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Ken Hajjar
Ken Hajjar is the former director of sales and marketing at LHS Associates, the New England election contractor responsible for programming the region's voting machines. He was a childhood friend of John Silvestro, LHS's president. Before working for LHS, he was convicted and sentenced for selling cocaine. During his time at LHS, Hajjar was also involved with local New Hampshire politics in his home town of Londonderry. As an election integrity movement began in the 21st century, Hajjar came under scrutiny for his contempt towards election integrity and his criminal record.
1.2 Technology company work
1.3 Cocaine trafficking
1.4 Joining LHS Associates
1.5 NH local politics
1.6 Election contracting
1.7 Life after LHS
2.1 Conflicts of interest
2.2 Disdain for election integrity
2.3 Criminal record
Ken Hajjar was born on October 13, 1949 in Lawrence MA. He grew up with John Silvestro, his future boss at LHS Associates. Hajjar attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence and got a BA in economics at Suffolk University in Boston. Both Hajjar and Silvestro later moved to Londonderry NH.[1][2][3]
Technology company work
Cocaine trafficking
In 1987, Hajjar was arrested in Londonderry for selling cocaine. He was indicted and pled guilty, receiving a 12-month sentence in the Rockingham County jail and a fine of $2000. Thanks to his political connections (according to Bev Harris), Hajjar's sentencing was deferred for 1 year, during which he was placed on probation, and $1000 of his fine was suspended.[3][5] The timeline would imply Hajjar was on probation from 1987 to 1988 and served his jail time from 1988 to 1989.
Joining LHS Associates
In November 1994, Hajjar was hired as director of sales and marketing at LHS Associates.[4] This was nearly a decade after 1985 when LHS first got into the elections business, which Hajjar in a forum post said was "long before [he] worked there"[6]. His hiring was probably due in part to his longstanding friendship with John Silvestro, president of LHS. One the earliest public mentions of Hajjar's position at LHS came in a 1997 article.[7]
NH local politics
Around the same time he joined LHS, Hajjar got involved with Londonderry politics. He first entered town politics in the late 1980s[6], most likely late 1989. Throughout his political career, Hajjar served on numerous committees: the Budget Committee, Capital Planning Committee, Zoning Board, and others. His friend and boss at LHS, John Silvestro, was also active in Londonderry politics, serving on the Budget Committee with Hajjar.
Among many other town politicians, Hajjar gained an unfavorable reputation as an authoritarian bully. He was accused of forcefully trying to squash opposing beliefs and adopting an air of moral superiority. Some town politicians, in fact, saw him as corruptly representing the interests of the real-estate industry. Hajjar, on the other hand, viewed himself as battling constant negativity from the people of Londonderry.[8] And he openly disparaged their idea that a local cabal of "good ole boys" or realtors was controlling town politics.[6]
One political issue Hajjar got involved in was the decision to site an AES power plant in Londonderry. Hajjar fervently supported the plant, speaking in favor of it at town meetings (including one in August 1998[9]). The town held a non-binding referendum over the power plant siting in 1999, which Hajjar disturbingly threatened to rig. On February 3, Hajjar called into a radio show and angrily attacked two women guests who were activists against the AES plant. When the radio host said the voters would decide on the power plant, Hajjar responded "We'll just stuff the ballots". The women were horrified, especially upon learning that he worked for LHS, the state's election contractor. They told John Silvestro, who dismissed their concerns before getting angry and walking away. On election day (March 9), Hajjar visited the polls repeatedly, announcing his intention to vote multiple times. Ultimately, the AES measure was defeated, but the town council passed it anyway.[10]
A Londonderry resident's report of Hajjar's threat
In 2007, Hajjar vehemently opposed the formation of a Londonderry ethics committee, arguing it ran the risk of becoming an ideological "witch hunt".[8][6]
Election contracting
Part of Hajjar's LHS marketing job was downplaying, if not denigrating, any possibility that elections could be rigged. He also defended questionable company practices that could have opened the door to exactly that.
In 2006, Dori Smith of Talk Nation Radio interviewed Ken Hajjar about voting machine security in New England. He demonstrated a deep resentment of election integrity concerns, remarking that her questions illustrated "how dangerous the Internet has become" and calling voting machine security reports "superfluous". He also defended LHS's practice of swapping out memory cards in the middle of an election, a dangerous practice that provides an opportunity to introduce malicious code. When Smith pointed out that the practice was illegal in Connecticut, Hajjar replied "I don't pay attention to every little law". Furthermore, he claimed that the pre-election test would alleviate any chain-of-custody concerns with LHS replacing memory cards (despite pre-election testing being trivial to game).[11]
In 2007, Hajjar attacked several election integrity activists. He derided Brad Friedman, a blogger on election integrity issues, and his readers as "looney idealogues [sic]" who were "full of shit" for covering issues with voting machine scurity. He also called the AccuVote OS vulnerability found by Bev Harris and Harri Hursti a "scam", asserting that New England elections were impossible to rig, and labeled Nancy Tobi (a New Hampshire election integrity activist) as "clueless".[12]
LHS Associates became the target of serious scrutiny in 2008 after the suspect 2008 New Hampshire primary. Hajjar's criminal record of cocaine trafficking was dug up by Bev Harris's investigative team.
Until at least 2008, Hajjar lived in Londonderry. By 2012, he had moved to Salem NH[13], which LHS Associates relocated to from Methuen MA in 2011.
Life after LHS
Hajjar worked at LHS Associates until at least 2015. Sometime after the summer of 2015[14], he apparently retired, moving to Raymond NH.[1][15]
Hajjar's position as a local politician in Londonderry was a conflict of interest with his job at LHS. He had an incentive to manipulate town politics, particularly due to LHS being paid from the local budget and his own potential corruption. As a result, there were numerous elections in which he had a vested interest: his own elections, other local races, town referenda, and more. Hajjar's job left the possibility that he would use his influence to tamper with them. In fact, there was a 1999 Londonderry ballot measure over the siting of an AES power plant which Hajjar supported so strongly that he threatened to rig the election to make it pass.
Disdain for election integrity
Hajjar has been extremely contemptuous towards election integrity and its activists. He's asserted that New England elections are impossible to rig, dismissing security reports and attacking several activists as paranoid, crazy, and delusional. Meanwhile, he's defended and partook in an LHS practice of swapping out memory cards mid-election that leaves the door open to fraud, and he literally did threaten to rig an election in 1999.
Hajjar's criminal record of cocaine sales also raises concerns about the integrity of past LHS-programmed elections. His drug trafficking might have linked him to other organized crime figures with an interest in election fraud, or opened him up to blackmail. This is even more troubling when considering Bev Harris's assertion that Hajjar's sentence was reduced due to his political connections, indicating that he owed somebody favors.
Hajjar's criminal record and local political decisions might imply influence by organized crime and corporate interests (real-estate and fossil fuel companies). His town politics record would need to be looked at more.
At the state and national level, Hajjar's politics are somewhat muddled. He claims to have been a lifelong progressive since the days of McGovern in 1972.[16] His Facebook posts in support of the Democratic Party back this up[1], as do his campaign donations to Democrats (Obama[13], NH Democratic congressional candidates[17][15], and ActBlue earmarks[14]). However, his party registration is unaffiliated, and in 2000-2008, he voted only in Republican presidential primaries.[2]
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Facebook page
↑ 2.0 2.1 Voter registration info
↑ 3.0 3.1 Criminal record
↑ 4.0 4.1 LinkedIn page
↑ Drug trafficking sentence - offense on 1987/09/14
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Hajjar debating political ethics 2
↑ Hajjar was director of sales and marketing as far back as 1997
↑ 8.0 8.1 Hajjar debating political ethics 1
↑ Hajjar on the Londonderry power plant
↑ Hajjar threatening to rig an election
↑ Disdain for election integrity
↑ Attack on Brad Friedman as "full of shit" (original comment)
↑ 13.0 13.1 Donations to Obama for America (2008 and 2012)
↑ 14.0 14.1 Donations through ActBlue (2015)
↑ 15.0 15.1 Donations to Maggie for NH (2016)
↑ Claim of being a longtime progressive
↑ Donations to Carol Shea-Porter for Congress (2008)
Raymond Area News, "Write-In Ken Hajjar for Ethics Committee" by Ken Hajjar, 2018/03/10: "My name is Ken Hajjar and I would like your Write-In vote for Ethics Committee. I moved to Raymond in 2014 from Londonderry where I served in many capacities. I was elected several times to the Budget Committee, where I spent 15 years and was the second highest vote getter among 20 candidates to the Charter commission. I served for several years on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and more than 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Londonderry youth athletic association. I was host of a local public affairs program on Londonderry community access television. I served for many years on the Londonderry Old Home Days committee and was twice selected as Parade Marshall. My professional career was in sales and marketing with the final 20 years as sales manager for LHS Associates, the leading provider of vote tabulating equipment in New Hampshire and New England. I am retired and am currently on the Board of Directors of the Sherwood Glen Condo Association."
New England Telephone background - was an account executive from Feb. 1974 to Oct. 1980
Harvard Crimson, "Chomsky Files Suit Alleging Wiretaps", 1971/11/30: "A. Noam Chomsky, Ward Professor of Linguistics at MIT, filed suit in Federal District Court in Boston yesterday charging that his telephone has been illegally tapped. The suit names Attorney General John N. Mitchell, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and the New England Telephone Company as defendants."
George O'Toole, "BIG MOTHER IS LISTENING: An ear-burning expose of Ma Bell's Private CIA", 1976: "James H. Ashley, a former official of Southwestern Bell, recently revealed that, "In the past ten years. the Bell System has upgraded its security force. doubling it in size and hiring FBI types who are used to using wiretaps." But the telephone cops don't all belong to a single, giant police force. All Bell System companies and a few of the larger independent telephone companies have their own security departments. The unifying organization that unofficially links most of these security forces is the Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-the FBI agents' alumni club. The Society, which has been described by one former agent as "Hoover's Loyal Legion," consists of some 5,000 gung-ho ex-agents, about half of the total number of former FBI agents. The Society's membership has included such distinguished peace officers as: Robert Maheu, the Las Vegas private eye and Howard Hughes henchman who allegedly helped recruit Mafia hit men for the CIA's attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro; the late William Harvey, an alumnus of both the FBI and the CIA, also involved in the abortive Castro hits; George Wackenhut, president of the rent-a-cop service that bears his name and director of Florida Governor Claud Kirk's private police force back in the 1960s; Arthur Hanes, a former segregationist mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, and defense attorney for the Ku Klux Klan.
The Society's Executive Services Committee functions as a clearing house for top-level private security jobs, insuring wherever possible that such openings are filled by loyal FBI alumni. The company affiliations of the members reads like the Fortune 500 list of major American companies. Former special agents hold down senior security positions in virtually every major oil company, airline, automobile manufacturer, aerospace manufacturer and bank in the country. The telephone company security departments are particularly well represented.
Of the 665 security officers who work for Bell System telephone companies, at least 76 are former FBI agents, and most of these ex-agents are in management positions. Joseph Doherty, AT&T's Corporate Security Director and architect of the massive wiretapping program that recorded 1.8 million private telephone conversations, is a member of the Society. Senior security executives of New England Telephone and Telegraph, Bell Telephone of Pennsylvania, Northwest Bell, Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph, Pacific Northwest Bell and Pacific Telephone and Telegraph are also members of Hoover's Loyal Legion. South Central Bell's security manager for the state of Alabama is one of three ex-agents who hold senior posts in that Bell System subsidiary. Thirteen Society members work for Southern Bell, including two General Security Managers, two Division Security Supervisors and the security manager for the state of Tennessee. Southwestern Bell also boasts 13 Society members, all with the title of security manager or security supervisor and scattered throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas."
Siemens / ROLM background - was an account executive from Feb. 1983 to Mar. 1993 who "Prospected, qualified, and sold medium to large telecommunications systems to general business"
Wikipedia page on ROLM Corporation
Drug trafficking case
Case 89-S-1151 in the Rockingham County Superior Court (New Hampshire)
Londonderry town politics involvement
Nashua Telegraph, "Selectmen send policy on nudity to liquor board", 1992/01/10: "The policy was opposed by only four people, three from the group Citizens Against Censorship, and resident Ken Hajjar, a member of the town Budget Committee."
1999 Londonderry annual report
Photo of Hajjar demonstrating a voting machine
2006 BBV forum post where Hajjar challenges the Hursti hack
Organized crime in Londonderry NH
Drug trafficking during the late 1980s
99th Congress 2d Session, "DRUG ABUSE AND DRUG TRAFFICKING IN NEW ENGLAND", 1987/03/20
Nashua Telegraph, "State may focus trial of Moulton on alleged Whalen drug dealings", 1987/09/22
Nashua Telegraph, "Drugs change French Hill", 1988/01/24
Londonderry blog mentions Londonderry Times and "the dirty underworld of town politics, favoritism, and the good old boy network"
New Hampshire Business Review, "Questions linger over gambling operation legal matters", 2005/02/04
Laconia Daily Sun, "HART NEPHEW CONVICTED OF GAMBLING IN MASS 15 YEARS AGO", 2013/11/29
Wife Arlene Hajjar is a real estate agent for Remax
Methuen High School yearbook for the class of 1983 - mentions the "Prophecy" that "Kenny Hajjar has just been appointed truancy officer by town council members Patty Bell, Sheila Dubois, Karen Gorrie, Rachel Lamontagne, George Araskiewicz, and Debbie Bolduc"; does not match the age of this page's Ken Hajjar
Retrieved from "http://cavdef.org/w/index.php?title=Ken_Hajjar&oldid=10465"
Political masqueraders


