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Know your lore: Bastila Shan
November 22, 2009 July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper jedi, know your lore, Kotor, Lore, sith
Bastila Shan was a Human female that served as a Jedi Knight during the Jedi Civil War. Born on the planet Talravin to Helena Shan and a treasure hunter, her mother gave her up to the Jedi Order, believing that their lifestyle of travel and exertions was not a suitable for the young Shan. Shan was found to have an exceptional gift with a Force power known as Battle Meditation; which increased her allies' morale while demoralizing her enemies. Shan sided with the Jedi Council when the Jedi Knights Revan and Malak rebelled against the Council and joined the Galactic Republic in its war against the invading Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. One year after the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars, Revan returned from the Unknown Regions as the new Dark Lord of the Sith, with Malak as his apprentice, at the head of a new Sith Empire. Two years into the Jedi Civil War, Shan was the leader of a Jedi strike team sent to capture Darth Revan and Darth Malak. When her team boarded Revan's vessel, they managed to corner the Dark Lord on the bridge. Before they could engage Revan in combat, Malak, who was separated from his Master during the battle, betrayed Revan by ordering the guns of his flagship Leviathan to fire on Revan's vessel, in an attempt to destroy both the Jedi and Revan.
However, Shan survived and managed to use the Force to stabilize Revan, who was near death. This act created a bond between the two, and Shan brought the comatose Revan to the Jedi Council. Both the Council and Shan came up with a plan, and temporarily erased Revan's memories, reprogramming Revan with an identity of a soldier loyal to the Republic. The Council hoped that Shan, through her bond with Revan, would be able to coerce Revan into revealing the location of the Rakatan space station called the Star Forge, which was now under the new Dark Lord Darth Malak's control. In the final year of the war, Shan's Republic warship Endar Spire was ambushed and attacked by Malak's fleet above the Outer Rim planet Taris. She managed to flee the ship aboard one of its escape pods, assisted by Republic commander Carth Onasi. Shortly after her pod reached the surface, Shan was captured by a swoop gang known as the Black Vulkars. After Revan and Onasi landed on Taris, they managed to track down and rescue Shan. She, Revan, and their companions teamed up with the Mandalorian Canderous Ordo, managing to steal both the launch codes necessary to escape Taris and the Exchange crime lord Davik Kang's light freighter Ebon Hawk. Shan and her companions escaped during the Sith's bombardment of Taris, and headed to Dantooine, where a Jedi Enclave was located.
After Shan met with the Dantooine Jedi Council, they began retraining Revan in the Jedi ways. After finding a Rakatan Star Map in the burial mounds near the Enclave, the Council tasked Shan, Revan, and their companions with finding the Star Forge. During their travels, Shan watched Revan closely to ensure that he did not fall to the dark side. Shan eventually fell in love with Revan, who despite his past stayed true to Jedi code. After Revan found a fourth Star Map—which was necessary to locate the Star Forge—Shan was captured by Malak, and fell to the dark side after a week of torture at her new Sith Master's hands. However, Revan eventually confronted Shan aboard the Star Forge, and she was redeemed from the darkness to which she had succumbed. To prove her reclaimed faith, Shan aided the Republic in the Battle of Rakata Prime through means of her battle meditation. Revan then vanquished Malak, and the Republic fleet successfully destroyed the Star Forge, routing the Sith forces. One year after Darth Malak's death, Revan left for the Unknown Regions, seeking to eliminate a hidden Sith threat that Revan had discovered during his time as Dark Lord. He left all that he cared about behind, including Shan. She went on to survive the era of strife that followed the Jedi Civil War.
"Your father loved you so. He wanted you to be just like him… he wanted to take you on his hunts, but I said they were too dangerous."
―Helena Shan, to Bastila Shan concerning her father
Bastila Shan, daughter of Helena Shan and a hunter, was born on Talravin. Shan shared a loving and powerful relationship with her father. Despite this relationship, she was not on good terms with her mother, Helena, believing that her mother pushed her father into dangerous hunts so they could live in wealth.
At a young age, Shan was discovered to be exceptionally gifted with the Force. She did not wish to leave her father behind and join the Jedi Order, but her mother felt that the life she and her family led —one full of relentless travel and fruitless exertions— was not good for Shan. She believed that her daughter's life would be better with the Jedi, and gave her to them. Shan was separated from her family and began her training, quickly proving to be an exceptional Jedi Sentinel.
Shan was discovered to be gifted with a Force power that would gain her considerable renown later in life: Battle Meditation. It was a rare skill that increased the morale of her allies in battle and reduced her enemies will to fight. This ability would make her a considerable asset in the Galactic Republic's plans to defeat the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War.
As a young Padawan, Shan was present when Malak, on behalf of his best friend and mentor Revan, delivered a passionate speech that denounced the inaction of the Jedi High Council against the invading Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Though Shan refused to join Revan's growing rebellion, she witnessed several Jedi, including the future Jedi Exile, willingly submit to Malak and Revan's cause. Later, when those same Jedi returned as Sith during the Jedi Civil War, she became one of the most active supporters of the Jedi Order.
Jedi Civil War
"When I used my Force powers to keep you alive on that bridge it created our bond. I convinced the Council that I could use that bond to draw out your memories and lead us to the Star Forge."
―Bastila Shan, to Revan.
In 3,957 BBY, the Jedi Council sent Shan and a strike team to capture Darth Revan. Along with at least three other Jedi, Shan managed to board his flagship and fought their way to Revan. Her team had just cornered the Sith Lord on the bridge, but before they could engage him in combat his apprentice, Darth Malak, betrayed him and fired upon the ship. Revan was left clinging to life. Shan, remembering that a Jedi seeks to preserve all life, was able to keep him alive and preserve his mind using the Force. This act resulted in a powerful Force bond between them.
Shan then brought Revan to the Jedi Council. The Council then decided that they would use the Force to temporarily wipe his memory, even though being considered an immoral use of the Force. Revan was then reprogrammed with a new identity, one that was loyal to the Republic. They hoped that, with time, his submerged memories would cast some light on the many mysteries surrounding him. They were especially interested in finding the Star Forge and stopping the legions of Sith invaders that were attacking Republic affiliated planets.
Following Revan's apparent death, Darth Malak declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew that the Republic fleet had been saved from certain destruction by Shan's gift with battle meditation. His primary objective became to capture Shan and turn her to the dark side of the Force. He would then use her skills with battle meditation to crush the Republic.
Malak's last apprentice
""The dark side calls to you, Bastila. You hunger to taste it. Become my apprentice, and all its power can be yours!"
―Darth Malak, coaxing Shan to join the Sith
During the quest to find the Star Forge, the Ebon Hawk was captured by the Leviathan, Malak's flagship. Shan, Revan and Carth were placed in their own cells apart from the others. Saul Karath proceeded to torture the three in an attempt to get Revan to tell him where the Jedi Academy was, what they were looking for, and what their mission was.
After they were freed by one of their crew members, Shan, Onasi, and Revan headed to the bridge to release the tractor beam. When they reached the bridge, they engaged in a firefight with Karath and his troops. Mortally wounded, Karath told Onasi of Revan's true identity. Onasi then demanded answers from Shan. She promised to answer his questions once they escaped.
Just before reaching the docking bay, however, Darth Malak halted their escape. Casting Onasi aside with ease, he told Shan that he had spent far too much energy arranging her capture to let her escape, and he wanted to see his old Master in person. He told Revan about his former life as the Dark Lord, and Shan was forced to come clean to him, telling him about his mind-wipe by the Jedi council. Malak told Revan that he had been a mere puppet of the Jedi Council. Revan struggled to understand with both Shan and Malak giving him a different story. Malak made it seem as though Shan was using Revan to indulge her own interest in the power of the dark side, Shan telling Revan that she was trying to redeem him and save the galaxy. After Revan told her that he understood and forgave her, Malak was enraged, and used Force stasis on Shan and Onasi, preventing them from helping Revan while Malak engaged him in a duel. The duel between the two was brief and Revan managed to drive Malak to the brink of defeat before Malak used Force stasis on Revan. Shan sacrificed herself by attempting to distract Malak so that Revan and Onasi could escape and find the Star Forge.
After subjecting her to torture by Force lightning, Malak eventually succeeded in forcing her to give in to her hate and fall to the dark side. She became convinced that the Council was holding her back, using her, and so she took her place as the Dark Lord's apprentice, replacing the slain Darth Bandon.
In time, she would reunite with Revan atop the Temple of the Ancients on the world of Lehon, though under unexpected circumstances. Shan told Revan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhani that she had sworn allegiance to Malak and was now his apprentice, boasting that she would aid Malak in taking over the Galaxy, taunting an anguished Revan. She engaged all three of them in a lightsaber duel, but was no match for the three Jedi. Shan threw a Force wave at the three in order to save herself from defeat. After seeing how powerful Revan was despite what the Council had done to him, she came to believe Revan deserved to be the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Shan attempted to persuade him to reclaim his former title, reminding the Jedi Knight of all the Jedi Council had done to Revan, Revan was forced to grapple with the dark legacy of his former self, Shan reminded him that she could sense his thoughts through the Force bond linking them, Revan stated that there was something more than the Force between them: love. Shan sneered at him and said that the only thing between them was the Force and power. Shan beckoned Revan to join her, to reclaim the Sith Empire and take revenge on Malak. Revan angrily demanded to known how he could trust her after she had already betrayed him, Shan informed him that she need not deny herself anything anymore, and said she would stand by his side gladly as his lover and apprentice. Claiming that she would be 'utterly his', she told Revan to make his choice. Revan calmed himself, made the choice of a Jedi Knight, and rejected Shan's offer of power. Angered at her failure to turn Revan, Shan retreated to the Star Forge where she and Revan eventually had their final battle.
