You don't always have the time to spend with your family given how busy you are at work. Your kids might also have a lot to do at school. You don't need to wait until the holiday season though before you can do something fun with the family. If there is a long weekend coming up, you can think of activities that are fun and exciting.
If you want a dish that you can't cook because it takes time to prepare, now is the time for you to do it. You can cook with your kids, so they can help expedite the process. You can use this chance to teach them how to prepare the ingredients and use cooking equipment.
A movie marathon is one of the most exciting activities you can do with your kids. You can take turns selecting the movies you want to watch. For a 3-day weekend, you can have as many as ten movies per day.
You can also try fun card games and board games. You might have some in your cabinet, but you are not using them since you don't have enough time. Now that you have time to play whatever games you want, you can finally take those board games out. You can choose educational games too so that even during the holiday, your kids can continue learning.
You can find a different environment where you can do whatever you want, even for two nights. You can check out big houses for rent that are within your budget. The good thing about renting such a house is that you can use facilities you don't have at home. The house might have a swimming pool, entertainment room and a music room. You can have fun using these facilities that you don't own.
You might be too busy to head to a local store to buy stuff. You end up buying online whatever you need. It is now your chance to go back to traditional shopping with your family. You can purchase gifts for Christmas or choose the things you want for yourself. You know what you need, but you don't have time to visit a local store to try it on and purchase it. Your kids would love going shopping with you too.
You need sleep, especially if you are very busy with work. It is your chance to catch up. You can cancel all your schedule of activities. You might also push them back later into the day if you still want to do something with your kids. Once your regular schedule comes back, you have no choice but to have a few hours of sleep again.
The long weekend is precious. Make the most of this chance since you don't get it often. It is okay even if you spend money to have fun with your kids and have time to relax.


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text:
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu speaks Jan. 14, 2020, at an event in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Twitter / Gov. Chris Sununu
Sununu remains popular with New Hampshire voters even as Legislature flips back and forth between parties
By Christian Wade | The Center Square
Christian Wade
The Center Square Contributor
(The Center Square) – When Chris Sununu took over the governor's office more than three years ago, he came to the job with built-in name recognition, as a member of one of New Hampshire's most storied political dynasties.
But longtime political observers say Sununu, 46, who handily won a third-term in the Nov. 3 election, has expanded on his family legacy and become one of – if not the most – popular Republicans in a state that's tilting increasingly blue.
"As a candidate, he is a very likable guy, and that goes a long way in this state," says Andy Smith, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire and director of the university's survey center. "As a governor, he's been a typical New England Republican, pro-business and low-tax, certainly not a social conservative."
In Tuesday's presidential election, New Hampshire voters delivered a decisive win to Democrat Joe Biden and sent three incumbent Democratic lawmakers back to Congress, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who won a third term.
But Granite State voters also sent Sununu back to the governor's office with more than 65% of the vote, according to preliminary results, and elected Republican majorities in the state House of Representatives, Senate and Executive Council. The Newfields Republican, who outperformed Republican President Donald Trump among the state's GOP voters, has seen his margin of victory increase with every election.
Longtime observers say that's an indication he has expanded support among the state's majority undeclared or "independent" voters, as well as Democrats.
"He is the most popular Republican in New Hampshire, bar none," said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. "Sununu has been very adept making sure that he remains within the mainstream of his party while appealing to people outside of his party. And that's no mean trick."
Earlier this year, Sununu was ranked as the nation's 5th most popular governor in a Morning Consult poll, which lists governors by home-state approval ratings. Sununu's approval rating was more than 68%.
But observers say Sununu's handling of the coronavirus outbreak has put his popularity on par with former Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat whose management of devastating floods in 2012 made him one of the state's most popular governors.
"When you're faced with a crisis, you've got the opportunity to improve things people give you credit for that," Smith, of UNH, said. "Sununu's job favorability rating on handling of the pandemic is very high, even among Democrats."
Sununu was the youngest governor in the country when he took office in 2017. His lineage hails from one of the state's most storied political families.
His mother, Nancy Sununu, served as the New Hampshire GOP Party chairwoman during the rancorous 1980 presidential primary. His father, John H. Sununu, served as governor and later as the chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush. His older brother, John E. Sununu, represented the state in Congress from 1997 to 2009 first as a member of the U.S. House, and later the Senate.
Scala said the state's Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to tie Sununu to Trump's divisive rhetoric and policies, but said it "hasn't worked very well."
Sununu has clashed with the state's Democratic controlled Legislature over proposals such as the controversial "right-to-work" law, school choice, taxes and gun control. But he has also won praise from top Democrats for his handling of the state's pandemic and other bipartisan intitiviates.
There are no term limits for New Hampshire governors. Political observers say Sununu's current popularity could ensure him a long tenure in the governor's office, but most doubt he'll stick around any longer than four terms.
To be sure, the pay is low, you have to run for reelection every two years, and the clout of the office is blunted by the powerful Executive Council. Lynch, the state's longest serving governor, walked away from the job after only eight years.
"There certainly will be pressure on Sununu to consider higher office, but he really seems to enjoy being governor," Scala said. "And these days being a senator isn't as appealing as it once was, given the chaotic situation in Washington D.C.."
Chris Sununu
Follow Christian Wade
Op-Ed: President-elect Biden must steer clear of the WHO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Reconstructing Judaism
Judith Rosenbaum
Judith Rosenbaum, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive, a pioneering national organization that documents Jewish women's stories, elevates their voices, and inspires them to be agents of change.
An educator, historian, and writer, Judith served for nearly a decade as JWA's Director of Public History and Director of Education, developing its major programs and educational initiatives.
Judith earned a BA in History from Yale University and a PhD in American Studies from Brown University. She won a Fulbright Fellowship to study women's collective communities in Israel, and received a dissertation grant from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study to pursue research on the women's health movement. Judith has taught and lectured widely on Jewish studies and women's studies at institutions including Brown University, Boston University, Hebrew College, and Gann Academy. She also serves on the faculty of the Bronfman Youth Fellowships.
Judith Rosenbaum regularly publishes in both academic and popular journals and blogs including Tablet, The Forward, the Huffington Post, the Jewish Week, Tikkun, Sh'ma, PresenTense, Reform Judaism magazine, MyJewishLearning, Kveller.com, and Role/Reboot, as well as in several anthologies, including Gender and Jewish History, The Women of Katrina, Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice, and The Women's Passover Companion: Women's Reflections on the Festival of Freedom.
Judith Rosenbaum has been a guest on 1 episode.
Episode 9: Purim and #metoo
February 26th, 2018 | Season 1 | 23 mins 12 secs
The Book of Esther contains striking examples of women speaking out against oppression in ways that both empower and imperil them. Are there parallels to the #metoo movement? Join Judith Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive, in a wide-ranging discussion with Rabbi Deborah Waxman on resilient responses to trying times.
Hashivenu is © 2021 by Reconstructing Judaism


text:
'use strict';

var test    = require('utest');
var assert  = require('assert');
var sinon   = require('sinon');

var licy    = require('licy');
var limo    = require('../lib/limo');

var a       = require('./fixture/a');
var b       = require('./fixture/b');
var c       = require('./fixture/c');

test('file', {

  after: function () {
    licy.removeAllListeners();
  },

  'should install fixtures as plugins': sinon.test(function () {
    this.stub(licy, 'plugin');

    limo('test/fixture/index.json');

    sinon.assert.calledThrice(licy.plugin);
    sinon.assert.calledWith(licy.plugin, 'fixture.a', a);
    sinon.assert.calledWith(licy.plugin, 'fixture.b', b);
    sinon.assert.calledWith(licy.plugin, 'fixture.c',
      ['fixture.a', 'fixture.b'], c);
  }),

  'should throw if path cannot be found': function () {
    try {
      limo('test/fixture/unknown');
      assert.fail('Exception expected');
    } catch (e) {
      assert.equal(e.name, 'Error');
      assert(/^ENOENT, no such file or directory/.test(e.message));
      assert(/unknown'$/.test(e.message));
    }
  },

  'should throw if config is array': sinon.test(function () {
    var fs = require('fs');
    this.stub(fs, 'readFileSync').returns('[]');

    try {
      limo('some/config');
      assert.fail('Exception expected');
    } catch (e) {
      assert.equal(e.name, 'TypeError');
      assert.equal(e.message,
        'Config \'some/config\' is array. Must be object.');
    }
  }),

  'should return licy': function () {
    var result = limo('test/fixture/index.json');

    assert.strictEqual(result, licy);
  }

});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Decks The Best Free Outdoor Deck Plans and Designs - The Spruce Mar 6, 2017 . The free deck plans we've assembled will hopefully serve as a . An above-ground pool deck, similar to the one you can build from the PM plans. apsp . The plan is for a generous-sized 10 x 18-foot wraparound sun deck.
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Above ground pool deck plans, design ideas and useful tips - Deavita Mar 27, 2015 . We have collected some great ideas to help those of you who have above ground pool deck plans as the deck is of significant importance.
How to Build a Deck around a Pool - YouTube Aug 25, 2012 . This is a very detailed video on how to build a deck around a pool. . If you want the best woodworking plans on the internet then go here:.


