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The Xbox 360 Will Never be Retro (a tedious classification post)
Posted on March 9, 2019 March 9, 2019 AuthorFatnick
Ok, I'll have to admit it – as someone who fits in the relatively uncommon venn diagram between history and retrogaming, I probably let myself ponder the question of what exactly retrogaming IS a little too much. Why does it matter? after all, it's just a label, right? Who cares if the Playstation 2 is retro or not. Just play the damn games, damn it!
Yet the historian in me knows that labels can be incredibly important. Have you ever wondered why the Middle Ages were called the Middle Ages? It's because the period were mischievously labeled so by enlightenment philosophers who were determined to market a distinctive link between their own period and the glories of Ancient Rome. "Oh that bit in the middle? we don't talk about that…"
This piece of intellectual snobbery has coloured the perception of the Medieval period ever since, passing through well-intentioned but disasterous Victorian romanticism right down to twentieth century historiography and beyond. If you didn't know that the supposed 'Dark Ages' (known as the Early Middle Ages today) were actually a time of technological innovation, it's not your fault. Despite the tireless work of historians to correct the damage done to the reputation of the Medieval era, it turns out that historical labels can be harder to remove than those cheap price stickers so commonly applied by second-hand videogame shops.
Ok, I'm rabbiting. I suppose the point i'm making is that historical labels matter. They are the lens through which we initially view a subject so applying the wrong one can distort our view of the wider picture . It can be an act that's difficult to undo.
What is Retrogaming?
With that in mind, the first question we should ask is just what IS retro gaming? It maybe a helpful to use as a hashtag to help people find you on social media, but i'm not sure it's actually the most appropriate term. According to the Oxford definition, retro is Imitative of a style or fashion from the recent past.
This is definitely how the term is used in other fields. In its 2001 review of the then-new Crysler PT cruiser, motortrend used the term Retro to celebrate Crysler's application of outmoded 1930's design elements:
The look is equal parts modern and retro-it reflects certain design elements of the past, yet never directly copies any of them. Its pointy prow, flat rear deck, and upright windshield recall many designs of the '30s, including Chrysler's own revolutionary Airflow. Yet the long wheelbase, short overhangs, flush head- and taillights, and neatly integrated bumpers lend a fresh, up-to-date appeal.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/0101coy/
Combining modern features with design elements clearly referencing the past, the PT Cruiser was undoubtedly a retro car. (photo credit: IFCAR)
When applied to gaming, this definition would actually invert some of common usages. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would no longer be considered a retro game – at the time it was unarguably cutting edge – but, thanks to its faultless imitation of traditional 90's pixel art, Sonic Mania most definitely would be.
That's not to say that current alternatives to the phrase 'retrogaming' are more correct mind you. 'Classic gaming' is the most obvious alternative, but the main dictionary definitions of classic fail to encompass the way we currently use the term retrogaming. We might say that Marco's Magic Football is a classic example of an early 90's platform game, that is to say it is a 'Very typical of its kind', but few would probably say it was classic in the way that is was 'judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind.' In fact, our use of the term 'classic' would probably fall closest to the original Latin classis, which can simply be used to refer to a group or class.
Indeed, if we look back to the realm of automobiles, we'll see that – even if adopted – the term 'classic' wouldn't necessarily help to give us a concrete definition. In the UK we have a remarkably solid definition of classic – any vehicle older than 40 years is exempt from vehicle excise duty – but that doesn't the industry generating articles similar to this one.
Perhaps 'traditional' gaming would be a better term to use then. However, tradition has connotations of adhering to a particular set of pre-established rules, and the videogaming eras that would most unquestionably be considered retro are the ones that had the fewest precedents and the widest experimentation, so i'm not sure that fits terribly well either.
I suppose the only conclusion we can draw is that, if the term 'retro gaming' were to be retired there's no preexisting concept that could fully take its place. I think that, as there is a common sense of what 'retro gaming' is, it's continued usage is probably fine.
We should acknowledge, however, that the concept of retro gaming is an invention of the community it serves. Unfortunately, this means that the dictionary definition probably doesn't get us any closer to defining what 'retro' encompasses. We all know that retro gaming is 'the playing or collecting of older personal computer, console, and arcade video games in contemporary times,' but how old is 'older'?
In the United Kingdom auto industry, the legal status of classic car isn't left open to wooly interpretation. After 40 years have passed since the vehicles first registration it immediately becomes legible for exemption from both the normal taxation regime and roadworthiness checking. Should we apply a similar rolling window-style classification for retro videogames? There's a good case that we can. Veteran gaming journalist Jaz Rignall lays out the basis of such scheme here:
I like the principle of this, but since time is a moving target, does it make more sense to say:
10 years or older = retro
20 years or older = vintage
30 years or older = classic
40 years or older = antique
— Jaz Rignall (@JazRignall) January 9, 2019
I don't mean to disagree with an industry legend like Jazz Rignall, but…
Does this work? well a look down the list of Eurogamer's games of the year 2009 reveals a list that could hardly be considered old and outmoded. Not only have most of the big names on the list – The Forzas, DIRTS, Call of Dutys – received regularly yearly (or bi-yearly) updates, but the content of those updates can hardly be said to be as extensive as those made in the decade between the original Super Mario Brothers and the three dimensional frolics of Mario 64. Indeed, A number of titles – such as Arkham Asylum – have even been re-released for the current generation of gaming platforms.
This is in stark contrast to Eurogamer's games of the year 2000, which – despite originating from just 9 years before – reveals a whole slew of intellectual properties that had at at best been irregularly updated and, at worst, completely forgotten.
Martian Gothic: Reunification was celebrated as a highlight in the year 2000, but completely forgotten by 1999 (picture credit Eurogamer)
The relative lack of change in gamer appetites between 2009 and 2019 is, I think, indicative of a slowing in the pace of technological upheaval that historically acted as a major catalyst for change within the industry – a pattern we can see reflected in the devlopment of Console-based First Person Shooters.
In September 1995, the original Doom (which by then was already two years old) was ported from the PC to the Super Nintendo Entertainment Sytem. By modern standards Doom would be considered quite a simple game. Enemies and objects were represented by two dimensional pixel art sprites rather than three dimensional models and – though not quite the 2d game some on the internet would have you believe – the rendering engine had a number of clear limitations when handling three dimensional space, such as an inability to place two rooms directly on top of each other.
Despite this relative simplicity, an uncompromised port of Doom was still well beyond the reach of the SNES' Super FX2 3D expansion chip. Visually, the SNES port featured plain ceilings and floors that had been stripped of the texturing effects found on the PC. Multiplayer options that were present in the original version weren't physically replicable on the SNES and the gameplay was limited by simplified map geometry and an inability to approach enemies from the side and rear.
Yes, these games were all separated by a uniform gap of 10 years
Fast forward a decade to December 2005 and everything had changed. Released as a launch title for Microsoft's Xbox 360, Call of Duty 2 is (ironically for a game based in the past) clearly identifiable as a contemporary First Person Shooter. At a technical level, the game was generations ahead of Doom. Faux 3d had been replaced with a full three dimensional world that contained incredibly detailed scenery. Pixel art villains with limited frames of animation had been replaced with life-like human models who could run, take cover and shout. Perhaps More controversially, Doom's open labyrinths had been replaced with a more linear campaign that led the player through a number of cinematic set pieces and multiplayer was open to everyone. Crucially, the Xbox 360 version was also broadly identical to the PC version in most ways – with the smaller number of allowed players in a session offset by a more level playing field.
Fast forward again to 2015, and the situation was broadly the same. The Call of Duty series may have emerged as top (rather than plucky under-) dog and swapped the battlefields of World War 2 for a number of more contemporary and futuristic surroundings, but any changes to the core gameplay (and the slow but undeniable shift in emphasis from the cinematic single player campaign to the chaos of online multiplayer) had been evolutionary rather than revolutionary in nature. The sense of continuity was so strong that no one was surprised when the decade old Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 received versions of 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. In 2005, a port of Call of Duty 2 for the Super Nintendo or even the ten year old Playstation would have been completely bonkers.
I think we can say then that though ten years is definitely a large enough window for tastes to change an hardware to evolve (a fact ex Sony CEO Kaz Hirai discovered the hard way as he awkwardly shouted 'it's Ridge Racer! Riiiiiidge Raaacer!' in front on a massively apathetic audience) , it doesn't work as a universal definition for what makes a game or system retro. Though it definitely works as an interval for the decade around 1995, it simply doesn't work for other decades: though when we examine the noughties ten years seems way to short, when we examine the 80's – a decade where Sega released three consoles within five years – it actually seems too long.
These consoles represent Sega's console output between 1983 and 1988. On top of this they released a computer too.
An alternate (and, it seems, more popular) suggestion is to base the definition of hardware iterations rather than years: once a manufacturer has released two further iterations of hardware, the original console they produced arguably becomes a retro console. As the most current Playstation console at the time of writing was the Playstation 4, this theory would officially make the Playstation 2 a retro console.
This argument definitely has some merit. As we've noted, Sega released their first console (the SG-1000) in 1983. They released their first indisputible follow up – The Mark iii (rebadged as the Master System in the West) – 3 years later, before following up with the Megadrive (Genesis in the US) two years after that. In an era of immense and incredibly rapid change, the SG-1000 had gone from cutting edge to undisputably redundant in the space of around 5 years.
Better still, the gap between systems actually seems to widen with successive console generations. Though the larger, more detailed sprites, brisk pace and polyphonic audio make it impossible to mistake a Megadrive title for an SG-1000 release, games released for the Megadrive's successor – dubbed the Saturn – were literally in another dimension to those found on Sega's SG-surpassing Master System. While the Mark iii/Master System struggled to render with games that created psuedo-three dimensional effects by resizing two dimensional sprites, the Saturn was able to create entire worlds from three dimensional objects. There could be no argument that, In terms of raw power, the Sega Saturn and it's cohorts the Sony Playstation and Nintendo 64 were in a completely different league.
However, once again we find that as we draw towards the present day, this model begins to fall apart. When it comes to two dimensional performance, for example, we see that the gap between the Dreamcast and the Super Nintendo is already much, much, smaller than the gap between the Saturn and the Master System.
If we compare the Street Fighter Alpha titles released on each platform, for example, we see that, though the playing field and sprite size is smaller in Alpha 2 on the SNES and the gameplay a little less smooth, the overall experience is largely the same. This is a far cry from the Master System version of Mortal Kombat 2, which featured dramatically clipped speed, command lists, character roster and an overall visual experience that only a parent could love.
It doesn't take a genius to work out that the SNES is the top one.
As we move into the contemporary era, this generational differential shrinks even further. As the original Xbox is both 2 generations and 14 years older than the unhelpfully named Xbox One, we'd expect there to be a huge difference between the two. Thankfully, we have a very clear point of comparison for this: Grand Theft Auto 5 on the latest Xbox is set in the same fictional state as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the original machine.
And yes, At first glance, there can be no denying that there was a significant visual upgrade between the first and third Xbox consoles. Though notable progress was made across the three Grand Theft Autos released for the Playstation 2 and original Xbox – first simply rendering an original Grand Theft Auto city in three dimensions before adding elements like detailed interiors and aiming mechanics – Grand Theft Autos 4 and 5 took these to another level. Not only did the artwork style change from overtly cartoony to a much more resource-intensive realism, but the game worlds feature elements like functioning bridge toll systems and useable bowling alleys.
With all that said, it is note worthy that this leap – though impressive – is still smaller than we wouldn't expect going by past precedent. Though we noted earlier that the two dimensional upgrade from the SNES to the Dreamcast was relatively small, when it came to three dimensional performance they were beyond compare. Even with additional processing chips built into game cartridges, the best 3D experiences available on the Megadrive and SNES were based around basic 3d models being placed into sparsely populated worlds. In contrast to this, the high point on the Dreamcast was probably Shenmue – an RPG set in a highly detailed model of a real Japanese town that featured realistic time progression, dozens of ambient pedestrians and the option to use genuine 1980s weather data.
I wouldn't want this to be read as a criticism of modern gaming but more of a commentary on how the nature of videogame evolution is changing. If we look at Grand Theft Auto 5 on the Playstation 4 and Grand Theft Auto 3 on the Playstation 2, it quickly becomes apparent the core underlying gameplay of Grand Theft Auto 5 is still heavily dependent on the mechanics that powered Grand Theft Auto 3. Everything that can be improved has been improved – including the breathtaking achievement of allowing large numbers of players to play together in a single city – but nonetheless titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto demonstrate the extent to which big-budget game development has moved focus towards improving existing gameplay models instead of creating entirely new ones.
Though no one would question which screen comes from the latest GTA, there's no denying that San Andrea is much, much closer to the latest GTA than it is to the original.
We can conclude, then, that the two generation rule begins to breakdown in the modern era in a remarkably similar manner to the ten year rule. Though rapid technological development in the early console era had a huge effect on the kinds of games that were produced, the examples we've seen so far have demonstrated that post-millennium change has shifted to an evolutionary rather than revolutionary nature. If we are to create a uniform rule for determining which consoles count as retro, another approach is needed.
Towards a Fixed Model
It's pretty clear then that though there's a seductive logic to the idea that we can use a simple sliding window to decide when a system moves from being an outdated piece of rubbish to exuding an air of retro cool, the changing pace and nature of this progress simply makes this unworkable. Instead, I think we need to see the period we would currently consider "retro" as a distinct historical era, like the high middle ages or the golden age of comics. Even if we accept it as an enclosed period, however, where do we draw the boundaries?
As a charming 19 year old thread thread over at rec.games.video.sega, demonstrates, people have been grouping consoles into generational cohorts from – at the very least – the turn of the millennium.
Is it a useful concept? Absolutely. There can be no argument that it makes it easier to distinguish between the earliest consoles with hard-coded games and the slightly later machines that were able to load software from dedicated games cartridges, but for our purposes there is a distinct disadvantage. Though it's a useful scheme for assessing which machines should be treated as cohorts, it doesn't provide us with clues when it comes to drawing our lines. Once again a different model is needed.
One final – and surprising obvious schema for establishing the boundaries of retro is the one that was in common use the time: How many bits do you have?
The word 'bit' is a contraction of Binary Digit, and when we use it in to compare computer and console architecture this is generally used to convey the overall word length of the processor – effectively the greatest number of calculations it can undertake in one go. The highest number you can count to using 8 binary digits is 256, so 8-bit CPUs can generally perform 256 calculations simultaneously. The greatest number you can count to with 16 binary digits is 65536, so 16-bit CPUs can generally perform 65536 tasks as once. Naturally, this leap in simultaneous calculation meant that the arrival of the 16-bit machines marked a genuine leap in performance, but does the theory hold up beyond this point?
On the surface, the answer seems to be yes. A gamer in the 80's may have potentially owned a Sega Master System in 1987 that was 8-bit, then they may have purchased a Megadrive in 1990 that was 16-bit, before upgrading to a 32-bit Saturn in 1995. There can be no denying that each one of these systems represented fundamental upgrades in the technical capabilities we would expect from a games console. On top of that, by using the traditional bits system, we don't have to rely on the year a console was manufactured to work out its cohorts as it depends entirely on the strength of the processor. Though released in the same year as Sega's Megadrive, for example, the 8-bit zilog z80 contained in the GX4000 games console reveals that it was more of a competitor for Sega's Z80-based Master System than it was for their Motorola 68000-based Megadrive.
However, even the jump from 8 to 16 bit reveals that this classification system has its flaws. The internal workings of the 68000 CPU in Sega's Megadrive, for example, are generally 32-bit (2,147,483,647 simultaneous calculations. Blimey!) but face a bottleneck because they have to communicate through a 16-bit bus. Meanwhile, The 65816 inside the Super Nintendo Entertainment System had inner workings that are largely 16-bit but restricted by an 8-bit data bus. Whether we focus on the highest amount of calculations found in the chip or whether we look at the restriction of the bus, it looks the Megadrive should be considered a generation ahead of the Super Nintendo, even though many would argue the custom graphic and sound hardware would make the latter the more powerful machine.
These issues grew as gaming hardware became more powerful and complicated. Atari's Jaguar, for example, actually featured the same CPU as Sega's 16-bit megadrive, but Atari argued that it counted as 64 bit machine because of its dual 32-bit graphics processors. Sega quipped, in reply, that if they calculated the Saturn's power the same way as Atari, it would be an 112 bit monster machine.
(You can just about make out "112-bit monster of a machine")
If the mid-90s was already posing difficult questions for the processor bits system, after the mid 90s this system falls apart almost entirely. Even today, the computer you're reading this on in 2019 will most certainly be based around 64-bit architecture. This is for good reason too, as we won't be reaching 64-bit Windows' 192GB theoretical RAM limit anytime soon (although I'm sure we will one day).
Though we dub the era of the Playstation 2, Dreamcast and Game Cube as the '128-bit era', this is more to do with continuing the convention rather than making serious commentary on the capabilities of the machines. Where 8-bit generally referred to the overall capability of the machine, "128-bit" machines could generally only use 128-bit integrate for a few highly-specialised tasks.
Consequently I think we can say that while great for marketeers, the bits system is too arbitrary for us to use as the basis for modern classification. Intriguingly, however, in failure we may have also found the answer to our question. Though different from the other potential schemes we've examined so far, it runs into exactly the same bottleneck: As the 1990s drew to a close, Sega released the Sega Dreamcast.
Definitions: What is Contemporary Gaming?
We can say with certainty that the retro era of video game consoles began in the late 60s and the evidence we've encountered suggests that it drew to a close at sometime around the sixth generation of games consoles – either at its beginning in 1998 or around its close in 2005. With that division in mind we should probably turn our attention to just what divides one era from the other.
When it comes to the common features shared by contemporary consoles, two obvious features that spring to mind are internet connectivity and mass storage, features which combined to have a titanic effect on modern gaming.
Though it's true that both Sega and Nintendo dabbled in satellite/cable delivery with their 4th generation/16-bit machines, before 2005 games software was generally locked to a form of physical media which had to be bought from a shop. Today – thanks to internal hard drives and large capacity SD cards – distribution by physical media is no longer required. Indeed, thanks to gargantuan release-day patches that require downloading before a game can be played, physical media is often something that has more drawbacks than benefits – a fact reflected by 80% of game sales in the UK now being digital.
Though a change in distribution may not seem a huge deal, it has undoubtedly had a knock on effect on the way games are made. While from a user's perspective, digital storefronts built into the operating system of a console simply mean that there's no longer any pressing need for us to purchase our games on a disk, for games developers it opens up the possibility of distributing their games without a formal publisher.
Now, it would be simplistic and disingenuous to suggest that the indie games scene was anything new – people have been writing their own software since the days of the Amiga and ZX Spectrum – but the growth of accessible payment and delivery methods alongside the appearance of cheap and relatively wide-reaching social media-based marketing techniques mean that an aspect of gaming that was relatively hidden has been thrust into the spotlight, becoming a pathway for popular success and a driver for change within the industry as a whole. If you're the kind of gamer who enjoys tinkering with 'crafting' mechanics, we shouldn't forget that these became ubiquitous in contemporary games of both big and small budgets because of the influence of a small independent game called 'Minecraft'.
Game patches in their current form also represent a big break from the past. While it's true patches first started to appear on the pc in the 90s (as any bitter Frontier: First Encounters owner could attest,) back then the scope of a downloadable patch was extremely limited. Interstate '76 Gold, for example, simply added 3d card support to the base Interstate 76 game. Though this meant the patch file weighed in at (a paltry by today's standards) 85mb, that equated to a three hour download on a machine equipped with a 56k modem, adding about £1.80 to your phone bill as well.
PC expansion sets like Lucas Film Games' Their Finest Missions cost about half the price of a full game and added…relatively little, if we're honest.
In the modern era, the reliable presence of both internet connections and mass storage means that huge, multi-gigabyte game updates are commonplace, and have had a titanic influence on the way games are produced. This can often be for the better – contemporary games often receive free content that would have been paid expansions in the 90s – but it can also mean that games are released with known quality control issues and publishers are incentivised to produce more premium content for a successful existing title instead of developing entirely new software.