I am twenty three. 23. That is two whole decades and then some.
When I was ten, I thought twenty was lightyears away; that to get there, time and space would move so quickly that I'd wake up and one day my life would just be laid out for me.
I remember we would have to tell adults what we would want to be when we grew up. It was and still is my least favorite question. Hell, I didn't even know what I would be doing during recess…how was ten year old me supposed to know what I wanted to do as a viable career?
At the time, I didn't know why I disliked the idea of thinking about my future so much. But, looking back, I know. For children, and even for adults, there is no wiggle room and definitely no such thing as a gap year. Your future as a grown up meant a job title. Lawyer. Doctor. Teacher. Defined roles and no time for a discussion of you as a fully functioning little human.
I am doing my damnedest to reverse that thought process.
Maybe because when we teach children occupations as aspirations instead of qualities or convictions, we will inevitably become adults that focus on structure, on job titles, on climbing the ladder.
Children are grown enough to take stock of what we ask of them. They're smart enough to realize what others value and what they don't. So what if we gave them real opportunities to show us who they are now and who they could be down the line? They may not know what they want to do for a living, but we can teach them how to live.
I am going to try and do this with the young ones in my life, and I encourage you to do the same. What are some other questions we could be asking children in our lives? Share what you do to help validate our children and encourage their growth!


