text:
'Frankenstein' Set For World Premiere At La Monnaie
By David Salazar
Composer Mark Grey's "Frankenstein" will make its world premiere at La Monnaie on March 8, 2019.
The new opera, which includes a libretto by Júlia Canosa, will be directed by Alex Ollé from La Fura dels Baus, who will explore how technology can be a major danger to society. The production will be conducted by Bassem Akiki with tenor Topi Lehtipuu taking on the role of the creature. Scott Hendricks will appear as Victor Frankenstein and in the role of Elizabeth, audiences will see Eleonore Marguerre.
The production of "Frankenstein" will feature additional performances on March 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 20.
After the opera, the composer will head to Rome to put on his Frankenstein Symphony at the Auditorium Parco della Musica.
Here is a trailer for the opera, which is based on the famed novel by Mary Shelley.
Prior to creating OperaWire, DAVID SALAZAR, (Editor-in-Chief) worked as a reporter for Latin Post where he interviewed major opera stars including Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Vittorio Grigolo, Diana Damrau and Rolando Villazon among others. His 2014 interview with opera star Kristine Opolais was cited in a New York Times Review.
He also had the opportunity of interviewing numerous Oscar nominees, Golden Globe winners and film industry giants such as Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac and John Leguizamo among others.
David holds a Masters in Media Management from Fordham University. During his time at Fordham, he studied abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. He also holds a dual bachelor's from Hofstra University in Film Production and Journalism.
Renée Fleming Leads Third Year of SongStudio Workshop
New National Theatre Tokyo Announces Changes to Operas
Joseph Calleja Headlines Opera Naples' 'Bal à Paris' Gala


text:
Seventh Inning Rally Lifts STAC Past NYIT, 3-1
St. Thomas Aquinas (25-20) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 6 1
NYIT (19-24) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
2B: Amanda Castro
HR: Melissa Sadler
2B: Stephanie Neglia; Lizul Portugal
Brookville, N.Y. - Heading into the final inning trailing 1-0, St. Thomas Aquinas' softball team rallied for three runs in the seventh to beat NYIT and advance in the ECC Softball Championship. The win over NYIT also broke the program's 35-year record for most wins in a season with 25 as the Spartans moved to 25-20.
STAC's milestone win over NYIT came in dramatic fashion. Trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning, junior Melissa Sadler (Milton, N.Y.) drilled a long home run over the rightfield fence. Freshman Amanda Castro (Mission Viejo, Calif.) then stroked a one-out double and Taylor Sullivan (Suffern, N.Y.) drove in pinch-runner Valerie Winalski (East Granby, Ct.) with a clutch single. Sullivan later scored on a passed ball.
Winning pitcher Colleen Borum (Mountain Top, Pa.) made the runs stand to close out yet another outstanding effort. The senior right-hander scattered six hits and walked only one batter in a masterful performance against the same NYIT team that had swept STAC five days ago. Borum received important defensive support from Kelcy McGeehan (Bayville, N.J.) at third base and Sadler in center field.
Provided by the St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information Department.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Soaring 300 meters over Qatar's capital of Doha, The Torch Doha—one of the Middle East's newest five-star hotels—captivates guests with luxury and a flair for aesthetic refinement. Throughout the hotel's public spaces, the elegant décor is complemented by music that flows through an extensive (yet discreet) installation of 195 Meyer Sound low-voltage self-powered loudspeakers and 55 miniature subwoofers.
"Meyer Sound's low-voltage systems were the only solution that could meet the stringent requirements for full spectrum audio including extremely compact enclosures, wide frequency response with ultra-low distortion, high SPL-to-size ratio, superior speech intelligibility, custom color finishes, and flexible mounting options," says system designer and project manager, Pradeep Kumar of Doha-based AVtech, the integrator for all the hotel's music systems.
A particularly challenging space for controlled, quality sound was a 20-meter high lobby atrium, for which Kumar specified 10 MM-4XPD directional self-powered loudspeakers. Other lobby and reception areas are served by MM-4XP self-powered loudspeakers and MM-10 miniature subwoofers.
Ceiling systems throughout the hotel's Three Sixty revolving restaurant, meeting rooms, health clubs, and business center employ a total of 109 low-voltage Stella-4C loudspeakers, while a quartet of robust UPJunior VariO loudspeakers take care of the lofty cantilevered pool area and the Sky bar. A total of 31 sleek, surface-mount Stella-4 loudspeakers blend with the décor in the sushi restaurant, lounges, and bars, with additional MM-10 subwoofers filling in the lower octaves. A Galileo loudspeaker management system with a Galileo 616 processor optimizes audio response in the acoustically challenging lobby zone.
The low-voltage loudspeakers receive both audio signal and remote DC powering from rack-mount power supplies, featuring two MPS-481 and seven MPS-488HP 48V DC units, as well as 12 Stella-188 18V DC units deployed around the installation.
In addition to Meyer Sound products, the venue also features an Allen & Heath iDR-8 that handles mixing and matrixing of local audio sources in the meeting rooms, while AV switching is assigned to an Extron SMX System MultiMatrix.
The 167 luxurious rooms of The Torch Doha occupy 17 floors of the Aspire Tower, an iconic symbol built for the 2006 Asian Games held in the surrounding Aspire Zone sports complex. Architect Hadi Simaan, in association with AREP and Ove Arup & Partners engineers, designed the Aspire Tower building. The Torch Doha hotel project—with architecture design by Karim Azzabi and interior design by Artline R+M & Associates of Doha—was completed in 2011.


