honours from the University of Manitoba, as well as an MFA from Concordia University. She is an Assistant Professor in Hybrid Media in the Department of Fine Arts and teaches classes at the University of Waterloo on the main campus and the Stratford School.
Jennifer R. Whitson
Assistant Professor, Stratford/Sociology and Legal Studies
Dr. Whitson is a sociologist who researches the secret life of software, the people who make it, and how both change our daily lives. Her current projects centre on digital media incubators, indie game makers, and on the surveillance implications of data-driven design, respectively
Philip J. Boyle
Philip Boyle joined the University of Waterloo in July 2014 after spending two years in the Department of Sociology at York University. He holds a PhD in Sociology (2011) from the University of Alberta and has held postdoctoral positions in the School of Communications at Temple University (Philadelphia) and the Global Urban Research Unit at Newcastle University (UK).
Glen Drummond
Instructor | Provocation Designer, Quarry
Fall 2014 marked Glen's arrival to the teaching team at UWaterloo's Stratford Campus. Glen has been a Guest Lecturer in the UWaterloo Digital Arts Communication (DAC) program in the past. He also leads a heavily subscribed fourth year class in the Wilfrid Laurier University School of Business and Economics on Creativity for Marketing Managers.
Jonathan Baltrusaitis
I come from a film and television background. Most of my career work has been as a writer/editor. I have recently made the move into interactive content production, creating educational apps for kids.
Olivia Ozlem Mesta, PhD.
Lecturer, Stratford School/Economics
I completed my graduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the United States. Since my undergraduate degree is in mathematics, my interests were divided between mathematics, economics and business finance.
Lennart Nacke, PhD
Associate Professor, Stratford / Communication Arts / The Games Institute
Dr. Lennart Nacke is an Associate Professor and the Director of the HCI Games Group at the University of Waterloo's Games Institute. Professor Nacke teaches User Experience, Human-Computer Interaction, and Game Design at the University of Waterloo. He is researching cognitive and emotional elements of player experience in video games often using physiological measures together with surveys and player interviews. Lennart is also working as a gamification and user experience contractor. Professor Nacke has served on the steering committee of the International Game Developers Association Games User Research Special Interest Group in the past, is the chair of the CHI PLAY conference steering committee since 2014. His publications have won Best Paper Honourable Mention (awarded to the top five per cent) and Best Paper Awards (awarded to the top one per cent) at the premier human-computer interaction conferences CHI 2011 and CSCW 2012. He has published more than 100 scientific papers, which have been cited more than 7,000 times. He strongly believes in understanding users first to build more engaging games and compelling player experiences.
Vivian Yang, PhD
Before I joined University of Waterloo, I worked with Deloitte LLP as a Senior Manager in transfer pricing (prices for intercompany transactions within multinational firms).
Sebastian Siebel-Achenbach
Lecturer, Global Business and Business Finance
Trained in history and business, and supplemented with business practice. A teacher for two decades now, broken by almost a decade as a manager of a company. Enjoyed meeting people and making them contented customers, but found teaching young adults even more of a challenge and stimulating. Try to be passionate about every course, regardless of the content.
My wife and two daughters keep me rooted.
Linda Carson, MFA, MSc, PhD
I came to the University of Waterloo for the first time as a teen-aged student. I'm proud and bemused that my journey brought me back here to teach.
Leah Zhang-Kennedy
Leah teaches User Experience Design and Research at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, University of Waterloo. She joined Waterloo from an interdisciplinary background bridging academic areas such as human-computer interaction, computer science, and graphic design.
Bharat Sud
My research interests are in the areas of long-term effects of marketing strategy on brand performance and cross-category effects of marketing strategy. I am currently working on four projects in these areas.
Undergraduate student (5)
University of Waterloo Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
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Capcom's official Destiny of an Emperor is, unfortunately, not available in English. Fortunately, thanks in large part to a familiar game dynamic (think Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and fairly intuitive design, it should be easy enough for you to pick this game up and enjoy it. To ease the translation, we will evaluate all of the game's statistics and menus below, leaving only the challenge of figuring out how to balance kingdom management and battle, and victory on said battlefield, to you. In short time, you too should be able to play and enjoy this game!
As usual this section draws on work from a number of other people, and I wish to credit them. First, thanks go out to lordyuanshu.com's CommieCatGirl, Perhong_Angtong, and of course, Lord Yuan Shu himself. And I would also like to extend thanks to Scholars of Shen Zhou members Shi Tong, Niahak, and for some exceptional translation assistance (for which we are very thankful), Zhai Rong.
Destiny of an Emperor III offers three separate scenarios.
From left to right, Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy will be quite challenging for anyone that has not yet figured out the game in detail. On hard difficulty, in addition to more dangerous computer characters, you also lose control of all battles in which your ruler does not participate.
When you are set, this screen will display all your choices and ask if you wish to confirm. Move down to the little graphic in the bottom right-hand corner and press right to cause the man in it to face to his left, highlighting the right-hand character. This is 'yes', or 'confirm'. If you press left, you are choosing 'no', or 'cancel', and you will be taken back to the scenario selection screen.
And now we introduce the menus that will allow you to manage your kingdom. Much like Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, you begin with an overhead map. Here, you can use the direction pad to select your cities or view your enemies' territories.