Sitting alongside patches and downloads, the wide adoption of online gaming on consoles is another element that is largely exclusive to the modern era. Though it's up for debate whether the original Xbox and PS2 count as retro machines (more on that later,) we should remember that both consoles required users to purchase starter kits in order to take these machines online. Though PS2 and Xbox games that included online features weren't exactly uncommon, their cases always had to feature a coloured sash to signify this – a far cry from the current state of play in 2019, where integration with online features is the default.
Today, it seems weird that online features had to be telegraphed on game boxes.
Away from internet-based disruption, however, the main theme of the modern era is stability and a slowing pace of change. Since Nintendo ceded the technological battle ground in 2005 and the Xbox 360 catapulted Microsoft onto level pegging with Sony, no new competitors have made a serious push to enter the hardware space. While the current generation is five years old and still going string, the preceding generation of consoles had an unprecedentedly long life span, with the gap between the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One being almost as large as the gap between the Sega Megadrive and the Dreamcast.
Meanwhile, on the software side, sequels dominated the top 10 best selling games lists for 2015, 2016, and 2017. Strikingly, Grand Theft Auto 5 appears in all three top ten lists and – according to this article over at website Dualshockers – joins the Call of Duty franchise in accounting for 50% of the best-selling games on the Xbox One and PS4.
Indeed, even the rise of something genuinely new appears, it seems to happen in slow motion. As a crop of new Battle Royale games aims to take a bite our of the (now) traditional online shooter market, we should note that PUBG, the original battle royale, is already two years old, and cultural phenomenon Fortnite not far behind that.
Of course, when you consider how the industry has grown over the last 20 years or so, this becomes a lot more understandable. Alongside an exponential growth in the amount of team members required to build the basic assets required for a game, elements that used to be relatively ancillary such as script writing, voice acting and game audio, have become increasingly professionalised and resourced. As gamers, we generally want games designers to be more creative with their output, but I think at times we are too quick to forget that one failed experiment can have a huge impact on the financial viability of a studio.
The modern era is arguably one of contradiction then. We have the most capable set of consoles, but games are often quite conservative in there ambitions. As gamers, the combination of digital distribution with service offerings like gamepass gives us affordable access to more games then ever before, but many of us seem to increasingly rely on a small number of trusted multiplayer games. In an era where interactive storytelling is becoming increasingly developed, competitive multiplayer seems to be taking a bigger and bigger slice of the gaming pie. It's also an era of relatively homogenised game collections, with each title enjoying a brief period of fame on streaming platforms like Twitch before we inevitably move onto the next.
Definitions: What is Retro Gaming?
If our current gaming era is governed by themes surrounding stability and connectivity, the previous period was an era of instability and disconnect. As it stands, we're currently in the fourteenth year of an established global console order. In the period between 1983 and 1992, we saw Atari's reign as the dominant console manufacturer come to an end, the meteoric rise of Nintendo and their eventual usurpation by Sega.
And that's just talking about the US too – not only did Nintendo fail to gain a strong foothold in most European until the Super Nintendo was relatively mature, but the success of NEC/Hudson's PC Engine in Japan meant the shape of their console industry always looked different to those found Europe or the US. Though microcomputers in this period were also a much bigger deal in Europe and Japan than they were in the US, the dominant brands differed not just between Europe and Japan, but even from one European country to the next.
The relative instability of the industry in this period both fuelled, and was fuelled by, rapid technological development. With new generations of consoles appearing roughly every five years, games authors were rapidly presented with new opportunities – whether it was the richer, smoother and better-populated worlds of the 16-bit era, or the fully three dimensional environments made possible by the fifth generation of consoles.
While the Master System (below) struggled with games that used psedo-three dimensional effects, it's successor could generate a more detailed, object-filled world at a much smoother frame rate.
This rapid technological development had a huge effect on the kinds of games that were developed througout the retro era. Though we should note that thematically games haven't changed as much as we would probably think – shooting, racing, sports and adventuring were just as prominent on the Atari VCS and the Fairfield Channel-F as they are today on the PS4 and Xbox – technological advancements meant these themes could be explored using increasingly complicated rule sets and visual perspectives.
As we can see from the example of the Street Fighter series, no sooner had a genre evolved – in this case the one on one fighter – than it could be completely rewritten. Within the space of a generation. The industry moved from games based around a single star character who had a handful of commands to titles that supported huge rosters of characters that boasted large numbers of personalised generic attacks, bespoke special moves and personalised combination commands that required pin-point accuracy when it came to their timing.
As far as the shape of the industry itself, things were different in a couple of directions. For one thing, development was a lot cheaper. Blockbuster Space Combat Sim Wing Commander 3 – a game which included movie sequences that started Mark Hamil and Malcolm McDowell – had a budget of $5 million which was very impressive for its time. However even if we correct this up to $8 million to account for inflation, this is still much smaller than the $20-30 million budgets that became common around a decade later – and in an entirely different league to the $140 million that was recently authorised for the development of Bungie Studio's Destiny.
This relative cheapness when it came to game development was offset by having more limited avenues to market. With games almost always having to be sold as professional-quality releases from a shop shelf, games in the retro era generally required the intervention of a publisher – even when they represented the work of just one or two people.
With that said, the lower financial barrier meant that big publishers could afford to be a bit more experimental. Though it's true that the retro period did see Electronic Arts begin there cynical schedule of yearly sports game updates, the period also saw them take a punt on some outside oddities, such as cult classic scare'em'up 'Haunting' and produce some of the most lovingly sympathetic and attentive ports in videogame history.
Say what you want about EA today, but in their 90s heyday they produced some of the best ports in history (This is Starflight – Megadrive top, original PC bottom)
The retro period, then, is in many ways the opposite of the modern. Where the modern world is characterised by connection (both in terms of online gaming and also release schedules and a shared gamer culture,) the lack of internet and greatly staggered release schedules meant that the retro era was one of disconnect. Where our current period is one of general continuity and gradual change, the retro era was fuelled by uncertainly, experimentation and failure. Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, while many modern games are built around a relatively small number of established genres and styles, the retro era was a comparatively blank slates, with established rule books often being rapidly rewritten as the capabilities of games hardware expanded.
The Troublesome Sixth Generation
With these two rough definitions in mind, it's relatively easy to see why the question of whether the Sixth Generation counts as retro is a contentious one in the worlds of furious Youtube videos and agitated forum debates. By the time the Dreamcast released in 1999, the gaming world was getting smaller. Though the machine released in Japan a year earlier, the English-speaking launches were scattered over a matter of weeks rather than years. In the run up to release, gamers from across the globe could have found out about the new console by searching for information on the likes of Gamespot, IGN and Eurogamer – three websites that simply didn't exist when the previous generation of consoles were unleashed on the world.
On top of that, over the next couple of years those same gamers could have tried out the first competitive online console game – Sega's Chu Chu Rocket – and downloaded extra content for titles like Sonic Adventure 2. There could be no denying, when looking back, that important thresholds had definitively been crossed.
However, though in some ways ahead of its time, there can be no denying that the Dreamcast was very much a product of its time when it came to others. The Dreamcast might have included a modem for online competitive play, but it and the Nintendo GameCube would be the last consoles to include 4 wired controller ports for local competition. Furthermore, The Dreamcast would also be the last console to place ports of successful arcade games – a major factor for successful console launches from the Atari era onward – at the very centre of its commercial strategy. Given that flagship title Shenmue's $70 million sits in the midrange between the $5 million blockbuster budget of the 90s and the $140 million blockbuster of today, we can say that the sixth generation has a firm foot in both camps.
From the better known (18 Wheeler) to the lesser known (Cosmic Smash,) the Dream Cast was home to a LOT of arcade ports
However, if we can return to the subject matter of our intro for a moment, we should see that this is not a bad thing. Despite the protestation of enlightenment thinkers, there is no single indisputible date for the end of the medieval period. If you said the end of the middle ages was decided by the calendar – by the arrival of the year 1500 – a good many people would agree with you. If instead you answered 1492, when European horizons were broadened by the confirmation of the New World's existence, other people would agree with you. Mind you, if you answered 1453 – the fall of the last remnant of anything resembling the Roman Empire – or 1517, with the posting or Luthers 99 theses', more people would agree with you there too. The end of the Middle Ages is a question that has no simple textbook answer.
That's not to say that the answer is entirely open, mind you – you would need a lot of strong evidence to argue that the middle ages finished in the early part of the 15 century or persisted beyond the middle part of the 16th – but it does go to show that a single subject can be comprised of individual components that developed at different rates and need to be treated with sympathy and a degree of mental flexibility. Personally, I don't think it matters too much whether we group the sixth generation in with the modern era or the retro era – providing we readily understand the reasons pushing them in one direction or the other.
Returning to our slightly cynical and click-baity headline then, I stand by the claim that – at 14 years old and on the verge of entering its second generation of obsolescence – the Xbox 360 should not be considered a retro console.
Now that isn't to say that it won't become old and obsolete (as concepts go I suspect both games ownership and physical media will age much quicker than we expect,) it just won't become old in quite the same way. From its wireless controllers through to its internet connectivity and plethora of three dimensional open world titles, I don't think we will ever be in a position to say it's more or less similar to the Super Nintendo or Master System.
I also think that from a historical perspective, it would do us all a power of good to wall off the "retro" period from the modern. One of the problems we have when discussing this subject is that too much of our thinking is based on the computational power of the consoles themselves, and we don't give enough thought to how the power of these machines interconnected with elements like developments in controller hardware and the wider financial pressures on the industry. The Super Nintendo would have been a very different – and later – console had it not been for the arrival of Sega's Megadrive. Street Fighter 2 would have been a less compelling game had it been born into a world where controllers only had two attack buttons.
Indeed, today we're blessed by having instant access to so many resources that tackle individual threads of gaming history (from the history videos uploaded by the likes of Slope's Game room and the Gaming Historian right up to Kenny McAlpine's academic history of Chiptunes,) but you can't tie threads together if they're of infinite length. By acknowledging that the retro era is a fixed rather than expanding universe, I believe we take an important step in fundamentally understanding the development of games history as a whole.
CategoriesBlog Posts, GamesTagsarticle, classification, long read, mastersystem, Megadrive, ps3, snes, Xbox
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Autoimmune encephalitis - The evolving spectrum: An Indian case series
Saiju Jacob
Department of Neurology and Neuroimmunology, University Hospitals Birmingham and University of Birmingham, B15 2TH, United Kingdom
Department of Neurology and Neuroimmunology, University Hospitals Birmingham and University of Birmingham, B15 2TH
Jacob S. Autoimmune encephalitis - The evolving spectrum: An Indian case series. Neurol India 2015;63:647-9
Jacob S. Autoimmune encephalitis - The evolving spectrum: An Indian case series. Neurol India [serial online] 2015 [cited 2020 Jan 22];63:647-9. Available from: http://www.neurologyindia.com/text.asp?2015/63/5/647/166556
Immune-mediated encephalitis (often described as "limbic encephalitis" [LE]) has been described for nearly 50 years, although this was always thought to be paraneoplastic with a progressive course, with minimal recovery. However, with the description of voltage gated potassium channel (VGKC) antibodies in 2001,[1] neurologists have been made aware of a new group of treatment-responsive autoimmune encephalitides (AIE). Subsequently, the targets of these voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies have been found to be the complexing proteins including leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) protein, contactin-associated protein (Caspr2) etc.[2],[3] N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies were initially described as an exclusive paraneoplastic phenomenon in young women with ovarian teratoma,[4] but this is now seen in a much wider population with less frequent evidence of underlying malignancy.[5]
In this edition, 16 patients with AIE with antibodies against neuronal surface antigens are described. This is one of the largest series from India and shows that the phenotype is very similar to that described in the Western literature. NMDAR antibodies tend to be the most common, similar to that described in the California Encephalitis Project (although the California data was derived from a selected group of patients <30 years with otherwise unexplained encephalitis). Patients tend to be younger with prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms, often preceded by fever and headache that might suggest an infection. This is important in two aspects:
Patients may be treated as viral encephalitis without any immunotherapy, with subsequent worse prognosis, and
Over diagnosing and treating for AIE should be avoided without excluding the infectious etiologies, especially in developing countries, where the likely viral (herpes simplex virus [HSV], Enterovirus, measles, Japanese B, dengue, etc.), bacterial, and mycobacterial causes should always be kept in mind. This is especially true with rabies where agitation, involuntary movements and excessive secretions can sometimes be confused with NMDAR encephalitis.
At the same time, physicians should also be aware that certain viral encephalitis like HSV can trigger production of antibodies causing AIE, which would have an unsatisfactory outcome if not treated with immunomodulatory therapy.[6] Also, polymerase chain reaction for HSV can sometimes be false negative within the first 48 h of the infection.
On the other hand, patients with LGI1 (VGKC-complex) antibody mediated encephalitis generally tend to be older, with more sub-acute onset of memory impairment, seizures, and often develop characteristic faciobrachial dystonic seizures. Patients with NMDAR encephalitis seem to have a stormier initial course and require more intensive immunomodulation, but often have a better long-term prognosis than the LGI1 patients who are frequently left with mild cognitive impairment. NMDAR encephalitis patients often get back to their premorbid occupation (frequently requiring high intellectual ability), although most patients with the LGI1 AIE have had to make some adjustments at their workplaces (personal observation, unpublished). It is likely that the delay in start of the immunosuppression, because of the relatively indolent nature of the VGKC-complex (LGI1) antibody-mediated encephalitis, leads to more irreversible damage.
Other antibodies which are less commonly identified include those against α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazo lepropionic acid receptor [AMPAR] (LE with psychiatric features), gamma-amino butyric acid b receptor [GABAbR] (LE with seizures), contactin- associated protein-like 2 [Caspr2] (LE with neuromyotonia or Morvan's syndrome), GABAaR (refractory seizures), metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 [mGluR5] (LE in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, also known as Ophelia syndrome), glycine receptors (stiff person syndrome, progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus), dopamine 2 receptors (basal ganglia encephalitis with movement disorder), dipeptidyl peptidase-like protein 6 [DPPX] (encephalitis preceded by a diarrhoeal illness), and IgLON5 (parasomnia, ataxia, and chorea). It is likely that in all these disorders, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibodies are more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis and are recommended, especially if the initial serum sample is negative.
Controversy exists regarding the entity of Hashimoto's encephalopathy, but it is well recognized that there is often a steroid responsive encephalopathy associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (SREAHT). Even if the thyroid peroxidase antibody is not directly pathogenic, it is likely to be a marker for this highly steroid-sensitive syndrome that is associated with prominent visual hallucinations along with encephalopathy. Hypothermia has been noticed in Hashimoto's and other AIE suggesting hypothalamic involvement[7] (also unpublished personal observation). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been found to be useful in occasional steroid-resistant patients.[8]
Another expanding interest is the role of neuronal surface antibodies in a variety of psychiatric diseases,[9] which is the basis of an on-going research in the UK. However, it is not clear which sub-type of psychotic disorders are more likely to have auto-antibodies, whether the low titers are pathologically relevant (i.e., are they a primary or secondary phenomenon), or whether CSF antibodies are a better marker than the serum ones. Hopefully, this would be clearer in the next few years.
The suggested treatment algorithm in these patients have been published before and essentially involves looking for an underlying tumor (and its removal, if found) followed by either intravenous (IV) steroids, IV immunoglobulin (IG) or plasma exchange, which is often decided based on the severity of the illness. For example, in a patient presenting with refractory status, it might be best to start treatment with plasma exchange (if facilities are available), so that follow-up treatments like IVIG or IV methylprednisolone are less likely to be washed off with subsequent plasma exchange [Figure 1].[9] Second-line treatments include cyclophosphamide and rituximab.[10]
Figure 1: Suggested treatment algorithm for autoimmune encephalitis. Reproduced with permission from Rickards H, Jacob S, Lennox B, Nicholson T. Autoimmune encephalitis: A potentially treatable cause of mental disorder. Adv Psychiatr Treat 2014;20:92-100. (http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/20/2/92)
The current study from a large neuroscience center from South India identifies 16 patients with AIE over a three and a half year period, with neuronal surface antibodies (NMDAR and LGI1) seen in 12. It is reassuring to note that for all patients in whom follow-up data are available, the response to immunomodulation was good. It is entirely possible that patients with less aggressive disease, especially in the older age group (typically like that seen associated with LGI1/VGKC-complex antibodies), are under recognized and hence not referred for a neurology opinion, let alone tested for autoantibodies. With increasing awareness of this expanding field of treatable neurological conditions, it is likely that more patients would be treated leading to better clinical outcomes.
Buckley C, Oger J, Clover L, Tüzün E, Carpenter K, Jackson M, et al. Potassium channel antibodies in two patients with reversible limbic encephalitis. Ann Neurol 2001;50:73-8.
Irani SR, Alexander S, Waters P, Kleopa KA, Pettingill P, Zuliani L, et al. Antibodies to Kv1 potassium channel-complex proteins leucine-rich, glioma inactivated 1 protein and contactin-associated protein-2 in limbic encephalitis, Morvan's syndrome and acquired neuromyotonia. Brain 2010;133:2734-48.
Lai M, Huijbers MG, Lancaster E, Graus F, Bataller L, Balice-Gordon R, et al. Investigation of LGI1 as the antigen in limbic encephalitis previously attributed to potassium channels: A case series. Lancet Neurol 2010;9:776-85.
Dalmau J, Gleichman AJ, Hughes EG, Rossi JE, Peng X, Lai M, et al. Anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis: Case series and analysis of the effects of antibodies. Lancet Neurol 2008;7:1091-8.
Titulaer MJ, McCracken L, Gabilondo I, Armangué T, Glaser C, Iizuka T, et al. Treatment and prognostic factors for long-term outcome in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: An observational cohort study. Lancet Neurol 2013;12:157-65.
Armangue T, Leypoldt F, Dalmau J. Autoimmune encephalitis as differential diagnosis of infectious encephalitis. Curr Opin Neurol 2014;27:361-8.
Jacob S, Irani SR, Rajabally YA, Grubneac A, Walters RJ, Yazaki M, et al. Hypothermia in VGKC antibody-associated limbic encephalitis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2008;79:202-4.
Jacob S, Rajabally YA. Hashimoto's encephalopathy: Steroid resistance and response to intravenous immunoglobulins. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2005;76:455-6.
Rickards H, Jacob S, Lennox B, Nicholson T. Autoimmune encephalitis: A potentially treatable cause of mental disorder. Adv Psychiatr Treat 2014;20:92-100. (http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/20/2/92)
Dalmau J, Lancaster E, Martinez-Hernandez E, Rosenfeld MR, Balice-Gordon R. Clinical experience and laboratory investigations in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Lancet Neurol 2011;10:63-74.
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There are people that just say they are likely to try to eat more healthy, and there are other folks that actually do it. If you would like to be in second team instead of the very first, this is how. It truly is genuinely extremely effortless to increase your day-to-day diet amounts. You will not need to flip your diet regime upside down. The suggestions in this article will support you accomplish results rapidly.
Try and try to eat food items in their all-natural condition anytime attainable. Unprocessed, clean foods are the biggest way to make positive that you get the most vitamins possible.
Appear at the entire nourishment label prior to you try to eat some thing. Just due to the fact a product is labeled as lowered or body fat-cost-free, does not mean they are the very best nutritionally. Ultra-processed foodstuff need to be avoided if you happen to be making an attempt to drop fat. Appear for straightforward, widespread ingredients that are very easily recognized. If many synthetic elements are outlined on the label, it is greatest to pass on the product.
Riboflavin is a critical vitamin in any excellent diet. Our body needs it to release vitality from carbs, protein and unwanted fat utilized in the physique. It is also element of the metabolic process approach. Riboflavin is frequently identified in food items these kinds of as dairy products or grain.
You can enhance your customary foods nutritionally by altering the ingredients. This strategy operates excellent with kids and fussy eaters you can also sneak wholesome content into your possess meals to help you eat wholesome. Illustrations of this technique would be incorporating dry milk powder to baked products and shakes, as nicely as including a 1/two cup of white beans to your cookie, bread or cake recipes. Diet will turn out to be a household affair, but it will not be evident to them.
A lot of individuals do not realize how easily they can incorporate nutrition into their daily daily life. Now that you are done looking through the suggestions laid out below, you may not be that sort of particular person any more. Even the little changes you make can have a fantastic impact on your general health and happiness.