Return to the light side
"I love you too, with all my heart."
"You aren't afraid to love anymore?"
"After this? No. Nothing could make me feel safer than to be loved by you."
―Bastila Shan and Revan
Shortly after Revan and his crew boarded the Star Forge, Malak summoned Shan, who was using her battle meditation against the Republic fleet, enabling the Sith to predict their enemy's move and strategies. Though she feared Revan's power, Malak told Shan that if she defeated Revan, that she would prove herself worthy of being his apprentice. She assured Malak that she would not fail again.
Shan did not have to wait long. Revan and his companions reached her swiftly and Shan lashed out with the force, disabling Revan's companions and launching a vicious attack on Revan, which he quickly countered. Shan eventually withdrew and began to taunt Revan, only for Revan to attempt to sway her back to the light side of the Force. Shan angrily attacked again, only to meet the same results. Even with the full power of the Star Forge behind her, she was still unable to defeat Revan. Realizing she was no match for him, Shan yielded, pleading with him to quickly end her life. Revan refused, saying she could return to the light side. Shan didn't believe she could, and again begged Revan to kill her. Revan again refused and confessed to Bastila that he loved her. Shan admitted that she cared for him as well, and then asked what good was love. Revan told her that she could be redeemed; swayed by his words, Shan agreed to try and redeem herself. Shan renounced the dark side and confessed her love to Revan.
Redeemed, Shan used her battle meditation to turn the tide of the battle in the Republic's favor. Revan, meanwhile, went after Malak and dueled his former apprentice in the Star Forge's command center, where he defeated the Dark Lord. Revan caught up with the rest of the crew, including Shan, shortly before they left the station. The Republic fleet destroyed the Star Forge moments later.
Bastila's last message to T3-M4.
After the battle, Shan and Revan, along with their companions Carth Onasi, Mission Vao, Zaalbar, T3-M4, Canderous Ordo, Juhani, HK-47, and Jolee Bindo, were honored as the saviors of the galaxy.
First Jedi Purge
"It would have helped, had he made her understand. But she was always strong-willed, that one, and did not understand war as Revan did""
―Darth Traya, to the Jedi Exile
A year after the Star Forge's destruction, Revan recalled a great threat to the galaxy that he had discovered while he was the Dark Lord. He set out alone into the Unknown Regions leaving his loved-ones, including Shan, behind, knowing that to take them to the places he had to go would bring destruction to them all. Before Revan and T3-M4 left known space, Shan secretly programmed the droid to return to known space and find her should something happen to Revan. Should T3-M4 have been unable to locate her, the droid was to find any Jedi who could help. At some point, this command became active, and T3-M4 discovered the Jedi Exile.
Shan remained behind with the rest of the Ebon Hawk's former crew, keeping the Republic safe as Revan had asked them to and waiting for the day when he would return. In the aftermath of the war, as the Sith Triumvirate and G0-T0, among others, hunted the remaining Jedi Knights to near extinction, she was one of the few to escape their notice. When the Jedi Exile—the new owner of the Ebon Hawk—left known space to search for Revan at Carth Onasi's request, Shan was one of the few known surviving members of the Jedi Order.
Personality and traits
"Bastila was strong, but she was always impatient and headstrong. Malak preyed upon her weaknesses."
―Jolee Bindo
Shan possessed many qualities that set her apart from her peers and destined her for greatness, but these same traits and the inexperience of her youth set her down the path that would eventually lead to her fall.
Brash, impulsive, and somewhat overconfident (thanks in no small part to the rare gift that was her battle meditation), Shan acted as though she were unstoppable, though she was constantly aware of the responsibility resting on her. Despite the warnings of her masters, Shan continually sought to prove her worth by devoting herself to defeating the Sith.
Shan's relations with the Jedi Council and the Jedi Code were complicated. During the Mandalorian Wars, she trusted the Council's wisdom, rejecting Malak's proposal to join the fight—and years later, when the Jedi Civil War was at its culmination, still believed it was the right decision. Nevertheless, she thought the Jedi Masters were self-absorbed and stodgy—not to mention edgy, critical and overly secretive. Shan thought the Council intended to use the quest for the Star Forge to test her abilities and determine if she was worthy of the rank of Jedi Master—only to discover that she was, in the end, far from it.
Shan tried to follow the Jedi Code as strictly as possible, to the point of expressing even more radical views than some Jedi Masters—she believed that nobody deserved death without a chance of redemption, a belief that would later result in Revan's return to the light side. However, she was not always able to suppress her emotions, and sometimes disregarded the very idea that love should be outlawed among the Jedi.
Seeing Revan, once the Dark Lord of the Sith, climbing up the path of the light apparently without any trouble or internal struggles made her question her own devotion to the Jedi Code, even though she and Revan agreed to prevent each other from diverging from that course—and the development of this self-doubt later played no small part in her eventual downfall to what she feared most: the dark side.
Despite her youth, Shan was skilled in the rare power of battle meditation—through the Force, she could affect the outcome of a battle by thought alone. Through this power, one side was granted strength and a boost to their morale, in addition that side would be granted perfect coordination and the ability to respond instantly and perfectly to the enemy's every change in formation and strategy. These effects caused significant damage to enemy morale and fighting effectiveness thus causing two important shifts in the battle towards the user's favor.
Shan had a very strong Force Sense and could sense disturbances in the Force such as Darth Malak's presence, although this might have been merely telepathy or an extension of her Force bond with Revan. She could also use Force Stun and was capable of using the Jedi Mind Trick on Hutts, such as Motta.
During her short time as a Sith apprentice, she was capable of using Force powers such as Force Insanity, Force Choke, Force Wave, Force lightning, Force Plague, Force Breach, Drain Life, and Force Stasis Field. From her point of view, she was more powerful than all but a few Jedi Masters, Malak, and of course, Revan himself.
Additionally, Shan was a skillful duelist, capable of taking on the redeemed Revan, Juhani and Jolee Bindo atop the Temple of the Ancients and emerging relatively unscathed, albeit defeated.
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Sausage Party: wrong, for all the right reasons
by Steve McCabe • 4 September, 2016 • 0 Comments
Making an animated feature that the parents will enjoy as much as the children will has always been a challenge. Directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon don't even bother trying to strike that balance in Sausage Party — this one's entirely for the grown-ups.
The story is deceptively simple — anthropomorphic food items in a supermarket yearn for the day they are chosen by the gods (that would be the humans who buy them) and taken to The Great Beyond, a paradise outside the sliding doors of the Shopwell supermarket. Seth Rogen's Frank (obviously) the frankfurter and Kristen Wiig's Brenda the bun stand in packages next to each other hoping that on the next red, white and blue day, when the flags are all put out, they will be chosen. But they come to learn, from a jar of honey mustard that's returned to the shop, that it's all a lie, that The Great Beyond is where food is killed, tortured, mutilated.
So it's Toys, but with food. And swearing. And sex. And drugs. And lots more swearing, and astonishing, almost alarming, amounts of sex at what can only, reasonably, be described as the climax of the film. Writers Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Rogen and Evan Goldberg have taken a story devised by Goldberg, Rogen and Jonah Hill, and come up with a genuinely well-developed and coherent fictional world, one in which a bagel (Edward Norton) and a lavash (David Krumholtz) bicker about who should occupy the left bank of the aisle, Nick Kroll (Parks And Recreation's The Douche) plays, natch, a douche, or Salma Hayek a lesbian taco.
The humour is broad and gross and foul and reprehensible and superbly funny. The scene where food first arrives in a human kitchen (hardly a spoiler; it's in the trailer) is disturbingly funny, with a potato — Irish, of course — screaming "Jaysus fuck, I'm bein' skinned alive!" as he is, quite literally, skinned alive. Much of the film is wrong, so very, very wrong, but it's so shamelessly, relentlessly wrong that it's fantastically funny. What could have been a tossed-off idea, something that Hill and Rogen dreamt up after getting a little higher than is entirely good for them and making a late-night supermarket run and giggling "Dude, what if…?" instead is a tightly-drawn, detailed and sophisticated film. Don't miss, for example, the labels on every single package of food, from Ragtime ketchup to Chikubi (that would be Japanese for "nipple") milk. Scenes are carefully structured, from Barry's (Michael Cera) horrendous adventures in The Great Beyond, where he manages to make his way to the house of a human who, out of his head on bath salts, can see his food move and hear it talk, to the aftermath of a bag of flour hitting the floor of the shop, filmed like a sequence from the opening of Saving Private Ryan.
Don't be misled. This is an animated feature, but it is, from start to finish, not in any possible way a film for children. It more than earns the R16 rating its New Zealand release enjoys. It's also a superbly entertaining way to spend an hour and a half. And you'll never look at your food in the same way again.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: mysql group_concat in where I am having a problem with the following query(if this is a duplicate question then i'm terribly sorry, but i can't seem to find anything yet that can help me):
SELECT d.*, GROUP_CONCAT(g.name ORDER BY g.name SEPARATOR ", ") AS members
FROM table_d AS d LEFT OUTER JOIN table_g AS g ON (d.eventid = g.id)
WHERE members LIKE '%p%';

