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Strike three, out! – Most certainly not
I´m sitting in some comfy chair in front of my PC right now and I can´t stop feeling overwhelmed. Simply overwhelmed by the "game" that was Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii. I´m hesitant to just call it a mere game, because that´d put it into the vast ocean of, well, other video games. Crude joking aside, this right here is what has gone missing since the SNES/PS1-era, maybe including Dreamcast-era: An epic ("epic" used in the actual meaning, not in gaming journalism-lingo) adventure, an expansive, lengthy journey, and a wonderful, charming cast of characters. I´d like to say that the last JRPG that had me feel this emotional, involved and captivated, was Skies of Arcadia Legends, and don´t ask me which one I favor, because I couldn´t answer that question. Not now, anyway.
But while Xenoblade is truly their finest masterpiece, developer MonolithSoft has already delivered two fantastic role playing games before. Both Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos: Origins gave a glimpse into the skill set and creativity of the now Nintendo-exclusive development studio. Where Baten Kaitos gave us a first look into an unique fantasy-world and an innovative card battle-system, Origins one-upped that and offered detailed insight into the politics of that same universe, succeeding in telling a story that Square Enix´ Final Fantasy 12 failed at.
What is most astounding is the consequent improvement in MonolithSoft´s game design philosophy. To make this not an overly long and in-depth article, let´s just look at the evolution of surficial changes between their three games. Baten Kaitos offered a creative, original combat system that relied on cards, but also used these cards outside of battle to transport any kind of item. Each character in your active party had his own card deck. Health could only be regenerated during combat, by rare, expensive healing items or at save points. Said save points weren´t always put fairly and defeat meant re-starting from the last save point. This brings us to Baten Kaitos: Origins, where not only save points were always within close reach, but the player was freed from having to pay attention for healing, too. Health was automatically filled to max when not fighting some monsters. The addictive card battle system got an overhaul as well, removing character-exclusive card decks and having the whole party share a single one, which really helped the micromanagement process. However, just like its predecessor, traveling the world was still rather slow. And thus we arrive at Xenoblade, where fast travel means lighting fast travel. Once reached a new check point on the ginormous world map, players need to simply click the minus-button, choose their destination, confirm with the a-button and … are wherever they intended to be. It is only between completely different areas when load times take a several seconds wait, but looking at how big just one single area is, that is still an unfathomable achievement in game design. As for the masterpiece´s combat system … it could be said that it is some kind of evolution of the previous games´ card battle, but I guess that would be a little too far-fetched without proper evidence. However, disregarding the cards-or-not topic, Xenoblade made sure to proceed the mission of BKO, creating a most comfortable, user-friendly environment. Health regenerating outside of battle was a given, but not only has you Xenoblade forget all your worries about unnecessary item management (while still offering plenty of customization), it also features stuff like granting experience points for individually beaten enemies. So even if you fail to beat a group of enemies, you get the points for the ones you actually did. And what happens should you fail? Restart from last save point? Watch a lengthy cutscene over and over again? Of course, not! Being wiped out means that you´ll restart at the last map check point. No loss of experience, no loss of anything. And cutscenes cannot only be skipped, they won´t even start a second time when re-approaching the "bitch that kicked your ass".
MonolithSoft seems to have researched each and every complaint JRPG-fans had with various games in the past and put all of that to heart, resulting in the most user-friendly, frustration-free experience ever. With the exception of a little quick grinding here and there, should you grow tired of doing the endless amount of sidequests, Xenoblade is as smooth of a progression as is possible in terms of game design. Which leads me to the most exciting part of it all and the reason why I wanted to share these thoughts with you: The next game.
With the Wii U entering the HD-era and MonolithSoft being one of Nintendo´s technically most capable teams (as was found out, they even helped with Zelda: Skyward Sword), whatever their next project is gonna be, it´s an instant Most Wanted-title for anyone that enjoys great video games. The big question remains: Is it is even possible to surpass the magnificence of Xenoblade? Well, yes it is (sorry). While many of those that played Xenoblade agree that it is one of the best JRPGs ever and THE best JRPG of the current generation, it´s easy to find room for improvement. Not the kind of improvements that were missing due to incompetence, but because at some point, something just cannot be implemented anymore due to the sheer vastness of content. Having finished Xenoblade in 91 hours only means that I´ve beaten its main story. I could probably put in another 90 hours to do and see everything – it´s that much content. Now, if I had to pick just one aspect of the game that I would love to improve on, it´s character dynamics and detail surrounding them. Xenoblade puts our heroes in this grand adventure and we grow to love them, but maybe with the exception of hero Shulk, none of them is ever fleshed-out particularly well. Which, again, isn´t a huge fault here, since we´d be looking at a 150 hour-campaign otherwise. But the point stands and is reason why I´d like for MonolithSoft to take the opposite approach for the next project: An adventure and story small in scale, but featuring an enormous, fearsome amount of care for detail. A story that is character-driven, rather than following the limits of some almighty villain. A combat-system that completely makes away with grinding and introduces an intelligent mix of strategy, puzzle and attentiveness. Maybe to the point where losing a fight not only doesn´t just put you right in front of it for another try, but actually incorporates the loss into the further progression of the game, thus never leading the flow to a halt. MonolithSoft has shown how they love to put some real-world tangents into their fantasy worlds – maybe they should turn around that approach and make a JRPG that is set in our current, modern world and whatever fantasy is only creeping in an ominous, far away background, slowly coming closer as the plot unfolds. I´m having Death Note or Durararara on my mind right now, if you happen to know these anime shows. But anyway, I have no doubt that the game after Xenoblade will be devoid of frustration, feature an even more motivating combat system and present another rich, creative universe. If it´s me, I´d like to see MonolithSoft´s fine skills used in a small scale-character driven title, but I´d lie if I claimed that I wouldn´t also love another big, epic journey.
2 Comments	| wat	| Tagged: jrpg, monolith soft, next project, Nintendo, role playing game, wii, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles	| Permalink
Xenoblade Chronicles comes to Europe!
Sorry for the long break, but anyways, great news: Today, Nintendo of Europe announced that Xenoblade will be released in Europe this year under the new full title "Xenoblade Chronicles". The Monolith Software-rpg for Wii has been permanently praised for its vast, open game world and has been voted number one-rpg of this current generation of consoles by a certain Japanese hardcore-rpg-fans´ website. A release date isn´t known, neither if the game will see a US-release. But it certainly would be stupid to release both this and Zelda: Skyward Sword at the end of the year, so maybe we´re in for another pleasant surprise soon?
1 Comment	| 1338	| Tagged: europe, monolith software, RPG, wii, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles	| Permalink
Beyond Wii HD – Madness Ensues
A couple of hours ago, a fellow gamer friend mentioned how he hoped for the Wii-successor to leave the same kind of "WTF?!"-impression that the current market leader left when Satoru Iwata unveiled it at Tokyo Game Show 2005. A lot of discussion boards are currently filled with notes from users that simply demand HD-resolution, a Wii HD, a Super Wii – in other words, the typical successor-system. Personally, I agree with that one friend: A Wii 2 with only better graphics and slightly better "everything else" wouldn´t really hype me much. I´d buy it on the advent of a new Zelda-game, of course, but it´d really lack any specialness. Some gamers out there correctly wrote about how going with a typical successor could even be quite dangerous for Nintendo, since the last remaining traditional home console manufacturer is in a rather unpleasant situation: The Wii sold tons, dominated the hardware landscape, but third party-support is absolutely dead, starting this year. Motion Controls have been adopted by both of Nintendo´s competitors, with Kinect showing a new kind of freshness that wiimote-style gaming has lost. And let´s not kid ourselves: The Wii 2 won´t be leader in graphics, be it for a long time or be it for the fact that third party-developers won´t support a powerful Nintendo-system. It´d get a lot of cheap up-ports, the end. That´s Nintendo´s outlook, that is what it looks like right now. One might mention the Nintendo 3DS to possibly change third parties´ perception of supporting a Nintendo-system, but that, too, can be doubted a lot.
Nintendo needs a special "so-me-thing". They made the phrase "blue ocean" popular, and that´s exactly what they have to find anew. But what is this mystical, special, fresh new "something" that can ensure for the Japanese company to survive and continue being successful? Smallish innovations, software-based innovations are nice, and I already talked about such concepts, but these have two basic problematics: 1.) They lack the instant "wow"-factor for the masses, and 2.) they can be copied easily by competitors. Taking all of the above into account, looking at the hardware instead of (only) the software, and trying to get into Nintendo´s "creative mind", I came up with 5 Concepts of Madness. What fascinated me, was that while coming up with these ideas, I engaged in some research using google and found out that these "well, that would be cool, wouldn´t it"-thoughts of mine are actually being turned into reality at this very moment. No, with the exception of one of them, these are not yet part of the gaming industry, BUT: Smart people have developed these technologies to the point where they´re reliable, comfortable to use and, probably, affordable. All of them have one thing in common, though: They increase our interaction with games – or games´ interaction with us.
1.) Living in a tablet-world – The Tablet-Hybrid
Yeah, I apologize for bringing such an unoriginal idea into this article, but it´s both as uncreative an idea as it´d be crazy for a home console´s concept. Tablets have been THE attention eating topic of the past year and the not-so little devices continue to grab the electronic entertainment industry´s buzz. Just now, Samsung is gaining more and more reputation for their Galaxy Tab-series, while Apple is about to announce the updated iPad-version. But wait: Am I about to propose for Nintendo to compete in *that* market? Well, bluntly said, yes. But imagine this:
The Wii 2 is neither portable nor stationary, it´s a hybrid-machine. It consists of a controller (of some kind), a dock-station for wireless picture-and-sound and a tablet. However, the tablet is not meant to become the main center of attraction of this system – it´s a natural expansion. To this day, I remember the days prior to E3 2005. Thanks to this most entertaining time in my internet-career, I also remember a quote of Shigeru Miyamoto that since then has often been cited. That quote basically expresses, how Miyamoto would love for games to leave that box in front you, that TV. A built-in projector was the most popular fan-theory. But what, if instead of going for something completely crazy and weird, Nintendo´d go for the realization of the Nintendo DS´ concept for home consoles? That way, the tablet becomes an extension of that game world that previously only existed in the confinements of your television. Just to make sure: The tablet would NOT be the main controller of the system, not by any means. You´d still have wiimotes in your hands. But imagine it like that: You´re sitting on your couch, playing the new Legend of Zelda-game, using the wiimote for 1:1 sword-fighting. Right next to you on the couch is the tablet. You need to take a look at the map, so you grab the tablet and watch it, while nothing breaks the immersion of the game you´re playing. And that´s only one admittedly superficial example for its usage. I don´t have a tablet, I´m not the one that´s in the position to tell you how awesome these devices are, but I guess millions of Samsung- and Apple-consumers would be happy to get their word out there.
Additionally, even though the tablet is supposed to be an extension to the existing gaming experience, it is, after all, a tablet. Which means that it´d make for great multimedia purposes as well as creating a continued gaming experience that´s not bound to the television. Browsing your console´s menu, chatting with friends from your friends list, playing some of the more simple games you downloaded from WiiWare, or even accessing special tablet-modes from the "big games" that add another layer to these games´ enjoyment. With Sony´s PSP2 featuring HD-graphics buil into a device that´s still quite a bit smaller than a tablet, satisfying visuals should be doable, too. I also don´t see this concept rivaling the Nintendo 3DS, since it´d be "just a tablet", meaning no buttons or sticks. And be honest: You´d love for Iwata to reveal this concept of a Nintendo-tablet-hybrid at this or next year´s E3. I know you do.
2.) Let´s invade them! – The Augmented Reality-System
Maybe it´s just me that thinks this concept would be crazier than the above, but in my opinion it´d be a big gamble. A gamble that could change gaming in the same matter that Wii did. We all know by now what augmented reality, or in short: AR, is. Using a camera to film the real world, then inserting virtual objects or animated characters into that scene. There´s mostly two reasons why I feel confident to name it as an idea for a whole new system: 1.) Because existing AR always had a problem with the interaction of virtual objects and real world scenes, and 2.) because there´s so much untapped potential!