text:
Famine Memorial
Great Famine History
Ireland Park 10th Anniversary
Creating Ireland Park
Engraved Names
Ireland Park Foundation
Chairman's Statement
President of Ireland
Thanks & Acknowledgements
Register Your Visit
Digital Guest Book
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Youtube Linkedin
Below and to the east of the trees stand the five bronze sculptures by Rowan Gillespie. The principal figure of a tall man is depicted with his arms raised in exaltation at the prospect of Toronto before him. Standing beside and to the rear of this figure is a pregnant woman, whose condition speaks to the prospect of new life and new hope in a new land. In contrast to the pregnant woman, another woman is depicted collapsed to the ground in the last moments of life. Further behind these figures stands a young boy, whose clumsily gathered hands suggest his apprehension about his future and whether to go back or to go foreword. Completing the group, closest to the grain silos, stands a male figure 'Pius Mulvey', inspired by Joseph O'Connor's book 'Star of the Sea'.
A Word From the Sculptor Rowan Gillespie
It was always my intention, to compliment my famine sculpture in Dublin, that there should be a sculpture of a group of figures arriving on the other side of the Atlantic. When Toronto was suggested as a possible location, I was particularly interested because my family (on my mother's side) had emigrated in famine times and made their home in Canada, eventually returning to Ireland when my grandfather became a judge in the newly formed Irish Free State. So I had a natural personal interest that this sculpture should be located in Canada. While working on the Famine sculpture for Dublin, of course my mind often turned to considering what would be the fate of this bedraggled group – how many of them would even survive the crossing? I became fascinated by the fact that, in spite of ill health, so many women became pregnant during the long months at sea. This concept of the new life in a new land became the initial inspiration for the Arrival series; a pregnant woman.
On visiting the magnificent site on the Toronto waterfront, with it views of the famous Toronto skyline in one direction and open lake in the other, I visualized the next figure, a survivor, weak and weary after the long journey across the Atlantic, responding to the view of Toronto, arms aloft in a gesture of sublimation, awe and hope. Beside him there would be a child looking in the same direction with wide eyes expressing a combination of fear and defiance.
Possibly the most dominant feature on the site are the huge grain silos which seem to symbolize the abundance of food in Canada, in contrast to the situation in Ireland. So there would be another figure of a man (they were mainly men who made the journey) in humble prayer and gratitude as he looks in almost disbelief at these symbols of plenty.
Seven years have passed since I made the sculpture for Dublin and first visited Toronto. During this time my thoughts and ideas have matured and I feel that this sculpture for Toronto will truly be an evolution and development, responding with sensitivity to the site. I find myself excited to continue with the project.
Rowan Gillespie
www.rowangillespie.com
The sculptor, Rowan Gillespie at the grand opening of Ireland Park.
An early study of the Ireland Park sculptures.
The Famine sculptures in Dublin.
Rowan Gillespie with his Dublin sculptures before their installation
Sculpture Sponsors
Thank you to the organizations and individuals who have graciously sponsored a sculpture.
Hurley Corporation
Dedicates this sculpture to the generations of Ireland's immigrant sons and daughters.
The Orphan Boy
The St. Patrick's Benevolent Society of Toronto
Dedicates this sculpture to the memory of the members and supporters of the Society who gave of themselves in the care of others in need, and to the many whose lives were saved.
Woman On Ground
The Ireland Canada Chamber Of Commerce
Dedicates this sculpture to remind people of the devastation of hunger.
Pius Mulvey
Oliver Murray
Dedicates this sculpture in honour and recognition of the many individuals and organizations who so graciously contributed to the creation of Ireland Park.
The Jubilant Man
The Ireland Fund of Canada
Dedicates this sculpture to the generations of Irish who contribute to the celebration of their heritage in Canada.
Glass Tower Sculpture
The Irish Cultural Society of Toronto
Limestone Sculptural Installation
Ireland Park is a statement of confidence in the ongoing restoration of the quays and the extension of the Waterfront Trail around the edges of Eireann Quay, linking it to the rest of the city. Though access to the park is guided by lighting and signage, designating its relatively isolated location, the park forms a quiet retreat, waiting to be discovered. Ireland Park has taken a lead in the future development of the surrounding area, existing as both destination and 'sacred space,' expressing in a contemporary manner the history of the city.
The design of Ireland Park needed to be in harmony with the powerful emotive energy evident in the sculptures situated in the park, created by Irish artist Rowan Gillespie. The massive, craggy, sculptural rock-face of black Kilkenny limestone was obviously the right material to fill this need. A technical approach was devised to make smaller pieces of stone convey the feeling of massive rock and generate the effect of size, scale, texture and emotional energy. The names of 675 famine migrants, who died in Toronto in 1847, are located in the openings cut into the rock, evocative of the fossils in the stone, where they too can be similarly discovered. The stone material greatly influenced the design; the light-grey sawn faces of the Kilkenny limestone provide an ideal surface for the inscription of the Famine immigrants' names, just as the roughness of the stone simultaneously evokes the battered bow of a ship, as well as the shoreline of the west of Ireland, the departure point for many emigrants in Ireland.
The stone work has set new standards in technical achievement. Without extensive structural engineering, the gravity-defying sculptural qualities of the stone columns could not have been executed. The structure is a combination of reinforced concrete and stone. After dark, the park assumes different moods as the glass cylinder is illuminated and the cuts through the wall are softly up-lit to reveal the inscribed names. Pole-mounted lighting causes the concrete silos to glow, and theatre lighting, mounted in one side of the low bench wall, highlights the gaunt immigrants, casting large shadows on the silo walls.
Author: Jonathan M. Kearns, B.ARCH, OAA, MRAIC, MRIAI, RIBA
Toronto Port Authority
© 2019 Ireland Park. Designed & Developed by ClarkHuot