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Tsarskoe Selo State Museum > Museums > Palaces & Parks > The Alexander Park > The Landscape Рark > The Martial Chamber
The Martial Chamber
The Martial Chamber is open as a World War I Museum from 5 August 2014
The history of the World War I Museum at Tsarskoye Selo began in 1911 when Elena Tretyakova, widow of the brother of the founder of the Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow, presented Emperor Nicholas II with a collection of paintings, documents and trophies of the wars Russia partook in since ancient times. At the emperor's behest, the collection formed the basis for the army history museum at the Martial Chamber complex built in the Russian Revival style by the architect Semyon Sidorchuk alongside the Alexander Park in 1913-17 on donations from different patrons, including Elena Tretyakova who became the museum's director and curator.
Free e-book about World War One, written by Tsarskoye Selo experts and released in AppStore in Russian and English
In 1915, a year after the war broke out, Nicholas II ordered to enlarge the collection with the specially commissioned portraits of St George crosses awarded soldiers and officers and with trophies brought from the battlefronts, thus making World War I the museum's main theme. On June 24th the Admiralty in St Petersburg held a WWI trophies exhibit including "Tretyakova's section (gathered for Tsarskoye Selo Museum)", which presented over a hundred pieces of art, documentation, photography, German and Austrian soldier equipment, as well as books, maps, and even a shot-down Zeppelin airship.
February 1917 saw the opening of the Great 1914-18 War Museum at the Martial Chamber, which unfortunately lasted not longer than until 1919. During the revolution years in Russia its exhibits were relocated or destroyed.
The Martial Chamber was transferred under the control of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve in 2008. The restored World War I Museum is open there from 5 August 2014 for WWI Centenary, as a permanent display named Russia in the Great War.
Plan of the Рark
The New Garden
The Landscape Рark
The Arsenal
The Chapelle
The Children's House
The Imperial Farm
The Pensioners' Stable
The Horses' Cemetery
The Llama Pavilion