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text:
Axinite is a brown to violet-brown, or reddish-brown bladed group of minerals composed of calcium aluminium boro-silicate, . Axinite is pyroelectric and piezoelectric.

The axinite group includes:
Axinite-(Fe) or ferroaxinite, Ca2Fe2+Al2BOSi4O15(OH) iron rich, clove-brown, brown, plum-blue, pearl-gray
Axinite-(Mg) or magnesioaxinite, Ca2MgAl2BOSi4O15(OH) magnesium rich, pale blue to pale violet; light brown to light pink
Axinite-(Mn) or manganaxinite, Ca2Mn2+Al2BOSi4O15(OH) manganese rich, honey-yellow, clove-brown, brown to blue
Tinzenite, (CaFe2+Mn2+)3Al2BOSi4O15(OH) iron – manganese intermediate, yellow, brownish yellow-green

Axinite is sometimes used as a gemstone.

Gallery

References

Calcium minerals
Iron(II) minerals
Manganese(II) minerals
Aluminium minerals
Sorosilicates
Triclinic minerals
Luminescent minerals
Gemstones
Minerals in space group 2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
PSG Reportedly Open Talks With Paul Pogba's Representatives Over a Potential Transfer
By Arjun Singh Devgan
Paul Pogba has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain / BSR Agency/Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly held talks with Paul Pogba's representatives in order to gauge the situation and see whether they can sign the Frenchman from Manchester United in a potential transfer over the summer.
Pogba has only 12 months left on his current deal with the Red Devils, and Athletic claim that the midfielders representatives have held talks with the Ligue 1 management, considering that a report earlier had claimed that the 28-year-old had turned down a long-term £50million contract offer from United.
The footballing star who was one of the lone bright sparks for France during their disappointing Euro 2020 campaign, had opened up on his situation at Old Trafford, revealing, "I have one year left on my contract, everyone knows that. There have been no concrete proposals for extensions. I'm still in Manchester."
It doesn't matter if it's rain or sweat... ?? ??? ???? ?? ??! ?? pic.twitter.com/HzzECIm13i
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) July 28, 2021
United for their part have already been linked with replacements for the Frenchman, with the names of West Ham United star Declan Rice, Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez and Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, being put forward with a move to Old Trafford.
Pogba has had a mixed time at Old Trafford ever since he returned back to United for a then world-record fee of 89m in 2016, making 199 appearances so far, scoring 38 goals and helping the club win the 2017 Europa League.