AR has been a gimmick and continues to stay on that level with what can be seen from Nintendo 3DS and Sony PSP2 so far. But let´s take a moment and think about what this phrase actually means: Augmented Reality – some kind of mechanic or happening or action that takes reality and expands on it. Why, I ask, is it that this concept seemingly can only be used for cute pet-simulations or fad-like features? Well, because nobody´s taking it seriously, which, of course, is partly due to no such system existing that comes built-in with higher AR-capabilities. "Smartass, how about giving examples, eh?" With pleasure.
The big focus, as a consequence of the AR-features, would be a home console that´s all about creating unique experiences. To initiate that creation stage, the system comes bundled with a camera, a 3D-camera that can record the depth of its environment. It wouldn´t be just a stationary camera like Kinect or EyeToy, though, but also one that you can take with you. Go wherever you want and film the environment of yours. Later, you transfer the data to the main system and the real fun starts. For a Mario-game, you could now jump around with the good ol´ plumber in your own room or whatever you recorded. For Pokemon, fierce battles would ensue in your garden. Or, my favorite idea, the next Resident Evil-game would take place in your own house (or at least one part of the game). I often thought about how super-scary a horror-game would be, if it played in my neighborhood. Okay, maybe that´s because my neighborhood is that scary, but I believe that it´d be like that for most gamers: Seeing their comfort zone being invaded by the horrors and trying to survive. That´s how I imagine the proper use of AR. Sure, it all depends on the camera´s quality, which in turns might be costly, but it´d be definitely another game-changer. Gaming would be no longer about experiencing streamlined content, it´d be all about experimenting with your environment and changing games to your liking.
3.) Not the craziest one, guys – Brain Controls
Haha, I know, I know. This is the usual "guys, look at me, I´m making THAT joke again"-idea. But let´s bear with it for a moment. The idea of controlling a game with your brain, with your thoughts always seems like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives us sensational vibes, making us dream of fantasy stuff like telekinesis and telepathy. On the other hand: Win Button. Think to win, and you will. Yeah, not that exciting. But that´s not how it´s supposed to be implemented in real video games, anyways.
When Kinect was announced and Milo was shown, my mind went crazy about how this advanced camera could be used to complement traditional controller-inputs. You know, playing Mass Effect 3, moving Shepard (who´s male) with the one stick, turning the camera with the other one, shooting with the trigger and so on. And slapping aliens in the face by doing a punching-motion yourself, or throwing grenades or, well, that alien-sex part … For now, Kinect has turned into another minigame-fest and due to the lag, I don´t feel like it´ll change from that status any time soon. However, that´s where Brain Controls come in – only a hundred times better in theory.
Brain Controls should never become the primary input method (unless we´re talking about Matrix-like gaming). As a complementary input-option, however, it´d open up a whole new world of interaction with virtual worlds. Your primary controller would remain something like a Wiimote or a 360-controller, but in addition, you´d have some sleek sensor-device on top of your head that measures your brain activity. Examples for what that would enable players to do are literally limitless. You want it, you think it. Now, I know that you still think "okay, it´s nice to want things, but that´s far-into-the-future scifi-stuff". Except it´s not. In the following video, Tan Le from Emotiv Systems shows off their next generation of human-machine interface – a sleek device that´s costs are in only the hundreds of dollars instead of thousands of dollars that previous brain measuring devices cost. Both design and price make this a real possibility. And if you want to know if it can actually be used for gaming purposes: Watch the video!
Video: Tan Le of Emotiv Systems demonstrates Human-Machine interface
4.) Now they´re attacking – R.O.B. 2.0
So we´ve talked a lot about getting deeper into games to strengthen immersion and fascination. How about going the opposite route, though? Calling it "R.O.B. 2.0" is hyperbole, since the original hardware-gimmick for the NES couldn´t do a whole lot and actually only was supported by two games. But the concept I´m proposing is simply too damn similar in appearance, so don´t fall of your chairs: A robot-console.
"Robot-supported" console would be more exact, though. Social Gaming has become a buzz word that everyone has heard by now. One of the big parties that embraced these easily accessable, simple games was Nintendo. First, Sony brought games out of the playroom, then Nintendo brought it out of the hands of freaks, to the casual masses. But social gaming isn´t just this entry level-software. Microsoft took multiplayer-gaming to new heights with Xbox Live and keeps adding features that heighten the value of its communication aspects. "Social Gaming" has become a reality for gamers, but that´s only true as long as they´re sitting in front of their TV. Video games are still niche in that they´re confined to a narrowly defined space within our life. And it´s only getting worse for Nintendo, with smartphones, that are capable of hundreds of functions, taking away attention from dedicated gaming systems. Therefore, to keep attacking that new kind of competition, while maintaining a focus on what matters (gaming), one has to break free from that one confined space in front of the TV and place emphasis on a broader aspect of life.
Maybe you´re thinking of some kind of Nintendo smartphone now, but that´s totally not it. Software alone will not be enough to fight 1 Dollar-games. We all know that Paper Mario 3DS will be well worth its 30 Dollars, but the mainstream doesn´t care about that. The mainstream is happy with a simple touchscreen-only games to bridge the ten minutes waiting time in-between two events. It´s creative hardware that has a real shot at attracting consumers. That´s where R.O.B. 2.0 comes into play. Or let´s call it the NinBot, I like that better. We as gamers socialize with each other thanks to all the new possibilities, but who we´re not socializing with, is the games. Socializing with games? "Dude, hentai-games are not cool, eew …" No, not THAT kind of socializing, idiots *blushes*. What I mean is to look at virtual content as more than "just another title". But that´s a mostly software-based decision and thus something that could be easily copied. That´s why there´s NinBot. NinBot is a small, well-designed robot that has basic communication skills. There´s lots of different ways to realize such a machine, but maybe it´d have a lcd-screen that could display emotions. It could make sounds, maybe learn words and simple sentences, getting more complex the more time you spend with it. But NinBot wouldn´t only be some Furby-copycat. While playing Call of Duty online, NinBot would work as your headset, imitating a real friend. Put it next to you on the couch, and what other human players say will sound from NinBot´s speakers. And don´t worry about a microphone, it is Nintendo that brought WiiSpeak to us, after all.
That´s just a small array of NinBot´s features, though. It all comes down to costs, but the little, fellow robot could also have a built-in camera that, which combined with the ability to walk/drive could make for some nice games to be played on the big screen. But no matter what, NinBot´s number one purpose would be to bring video games out of the living room and into the whole home space. Don´t imagine NinBot to look toy-like, instead picture a really cool-looking, stylish robot that can sit on your shoulders and becomes more fun the more you interact with it. I know that my reasoning for WHY THE FLYING FUCK SHOULD NINTENDO DO THAT?! hasn´t been that great, but I found this line on Wikipedia: "R.O.B. was released with the intention of portraying the Nintendo Entertainment System as something novel in order to alleviate retail fears following the video game crash of 1983." If that line is even remotely true, then I don´t think NinBot is that crazy of an idea. Or it is, but a crazy, yet potential idea. And to give you another presentation of what direction I´m actually thinking for this robot-guy here, watch the following video, where Cynthia Breazeal from MIT demonstrates the development of socializing robot-technology.
Video: Cynthia Breazeal demonstrates the development of social intelligence
5.) An audible revolution – Music Emotion
Phew, the crazier it gets, the harder to explain it, as well. And I don´t have another video to clear up the picture I´m going for. Let´s start simple: The Nintendo 64 and PlayStation started a visual revolution, introducing 3D-graphics that have been refined constantly since then. The next big revolution was about controls entering the motion-stage. Now, audiophiles might claim that DD 5.1-sound was exactly that, but I disagree: We haven´t seen a revolution of sound in video games, yet, and it is the area within games that offers room to attack. I´m a gamer, not an audiophile, so when I talk about a "revolution of sound", I mean something that´s a game changer, not just some nicer sounding quality – that´s boring and not exciting at all!
What´s exciting, though, would be another case of gaming leaving the television. I´m thinking of an evolution of the Vitality Sensor-project. A device that is capable of measuring your feelings … if that is somehow possible at all. I guess I´m one of the few remaining Zelda-fans that likes the usage of midi-files, since these seem to be what enables the music to be dynamic. This kind of dynamic music, however, is reliant on nothing but pre-programmed actio-reactio situations. Riding on the sunny field => happy music. Enemy approaching => intimidating music. What we see has become interactive, what we do has become interactive, now why not what we hear, as well?
The new version of the Vitality Sensor, maybe a clip on your ear or whatever, would notice how the player feels in each and every situation and change up the music accordingly. That doesn´t mean that scary scenes would be ruined by some happy song playing due to the player´s fearless attitude. But instead of the super dark, intimidating song, a rather challenging, adventurous track would play if you engage a hard fight with a bright attitude. The vitality sensor wouldn´t be used exclusively for sound, though, so there´d also be other new aspects thanks to this hardware. And speaking of hardware, here´s the real crazy part about this music revolution: The Vitality Sensor wouldn´t be a sensor device only, it´d also be a type of MP3-player. Including a pair of earphones that´s either not fully covering the ear OR is of semi-permeable structure, so you can still hear your surroundings. Completely unrelated to your home console, you´d be wearing this "Vitality Sensor-MP3-Player" during everyday-life situations. The clue is that the sensor would still be measuring your feelings and playing corresponding music tracks, automatically changing between tracks, volume or speed. The idea is that, instead of keeping the player captivated in front of his TV, this device would transport a crucial part of what makes games and movies so emotional and intoxicating to the real world: Accompanying our feelings with perfectly fitting, mood-supporting music. If we take it a step further, there could be connectivity between every "Vitality Sensor-MP3-Player", thus people interacting with each other will hear the same music during their encounter. And thus, the music revolution would begin.
Neither of the five above concepts sounds like a highly-likely plan for Nintendo´s future. I´m well aware of that. But neither did motion-controls and glassless 3D for a portable sound that likely. Anyone could talk about his dream Wii 2 with gorgeous HD-graphics, fantastic online-features and improved motion controls. But that has been done to death and, honestly, I personally hate the idea of that. The Wii is my favorite system of the current generation, which puts me in a minority within the "hardcore gamer"-crowd. But still, the reason why I loved the Wii were its unique features. Prior to the Wii´s revealing in 2005, I thought about giving up video gaming, or stay with only a PC. But then the Wii was shown, alongside the motion-controller. It was a dream come true, something that was so incredibly hard to take serious before its official confirmation. And I want to get a feel of that sensation again. Is one of these five concepts going to happen? Maybe not … but maybe yes! That´s the kind of thought that gets me excited, hyped. Not the thought of a WiiHD.
1 Comment	| wat	| Tagged: agumented reality, brain controls, crazy, hybrid, madness, music emotion, new console, new system, Nintendo, robots, tablet, thought control, vitality sensor, wii, wii 2, Wii HD, Wii successor, Wii Too, wow effect, wtf	| Permalink
A Nintendo without a plan – question mark
In only three days, the highly awaited Amsterdam-event will take place, accompanied by a simultaneous event in the USA. It´s expected to give gamers outside of Japan all the details they want to know about exact launch date and price of the Nintendo 3DS handheld, as well as some deeper insight into the features of said device. Meanwhile, negative news about the nextgen handheld have come up and then there´s that highly successful home console, called Wii, that´s seemingly left out in the dark. Nintendo, what are you up to?
Remembering the first half of 2010 makes any Wii-owner feel warm inside. The year started in a fantastic way, giving us the unexpected sequel to Endless Ocean (Forever Blue), followed by the exceptional Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Monster Hunter Tri, and culminated in the arrival of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Unique, high quality games all around. This year´s beginning makes Wii-owners feel confused and sad inside. The only announced Nintendo-games for Europe are Mario Sports Mix and Kirby´s Epic Yarn, both released in first two months of the year. Interesting third-party offerings are non-existent. Excuse me, dear Nintendo, but is that it? A multiplayer-game and gorgeous-looking, but short in content platformer?