text:
Samuel L. Jackson Will Co-Star With Chris Rock In The New 'Saw' Movie
Posted July 8th, 2019 by Jax Motes
Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock.com
Filming is due to begin this week on the latest 'Saw' movie, which has an interesting new addition– comedian Chris Rock, who is starring and co-wrote the script. And now word has arrived that he will be co-starring along with another unlikely actor, Samuel L. Jackson! This information has been confirmed by the website Bloody Disgusting.
It's been an up and down year for Jackson, who remains one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. 'Glass', directed by M. Night Shyamalan, underperformed, and 'Shaft' was an outright flop. However, Jackson also appeared in three of the biggest films of the year, 'Captain Marvel', 'Avengers: Endgame', and the current #1 movie in the world, 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'.
RELATED: 'Captain Marvel:' Samuel L Jackson Talks About Nick Fury's Origins And More!
Rock came up with the story for the new 'Saw', which was then adapted by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg, who previously co-wrote 'Jigsaw'. The new film is being directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who helmed 'Saw II'-'IV'.
In May, when Rock's involvement in the new 'Saw' movie was announced, Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group chairman, Joe Drake stated:
"When Chris Rock came to us and described in chilling detail his fantastic vision that reimagines and spins-off the world of the notorious Jigsaw Killer, we were all-in. Saw is one of the highest grossing horror franchises of all-time and it's one of Lionsgate's most successful film series. This upcoming film will still be as mind-bending and intense as all the previous Saw films. Chris conceived this idea, and it will be completely reverential to the legacy of the material while reinvigorating the brand with his wit, creative vision, and passion for this classic horror franchise."
Are you intrigued to see Rock and Jackson taking on the torture-loving puppet?
The untitled 'Saw' project already has a release date of October 23, 2020.
Josh Stolberg
Pete Goldfinger
Jax Motes
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
Todd Phillips Says 'Joker' "Didn't Follow Anything From The Comic Books"
Angelina Jolie Is Back In The 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil' Trailer
Toy News Tuesday: What's Cooler Than Being Cool?
Matt Ryan Is Returning As 'Constantine' Thanks To The CW Seed
Comic Book Review: 'Batwoman' #3
Tye Sheridan Says 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' Is More Of A Drama Than A Superhero Movie