text:
Brothers Bear
1.) Yooka-Laylee: The Banjo-Kazooie sequel I always wanted. Amazing cast of characters, really fun worlds full of treasures to find, amazing music and humour from pretty much the same team from 1998 - Just fun from start to finish and one of the few 'collectathon' type games I've ever 100% completed. I left my job very suddenly the day after this came out, and I also lost my dog (coincidentally called Banjo) on the same day, so for a good few weeks I literally LIVED in this game, so while it was great, I also have rose tinted glasses at the escapism it offered me.
2.) Mario Odyssey: I have a lot of problems with this game but they mostly come after the main game itself. I keep reminding myself how fantastic it was at the start going from world to world and that explosive ending and then think "yeah this was a great game". It's the post-game that kinda put me off, just full of pointless moons to collect - Weird I know, considering I loved exploring and collecting stuff in Yooka.
3.) Super Lucky's Tale: Like a fusion of Crash and Mario 3D World, this cute platformer came out of nowhere and really took me by surprise. Really cute characters, fun settings and classic 3D platforming, I loved it from start to finish (though the last boss annoyed me)
4.) Paper Mario Color Splash: Really fun and original game, not like Thousand Year Door but enjoyable in its own right, with the kind of music and humour you WOULD expect from TTYD and graphics that are probably the best I've seen in any title - If you want an argument for art style, this one wins it. I loved collecting the realistic items and using them in battle and the gamepad use was really good. I felt kinda sad the whole time I was playing it though as it was an end of an era for Wii U and also the fact that pretty much no one had given this game a chance.
5) Snake Pass: Fantastic puzzle game with beautiful music by David Wise, really engrossing and each level ramps up the difficulty without somehow becoming too frustrating despite having to replay areas over and over and over. Though I didn't get all the coins in the end because honestly, I think it's impossible
6.) Crash Bandicoot Trilogy: I've only played the original on this but had a great time doing so. I never owned the original Crash so it was fun to finally play it properly after all these years. I slogged and got every single gem but I'm currently stuck trying to get all of the time trials done, hence why I haven't properly played 2 and 3 yet.
7.) Parappa the Rapper: You Gotta do what? I gotta believe! - Fantastic from start to finish (though granted that time frame is about 40 mins lol) with surprising amount of Replay value and considerably better than its sequel.
As I only got my Xbox One this year, there's a bunch of games that I'd have loved to put in my list that I couldn't, as they're from 2015 and 2016 - The same applies to PSN games, I've played so many really fun and interesting titles that I just got on a whim in the many sales throughout the year. So here's my non-2017 top 5
1.) Rare Replay - Cheating really as its a collection of many great games but this is truly fantastic. This one disc probably provided me with more quality entertainment than the last 5 years of Virtual Console. Highlights being able to replay the original Banjo (which I 100% completed for the first time), Banjo-Nuts and bolts that I obsessively put hours and hours into and completed from start to finish, loving the vehicle customisation stuff all over again (and buying the DLC lol) and Viva Pinata which was a revelation and joy to play - honestly I wish I'd have known about that in 2008.
Elsewhere I dabbled in a bunch of different games and really enjoyed them and got a special kick out of the retro challenges which play like NES Remix and the bonus videos which have so many great behind the scenes insights and those lovely old Silicon Graphics renders.
2) Forza - I got Forza 5 for free when I got my xbox and wasn't fussed about it, I was bored one night so decided to have a quick go and quite enjoyed it. Then I had another quick go. Then a medium go. Then a long go. Then I was playing entire championships, buying all sorts of cars, spending ages putting ridiculous and awesome paint jobs on them and generally having a fantastic time. Then I got Forza Horizon 2 as I quite enjoyed 5 and man, that blew my MIND. What a fantastic racer, I haven't had this much fun with racing games since Excite Truck. The open roads, the arcade feel, the amazing music, I adored every second of that game. So literally last week I got Horizon 3 and I plan to play the pants off it for the rest of this year.
Of all the series to really take me by surprise, this is up there.
3) Grow Up/Grow Home: This cute little game has you playing as a robot with odd controls, like a walking Snake Pass, collecting crystals and fertilising massive plants until you can make it back to your mother ship. I got the second game first as it was on sale and looked cute and loved every second so got the original at full price. I'd highly recommend both as when you get the glider wings it plays like a super chilled out PilotWings game (reminded me a lot of the 3DS title)
4) ABZU - Short but sweet, there's not much gameplay here apart from swimming around and finding stuff but that's what makes it so great, the stuff you're swimming around and finding is masses of different species of awesome fish, ancient ruins and crazy lights. And it has one of the best videogame endings ever, honestly I was nearly crying lol
Disappointments of the year.
I should pre-face this with the fact that I know these are actually fantastic games, possibly the best in their respective genres, they just weren't up my alley.
1.) Zelda - It took me a long time to not be bitter about them ripping out all the GamePad features, after that it took me a good while to get engrossed as the frame drops and blank GamePad screen made it feel like a rushed Third Party port. The bits I did play were great though and it's clear the world is a spectacular piece of software, I'm just not into the open world feel and wanted a classic 3D Zelda with yknow, actual music and not feeling constantly lost.
2.) Persona 5 - Just like Zelda, I probably didn't give this a fair chance as I was judging it for what it isn't instead of what it is. Coming off from a mega high that is Tokyo Mirage Sessions I was hoping for something similar, and while the gameplay is similar I just felt too bogged down in what seemed like a pretty dark and depressing story. I wanted my crazy music videos and colourful dancing combos.
@Josh64 You bring up an interesting point when it comes to the difference between Yooka's collectables and Odyssey's collectables.
After finally finishing Yooka-Laylee, I've hit upon what exactly stopped Mario Odyssey from getting higher in my list. The main collectables are treated in a very different way.
In Yooka, the key items, the Pagies, are not the only thing to get. There's a lot of other smaller things to get and, consequently, are typically easier to get. The Pagies are typically the trickiest thing to get, requiring the player to complete some kind of challenge.
On the other hand, Odyssey has one main collectable, the Moons Just like the other old-school 3D Marios. Now this was fine for 64 and Sunshine, because it was still the same kind of premise, the player must complete some kind of challenge and is rewarded with a Star/Shine.
Odyssey's main difference is that compared to 64 and Sunshine, there are 5 times the amount of things to collect. I don't care how big your game is, that's a hell of a lot of things to hide. This ends up with a whole lot of Moons that are just there with no challenge connected to it. And because each Moon is worth the same (Apart from the pretty rare Multi Moons), this results in a lot of Moons being unsatisfying to collect.
Yooka (And by extension, the Banjo games) get around this problem by having the easier to find collectables be not as important as the Pagies, yet still help the player achieve the goal of collecting Pagies. This keeps a healthy amount of stuff to find, yet keep a sense of satisfaction when you do collect the main driving force.
Anyway, there's my thoughts. Did Yooka-Laylee come out this year? I mean, it did on Switch, but I can't remember if it was this year.
Edited December 30, 2017 by Glen-i
1 hour ago, Glen-i said:
Yeah I think that was the problem, I wish they had turned some moons into a collectible for special outfits or something, or made them blue coins that you can put toward a single moon (because I know how much everyone loved blue coins in Sunshine lol)
And yeah Yooka-Laylee came out in March on PS/XB
Dcubed
N-Europe Staff
I'm really not sure what to put for this one. I'll have to have a bit of a think and come back later...
8 hours ago, Josh64 said:
As great a game as it is and how much I'm glad to see it getting some praise, it came out last year, so it can't be included... I know, I know, I actually played it this year too, but it's a 2016 game...
RedShell
Nintendo Junkie
My game of 2017 is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I had a good feeling about it early on...
...but didn't realise quite how significant is was going to end up being for me personally at that time. Long story short, had it not been for Breath of the Wild, I wouldn't have bought a Switch at launch, wouldn't have played many other games this year, wouldn't be typing this right now and... well, let's just say that it arrived for me at both the worst and best time possible, and as a result is one of the most important games I have ever played.
Not just any game could've had the impact that Breath of the Wild did though, I mean it really is a masterpiece. From the beautiful atmosphere and its meticulous representation of nature, to the ingenious use of physics and unexpected gameplay mechanics, which are simply insane for an open world setting. The world feels truly organic and every journey would bring about new experiences and revelations. Every single session, now matter how long or short, felt like a bountiful adventure.
I remember being blown away very early on by one of the puzzles in a shrine, or rather, how I managed to solve it (basically in a way which didn't at all feel like the intended method ). There was no video capture for Switch at the time, but I nabbed a screenshot of the puzzle in question:
It was at this point I also realised that everyone who plays the game will likely get a completely different experience to everyone else. Sure, you can apply that logic to pretty much any game, but I think BotW definitely takes it to a whole new level. It's possible to bend the rules of the game in some truly wacky directions, to places the developers themselves probably hadn't even anticipated!
There were many surprising solutions to problems throughout my entire playthrough and it made puzzle solving for someone like myself (i.e. a bit thick ) all the more enjoyable. Here's a recent example of my unorthodox style with the latest DLC...
I just love the vast amount of creative possibility that is presented to the player in BotW, at times it's almost as if we're the ones designing the game as we play. And to create something with the scope of BotW, with that much potential variation is quite frankly astounding. Also, for a game from a series which more than anything sets out to tell a story, the commitment to ensuring it still offers high quality and compelling gameplay is something that I massively appreciate. At a time when games are increasingly becoming obsessed with presentation, narrative and zazz, often at the expense of gameplay, BotW is a wonderful example of exactly what makes video games such a great and unique form of entertainment in the first place.
While I obviously disagree with anyone who didn't enjoy the game, I can at least understand some of the complaints, particularly from those who were perhaps expecting a more structured Zelda experience that's similar to the rest of the series. But I absolutely love how BotW returned all the way back to its roots on the NES, and gave Zelda fans of that specific era the chance to freely explore and embark on their very own adventure once again.
So yeah, Zelda takes the top spot for me. As for everything else, in no particular order...
Splatoon 2 - Amazing sequel. So much fun to play and evolving all the time.
Super Mario Odyssey - Probably my favourite 3D Mario game since 64, astonishingly good.
Yakuza Kiwami - Brilliant game. Plays great, looks awesome and is truly hilarious.
Yakuza Zero - It's Yakuza... set in the 1980s... nothing else to say.
ARMS - Fantastic fighter. Simple to pick up, yet quite a bit of depth to it.
Miitopia - Super entertaining. Perfect 3DS swan song for me.
Honourable mentions to (some of these weren't 2017 but new to me)...
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Downwell, Golf Story, Thumper, DOOM, and probably Master Blaster Zero actually, currently playing that and really enjoying it.
Just completed Uncharted Lost Legacy so I'm revising my top 10 a bit.
1. Yakuza 0 - I've always been a fan of the Yakuza games but haven't managed to play them all, Zero however just seemed to click in all the right places. The 80s setting is really well realised with a lot of nice little touches to make it feel like Japan back then. The characters are brilliant, the fighting mechanics have upped their game and the story is just so well written with lots of twists and turns. I cant wait for Yakuza 6 next year.
2. Destiny 2 - Originally the first Destiny didnt really do it for me but I came back a few expansions later and thought they nailed it. Destiny 2 managed to do that right out of the gate. Much better story and the loot grind was a lot easier.
3. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - I got all caught up watching Giant Bomb's quest for a chicken dinner this year and eventually got a group of friends together to play this ourselves. Its such a tense game, right from the beginning parachuting out of the plane and spinning the camera around to see who is coming down with you to the end where you are stuck in this tiny circle praying you see the other guy before he sees you. Even though it got its full release about a week ago, it still has issues but they just never seemed to detract from the game.
4. Super Mario Odyssey - 3D Mario games have never been my thing. I was always a 2D Mario guy and before this I had never actually completed one. Odyssey though was a lot of fun with some great level design, mechanics and music.
5. Injustice 2 - A sequel to one of my favourite fighting games. The MK fighting engine still holds up well but the story mode is where this game shines for me.
6. Uncharted: Lost Legacy - Uncharted can be a bit hit and miss for me. I thought I was done with the series after the shit show that was 3. 4 was very good but I felt I was done with it. Lost Legacy managed to pull me back in by switching up the characters and getting a bit more personal with returning Chloe and Nadine. Plus, god damn those facial animations are just unmatched! Oh and before I forget, that has to be one of the most satisfying final boss fights in gaming history for me.
7. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - This series is very similar to 3D Mario games for me. Never actually beaten one until now. Its probably quite low on my list compared to a lot of people's on this forum but certain mechanics like the breaking weapons/rain and the story/barren feeling world held it back to the point where I was starting to rush by the end to try and get to Ganon. Don't get me wrong though, I enjoyed a lot of my time with it and as a lot of people have said, the mechanics in the world were great.
8. Sonic Mania - I'm a big Sonic fan. My nostalgia for 2 may be rose tinted at this point but I struggle to let go of it. With Sonic Mania though, Sega (or more accurately Christian Whitehead) managed to create a game which kept all that nostalgia intact and possibly even surpassed it in some places.
9. Yakuza Kiwami - I had only watched the recap movie of the first Yakuza game as I started originally with 3 so it was nice to hear that a remake of 1 was coming. Kiwami uses the same engine as Zero and while the game and story may not hit the same highs, its still very fun.
10. Tekken 7 - I loved Tekken 1-3 but then just fell off from the series for years. While I wasnt a fan of the story mode in this one, the fighting mechanics still worked really well.
I ended up deciding to take Persona 5 off of my list as while I do like what I've played, I'm only 2 dungeons in so I dont think thats far enough to judge it enough for a GOTY list.
Edited December 30, 2017 by Happenstance
12 hours ago, Josh64 said:
Well then, I have to change my top 10 a bit then.
10. Splatoon 2
9. Sonic Mania
8. Super Mario Odyssey
7. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
6. Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
5. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
4. Yooka-Laylee
3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
2. Monster Hunter Stories
1. Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
Sorry, Puyo Puyo Tetris...
7 hours ago, Dcubed said:
Damn, I didn't realise! I actually thought it was a January release but I guess that's just when I got around to buying it haha
2017 has been a hell of a year for gamers. Nintendo found it's feet again with the a new console, Sony continued to go from strength to strength with the PS4 and Microsoft launched a new console that made them and their fans proud to have the most powerful console on the planet.
The lineup of exclusive games on the PS4 has been staggering and this year pretty much cemented the console as one of the all time greats in my eyes. I've usually been able to keep up with games releases, even when owning multiple consoles, but this year the PS4 lineup completely broke me. I have a staggering backlog and there is no let up at the start of 2018.