In the top left-hand corner you find a box that displays the current year. To the right, your action points. Your default amount is two, and whenever you perform an action in a city one will be consumed (eventually forcing you to end your turn). As you accumulate more cities, you will begin each turn with more action points (see below). A mini-map below the year shows you where in China the screen is showing. Each city in China is marked with a banner displaying the city's name, and colored in the controlling ruler's color (gray is unoccupied). When you highlight one of your cities and press the confirmation button, a mini-screen pops up, showing the city's governor (or ruler), offering a cancel option on the bottom-left, and a City Management button on the bottom right.
Now, with a city selected, we find our real kingdom management options. The city's name is displayed in the top left-hand corner, with the governor's name displayed below. To the right, in this blue box, you will find all of the city's vital statistics. From top to bottom, Trade (kingdom resources), Farming (food), ???, and Wall/Trade (defense). Your military is sorted into anywhere from one to three units which are, in turn, sorted at your option into any of the three red-tinted boxes shown above. Click on any red-tinted box marked with officers to manage individual generals.
As mentioned above in City Management, confirming on the top left-hand blue area of a city menu (where city statistics are listed) brings up an option dial with nine options (presented in a 3x3 grid). The key above should help you to better understand each of these options, and if you are familiar with Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms it should, for the most part, make sense without any trouble.
Of the top three, the first is Personnel, with sub-menu options for Units (manage and rearrange military units), Ranks (assign ranks, promote and demote officers), and Cancel (return to previous menu). Second, Economy, features options for Trade (develop resources to manage your kingdom), Farming (food), Wall/Trade (also measures defenses in war). Third, Military, features the options Move (move officers between locations), Attack (attack a neighbor), Draft (get more troops), ??? (we haven't seen this option available), and Cancel.
Of the center three options, the left-most option is Diplomacy (manage relations with other rulers, key for weak rulers), Cancel (exits to the City Menu), and Plots (what you might expect, options to manipulate officers and neighboring rulers, but we haven't sorted out all the specific details just yet).
Of the bottom three options, the left-most gives you access to the game's proposal system (read more on this below), the Map (get an overview of how things currently look in China, combined with some extra detail), and your Game Options, with sub-menu choices of Save (which you should do frequently while learning the game), End Turn (choose when you have nothing left to do with your action points and resources to pass over to the computer's turn), End Game (end the game, of course), and Cancel (return to the City Menu.
Destiny of an Emperor III features a Proposals system which can be accessed using the bottom left-hand choice of a city's 3x3 options dial. From there, pick a city, and an officer in that city will present an option to you. While they will, of course, speak in Japanese, you will fortunately be presented with an animated map in which the proposal is outlined. If it starts by illustrating your current city then moves up and outlines one of an enemy's, and it is coming from a militant miscreant like Zhang Fei, you can certainly assume it is an attack suggestion. With a little experience, this system should be very clear and easy to understand. Give it a shot!
Here you can view all officers in any given military unit (see the screenshot above). Press right or left to highlight your selection, and confirm to bring up an individual officer profile for greater details. An icon indicates a given officer's role at the top, followed by their name in Chinese and Japanese below. Further down, you see each officer's age (they can die of old age), a graphic depicting their rank (the city title for a unit's governor) and bars (yellow being good) depicting Martial (military capacity, war, strength), Leadership (ability to govern troops), Politics (diplomacy), Intelligence (plots), and Troops (yeah, you know this one).
Here is a sample officer profile – in this case, Liu Bei. In the upper left-hand corner you have their name in white Chinese (left) and Japanese (right) characters, their personal rank (the city's title in this case, as Liu Bei governs Xuzhou) in the bottom-left, and their portrait. The upper right-hand box is the unit to which they are currently assigned. On the left-hand side of this box, the unit's leader (again with name in Chinese and Japanese) and the city name (Xuzhou). To the right, the various officers in the unit. A red and white dashed box indicates this officer's position. Below, their statistics. On the left-hand column, you have Troops, some measurement we believe to be a measure of loyalty or reliability, but we aren't absolutely certain – write us if you know, the characters are 信頼, their combat Special Ability (such as dueling, or an arrow barrage), and their Personality (in this case 'Loyal and Upright'). On the right-hand column, you have their basic statistics, Martial (war ability, strength), Leadership (ability to lead troops), Politics (diplomacy), and Intelligence (plots).
As you might have expected, you aren't going to unify China through diplomacy and plots alone, and that won't be your enemies' interest as well. These differences will be settled with blood and sweat on the battlefield. Here, we introduce the battle system of Destiny of an Emperor III so you can dive in, fully prepared to hold your own.
Battle is based on a grid layout. You begin on a field, and the defender controls a castle. Unit command follows the same principles found in Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Move the white square cursor over the unit you wish to command, confirm, and you will be presented with a sub-menu in the upper left-hand screen corner. Move allows you to move a unit (read on), Attack allows you to attack an enemy unit (see Battles: Attacking below), Special allows you to perform a Special Attack (see Battles: Attacking below), Formation allows you to change your formation (i.e. Unit Type) between Infantry, Cavalry, and Archer, and Wait is equivalent to cancel. An area around your unit will also be highlighted – this is your available movement range. Move your cursor to any area inside it and confirm to move the active unit. Take note of the Action Points (the baubles in the main command screen, some lit green, others dimmed). Each time you take an action you expire an action point. When they run out, you can issue no further commands, and you must end your turn (see below).
Confirm on an empty space to bring up your battle options. End Turn, the top option, ends your current action phase and gives an enemy a turn to oppose you. This, too, functions in similar principle to many installations of Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms game series. Reserves allows you to swap units with other units in reserve (see the kingdom management screenshots in the previous section). Retreat, of course, orders your retreat from the battlefield.