Xenoblade and The Last Story still haven´t even been hinted at a western release, on the contrary, there have been hints that Nintendo has no plans to bring The Last Story to non-Japanese gamers, which makes any wishes for the less popular Xenoblade even less hopeful. Two quality Wii-titles remain. One is Dragon Quest 10, which maybe, and it´s a big, doubtful maybe, will be released this year in Japan, but definitely not anywhere else. The other one is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Originally expected to be released last year, then delayed to a spring 2011 date, and following the latest comments and rumors now a holiday 2011-title. There is a dim chance that Zelda might see a release around May, but there´s really no factual evidence for that, just the history of The Wind Waker being released in May back then.
Some gamers on message boards claim that Nintendo simply makes use of its "no announcement until close to release", but that doesn´t make much sense when it´s already January 2011 and we don´t even know any releases for time beyond February! And it´s not like there´s a big conference happening where Nintendo could make such announcements. The Amsterdam-event is unlikely to feature anything other than Nintendo 3DS, and GDC also doesn´t seem like the time and place to throw out a release-liste of yet unknown games. And so I don´t forget that one: 3DS was confirmed to be region-locked, might have shockingly bad battery life and might even use the same damn friendscode-system for online-gaming. The software-lineup so far looks fantastic, but the hardware kept looking worse and worse these last few days.
If worse comes to worst, we´re looking at a 2011-lineup that consists of Mario Sports Mix in January, Kirby´s Epic Yarn in February, then nothing until maybe November, when Zelda is released. Or Zelda might come out in May, leaving the latter half empty. All that with not a single high quality-third party title to fill the gaps. One may give it to Nintendo that E3 2011 could see several completely unknown new Wii-games (Cosmic Walker, come on!), but that still leaves all the months up until said event. If there is a plan, Nintendo does an exceptional job at hiding it from the public´s eyes.
Leave a Comment »	| wat	| Tagged: amsterdam event, dragon quest 10, empty release list, kirby epic yarn, mario sports mix, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, no plan, wii, zelda skyward sword	| Permalink
Ratio: Silent Hill – Shattered Memories
Not marketed by its publishers, ignored by Alan Wake-hypers and too different from its origins to be loved by old fans: That would be the most fitting description of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, at least when you´re looking at only its surface and its surroundings. What Shattered Memories actually is would be one of the most immersive, engaging gaming-experiences that have ever been created. That doesn´t mean that this 2010-game is flawless, but what it did was spectacular. Why Silent Hill: Shattered Memories shouldn´t be missed out by any fan of rich, detailed virtual worlds – you´ll find out in the following review.
The game starts out very abrupt, showing how Harry Mason, the game´s protagonist, and his daughter are having a car accident. Harry loses consciousness only to find out that his little, cute girl is gone when he finally reawakens. The game then switches over to a psychologist´s bureau, who welcomes you and eventually starts asking you questions about the accident … which apparently has happened in the past. You can look around the room while sitting still in your chair, but be careful: that´s already part of a vital segment of Shattered Memories´ gameplay. The psychologist´s questioning divides the game into several chapters, though it doesn´t break up the game flow by suddenly changing you previous location. It´s just a narrator-function in that way, changing between past happenings and your current session with the psychologist, though it is important in its own way. Probably the most popular game mechanic of Shattered Memories is the actively changing game content, depending on not only the way you answer to the psychologist´s question, but also how you perceive the environments of Silent Hill. This goes from houses or persons that you encounter having different colors, to enemies and persons looking different, all the way to scenes playing out completely differently, leading to up to five different endings. It´s these interactive changes that at least partly balance out the game´s biggest flaw, which would be its short playtime of about six to seven hours. But don´t be deceived: These few hours are packed with atmosphere and tense situations.
I have only played the Wii-version of this game, but nonetheless do I believe that it is the best way to experience this title. Other than the intriguing change-mechanic, the motion controls really make this game the unique blockbuster that it is. Using the wiimote´s pointer-function as your ingame-flashlight is but the most obvious use you will encounter, yet it is undoubtedly implemented in a very fun way, made even better by Shattered Memories´ fantastic lighting effects. Each object or person that you point your source of light against will realistically cast a shadow, changing its form depending on angle and distance. Often times will you find yourself just playing around with what kind of silhouettes can be created. It´s redundant to mention how much these effects add to the creepy atmosphere that will never leave you for the whole trip. Besides the clever flashlight-mechanic, you´ll use the wiimote´s built-in speaker as your mobile phone, holding the controller against your ear to listen to phone calls. Which you can make yourself by finding new phone numbers scattered all over the city of Silent Hill, simply by looking at advertisements or posters on walls or otherwise written down numbers. The game doesn´t expect you to call anyone, but it´s exactly that kind of optionality that makes it all the more endorsing. On other occasions you will use the pointer-function on minigames that are realistically put into the game, like opening a locked door by guiding different parts to their right position. The most action-focused motion control-mechanic will be defending yourself against nightmarish creatures. Often times, people complain about how the shaking off-mechanic doesn´t work that well, thus resulting in failure, but as far as I´m concerned, it works perfectly fine. When one of those creatures jumped on your back, simply follow the on-screen icon and shake the wiimote in the exact same way. Or even less complicated: Act like you would in real-life. When a creature hangs on your right shoulder, raise your hand to the left and hit it down to the right. No science, really.
Mentioned creatures will only attack during pre-defined nightmare-scenes where your one and only goal is to reach a certain place. On this run, without any option to fight back, numerous of the horrifying monsters will run and jump after you. To gain distance, you can throw over objects to slow your enemies down, or sometimes find and activate a torch which temporarily holds off any attack. These chase sequences will make you lose your head and set you into an incredibly panicking state, the only thing on your mind left: Where the hell do I have to go?! And you´ll lose your way many times, that´s for sure, but it isn´t a problem due to the beginning of each chase being a check point. What helps you finding your goal are blue marks on doors or fences that indicate interactivity, as well as your mobile phone´s gps-map. In terms of Shattered Memories´ creepiness-factor, a lot of people argued that due to the knowledge of the absence of enemies during non-chase sequences, the rest of the game is boring. Can´t say I agree with that claim .. at all. It is true that your ingame-character´s life won´t be in danger outside of the chases, but at least on your first playthrough, you don´t know when the world around you turns into the scary nightmare-version of Silent Hill. And it can happen any time. Sometimes you pass one of the many doors and suddenly find yourself in the ice-nightmare, sometimes the streets transform before your eyes, not hiding the mystical happenings. Even outside of the chases, the environments are so well-designed and dark and little inviting that most gamers that get into the virtual world of Silent Hill will find themselves playing a true nightmare.
What pushes Shattered Memories beyond its great story and great visuals is the incredibly interactive gameplay. Where other games focus on some parts and dismiss others, developer Climax managed to successfully deliver a complete experience. Exploring environments from a behind-the-shoulder view with a directly controlled flashlight, using your mobile phone to call people, read messages, look at a map or take photos, opening doors just a little to peak into the next, unknown room, smoothly climbing over obstacles or hiding inside them – it all comes together more than nicely and is one of the very few games that don´t leave you wishing "awww, if only I could somehow interact with that". Visuals and soundtrack are masterful and probably around the best the Wii-system has to offer. Not only are there these convincing lighting effects, it is the textures that will take you by surprise. Instead of the usual blurry mess that most non-HD-games make use of, Shattered Memories lets you actually read anything you can see and thus creates a higher sense of exploration. The weather-effects are superb, too, really adding to the atmosphere when snow starts falling.
I didn´t talk much about how exactly the story unfolds or what changes your own decisions can and will make. And I won´t do that. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a masterpiece, a truly immersive experience that should be undergone without any detailed knowledge, spoiling fun and interesting scenes. To add this: I hate horror-games since I´m a scaredy cat, but the gameplay possibilities and atmosphere convinced me to give this game a try, and damn, do I not regret that decision. Shattered Memories will suck you in and keep chewing on you until the very end. And then you´ll want to play some more, since you remember all the places you could have tackled in a different way. Thanks for not marketing this game, Konami, you brought gamers the most unknown treasure of 2010 (or 2009, if you´re from the USA). No, seriously, add in a dialogue-system like Mass Effect has and it´d be the best video game, haha!
Leave a Comment »	| Ratio	| Tagged: action-adventure, climax, Konami, masterpiece, Ratio, review, shattered memories, silent hill, Silent Hill Shattered Memories, wii	| Permalink
Iwata: Bringing people online on Wii/NDS was a bitter learning experience
In a news-article on Siliconera, head of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, talked about the stronger focus on online-features regarding the upcoming Nintendo 3DS-handheld. He called it a bitter learning experience to get people online with Wii and Nintendo DS. It is still in the dark if 3DS will feature any (strongly) improved online-capabilities, since Iwata focuses talk on 3DS´s wlan-features, called SpotPass and Tag-Mode, that exist to use set up hotspots to connect to the internet. Something that might work for Japan, hardly for the USA, and definitely not for Europe.
However, people are criticizing Nintendo´s online approach as whole for a long time now. It has to be said that Nintendo most likely doesn´t have "crappy online" just for fun. Biggest evidence of that is the warning-screen that pops up every time you start your Wii or NDS. Not using any different technology in terms of "being dangerous", it is only Nintendo that "has to" use these warnings. That, in combination with the emphasis on friends code, should make clear that Nintendo actually fully addresses to any kind of danger that could come from using their systems. It might be a hassle for adult gamers to be have no choice of being protected by these decisions, but it can´t be argued that it works. Anyone who has ever used Xbox Live and voice-chat knows what a more open system brings alongside.
The other reason is that Nintendo is Nintendo. Instead of giving gamers the obvious, they´re looking for something unique. There was an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto many years ago where he was asked about online-gaming (I think it was before the GameCube´s launch), and his answer was basically: If we cannot create new kinds of games by using the internet, we have no interest in that. We don´t want to simply put our existing games online without any innovations." So, while online-multiplayer is vital to a lot of enthusiast gamers, it surely isn´t anything special or unique. I´ve wondered myself what new game-genres could be made, besides online-multiplayer and mmorpgs. Seems that Nintendo hasn´t come up with an answer, either, yet.
Leave a Comment »	| 1338	| Tagged: 3DS, bitter learning experience, interview, nds, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, nintendo wii, online, satoru iwata, shigeru miyamoto, spotpass, tag-mode, wii	| Permalink
Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! Special announced
And I will be the only to give a s*** about that :D. The Gekitou Ninja Taisen!-series is my long beloved beat'em up-series that started out with Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! on GameCube, got three successors on the same system, with GNT4 being the pinnacle of the series, and then four more entries on the Wii, though the last game was not a fighting-game. Which means fans had to wait for two whole years! Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! Special, here we come!
While the Naruto-manga/anime has been somewhat ruined by its own author, the fighting-games for GameCube/Wii remain the best realization of the source-material. Even though the Ultimate Ninja Storm-series for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 looks much better and fancier, the Gekitou Ninja Taisen! actually succeeds in creating engaging, motivating and challenging combat-situations, accompanied by playable characters that resemble the series´ originals much better then the over-the-top fighting in the HD-games.
What we can see on this scan from Famitsu are Naruto in his Sage-form and Sasuke in his Kage summit-outfit. Naruto finally has his Fuuton Rasen Shuuriken and Sasuke seems to start his Kirin-attack. That´s all for now, but fans are already speculation which other characters developer 8ing might add. On the one hand, two years are a long time, on the other hand, 8ing is as lazy as the Pokémon- and Animal Crossing-developers. Well, not that lazy, but close to. If we assume that the Kage summit is part of the game´s story mode, then possible new appearances are:
Raikage
Yahiko-Pain
Suigetsu
Juugo
And a big maybe: Madara
Of course, there´s a ton of other characters that SHOULD be playable by now, but with 8ing you just don´t want to set bar too high. For now, let´s wait and see. And we might actually see new stuff and first videos tomorrow, when Tokyo Game Show starts.
1 Comment	| 1338	| Tagged: 8ing, eighting, famitsu, fuuton rasen shuuriken, kirin, naruto, naruto shippuden, naruto shippuden: gekitou ninja taisen! special, sage naruto, sasuke, scan, wii	| Permalink