Anyway, this year I had some great gaming experiences that were spread out among a few consoles. I've listed games that disappointed me, games that got forgotten by many gamers, games that surprised me, my favourite song in a game and my best 3 games on the PS4, 3DS and Switch.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This year the title of my most overrated game that I have ever played finally changed hands. GTA IV has finally been surpassed by BOTW. The game didn't give me what I wanted from a Zelda game. Gone were the sprawling dungeons that had epic and unique boss fights. These were replaced by 4 same looking small dungeons that had 4 same looking bosses. I hated the weapon breaking mechanic, the awful voice acting, the lack of decent story, the empty open world, the rain....man, I hated the rain. Here's hoping Nintendo go back to something more traditional next time around or if they want to continue down this path in the 3D games at least make a 2D Zelda that goes back to formula.
2. Everybody's Golf
I was really looking forward to this game when it was announced. It looked like a Mario Golf style game but with a mixture of Wii Sports/Resort added into the mix, with an online world to play around in. What arrived was a big of a broken mess that had a rough online setup and an obvious FTP base game. The game gets you to grind your way up the levels as a lot of content is locked. This means you have to play the same courses over and over before you can get to the newer stuff. The fact that when you hit a perfect shot and the ball can still drift is a very annoying mechanic and one that a lot of gamers weren't happy was added to this version. The game had a lot of promise but its execution was handled very poorly.
3. Yakuza 0
This series has always intrigued me and I figured 0 would be a good jumping on point. I enjoyed the opening sections and the story looked really interesting but then all of the wackiness started. The game has a stupid side which I don't really care for. I found it in total conflict with the main storyline and a lot of the stuff I found really cringe worthy and not funny at all. Had the game just been a serious story then I probably would have enjoyed it and completed it but I gave up after having enough of the crazy stuff in the game.
1. The 3DS
It honestly upsets me how gamers dropped the 3DS like a brick once the Switch arrived. Many hailed the Switch as an amazing handheld and they were finally able to play games on the go, as if the 3DS had not and still was not a thing. The 3DS had an amazing line up of games and one that I think put the Switch to shame. Miitopia, Hey! Pikmin, Dragon Quest VIII, Fire Emblem Echoes, Etrian Odyssey V, Yoshi's Woolly World, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon, Mario Party, Monster Hunter Stories, Kirby Blowout Blast, Kirby Battle Royale, Metroid Samus Returns, Ever Oasis, Mario and Luigi, Dragonball Fusions...those who dropped the 3DS missed out on a hell of a year. Their loss, I suppose.
2. Poi
This Switch game got lost on the eShop, partly because the eShop is a mess but mainly because it released around the same time as Mario Odyssey. The game is a platform adventure very much like Mario 64, with a hint of Sunshine at parts. It copies a lot of those games in various ways and is very blatant about it. Stars/Shines are replaced with Medallions, the main characters pretty much has every jump and move that Mario did in 64 and even some of the tasks for Medallions are the same as what Mario had to do in Sunshine and 64. Despite this the game is a great platformer game that takes you back to the 64bit era. It's looks are very basic and the game could do with a little polish but the platforming is very solid and satisfying. The game is just digital on other platforms but the Switch got a retail version, which I picked up.
3. Sine Mora EX
Another Switch game that seems to have got lost in the eShop/retail. I do love the side scrolling shooter genre. I'll be the first to admit that i'm not great at them these days ( beat Nemesis on the C64 as a young kid and R-Type on the SNES as an older kid ) but it doesn't stop me from trying these types of games out. This one is especially great because of the way it plays. You have a time limit to get through the stages, get hit and you lose time but destroy an enemy and you gain time. Gone is the usual setup of getting hit, dying and losing all of your power ups, instead you get hit, your power ups escape from your plane and you lose time. The power ups you lose can be quickly collected again, which makes the game fun and more forgiving than the old school shooters. You can also slow down time for a while which allows you to either dodge bullets or do more damage to the enemy. Like most shooters, its short but has some great replay value.
1. Persona 5
To this day I have still yet to finish Persona 4. The game gets praised to high heaven but I have yet to put more than 15 hours into the game. I was back and forth as to whether to pick up the 5th game but I took a chance and i'm really glad that I did. Unlike the 4th game, Persona 5 really clicked with me straight away and I found myself engrossed in the story, world and characters that were presented before me. It was refreshing to tackle adult situations and topics in a JRPG. I love the genre but I often get sick of the same old tropes being put in the games. This really shook things up for me and has me contemplating giving Persona 4 another chance next year.
2. Inti Creates
These guys have been around for a while but I really fell in love with their output for the Switch. Blaster Master Zero was an amazing Metroid style game, the whole in my heart by the absence of a real Mega Man game was filled by Mighty Gunvolt Burst and the Azure Striker Gunvolt Collection was a great MMZ type game that I never knew I wanted. The way they have dealt with DLC in their games has been fantastic. A lot of it has been free, such as characters and various modes in all of their games, and the stuff that is paid is priced very well, with characters being priced at just over a quid. I look forward to more of their output on the Switch.
3. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
This was a game that I tried playing back when I had a PS2. I hated the characters, setting and battle system. Fast forward over 10 years and this HD remaster got a release on the PS4. I loved it. I found the story and setting very interesting this time around. The battle system I got to grips with pretty fast and actually loved how I could set up the Gambit system to allow me to grind automatically. The extra bosses that needed to be completed for the platinum trophy was one of the hardest i've ever faced in a FF game but there was a great sense of satisfaction from delivering that final blow. Playing the game again all these years later proves that's good to give games a second chance, especially if there is a large gap between when you originally played it. Your tastes change and mature as time goes by and this proves it.
1. Nier Automata ( Weight of the World )
Those who followed my progress in the Nier thread would probably guessed that this would be my fav of the year. The song is fantastic on it's own but once you finish the game the words have far more meaning. The way the song is used in the true endings credits was amazing and pretty much had me in tears. It was such a wonderful moment and one that will stick with me for a long time.
2. Persona 5 ( Life Will Change )
I listened to the Persona 5 soundtrack before I played the game ( I also done this with Nier ) and this song really stood out to me. I remember sticking my earphones in at work and having this song on repeat for ages. I was stood there doing experiments just tapping away my foot the whole time. I love how the non vocal version is used in the game. You go and storm the palaces and this kicks in. It's such a "Hell yeah!" moment I can't help but get hyped when I launch my attack.
3. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 ( Simple and Clean Ray of Hope Mix )
This one is a bit of a cheat entry. It's not exactly a new song but I LOVE Simple and Clean and this remix hits all the right beats. I've listened of countless versions of this song and everyone of them still hits me hard. Love it. As a sidenote, I plan on playing the whole series next year from start to finish in the hope that 3 arrives by the end of the year.
1. Miitopia
This game blew me away. I hated Tomodachi Life when I played it a few years back. I just get the concept of it. This game took what that game done and added RPG elements into it. If there was a way to get me to play it then that was it. The RPG additions were the hook but what I found the most fun was the various Mii's that appeared in the game. If you check the Miitopia topic you can see the great adventures I had in the game once I recruited an army of N-E members as we set about to save the world. It's games like this that makes me sad that Miiverse is no longer a thing. It was great posting my adventures but also reading what Mii's others had come across.
2. Hey! Pikmin
I think this will be regarded as an under appreciated hidden gem in years to come. A lot of reviewers dismissed the game due to it not playing like other Pikmin games. If you take the game for what it is and look at it from a different angle then I think the game is pretty special. It has that great Nintendo balance where the main game is pretty easy but if you delve into trying to get 100% then that's where the challenge comes from. I doubt many reviewers even bothered with this and as such missed out on a great part of the game.
3. Metroid: Samus Returns
I have a weird relationship with the Metroid franchise. I hate the Primes series but I love Other M. It was nice to finally get on the same page with Metroid fans because I really enjoyed this game. I found it to be pretty straight forward, which is what I like about Other M. I hate getting lost in these types of games and it usually just leads to frustration. I never really felt that with Samus Returns and it made for an enjoyable experience. I love that feeling in a Metroid game where you are completely powerless at the start and after slowly building your strength back up you finally reach that turning point where you can now take on all those that caused your grief early on. This game nails that feeling.
Nintendo often talk about how they want to make gamers smile when they play their games and this is exactly what they done with this game. After waiting years for a true sequel of Mario 64 this game arrived and it delivered in an amazing way. There was so much to do in the game, with a staggering amount of Moons and outfits to collect. Sure, some of them were filler but when you're jumping around the amazing levels you kind of forget about that and just enjoy the experience. Some of the music in the game was amazing, with my personal favourite being...
It came completely out of left field and I was bopping my head the whole way through the sequence. It kinda felt like something that would fit perfectly in Splatoon or a Saturday morning cartoon. Nintendo once again raised the bar with this game.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2
I honestly didn't think that the game would arrive this year, although given the state that it arrived in we all know how this was achieved. I'm not a huge fan of the Xenoblade games. I think the first game is good but overrated, X is a complete disaster, so I was so glad when this turned out to be a fantastic game. XC2 just appeals far more to my tastes than the previous entries. It has a strong story running throughout the game, this is told via long cutscenes that wouldn't look out of place in an anime show, characters that are all likeable and useful and voice acting that isn't half bad. As I mentioned earlier, the game does have some issues. The undocked visuals are very rough and the game can crash on you ( mate of mine text me this morning saying he had lost 6 hours progress due to a crash ) so you need to be on top of your saving habits. Despite these problems I loved the game and its easily my favourite entry in the Xenoblade series.
3. Mario and Rabbids
I think most of us were surprised just how great this game turned out. I'm not a huge strategy guy and I found the game to be challenging but fair. Picking the right units for the right situation was very satisfying, as was learning from my mistakes and restarting the battle to get full marks. The Ultimate challenges were no joke and took many attempts to get right. Most people find the Rabbids to be annoying but I have never really minded their antics. Their inclusion into the Mario universe was a stroke of genius and I think they fit perfectly well within the Mushroom Kingdom. Here's to a Rabbid adventure in Hyrule!
1. Horizon: Zero Dawn
What a game this was. This game had the whole package. Amazing gameplay, intriguing story, great characters, top notch voice acting, fantastic animations...just a fantastic game all around. It still boggles my mind that the guys you created Killzone came up with this. Sure, the Killzone games are solid games but this is on a whole different level to those and most other games.The game reminded me of Monster Hunter in some ways. You would track down a machine, watch it carefully to try and notice any tells and then go about attacking it in the best way. What was great is the variety of ways you could tackle each of the beasts, with one of the most satisfying ways being using your bow to rip the beasts weapons off of it and then using it against them. The DLC that arrived recently done a great job of giving the players more to do, with a different setting and different enemies to tackle.
I won't waffle on about this anymore as I talked about it in my surprise section. I'll just post a picture of the gang from their up and coming dancing game.
and maybe a couple of pics of the best lasses in the game.
3. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Absolutely hilarious game. This game had me crying with laughter numerous times throughout my playthrough. I honestly didn't think that they could top what they done with the first game but they proved me wrong. It's crazy to think that this is essentially a 20 hour episode of the series. I will say that I preferred the battle system in the original game but this one does allow for more tactical play. Being able to pick from a bunch of superheros that have different abilities and then trying to complement them with your own character is half the fun. The game is is sexist, racist...it's South Park! If you don't like the show then you best give this a hard pass.
It was between this and Mario Odyssey but in the end I had to go with Horizon. I sometimes need more out of games than just gameplay. I find a strong narrative sticks with me more than good gameplay. It's why I love the JRPG genre, it's why to this day I can remember certain scenes from each of the Metal Gear Solid games, is why I prefer the original Infamous game over the seqeul despite the sequel having better gameplay and it's why I think Horizon trumps Odyssey. The narrative in Horizon is such an intriguing one. It had some great twists and memorable characters. It's a world I would love to explore again someday and i'm excited to see what Guerilla Games can do with the franchise going forward.
I've never been a graphics whore but from a technical perspective the game is nothing short of a miracle. The gif that was posted on Era still blows me away, as do many other gifs and screenshots that have been posted over the past several months on various places. the game is simply beautiful to look at.
Again, this was done but the guys who made Killzone, which makes this whole thing even more impressive. Well done, GG. You have quite rightly won my GOTY.
While i'm here I may as well dish out my 2018 GOTY.
You disgust me @Hero-of-Time
Wow!! Excellent post there @Hero-of-Time. I have yet to start Persona 5 or Horizon but they are in the backlog to play.
I fundamentally disagree with your assessment of BOTW. I note you also disliked the Metroid Prime series!
I've just started Yakuza 0 myself. I'll see if the wacky stuff annoy me. I continuously read positive opinions about the game. I've started the game with an open mind.
Excellent choices @Hero-of-Time! Especially your music choices!
I desperately need some time to finally start playing Nier Automata! I have it sitting here, beckoning and yearning for me to play!
Nicktendo
10. Fast RMX - Loved the original, this is more of the same but looks stunning and has fun gameplay.
9. Sonic Mania - Didn't get into the Sonic series until the VC, but I prefer this over the original 3. Fantastic throwback, amazing soundtrack and lots of retro fun.
8. MK8 DX - My favourite multiplayer game, can't be bothered going through the SP again, but Thursday League Nights are always fun. Top tier MK game. Over 100 hours for both versions now
7. Miitopia - The only 3DS game I played in 2017. Fantastic game, reviewed it for the site and loved it. The writing in this game is up there with Paper Mario.
6. Super Mario Odyssey - Love the variety of the worlds, the music and the gameplay but lost all desire to continue after hitting 450 moons, will pick it up again next year.
5. Splatoon 2 - Splatoon was my favourite Wii U game, this is more of the same but with a number of tweaks which make the experience better. Salmon Run is class.
4. ARMS - My sleeper hit of the year. Wasn't too keen at first but after learning the mechanics it is now my up there as one of my favourite fighting games of all time.
3. Stardew Valley - Harvest Moon: Perfect Edition. HM was one of my favourite franchises as a kid, this does everything that series did just bigger and better.
2. Rocket League - Played 15 hours on the PC a year or 2 ago but couldn't get into it. N-E game nights have changed that. I bloody love this game.
1. Breath of the Wild - Obviously.
Still a lot of decent releases from this year to pick up, plus the SNES mini stuff to go through. Too. Many. Games.
2017, Nintendo killed it. Never had so much fun being a gamer.
Edit: Honorable mentions: Blaster Master Zero, Snake Pass, Skyrim, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Kamiko, Golf Story (might have featured if I'd have finished it).
Edited January 12, 2018 by Nicktendo