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag Archives: Risk (game)
New Game Weekend: Memoir '44
I'm about 10 years late to the WWII board game Memoir '44, but after a few first plays through it this past weekend I'm glad this modern classic is now part of my gaming arsenal. Released by Days of Wonder on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Invasion in 2004, the game has won numerous awards and remains high in the esteem of casual and serious wargamers alike.
Contents of the basic Memoir '44 game from Days of Wonder
The base Memoir '44 game runs about $40 and contains over 300 playing pieces. The blue-grey Axis and green Allies tank, infantry, artillery and defensive features look fantastic, and playing with them evokes the little plastic toy soldiers of many a kid's youth. The reversible game board with a beach on one side and countryside map on the other provides the basic layout for the more than a dozen historic scenarios included in the easily-read rulebook. Scenarios are laid out using hex tiles with various terrain features such as towns, forests, hills, rivers and hedgerows. Each historic game scenario is presented with a clear illustration on how to lay out the appropriate terrain tiles and initially deploy forces on each side.
Sample Command Cards from Memoir '44
Command cards and battle dice provide the basic drivers of game mechanics. Cards provide activation of one or more units in the left, right and/or center portions of the board. Infantry may move once and attack or move twice, artillery may move or shoot, and tanks may move up to three hexes and engage in combat. Attacks are resolved with a simple roll of special battle dice which hit units based on the icon results on each die face and what units are present in the combat. Die rolls may also result in misses of forced retreats. When a player finishes their moves and combats, they draw a fresh card and play passes to the opposite side of the board. Games are scored by destroying units or securing objectives like bridges.
The Sainte-Mère-Église scenario for Memoir '44
As fairly experienced WWII historical miniatures players with Flames of War, both my son and I were pleasantly surprised by the fun to be had with Memoir '44. The intro scenario is for Pegasus Bridge which we tackled in about 20 minutes to get a feel for the game. Next up, we tried Sainte-Mère-Église with a fun added feature of actually dropping a fistful of paratroopers onto the board. We both found the command cards to be a good mechanic to represent the effectiveness of delivering orders on the battlefield. In out second game, my son's tanks lay parked at the corner of the board the entire game since he never drew a card allowing activation of units to his left. We each pulled a couple special cards, allowing things like airstrikes and close assaults to happen as the game quickly moved to a finish in about four or five turns. With the basic rules under our belts, we're anxious to push on through the remaining scenarios included in the basic rules.
Contents of the Memoir '44 Terrain Pack expansion
The scores of available official scenarios, expansion editions, campaign books and army packs add an amazing amount of replay value to Memoir '44's basic rules and mechanics. A nifty online design scenario design tool also allows armchair historians to have a go at creating official-looking games of their own, and I can just imagine the educational possibilities in using it in school settings. Along with the base game, I snatched a copy of the Terrain Pack expansion which offers nearly 150 additional tiles, markers, special unit tokens and four additional scenarios. With the vast expansions of Memoir '44, just about any interest in the air and land battles of every major front in WWII can be endlessly played and explored.
I realize I've just begun with Memoir '44, and I'm certain to have both my boys playing along with me. There's so much appeal in Memoir '44 for kids or adults who have dabbled casually in war-themed board games like Risk or Stratego, plus the added interest of easily replaying historic WWII battles. Quick games, some real history and a fun box of toys — Memoir '44 brings the complete package to the table.
Posted in New Game Weekend, World War II
Tagged board games, D-Day, Days Of Wonder, Flames of War, Memoir '44, Normandy landings, Operation Market Garden, Pegasus Bridge, Risk (game), Stratego, World War II
New Game Weekend: Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal between August 1942 and February 1943 was the first major Allied campaign set on crushing the Japanese foothold in the Pacific region. Fought in bloody air, sea and island engagements, the seven months of battle resulted in a significant shift in superiority to the Allies in the region and led to the beginnings of the downfall of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific.
Most of my wargaming happens on dry land and usually somewhere in Europe. The Pacific War in WWII always seems so separate, sprawling and overwhelming to me with its mix of different combined combats, complex supply lines and different territorial agendas. That said, dabbling in this portion of the war gives me a chance to use some very different tactics and strategies I'm not used to gaming. So, with a short couple of hours to spare recently at Metropolitan Wargamers in Brooklyn, NY, I tried my hand at some WWII Pacific action with Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal.
The popular Axis & Allies boardgame series from Avalon Hill (owned by Wizards of the Coast) has been around for more than 20 years and covers many specific eras, battles and theaters of WWII. More recently, a WWI game has also been added in time for the 100th-anniversary of that conflict. The A&A games are readily available from a number of book and department stores, and they vary in complexity and time commitment. Mt first introduction to the series was with the Spring 1942 game which weaned my younger son and I off much simpler war board games like Risk forever. The great design, hundreds of sculpted plastic playing pieces, economic factors and combat mechanics make the A&A games a great way for old and new wargamers alike to engage in hours of very satisfying play.
A&A: Guadalcanal board and game pieces (including the "battle box" at left)
The Guadalcanal game presents a map of the South Pacific islands and sea zones contested by US and Japanese forces. Victory points are determined by building and controlling island airstrips. As in the actual campaign, quickly capturing islands and building airstrips is critical not only to endgame victory but in providing bases to supply and deploy additional forces. Aside from capturing islands, controlling the three main sea zones at the center of the board (aka "The Slot") is key in controlling the transport of crucial supllies and reinforcements.
The combat system in the game uses a "battle box" containing a dozen dice which are shaken and reveal various randomized target effects. With land, air and sea units crowding the board, the confused mass of combined arms is neatly accounted for with a few shakes of the unique battle box.
Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal at Metropolitan Wargamers
In my first play as the Americans, I quickly captured the southern half of Guadalcanal while my Japanese opponent began a big push with his navy toward The Slot. In the second turn I was able to press on to Malaita and build a second airstrip of Guadalcanal to take an early lead in victory points.
With the Japanese navy massing in the central sea zone I made a risky gamble in turn three sending in a huge air attack which destroyed a few ships and damaged a battleship but was repulsed with overwhelming deadly force. With a vastly-depleted air force, I scrambled to build myself back up as the Japanese built an airstrip on Bougainville and I made moves toward Santa Isabel. By turn four my navy headed west along the southern coast of New georgia in the hopes of catching the Japanese navy from behind. While I was able to destroy a number of Japanese submarines at the western edge of the island, my attack on Santa Isabel was halted and the Japanese took the game.
A&A: Guadalcanal moves fast for two players, playing in about 2 hours. The short nature of the game makes every move from turn one onward important with little room for error. My lesson learned in the first game was not to run too fast toward facing-off against the superior Japanese fleet early, perhaps opting instead for a greater build-up of supply to gain island footholds to launch later game attacks.
The Axis & Allies series is fantastic for out-of-the-box playability with the different game versions each offering realistically-specific game dynamics for several WWII theaters and battles. Not being a big Pacific War gamer, A&A: Guadalcanal makes for a perfect way for me to get my feet wet and expand a bit of my gaming experience to another corner of the 20th-century's greatest conflict.
Tagged Allies of World War II, Avalon Hill, Axis & Allies, Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal, Axis & Allies: Spring 1942, Axis & Allies: WWI 1914, Battle of Guadalcanal, board games, Guadalcanal, Japan, Metropolitan Wargamers, Naval Combat, Pacific War, Risk (game), United States, wargaming, Wizards of the Coast, World War I, World War II
New Game Weekend: Civilization & Advanced Civilization
Earlier in the week I posted about the elegantly quick board game Eight-Minute Empire: Legends I first had a chance to play last weekend at Metropolitan Wargamers in Brooklyn, NY. After a brief, engaging 20 minutes with Legends, I joined four other players in another game that was also new to me and a completely different experience — Advanced Civilization.
Civilization game board with Western expansion map to the left
Civilization by UK game designer Francis Tresham was published by Avalon Hill in 1981 and introduced a number of now-standard gaming elements found in many board and video games today. Ten years later, Advanced Civilization offered some refinements, additions and simplifications to the game. Playing with 2-8 players and running to 8, 10, 12 or more rivetingly-complex hours, Civilization has become one of the signature games of the past 40 years.
Advanced Civilization's innovative Archaeological Succession Table (AST)
At its core, Civilization is an area control game played in the Mediterranean region in an 8000-year period spanning the Stone Age through the Iron Age. Each player picks a civilization and places a single population marker in a territory in their color-coded beginning edge of the board. Territories each support varying numbers of population, indicated in each area. Population doubles each turn, so one marker grows to two. If the space cannot sustain more than the noted number of population markers, players must move and expand their population to new territories or "starve" population down to the maximum load for the territory. A population census grid on the Archaeology Succession Track (AST) notes population growth of each civilization and determines the order of play the following turn.
Moving six population markers to a space with a black square allows the settlement of a city, and twelve may settle a city in a blank space. Establishing cities allows the harvesting of goods the likes of Hides & Ochre, Salt & Timber or Gems & Dye. Drawn in turn order, the stacks of commodities cards also hide calamity cards which have adverse effect on a civilization through such things as Famine, Civil War, Flood or Volcano. Each round includes trading where players must keep certain untradeable calamities while trading away certain goods and other calamities in the quest to collect sets of cards which may then be turned into technologies. The technologies build upon each other through the building of a Technology Tree ("Tech Tree") which advances with additional abilities and protections for the civilization. Simple beginning technologies like Pottery, Mythology and Music aid early societies but lose importance over time. Philosophy, Democracy, Law, Trade Empire, Advanced Military and Golden Age technologies score the greatest points and advance a society through the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages to eventual victory.
Advanced Civilization at Metropolitan Wargamers
The AST and Tech Tree become the major machines in propelling the game forward, and evolutions of these elements have been incorporated into countless board and video games since their introduction with Civilization. These two innovations make Civilization and other subsequent games like Clash of Cultures focused more largely on elements of managing resources and cultural advancement than traditional combat-focused area control games like Risk. Resource management and building based on collection of resources shows up in so many games, prominently so in the widely-popular Settlers of Catan. Somewhat controversially, the video and board game versions of the Sid Meir's Civilization franchise owes a great deal both in its mechanics to the Avalon Hill game which preceded it in theme and name.
Civilization is incredibly compelling and eerily historic in how it plays and forces the hand of history. Players who begin with small civilizations are forced into territorial expansion through population growth or risk starvation of their people. Once cities thrive, feeding those cities becomes another concern and reason for more expansion. Soon, players find themselves in a loop where development begets expansion begets development. Isolated societies have to begin moving farther afield over land of through developing shipbuilding and sailing technologies. Resources become important to build technologies to further enhance and protect their civilization. By building more cities, more valuable goods are obtained and more advanced technologies may be developed. With all players expanding their societies by mid-game, civilizations eventually must compete for room in the region. War becomes somewhat inevitable, but diplomacy and mutual-beneficial trade also gain special importance as the game moves on and civilization begin to settle into specific paths to winning the game.
Of the hundreds of games I've played, I now understand why Civilization holds a special place in the hearts of gamers. Committing to hours upon hours of play becomes a game mechanic unto itself as players of Civilization must maintain focused attention on mentally-exhausting detail. Yes, Civilization is a game, but a marvelously intriguing one to play in the context of our own world where population, space, resources and technologies play out with increasingly dire importance as human civilization marches toward our own eventual historical endgame.
Tagged Advanced Civilization, archaelogical succession table, area control, Avalon Hill, board games, Civilization, Clash of Cultures, Francis Tresham, Metropolitan Wargamers, Risk (game), Settlers of Catan, Sid Meier, tech tree, technology tree, video games, wargaming
New Game Weekend: Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia
After a week away on vacation I returned to Brooklyn and the Metropolitan Wargamers club in Park Slope this past weekend. The club was packed on the Labor Day weekend with lots of different games hitting the tables. I paired-off with one of my fellow members to try out his new copy of Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia.
Based on the latest game in the long-running Bioshock video game franchise, this 2013 boardgame is at its root an area control game. Players choose to play as one of the two factions – the Vox Populi led by Daisy Fitzroy and the Founders led by Zachary H. Comstock. The game plays in a one-on-one two-player game or in a four-player team version of the game.
Play begins with each faction placing their starting miniatures and Turret and Home Base building markers. Each turn begins with the draw of a victory point mission card followed by a World Event Card which kicks off a secret vote with each player committing influence points from their hand of five Action cards. Winning or defeating the vote varies in importance, as the neutral Booker and Elizabeth characters advance to different spaces on the board and other game-changing events are put into play.
The winner of the vote also receives the first turn marker which is key to controlling the flow of the game. Starting with the first player, units are purchased or Action cards are upgraded with Silver Eagle coins. Action card upgrades give you greater influence in votes, stronger combat values or more purchasing power in subsequent turns. The player then moves up to four units to adjacent squares or takes a chnace gliding to neighboring territories across the Skyline. Most units move one space but the Founders' Songbird and Voz Populi's Airship models each move up to two spaces. Skyline moves are achieved through rolls of special dice sliding you to the next node or risking a fall into thin air with each roll.
Combat occurs next. Common, Special and Leader units each carry a different die value, with different colored dice being rolled to resolve combat situations. Loss of a combat results in a figure being removed. Playing Action cards and upgrades add to combat effectiveness as do the special Turret markers. Conquering unoccupied spaces earns additional Silver Eagle coins, and controlling all spaces in a territory earns victory points. Destroyed units are removed from play or returned to Home Base safe havens. A mix of controlling territories and completing missions of combined actions wins victory points, and the first player to ten victory points wins the game.
There's a lot going on in this game, and well-played plans and strategies are forced to change as world events switch from turn to turn. In my first game, I found controlling the first player spot was key. However, controlling the first player role means spending lots of cards which can come back to haunt you in a heavy combat challenge later in a turn. As the game advances, the heroine Elizabeth moves along a timeline track which also alters how the game plays out. Her protector Booker is also a big spoiler in swaying votes and possibly attacking each faction at different points in the game. Unlike most area control games where occupying and defending a won territory is often enough to ensure victory, the Skyline allows an opposing player to drop right into or behind your defenses and attack.
For a bit more of an intro to the game's actual gameplay, check out the video below from the alwyas-entertaining Watch It Played video series.
If you aren't up on your Bioshock Infinite video game lore, I could see some initial challenges in wrapping your head around the interplay of the characters, factions and events in the boardgame. I've spent quite a few hours watching my son work his way through the spectacular action and storyline in the video game, making my understanding of the boardgame's narrative a bit richer from the get-go. Whether you're a fan of the video game already or just interested in a really rich and challenging area control board game experience, you should hop the next airship back in time for the floating nation of Columbia.
BioShock: The Board Game (huffingtonpost.co.uk)
BioShock Infinite Has A Board Game And It's Brutal (kotaku.com)
Tagged Bioshock Infinite, Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia, board games, Metropolitan Wargamers, miniatures, Plaid Hat Games, Risk (game), sci-fi, steampunk, video games, Watch It Played