MySQL apparently can't handle a comparison of GROUP_CONCAT columns in a WHERE clause.
So my question is very simple. Is there a workaround for this, like using sub-query's or something similar? I really need this piece of code to work and there is not really any alternative to use other than handling this in the query itself.
EDIT 1:
I won't show the actual code as this might be confidential, I'll have to check with my peers. Anyway, I just wrote this code to give you an impression of how the statement looks like although I agree with you that it doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm going to check the answers below in a minute, i'll get back to you then. Again thnx for all the help already!
EDIT 2:
Tried using HAVING, but that only works when i'm not using GROUP BY. When I try it, it gives me a syntax error, but when I remove the GROUP BY the query works perfectly. The thing is, i need the GROUP BY otherwise the query would be meaningless to me.
EDIT 3:
Ok, so I made a stupid mistake and put HAVING before GROUP BY, which obviously doesn't work. Thanks for all the help, it works now!

A: Try
SELECT ...
...
WHERE g.name = 'peter'

instead. Since you're just doing a simple name lookup, there's no need to search the derived field - just match on the underlying original field.

A: Use HAVING instead of WHERE.
... HAVING members LIKE '%peter%'

WHERE applies the filter before the GROUP_CONCAT is evaluated; HAVING applies it later.
Edit:  I find your query a bit confusing.  It looks like it's going to get only one row with all of your names in a single string -- unless there's nobody in your database named Peter, it which case the query will return nothing.
Perhaps HAVING isn't really what you need here...

A: GROUP_CONCAT is an aggregate function.  You have to GROUP BY something.  If you just want all the rows that have %peter% in them try
SELECT d.*, g.name
FROM table_d AS d
  LEFT OUTER JOIN table_g AS g
  ON (d.eventid = g.id)
WHERE g.name LIKE '%peter%';

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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More and more people nowadays chose to paint and furnish their rooms white. There are even celebrities who ask the hotels they are going to stay in to give them all-white rooms. It is not really puzzling since white is a relaxing soft color that conveys peace and purity. It is also handy for making your room look more spacious. But there are few things you have to consider if you are planning to have a white living room, and which we will discuss here.
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When I first added this photo to my stockpile for Bacana Notions, the thought running through my head was that of being ready to take off at any moment, always ready to fly.
And then I researched a bit and found that this is actually a threatening pose from the swan, a warning to stay away from his (it's usually the males, although sometimes the females) territory.
I took this at the lake in Hyde Park in London, with any number of other park visitors around. No one got attacked that day (or any other day, based on my google search). It's a signal, a posture. And the question always implied is – will that signal be followed up with action?
Which actually takes me right back to my first instinct… Whether you view it as preparing to attack or preparing to soar, are you willing to stop preparing and do it? Attack the project. Soar on a new opportunity. But start.


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Here is a letter regarding the 2015 Administrative Fellows Program from Lisa M. Coleman, Chief Diversity Officer and Special Assistant to the President, as well as an AFP brochure outlining the program and a Sponsor form which you can submit should your department be interested in a sponsor placement.
The Daniel D. Federman Staff Award for Exceptional Service
Harvard Medical School promotes an environment where institutional service is valued and recognized. The Daniel D. Federman Staff Award for Exceptional Service recognizes staff of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine who have made substantial contributions in service of the school(s). Commitment to institutional service is necessary to the overall success of HMS/HSDM. This Award was established to recognize and celebrate staff members who have set the standard for service at HMS/HSDM through their personal initiative in providing service and engaging others to do the same. Such service often goes unrecognized and unheralded.
Dolores J. Brown Award
This award was established to honor the memory of Dolores J. Brown for all she contributed to the School in her role as assistant to Dean Daniel C. Tosteson from 1985 until 1997, and Dean Emeritus from 1997 until 2000.
The Brown Family established this award in 2001 to recognize an exceptional staff member in HMS or HSDM who embodies the same spirit and commitment that Dolores had for her work at the School. An ad hoc committee will review nominations and select the recipient.
Nominees must be overtime-eligible (hourly) staff receiving a Harvard paycheck and working directly for HMS or HSDM. These individuals can be in administrative, research, or educational support roles.
Award Criteria:
Has a record of outstanding service to his or her position, to the School, and to his or her colleagues;
Has demonstrated respect for the School and its mission;
Helps create a welcoming, friendly and inclusive environment.
Harvard Heroes
Harvard staff members contribute vitally to Harvard's excellence. Staff contributions include building and maintaining a vast infrastructure (technical, financial, physical and human) upon which the academic enterprise relies.
Harvard Heroes is an annual program held every spring that recognizes and celebrates high-performing staff from across every School and the Central Administration. These staff members have been nominated and/or selected by their peers and departments for their leadership, teamwork, adaptability, innovation and exceptional contributions. (For more information about Harvard Heroes, see the Program Overview.)
Being named a Harvard Hero is an honor of high distinction – only about 60 Heroes, or ½ of 1% of eligible staff – will be named, with selection based on 11 important criteria.
The Dean's Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Women
The Dean's Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Women was initiated by Dean Joseph B. Martin in 1998 to recognize Harvard faculty and staff members committed to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
The award is co-sponsored by the JCSW and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine as an annual event and is organized by the Joint Committee on the Status of Women at HMS and HSDM.
The Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Diversity Award
Harvard Medical School is committed to the advancement of a work and educational environment that adds to diversity and encourages and sets the tone for inclusion. Through inclusion, we nurture diversity of thought, diversity in education and research, and diversity in areas such as culture, race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, age, and disabilities. In short, we raise the bar on excellence.
The Sharon P. Clayborne Staff Diversity Award has been established to recognize Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine staff who have made significant achievements in moving toward a diverse and inclusive community.
Dean's Community Service Staff Award
Community service is an integral part of the missions of Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine. In faithfulness to this commitment, the Dean's Community Service Award was established in 1999 to recognize individuals whose dedication and commitment to community service have made a positive impact on the local, national, or international community.
HMS Community Values
About the HMS Community Values Initiative
Wellness at HMS