text:
Q: How to cancel NSURLSession from another class in Swift? I have a MySession class that I call in order to obtain the URL of a website's redirect.  In my ViewController I'd like to cancel the session when the user navigates back out of the ViewController via ViewDidDisappear.   I know that NSURLSessionTasks have a .cancel method, but I can't think of the best way to do this.  I could store the current task in a Singleton but thought there must be a better way?
class MySession: NSObject, NSURLSessionDelegate {

    func URLSession(session: NSURLSession, task: NSURLSessionTask, willPerformHTTPRedirection response: NSHTTPURLResponse, newRequest request: NSURLRequest, completionHandler: (NSURLRequest!) -> Void) {

    }

    // fetch data from URL with NSURLSession
    class func getDataFromServerWithSuccess(myURL: String, noRedirect: Bool, callback: Result<String> -> Void) {

        var loadDataTask: NSURLSessionDataTask? = nil
        let sessionConfig: NSURLSessionConfiguration = NSURLSessionConfiguration.defaultSessionConfiguration()

        //MARK: Toggle timeout on tests
        sessionConfig.timeoutIntervalForRequest = 60.0
        sessionConfig.timeoutIntervalForResource = 60.0

        var myDelegate: MySession? = nil
        if noRedirect {
            myDelegate = MySession()
        }

        let session = NSURLSession(configuration: sessionConfig, delegate: myDelegate, delegateQueue: nil)
        loadDataTask = session.dataTaskWithURL(NSURL(string: myURL)!) { (data: NSData?, response: NSURLResponse?, error: NSError?) -> Void in

                if let checkedData = data {

                let success = Result.Success(NSString(data: checkedData, encoding: NSASCIIStringEncoding) as! String)

                callback(success)

                } else {

                    let error = NetworkError.FailedUrl("\(myURL) + \(error)")

                    if let request = loadDataTask?.currentRequest {

                        guard let urlExtension = request.URL?.pathExtension else {return}
                        guard let domain = request.URL?.host else {return}

                            guard let finalURLAsString = request.URL?.description else {return}
                            let failure = Result.Failure("\(finalURLAsString) + \(error)")
                            callback(failure)

                        }

                    }

                }
        }
        loadDataTask!.resume()

    }

class MyViewController:  UIViewController {

    override func viewDidDisappear(animated: Bool) {
       //TODO:  How to stop MySession task?

               MySession.getRedirectionInfo(urlAsString)

                MySession.getDataFromServerWithSuccess(urlAsString, noRedirect: false) { result in

            //omitted for brevity
        }

A: Another option to get a reference to the task is to use the method
- getTasksWithCompletionHandler: from NSURLSession, that lists all tasks on the session combined to the property taskDescription on NSURLSessionTask to identify the tasks

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


to the vets, don't want to spend alot of money on training classes or don't know where to go online... you have found the right place.
your dog gets treated in most calm, fair and kind way.
Please allow 48 hours for an answer.
Q: My puppy, Buster keeps on biting my ankles - please help?
A: This is always a challenge, when your cute puppy is hanging off the end of your trousers. Murphy was certainly an ankle biter when she was young. The way that I tackled this was just simply give a small yelp, then walk away, arms folded and don't talk to them for a while. This is what their brothers/sisters would have done when he was a young puppy. It lets the dog know that they are biting too hard and that they need to soften their mouths. it's just enough to stop and make them think. Little puppies are so keen for your to play with them, that when you turn away and ignore them they soon learn that biting ankles = no play. But don't use the old method of rattling coke cans with stones in it - this will only scare the dog and associate being around you with bad things.
Northamptonshire and surrounding areas including Milton Keynes, Peterborough, NW Cambridgeshire, North Bedfordshire)?


No matter what your audio equipment needs are, A-I Consolidated has the electronics to unite you with booming bass and crisp treble. We carry microphones from a range of brands, including AKG, Electro-Voce and Shure. These wireless and wired microphone products are great for any application, whether it is a musical, concert or conference. In addition, we carry speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers to fill any space, from JBL, Crown, Atlas and more. If you need to get clear sound, updating your speaker system with products from A-I Consolidated is a great way to do it. We also carry keyboard stands, racks, stools and other equipment, perfect for anyone taking up an instrument for the first time or a musician who wants to optimize comfort while they play. Our audio racks from Lowell and Atlas are great for those who seek organization and ease with all of their audio equipment. We sell high-tech audio equipment, too, from portable PA systems to mixing boards and processors. Whether you're a professional DJ or a church group looking to bring down the house with live music, A-I Consolidated can provide you with the equipment you need.


The expected loss in pips (2) from dice rolls not fully utilized during bearoff. Wastage is calculated as W = R x 49/6 − PC, where R is the expected (average) number rolls required to bear off, and PC is the pip count of the position. Wastage is the difference between the usual pip count and the effective pip count. See post by David Montgomery.