Classic Holidays has announced Bali's Classic Lofts @ Seminyak Square is set to be the latest property to join their international resort portfolio.
Located in the seaside suburb of Seminyak, Classic Holidays members throughout Australia and New Zealand will be able to book into the luxurious property from December, 2017.
Classic Holidays CEO Ramy Filo said the villa-style accommodation is their first resort addition in Bali.
"At Classic Holidays, we are always looking beyond our horizons to where our members want to holiday most, and Bali is one of the top destinations in demand," said Mr Filo.
Only 6km from Denpasar Airport and just north of the bustling streetscapes of Kuta and Legian, Seminyak is a highly sought-after holiday destination, featuring fantastic shopping, restaurants, bars, beaches and nightlife.
Mr Filo said with Bali being such a high demand destination, Classic Lofts @ Seminyak Square is expected to be a major drawcard for members looking to maximise holiday opportunities through their Classic Holidays membership.
For more information about Classic Lofts @ Seminyak Square, visit the website at www.classicholidays.com.au/resort/classic-lofts-seminyak-square.


Sterk & Donker, our ode to the Belgian Dark Strong Ale, aged in STARWARD whisky casks for 12 months. We created our own dark Belgian style candi syrup to add to the layers of malt complexity. Notes of whisky, dried fruits, oak and Belgian yeast esters combine into a truly harmonious blend.


After years of rhetoric from both parties, the Obama administration is finally making plans to combat America's opioid addiction crisis. The official White House statement mentions new programs that will focus on treatment and prevention, rather than punishment and prosecution.
This comes at a time when deaths from heroin, prescription painkillers, and other forms of opioid addiction are at record highs, particularly in states such as New Hampshire and West Virginia. More than two million Americans suffer from heroin addiction, and nearly half a million struggle with prescription opioids. The number of heroin overdose deaths has hugely increased in the past 20 years, while the number of deaths from prescription opioids has tripled. Meanwhile, the number of opioid prescriptions is soaring. Around 75 million opioids were prescribed in 1991; more than 200 million are now prescribed each year.
According to the announcement, the new plan will allocate more than a billion dollars towards expanding opioid treatment programs across the country. It will make it easier for Americans suffering from addiction diseases to receive care under government programs such as Medicaid, and will expand access to lifesaving overdose medications such naxalone. The program will also create educational programs aimed at reducing the over-prescription of painkillers.
The administration will also create a special task force specifically aimed at fighting the opioid addiction crisis. This will include more traditional, tough on crime style solutions, such as a DEA program that focuses on blocking the online purchase of opioids. Whether these programs will integrate with the treatment-first approach remains to be seen.
A new turn in the war against opioid addiction?
The announcement is a small change in a much needed series of policy turns required to undo the so-called tough on crime drug stances created by Republicans in the 80s, and continued by the Clinton administration through the 90s. There has been a turn in public opinion recently, with even Republicans such as Chris Christie arguing that the U.S. must refocus on providing treatment to the millions of Americans struggling with addiction diseases.
Only time will tell how these decisions affect the Obama legacy—whether the program is a toothless show of goodwill, or a genuine move to change the way our government treats those who need it most.
Featured image via Flikr by Eric Norris available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
Matt writes about politics, technology, and millennial issues. He works as a blogger, journalist, and copywriter in Austin, Texas.