Ah, the bread-and-butter of combat. So much to cover. Your options menu affords you control of your unit (mostly covered in Battles: Overview and Movement) but here we discuss two combat options, Attack and Special. Attack is a regular general attack based on your Martial combat ability. You deal, and receive, damage. Special unleashes a special attack. For most warriors, this initiates a duel. If you have the higher Martial ability you stand a chance to deal great damage, but if yours is lower, you could be badly injured. If the enemy is much weaker they may refuse your challenge. Other generals may have different Special abilities (there are not many) such as Zhuge Liang and his Barrage attack, which is not based on his Martial ability and causes heavy damage. Experiment to learn more!
The active officer and his talents are detailed in the bottom window (as long as one is active). Portrait and name are shown to the left, unit statistics are shown to the right. The top bar is the unit's morale, which ties in to their general combat ability. Second comes their soldiers (ties in to combat ability and, of course, when it reaches 0 the unit is defeated and possibly captured), and at the bottom, Navy (a measure of combat ability on water). The orange character in the center displays the current unit type (change with 'Formation'), but you can deduce as much simply by checking the on-screen graphic (in this case Cavalry). On the right-hand side, measurements of Movement, Attack, and Scouting (which may be an indication of how close to an enemy this unit must be before it can see it).
This is an example of a duel. Both officers taunt each other, and charge into combat. One (in this case, Zhang Fei, of course) emerges victorious, and the other suffers damage. If a normal attack, both commanders appear with soldiers, and they rush into each other. Casualties are sustained on both sides, and already-weakened units fight at a significant disadvantage and are prone to defeat even if led by a powerful commander. Other Special Abilities result in different graphics with different tendencies for delivering damage. Experiment and find out!
Destiny of an Emperor III (SNES) Enjoy the Game!
Now you know everything you need to know in order to enjoy Capcom's deviation from the traditional Destiny of an Emperor template for the Super Nintendo. The game features no prominent story which you must understand in order to play on, so from here, all you must do is familiarize yourself with the menus and combat system, and soon you will be well on your way to the goal of conquering China.


MACEDO´NIA (ἡ Μακεδονία), the name applied to the country occupied by the tribes dwelling northward of Thessaly, and Mt. Olympus, eastward of the chain by which Pindus is continued, and westward of the river Axius. The extent of country, indeed, to which the name is generally given, embraces later enlargements, but, in its narrowest sense, it was a very small country, with a peculiar population.
I. Name, race, and original seats.
The Macedonians (Eth. Μακεδών, Eth. Μακεδόνες or Eth. Μακηδών, Eth. Μακηδόνες), as they are called by all the ancient poets, and in the fragments of epic poetry, owed their name, as it was said, to an eponymous ancestor; according to some, this was Macednus, son of Lycaon, from whom the Arcadians were descended (Apollod. 3.8.1), or Macedon, the brother of Magnes, or a son of Aeolus, according to Hesiod and Hellanicus (ap. Const. Porph. de Them. 2.2; comp. Ael. NA 10.48; Eustath. ad Dion. P. 247; Steph. B. sub voce. Eth. Macedo. These, as well as the otherwise unsupported statement of Herodotus (1.56), of the original identity of the Doric and Macednian (Macedonian) peoples, are merely various attempts to form a genealogical connection between this semi-barbarous people and the rest of the Hellenic race. In the later poets, they appear, sometimes, under the name of MACETAE (Sil. Ital. 13.878, 14.5, xvii, 414, 632; Stat. Sil. 4.6. 106; Auson. de Clar. Urb. 2.9; Gell, 10.3). And their country is called MACETIA (Μακετία, Hesych. sub voce Eustath. ad Dion. P. l.c.).
In the fashion of wearing the mantle and arranging their hair, the Macedonians bore a great resemblance to the Illyrians (Strab. vii. p.327), but the fact that their language was different (Plb. 28.8) contradicts the supposition of their Illyrian descent. It was also different from Greek, but in the Macedonian dialect there occur many grammatical forms which are commonly called Aeolic, together with many Arcadian and Thessalian words; and what perhaps is still more decisive, several words which, though not found in the Greek, have been preserved in the Latin language. (Comp. Müller, Dorians, vol. i. p. 3, trans.) The ancients were unanimous in rejecting them from the true Hellenic family, but they must not be confounded with the armed plunderers--Illyrians, Thracians, and Epirots, by whom they were surrounded, as they resemble more nearly the Thessalians, and other ruder members of the Grecian name.