Fans and friends are mourning the death of Louisiana music icon Maggie Lewis Warwick, who died March 29 in Shreveport, La., from pneumonia.
In his latest video, "The Richest Man," John Berry shares one of the most heartfelt songs he's ever written and also gives fans a glimpse into his personal life.
On her new album, Dale Ann Bradley pays homage to the late Jim Croce by reviving one of his best songs.
Steven Curtis Chapman recruited Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox to sing "'Til the Blue," a song he co-wrote with Lori McKenna and Barry Dean.
Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay lead the 2019 field with six nominations each while Kacey Musgraves, fresh from winning her Grammy Awards for 'Golden Hour,' has five.


In Seattle, my family and I crossed off a few bucket list food items on our list including the massive super bowl of pho from Dong Thap and the Impossible Burger. Yum!
Use Code KYM15 for 15% off your entire order!
Hi, I'm Kym from Vancouver, BC! At the age of 25, i quit my "dream" job for good to create my dream life through entrepreneurship. Videos include Vlogs (Travel, Workouts, Life) and Talks on topics of Health & Wellness.
Can you believe it's November 4? I can't. Where is the year going?! Here are 10 things I want to do before 2015 is just a memory.. Finish all the books on my side table.I started off very strong with Book a Week but am definitely not going to finish 52 books this year. I have five or six books next to my bed and hope to finish them all before the year is over.
ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen has provided household advice and recipes in the province of Alberta for more than 80 years.