text:
Apple Heart Study Met with Praise, Skepticism
The Apple Heart Study examined more than 400,000 patients over the course of a year, but some experts were less than thrilled with the outcomes.
Last week—for better or worse—the Apple Heart Study captured the attention of those outside of the cardiology community following its presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2019 Annual Scientific Session.
While the trial has been making headlines for its impressive study size and implications for the advancement telehealth, experts in the field remain skeptical about what the study mean immediately for remotely diagnosing, treating atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients.The study examined 419,297 people with an Apple Watch and compatible iPhone. The participants, who were required to have not been previously diagnosed with AF nor have taken anticoagulant therapy, downloaded the Heart Study app. The app sent users a notification if it detected 5 of 6 repeat tachograms of an irregular pulse within a 48-hour period. The study sought to measure the proportion of participants with an irregular pulse watch notification (IPWN) who have AF on subsequent electrocardiogram (ECG), to characterize the concordance of the IPWN algorithm to simultaneously-recorded ambulatory ECG, and to measure the rate of initial contact with a health care provider within 3 months of the IPWN.
A notification was received by 2161 participants (.52%). Of that group, patches ECG patches were sent to 658 participants; 450 were returned and included in the analysis. AF was identified in 34% of those who received a notification and wore the patch. Notification rates were most common in participants over the age of 65 and were lowest among those under 40.
The positive predictive value for the tachogram was 71% and was 84% for the notification. Investigators found that about half of the participants who received a notification sought the attention of a study doctor. Additionally, 57% of participants who received an alert sought medical care outside of the study. Investigators emphasized the value of finding and presenting baseline reports of accuracy for a werable device that could eventually play a bigger role in public health.
"[Overall], this study improves our understanding of how this wearable technology and app works in the real-world setting and how well the technology can detect long periods of AFib," said Mintu Turakhia, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, and the study's co-principal investigator, in a statement. Physicians, including Peter Toth, MD, PhD, director of preventive cardiology at CGH Medical Center and clinical professor at the University of Illinois, expressed enthusiam about the results, and what the field "can make of it."
"We need long-term studies to determine if it does make a difference," Toth told MD Magazine®. "This whole field is in its infancy, but it's evolving rapidly."
Jason H. Wasfy, MD, medical director of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, echoed optimism for the study's potential, highlighting the shee size of the study's data.
"There are some concerning effects, false positives and so forth and so on, but I think more than anything it points to the future of both clinical trials and care delivery," Wasfy explained. "That we have tools now that are, at least potentially, far more efficacious than traditional care delivery tools."
While some cardiologists commended the study, others took issues with certain aspects of the study and its results. Venkatesh Murthy, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, was one of many who took to Twitter to express his thoughts, pointing out on a thread apparent issues with the study's diagnostic accuracy and the overall cost of conducting the trial.
I'm going to wait until about 200+ votes before proceeding. This is an important tweetorial. Please build up interest by retweeting the first tweet in this thread.
Depending on time/interest, we will cover:
1. Diagnostic accuracy
2. Bias
3. Costs of trials
— Venk Murthy (@venkmurthy) March 16, 2019
Murthy told MD Mag he believes this type of technology will have a role in medicine, but that people should "temper the enthusiasm" until there is better data.
"I believe we need a randomized trial which shows that receiving this type of information leads to improvements in rate of stroke, death, myocardial infarction and other important health outcomes. To date, we don't even know if this device leads to better peace of mind among its users, let alone whether it saves lives," Murthy said.
Paul Friedman, MD, profesor of medicine and chair of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Mayo Clinic, joined Murthy in taking to Twitter to express his concerns with the study.
1. The Apple Watch Study presented at #acc19 is a remarkable feasibility study -- over 400,000 people participated in just over a year...BUT....
— Paul Friedman, MD (@drpaulfriedman) March 17, 2019
"The present study was important for showing how to enroll many people and gather some clinical information—but doesn't inform practice," Friedman explained in a series of tweets. "Rather—it lays the groundwork for how to conduct the studies that will answer the question of what to do if your watch sees AF."
Whether optimistic or cautious, physicians could still agree this was far from the last iteration of the Apple Heart study data.
"It's not a finished product, but what is a finished product?" Toth said. "They will find many, many applications for this, I'm sure of that."


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barrow, william c. (4)
noble, bernie (3)
barrow, phrone (2)
bartimole, roldo (2)
city club of cleveland (2)
hastings-willinger & associates (2)
landesman, geoffrey (2)
ashbolt, william a. (1)
1930 ca. (1)
4680 x 3691 pixels (2)
768 pixels by 1024 pixels (2)
10x8 inches (1)
14 x 10 in. (1)
television programs (22)
cc fair exhibit (16)
cuyahoga river (13)
wews (channel 5) (13)
wkyc (channel 3) (8)
television personalities (7)
stokes, carl b. (6)
bridges, steel (5)
Description: channel
Rich industrial future, Independence Park, 1961
Aerial views; Canal Road (Valley View, Ohio); Cuyahoga River; Industrial facilities; Dams
Aerial view of the future Independence Park. Article reads, "A rich industrial future may become a reality for the flood-prone Cuyahoga River valley. Congress has taken the first big step towards what might result in a Tinker's Creek Dam project...
Blizzard of 1977 [video]
Blizzards; Storms
Channel 5 news report on the 1977 blizzard in Cleveland.
Baltimore and Ohio Bridge Number 463
Bridges; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridges; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge Number 463; Cuyahoga River; Bridges, jackknife bascule; Bridges, Steel; Railroad bridges
Built in 1956, the B & O #463 is a record-making jackknife bascule bridge. This bridge was built to replace another bridge at this location during the widening of the Cuyahoga River. This bridge has a main span of 255 feet and a 231 feet clear...
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge Number 463
Lake Shore Blvd. Bridge #151
Bridges; Beam Bridges; Lake Shore Blvd.; Euclid Creek; Lake Shore Blvd. Bridge
"Lake Shore Blvd. Br. over Euclid Creek (new channel)." -- photo verso.
Oblique aerial view of completed bridge with environs.
Ship channel
Bridges; Iron mining; Mining equipment; Canals; Steamboats; Industrial productivity
"Ship channel, north of west side filtration plant. boats are on opposite side of channel. the Erie pays $25 a year for this land" --photo verso.
WEWS Channel 5 mobile broadcasting unit
Broadcasting; Television production & direction; Television broadcasting; WEWS (Channel 5)
Silver, mobile unit used for broadcasting on location for WEWS (Channel 5) TV in Cleveland, Ohio.
Linn Sheldon as Og the leprechaun
Celebrities; Sheldon, Linn
Early photograph of Linn Sheldon in costume as Og the leprechaun, a character from the musical "Finian's Rainbow", performed as part of his night club act.
Center Street Swing Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, swung open for river traffic
Center Street Swing Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio); Bridges; Cuyahoga River; Swing bridges; Bridges, Steel; Truss bridges; Veterans Memorial Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio)
Illustrates the operation of the Center Street Swing Bridge in the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge has opened the channel up for ships to pass through and down the Cuyahoga River.
Center Street Swing Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Cliffs iron ore carrier clearing channel
Center Street Swing Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio); Bridges; Cuyahoga River; Swing bridges; Ships; Iron industry
A much lightened ore carrier which has delivered its cargo to the steel mills up the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio (note the high water mark), makes its way down river towards Lake Erie. Such boats are too large to turn around so they are...
Center Street Swing Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, iron ore carrier half-way through channel
The ore-carrier is clearing the channel after the Center Street Swing Bridge has opened the entry for it to pass down the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio.
Center Street Swing Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, view of truss tower
Center Street Swing Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio); Bridges; Cuyahoga River; Swing bridges; Truss bridges; Bridges, Steel
Center Street Swing Bridge is located in the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio. View showing detail of truss tower. The vertical, or compression, members of the bridge are formed from two channel beams riveted together with lacing bars. The diagonal or...
Center Street Swing Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio, tugboat passes through channel
Center Street Swing Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio); Bridges; Cuyahoga River; Swing bridges; Tugboats; Bridges, Steel; Truss bridges; Veterans Memorial Bridge (Cleveland, Ohio)
A tugboat enters the channel opened up by the Center Street Swing Bridge on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The tugboat hauls iron ore carriers back to Lake Erie once they have unloaded their cargo.
City Club Forum: Mike McCormick, Tom O'Hara, Darren Toms, local media panel discussion [video]
City Club of Cleveland; Speeches, addresses, etc., American; Forums (Discussion and debate); Freedom of speech; City Club Forum; Newspaper industry; News agencies; Learning; History
Thursday Special Program: ''The future of news media: News media newly delivered,'' a local media panel discussion with Mike McCormick, news director, WKYC-TV3; Tom O'Hara, managing editor, The Plain Dealer; and Darren Toms, director of news...
City Club Forum: Dorothy Fuldheim [audio]
City Club of Cleveland; Speeches, addresses, etc., American; Forums (Discussion and debate); Freedom of speech; Local government; City Club Forum; Fuldheim, Dorothy; WEWS (Channel 5); Editorials; Television programs
Dorothy Fuldheim, local television commentator, WEWS channel 5.
Anti-busing demonstration at doors of administration building
Cleveland (Ohio); Cleveland Public Schools; Demonstrations; Community organizations; School integration; Segregation; Busing (School integration)
"anti-busing demonstration at Cleveland School Administration Bldg. July 20, 1978 by CORK (Citizens Opposed to Rearranging Kids) and Old Brooklyn Citizens for Neighborhood Schools - about 200 demonstrators - crowd trying to enter building - Busing...
Proposed jetport design
Cleveland Jetport (Lake Erie International Jetport); Jetport project; Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; Airports
"Cleveland's jetport of the future with 12,000 -foot runways could be built in the lake along the north side of the breakwater. A tunnel beneath the shipping channel or a bridge would carry passengers and vehicles to its giant supersonic jets....
Robert Page conducts the Cleveland Orchestra for "Sounds of Summer"
Cleveland Orchestra; Conducting; Orchestras; Musicians
"Robert Page will conduct the world-famous Cleveland Orchestra and Choruses in the Channel 3 special, 'Sounds of Summer', to air on Saturday, August 9 form 8-9 PM. The pops concert, recorded 'live' at beautiful Blossom Music Center, will feature...
Robert Page standing before a painted winter scene backdrop
"Robert Page will conduct the Clevleand Orchestra's annual Christmas Concert, 'The Gift of Music' to be televised on WKYC-TV Channel 3 on Tuesday, December 23 from 8-9PM. The Channel 3 special is sponsored by Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO). (Photo by...
Robert Page, in tux, tipping hat and standing under the State Theater marquee
"Channel 3 and Robert Page and the Cleveland Orchestra and Choruses Go Broadway: Robert Page, Director of the Choruses for the Cleveland Orchestra, conducts a televised Cleveland Orchestra Pops Concert from Blossom Music Centeron Saturday, August...