II. Macedonia in the historic period till the death of Alexander.
This kingdom had acquired considerable power even before the outbreak of the Persian War, and Grecian refinement and civilisation must have gained considerable ground, when Alexander the Philhellene offered himself as a combatant at the Olympic games (Hdt. 5.22; Just. 7.12), and honoured the poetry of Pindar (Solin. 9.16). After that war Alexander and his son Perdiccas appear gradually to have extended their dominions, in consequence of the fall of the Persian power in Thrace, as far as the Strymon. Perdiccas from being the ally of Athens became her active enemy, and it was from his intrigues that all the difficulties of Athens on the Thracian coast arose. The faithless Perdiccas, was succeeded by his son Archelaus, who first established fortresses and roads in his dominions, and formed a Macedonian army (Thuc. 2.100), and even intended to procure a navy (Solin. 9.17), and had tragedies of Euripides acted at his court under the direction of that poet (Ael. VH 2.21, 13.4), while his palace was adorned with paintings by Zeuxis (Ael. VH 14.17). In B.C. 399, Archelaus perished by a violent death (Diod. 14.37; Arist. Pol. 5.8, 10--13; Plat. Alcibiad. ii. p. 141, D.). A list of kings follows of whom we know little but the names. Orestes, son of Archelaus, a child, was placed upon the throne, under the guardianship of Aëropus. The latter, however, after about four years, made away with his ward, and reigned in his stead for two years; he then died of sickness, and was succeeded by his son Pausanias, who, after a reign of only one year, was assassinated and succeeded by Amyntas. (Diod. 14.84-89.) The power of Macedonia so declined with these frequent dethronements and assassinations of its kings, that Amyntas had to cede to Olynthus all the country about the Thermaic gulf. (Diod. 14.92, 15.19). Amyntas, who was dependant on, if not tributary to, Jason, the "tagus" of Thessaly, died nearly about the same time as that prince (Diod. 15.60), and was succeeded by his youthful son Alexander. After a short reign of two years, B.C. 368, Alexander perished by assassination, the fate that so frequently befell the Macedonian kings. Eurydice, the widow of Amyntas, was left with her two younger children, Perdiccas, now a young man, and Philip, yet a youth; Ptolemaeus of [p. 2.235]Alorus, one of the murderers of Alexander, was regent, and administered the affairs of the widowed queen, and those of her children, against Pausanias, a man of the royal lineage and a pretender to the throne. (Diod. 16.2; Aeschin. Fals. Legat. pp. 249, 250; Just. 7.6.) Iphicrates declared in favour of Eurydice, who would have been forced to yield the country to Pausanias, and acted so vigorously against him as to expel him from Macedonia and secure the sceptre to the family of Amyntas. (Corn. Nep. Iphicrat. 3.) When Philip succeeded his brother Perdiccas, slain in battle with the Illyrians, B.C. 360--359, no one could have foreseen the future conqueror of Chaeroneia, and the destroyer of Grecian liberties. In the very first year of his reign, though only 24 years old, he laid the foundations of the future greatness of a state which was then almost annihilated. His history, together with that of the other Macedonian kings, is given in the Dictionary of Biography. At his death Macedonia had already become a compact empire; its boundaries had been extended into Thrace as far as Perinthus; and the Greek coast and towns belonged to it, while Macedonian ascendancy was established from the coasts of the Propontis to those of the Ionian sea, and the Ambracian, Messenian, and Saronic gulfs. The empire of Alexander became a world-dominion. Macedonian settlements were planted almost everywhere, and Grecian manners diffused over the immense region extending from the Temple of Ammon in the Libyan Oasis, and from Alexandria on the western Delta of the Nile to the northern Alexandria on the Jaxartes.
III. Later History till the Fall of the Empire.
At the death of Alexander a new Macedonian kingdom arose with the dynasty of Antipater; after the murder of the king Philippus III. (Arrhidaeus) and Eurydice by the queen Olympias, Cassander the son of Antipater, after having murdered the king Alexander Aegus, and his mother, ascended the throne of Macedon; at his death his three sons, Philip, Antipater, and Alexander, successively occupied the throne, but their reigns were of short duration. Philip was carried off by sickness, Alexander was put to death by Demetrius Poliorcetes, and Antipater, who had fled for refuge to Lysimachus, was murdered by that prince. When the line of Cassander became extinct, the crown of Macedon was the prize for which the neighbouring sovereigns struggled, Lysimachus and Pyrrhus, kings of Thrace and Epeirus, with Demetrius, who still retained Athens and Thessaly, in turns, dispossessed each other of this disputed throne. Demetrius, however, at last over-came the other competitors; and at his death transmitted the kingdom to his son Antigonus, and the dynasty of the Antigonidae, after many vicissitudes, finally established their power. The three great irruptions of the Gauls, who made themselves masters of the N. parts, and were established in Thrace and Upper Macedonia, fell within this period. Antigonus Gonatas recovered the throne of desolated Macedonia; and now secured from the irruptions of the Gauls, and from foreign rivals, directed his policy against Greece, when the formation of the Aetolian, and yet more important Achaean league, gave rise to entirely new relations. Antigonus, in the latter part of his reign, had recourse to various means, and more especially to an alliance with the Aetolians, for the purpose of counterpoising the Achaeans. He died in his eightieth year, and was succeeded by his son Demetrius II., who waged war upon the Aetolians, now, however, supported by the Achaeans; and tried to suppress the growth of the latter, by favouring the tyrants of particular cities. The remainder of the reign of this prince is little more than a gap in history. Demetrius' son, Philip, was passed over, and his brother's son, Antigonus II. surnamed Doson, was raised to the throne. This king was occupied most of his time by the events in Greece, when a very remarkable revolution in Sparta, raised up a formidable enemy against the Achaeans; and so completely altered the relative position of affairs, that the Macedonians from having been opponents became allies of the Achaeans. Philippus V., a young, warlike, and popular prince, was the first to come into collision with Rome,--the war with. the imperial city (B.C. 200--197), suddenly hurled the Macedonian power from its lofty pitch, and by laying the foundation of Roman dominion in the East, worked a change in almost all the political relations there. T. Quinctius Flaminius, by offering the magic spell of freedom, stripped Philip of his allies, and the battle of Cynoscephalae decided everything. Soon after, the freedom of Greece was solemnly proclaimed at the Isthmian games; but loud as the Greeks were in their triumph, this measure served only to transfer the supremacy of their country from Macedonia to Rome. On the 22nd of June, B.C. 168, the fate of Macedon was decided on the field of Pydna by her last king Perseus.