Finding the perfect window treatments for Oklahoma City homeowners is probably the best part of working in interior design and fashion. And few styles of windows offer the same design obstacle as casement windows do. Unlike normal sliding windows, casement windows are attached with hinges on one or more sides, and so they swing in and out to operate.
Since they operate differently from most other windows, they require a somewhat unique approach when pairing with a window treatment. Let's take a look at how to choose your perfect casement window treatment.
When selecting a window covering for your swinging window, keep these qualities in mind.
Ease of operation - Whether your casement window operates via crank or lever, you need to be able to easily open and close it without the annoyance of a window treatment blocking you.
Fitting your window depth - Various casement windows will have varying depths between your wall and the window, so some window coverings may not fit the space.
Coverage - While sliding windows can typically only open halfway, just about all casement windows will be able to open all the way. Having a good range of light control will allow you achieve an ideal amount of light without sacrificing the effective ventilation that casements offer.
So which is the best window covering for Oklahoma City casement windows? Since there can be some differences between various casement windows (hinge position, window jamb depth, etc), it's good to set up an in-home consultation so a window treatment professional can help you find your unique ideal fit.
Knowing that, here are the window treatment options we generally recommend for casement windows.
You absolutely can't go wrong with plantation shutters on casement windows. Whether your casement is hinged at the top (known as an "awning"), the bottom (a "hopper"), or one of the sides, plantation shutters can be custom-built to match the direction your window operated. That ability also makes sure that the shutter don't interfere with the opening mechanism, whether it's by crank or lever, and can fit either directly into your window jamb or on top of them so the depth of your window isn't a problem.
Shutters can be installed around the window opening to ensure full operation of the opening mechanism. As a bonus, you won't have to worry about suspended fabric blowing in the wind or being left exposed when you have your window open.
Lastly, shutters open up a whole new world of coverage options for your window. Say you need to have a good amount of fresh air circulating in your space, but want to keep the light level low. Just open your casement window, but set your shutter louvers slightly open so that you can your perfect level of fresh air and light. That level of control is only achievable with plantation shutters.
A less sophisticated option compared to shutters, shades offer stylish looks and an effective framing to your window, without getting in the way of the casement opening mechanism. Because shades are always installed on top of the frame, there's no need to fret about the direction the window swings or the window depth. Shades can easily be pulled up when the window opens, so your view and airflow remain free.
Cellular shades as well as roman shades look stellar on casement windows while giving you great coverage.
As we've mentioned, casement windows can differ in multiple ways, so there may be other window treatments that work just as well for your space. To learn more about your window treatment options, call Sunburst Shutters Oklahoma City at 405-300-4664 today to set up a free in-home design consultation.


text:
Syma é um género de ave da família Alcedinidae.

Este género contém as seguintes espécies:
 Syma megarhyncha
 Syma torotoro

Referências

Alcedinidae
Géneros de aves

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: asyncio.Queue.get() gets stuck on empty queue In the following code I have a producer running in its own thread and generating Runnable objects and putting them in an asyncio.Queue. The consumer is running as a task in the ayncio event loop.  Everything works fine as long as the queue is not empty.  Once the await queue.get() encounters an empty queue it never returns even if items are added to the queue. I am running with python version 3.7.6.
import threading
import asyncio
import random
import time
import logging

logger = logging.getLogger()
logger.setLevel(0)
formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)-15s %(levelname)-5s| %(name)s: %(funcName)s: %(message)s')
consoleHandler = logging.StreamHandler()
consoleHandler.setFormatter(formatter)
logger.addHandler(consoleHandler)

#=======================================================================
class Runnable(object):
    def __init__(self, id, load):
        self.id = id
        self.load = load
        return

    async def run(self):
        logger.info(f"Running: {self.id}, load: {self.load}")
        await asyncio.sleep(self.load)
        logger.info(f"Done Running: {self.id}, load: {self.load}")
        return

#=======================================================================
def producer(queue):
    logger.info("Starting producer")
    eventId = 0

    while(True):
        eventId += 1
        load = random.uniform(1, 5)
        r = Runnable(eventId, load)
        queue.put_nowait(r)
        logger.info(f"Added runnable. qsize: {queue.qsize()}")
        time.sleep(3)
    return

async def consumer(queue):
    logger.info("Starting consumer")
    while(True):
        logger.info(f"Waiting for runnable. qsize: {queue.qsize()}")
        r = await queue.get()
        logger.info("Received runnable")
        await r.run()
        logger.info("Done with processing runnable")
    return

def main():
    # create and start a producer
    queue = asyncio.Queue(20)
    prodThd = threading.Thread(target=producer, args=(queue,))
    prodThd.start()