I made a similar suggestion a couple of weeks back.
> this discussion with our current release schedule in mind.
> into the student's personalized Sugar environment from any machine.
> sticks and for bigger deployments in computer labs.
> system - Fedora, so we can rapidly resolve any issues that may arise.
> component, Fedora - as much as possible, we didn't always succed here.
> up in about three months, we are working on reducing these issues now.
> use a well-designed interface for installations and deployments.
> in the process of working on SoaS.
> tracker will continue, too.
> * We create a SoaS mailing list.
> * We establish the SoaS development team.


eGolfer is a personal account to help you organize favorite courses, post scores, keep track of personal golf stats and look for available players or events in your area. Register for eGolfer. If you're a member, Log in.


Darkness had come to the town. Strange things were happening in the dead of night. Children would put a tooth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, but in the morning they would wake up to find... a dead slug; a live spider; hundreds of earwigs creeping and crawling beneath their pillow.
Evil was at work. But who or what was behind it...?
Read this book and find out!


text:
Q: Java spring form checkbox Does anyone have a good example of how to use the check box form option in spring. I am interested in the serverside code mostly. Do I need to have an xml bean?
eg
<bean id="" class"" />

A: I have a sample for you here for check box  support in Spring. But these are without annotations . As @JB Nizet  says , it would be lot easier with annotations .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Watching Brownie, eating beans, sending emails, sneezing
a full day today
tossing out widest of nets
must hook some big fish
Somehow, by accident, the wee-er one has discovered Barney. And even though she calls him Brownie (maybe she's trying to endear me to him?) it still makes me want to stab my ears with a railroad spike.
But she really likes good ol' Brownie, and it gives me time to work and eat real brownies, so who am I to complain?
I've spent a lot of time today getting in touch with former co-workers and bosses, trying to help my husband find a new job. It's a kind of melange of networking, desperation and howdy-do's. Strangely, it's kind of fun.
The desperation part is not so awesome, but it's fun to talk to people I haven't talked to in a while. It's interesting to catch up, and it makes me wonder what things would be like if I hadn't left the Fancy Working World to stay home and write and gripe and mommy (is it weird to use "mommy" as a verb?).
I know I made the right decision for me and for our family, and I love being home with the kids and writing books and freelancing. But every now and then I think about what it be like to wear those Ann Taylor suits again, and lunch with the muckity mucks. (Note to muckity mucks: this is a term of endearment, of course. And all my suits were donated long ago, so never fear.)
WILL BROWNIE NEVER END?
What is worse? Boxed lunches at a day-long meeting or Barney on an endless loop?
Well, now the wee-er one is dancing to the Brownie songs (in her Elmo underpants). I have to give her the edge here. A dizzy two-year-old singing "I love you," wins over Jason's Deli egg salad anyday.
And in a complete non-sequitor (this whole post, really, is scattered, isn't it?), here's an interview with me over on Haiku By Two. There is no talk of layoffs or hospitals or Barney. Thank goodness!
OK. Off to find more people, send more emails, eat more beans, grovel a little, and hunt down some real brownies. Brownies that don't make me want to stab my face.