Our breath is our life. Our prana, chi, cycle of ins and outs. It calms us, excites us, grounds us, balances us and is our stability and our place of solace.
Most often times we don't even think about our breath...going about our day...running from here to there. We may become more conscious of our breath during exercise (I see you RiseNation) when we are desperately trying to catch our breath, or during love making when our breath becomes sticky and heavy or we might notice how short and quick our breath becomes during a panic attack.
But rarely do we notice our breath during the everyday. The mundane. The b o r i n g everyday run of the mill moment (there never is truly a dull moment, but I'm trying to make a point here) has "nothing" to do with our breath right? However, it is in these moments that we can find stillness and practice the art of "tuning in" at any given moment.
This may seem simple. Beginner. Easy. Green.
But it is also extremely helpful in calming the breath, calming the mind and refocusing attention and awareness. And it takes 1 minute.
I have my students and clients do this for about 2 minutes at the beginning of most classes and sessions.
1- Find yourself wherever you are.
2- Set your timer for 1-2 mins.
2- Close your eyes (if that doesn't feel good leave em open!).
3- Feel your body begin to settle in and release.
4- Allow your breath to begin to slow.
5- Slowly inhale to the count of 4. Visualizing or hearing 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 in your mind.
6- Slowly exhale to the count of 4. Visualizing or hearing 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 in your mind.
When your alarm goes off slowly come back and begin to move back into your day.
This exercise when done throughout the day allows us to quickly tap back into our Self for a check in and a reset. It is a nice way to calm the nervous system and adrenals and allow for release of tension and stress. Happy breathing.


Nearly every student spent the morning underwater today. Notably, it was Avery's final dive. Those who stayed behind, including Adrianna and Jules, enjoyed participating in watersports. Divers returned relatively early, at 11:30a.m., and were able to help with lunch prep. After lunch we all up-anchored on our respective boats. Charlie was skipper of the day and led a beautiful up-anchor and sail.
The sail led our fleet from Mountain Point to Lee Bay. Dinner prep was punctuated by an old Sail Caribbean tradition – dress your staff for staff meeting night! Isabelle led the initiative while Adam took over the role of evening photographer. Sara and Alyssa were humorously dressed to mimic other staff, which wouldn't have been at all possible without the make-up genius of Jade. Nic took the initiative with dinner, producing deliciousness for all.
As the end of the program looms ever closer, we decided to take full advantage of our ocean. A night-snorkel with bright dive flashlights allowed the crew to see underwater critters and creatures in a different light. James was the last out of the water and was rewarded with a real-life vision of a spotted moray eel. Upon our return to boats, Parker made hot chocolate for Rioja's crew and they all settled down for the evening.


WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) Chase Audige scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and Nathan Knight scored 17 and barely missed a double-double as William & Mary broke it open after halftime beating Delaware 84-63 on Saturday.
Knight grabbed nine rebounds and Justin Pierce and Matt Milon each scored 13.
William & Mary (9-14, 5-6 Colonial Athletic Association) led 37-32 at halftime and used a 9-2 run that saw Pierce start the half with a 3-pointer. He followed with a dunk a few minutes later to make it 44-34 and The Tribe led by double digits the rest of the way.
Delaware struggled shooting in the second half, making just eight of 26 attempts (30.8 percent) including going 1 of 14 (7.1) from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ithiel Horton led the Blue Hens (14-10, 6-5) with 14 points, Ryan Johnson scored 12 and Matt Veretto 10.