This division into four districts did not last longer than eighteen years, but many tetradrachms of the first division of the tetrarchy coined at its capital, Amphipolis, are still extant. B.C. 149 Andriscus, calling himself Philip son of Perseus, reconquered. all Macedonia (Liv. Epit. xlix), but was defeated and taken in the following year, by Q. Caecilius Metellus; after which the Macedonians were made tributary (Porphyr. ap. Euseb. Chron. p. 178), and the country was probably governed by a "praetor," [p. 2.236]like Achaia, after the destruction of Corinth, which occurred two years afterwards, B.C. 146. From that time to the reign of Augustus the Romans had the troublesome duty of defending Macedonia, against the people of Illyricum and Thrace; during that period, they established colonies at Philippi, Pella, Stobi, and Dium.
IV. Physical and Comparative Geography.
The large space of country, which lies to the N. of the Cambunian chain, is in great part mountainous, occupied by lateral ridges or elevations, which connect themselves with the main line of Scardus. It also comprises three wide alluvial basins, or plains which are of great extent, and well adapted to cultivation; the northernmost of the three, contains the sources and early course of the Axius, now the plain of Tettovo or Kalkandele: the second is that of Bitolia, coinciding to a great extent, with that of ancient Pelagonia, wherein the Erigon flows towards the Axius; and the larger and more undulating basin of Grevená and Anaseltíza, containing the Upper Haliacmon with its confluent streams. These plains, though of high level above the sea, are yet very fertile, each generally bounded by mountains, which rise precipitously to an alpine height, and each leaving only one cleft for drainage by a single river, the Axius, the Erigon, and the Haliacmon respectively. The fat rich land to the E. of Pindus and Scardus is described as forming a marked contrast with the light calcareous soil of the Albanian plains and valleys on the W. side (comp. Grote, Hist. of Greece, cxxv.).
Pieria, or the district of Katerína, forms the slope of the range of mountains of which Olympus is the highest peak, and is separated from Magnesia on the S. by the Peneius (Salamavría). The real Emathia is in the interior of Macedonia, and did not in its proper sense extend towards the sea, from which it is separated by Pieria and part of the ancient Bottiaeis. Mygdonia comprehended the plains around Saloníki, together with the valleys of Klisalí and Besikía, extending westward to the Axius, and including the lake Balbe to the E. The name CHALCIDICE is applied to the whole of the great peninsula lying to the S. of the ridge of Mt. Khortiátzi.
An account of these subdivisions will be found under their different heads, with a list of the towns belonging to each.
Mutatio Gephyra Bridge of the Vardhári.
Though the Macedonians were regarded by the Greeks as a semi-barbarous people, the execution of their coins would not lead to that inference, as they are fine and striking pieces, boldly executed in high, sharp, relief. The coin of Alexander I. of Macedon, B.C. 500, is the first known monarchic coin in the world that can be identified with a written name, and to which, consequently, a positive date can be assigned. It has for "type" a Macedonian warrior leading a horse; he bears two lances, and wears the Macedonian hat. The coins of the princes who followed him exhibit the steps towards perfection very graphically.


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Scientists: Center of Milky Way Exploded Not Long Ago
October 6, 2019 October 8, 2019 JON PARTON
black holes, galaxies, Research, Sci3, space
An artist's impression of the massive bursts of ionizing radiation exploding from the center of the Milky Way and impacting the Magellanic Stream. (Photo: James Josephides/ASTRO 3D)
(CN) – Just 3.5 million years ago, after the dinosaurs had already become extinct and ancient human ancestors began to walk the Earth, the center of the Milky Way galaxy lit up as epic beams of energy burst forth, creating a flare that expanded to more than 200,000 light years away from the supermassive black hole that birthed it.
That's what researchers discovered, according to a new study to be published soon in The Astrophysical Journal. The event, known as a Seyfert flare, is a burst of radiation in two energized cones. What started as a small emission of radiation grew in size to create two enormous cones that cut through the entire galaxy and beyond to the Magellanic Stream, a long trail of gas.
The Australian-U.S. team of scientists who studied the phenomenon said the size of the explosion could only have been created by Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole in the middle of the Milk Way that is 4.2 million times more massive than our own Sun.
"The flare must have been a bit like a lighthouse beam," said Joss Bland-Hawthorn, professor at the University of Sydney. "Imagine darkness, and then someone switches on a lighthouse beacon for a brief period of time."
The event took place relatively recently in Earth's history. By the time the flare erupted, the asteroid responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs happened 63 million years prior and human ancestors known as Australopithecines were already living in Africa.
"This is a dramatic event that happened a few million years ago in the Milky Way's history," said Lisa Kewley, professor at the Australian National University College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. "A massive blast of energy and radiation came right out of the galactic centre and into the surrounding material. This shows that the centre of the Milky Way is a much more dynamic place than we had previously thought. It is lucky we're not residing there!"
The scientists estimate the flare lasted for about 300,000 years, a relatively short time in a galactic scale.
"These results dramatically change our understanding of the Milky Way," said Magda Guglielmo from the University of Sydney in a statement. "We always thought about our Galaxy as an inactive galaxy, with a not so bright center. These new results instead open the possibility of a complete reinterpretation of its evolution and nature."