text:
↳ Cloud Gaming | Minecraft | Nintendo Switch | PC Gaming | PlayStation | Xbox
Why You Should Give Fortnite a Shot (Again)
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Tim Brookes 2d ago
The Xbox 360 Controller Will Get an Official Modern Makeover
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Corbin Davenport Nov 14th, 2022
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Sydney Butler Nov 4th, 2022
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Tim Brookes Sep 2nd, 2022
Get Portal 2 & Four Other Games for Free on Xbox This September
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Corbin Davenport Sep 1st, 2022
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Tim Brookes Aug 31st, 2022
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Tim Brookes Aug 26th, 2022
Play Destiny 2, Two Other Games Free for a Limited Time
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Corbin Davenport Aug 25th, 2022
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Jon Bitner Aug 23rd, 2022
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10 Awesome Xbox Series X|S Features You Should Be Using
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Tim Brookes Aug 8th, 2022
An All-Digital Future Is Bad News for Console Gamers, Here's Why
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Sydney Butler Aug 6th, 2022
You Can Now Buy an Xbox Series X Console Without the Hunt
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Chris Hoffman Jul 27th, 2022
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Microsoft Says Xbox Will be Carbon Negative By 2030
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Dave LeClair Mar 11th, 2022
Microsoft Is Adding Sign Language to Forza Horizon 5
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Dave LeClair Feb 28th, 2022
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Sydney Butler Feb 24th, 2022
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Dave LeClair Feb 23rd, 2022
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Tim Brookes Feb 1st, 2022
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Aug 6, 2015 iBomber Defense combines classic tower defense gameplay with the intense action and strategy of the original iBomber games. Keep enemies. Dec 19, 2016 Voted IGN's BEST TOWER DEFENSE GAME "Oldschool tower defense tactics , tuned to perfection." - IGN "A Bigger, Better Tower Defense. 17 дек 2014 Бесплатная игра iBomber: Defense Pacific для iPhone, iPad и iPod. На mob.org ru cкачать на телефон или планшет можно совершенно. Nov 30, 2016 Get ready for action and bomb-dropping adventures, let's go blow stuff up! It's time to take the battle to the enemy and win the war. Pilot B-17. Dec 17, 2014 Download for free iBomber: Defense Pacific - iPhone, iPad, iPod game. Download best ipa games for any Apple devices: play iBomber.
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Bidding frenzy as Melbourne industrial property smashes $1M
HANDS were raised furiously as a total of 25 bids saw a Melbourne industrial property sell over its reserve for $1.005M, under the hammer, at 26 Eileen Road in Clayton South.
The asset, that came with a 680sq m* building area and 874sq m* land area, is currently tenanted and home to Kalessi Bathroomware, who use the property for storage.
The asset was marketed and sold by Ray White Commercial Oakleigh Sales/Leasing Consultant Theo Karkanis.
Mr Karkanis said it was an active campaign and the interest was so high he had to run two to three inspections a week.
"There was a real buzz at the auction with a crowd of 45 people turning up and six active bidders battled it out for an excellent industrial investment," he said.
"The opening bid started at $800,000 and after much competition, the property sold under the hammer for $1.005M, 24 bids later.
"It came down to two final bidders and in the end, with a deadlock at $1M, it was just an extra five thousand dollars that sealed the deal for a local investor.
"It was no surprise to see such interest as we had 65 enquiries, 14 inspections and 21 contracts requested throughout the campaign."
Mr Karkanis said two previous agencies had tried and failed to sell the asset, with an auction last year falling well short of the mark.
"When we were entrusted with the sale of this property, instead of relying solely on the marketing and advertising, we instead hunted for buyers by reaching out to our local contacts, and it certainly paid off for us and our vendor," he said.
"There was a lot of interest generated online and it was fantastic to come across potential buyers we'd never had the pleasure of meeting before.
"The property is in a tightly-held industrial precinct and offered an excellent location with great access to arterial roads.
"Kalessi Bathroomware have a lease until February 2022 with a five-year option, with a current rental of $59,488* p.a. + GST + outgoings, and they use the property as storage for their two local showrooms."
*Approximately.


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Wall Paint Colors for Nursery - The painting is perfect to give a room a makeover for a new baby. One advantage of using paint to create your look chosen for the nursery is that it can be changed easily and economically. Not only babies grow remarkably fast, but also you and the baby can feel like a change after some time.
The look of your nursery depends heavily on your color palette. One way to choose your plan is to take your cue from the furniture. If you have an antique-style bed and furniture recalls the traditional nursery, you can go for fresh, pastel colors - white, pale pink, blue and yellow. A special quilt for the crib, a photo or even a mobile can give your ideas for a color scheme. If your furniture is modern, you could opt for cheerful primary colors. Old furniture and bright colors can also go well together.
The colors you choose are probably more important to you than the baby is. However, babies have certain preferences. Detail is lost on babies, so a high and big, bold contrast, simple shapes are more likely to engage their attention. Even in black and white would serve the purpose. Your baby will get lots of visual stimulation elsewhere and will probably spend most of his time asleep in the nursery, so do not take too seriously.
Borders and murals are the best ways to create a visual focus in a nursery. Stencil is a perfect way to create decorations. Wide ranges of designs are available to suit any theme. Today stencils are reusable and many can be custom size.
As well as borders, stenciling can also be used as wall decorations instead of photos. You can repeat the pattern on the furniture to create a coordinated look. It is never too early to learn and stencils are useful to decorate a room with friezes of the alphabet or numbers. In an uncarpeted room, you can brighten even the floors.
For ambitious, murals can be wonderfully effective. A wall display of a fairytale scene can look fabulous, if you have the skills to pull it off. Instead of hard to remove stickers or transfers, even beginners artists can reproduce cartoon characters in the painting as wall decorations.
A faux stained glass effect can be created with special paint applied to glass windows. With the sun illuminate your design, it can be a smart way to use paint to create visual interest and will surely attract the attention of your baby.
Because a nursery is a bedroom, it should not be too bright and lively. Walls, curtains and furniture featuring all images and colors can be too.
Wall Paint Colors for Nursery - If you do not want to redecorate, consider using paint mainly to add attractive touches. Leaving the simple walls, but painting other features, such as door panels, curtains and picture frames and mirrors, can create a Friend environmental babies with little effort. This may seem obvious, but make sure you use paints are non-toxic.


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La religione più diffusa nelle Comore è l'islam sunnita, che è la religione di stato. Secondo una statistica del 2010, i musulmani sunniti sono il 98% della popolazione; l'1,8% della popolazione segue altre religioni (fra cui il cristianesimo e l'islam non sunnita) e lo 0,2% della popolazione non segue alcuna religione. Una stima del 2020 dellAssociation of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) dà i musulmani al 98,3% della popolazione, i seguaci delle religioni africane tradizionali all'1% circa della popolazione e i cristiani allo 0,5% circa della popolazione; lo 0,1% circa della popolazione segue altre religioni e lo 0,1% circa della popolazione non segue alcuna religione.

La libertà di religione non è tutelata dalla costituzione. La conversione dall'islam ad un'altra religione è vietata e si incorre nel reato di apostasia. Il proselitismo religioso dei non musulmani verso i musulmani è illegale. I cittadini comoriani non possono praticare pubblicamente una religione diversa dall'islam sunnita, mentre i residenti stranieri che non sono musulmani sunniti possono praticare pubblicamente il culto nei luoghi autorizzati (vi sono nel Paese due chiese cristiane e una moschea sciita). I residenti stranieri non musulmani non lamentano discriminazioni, che invece sono segnalate a danno dei cittadini comoriani non musulmani.

Religioni presenti

Islam
La maggioranza dei musulmani comoriani è sunnita e segue la corrente sciafeita; è presente una piccola minoranza di sciiti, di ahmadiyya e di seguaci del sufismo.

Cristianesimo

Religioni africane
Le religioni indigene tradizionali basate sull'animismo sono ancora presenti nel Paese. Molti comoriani credono ancora nel potere degli spiriti e insieme alla religione islamica condividono contemporaneamente alcune credenze e pratiche delle religioni africane tradizionali.

Altre religioni
Nelle Comore sono presenti piccoli gruppi di seguaci del bahaismo e dell'induismo; quest'ultimo ha avuto origine da lavoratori immigrati di origine indiana.

Note

Religione nelle Comore

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The GPhC has agreed to move towards revalidation of its registrants and is working up ideas at the moment. Previously, adequate CPD was required to remain registered, but in the future it looks like a lot more will be required.
Any model would need to be appropriately costed and subject to testing, including piloting .


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