    # start consuming on the async event_loop
    loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
    task = loop.create_task(consumer(queue))
    loop.run_until_complete(task)
    return

#=======================================================================
if (__name__ == '__main__'):
    main()

Sample output:
2020-06-26 19:52:13,555 DEBUG| asyncio: __init__: Using selector: SelectSelector
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: producer: Starting producer
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 1
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: consumer: Starting consumer
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: consumer: Waiting for runnable. qsize: 1
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: consumer: Received runnable
2020-06-26 19:52:13,561 INFO | root: run: Running: 1, load: 1.320570165693137
2020-06-26 19:52:14,882 INFO | root: run: Done Running: 1, load: 1.320570165693137
2020-06-26 19:52:14,882 INFO | root: consumer: Done with processing runnable
2020-06-26 19:52:14,882 INFO | root: consumer: Waiting for runnable. qsize: 0
2020-06-26 19:52:16,562 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 1
2020-06-26 19:52:19,562 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 2
2020-06-26 19:52:22,564 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 3
2020-06-26 19:52:25,565 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 4
2020-06-26 19:52:28,566 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 5
2020-06-26 19:52:31,568 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 6
2020-06-26 19:52:34,569 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 7
2020-06-26 19:52:37,569 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 8
2020-06-26 19:52:40,569 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 9
2020-06-26 19:52:43,570 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 10
2020-06-26 19:52:46,571 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 11
2020-06-26 19:52:49,572 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 12
2020-06-26 19:52:52,573 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 13
2020-06-26 19:52:55,574 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 14
2020-06-26 19:52:58,575 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 15
2020-06-26 19:53:01,576 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 16
2020-06-26 19:53:04,576 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 17
2020-06-26 19:53:07,577 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 18
2020-06-26 19:53:10,579 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 19
2020-06-26 19:53:13,579 INFO | root: producer: Added runnable. qsize: 20

A: You're trying to add items to the queue from a completely different thread, outside the event loop. Asyncio queues can only be safely interacted with from within the event loop. They are explicitly not threadsafe - quoting the docs:

This class is not thread safe.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Franklin, a maker of educational products from apps to electronic dictionaries, have announced the AnyBook Reader. This is a new product that is going into an old niche.
It's a very simple device about the size of a tv remote. The Anybook consists of a microphone, speaker, and a sensor. It's entirely self contained and runs on 2 AAA batteries. Retail is $39 (15h recording time) and $59 (60h recording time).
It doesn't actually read; instead it plays an MP3.
I'm a parent and have a reading club online. we use the anybook reader at my house to encourage reading at an early age. Its fun for my 4 year old even though she does not always point at the words when the reader is playing me reading a particular page for her. Its a fun and affordable device for families with young children who are eager to open a book to read.


The South Dakota Bar Exam assesses whether or not a candidate is competent to practice law in South Dakota. The exam is comprised of four unique parts - the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), a state-specific essay, and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). A minimum score of 260 out of 400 possible points is needed to pass.
The first portion of the South Dakota Bar Exam is the Multistate Performance Test, or the MPT. Two 90-minute items are administered, each of which challenge examinees to separate relevant from irrelevant facts and communicate complex legal concepts effectively. The MPT is designed to test students' ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation.
The second portion of the South Dakota Bar Exam is the state-specific essay. It consists of one essay question on Indian Law.
The third portion of the South Dakota Bar Exam is the Multistate Essay Exam, or the MEE. The MEE consists of five essays. Students must provide clear, well-organized compositions that demonstrate the ability to understand universal law concepts and communicate ideas effectively.
The fourth and final portion of the South Dakota Bar Exam is the Multistate Bar Examination, or the MBE. The MBE is administered twice annually; once on the last Wednesday in February and again on the last Wednesday in July.
AdaptiBar prepares students for the MBE portion of the South Dakota Bar Examination. The MBE occurs on one day, which is divided into two, three-hour parts, each consisting of 100 questions. When answering MBE questions, students apply fundamental legal principles instead of local case or statutory law. During the MBE, students analyze fact situations and apply black letter law. Students choose only one correct answer - the best answer - from the four available choices.
For more information on the South Dakota Bar Exam, visit the official South Dakota Bar Examination site.