"Reading Rockets" Pilot Blasts Off to a Great Start!
This summer, a group of Northfield elementary students got a special "boost" in reading through a pilot initiative of the Northfield Promise Reading Team and the PRIMEtime out-of-school-time network. Working to reverse the summer academic slide, "Reading Rockets" ran as part of the Summer PLUS program at Greenvale Park Elementary School. Thirty students who were behind grade level in reading spent two hours each morning working with licensed teachers on their reading, utilizing fun and interactive activities. The teachers also hosted family workshops and made three home visits with all participating families to go over reading strategies.
The project is modeled after a nationally recognized effort out of the Springboard Collaborative in Philadelphia. It recognizes the vital role that parents play as the chief educators of their children – and notes that parents are often left out of the equation when we look for solutions to improve student literacy.
In Reading Rockets, students who met attendance requirements, took part in the supplemental reading activities at home, and saw growth on their reading scores were rewarded with incentives throughout the summer.
The results from the first year pilot are encouraging. Whereas the summer slide can cause students to slip backwards during the summer months, 88% of students completing the program showed growth on their Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading tests. In fact, 56% met or surpassed their identified fall 2015 growth targets.
Click to learn more about the Reading Rockets program model and the initial results.
Funding for the Reading Rockets pilot was provided by the Women In Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), Northfield Area United Way, and State of Minnesota (through a direct appropriation to the Educational Partnerships Coalition).


Yes. We have an internal assessment that begins with some Language verification tasks. These tasks' purpose is to assess your minimum editing capacity.
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Pssst – Kicking off the second day of the fest, Secret Sunrise comes to the Hilton Arts Festival this year on Saturday 15 September at Hilton College.
Billed to be about letting go, having fun and dancing to celebrate the sun and yet another beautiful day of being alive, the Secret Sunrise makes its way up to the Midlands for the first time featuring at the festival.
For a good while now, many KZN folk have become avid followers of the Secret Sunrise experience. They gather on a beach, in a park, in the hills and dales to celebrate the joy of being alive.
Organiser, Jane Killian Show says: "The essence of Secret Sunrise is to have people celebrate the rising sun from various secret venues in the city. The silent headphones and instructors provide the space for people to connect, love and engage in radical self-expression all to share compassion, kindness and, of course, joy. What we love about it is that you are locked into your own world while you're wearing the headsets. There is zero judgment …just joy while you're following some guided instructions and celebrating your ability to move.
Members of the public should refer to the Secret Sunrise social media for further details of the Hilton experience. www.facebook.com/secretsunrisedurban; www.instagram.com/secretsunrisedurban or email durban@secretsunrise.com for more info.
An ideal way to get into the festival mood for the day. After an hour's dancing, pick up a delicious breakfast at Jackie Cameron's Bistro or one of the numerous food outlets in the Corona Festival Marquee or food village before watching a show, browsing the art exhibitions or even…dare it be mentioned ….watching the rugby test match to be screened in the Bistro.
The festival will take place on the beautiful grounds of the Hilton College from Hilton College: 14 – 16 September 2018.


text:
Berlin Grunewald East Running Route
Length: 10 km one way, or 21 km out-and-back (6.2 or 12.5 miles), terrain flat
Berlin Running Routes:
Best Berlin Running Routes: Overview
Historic Berlin Mitte
Tiergarten park
Kurfürstendamm, heart of West Berlin
Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin's coolest neighborhood
Grunewald West
Grunewald East
Potsdam Royal Residences
Ode to Berlin: my long-running love affair with this great city
For other running routes, see Route List. And if you're interested in an essay on what makes Berlin so special, take a look at this Ode to Berlin, written in the transition days after the Wall came down.
Pictures by Karl-Heinz Liebisch at www.pixelio.de
Berlin is a great running city. There are large parks, and the city is flanked by easy-to-get-to forests full of lakes, there's the Spree riverfront and lots of historical places. There are hundreds of great routes.
I have to say, Berlin has a special place in my heart: I knew the place when it was still divided by the wall, serving as the imminent ground-zero for World War III. The city was cut off and largely avoided by any tourists. Most people didn't want to live there, and the whole place had to be subsidized by the West-German government. I ran my first marathon here (see the "The Marathon" story to get a feeling for what it was like in those days).
My first time in Berlin, I stayed in Lübars, at the northern-most tip of West Berlin, an area with farms and fields, the only place in West Berlin where you needed to turn on your high-beams while driving. There was no wall around the outskirts of West Berlin, just a fence, or rather several layers of East-Berlin fences. I ran along the fence, fascinated by the watch-towers, the no-man's-land and the occasional foot patrols. I made of game of hiding in the shadows whenever a Volksarmee patrol came by, not that they could do anything to me. Running routes in the city center along the wall, you could climb wooden stairs placed at various locations, where you could look out over the wall into the greyness of East Berlin, a place with no neon and few streetlights.
But those days are long-gone. Berlin has become a normal city with normal urban problems and delights. And then, as now, one of the great running areas is Grunewald, on the west edge of town. The woods is split down the middle by the Avus autobahn and a parallel train line. Both sides of the woods are great to run in. There are hills and lakes where you can swim, and trails everywhere.
Grunewald path in springtime
This article deals with the smaller, flatter, eastern edge of Grunewald. We'll start at the north end, and run down in a southwest slant to end at one of the train stations at the other end. Grunewald is easy to get to, there are a lot of S-Bahn (commuter train) stations and U-Bahn (subway) stops along the whole east edge. We'll start at the Grunewald S-Bahn station, where the S7 stops, at the northern edge of the woods.
NOTE: The route description for the Grunewald West route is found here: Berlin Grunewald West, Germany
The Berlin Grunewald East Route
The Grunewald neighborhood is one of the nicest in Berlin, full of beautiful villas. Even the train station is beautiful. You could spend your run just happily zigzagging around the neighborhood. We'll go down Fontanestrasse a couple of blocks until it runs into Koenigsallee, where we turn right and run straight into the woods after a few blocks.
The road continues on straight through the woods, but that would be a bit boring. So better take one of the left-hand trails leading east to the first lake, Grunewaldsee.
Once you hit the lake, turn left and continue running southwest. This is already the first chance to swim. There's a nudist beach halfway down the beach, and two dog beaches (I kid you not) across the lake. At the south end of the lake, you'll come to the Jagtschloss, the 500-year-old royal Prussian hunting lodge, with some beautiful buildings to look at.
Grunewaldsee
Behind the lodge, at the little parking lot, you'll cross Hüttenweg, and keep running southwest through the woods for another kilometer, and then cross Onkel Tom Strasse (the name is real). After a few hundred meters along some small ponds, you'll hit the next real lake, the Krumme Lanke. If you're there in the summer and feeling like a swim, a little unofficial beach is located right at the head of the lake, on the left. I love just kicking off my shoes and jumping in. There's also another, official, swimming spot at the south end of the lake.
Krumme Lanke in the autumn
NOTE: Click here for a picture at flickr of swimmers at Krumme Lanke.
Wet or not, continue following the lake on either shore, then straight southwest 200 meters to the next lake, Schlachtensee (Battle Lake). There is still another place to swim here, but it's a bit built up. The whole woods is getting narrow here, with houses coming up the east side of Schlachtensee, and the Avus not far to the west. Continue running along the west shore of the lake, with the woods to your right.
Along Schlachtensee
The woods ends at the south end of the lake. We're almost at the end. You can either turn around here and run back, making it a 20-km run, or just take the S-Bahn home from Nicolassee, right around the corner. To do that, you need to keep going south to Spanische Allee, and then go left, under the train tracks, and turn right on Allemannenstrasse, and go straight the 200 meters to the station.
Labels: running routes, route map, running trails Europe, Germany, Laufstrecken


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Bowl a Strike with Wolfram System Modeler
Squid Game Dominates Global TV Scene per Wikipedia Trends
How to Make an xkcd Comic with a Tiny Tweetable Algorithm Discover Fun Facts about Namesake Cities
Wolfram|Alpha Personal Analytics for Facebook: Last Chance to Analyze Your Friend Network
Wolfram|Alpha's Facebook analytics ranks high among our all-time most popular features. By now, millions of people have used Wolfram|Alpha to analyze their own activity and generate detailed analyses of their Facebook friend networks. A few years ago, we took data generously contributed by thousands of "data donors" and used the Wolfram Language's powerful tools for social network analysis, machine learning, and data visualization to uncover fascinating insights into the demographics and interests of Facebook users.
At the end of this month, however, Facebook will be deprecating the API we relied on to extract much of this information.
You'll still be able to generate an analysis of most of your own activity on Facebook, but you won't have access to any information about your friends (except their names) unless they've also authorized our Facebook app. So in most cases, we won't have enough data to generate a meaningful friend network graph, or to compute statistics about location, age, marital status, or other personal characteristics of your group of Facebook friends.
We completely support Facebook's decision to increase the default security of users' data, even though it will dramatically shorten reports for many people. So if you haven't run your report in a while, or if you haven't yet discovered what your report can tell you about yourself, we strongly suggest you ask Wolfram|Alpha to compute your Facebook personal analytics soon, while its full functionality is still available. And by all means, encourage friends and family who haven't viewed their own Facebook analytics to do so—it'll make everyone's reports richer and more detailed.
That's a shame, the friend network graph was a really useful feature to get students engaged in an intro to graph theory.
Simon Tyler
April 14, 2015 at 4:28 pm 04/14/2015 at 4:28 pm
That's a real shame to hear. I think Facebook are really cracking down on these security loopholes – its just unfortunate that it has to be this way because the friend network graph was a really useful feature.
PS Web Design
April 17, 2015 at 3:08 am 04/17/2015 at 3:08 am
Has this already been discontinued? Once I grant WA access to my FB, it defaults to WA's main page.
Thanks for your comment Paul. This shouldn't be discontinued until later this week. If you'd like, you can file your feedback on Wolfram|Alpha and our team will have a look at it.
The Wolfram Team
April 27, 2015 at 10:12 am 04/27/2015 at 10:12 am
I take it this is also no longer working in Mathematica's SocialMediaData command? A notebook in which I was showing off some Facebook network analysis stopped working between last week and today.
Chris Moretti
May 1, 2015 at 2:46 pm 05/01/2015 at 2:46 pm
Another useful API is put to sleep. Very dissapointed facebook is deprecating the API. The tools on wolfram really brought the social accounts to life.
June 3, 2015 at 9:02 am 06/03/2015 at 9:02 am
Data analytic is very critical these days, we can find out customer behavior on our website, we then can decide action based on that. Facebook don't want their data to be exploited other by themselves.
yunar winardi
September 17, 2015 at 10:22 am 09/17/2015 at 10:22 am
I completely agree with you about that.
Suadieuhoa
October 30, 2015 at 9:55 pm 10/30/2015 at 9:55 pm
Facebook is closing much in itself, which is a shame
November 20, 2015 at 10:58 pm 11/20/2015 at 10:58 pm