While I've been mostly on posting hiatus, and in hiatus from online gaming in general like my beloved Puzzle Pirates, I've returned to console gaming.
During this time, I discovered some games I hadn't played during their release and fell fanatically in love with, such as BioShock and Fallout 3. I also finally broke down and played the first two Mass Effect games. Anyone else here a fan? I'd love to talk about them, but I don't want to bore everyone if the series doesn't have an audience here.
I just finally got ME to install on my PC for the first time (long story) and have been working through it now. I must say I am highly impressed so far, but holy fartburgers there is a lot to read to start out.
Are you talking about the dialogue, the game manual, or the in-game codex?
I am a Mass Effect grognard. Played through both ME1 and ME2 multiple times to sample different character combinations and get all the cool achievements/awards.
And of course, to create multiple savegames in preparation for ME3.
Same here. And regarding the achievements, I'm happy that earning them actually gives you in-game benefits for future characters. Most games don't reward you for achievement hunting. It's nice to get health or weapon bonuses as rewards for the dedication in obtaining the achievement.
The codex...because I have to read everything, and yes, some of the dialogue, because I can't not choose everything and hear all that the NPC might say.
Yeah, if you try to read the entire codex, that's going to take a LONG time. Especially since new entries are constantly appearing the more you explore and interact. Keep in mind, if you haven't already, the codex is written from an in-game perspective, and that means it's not 100% accurate.
I'm a very big fan of Bioshock 2, Fallout 3 and the Mass Effect games. I think it's awesome that ME3 will be mixing the inventory and upgrading system from both 1 and 2 into the third. Right now I'm a big fan of Deus Ex too, a very well done Shadowrun-esque FPS stealth game.
I wasn't as big a fan of BioShock 2 as I was of BioShock 1. I didn't feel the story was as strong, and I honestly felt it weakened the story of the first one by trying to retcon in characters and elements that did not exist in the first.
Saying that, though, there were areas of BioShock 2 that were absolutely gorgeous, particularly Minerva's Den, and I loved having the ability to use plasmids and weapons without having to toggle on or the other off. And its multiplayer is surprisingly well-done.
Ressurecting this thread to talk about Mass Effect 3. Spoilers will be in-thread.
So, the ending. Yep, this'll be controversial. And no, I won't defend the green door (I did not get the green door on my initial main-plot-only run, just blue and red.) The space magic of the green door is just a step too far for me. It's like Silent Hill 2's infamous "barking dog" ending. A bit of a mood killer.
But just as the presence of the barking dog shouldn't kill what a great game Silent Hill 2 is (by reputation; I've never played it but I hear very good things) the green door shouldn't be allowed to diminish Mass Effect 3, which is probably the best overall game in the series. The reputation system overhaul, the ingenious "weight" mechanic, the mod system which keeps the customization of 1 while abandoning RPG packrat-itis (nonsensical in a world with minifacturing and omnigel...) and those are just the mechanical tweaks. Writing-wise I was cursing at the screen for what the imaginary computer people were making me feel. That's a mean feat by any standard.
I look at the overall story of the Mass Effect games as, in part, a reaction to the nature of death in a video game, which typically has next to no consequences. It says something about the medium when a game like One Single Life is considered so revolutionary. In Mass Effect, though, death is a pretty big deal. The main enemies are called the Reapers. The end boss of the second game is literally a giant black skeleton. You can't get out of Mass Effect 1 without people dying, and 2 is structured around a mission where no one is safe, including Shepard. So Mass Effect 3 being so death-heavy feels like a natural progression, and that's why I'm fine with the ending I got.
The ending I got involved me crawling in shattered N7 armor over the body of my Shepard's love interest, being forced to kill my mentor, willingly gunning down another mentor to save my own life, and then confronting the prime mover behind the Reapers, who sees "death" as another word for "change," like the Tarot card of the same name. I was reminded of the story about why peppers taste so strong - they taste the way they do to discourage natural predators, yet that very taste is why we cultivate them and put them on our food. If a pepper were somehow sentient it would not understand why I put it in my salad. The prime mover, the Catalyst, and the Reapers it controls, simply don't understand why our lives are so precious to us. "You'll thank me when you're uplifted," they reply.
Shepard was never going to have a happy ending. This game was about the worst war in history, and what Mass Effect 3 relentlessly portrays is that war is calculated, directed horror, which calls upon all to give some, and some to give all. Even in the best case scenario it will take the galaxy longer than anyone's lifetime to rebuild. In that respect, London was a fitting final stage, since it's been nigh on three-quarters of a century since the Blitz and there are still holes in London.
But London endures, and so too does life, and that's what Shepard was truly fighting for. And the coda at the end, in a time where Shepard is a legend, is evocative of Carl Sagan at his finest. Carl Sagan never had the mass relays to bolster his determination that life mattered and that the cosmos was beautiful - so basically, the people in Mass Effect, with the miraculous Element Zero, don't have much of an excuse. A still more glorious dawn awaits, even if Shepard and her friends, mentors and lovers will never live to see it.
What Mass Effect 3 does is state, quite bluntly, that Mass Effect is not a franchise, to be pumping out a new game every two years - it is a story with an ending, and that end is Shepard's. For all the cursing at EA and Bioware for its commercial attitude towards downloadable content - somewhat, though not entirely, justified in my eyes - this is a surprisingly uncommercial move. No more Mass Effect games are planned. I don't think we need any.
So yeah, I liked it a lot.
Green space magical cyborgs, though. Oy. I don't know what they were thinking.
I want to preface my post by saying yes, Mass Effect 3 is a phenomenal experience. I loved it. Loved the DICKENS out of it.
My experience of the ending is not quite as idyllic as Mike's, though it was by no means the dull-spoon-to-the-guts that it seems like a lot of people are complaining about. Be warned that my spoilers are significantly more specific than Mike's, though if you're reading this thread...well, you know what you're in for.
Blue ending - You choose to take control of the Reapers. This is what the Illusive Man wanted to do all along, and both Anderson and Shepard eloquently argue against doing in the moments just before this choice arrives. However, you're Shep, not the Illusive Man, so perhaps it's okay if you do it. This destroys Shep, but allows his or her consciousness to ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL of the Reapers...and winds up sending them en masse back to Dark Space (one assumes). The mass relays are still destroyed, ending Galactic Civilization as we know it, but otherwise things are peachy.
Green ending - You choose 'synthesis,' where Shep throws him-or-herself into the energy beam of the Crucible, in a scene that reminded me a little of the end of Tron, and this somehow empowers the Crucible to 'merge synthetics and organics' throughout the galaxy. The Catalyst is a big fan of this idea, stressing that it's the only way to permanently solve the problem of "created versus creator" that has so plagued the galaxy throughout time that the Reaper Cycle was, until now, the only solution for it. What it MEANS to be 'merged' is not explained, nor explored. From the end cinematic, it apparently means to have glowing green irises. What specifically happens to the Reapers in this is unclear, as each is an entire race, not just a machine intelligence...but they stop killing people, and that's the important thing. Oh yeah, mass relays are destroyed.
Red ending - You choose 'destruction.' You take your handy-dandy Carnifex, limp towards a power conduit, and shoot it out. This somehow causes the Crucible to respond in kind, releasing a wave that annihilates all synthetic beings in the galaxy. Also, all mass relays. It's stressed by Catalyst that this includes non-Reaper synthetics though, like the Geth. This struck me as a significant drawback. I believe it was intentional, because otherwise this is the obvious choice.
In addition to the results of the Choice, there are conditions that, if fulfilled, result in the destruction or salvation of Earth (the galaxy is saved regardless), and the possible survival of Shepard. Regardless of anything, the Normandy is seen inexplicably fleeing a wave of destruction...and not quite making it. It then crash-lands on a very nice planet. Joker and two other people come out (which two depends on your choice, and other things). Roll credits.
I found this a dissatisfying conclusion at first. Here's why. First, the graphic difference between the choices is nonexistent. They use precisely the same footage, except the color of the energy release, and the reapers either fall down dead, or fly away. Seemed a bit lazy, but since you generally aren't expected to see more than one...eh, ok. It's a quibble, not a complaint.
My first complaint comes from the mind-shattering inexplicability of it. For example, my ground squad in the final mission was Garrus and Liara. They were with me in that final headlong rush for the finish line that only Shep (and, weirdly, Anderson?) managed to cross. I figured, oh noe, they're dead! But...no. Apparently Liara managed to teleport onto the Normandy, which decided to flee Earth in FTL, because that's where we next see it. Yep. Liara walked out right after Joker onto the surface of that planet the Normandy crashed on. Wah...HUH?! It makes no sense. And I went back and replayed it, just to be sure. Yep. Liara again. It's not random.
So...okay. Brain reeling a bit, I decided to think about it. And I realized this ending, no matter what, horks over the ME universe something fierce. The mass relays always get destroyed. Always. The Long Night descends...a new Dark Age. Of course, in some ways this might be GOOD, since we're no longer beholden to reaper technology, which USES us as much as it is used BY us...but damn! Where does this leave Mass Effect 4?
And then, finally, and most significantly, the ending really doesn't leave me with any idea of my beloved crew's fate. Marooned on a planet...my only clue comes from a scene after the credits where their descendents are apparently swapping Shep stories. So, okay...they were okay, I guess? Except for the aliens like Garrus and Tali, and Javik and...et cetera. They died childless. I guess Liara might have mothered a clutch of asari. The POINT is that I don't know. I'm forced to speculate and conjecture. It's not satisfying. It's not cathartic. Mass Effect 3 sets you up with HUGE EMOTIONS...and then lets that hang with an ending that doesn't give you anything to do with them. A Fallout-style narrative that recaps all the cool stuff you did during the game, and caps off with a description of how your pals got along would have been nice. You know what would have been even better? BIG SPACE BATTLE SETPIECE. To be fair, ME3 has one...it just comes earlier than the end. I wanted to see more of that. More giant armies clashing with reaper husks. More starships dodging lasers and shooting missiles. THAT got my blood pounding. I wanted a big, spectacular, epic ending and felt kind of let down when I got a quiet, austure one.
But...I have reached peace now, because on even FURTHER thought, I decided that the ending on the CD is very likely not the actual ending of the game. There is significant evidence to suggest that Bioware has something up their sleeve...most likely in DLC...that will complete the ending that THIS ending is essentially the first part of.
I'd be happy to discuss the reasons why I think this is so...but that is another post.
I actually like the ambiguity-slash-finality (in my ending, I did not ever see anyone step out of the Normandy, so I never got any teleportation bugs.) It's significant that Shepard steps into the Catalyst chamber alone - again, the Catalyst represents both change and death, and we all face death alone. And past that point, all we can do is hope that we lived as best as we could and that we left our world better than we found it - but we can never know for sure.
Previous Mass Effect games had ambiguity revolving around their major decisions - what should we do with the Rachni, the Council, the Collector base, the heretic geth, and Maelon's genophage data. But the key difference is that we knew there would be payoff (and oh, there was.) The ending of Mass Effect 3 is different, because as far as I know there won't BE a Mass Effect 4 - so you'll never see the result of Shepard's final key decision. That changes it significantly. The decision is what it is. And it means that Earth doesn't need to survive and neither does the relay network and neither does Shepard herself.
To make a comparison, you'll remember the ending of Planescape: Torment, where - spoilers for a decades old game - the Nameless One goes to Hell to face his just desserts, no matter what, unless there's a version of the ending I never saw. I wasn't as huge a fan of PS:T as so many others were, but there's no denying the finality of that ending, combined with the ambiguity of the fates of those left behind. There's no Planescape 2: Nameless Harder on the way. If there were, the ending would feel diminished.