text:
Q: How do I save and reload a session in Emacs? I want to save a session (open buffers) and then restore it at a later date. How can I do this easily in Emacs?
I'm using version 24.2.1.

A: This is explained in the Emacs manual.
Basically, you call
(desktop-save-mode 1)

in your init file. After that, the current directory where Emacs starts determines which session is saved/loaded.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It all began (as things Rivettian tend to do) auspiciously enough. There were to be four films in a series originally entitled Les Filles du Feu (after Gerard de Nerval) before the more expansive Scenes de la vie parallele replaced it. Each would center on a "non-existent myth" of a battle between goddesses of the sun and the moon for a mysterious blue diamond that has the power to make mortals immortal and vice versa. Each film was to be in a different genre: a film noir, a pirate adventure, a love story, and finally a musical – the last-mentioned of whose scenario particulars hadn't been completely worked out when the four-film project went into production. Two films were ultimately completed – Duelle (the film noir) and Noroit (1976, the pirate adventure). But two days into the shooting of the third, Histoire de Marie et Julien the metteur en scène (as Rivette always chose to call himself, auteurism be damned) suffered a nervous breakdown, and the entire project fell apart – though traces of it linger in Merry-Go-Round (1981, a paranoid conspiracy jape that has everything but the goddesses) and the semi-demi-musical Haut/Bas/Fragile (1995).
Out of the original Scenes project, only Duelle was released in France. Noroit had a cursory premiere in Germany but never in its native country. As for Histoire de Marie et Julien, the few days of shooting Rivette managed to accomplish with Albert Finney and Leslie Caron were scrapped, and the project – clearly dear to his heart – was resurrected in 2003 with Jerzy Radzilowicz and Emmanuelle Béart replacing Finney and Caron, with its story concerning a ghost becoming human replacing the goddesses and the blue diamond. But so much about both cinema and Rivette had changed in 27 years, that Historie de Marie et Julien has next to nothing to do with Duelle and Noroit. Suffice to say that Scenes de la vie parallele was born of an era when Rivette (mistakenly) surmised that there was a large and growing audience of cineastes longing for a cross between Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955) and Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (Robert Bresson, 1945). What we've mostly seen instead is a mob of dissolute "fanboys" panting for the "grindhouse" detritus dear to Quentin Tarantino's heart.
Prior to the shooting of Duelle Rivette assembled the cast and screened Val Lewton and Mark Robson's The Seventh Victim (1943) for them. And indeed there's a great deal of that 40s thriller about a Greenwich Village satanist cult killing off recalcitrant members in Rivette's film. But from the very first sight of Nicole Garcia's Elsa (Or is it Jeanne? Plenty of ambiguity there already) in her Cloris Leachman-styled raincoat confessing ashamedly to Bulle Ogier's Sun Goddess Viva that she works as a "dancer", we're taken back to that celebrated film maudit – beloved of the cinematic cognoscenti while falling short of the ever-exalted goals of its creator Robert Bresson.
While one awaits Chéreau's staging, it's more than sufficient to contemplate its impact on Duelle. Our innocent heroine (Hermine Karaghuez instantly recalling Betty Schneider in Paris nous appartient) recites lines from Cocteau's play as a kind of incantation, much as Geraldine Chaplin reads lines from Cyril Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy in Noroit. But that reworking of Fritz Lang's Moonfleet and Tourneur's (Jacques bien sur) Anne of the Indies (1951) is enacted on a rocky island of no temporal or spatial specificity. Duelle takes place in an eerily unpopulated Paris in a perpetual twilight (the neo-Joycean Twhylight is the film's alternate title) where it always seems to be just before dawn. The settings are completely real, yet appear to have been created in order for Rivette to discover them: an aquarium out of The Lady From Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947), a jardins des plantes redolent of greenhouse at the start of The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946), a dance club called Le Rhumba out of Criss Cross (Robert Siodmak, 1949), and a ballet classroom that evokes Pandora's Box (G.W. Pabst, 1929) – with Berto in a hairdo (and accompanying manner) remindful of Valeska Gert in Renoir's Nana (1926). Most important of all there's Jean Weiner – a composer who has lent his talents to films by Renoir, Duvivier, Franju and Bresson. But what he's here for is to recall his days as a pianist at Cocteau's favorite hang-out Le Boeuf sur le Toit. And thus he is live on the set spinning out improvisations in numerous scenes in the film's first three quarters – with the characters treating his visible presence as no more noteworthy than any other aspect of the setting. While he's joined by a small ensemble to serve as the pit band in the scenes at Le Rhumba, it's other moments that stand out – particularly his last at the dance class, where Berto sends a hopelessly diamond-addicted Garcia on her way into an alley where snow is gently falling.
And this in turn leads to the inevitable question: what is this all about anyway. Well surely it's about death. And drugs. And style – in a way that hasn't been seen on screen since the heyday of Sternberg and Dietrich. And it's about Rivette doing a "complete 180" from the improvisatory extremes of Out 1: Noli me tangere (1971) and Céline et Julie vont en bateau/Phantom Ladies Over Paris (1974). But in the last analysis Duelle is about what all the greatest of the great are about – the siren call of cinema itself.
Frédéric Bonnaud, "The Captive Lover – an Interview with Jacques Rivette", trans. Kent Jones, Senses of Cinema 16, September-October 2001.


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Osul cu cârlig (Os hamatum) este cel mai medial dintre cele 4 oase ale rândului distal de oase carpiene. Are o formă neregulată, asemănătoare unei piramide sau prisme triunghiulare. Fața palmară este prevăzută în partea ei inferioară cu o apofiză în formă de cârlig (Hamulus ossis hamati).

Osul cu cârlig are 4 fețe articulare: laterală, medială, inferioară și superioară și 2  fețe nearticulare: palmară și dorsală.
 Fața superioară (proximală) este articulară și se articulează cu semilunarul (Os lunatum).
 Fața inferioară (distală) este articulară și are 2 fațete articulare care se articulează cu oasele metacarpiene IV și V.
 Fața laterală (radială) este articulară și se articulează, în plan vertical,  cu osul capitat (Os capitatum).
 Fața medială (ulnară) este articulară și se articulează cu piramidalul (Os triquetrum).
 Fața palmară (anterioară) nearticulară prezintă în partea ei inferioară o proeminență bine dezvoltată în formă de cârlig, numită cârligul osului hamat sau cârligul osului cu cârlig (Hamulus ossis hamati), pe al cărui vârf se prinde retinaculul flexorilor (Retinaculum flexorum). Medial cârligul vine în raport cu ramura profundă a nervului ulnar (Nervus ulnaris); la acest nivel pe el se inseră mușchiul opozant al degetului mic (Musculus opponens digiti minimi) și mușchiul flexor scurt al degetului mic (Musculus flexor digiti minimi brevis manus).
 Fața dorsală (posterioară) este rugoasă, nearticulară.

Cârligul osului se poate palpa cu oarecare dificultate medial pe fața palmară sub pisiform.

Bibliografie
 Tratat elementar de anatomie descriptivă și topografică (cu aplicațiuni medico-chirurgicale) de Victor Papilian. Ediția III-a. Vol. I. Generalități, osteologie, artrologie, miologie. Sibiu, editura "Dacia Traiana" S. A. 1942
 Victor Papilian. Anatomia omului. Volumul I – Aparatul locomotor. Ediția a XI-a, revizuită integral de prof. univ. dr. Ion Albu. Editura ALL, 2006
 Z. Iagnov, E. Repciuc, I. G. Russu. Anatomia omului. Aparatul locomotor. Editura Medicală. București. 1962
 Viorel Ranga. Anatomia omului, vol. 2 - Membrele. Editura: CERMA. 2002
 Mihail Ștefaneț. Anatomia omului. Volumul I. Chișinău, Centrul Editorial-Poligrafic Medicina, 2007

Oasele membrului superior

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Игрокопы — российский мультипликационный сериал, в котором показывают видеообзоры компьютерных игр.

Сюжет
Полицейским Рону и Сэму (очевидные пародии на ведущих программы «От винта!») очень скучно, ведь в городе практически не совершаются преступления. Единственное их развлечение — это просмотр телевизора, где они постоянно попадают на видеообзор компьютерных игр от ведущего Ника Ньюстера.

Персонажи
 Рон и Сэм — полицейские.
 Капитан Дэймон — их начальник.
 Кристен — новая работница, появляется во втором сезоне.
 Пожарные — периодически троллят полицейских по телефону.
 Ник Ньюстер — ведущий.

Телевидение
С июня 2013 года Игрокопы выходят на телеканале 2x2. В 23:40-в среду и в четверг, в 23:40-в субботу.

Сезоны, сюжеты

Первый сезон

Второй сезон

Ссылки
 Официальный сайт

Компьютерные игры
Программы канала 2x2


Gordie Johnson will belt it out on the stage of the Chatham Capitol Theatre June 22 with his band Big Sugar, who are playing as part of the RM Sotheby's 40th Anniversary celebration.
The organizers of RM Sotheby's 40th Anniversary Celebration have announced the second band coming to down to Chatham on the June 21-22 weekend, as Big Sugar will rock the Chatham Capitol Theatre on the Saturday night.
Led by vocalist Gordie Johnson and his signature double neck Gibson guitar, the leaner, cleaner, present-day Big Sugar will perform new songs such as "Anything is Possible," as well as classics, such as "Diggin' a Hole," "Ride Like Hell," and other classics.
Opening for Big Sugar will be local rockers Superfly.
The RM Sotheby's 40th Anniversary Celebration weekend is tag-teamed with Chatham's annual RetroFest classic car event.
Additional details on the weekend's community activities and entertainment will be released as they become available.
On-sale dates for the Big Sugar and Sam Roberts Band performances will also be announced in the coming weeks.