What do analogies have to do with science?
Well, to answer that we need to look at what learning is. Boiled down to its basic premise, learning is making connections between what we already know and a new experience. Our brains—and the brains of our children—are designed to make sense of new material by wiring and rewiring nerve pathways that encode memory and understanding.
With science it is often assumed that memorizing science facts is equivalent to learning science. But that is simply not true. Merely reading about new concepts is not only boring, but does very little for the neural pathway wiring process. Learning science should be an active process. Doing science is always best, but for those times when doing science is impractical or will have to wait until co-op day, employing active reading strategies will make those new neural pathways happen. This is where analogies can help, since analogies use a familiar concept to help explain a new one.
Using analogies in science is a great way to help kids make those connections between what they already know and the new material they're reading about. It may take a little practice to find analogies you can use with your children, but it will be well worth it. You can find examples of analogies everywhere. The video snippet below shows Shrek using an analogy to describe ogres. And you can find more like this in just about every movie or TV show out there. In fact, scientists use analogies a lot to explain and describe phenomenon that are sometimes hard to understand.
Watch this short clip of a documentary about weaver ants and see how many analogies you can find in the description.
I like to have students write short, illustrated stories using the analogies above as a way to assess their understanding. It's also a great idea to have older children explain the new concepts using their illustrated story analogies to younger siblings. These types of active learning exercises reinforce the encoding of new information into memory.
It is important, though, to point out the places where any analogy breaks down. While analogies help students make connections, dissimilar features of an analogy will cause students to develop the wrong connections. Science learning builds on itself, so having a good foundation without misconceptions will make more advanced learning easier at a later date.