I disagree with the notion that it renders all decisions moot. The relays collapsing changes everything. If the krogan are cured, they don't expand and repeat the mistakes of the past; if they aren't cured then they'll die out on their scorched rock of a world. If the Migrant Fleet is stuck out in space they will die - and if the destruction ending is chosen, the geth will perish. The relays can potentially be rebuilt if Shepard chooses control - and of course, all life everywhere changes if synthesis is chosen. That's not my issue with the ending. I only take issue with one of the endings.
The reason I hate the synthesis ending is this. I can buy talking with an ancient AI, and I can even understand why it doesn't stop Shepard (maybe the Crucible has paralyzed it) or why it didn't act sooner (because the Keepers were sabotaged and never turned it on for this cycle.) I can buy a signal that engages a safe self-destruct on the relay network since FTL communications exist. I can buy controlling a Reaper since mind control is possible in-universe. I can buy destroying them with a massively powerful long-range weapon. All this fits the way the universe has worked up until now. But I cannot make the leap to a wave of energy that summons up synthetic components in every living thing in the universe, amoebas included. That's basically space magic. I can handle bleak and I can handle an ending that is ambiguous as hell (in the short term - as the coda shows us, long term it works out.) I can't handle such a leap beyond what we expect from the science of Mass Effect.
But the bleakness and ambiguity and finality, I'm 100% okay with.
I played with no DLC - or as close as I could get, having bought it digitally. I didn't recruit the bonus DLC squadmate and I didn't use any DLC weapons, and I have to say, the notion that this game is incomplete without its launch-day DLC is ludicrous. In addition to a storyline as big as any previous Mass Effect game, if not bigger, there is a multiplayer mode so robust that they earnestly could have released it as a full game. I think people just reacted the way they did because a ) the hype machine got so huge that a backlash was inevitable, and b )the bonus squadmate was a Prothean, which is a huge, huge bomb to drop into the unvierse and people figured it'd be the single most important thing going on.
I'm on playthrough 2 now, and I'm going to meet the mystery squadmate - and I'm looking forward to taking my time. But even with a no-sidequests run I easily got my money's worth of game.
With regards to the endgame, the being that you speak too is an ETI (type VI considering it's capabilities, to alter all life so that is biosynthesitic on a galactic scale would require it be so), the option that gives the most possibility is that of synthesis, because in effect the ETI is using Shepard's biological and synthetic implants as the basic building block for the new state of existence, and some parts of the end game only make sense in the light of being given near godlike abilities at least for the moment.
Sense Shepard became part of the process, I decided that Shepard must have become part of a inner world, similar to when I entered the geth consenses, allowing Shepard to make some fixes to the various problems encountered in the overall game... and make the ending much more satisfying from a personal standpoint.. what those changes are.. well, that's another post.
Speaking as someone who got the 'Shepard Lives' ending, I think y'all might be reading too much into the 'ending' right now.
Furthermore, Bioware's made it clear that they -would- be interested in continuing the franchise, including vague talk of a Mass Effect MMO and a Mass Effect 4. None of those will feature Shepard though. They've made it clear that ME3 is the end of Shep's tale. However, and I've mentioned this on the game forums too, the game isn't over until the DLC stops coming.
My position is that, as Stargazer said, there is one more content update featuring Shepard coming. Until we see that, it's premature to talk in too much detail about the end.
Though it's fun, I admit. And we have to talk about -something-.
It sounds like the ending boils down to a situation of "we won, but at what cost". I think that the fact that there are upset fans, that there is debate and discussion, and that people are interpreting the ending(s) their own way and injecting their own meaning into the events is a good sign that the designers didn't drop the ball at all. At least that's my thought as an outsider looking in.
My complaint about the ending has always been that it feels incomplete.
Once I decided that there's more coming, I liked it more.
That decision is based on evidence, but it ultimately may very well be wishful thinking in the end. I recognize this. However, there is ample reason to believe that additional endgame content is forthcoming.
It would seem awkward to have DLC that takes place before the end of the game, since its probably reasonable to assume that people will be done by the time it launches.
Well, after you finish the CD content, it 'resets' you back to immediately before you begin the sequence of missions that leads to the end...so you can use that character to play pre-endgame DLC, and then replay the end.
I also thought the destruction of the Relays was a bad thing at first.. except that I realized that with all of the technological discovery's, they could be rebuilt.
I am of the opinion that synthesis is the only choice for a good aligned Shepard, as your betraying someone with the other choices (EDI and the Geth are synthetic lifeforms, and I find betraying EDI as particularly repugnant).
But synthesis destroys free will. You essentially force everyone in the galaxy to become somehing radically different without their consent.
How is that so different than what the Reapers do?
...sans terror and bloodshed and betrayal of loved ones and so on, of course.
It's an extreme solution, but non of the choices are perfect, it's simply the best of the three.
Says the player who's character chose to recreate herself (and only herself) as a synthetic being in QF.
Synthetic people are people too.
I dunno... Cyberization sounds sorta cool. As long as we don't become the Cybermen I am perfectly fine with the "Green" ending.
Arr...the point though is that the ending asks you to make that decision on the behalf of trillions of people, many of whom would not be fine with it.
It really is a variation on what Reapers do as well...gather people up, and make them into bio-mechanical creatures. They just do it on a large, grand scale. And without green space magic to make it painless.
So then one would assume that the "good"est option (take that grammar!!) would be to have Shep take over the reapers. I haven't really heard anything bad about that one, and one assumes he could put them to use picking up trash and helping old ladies cross the street.
My problem with that option is that it's betraying everything you've been fighting for, and it makes the Illusive Man's evil acceptable... No, Unacceptable ending.
But really, the problem is bigger then that, the Reapers are Sentient beings themselves, if I can't destroy them, how can I possibly justify enslaving them, on a moral grounds, personally, that's even worse..and really, it doesn't solve the underlining problem, that of the issue between biological and synthetic life.. the synthesis option is the only one that really solves the issue.
Furthermore, I seen a lot of potential issues it can fix especially genetic defects, like the Ardat-Yakshi, the Quarian immunity issues, even Joker's bone disease.. the biosythesis option can, potentially fix all of these.
The thing that's great about the Illusive Man as a villain is that he's both too smart to not be entirely wrong, yet too accustomed to having his own way to accept that he might not always be right.
What's cool about indoctrination in Mass Effect is that the subject isn't suddenly a mindless zombie - but rather their beliefs shift just enough to justify what the Reapers want of them. Saren wants to protect the galaxy by any means necessary, so when he's doing Sovereign's bidding he frames it as a story where he's the hero. When Doctor Amanda Kenson studies Object Rho in "Arrival," she suddenly starts expressing her scientific curiosity about the Reapers and wanting to spare them. When the hanar diplomat is turned, he has shifted his religious beliefs to Collector worship. And the Illusive Man sticks with his idea of saving the Reapers "for himself" long after it's untenable and has caused so much death.
So TIM turned out to have a legitimate truth that got warped by the metaphysical singularity of the Reapers. Once I knew this, the choice was easy. With the Reapers under her control, priority one would be "how about rebuilding tham thar mass relays," potentially shortening rebuild times by centuries. I don't regret my choice at all - though I should be less dismissive of the Merge option since apparently some people went straight for it, giving it some legitimacy.
I went straight for Destroy. The sacrifice of the geth and EDI will be remembered in the coming Empire.
It's not simply a concern for the free will of the reapers.. it's a concern that if the Illusive Man is right, then the words about the cycle must have something to recomend them as well, controlling the Reapers only creates a temporary solution.. for now, inevitably the problem of biological and synthetic life conflicts will come up again.. and again... the merger solves the problem, forever.
I chose Destroy because, at the time, it was the only choice that clearly and irrevocably freed the galaxy from the Reaper/Citadel framework, albeit at a great and morally unsustainable cost. I chose to bear the moral burden of genocide to free the galaxy from this system of control.
Consider the source though. The Catalyst is the one who guards and enforces the Reaper Cycle. Its assertion that 'synthetics will always turn against their creators' may be flawed. It may be that the entire 3-way Choice is entirely based on a flawed premise and that all of the choices lead to equally flawed outcomes. The Catalyst is the product of th same assumptions that justified the Reapers and is ultimately a prisoner of those assumptions. By playing its game, we become prisoner to them as well. There must be another way.
Just one more reason I'm fairly certain that we haven't actually seen the end yet.
Do you all think that the real reason behind the venomous player response is that there is, in fact, no "shiny happy ending" ending? Would the fan response have been more positive had there been an option for peace love and kumbya that didn't require anybody to die, or be transformed into a cyborg against their will?
From what I've seen, no. And I've been reading a LOT on the Bioware forums.
1) Our choices didn't matter. This is based on there being only three different paths at the end, and only a very small number of divergences within those paths based on your actions in the game. Did you unite the Turians and Krogan? Make peace between the Geth and Quarians? Doesn't matter. The end is the same.
This strikes me as a bit fallacious. It's overly focused on the ending cinematic, rather than the game as a whole. To my mind, the Quarian/Geth dilemma doesn't really directly impact the situation on the Crucible because...why would it? But it DEFINITELY made an impact on the galaxy, even if the final cinematic doesn't acknowlede that.
2) No sense of closure. The game just kind of...plops to an end. Magic space coloration spreads around the galaxy, ending the Reaper menace magically. Your giant armada, your ground forces, the sacrifices you've made and asked of others...it all boils down to not much. No big spectacular coolness. Not even a Fallout-esque slide show recapping all you've done and giving an idea of how things in the galaxy have changed because of you.
My theory is that this is intentional because it's not actually the end. They didn't WANT closure yet. Your mileage may vary. If this IS the end, then this is my complaint too. I remember Mass Effect 1 and 2's endings...ME1 had an AMAZING end. ME2 had a very functional, yet satisfying end. ME3...neither. It's a bare bones end that covers the absolute minimum necessary; yes you saved the galaxy...yes (or no) you saved Earth (or not)...yes, the Normandy and its crew survive (including, mysteriously, the ones who'd been with you on Earth). You win. Congrats. Roll credits. Golf clap.
3) The scene with Catalyst is terrible. Actually, the complaint is that, similar to my previous comments, Catalyst's logic is flawed and people are annoyed that Shep...for arguably the first time in the game...meekly goes along with it all without questioning it. People say it seems out of character, especially if you've played even a little renegade. He asks some questions, but they're...in journalism parlance...'softballs.' He doesn't question the system, the assumptions. He goes along with the framework as presented, only asking how he can go along with it and what the consequences will be. This, of course, makes people feel railroaded as the character they thought they knew becomes someone wholly different.
Very few people I've seen are complaining about Shep's fate, live or die. Somewhat more complain about the mass relays being destroyed...largely because it pretty much wrecks the galaxy you tried to save (see complaint 1). By far the most complain about one of those three though, or a direct variant of one of them.
And not EVERYONE is complaining. They are just the majority of people who post.
So basically they didn't like the end because the end didn't contain a classic epilogue?