text:
Contribute to the Dreaming Streaming Digital Archive
Routes, Trails and Exploration
Artist Michael Pinsky has been collaborating with Annie Nelson and Chris Woodward from artist collective Yoke to explore the routes and trails throughout City Fields and the surrounding area.
Last month Michael, Annie and Chris devised a Wakefield Wander walking from Stanley Ferry to The Hepworth Wakefield, exploring different routes in between, with a number of different groups including Open Country and local boaters from Stanley Ferry. Annie and Chris were able to build on connections made through their research into the stories past and present of the inland waterways, specifically Stanley Ferry, the culmination of which is currently being exhibited at The Art House and titled 'Undercurrent'.
Michael and Yoke also visited Stanley Grove Primary school to deliver a creative workshop exploring the childrens' response to City Fields and in order to gain a different perspective of the site they joined David from the Wakefield Cycle Forum on a bike ride through Heath, City Fields and into the city centre.
Michael is now in the process of developing a project proposal that combines temporary art interventions and orienteering that engages families and sports enthusiasts. More details coming soon.
Celebrating local heritage
We knew that running an event so near to Christmas would be risky – however, despite a few apologies of illness and other clashing events going on, we had a very respectable and lively turn out for Dreaming Streaming's Christmas event at St Swithuns Centre.
Guests enjoyed mince pies, mulled wine and other refreshments to kick start the evening. We have been busy doing more filming for the project and were pleased to show the latest film with Museum Curator John Whitaker talking about various artefacts the Museum hold from Stanley Ferry. John is always very knowledgeable and brought to attention just what an exciting and interesting heritage the City Fields area holds. We also screened extracts of film from the session with ex-Parkhill Colliers sharing their memories of the pit which once stood proud on the City Fields site.
We ran a local heritage quiz which everyone enjoyed and got some banter going about local landmarks and characters. One of the joys for us at One to One Development Trust, of this project, so far, was being able to repair corrupted digital files from the Eastmoor Archive, some of which will be included in the Dreaming Streaming project. We ran a selection of these as a slideshow and encouraged people to explore who was who – and to start thinking about the importance of preservation as well as gathering local stories for future generations. Musician Joe Kemp provided entertainment and beautifully sung a mix of classic songs and carols.
We are producing an app for this project where we can pin heritage references and create an interactive resource. For a bit of fun and to mark Christmas we decided to bring in some festive visitors using Augmented Reality (AR) – Santa on a Scooter and some Dreaming Streaming Giant Snowmen joined guests for the evening. They enjoyed photo-bombing and proudly displayed their DS-branded festive hats!
Cllr Olivia Rowley thanked everyone for coming and spoke up for the other communities around the City Fields area, some of whose representatives couldn't attend. The Dreaming Streaming project is a good way for people to come together to share their memories of the area whilst creating new friendships, and relationships which will build the future.
One to One Development Trust would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.
Next dates for the diary are:
Remembering the Power Station
January – St Catherines Agbrigg
Workshop in documenting and preserving oral histories
February – The Art House
Dreaming Streaming at the West Yorkshire History Centre
We were very excited to hold the latest Dreaming Streaming event at the West Yorkshire History Centre in Kirkgate. Opened in February 2017, this fantastic building and resource is a great asset for Wakefield.
The History Centre – part of West Yorkshire Archives – are working closely with us at One to One Development Trust alongside Wakefield Museums and Wakefield Libraries to help inform the areas of information we are collecting for the Dreaming Streaming archive. We were delighted that archivist David Morris agreed to do a short talk about the diaries of the Chaplain from Stanley Royd Hospital as part of our Dreaming Streaming event.
We set up an exhibition in the foyer of the History Centre with photographic prints on display, the City Fields Masterplan available to look at, and the Dreaming Streaming website-in-progress available to browse on laptops and a very big touch screen. The main attraction was the website's online archive and mapping application created for the project.
Although it was advertised as a 'drop in' nearly all our visitors arrived promptly at 1.30pm. The event drew in new people who had heard about the project as well as different groups who've been involved. For many of the visitors it was the first time that they had visited the History Centre; it was great that the The Wakefield Asian Archive Exhibition by Next Generation was also on show for people to see.
We wanted to use this event to really road-test the online archive and app to see how people responded to the technology. The results were very encouraging. Through questionnaires and comments sheets, we gathered over 30 detailed responses to the project and support for its development into a living legacy of the City Fields Development.
The session brought people together making new connections – for example, the Pinders Heath Residents' Group arranging to meet up with the Eastmoor Group. There was also the opportunity to look in detail at the Dreaming Streaming archive-so-far and explore photographs and entries that people could relate to from their area. It was great fun exploring the communities that make up – or are around – City Fields on the interactive map and archive. From the last session at Eastmoor, we have done a lot of work salvaging old photographs from old/corrupt CDs and it was great to be able to share these with participants who attended.
Thank you very much to everyone who attended and to the History Centre for giving us so much support with the project and letting us use the facilities.
The next Dreaming Streaming event will be at Eastmoor Community Project on Wednesday 12th December at 5.30pm and is open to all. We will be showing some films from the project that we're making, and more new photographic material with lots of interactive local heritage to explore.
I hear a rumour that Eastmoor's own 'Pokemon Go'-style Santa maybe making an appearance at this forthcoming event too. 🙂
Celebrating Communities
A significant part of the Dreaming Streaming digital arts and archive project is to work with communities that neighbour onto the City Fields development.
This week we've been at the Eastmoor Community Project at St Swithuns. Eastmoor is part of Wakefield East Ward. Situated to the east and south of Wakefield city, this ward incorporates Eastmoor, College Grove, Portobello, Primrose Hill and Northgate. The ward is bounded to the east by the Aire and Calder Navigation.
What immediately strikes you at this Centre is the vibrancy and its obvious reach to the community. The Centre is a place that supports every aspect of a resident's life from early years provision, lots for young people of different ages, vocational training, community groups to languages and sessions for the elderly. The Centre is also an important venue with excellent facilities that can be booked for organisations wanting to run community or more specialist activities within a central location on an estate.
Eastmoor was one of seven council housing estates in Wakefield that were built after the First World War to house workers for the local mining industry, glass industries, railways and textiles. During the early 1930's a slum clearance programme got rid of a lot of older properties and shops, changing the face of what had been a more rural area into much larger estate-based community.
The legislation to implement the Right to Buy was passed in the Housing Act 1980. This meant that residents could buy their council houses, and ones that were not bought, were transferred to social housing landlord Wakefield District Housing in 2005, who are still responsible for a lot of properties on the estate.
Over the last few decades the estate has changed considerably, it is now more culturally diverse, a greater range of languages are spoken and the traditional industries offering employment and structure have long since gone. The Community Centre was built on the site of the old St Swithuns Church and works closely with established residents and newer waves of residents on the estate. It is for all these reasons that the heritage of the area is very important to residents who want to share their knowledge of the past with future generations.
In the Dreaming Streaming 'drop in' we had an exhibition of archive photos displayed to prompt discussion and interest as people came in, we recorded interviews, established connections between people who had not met for years and managed to salvage some old photos from corrupt CD discs. It was a practical, rewarding and fun session with lovely people.
At One to One Development Trust we have worked with communities across Wakefield for nearly 30 years capturing stories, helping residents/groups reflect on their own community and personal journeys, been a conduit for creating networks and increasing well-being through creative projects.
I never tire of working with people who come alive telling their own stories. Like the volunteer Maureen who has dedicated her life to the Centre and her community, or Val reunited with a photograph she took over 40 years ago; Cecilie whose journey from the Caribbean to Eastmoor 50 years ago is worthy of a book, or the two men who talked and laughed as they found connections from their youth despite dementia for one of them sometimes being an obstacle. This is what projects like this are about, creating space and opportunity for people to come together, connect, reflect and celebrate.
We look forward to ongoing work with the Centre and creating a community 'Dreaming Streaming' exhibition before Christmas.
A big thank you to Chris, the Centre Manager and the local Councillors for their support. And finally, I would advise anyone who wants a place to have a meet up, take stock of their thoughts, or to have lunch, to call into the café at St Swithuns and enjoy a cuppa with one of Andrews homemade scones! They really are the best. 🙂
The next Dreaming Streaming event will be an Open Afternoon at West Yorkshire Archives on Tuesday 16th October, 12 noon till 5pm where you can see an exhibition of the project so far, watch some films, listen to audio recordings and contribute your own stories to the project.
For more information call Judi on 07901 686142 or follow the project on social media using #DreamingStreaming
Blog header image courtesy of Twix Aire and Calder
The stories of a landscape
As you drive along the relief road through the City Fields development area it can be hard to imagine the full extent of history that this landscape holds. The Dreaming Streaming digital arts and archive project is exploring the area's heritage through workshops and events.
Apart from a half pit wheel marking the site, a sealed pit shaft and some gates there is little left to show, that just down from Eastmoor Estate was Parkhill Colliery.
Parkhill Colliery was a family pit with a close-knit local workforce. The pit closed in 1982 with many miners redeployed to other mines in the Yorkshire Coalfields. We invited ex-Parkhill colliers and others associated with the Pit to come along to The Red Shed in Wakefield to share some of their stories on film.
We arrived 35 minutes early to set up and were overjoyed to find a group of men already waiting. Their enthusiasm and high spirits for the gathering were met with the Red Shed kindly opening the bar for us. The Red Shed filled up quickly, luckily, we had plenty of cakes to go around!
The session started with us looking at City Fields plans and talking about how the area is changing. Like many ex-miners I've been lucky enough to work with over the years, the participants at this session all had a strong desire to share their stories and celebrate the heritage of this once great industry.
Wakefield's current Mayor, Cllr Stuart Heptinstall whose whole career has been in mining, and a former Parkhill electrician was the first volunteer to be recorded. For three nonstop hours stories by numerous participants were filmed and interviews conducted. They were funny, insightful, reflective, poignant and inspiring – just like the contributors.
Participants brought memorabilia, artwork, photos and lamps, and publications, which were carefully captured. Dreaming Streaming is also working with and engaging people from neighbouring communities to the City Fields site, and it was great to capture memories of Eastmoor as well – many of the group grew up on the estate or lived there whilst working at the Pit.
It was a great session, thank you to everyone who supported and attended this event, and to the Red Shed for hospitality. The material gathered will be edited and available online later in the year through the Dreaming Streaming website archive. Previews will also be shown at community events and workshops.
On Tuesday 4th September we are holding a drop-in session at St Swithuns Community Centre between 1.30 – 4.00pm where will be showing some film extracts from the Parkhill interviews, and inviting people to drop in and find out more about the Dreaming Streaming project and City Fields.
To follow the project on social media use #DreamingStreaming. For more information please call Judi on 07901 6862142 or email info@onetoonedevelopment.org
Hidden stories and new beginnings
Who would ever have thought that the green empty land alongside the river from Stanley Ferry to Wakefield Waterfront, following the path of The Wakefield Eastern Relief Road is a heritage treasure trove. This is the new City Fields development site and over the next decade the area is going to change considerably.
City Fields is a new neighbourhood just East of Wakefield city centre. The aim is to build approximately 2,500 new homes as well as offer increased leisure, retail and commercial opportunities.
Already new families are moving into properties. Before the area changes too much One to One Development Trust, commissioned by Beam and Wakefield Council, are gathering stories and artifacts about the heritage of City Fields as part of a digital arts project.
We are creating an online archive which will be a repository for lots of information about the City Fields area, both past and present. We will be out and about filming, running arts workshops and talks about what we are doing through Dreaming Streaming.
We are working with Wakefield Museum, West Yorkshire Archives, and the Local Studies at the Library to map out some of the heritage of the site. From Viking long boat remains at Stanley Ferry to more recent heritage of Park Hill Colliery and the Power Station, and gems like a lost canal – it really is an extraordinary area.
Over the next few months we will be running workshops and events gathering memories and researching about the area. We are very pleased to be working with Wakefield Historical Society and members of Outwood Video Group.
There will be opportunities for new City Fields residents to meet up with their neighbours, we will be taking the project into local primary schools, working with groups, and community centres around the periphery of City Fields.
On Monday 20th August we would like to invite anyone who worked at Park Hill Colliery to call in and see us at the Red Shed. From 3.30pm till 6.30pm we will be sharing stories and memories about the Pit and reflecting on how the landscape is changing. There will be tea/ coffee and great cakes.
Then on Tuesday 4th September from 1.30 to 4.00pm we would like to invite people into St Swithuns Community Centre to hear more about the Dreaming Streaming project and the heritage of the City Fields area and its its neighboring communities.
If you are interested in any aspect of the Dreaming Streaming arts and heritage project, then please get in touch. Judi Alston at One to One Development Trust 07901 686142 or email info@onetoonedevelopment.org You can follow the project on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #DreamingStreaming
Drawing on the past to create a future
One to One Development Trust are very pleased to be awarded a new contract by Beam on behalf of Wakefield Council to create an ambitious online archive and documentation project about the CityFields development in Wakefield. The project is called Dreaming Streaming.
City Fields is a huge site to the East of the District with a large urban extension programme planned over the next twenty years. In addition to 2500 new homes there will be increased school provision, health, retail and community facilities, along with outdoor leisure opportunities via the 2km water frontage, open space provision and walking and cycling links to both the city centre and surrounding areas.
At one end of the new Eastern Relief Road sits Heath Common Traveller site – one of the UK's largest and oldest permanent Traveller and Gyspy sites, drive down the relief road and you come to Stanley Ferry. Its origins dating back to pre-Viking times, but better known as the place where the Tom Pudding tub boats were loaded with coal from local collieries and transported down to Goole in long trains by canal. Now a favourite place with dog walkers, families who visit The Hungry Horse pub and an ever-growing boat community.
Like a spine running through the site, the relief road and River Calder link up neighbouring communities including Stanley, Eastmoor, Agbrigg, Belle Vue and Portobello. Communities that all have their own cultural identity. Public art is part of a 20-year plan for City Fields, implemented by the Public Art Action Plan it aims to help create social, environmental and economic benefits and improve the quality of life for its local population.
Our project Dreaming Streaming is the start of this ambitious plan attracting and engaging people with new spaces and their neighbours.
History has an important impact on the concept of place. With time, places change, but every place has a legacy of past events. With an understanding of place and its history, comes a sense of belonging. Places are where people live, move round and interact so the characteristics of a place are vital in determining quality of life, health and wellbeing.
A place is not just physical landscape, roads, developments or boundaries – it is shaped by behaviour and actions, networks of social interactions. City Fields is a blank canvas to explore fundamentals of what 'community' means – to feel safe, to be well and happy, to explore and learn from your natural local environment and resources and to feel connected.
We will be looking at the heritage of the City Fields site, engaging the neighbouring communities – linking them up with newer residents, and documenting the start of this new community. We will be creating films, exhibitions, and a repository that can continue to be added to for many years as the community evolves. This resource will be useful for new residents to learn about their area, but also for artists, public health workers, education establishments and others to explore resources all held in one place.
Over the next few months, we will be talking with residents on City Fields, on neighbouring communities, schools, other artists working in the area, health professionals, environmentalists, developers, the business community, historians, archivists and volunteers (and everyone we can) to create a rich archive, interactive archive which will draw on the past to help shape the future.
Please follow the project on social media using the hashtag #DreamingStreaming and bookmark this page!
If you would like to be involved please contact Judi Alston, One to One Development Trust on 07901 686142.
Site by One to One Development Trust