text:
Here's Hunter Biden Computer Repair Receipt...That's How Much It Took to Cause Joe All of This 2020 Heartburn
Matt Vespa
@mvespa1
Source: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Okay, so Hunter Biden is a disgraced screw-up who got rich off his daddy's name and would be a dead broke loser if it weren't for his father. I mean, I guess you could argue that he still a total loser, albeit one with money. Whatever the key fact here is that his laptop has unearthed the dirty deeds. You all know the story here, folks. There's a reason Joe Biden got all huffy when asked about Hunter. One, he knew his son is a screw-up. Second, his son is a screw-up who knows where all the bodies are buried. Not good for someone who is snorting cocaine like it's going out of style. The security of the family secrets was very tenuous, and this "laptop from hell" development is evidence of that. Joe Biden's 2020 ambitions got stained because his son forgot to pay the $85 fee for the repairs. That's the cost of this fiasco engulfing the Biden camp. It took less than $100 and a bad memory for Joe Biden's veneer of a working-class hero from Scranton to be shattered irreparably.
NEW: @MikeEmanuelFox obtains photo showing an alleged Hunter Biden signature on paperwork for the computer repair shop pic.twitter.com/LMBkiXmCer
— Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) October 19, 2020
In these emails, Hunter refers to his father as the "big guy" regarding a massive business pitch to a Chinese energy firm. This reference is made regarding the equity arrangement. At Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company where Hunter sat on the board making $50k/month, the former vice president was introduced to executives at the company. Hunter got this gig in 2014, around the time his father was heading up our policy efforts in Ukraine as well. Wait, Joe said he knew nothing about Hunter's business dealings. He also said there was no wrongdoing because he trusts his son. Yeah, not the best line to use, Joe. Burisma was also being investigated for corruption and its executives were banking on Hunter's connections to protect the company. That happened. Joe Biden fired the prosecutor after threats to withhold aid from the country. It's painfully clear that? Hunter was there to sell access to then-top Obama officials. It doesn't get as unethical and swampy as this, huh?
.@RudyGiuliani tells Newsmax that Hunter Biden had numerous pictures of "underage girls" on the laptop that reportedly belonged to him and that he has turned them over to the Delaware State Police.pic.twitter.com/pu6rNYTlV9
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 21, 2020
Giuliani gives alleged Hunter Biden laptop to New Castle County police https://t.co/IRGFeeWM03
— Journal Sentinel (@journalsentinel) October 21, 2020
Now, we have pictures of underage girls that have been turned over to the Delaware State Police.
Thank God for Hunter and his incompetence. None of this would have come to light. He is the October surprise. He is a massive in-kind contribution to Trump's re-election effort.