Guglielmo said much more work is needed to understand how black holes evolve and interact with the galaxies around them.
"The flare event that occurred three million years ago was so powerful that it had consequences on the surrounding of our Galaxy. We are the witness to the awakening of the sleeping beauty," she said.
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The Mainz Anonymous (or the Narrative of the Old Persecutions) is an account of the First Crusade of 1096 written soon thereafter by an anonymous Jewish author. The work is written in Hebrew. Its author is unknown and it deals primarily with the Crusaders' actions in Mainz; hence the name commonly applied to it. However, it also deals with the ShUM-cities in the Rhineland, specifically Speyer and Worms. It is not entirely accurate: it has a definite Jewish point of view and fictionalizes anecdotes occasionally to make a point. It also includes occasional anguished supplications to God.

References and further reading
Robert Chazan, European Jewry and the First Crusade (California, 1987).
Robert Chazan, In the Year 1096: The First Crusade and the Jews (JPS, 1996).
A. M. Habermann, גזרות אשכנז וצרפת [Massacres of France and Germany, Hebrew] (c. 1945).

External links

 Google Books copy of "The+Narrative+of+the+Old+Persecutions"
 Copy of The Narrative of Old Persecutions at York University

Anonymous works
Crusade chronicles
German chronicles
Jewish medieval literature
Hebrew manuscripts
11th-century history books
Mainz
First Crusade

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Late Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Health Committee voted decisively to move S.B. 562 to the floor of the Senate. The Healthy California Act would establish a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system in the state, ensuring that all Californians have access to affordable healthcare. The bill was proposed by Senator Toni Atkins and Senator Ricardo Lara as well as aided by the support of the California Nurses Association, physicians, and a coalition of progressive organizations.
The current California regulations covering testing autonomous vehicles have set the standard for the nation by promoting innovation while protecting the safety of our highways. Unfortunately, the Department of Motor Vehicles has proposed new rules covering testing of robot cars without steering wheels as well as the deployment of autonomous vehicles for public use.
The rules covering testing could be enacted with amendments, but the deployment rules are premature and should be withdrawn.


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Evolution in the News - February 2013
2013 Comparative Biology Meeting
The 2013 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting revealed that eating was tough for early tetrapods, and the nervous system may have evolved twice.
Science sent Elizabeth Pennisi to the 2013 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting. She learned two remarkable things there.
Tough to Swallow
First, she learned that eating was tough for early tetrapods. Tetrapods are creatures with four limbs, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The first (unknown) tetrapod supposedly evolved from an unknown fish.
While a fin-to-limb transition made possible the first steps on land for vertebrates 390 million years ago, it took a long time for ancient tetrapods to leave behind their aquatic ways and become true landlubbers. After that initial landfall, another 80 million years went by before tetrapods developed jaws adapted for terrestrial feeding, according to Philip Anderson, an evolutionary paleobiologist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who presented a survey of fossils from this time period at the meeting. 1
Fish don't eat the same way we do. Watch what happens when you drop some fish food in your aquarium. The fish swim up to the food, and then open their mouths quickly. The vacuum created causes water (and food) to rush into their mouths. But air isn't as thick as water, so creatures on land (except teenage boys) can't inhale their food like that.
With fishlike mouths, early tetrapods would have faced a difficult task eating on land. Underwater, fish usually rely on suction to draw food into their mouths and swallow. To generate enough inward force in less dense air, a fish—or early tetrapod—would have to expand its mouth 28 times faster, Sam Van Wassenbergh, a biomechanist at the University of Ghent in Belgium, reported at the meeting. And even then, because air is so much less viscous, the air flow might not be enough to draw in prey. Moreover, most fish mouths face forward to grab food items suspended straight ahead in water, not food laying below on the ground.
Many modern terrestrial tetrapods have solved their swallowing problem by having tongues do the job. 2
Of course, the first tetrapods were supposedly amphibious, so they could have gone back into the water to eat—but wait! Isn't the reason they evolved because the ponds they lived in were drying up, or short on food?
Those early tetrapods must have had a hard time figuring out how to swallow terrestrial food, if another study presented at the meeting is any guide. That work described the great lengths that some modern fish must go to catch and eat prey out of water. "That's something that paleontologists have not thought about too much," says Alice Gibb, a functional morphologist at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The combination of paleontology and functional morphology evidence shows "that the switch [to eating on land] was awfully hard," concludes Richard Blob, an evolutionary biomechanist at Clemson University in South Carolina. 3
There are many things paleontologists have not thought about too much. They like to gloss over the glitches in their theories.
That's the main difference between a paleontologist and an engineer. An engineer can't gloss over the fact that a bridge made out of straw won't be strong enough to bear the load because he actually has to build the bridge. It isn't enough for an engineer to come up with a story good enough to convince his investors that a straw bridge will be strong enough. If the bridge isn't strong enough, it will fall down, no matter how good the engineer's rhetorical skills are.
On the other hand, a paleontologist just needs to be a good enough story teller to get his story published and his research funding renewed. He never has to prove he is right.
The Nerve of Those Jellyfish!
Evolutionists believe that the central nervous system developed by chance. Fortunate mutations just happened to cause sensors (for vision, hearing, touch, and smell) to somehow get connected to an accidental brain that just happened to be programmed to process that sensory data and send signals to muscles (or other cells) to respond accordingly to the perceived data. It was such an incredibly good stroke of luck that it could be called "miraculous," if one weren't afraid of the word. It is hard to believe that it happened once; it is even harder to believe it happened twice! But, in order to reconcile DNA data with reality, evolutionists now have to believe that stars aligned perfectly twice!