It's time to organize your closet. We'll show you how to build shelving that makes storing clothes and accessories easier than ever.
After assembling this organizer, you'll think you've doubled the size of your closet. The key is efficient, accessible use of space. Instead of the usual single closet pole with a difficult-to-reach shelf, you'll have three poles at appropriate heights for shirts, pants, and coats. Instead of a jumble of shoes in the dark recesses of the floor, your footwear will be neatly stored in an easily accessible rack. At the center of the organizer is a stack of narrow shelves perfect for storing sweaters. There also are divided accessory shelves to the left of the sweater shelves and another shelf over the shirt pole. The organizer shown fits a closet that's 7 feet wide and 8 feet tall.
This organizer is made of birch plywood and has a clear satin polyurethane finish. Of course, you can stain the plywood first or use oak plywood for a different look. Birch plywood also looks great with a painted surface. A semigloss paint will be more durable than flat paint.
You'll need about 8 hours to construct the organizer, plus finishing time. Prep for the project by cleaning out your closet and gathering the necessary materials.
Editor's Tip: To cut a full sheet of plywood accurately and safely on a tablesaw, you must have a helper or support tables or rollers on three sides of the saw. Even with a helper and extra support, a lightweight bench-top saw could shift dangerously during the cut.
The solution is to snap a chalk line on the sheet for a rip-cut that's about 1/4 inch wider than the final width you need. Cut along this line with a circular saw—you don't need a guide because this cut doesn't have to be perfectly straight. Then set the tablesaw for the final width and rip off the extra 1/4 inch.
Download the Cut List for this Project.
Crosscut all plywood parts to the lengths shown in the cutting diagram. Attach a 2-foot length of 3/4-inch stock to the miter gauge to better support the plywood. Alternately, use a circular saw with crosscutting jig. Use masking tape to label each part as you cut it.
When cutting hardwood plywood on a tablesaw, make sure the good side (the side that will show in the project) is facing up. When cutting with a circular saw, the good side should be down so any tear-out that occurs as the saw teeth exit the plywood will be hidden in the project.
You might want both sides of the cut to look good (the shoe rack sides, for example). Or it just might not be practical to cut from the correct side. If so, place a metal straightedge along your cut line and use a sharp utility knife to score the cut line. Make two or three passes with the knife, until you cut completely through the plywood's thin top veneer.
Place the sweater divider sides (A) next to each other with inside faces up and tops and bottoms flush. Use a framing square to lay out lines for the bottom of the four divider shelves (C), as shown in the drawing.
Apply glue to the top edges of the divider sides (A). Attach the sweater divider top (B) with 4d finishing nails. Glue and nail the sweater divider bottom (B) in the same way. Use a framing square to check that the box is square before the glue dries.
Screen molding covers seams where screening is attached to a frame, but it's also ideal for covering exposed plywood edges. The molding is 3/4 inches wide to match the plywood, and you can choose from several profiles, including flat molding with rounded edges or beaded.
Attach the molding with glue and 4d finishing nails. You can paint or apply a clear finish to match the project. Or, make a decorative contrast by prepainting the molding to apply to plywood with a clear finish, or prefinishing to apply to painted plywood.
Slip a sweater divider shelf (C) into place, carefully aligning its bottom to the layout lines. Attach it with 4d nails driven partway into the sides. Check for square and complete the nailing. Repeat for all the shelves.
As you did for the sweater divider, lay the shoe rack top and bottom (D) and horizontal shelf (G) side by side to lay out the positions of the vertical dividers (E). Center the horizontal shelf so its ends are 3/4 inch from the ends of the top and bottom.
Glue and clamp a vertical divider to the bottom. Make sure the divider is aligned to the layout, then secure with 4d finishing nails. Repeat for the other dividers. Attach the sides (F) the same way, making sure the ends of the bottom are flush with the sides.
Apply glue on the ends of the shoe rack horizontal shelf (G), then glue and clamp the shelf to the three vertical dividers (E). Check for square and nail in place. Nail the sides into the ends of the vertical shelf.
Glue and clamp one of the three remaining vertical dividers (E) to the top. Align it, then secure it with 4d finishing nails. Repeat for the remaining dividers.
Apply glue to the top edges of the sides and the bottoms of the dividers you attached to the top. Nail the top to the sides. Make sure the assembly is square, then secure each top divider into the horizontal shelf by toe-nailing at front and back.
Lay the top and bottom (D) of the accessory shelf side by side to mark the positions of the two vertical dividers (H). Glue and clamp the dividers in place and secure with 4d finishing nails. Cover all the front edges with edge banding.
Apply finish. Center the sweater divider in the closet and install the shoe rack. Lay out shelf-cleat heights on the divider and closet sides with a 2-foot level. Locate studs in both sides of the closet wall with a stud finder.
From 1x2s, cut six shelf cleats (I) long enough to extend 1 inch past the first stud from the closet's back corners or at least 10-1/2 inches long. Attach the cleats with 2-1/4-inch drywall screws into the closet corner framing and first stud. Attach cleats to center divider with glue and 4d nails.
Install the right shelf and the left accessory shelf unit with two 4d nails driven down into each cleat. Fit cleats under the top of the accessory shelf assembly and install as you did the other cleats.
Cut six closet pole cleats (J) to the same length as the shelf cleats. Lay out heights for the cleats. Attach with pairs of 2-1/4-inch screws into the wall studs and with glue and pairs of 4d nails into the divider.
Fill the screw and nail holes in the cleats. Paint or finish the cleats to match the closet and divider. Install pole hangers with their center screws located 8-3/4 inches from the back of the closet and 1-1/2 inches from the cleat bottoms. Cut closet poles to length and install.
When you build your own closet organizer, you are free to customize it to your needs, and even to your height. For example, the shirt pole is set 46 inches above the pants pole—enough room to hang long skirts from the pole. But for most shirts, you only need about 36 inches. So, if a short person will use the closet, you could set the shirt pole only 36 inches above the pants pole—at 68 inches instead of 78 inches. In that case, you could add a second shelf for items that are used infrequently.
How difficult was this project?