text:
Goa CM meets Amit Shah in Delhi, discusses state issues
Panaji, Jan 7 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss issues concerning the state.
A statement issued here by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Sawant met Shah at the latter's official residence in the national capital.
'Various issues related to resumption of mining activities in the state, coal and others were discussed during the meeting,' the CMO said.
The home minister also expressed happiness over the BJP's performance in the Zilla Panchayat elections held last month, wherein the party won 33 seats, it said.
'The home minister assured the chief minister full support from the Centre in the fight against COVID-19, its vaccination drive and other priorities of Goa as the state entered 60th year of its Liberation,' the CMO added in the statement. PTI RPS NP NP


text:
from django.db import models

from nexteria.nextis.models import Student
# Create your models here.

class Platba(models.Model):
    cas = models.DateTimeField()
    suma = models.FloatField()
    poznamka = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    ucet = models.CharField(max_length=50)
    vlastnik = models.ForeignKey('Skolne')

    def __str__(self):
        meno = Student.objects.get(skolne = self.vlastnik)
        return str(self.suma) + 'e, ' + str(meno.clovek)

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = "Platby"

    def get_meno(self):
        return str(Student.objects.get(skolne = self.vlastnik).clovek)

    get_meno.short_description = "Meno"

class Vydavok(models.Model):
    ucel = models.CharField(max_length=50)#mozno v buducnosti class ? teda ze typy vydavkov budu..
    suma = models.FloatField()
    splatnost = models.DateField()
    uhradene = models.FloatField()
    vlastnik = models.ForeignKey('Skolne')

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = "Vydavky"

    def __str__(self):
        meno = Student.objects.get(skolne = self.vlastnik)
        return str(self.suma) + 'e, ' + self.ucel + ' - ' + str(meno.clovek)

    def get_meno(self):
        return str(Student.objects.get(skolne = self.vlastnik).clovek)

    get_meno.short_description = "Meno"

class Skolne(models.Model):
    balance = models.FloatField(default=0)
    variabilny_symbol = models.IntegerField(unique=True)
    #platby = models.ForeignKey(Platba, null=True, blank=True)  # platba a vydavok maju len jedneho cloveka
    #vydavky = models.ForeignKey(Vydavok, null=True, blank=True) # tento vztah je naopak platby a vydavky patria do skolneho..

    def refresh_balance(self):
        vydavky = Platba.objects.filter(vlastnik=self)
        platby = Vydavok.objects.filter(vlastnik=self)
        balance = 0
        for v in vydavky:
            balance -= v.suma
        for p in platby:
            balance += p.suma
        self.balance = balance

    def __str__(self):
        self.refresh_balance()
        try:
            meno = Student.objects.get(skolne = self)
            return 'Stav: ' + str(self.balance) + ' (VS ' + str(self.variabilny_symbol) + ', ' + str(meno.clovek)+ ' )'
        except:
            return 'Student zatial nie je, ' + 'Stav: ' + str(self.balance) + ' (VS ' + str(self.variabilny_symbol)+ ')'

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = "Skolne"

class ParsedEmail(models.Model):
    nazov = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    text = models.TextField()
    datum = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    priradene = models.BooleanField()

    def __str__(self):
        return self.nazov + ' - ' + str(self.datum)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Java Casting at run time We have a common API to get the payload(consider JSON) along with client ID from different clients.
How can I convert the payload to appropriate POJO using client ID.
Rough Idea is to deserialise the payload as java object and based on the clientId, convert the JAVA object to respective POJO.
I have a ENUM class in place for the config which looks something as follows.
public enum SourceEnum {
    ClientId1(A.class);
    ClientId2(B.class);

    Class clazz;
    SourceEnum(Class clazz) {
        this.clazz = clazz;
    }

    public Class getClazz(){
        return this.clazz;
    }
}

We can use SourceEnum.valueOf(clientId).getClazz() to get the Class.
How can I use this information to convert the java Object to respective class object?
And is this the correct way of solving this problem? Want to try out if there are any better ways of solving this