Biologists have long assumed that the neuron—with its axon, synapses, long processes called dendrites, and a suite of nerve-specific proteins—is the epitome of a specialized cell and thus likely to have evolved only once in the history of life. But a newly sequenced genome of a comb jelly, an ocean-going predator sometimes confused with traditional jellyfish, threatens to upend this view.
The DNA data put these invertebrates, also known as ctenophores, on a different, older branch of the tree of life from that of other organisms with complex nervous systems. This new placement will be controversial, but it suggests to some researchers that nervous systems arose twice. Indeed, the ctenophore's nervous system does appear to be different from those of other animals because its genome lacks genes for proteins that are considered essential to nervous system development and function. "All the things that are fundamental to [a nervous system] are missing in ctenophores," says Casey Dunn, an evolutionary biologist at Brown University. 4
The more scientists discover, the less plausible the theory of evolution is. The dating of tetrapod fossils isn't consistent with the evolutionary fairy tale because tetrapods would have had to have gone on an 80-million-year diet before evolving a mouth that could eat on land. DNA analysis shows that two creatures, similar enough that some people call them both "jellyfish," have fundamentally different nervous systems, so they could not have evolved from a close common ancestor.
When will enough scientific evidence against evolution accumulate to cause the theory to be abandoned? That's a silly, naïve question. Scientific evidence has nothing to do with it. Every contradiction in the theory is merely an opportunity for another research grant to come up with another story that can't be proved. The theory won't be abandoned until the funding dries up.
1 Elizabeth Pennisi, Science, 25 January 2013, "Eating Was Tough For Early Tetrapods", pp. 390-391, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.339.6118.390
5 Elizabeth Pennisi, Science, 25 January 2013, "Nervous System May Have Evolved Twice", p. 391, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.339.6118.391-a


For a current project, I would like to be able to receive SMS messages, email messages, and voice messages in Processing (or other Java applications). So here's the solution I've got. First of all, it is very easy to send an SMS message from one's computer to a cell phone for free (e.g. Google's Free SMS Service). Unfortunately, it is cheaper to give than to receive. So, since I use T-Mobile, I have decided to sign up for an unlimited SMS package, which will cost $14.99/month. They offer several other plans, such as 400 messages for $4.99 or 1000 messages for $9.99. But, since there is a bit of grant money available, a couple months of unlimited SMS doesn't seem so bad.
So, in order to get the messages in and out of Processing, I will use the SMSLib for Java. It looks like a simple solution [edit: It's not!]. One can connect to the phone via Bluetooth and send and receieve SMSes as needed. Luckily I have access to an old Sony T610 and a new Nokia 6103. One of the two should work. Ideally, I would like to parse and route the messages straight into a MySQL database for archival and use in multiple applications.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Progress, Research, Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Hi, I would like to inquire if you managed to setup SMSLib for java with your Sony T610. I have a Sony Ericsson K750i which I intend to use to send and recieve sms. If you managed, kindly send me the potion in which you create a sms gateway. I suppose the Sony T610 shares a similar architecture to the Sony Ericsson phones.
Hi Edmund — since this post, I have converted to mostly using a custom non-SMSLib framework and I often use the ultra sms library. I have used SMSLib with the T610 successfully, but I didn't really make any changes to the original code. As far as I know, SMSLib has been upgraded several times since this post and should be working great now. Hope that's somewhat helpful!


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Live a Little Reviews
Category: General & Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Current Affairs, Non-fiction
Imprint: Jonathan Cape Ltd
Publication date: 4 Jul 2019
A wickedly observed novel about falling in love at the end of your life, by the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Finkler Question. Told with Jacobson's trademark wit and style, Live a Little is in equal parts funny, irreverent and tender - a novel to make you consider all the paths not taken, and whether you could still change course.
Carl Wilkinson
"Love and humour are found at the end of the road for a pair of elderly protagonists"
Jacobson, who won the Booker Prize in 2010 for his novel The Finkler Question, about identity and male friendship, is an established chronicler of the lives, loves and libidos of the British Jewish community whether in the north of England (he's a Mancunian) or north London. His exceedingly funny and discursive prose style often belies more serious observations on life, as is the case here.
Jake Kerridge
"...there is writing to relish on every page"
It often reads more like a fable or a gentle attempt at magical realism, not least because some of the characterisations are thin. When Jacobson writes dialogue for Beryl's Eastern European carer, Nastya, it comes across like one of those anonymous letters in an Agatha Christie novel in which the writer is pretending to be ill-educated, yet has to make his point laboriously clear at the same time.
But, as always in a Jacobson novel, the characters primarily exist as a support mechanism for the nimble, chewy sentences, and there is writing to relish on every page. There is also a pleasing sense of the author being infected by his story's optimism against his will, nuggets of positivity breaking through his bleak carapace.
Nicholas Lezard
"[a] bold, funny novel"
'He climbed into his mother's bloomers and tumbled into hell.' - Let's pause to consider the comic elegance and precision of that sentence. I think it's fair to say that only Howard Jacobson could have written it, and not just because of the subject matter (I can't help feeling that he's not the first Jacobson character to have done this; there is at least a sense of inevitability that one of them, one day, would). Just look at the way he makes the English language dance for us, those Ls, those Bs, those BLs... This, I think, is the core of the novel: it's actually as much about language and linguistic deftness as it is about the human heart (I suspect Jacobson might say that language and the human heart are extremely adjacent). Some novels — especially those that verge on the incident-free, such as this one — can go off the boil in the reader's head: yes, I get it, we say to ourselves. Live a Little actually gathers pace as it goes along, the characters, as they converse, striking sparks off one another... This is a novel rich in correspondences, and also in wisdom, and a kind of audacity.