A group of die-hard Doctor Who fans raised nearly £2,500 for charity through a memorabilia stall at the Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre.
Thomas Seymour, Tuesday Harris, Connor Gatsell, Aaron Williams and Paul Devine attracted thousands of people to their stall over the popular four-day fayre.
Visitors to the stall were invited to make donations to St Nicholas Hospice Care in return for photographs with the Doctors and their villains.
A total of £2,464.28 was raised for the Bury St Edmunds-based charity through the stall.
Mr Seymour said: "Aaron and I have been making new Dr Who exhibits and monsters during the year for the fayre and we are so happy people think they are the originals.
"The thousands of people that visited our stall loved the monsters, especially the Dalek.
George Chilvers, hospice community fundraising manager, said: "Thank you so much to the Doctor Who fundraisers for working so hard for us – to have raised such a large amount is brilliant.
"I know the group had a lot of support and we are so grateful to everyone who made the stall possible. All of those who showcased their props, collectables and memorabilia as well as everyone who kindly donated to the cause.


This is a very nice example of late model Sport. The only no original parts are the front brakes and larger 36 mm Dellorto carbs.
It was first brought to me for tune up and valve adjustment.
Later I put on high rise clip ons since the owner was participating in the Italian Giro Cal. If you have ever ridden a Sport for most of a day, you would want higher bars.
Frank had a wonderful time.


The Baccarat Sync wheel comes in several finishes including Chrome and has five spokes that offer a modern look. Baccarat uses state of the art materials and workmanship in the design and construction of their wheels. Baccarat Sync wheels would be an excellent choice for your vehicle.


Are you an avid online shopper who can boast of an entire wardrobe of online purchases? Or maybe a conservative buyer who would not resist a really good bargain? We've got great news for you – it's time to gear up and get ready for the 11.11 Online Revolution sale!
What started in China as Singles Day (note the representation of singles as bare sticks in 11.11), has grown into a full-blown Global Shopping Festival, kickstarted by China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba.
The 11.11 festival is now available to Malaysians to enjoy extravagant discounts from 11.11 participating merchants on e-commerce websites such as Lazada, Zalora, Hermo, 11Street, and Fave among others.
In 2016, Lazada Malaysia helped online shoppers to save RM 288 million on their shopping during their massive Online Revolution sale. Reason enough to shop yet?
More merchants available for fashion, sports, beauty products and more.
But Wait, There's More on Taobao!
China's counterpart of Amazon and eBay, Taobao is one of the best go-to site for endless products at incredibly low prices. While the site used to only be available in Chinese, users can now browse the English Taobao Collection on Lazada as well as purchase Taobao products from Ezbuy.
By purchasing directly from small retailers or other consumers, you have lower shipping costs, bypass importers and wholesalers who usually mark-up prices and enjoy huge slashes in prices and the clearance sales that Taobao vendors have to offer (think up to 90% discounts!).
What's All The Hype About, Anyway?
You may say that a real shopping experience means being squeeshed up among a crowd of busy shoppers or waiting for your turn in a mile-long queue, but we're happy to skip out on all that.
Yes, it's true! A bunch of university students in 1990 turned their noses up at Valentine's and celebrated the joys of singledom. 11.11 – hence Singles Day!
Alibaba, China's e-commerce giant, then introduced the idea that one of the best ways to celebrate singledom was to spend well-earned money on yourself! Thus, the epic sale of 11.11 Global Shopping Festival began in 2009 with 27 merchants. It revolutionised China's shopping and recorded an expenditure of 50 million yuan (RM31.9 million).
Since then, the number of merchants, consumer expenditure, and international influence has grown, and a whopping 140,000 number of brands are expected to participate in Alibaba's 2017 Global Shopping Festival.
The shopping festival is available on all Alibaba platforms such as Aliexpress, Taobao, and Tmall and is now available in Malaysia through various e-commerce sites.
So with 16 days to go, are you ready for the 11.11 Online Revolution?