A: If you want to convert the given json into java object, try using Gson by google.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
beck-shop.de: Content Commerce Made-to-Measure with Microservices
This is how to e-commerce today: with Umbraco and commercetools as a strong basis in the backend and the JavaScript framework Vue.js in the frontend, byte5 implemented an intelligent Azure solution, beck-shop.de.
beck-shop.de
With 250 years of experience in juridical literature, the Munich-based publisher Verlag C.H.Beck is one of the most renowned publishing houses in Germany. An important part of this success is the online specialist bookstore beck-shop.de, which sells over 12 million books and media titles. The extensive range of specialist books in the disciplines of law, economics and taxes is particularly popular.
© Verlag C.H.Beck
As beck-shop.de offers so many products, it needed a more modern architecture and a stronger content management system. Umbraco was chosen as the CMS given its flexible application options and its open source ASP.NET structure. It quickly became clear who was to implement the project: Germany's first Umbraco Gold Partner byte5. The team integrated commercetools into Umbraco to scale the e-commerce platform. byte5 used Microsoft Azure for an intelligent cloud infrastructure. The demanding requirements for the frontend were solved with Vue.js, a web framework based on JavaScript. Though time-pressured, byte5 created a new, dynamic system for beck-shop.de which the client is impressed with.
The Highlights
modern content commerce due to the intelligent ensemble that is Umbraco and commercetools
an individual and intelligent solution answering to all complex project requirements
consequently, efficient and cost-saving work for the client
high-performance cloud solution with stable infrastructure thanks to the implementation on Azure
realisation of the project under high time pressure in partially agile processes
The outdated, monolithic infrastructure was to give way to modern architecture. byte5 was faced with the complex task of implementing the complete restructuring of the web shop in an API-based environment. The focus was on content commerce: a model that combines e-commerce with content marketing. To realise this, the backend and frontend were to be separated from each other. byte5 as an experienced commercetools partner planned to integrate the toolset into Umbraco. In addition, all existing functions in the after-sales area were supposed to be kept. The high demands for user experience and the complex logic in the check-out area were the greatest challenges for the byte5 developing team.
byte5 was primarily responsible for the implementation of the store front end. The designs were supplied externally and implemented by byte5. Using components of the Vue.js framework, a shop interface was created that is intuitive to use for the user and that at the same time offers extensive product information – content commerce at its best. The use of the Microsoft Cloud Azure also guarantees an extremely high performance of the web shop. With the help of Azure DevOps, continuous process optimisation was also ensured.
Umbraco was used as a system that is slim and powerful due to its high adaptability. Thanks to its flexibility, commercetools was seamlessly integrated into Umbraco. One of commercetools' many advantages is its scalability, with which every individual request could be implemented. The microservices infrastructure provide order in the complex infrastructure. Umbraco and commercetools as a duo was so strong in the beck-shop.de project, as both systems offer simple answers to demanding problems. The partially agile approach made it possible to identify and solve hurdles at an early stage.
Thanks to content commerce, the new version of beck-shop.de offers visitors a comprehensive shopping experience. It was realised with design, which appeals to the traditional audience of the juridical literature publisher and takes their needs into account all the while being also extremely performant. The publishing house C.H.Beck benefitted from byte5's competences as an Microsoft Silver Partner and commercetools partner. Thanks to byte5's expertise in e-commerce with Umbraco, the team designed and implemented an individual, stable and made-to-measure solution for the very special processes and data models of C.H.Beck. As a control system that requests and delivers content from commercetools, Umbraco is the driving force in the web shop's backend. Due to the flexibility, the adjustments the C.H.Beck team can make on their own have now significantly increased.
The byte5 solution not only makes our work considerably faster, but also cheaper in terms of external costs. Content management is now much more efficient.
Franz Keim, Team Leader: Online Marketing, E-Commerce with Verlag C.H.Beck
For this project, C.H.Beck relied on byte5 and its in-depth understanding of the technological requirements. With the variety of functions commercetools offers and Umbraco's flexibility, byte5 created a successful, high-performing beck-shop.de. C.H.Beck was extremely satisfied with the result. byte5 will continue to operate and optimise this website and will stay in charge of the hosting on Azure. Collaboration continues in new projects.
Our passion: creating high-performance content commerce
Do you need help with your content commerce project? From initial consultation to technical implementation: we are there for you.
More Case Stories
Umbraco Turns Over a New Leaf
Verlag C.H.Beck
Two birds with one stone: In this project, a new website for C.H.Beck was created, which is based on the .NET CMS Umbraco.
Cloud-based high performance
LEW Lechwerke: Website Relaunch
byte5 realised the conceptual and technical re-development of the corporate website. Umbraco and React were used on the technical side, agile methodologies and Scrum on the organisational side.
Chris Köhler
COO & Management
Chris is the first point of contact for our clients and those who want to become one. He is a computer scientist and has over twenty years of experience in the web business. With Chris, you don't waste time on a sales pitch, but receive sound advice immediately.


Entertainment Charleston provided our rehearsal dinner music, ceremony musicians and DJ Jake B at our reception. We couldn't have asked for more variety and talent! The jazz trio was incredible, and our guests couldn't stop talking about the pop strings at the ceremony. DJ Jake personalized our reception and even took requests.. Incredibly professional team – Use them!!
Like Entertainment Charleston on Facebook!
Entertainment Charleston © 2019. All Rights Reserved.


This CareSpot is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Orlando on the corner of South Orange Avenue and East Page Street. With an on-site clinician and a dedicated team of 4 to 6 medical professionals, the South Orange CareSpot offers convenient and affordable health services in a comfortable environment.
Upon arrival, look for this center across the street from the SoDo Shopping Plaza and near Target. For your convenience, parking is available in the rear of the center. The lobby includes TVs, magazines and a kids' area, making your visit a comfortable one.
This location offers convenient access to the nearby communities of Catlina, Holden Heights, Lake Terrace and Edgewood.
Your provider of urgent care, occupational health and wellness services in Orlando, FL for residents of the Catlina, Holden Heights, Lake Terrace and Edgewood areas.
Not feeling well? Walk in, make an appointment online or by calling the center and CareSpot can give you relief from illness or injury. We offer same-day visits with extended hours and accept most major insurance plans. We can also fill prescriptions, perform lab tests and take digital X-rays on-site.
If it's been awhile since you had your last check-up, a preventive health check can give you peace of mind, a better perspective on your overall health and help you pinpoint any potential health issues early before they become more costly to treat. CareSpot offers these check-ups, routine physicals, vaccinations and flu shots, preparing you and your children for work, sports, school and travel.
CareSpot offers comprehensive solutions for employers to maximize employee health and productivity. To accommodate your busy workday, our online registration system gives you and your employees easy scheduling options, treatment authorization, results reporting and streamlined billing. As an in-network provider for most workers' compensation insurance plans, we offer health exams, lab services and X-rays during extended, after-work hours. This center also provides physicals, drug and alcohol screenings, and vaccinations, helping you maintain a safe, healthy workforce.


In the wake of Princess Diana's death, the very private and tradition-bound Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) and the royal family remain stoic behind castle walls. As a heartbroken public becomes disillusioned with the queen's absence, Britain's new and increasingly popular prime minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen), battles to convince the monarchy that its desire for privacy could lead to its downfall. Mirren's performance earned her the Oscar for best actress.
• Read an interview with director Stephen Frears.
• Watch an interview with Helen Mirren.


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Q: Lipschitz condition $y = x \cdot 3^x$ I have to check if there exists a constant value $L$ for $f(x)=x \cdot 3^x$ that $f$ satisfies Lipschitz's condition on $[-5,3]$.
So, to start with, I know that Lipschitz's condition states that $\exists L: \frac{|f(x_1) - f(x_2)|}{|x_1 - x_2|}\leq L$ on $(x_1, x_2) \in (a,b)$, so baciscally the slope of $f$ inside $(a,b)$ is finite. But how can I check that? I mean is it enough to show that $f$ is continuous inside $[-5,3]$ and takes only finite values?

A: $f$ is continuously differentiable on the closed bounded interval $[-5,3]$. Let $x,y \in (-5,3)$ & $x<y$ (WLOG). By MVT for $f$ on $[x,y]$, there exists $c \in (x,y)$ such that $$\dfrac{f(y)-f(x)}{y-x} = f'(c).$$
Since $f$ is differentiable on $(-5,3)$, $f'(x)= 3^x(x ln(3)+1)$. $f'$ is an increasing function on $[-5,3]$ (check it!). Hence,  $f'|_{max}$ occurs at $x=3$. So, $f'(3) \geq |f'(x)|$ for all $x \in [-5,3]$. Then, $$|f(x)-f(y)| = |f'(c)||x-y|
\leq f'(3)|x-y|$$.
From the equation for $f'$, you can calculate $f'(3)$, which is the required constant for Lipschitz condition.


3D Issue Introduces the First HTML5 Solution of its Kind!
3D Issue has officially launched 3D Issue version 8. This latest version has some major advancements, in fact it's the first solution like it available to marketers and publishers!
Launched today, Version 8 introduces a totally "Flash Free" digital publishing solution. This solution is the only tool on the market that offers the same, rich digital magazine experience in HTML5 that readers have come to expect in flash.
As you have most likely heard, Flash has a lot of security problems, so much so that big companies like Google and Apple are already moving towards a Flash free environment. In fact, Adobe themselves, the company behind Flash has recommended to stop using it.
"3D Issue has been providing digital publishing solutions for over ten years, and this release sees a huge change at the heart of the software" says Paul McNulty, Managing Director.
Check out this pure html5 sample.
· The text in the publications remains sharp and not pixelated, no matter how far in the reader zooms in.
It's an exciting time and saying goodbye to Flash marks a significant leap forward, The new version is available to download free for 14 days, check it out here.