"a tender, irreverent and extremely funny novel"
The wit and energy of this novel and its population of well-to-do elderly people bring to mind Muriel Spark's Memento Mori. And as in that masterpiece, Howard Jacobson's characters, far from being moribund, are as vivacious and boisterous as his writing... Jacobson writes with such eloquence that this reader/writer needed to consult the dictionary several times, but his use of language is never pompous or self-conscious; his words are always the perfect ones. Indeed, his writing is so dense and cleverly packed with wit that Live a Little deserves a second reading. This is a tender, irreverent and extremely funny novel. Jacobson feels that the joy of making art has no equal, and you can sense the pure enjoyment of his writing in every one of his clever sentences.
Johanna Thomas-Corr
"The book is alive. It pulses with warmth and intelligence, and, unusually for a novel about old age, it has a lot of style"
Jacobson, now 76, is not one to let the catastrophe of old age get in the way of a good laugh, or a surprisingly tender love story. After a pair of dutiful political allegories — J (2014) and Pussy (2017) — he has found his comic voice again with a shrewdly observed jeu d'esprit about creeping senectitude and blossoming romance...Live a Little has its flaws. It sags in the middle, only picking up once our protagonists meet...However, there is a truth and beauty to the connection between Beryl and Shimi. The book is alive. It pulses with warmth and intelligence, and, unusually for a novel about old age, it has a lot of style.
Alex Peake-Tomkinson
"The first half of the novel zips along irreverently"
Jacobson has fun with Beryl, who attributes her sons' successful careers to her negligent mothering and reckons herself to be a great beauty: "I can tell you the second man to marry me fainted when he saw me coming towards him in my wedding gown and tiara. It took half an hour to bring him round."
Tim Adams
"Love blossoms between two London ninetysomethings in this beautifully observed comic novel"
Jacobson has clearly done half a lifetime of looking at the streets in which Shimi wanders and through which Beryl is driven. One of the many joys of this book is the way it effortlessly captures the distinctive atmosphere of Finchley Road itself, a dual carriageway that is punctuated with outsize supermarkets but retains the ghosts of a 1950s high street. Beryl lives in a red-brick mansion block, Shimi above the Fing Ho Chinese Banquet Restaurant, one of those stubborn eateries that have resisted change long enough to become institutions.
Jacobson uses this cityscape to reinforce the understanding that both Beryl and Shimi rail against in different and quietly heroic ways: that ultimately we are not given a choice what our sadistic memory has us remember – unless, that is, we find some new neural pathways to wander along in the present.
Alexander Nurnberg
"A life-affirming tale of late-flowering love finds the writer back on fine form"
But the characterisation of the leads is superb: Shimi the tortured antihero might have been written by Saul Bellow, and Beryl is an extraordinarily rich and sympathetic figure, full of life-force and humour and commanding authority layered over a deep-seated self-doubt. Jacobson's prose is nimble and elegant. The message this novel contains is a simple, affecting one, about the capacity to determine one's future, no matter how late. Beryl writes and embroiders not just to remember, but "impetuously, not to lose the urgency of living in the present". "My life is how I describe it," she says, "and I haven't finished describing it yet."
Anthony Cummins
"a scenario ripe for the ribald mishearing comedy Jacobson favours"
Howard Jacobson's new novel, set in London, centres on Beryl, a haughty dementia sufferer looking back acidly over her eventful love life with her carers, Euphoria, from Uganda, and Nastye, from Moldova.
It's a scenario ripe for the ribald mishearing comedy Jacobson favours, but gags mixing up (say) Moldova's capital Chisinau with West London's Chiswick feel pretty effortful, and he feels over-reliant on ranty, 90-something Beryl for off-colour, anti-PC tang.
Ian Critchley
"The prose is witty and razor sharp"
Above all, Jacobson writes with compassion about the ageing process. There is a terrible poignancy to much of what his characters experience. The shame that Shimi has suffered since childhood is added to in old age by the sense of embarrassment caused by his increasingly unreliable bladder. His forays outside his flat are necessarily restricted by the constant need to be near a toilet and he has used his prodigious powers of recall to memorise the location of all the public loos in his area.
Holly Baxter
"penned with his trademark verbose flourishes"
That's not to say that Live a Little isn't a thoroughly enjoyable read. For a literature snob and a language obsessive (guilty as charged), there is a lot to feast on; but for someone looking for an emotionally honest storyline, the book also delivers. Live a Little is about growing old, but it's also about gender, race, love and politics, penned in a playful, genuine, sometimes borderline offensive way, that is at times reminiscent of Zadie Smith's White Teeth or On Beauty. Many of its more tender examinations of old age also bring to mind the best parts of Emma Healey's Elizabeth is Missing, a chronically underrated novel.
"This bitterly funny observation of the terror and humiliations of falling in love in old age shows Jacobson on fine form"
Live a Little is a meander of a novel that nonetheless feels urgent – not least because one fears either of its two central characters might keel over at any point. But for all its moments of bleakness, and the occasional flicker of genuine terror, it's rarely less than bitterly funny in its determination to face up to the obliteration that awaits us all.