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The military played a big part in both of the blacks and Indians fate, for good or for worse America had always used force to conquer what they did not understand. Or would separate but equal facilities meet..
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which suggested the suffering and the innocent people that got caught up in the violence and the persecution. . The three-part ballet was to popular and gospel music by Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro and Chuck Griffin. A trip that included something unexpected or surprising. The end of a friendship or relationship. It is just a small piece of fruit, hardly even worth noticing. At first I was nervous about the news, but then the more I thought about it the more excited and happier I got. On this ceremony my mother will prepare delicious food, the menu itself is really mouth watering. The assimilations were presented through three essential women in Cofers life; her mother whom was in middle assimilation, her fully assimilated cousin, and her newly assimilated cousins brothers girlfriend. I was very nervous and excited. It takes stamina, grace and an extreme amount of muscle and flexibility. My cousins and I jumped up and headed out towards the kitchen, on the way, just left to the sewing room was my grandmas room where I would sneak into on occasion to snoop through her cedar chest; that is where she kept all.
A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way. A birthday that was disappointing. It is worth mentioning that the how to live with siblings essay dance was mostly concentrated among the poor people in the states who were fans of the style and the music genre. It is almost like seeing a miniature version of the apple in the Garden of Eden; no wonder Eve was so attracted to eating. Your favorite summer vacation.


Hi all, I have a Bach 50T3 for sale. It has a yellow brass heel and has the standard Bb/F/Gb tuning. The horn is in great shape and I recently got an Edwards single bore slide that is about a year old in phenomenal shape! I have found that for my current playing situation that I am no longer in need of a bass trombone of this caliber and funding my next move on a professional model CC tuba. My asking price for this horn is $4500 with shipping included. I have the original Bach case for this instrument and I will gladly send photos on request. I am located in Traverse City Michigan.
Photos can be sent via email, if interested send me a message!
Last edited by BBruce107 on Mon Apr 15, 2019 5:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Bump this bass trombone is still very much for sale and deserves someone who will be playing it more than I will be. Truly one of the better Bach basses I have played.


text:
Раннє Середньовіччя Епоха вікінгів Золота доба ісламу Реконкіста

Події
Після захоплення влади в Києві князь Володимир продовжував консолідувати свій контроль, здійснивши кілька походів на
сусідні племена. 981 року він взяв Червенські міста і наклав данину на в'ятичів. 983 року він здійснив похід на ятвягів, 984 року підкорив в'ятичів та радимичів. 985 року князь Володимир ходив на волзьких булгарів, не зумів їх підкорити, але уклав з ними мир. У 987-989 роках Володимир допомагав візантійському імператоро Василію II придушити бунт Барди Фоки. Київський князь узяв Корсунь (Херсонес). Як наслідок, він домовився з візантійським імператором про одруження з Анною Порфірогенетою, умовою чого було прийняття християнства.

988 року Великий князь Київський Володимир Святославович, прийняв християнство сам і запровадив його на Русі. Була відновлена церква на Аскольдовій могилі, почалося спорудження першої кам'яної церкви у Києві — Десятинної.

У Візантії бунт, який очолив полководець Барда Фока, охопив значну частину імперії, однак василевс Василій II зумів придушити його. Після цього він відновив натиск на болгар, які, скориставшись негараздами в імперії, завдали поразки візантійцям у битві біля Троянових воріт. Візантії вдалося знову потіснити своїх супротивників.

Після смерті Оттона II Рудого у Священній Римській імперії розпочалася боротьба за регентство над малолітнім Оттоном III. Генріх II Сварливий викрав імператора, сподіваючись на корону, але не здобув достатньої підтримки і змушений був повернути імператора матері, імператриці Феофано, за що добився повернення відібраних у нього раніше баварських земель. Підняли повстання полабські слов'яни, виступаючи проти німців та християнства. Їм вдалося добитися незалежності.

Королем Франції став Гуго Капет. Його обрала знать після смерті останнього з Каролінгів Людовика V. Правління Гуго Капета, як і його попередників було формальним. Король контролював невелику територію.

На Піренейському півострові Кордовський халіфат очолив фактично Аль-Мансур. Взявши владу, він розпочав наступ на християнські держави, розграбував Барселону, захопив Леон. Королем Леону з 984 року був Бермудо II. Наступ мусульман змусив його втекти в Галісію. Граф Барселони Буррель II після відходу маврів не відновив своєї присяги французькій короні. Барселона стала фактично незалежною.

Народились

Померли

Десятиліття
X століття


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Provide free access to WebGUI resources in the native language of each community in the network.
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text:
Home News Nation Du30: Time to abolish Road Board
Du30: Time to abolish Road Board
Adrian Stewart Co
The Road Board oversees funds collected from the Motor Vehicle User's Charge solely for road maintenance and drainage improvement, the installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and monitoring air pollution. PHILKOTSE.COM
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte backed the proposal to abolish the controversial Road Board, which he said only serve as the "milking cow of corrupt government officials."
In a speech on Friday evening at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, the President said the functions of the Road Board will be returned to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
"I agree with the others and senators that it is time to abolish it and return that function to the DPWH," Duterte said. "I believe that the Senate has decided the right thing and has stated that the Road Board must be dismantled."
"I've always been wary about this office because it has been the milking cow of people who are corrupt in government," he added. "Ever since, I've really questioned the existence of this office. It's nothing but a depository of money and for corruption."
The House of Representatives, under the leadership of former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, has approved a bill abolishing the Road Board. It was later adopted by the Senate.
But on Sept. 12, the House – now under Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – has rescinded the approval of the House measure calling for the abolishment of Road Board.
Duterte belied the statement of House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., who claimed that the President is in favor letting Road Board stay, saying that he is pushing for the board's abolition since 2016.
"I had a talk with President Arroyo and apparently there was a misunderstanding because all along I really wanted to abolish the road tax and Andaya was one of those who said that it should be maintained. No, nagkamali sila doon," the President said.
The Road Board oversees funds collected from the Motor Vehicle User's Charge solely for road maintenance and drainage improvement, the installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and monitoring air pollution./PN
President Rodrigo Duterte
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text:
Q: mailboxer gem - find message sender I am having the hardest time with the mailboxes gem.  I have gotten it working in that I can send and receive messages, but for the life of me I cannot figure out how to display them.  i want to display the inbox in table organized like this:
message sender | message subject | message sent date

I have been working for hours to try and figure out how to access the sender of the message in the receivers inbox, but I can't figure it out.  I've tried looping through conversations, receipts, notifications, etc and I still cannot figure out what to do.  I can't use:
#user wants to retrieve all his conversations
user.mailbox.conversations

#user wants to retrieve his inbox
user.mailbox.inbox

#user wants to retrieve his sent conversations
user.mailbox.sentbox

because there is no way to organize how the messages are displayed using those methods (at least as far as I know).  How can I loop through the messages and find the message sender for each message?