text:
Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States
Sandip Pal, Kenneth J. Davis, Thomas Lauvaux, Edward V. Browell, Brian J. Gaudet, David R. Stauffer, Michael D. Obland, Yonghoon Choi, Josh P. DiGangi, Sha Feng, Bing Lin, Natasha L. Miles, Rebecca M. Pauly, Scott J. Richardson, Fuqing Zhang
Our knowledge about synoptic-scale variations of atmospheric-CO2 produced by interactions between midlatitude cyclones and regional-scale surface fluxes remains limited due to the scarcity of observations. We synthesized observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with respect to frontal passages to understand how GHG distributions change vertically and horizontally during a synoptic event. We use the airborne in situ measurements of GHGs collected during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America summer 2016 field campaign. Using these measurements, we defined three metrics, (1) the differences in the GHG mole fractions across frontal boundaries in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), (2) differences in the vertical contrasts in GHGs in warm and cold sectors, and (3) the size and magnitude of enhanced CO2 in the vicinity of frontal boundary. We found that frontal structures are clearly associated with spatially coherent and significant changes in GHG composition. Warm sector CO2 mole fractions [CO2] are higher than those in the cold sector. The cross-frontal [CO2] contrasts are largest in the BL (5–30 ppm) with smaller differences in the FT (3–5 ppm). We found higher [CH4] in the BL in the warm sector than in the cold sector for 5 out of 11 cases. Analyses of vertical profiles revealed higher [CO2] in the FT than in the BL in the cold sector while opposite pattern in the warm sector. Average BL-to-FT [CO2] differences are 12 and −6 ppm in the warm and cold sectors, respectively. The observational analyses presented define new metrics involving horizontal and vertical GHG contrasts across fronts during summer which will be used to evaluate simulations of GHG transport.
e2019JD030526
airborne atmospheric measurements
atmospheric boundary layer
free troposphere
midlatitude cyclone
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Greenhouse Gases Chemical Compounds
greenhouses Physics & Astronomy
Eastern United States Agriculture & Biology
summer Physics & Astronomy
greenhouse gases Agriculture & Biology
troposphere Agriculture & Biology
greenhouse gas Earth & Environmental Sciences
sectors Physics & Astronomy
Pal, S., Davis, K. J., Lauvaux, T., Browell, E. V., Gaudet, B. J., Stauffer, D. R., Obland, M. D., Choi, Y., DiGangi, J. P., Feng, S., Lin, B., Miles, N. L., Pauly, R. M., Richardson, S. J., & Zhang, F. (2020). Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125(5), [e2019JD030526]. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030526
Pal, Sandip ; Davis, Kenneth J. ; Lauvaux, Thomas ; Browell, Edward V. ; Gaudet, Brian J. ; Stauffer, David R. ; Obland, Michael D. ; Choi, Yonghoon ; DiGangi, Josh P. ; Feng, Sha ; Lin, Bing ; Miles, Natasha L. ; Pauly, Rebecca M. ; Richardson, Scott J. ; Zhang, Fuqing. / Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States. In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2020 ; Vol. 125, No. 5.
@article{15b141349ace4c63921453d3fe42bc5c,
title = "Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States",
abstract = "Our knowledge about synoptic-scale variations of atmospheric-CO2 produced by interactions between midlatitude cyclones and regional-scale surface fluxes remains limited due to the scarcity of observations. We synthesized observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with respect to frontal passages to understand how GHG distributions change vertically and horizontally during a synoptic event. We use the airborne in situ measurements of GHGs collected during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America summer 2016 field campaign. Using these measurements, we defined three metrics, (1) the differences in the GHG mole fractions across frontal boundaries in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), (2) differences in the vertical contrasts in GHGs in warm and cold sectors, and (3) the size and magnitude of enhanced CO2 in the vicinity of frontal boundary. We found that frontal structures are clearly associated with spatially coherent and significant changes in GHG composition. Warm sector CO2 mole fractions [CO2] are higher than those in the cold sector. The cross-frontal [CO2] contrasts are largest in the BL (5–30 ppm) with smaller differences in the FT (3–5 ppm). We found higher [CH4] in the BL in the warm sector than in the cold sector for 5 out of 11 cases. Analyses of vertical profiles revealed higher [CO2] in the FT than in the BL in the cold sector while opposite pattern in the warm sector. Average BL-to-FT [CO2] differences are 12 and −6 ppm in the warm and cold sectors, respectively. The observational analyses presented define new metrics involving horizontal and vertical GHG contrasts across fronts during summer which will be used to evaluate simulations of GHG transport.",
keywords = "airborne atmospheric measurements, atmospheric boundary layer, cold front, free troposphere, greenhouse gases, midlatitude cyclone",
author = "Sandip Pal and Davis, {Kenneth J.} and Thomas Lauvaux and Browell, {Edward V.} and Gaudet, {Brian J.} and Stauffer, {David R.} and Obland, {Michael D.} and Yonghoon Choi and DiGangi, {Josh P.} and Sha Feng and Bing Lin and Miles, {Natasha L.} and Pauly, {Rebecca M.} and Richardson, {Scott J.} and Fuqing Zhang",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
journal = "Journal of Geophysical Research",
Pal, S, Davis, KJ, Lauvaux, T, Browell, EV, Gaudet, BJ, Stauffer, DR, Obland, MD, Choi, Y, DiGangi, JP, Feng, S, Lin, B, Miles, NL, Pauly, RM, Richardson, SJ & Zhang, F 2020, 'Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States', Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, vol. 125, no. 5, e2019JD030526. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030526
Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States. / Pal, Sandip; Davis, Kenneth J.; Lauvaux, Thomas; Browell, Edward V.; Gaudet, Brian J.; Stauffer, David R.; Obland, Michael D.; Choi, Yonghoon; DiGangi, Josh P.; Feng, Sha; Lin, Bing; Miles, Natasha L.; Pauly, Rebecca M.; Richardson, Scott J.; Zhang, Fuqing.
In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 125, No. 5, e2019JD030526, 16.03.2020.
T1 - Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States
AU - Pal, Sandip
AU - Davis, Kenneth J.
AU - Lauvaux, Thomas
AU - Browell, Edward V.
AU - Gaudet, Brian J.
AU - Stauffer, David R.
AU - Obland, Michael D.
AU - Choi, Yonghoon
AU - DiGangi, Josh P.
AU - Feng, Sha
AU - Lin, Bing
AU - Miles, Natasha L.
AU - Pauly, Rebecca M.
AU - Richardson, Scott J.
AU - Zhang, Fuqing
N1 - Publisher Copyright: ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
N2 - Our knowledge about synoptic-scale variations of atmospheric-CO2 produced by interactions between midlatitude cyclones and regional-scale surface fluxes remains limited due to the scarcity of observations. We synthesized observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with respect to frontal passages to understand how GHG distributions change vertically and horizontally during a synoptic event. We use the airborne in situ measurements of GHGs collected during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America summer 2016 field campaign. Using these measurements, we defined three metrics, (1) the differences in the GHG mole fractions across frontal boundaries in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), (2) differences in the vertical contrasts in GHGs in warm and cold sectors, and (3) the size and magnitude of enhanced CO2 in the vicinity of frontal boundary. We found that frontal structures are clearly associated with spatially coherent and significant changes in GHG composition. Warm sector CO2 mole fractions [CO2] are higher than those in the cold sector. The cross-frontal [CO2] contrasts are largest in the BL (5–30 ppm) with smaller differences in the FT (3–5 ppm). We found higher [CH4] in the BL in the warm sector than in the cold sector for 5 out of 11 cases. Analyses of vertical profiles revealed higher [CO2] in the FT than in the BL in the cold sector while opposite pattern in the warm sector. Average BL-to-FT [CO2] differences are 12 and −6 ppm in the warm and cold sectors, respectively. The observational analyses presented define new metrics involving horizontal and vertical GHG contrasts across fronts during summer which will be used to evaluate simulations of GHG transport.
AB - Our knowledge about synoptic-scale variations of atmospheric-CO2 produced by interactions between midlatitude cyclones and regional-scale surface fluxes remains limited due to the scarcity of observations. We synthesized observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with respect to frontal passages to understand how GHG distributions change vertically and horizontally during a synoptic event. We use the airborne in situ measurements of GHGs collected during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America summer 2016 field campaign. Using these measurements, we defined three metrics, (1) the differences in the GHG mole fractions across frontal boundaries in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), (2) differences in the vertical contrasts in GHGs in warm and cold sectors, and (3) the size and magnitude of enhanced CO2 in the vicinity of frontal boundary. We found that frontal structures are clearly associated with spatially coherent and significant changes in GHG composition. Warm sector CO2 mole fractions [CO2] are higher than those in the cold sector. The cross-frontal [CO2] contrasts are largest in the BL (5–30 ppm) with smaller differences in the FT (3–5 ppm). We found higher [CH4] in the BL in the warm sector than in the cold sector for 5 out of 11 cases. Analyses of vertical profiles revealed higher [CO2] in the FT than in the BL in the cold sector while opposite pattern in the warm sector. Average BL-to-FT [CO2] differences are 12 and −6 ppm in the warm and cold sectors, respectively. The observational analyses presented define new metrics involving horizontal and vertical GHG contrasts across fronts during summer which will be used to evaluate simulations of GHG transport.
KW - airborne atmospheric measurements
KW - atmospheric boundary layer
KW - cold front
KW - free troposphere
KW - greenhouse gases
KW - midlatitude cyclone
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research
M1 - e2019JD030526
Pal S, Davis KJ, Lauvaux T, Browell EV, Gaudet BJ, Stauffer DR et al. Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2020 Mar 16;125(5). e2019JD030526. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030526