Spread out in the Art Deco elegance of your posh new home away from home while enjoying signature Concierge services. Concierge 1-Bedroom Suites with Verandah are classified as Category T and are located on Deck 8, Forward.
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Pillow Talk Program: Guests of our Concierge Suites may choose from pillow options including hypoallergenic, feather and therapeutic memory foam.
Personal Robe and Slippers: These plush comforts are yours to use for the duration of your cruise.
Media Library: Speak with a member of the Concierge team to borrow titles from a selection of music CDs and DVDs to enjoy in the comfort of your suite. Board games are also available at Diversions.
Complimentary WiFi Internet Service (up to 100mb). Usage fees apply after 100mb.
Airy and private, this sanctuary is where you can watch the sun rise, bask in ocean breezes and enjoy your morning coffee or an evening nightcap.
For larger parties, add an adjoining Concierge 2-Bedroom or Royal Suite with Verandah. On adjoining accommodations, the partition between verandahs can be opened to create a larger balcony for sharing, with access between rooms.
Our signature Concierge services begin before you board the ship and continue throughout your vacation and beyond. Pre-reserve many of your onboard activities and services online, up to 120 days prior to your sail date. You may also inform the Concierge Team of your preferences 125 days prior to sailing, and they will make the bookings on your behalf when the 120-day booking window opens. Requests will be processed in the order in which they are received.
Please note that requests are confirmed at time of booking and cannot be guaranteed. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call. All experiences are subject to availability and may be subject to capacity restraints.


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Sebastián Sclofsky
State Violence, Police Violence, and Racism
Punitive Policies and Policing Strategies in Uruguay
Courses taught at CSU Stan
Courses taught at Univ. of Florida
Sclofsky, Sebastián (Forthcoming). Black, Poor, and from the Periphery: Experiencing Police Violence in São Paulo and Los Angeles. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Sclofsky, S. (Forthcoming). "Police Violence in São Paulo: Between the Asphalt and the Hill," in Talesh, S., Klug H., & Mertz, E (Eds.) Research Handbook on Modern Legal Realism.
Funk, K & Sclofsky, S. (Forthcoming). "The Liberal Ideology: On Intellectual Pluralism and the Marginalization of Marxism in U.S. Political Science."
Sclofsky, S. (2020). "Tough on Crime: The Rise of Punitive Populism in Latin America. By Michelle Bonner," Perspective on Politics 18(1) pp. 299-230.
Sclofsky, Sebastián. (2020). "'Our North is the South': Lessons from Police-Community Encounters in São Paulo and Los Angeles," in Rita Shah & Kathryn Henne (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Public Criminologies.
Sclofsky, S. & Funk, K. (2019). "The Specter that Haunts Political Science: The Neglect and Misreading of Marx in International Relations and Comparative Politics," in Sculos, B.W. & Caputi, M (eds.) Teaching Marx & Critical Theory in the 21st Century. Boston, MA: Brill Publishers. Pp. 15-47.
Sclofsky, S. (2016). "Policing Race in Two Cities: From Necropolitical Governance to Imagined Communities," Journal of Social Justice 6.
Sclofsky, S. & Funk, K. (2018). "The Specter that Haunts Political Science: The Neglect and Misreading of Marx in International Relations and Comparative Politics," International Studies Perspectives 19(1), pp. 83-101.
Sclofsky, S. (2018). "In Search for Peace: A New Approach to Violence in Latin America," International Studies Review 20(1), pp. 170-172 (book review of Linking Political Violence and Crime in Latin America).


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Energy Drinks in Brazil (2020) – Market Sizes
October 2020 •
Energy Drinks in Brazil provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2020.
This market covers sugar-free and regular energy drinks and shots. Energy drinks are marketed with additives specifically designed to increase alertness. Market size comprises sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer including vending machines. Market value is calculated at prices in retailers. Market size for Energy Drinks in Brazil is given in BRL and litre with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Brazil. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.
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Hot Drinks in Brazil
39 pages • By Euromonitor International • Jan 2021
COVID-19 has shown two facets of hot drinks in Brazil; the resilience and enduring potential of the market at the retail level, and the fragility of on-trade consumption. The latter declined significantly in 2020, as regional lockdowns forced foodservice outlets across the country to close for almost six months, and consumers were slow to...
Hot Drinks in Kazakhstan
39 pages • By Euromonitor International • Dec 2020
Overall, growth in value sales of hot drinks is expected to be dampened due to COVID-19. Though foodservice will be affected more severely, retail value sales are also expected to be lower, as a result of COVID. This is largely due to a worsening economy. Kazakhstan is largely dependent on oil and with global oil prices down due to decreased...
Hot Drinks in Sweden
The outbreak of COVID-19 in Sweden is expected to result in a double-digit decline for all foodservice sales, with consumers avoiding socialising in public. However, retail value and volume sales are set to move from negative growth in 2019 to positive growth in 2020; with volume sales moving from a decline of 1% in 2019, to a prediction of...
Hot Drinks in Switzerland
Consumer foodservice outlets were forced to close for all but takeaway and delivery services as part of the strict lockdown measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The foodservice channel is significant in sales of hot drinks in Switzerland and this will obviously have a devasting impact on consumer foodservice...
Energy Drinks Market Research Report by Product, by End User, by Distribution Channel - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19
Energy Drinks Market Research Report by Product (Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic), by End User (Adults, Geriatric Population, and Teenagers), by Distribution Channel - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies...
Hot Drinks in the Czech Republic
Following the relatively stagnant growth in 2019, hot drinks in the Czech Republic is expected to post much more dynamic growth in 2020 in current retail value terms. A shift from on-trade to off-trade was evident in 2020, as on-trade sales are expected to sharply drop due to the shutdown of foodservice outlets for over two months. Furthermore,...
Hot Drinks in Dominican Republic
Like most countries, the Dominican Republic has been significantly impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The virus, and the government's management of it, have affected sales of hot drinks in different ways. The most drastic of these has been the closure of hotels and restaurants, coffee shops and specialist coffee stores...
Hot Drinks in Costa Rica
In 2020, the greatest impact of COVID-19 on hot drinks in Costa Rica pertains to the mandated closure of foodservice outlets for several months, with a sharp decline in foodservice volume sales expected. Overall, off-trade consumption is not expected to compensate for the closure of on-trade outlets, as the total volume sales of hot drinks...
Hot Drinks in Slovenia
The impact of COVID-19 on hot drinks is reflected predominantly in the temporary closures and reduced capacities of foodservice establishments. In addition, Slovenian consumers have increasingly been adopting a more conscious approach to consumption that promotes health, which has led to a growing emphasis on the functional characteristics...
Hot Drinks in Ecuador
COVID-19 is expected to greatly benefit hot drinks with healthy retail value and volume growth across tea, coffee and other hot drinks. Even with the dramatic downturn in foodservice volume in 2020, overall volume and current value sales are expected to be higher than in 2019. With strict lockdown measures for much of 2020, and people spending...


Last week, I glossed over the cost of playing less than full-pay machines. This week, I'm going to jump into this topic a bit further. Full-pay machines are the version of a particular type of video poker that have the commonly found highest paybacks. The obvious example of this is what is called the 9-6 full pay jacks or better machine. We call it 9-6 because this is the payout for the Full House and Flush. What about the other pays? Well since the bottom 4 pays are usually 4-3-2-1, we don't see much variation in these payouts. Lowering any one of them would require an identical payout for two hands of different ranks. Casinos try to avoid this where possible.
This past week, I received a letter from a reader who found some 'errors' in my Expert Video Poker for Las Vegas book. I'm a bit skeptical when someone tells me these things as the numbers have been out there for so many years and looked at by so many people. As it turns out, they were more like typos, which I guess technically is an error, but I put it into a different category. Fortunately, neither of the typos would lead a Player to go very far astray. One of the typos listed the number of Four of a Kinds from the Draw on a Three of a Kind. Right below the typo is the correct number which was used in the actual calculation of the Expected Value. So, it might have been a bit confusing, but most readers would probably realize it was just a typo. Also, I don't think too many people are confused about how to play a Three of a Kind. It is one of the more self-explanatory hands.