A: A Mailboxer::Message is a Mailboxer::Notification
And you can have the notification's sender: message.sender
A Mailboxer::Conversation is a collection of messages.
You can get the participants, even the originator (plus many other) from it.
Is it clearer?


text:
Home World South Asia The Politics Of Religion And Blasphemy In Bangladesh
The Politics Of Religion And Blasphemy In Bangladesh
Shimul Chaudhury
Wed April 24, 2013
It all began with a remark made by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam Dhaka city leader Rafiqul Islam Khan. Since Sheikh Hasina's government came into office in early 2009, it has been thwarting political activity of Jamaat and of its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and harassing the leaders and activists of these two organizations in the street and in their offices and residences.
In such a context, in a discussion programme organized by Shibir on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Dhaka on 17 March 2010, Rafiqul Islam Khan tended to compare the difficulty the Islamic party people were facing to that of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions in the seventh century. He also reportedly said that Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was made a target of political vendetta by Sheikh Hasina's government, and in this respect he pointed to the fact that Prophet Muhammad also faced a comparable situation when he was preaching Islam.
That was all – a simple statement.
Bending Truth To File a Court Case
The ruling party Awami League got the cue and apparently used a man called Syed Rezaul Haque to file a blasphemy case against Shibir's leader ASM Yahia and against four topmost prominent Jamaat leaders: Matiur Rahman Nizami (Jamaat Chief), Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed (Jamaat Secretary General), Delwar Hossain Sayedee (Jamaat Deputy Chief) and Rafiqul Islam Khan (Chief of Jamaat's Dhaka city unit and the party's Acting Secretary General). The plaintiff Syed Rezaul Haque filed the case on 21 March 2010 and claimed that Rafiqul Islam Khan compared Nizami to the Prophet Muhammad and thus hurt the religious sentiment of Muslims. Before the case was filed, few people gave any heed to what Rafiqul Islam Khan had said in the small gathering of 17 March 2010.
People in Bangladesh were flabbergasted for the obvious reason that Jamaat-Shibir people are the ones who regularly protest against any offensive remarks on Islam or on its holy symbols. Ironically, in that court case the same group of people were accused of the crime against which they generally inveigh whenever there is an occasion for protest. No secular media (local or international) regarded Syed Rezaul Haque as intolerant or as a man with anti-free-speech tendencies. No secularist commentators wrote in the print or electronic media or appeared on the television to defend the freedom of expression.
Eventually, Sheikh Hasina's government used Syed Rezaul Haque's case and arrested all the accused. Surprisingly, Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed were not even present at the 17 March 2010 meeting in which Rafiqul Islam Khan made that fateful remark. The four topmost Jamaat leaders eventually landed in jail with the charge of blasphemy, and gradually the government kept bringing other charges against them, the most fatal being the charge of crimes against humanity allegedly committed by them four decades ago during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war. Including those four, now altogether nine Jamaat leaders have been incarcerated on the alleged charge of crimes against humanity.
Surprisingly, since Sheikh Hasina's government came to power in early 2009, there have been many incidents of blasphemous remarks in various parts of Bangladesh. Most of these have been against the Prophet Muhammad and many of them have been reported in the Dhaka-based Bangla vernacular daily Amar Desh. Perhaps coincidentally, most of the blasphemers in different parts of Bangladesh who have been making offensive remarks against the Prophet Muhammad are Hindu school teachers. And the Hindu community in Bangladesh is proverbially regarded as a vote bank for Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party. I mention below some examples.
1. On 14 July 2011, while teaching English to Year-10 students, a Hindu high school teacher asked one student a question which the student did not understand. The teacher Sankar Biswas scolded the student and called him a goat. When the student protested that he was not a goat, Mr Biswas said human and goat are similar as both have beard. The student then asked the teacher whether Rabindranth Tagore was a goat since he also kept a beard. Mr. Biswar became infuriated and said the Prophet Muhammad was also a goat as he kept beard. (Amar Desh, Dhaka, 16 July 2011, amardeshonline
2. In a teachers' meeting at Dhaka's Dhanmondi Government Boys' School on 26 July 2011, a Hindu teacher named Madan Mohan Das commented on the Prophet Muhammad as someone who used to marry whenever he saw a beautiful woman. He added that Muslims do not need to go to Makkah to perform hajj, as they can do that by visiting the house of a man who has married 15-16 women. (Amar Desh, Dhaka, 31 July 2011, amardeshonline
3. A another Hindu school teacher named Pradip Kumar Das in the district of Moulvibazar went to a local shopping mall to repair his mobile phone on 30 July 2012. At one point he got engaged in an argument with the mobile phone shopkeeper. Since the shopkeeper was a Muslim, Mr. Das made an offensive remark on the Prophet of Islam in order hurt him. (Amar Desh, Dhaka, 1 August 2012, amardeshonline
4. Another Hindu school teacher named Ujjal Kumar Dey made a sarcastic remark on the Prophet Muhammad while teaching students at a school in the district of Jessore on 27 September 2012. He also told students not to share that with anyone outside the class; otherwise he would give them a lower grade. (Amar Desh, Dhaka, 30 September 2012, amardeshonline.
All such blasphemous remarks were probably isolated.
Organizing Blasphemy
However, the culture of blasphemy took off in an organized fashion in Bangladesh with a rally in Dhaka's Shahbagh where on 5 February 2013 a big group of pro-Awami League and left-leaning chanters started to gather to press home their demand to have Jamaat leaders executed for the alleged charges of crimes against humanity. Other than shouting for the death sentence for the Jamaat leaders, the Shahbagh rally organizers were involved in two types of cultural activity. Firstly, they performed stage dramas featuring and caricaturing Islamic personalities and institutions. Secondly, they waged a cyber-war and posted blasphemous remarks on Allah (God), the Prophet Muhammad and various Islamic rituals. I quote below remarks that some of the bloggers made against Islam:
During the February 2013 rally at Shahbagh, using the pseudonym Tamanna Jhumu, Ami Rahman Piyal in a post asked whether Allah would appear from the seventh heaven to save Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee from hanging. In response, another blogger named Rana Roy posted: "If Allah appears, He will be hanged as well." Another key organizer of the Shahbagh rally Ahmed Razib Haydar termed the Prophet of Islam as "Mohammak" (great idiot) while making obscene remarks about Islam.
A Dhaka-based vernacular newspaper Amar Desh reported blasphemous remarks that the Shahbagh rally organizers made previously. Some of them are:
On 29 July 2010, blogger Arifur Rahman said: "Mad Muhammad in his hallucination used to think that Zibrael visits him, that's how he invented imaginative stories of Allah and made a religion called Izlam." On 26 August 2010, blogger Asif Mahiuddin posted: "Shame! Allah lover Brothers, you were making Allah to smoke marijuana up until now." Using the pseudonym Satan, blogger Biplab Pal posted on 1 July 2010: "I urinate on the religion of razakars [a derogatory term he used to describe Jamaat people in Bangladesh]."
I have mentioned only few blasphemous remarks and, for the sake of decency, ignored a number of other more offensive postings which are highly obscene and loaded with erotica. Such remarks may not sound too offensive in a western setting, but in a country like Bangladesh these are extremely unacceptable.
My question here is not whether one has the right to post such remarks or not. And, considering the scope of this essay, nor do I want to engage in the discourse of the freedom of expression here.
Inconsistent Governance
What I want to argue here is that, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been highly inconsistent and self-contradictory in her handling of blasphemy incidents in the country. She facilitated the incarceration of Jamaat leaders for the 17 March 2010 remark of Rafiqul Islam Khan. However, in all other cases she has been either silent or complicit with blasphemers. She is not known to have taken any effective action against all those Hindu school teachers who made sarcastic remarks on the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, she offered whole-hearted support and patronage to the blog blasphemers who have been associated with the February 2013 Shahbagh rally. Recently, after huge public anger over the culture of blasphemy among the Shahbbagh bloggers, the government has arrested few of them, which Bangladeshi people believe is simply eyewash.
Influential ministers of her cabinet and leaders of her Awami League party attended the Shahbagh gathering to show their support. In a statement in Bangladesh parliament on 11 February 2013 Sheikh Hasina expressed solidarity with the Shahbagh chanters many of whom are blog blasphemers. As one Dhaka-based English day reported: "Expressing solidarity with the movement, she [Sheikh Hasina] said she has absolute support for the spirit of the young generation, but she is worried about their nighttime security" (Daily Star, Tuesday, February 12, 2013, thedailystar
Sheikh Hasina Makes A Special Point
The blog blasphemer Razib Haydar was killed in Dhaka on his way back from Shahbagh rally on 15 February 2013 allegedly for reasons related to his extra-marital affairs. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited his home on Saturday 16 Feb 2013 and regarded him as a Shahid (martyr of Islam). As Daily Star reported: "Hasina reached Rajib's tin-roof house at Palash Nagar in Pallabi at about 3:45pm and stayed there for about 20 minutes. She consoled Rajib's bereaved family members and assured them of justice" (Dhaka, 17 Feb 2013, thedailystar
There have been hundreds of incidents of kidnaps, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the police shooting people dead in the street in Bangladesh since Sheikh Hasina came to power in early 2009. She rarely visits the residence of any victims. But in the case of the blasphemer Razib Haydar, she made an exception. Sheikh Hasina initiated the prosecution and penalization of dozens of Bangladeshi citizens for making critical remarks against her and against her father even though such remarks in any democracy in the world are completely tolerated. For details, see the daily Amar Desh (21 Feb 2013), amardeshonline
Sheikh Hasina's government arrested Jamaat leaders for one very small remark by Rafiqul Islam Khan (very few people will consider the remark as blasphemous). Conversely, she showed unconditional sympathy to the hardcore blasphemers involved in the Shahbagh movement. This complicates her view of the sanctity of Islam and her handling of blasphemy cases. More so, this may cast doubt on the intention behind her practice of wearing the Islamic headscarf. Many Bangladeshis believe that the headscarf in her head is to attract voters. This group of people also believes that Sheikh Hasina is involved in doing politics with Islam and blasphemy, as she used these two interchangeably for political purposes.
Shimul Chaudhury is a journalist from Bangladesh who specializes in news and issues related to Bangladesh.
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