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Vodafone shifts innovation hub from California to UK
Written by James Middleton
Vodafone Group is moving its global innovation centre from Silicon Valley to London, as it seeks to benefit from a wealth of technology skills and talent in the UK and Europe.
Bringing its team of highly-skilled engineers, technical architects and designers back to the motherland, Vodafone will establish a hub in London responsible for its global product and services innovation and development activity, bringing it closer to its customers in Europe, Africa and India.
The Vodafone xone hub will be responsible for the global development and incubation of new and emerging technologies, including the building and testing of device prototypes; the development of new apps and services; and the acceleration of latest technologies to commercialisation.
Pratapa Bernard has been appointed as the new head of Vodafone xone reporting to Stefano Parisse, Vodafone's consumer services director. Bernard formerly led Vodafone's consumer services business in emerging markets and succeeds Fay Arjomandi who has decided to leave Vodafone to pursue other opportunities.
Stefano Parisse, said: "Establishing a new hub for Vodafone xone in London will bring our product development team closer to the customers it serves. It will allow us to draw on a vast pool of technology talent in the UK and Europe and simplify our development process, enabling us to get the very latest technology into the hands of our customers as quickly as possible."
Vodafone Ventures, Vodafone's capital investment arm, will maintain its headquarters in California and will continue to work with early-stage start-ups in the US. Vodafone Global Enterprise, which serves an increasing number of businesses throughout the US, will also maintain its presence in Silicon Valley.
The Broadband World Forum is taking place on the 21st – 23rd October 2014 at the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Amsterdam. Click here to download a brochure for the event.
Tags: innovation, R&D
Walking the fine line between innovation and accountability
Samsung is already planning for 6G leadership - report
Silicon Valley's grip on innovation is loosening - KPMG
Innovations from the left field of Mobile World Congress 2019
5G Asia


Chaos League is an odd mix of strategy and football set in a fantasy universe. The objective is simple – you need to get the ball in your opponent's endzone. The method, however, will involve using your team members to inflict quite a bit of pain and suffering on the opposition. It's blood football on paper, but in practice what you get is a free-for-all deathmatch.
When you get into a game itself you'll soon discover that it's not just the sport and the violence that comes from the lack of rules that sets this apart from all the other sports titles, but the way the game is played. Conventional sports games use a third-person perspective, as you do here, but in those games you control the action by navigating each player, and taking actions such as shoot or tackle using the appropriate key.
Chaos League allows you to play as if the game was a real-time strategy title; controlling the action from afar, taking control of all players, and choosing what they should be by clicking on them and then on something like the ball or an opponent. There is also the presence of RPG elements in the game; you need to bring together a team whose players each have special abilities, and this provides the game with a greater depth that is not realized by simply taking part in a short match; it's something makes you become a part of the game, and keeps you playing at the same time.
A neat option allows you to play the game in turn-based mode to give the thing a more strategic edge, with set times in which you can make your move. As in the Might and Magic games, you can quickly shift between real-time and turn-based modes with the press of a button. This means you can both take as long as you like (ultimately making the game easier) or you can just keep playing until you really need to slow things down.


It has been held by the Hon'ble Supreme Court that this matter would be decided on issue of title suit. However what is the point of time of the title? From Treta yug when Ram was born, from Setyog , from Dwaparyug or from 1850 when first civil suit was filed, or from 1947 when India became Independent or from 22 January 1950 when Civil Suit No. 2 was filed before the Court at Faizabad. It's all in the womb of future.
Ironically Apex Court said that Ram Mandir Case does not come in its priority where how to get pleasure and serve the pleasure by un natural way, gay rights , 377, nailed adultery law etc.. cases are in the priority cases in the eyes of Supreme Court.
Assistance of Scotland and the Investigating Agency had been sought in order to examine 30 years old Papers of the then Chief Justice of India in the Year 2001 and the Judges of the Supreme Court would not point out as to when and where was Ram appeared 12 lakh years ago. There can be no bigger example of "Andher Nagari, Chaupat Raja".


Easy mix dry flake paste suitable for all normal wallpapers; vinyls; blown vinyls; embossed papers and polystyrene tiles. Contains 3x12 Pint Sachets (Enough for 30 Rolls).
Easy Paste is high quality, technically advanced ready mixed water-borne wallpaper adhesive that you can use straight from the tub. Spreads easily; slides well for easy pattern matching; and doesn't 'split' over time. Suitable for all standard papers up to 2000 grade, embossed, vinyl's and blown vinyl's. 2.5, 4.5 and 10kg tubs.
Highly elastic sealant and high strength adhesive recommended for fixing and jointing our full range of ceiling roses and coving. Costs more but is highly resistant to cracking. Over paintable with waterborne coatings. 290ml White.


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DYSLEXIC WRITER: Lisa Wood Shapiro
by Dyslexic Advantage Team | | Being Dyslexic, dyslexia, Famous People with Dyslexia, Writing | 0 comments
"I'M GOING TO tell you a secret. It's something almost no one in my professional life knows. I'm dyslexic."
Lisa Wood Shapiro is a prolific writer and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who opened her article in Wired with her dyslexia 'confession'!
"Given that knowledge, my chosen career—writer—might seem odd. But while I was cursed with poor spelling skills, I've always been drawn to storytelling. The career-planning report that accompanied the aptitude test I took at 13 even tried to dissuade me from a "literary" career, but even back then I had enough bravado to overrule that piece of computer-generated advice."
Fortunately for us, Lisa ignored those suggestions that she forego a literary career. See how beautifully she writes about learning how to read:
"WHEN I WAS really little, I tried to see words—the actual orthography—as pictures. For the word "dog," I would think: There's a circle then a line, then a circle, then a circle with a hook. Knowing the specific letters and decoding them wasn't part of my process. Thinking in pictures was how reading worked, I thought."
Although her dyslexia was identified early, the additional teaching she received didn't include Orton-Gillingham intervention; instead she learned to read using a projector that showed only a few words at a time.
Eventually reading clicked and she talked her way into honors classes in the 6th grade (self-advocacy!). She never left.
Lisa would go on to graduate from NYU's film school, then become a producer for WNET Public Media in New York. She moved on to found her own film production company and produced films for the Sundance Channel, WGBH, Nickelodeon, and Oxygen.
As a young mother, she wrote a humorous memoir about motherhood ( it's called Hot Mess Mom and she's now a mom of 3!), and is writing for such diverse magazines as Wired, Outside Magazine, Vogue, and Real Simple.
Enjoy an excerpt of my interview with Lisa:
https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/lisa-wood-final.mp3
Lisa's website: LisaWoodShapiro.com
Follow Lisa; Twitter @LisaWShapiro
Instagram @LisaWoodShapiro
Understanding Your Dyslexic Advantages Have Implications for Action and Leadership
Test Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia Under the ADA - DOJ Statement
Creative, Successful, Dyslexic and Dyslexia Is My Superpower Author Margaret Rooke
The Darkest Hour: A Dyslexic Tour De Force
The Belief of Fathers
How to Avoid Delays in Identifying and Helping Students With Dyslexia Due to COVID-19
Women in STEM: Kim Mann
Being Dyslexic - Actor John De Lancie


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Just say no to the TPP: A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?"
Carles Muntaner, Deb Finn Mahabir
The article by Labonté, Schram, and Ruckert is a significant and timely analysis of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) policy and the severe threats to public health that it implies for 12 Pacific Rim populations from the Americas and Asia (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam). With careful and analytic precision the authors convincingly unearth many aspects of this piece of legislation that undermine the public health achievements of most countries involved in the TTP. Our comments complement their policy analysis with the aim of providing a positive heuristic tool to assist in the understanding of the TPP, and other upcoming treaties like the even more encompassing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and in so doing motivate the public health community to oppose the implementation of the relevant provisions of the agreements. The aims of this commentary on the study of Labonté et al are to show that an understanding of the health effects of the TPP is incomplete without a political analysis of policy formation, and that realist methods can be useful to uncover the mechanisms underlying TPP's political and policy processes.
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.145
Scientific realism
Social mechanisms
Muntaner, C., & Mahabir, D. F. (2017). Just say no to the TPP: A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?". International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 6(7), 419-421. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.145
Just say no to the TPP : A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?". / Muntaner, Carles; Mahabir, Deb Finn.
In: International Journal of Health Policy and Management, Vol. 6, No. 7, 01.07.2017, p. 419-421.
Muntaner, C & Mahabir, DF 2017, 'Just say no to the TPP: A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?"', International Journal of Health Policy and Management, vol. 6, no. 7, pp. 419-421. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.145
Muntaner C, Mahabir DF. Just say no to the TPP: A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?". International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 2017 Jul 1;6(7):419-421. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2016.145
Muntaner, Carles ; Mahabir, Deb Finn. / Just say no to the TPP : A democratic setback for american and asian public health: Comment on "the trans-pacific partnership: Is it everything we feared for health?". In: International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 2017 ; Vol. 6, No. 7. pp. 419-421.
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