Toto, Sisi, Mina and Lisa have all gathered up in this wonderful difference game that will let you discover the details of their everyday life and the evolution of their entire story. Get the 100 differences puzzle game started, show off your detective skills and find all of the differences between the two pictures as fast as you can in order to discover their story. Pay great attention to every detail, find the differences before time runs out, good luck and have fun spotting all the 100 differences from this new challenging, puzzle game!


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package com.google.gdata.data.sites;

import com.google.gdata.data.BaseEntry;
import com.google.gdata.data.Category;
import com.google.gdata.data.Kind;
import com.google.gdata.data.Link;
import com.google.gdata.util.Namespaces;

/**
 * Describes a web page entry.
 *
 *
 */
@Kind.Term(WebPageEntry.KIND)
public class WebPageEntry extends BasePageEntry<WebPageEntry> {

  /**
   * Webpage web page kind kind term value.
   */
  public static final String KIND = SitesNamespace.SITES_PREFIX + "webpage";

  /**
   * Webpage web page kind kind category.
   */
  public static final Category CATEGORY = new Category(Namespaces.gKind, KIND,
      "webpage");

  /**
   * Default mutable constructor.
   */
  public WebPageEntry() {
    super();
    getCategories().add(CATEGORY);
  }

  /**
   * Constructs a new instance by doing a shallow copy of data from an existing
   * {@link BaseEntry} instance.
   *
   * @param sourceEntry source entry
   */
  public WebPageEntry(BaseEntry<?> sourceEntry) {
    super(sourceEntry);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the attachments sites link.
   *
   * @return Attachments sites link or {@code null} for none.
   */
  public Link getAtomAttachmentsLink() {
    return getLink(SitesLink.Rel.ATTACHMENTS, Link.Type.ATOM);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the replies sites link.
   *
   * @return Replies sites link or {@code null} for none.
   */
  public Link getAtomRepliesLink() {
    return getLink(SitesLink.Rel.REPLIES, Link.Type.ATOM);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the attachments sites link.
   *
   * @return Attachments sites link or {@code null} for none.
   */
  public Link getHtmlAttachmentsLink() {
    return getLink(SitesLink.Rel.ATTACHMENTS, Link.Type.HTML);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the replies sites link.
   *
   * @return Replies sites link or {@code null} for none.
   */
  public Link getHtmlRepliesLink() {
    return getLink(SitesLink.Rel.REPLIES, Link.Type.HTML);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the parent sites link.
   *
   * @return Parent sites link or {@code null} for none.
   */
  public Link getParentLink() {
    return getLink(SitesLink.Rel.PARENT, Link.Type.ATOM);
  }

  @Override
  public String toString() {
    return "{WebPageEntry " + super.toString() + "}";
  }

}


On a Grand Voyage, be prepared for the cruise line to cater to your every need, introduce you to spectacular destinations, dazzle you with onboard entertainment and provide an abundance of enriching activities that will help you gain a better appreciation for the dozens of ports visited along the way.
A Grand Voyage is longer in length than most other voyages and often features its most experienced crew – meaning they know destinations very well and are also adept at forming special bonds with guests. Menus are extensive and change often, entertainment puts a spotlight on regional traditions, and much more. See what is waiting for you in 2019!


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FOR FILM LOVERS: DESIGNING A FILM FESTIVAL OR FILM SERIES
Spring 2017, Johns Hopkins Homewood and on location with the Maryland Film Festival in the Station North Arts District
This programming workshop will explore two approaches to creating public events for film exhibition: the film festival, typically for showcasing new films, often by emerging artists; and the film series, which might feature films by established filmmakers of any era. (A film series may be organized around a variety of themes; for instance a director, a genre, or a national cinema.) Fellows will be introduced to the festival submissions process from both filmmaker's and organizer's perspective. They'll volunteer with the instructor on site during the Maryland Film Festival; they'll engage with professional festival organizers; and they'll participate on selection committees for other events, including BYFA's own Born in Baltimore Film & Photography Festival. Each fellow will also pursue her/his love of film and film culture by planning her own film series, first examining the current playing field then creating a program that fills a void and/or fulfills a specific mission. Fellows will finish the workshop with blueprints for sharing their passion in Baltimore communities large and small. And — there will be popcorn. Limited to 12 student fellows.
Jared Earley, memory maker, merges penchants for food and film through professional stints and personal indulgences. By day, he toils as a marketing, events, and PR professional. By night/weekend he consults for various film festivals and is the founder of the independent VHS screening series, playbackthetape (playbackthetape.com)
Cieara Adams is a Baltimore City native and graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts. She is a practicing photographer/filmmaker and is seeking training to master her craft. Her work focuses on social issues in underserved and underprivileged communities.
for film lovers film series


Investment activity in healthcare was at an all-time high in 2017 with consolidation and venture capital funding reconstructing the industry, inadvertently leaving behind a fifth of our communities.
Bigger is better was the theme as hospitals, payers, and health services companies consolidated. Diversification, vertical integration, and sheer size seem to be the target formula for navigating legislative uncertainty. CVS agreed to buy Aetna, asserting the combination could benefit consumers through improved coordination of care. Optum purchased Davita Medical Group, further expanding United Healthcare's vertical integration into care delivery. Many hospital systems consolidated, including Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives, which created the country's largest not-for-profit hospital system.
On the funding side, digital health and consumerism continued to attract billions of dollars from venture capital. The first three quarters of 2017 exceeded the combined total for 2016 digital health investments with over $5.3 billion invested, according to PwC's Q3 2017 MoneyTree Report. Many of these companies focus on personalized medicine, wearable devices, virtual care, and other strategies and innovations catering to more affluent consumers. One of the largest deals of 2017 was with 23andMe, a gene diagnostic company producing personalized reports on ancestry and health for people interested enough to spend $100 and spit in a cup.
These bigger, more digitally connected organizations represent progress, but they also leave behind a significant portion of our population and providers: those living and serving in rural communities. According to the National Rural Health Association, people living in rural areas represent almost 20% of the population in the United States. They tend to be older, have lower incomes, and are more likely to be covered by Medicaid. Access to both primary care and specialists is more challenging due to greater distances and less capacity. Rural Americans are also less likely to own a cell phone or smartphone and more likely to have limited internet: 53% lack access to adequate broadband.
Rural healthcare providers, including critical access hospitals and federally qualified health centers, face a daunting future. Often overlooked as acquisition targets, unable to afford data and IT infrastructure, and serving underconnected patients, they struggle to stay solvent. Rural hospitals in states without Medicaid expansion are more likely to close, their futures even more at risk as the Affordable Care Act continues to unravel.
Healthcare for rural residents must become a priority. Benevera Health's work in New Hampshire, where half of the hospitals are Critical Access Hospitals, can serve as a model for helping protect and improve healthcare in rural areas. Our payer/provider joint venture enables smaller hospitals to engage in value-based care, utilize data and technology, and implement new care delivery models. Smaller hospitals can leverage data and IT infrastructure and gain access to population health analytics and resources they could never afford on their own. This model enables risk sharing and participation in insurance partnerships typically reserved for large hospital systems.
Further, Benevera's approach focused on whole person, in-person care thrives in rural communities where nonmedical factors significantly impact or represent barriers to care. We serve as a single point of contact for patients, educating them on insurance, providing transportation, scheduling appointments, helping access community resources, and supporting management of clinical conditions. By providing a concierge model typically associated with higher income patients and living in the communities we serve, Benevera is embraced and quickly establishes trust with rural residents.
Rural hospitals are increasingly challenged to find opportunities to survive in the data-driven, digitally connected, bigger-is-better world of healthcare. Joint venture and partnership models such as Benevera Health offer important synergies that can enable rural hospitals to serve their communities and remain independent.
As mission-driven organizations, rural hospitals are often pillars and major employers in their communities. Their closure has even more downstream impact than critical losses in the delivery of healthcare. The healthcare industry and society at large must be committed to finding solutions.
Corbin Petro is president and CEO of Benevera Health, a technology-enabled health services organization created out of a partnership between Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and four hospital systems, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock.


If you're not sure where to start with Hackberry Tea, these teas are for you. We've combined our top selling teas regardless of category and ended up with a great combination of flavors. If you're new to Hackberry, grab this bundle and you'll see why people keep coming back for these amazing teas.
Warm Vanilla Chai: Imagine taking the perfect black tea, the best Chai spices. Then think of adding a smooth vanilla, cinnamon maybe some cloves. Steep it all a little on the strong side with some milk. My mouth is watering already.
Cocoa Coconut: A delicious treat without the guilt! Perfectly blended to balance a bold, black tea with sweet chocolate and coconut, this tea truly tastes like a candy bar in a cup. A perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
Earl Grey: Italian Bergamot. That is what defines an earl grey tea. We pair it perfectly with our blend of organic black teas that are hand-picked from gardens in Sri Lanka. Make it into a latte and your mornings will never be the same.