text:
Home Tags 5th Congressional District
Tag: 5th Congressional District
Hayes vs. Santos: The fight for the 5th Congressional District
Phil Hall - October 13, 2018
Award-winning teacher Jahana Hayes and former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos are seeking to fill the 5th Congressional District seat vacated by Rep. Elizabeth Esty.
Shannon Kula seeks Democratic nomination for Esty's congressional seat
Phil Hall - May 31, 2018
Shannon Kula, a former U.S. Senate aide and the founding director of the Women's Leadership Center at the University of St. Joseph's, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District.
Democrats to hold primary election for Esty's seat
Former Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman faces 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes in an August primary election.


Government is a powerful element of setting in fantasy and science fiction stories.
I keep a list of government types, for inspiration in creating settings in the role-playing games I run and the settings for my fiction. It is very useful, especially in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, where exotic locations and unusual social situations are the norm.
Traveller, the science fiction role-playing game, inspired much of my science-fiction writing.
This list has it's foundation in the science fiction role-playing game of Traveller. In Traveller, the player-characters roam through a far-flung empire of planets, usually as a ragtag team in a Firefly-like space ship. In the Official Traveller Universe (OTU), there are more than 10,000 planets, almost all populated most entirely by the human race. These planets are all part of an empire, the Third Imperium. Within this empire, each planet has autonomous rule, for the most part, while the empire controls interstellar commerce and common defense against enemy confederations and internal rebels.
Thus, each planet has a uniquely different culture, with unique societies, governments and laws. In this way, the OTU is much like the universes in Star Wars, the Asimov Foundation and Empire series, Dune, and Firefly.
Traveller has rules for random generation of planets and star systems, drawn from the general makeup of the Milky Way galaxy. The system determines the physical aspects of the planet: the size, atmosphere and percentage of surface that is liquid (not necessarily water). The system also randomly generates the population, the government type, and the severity of the laws. Finally, the system would determine the technological capabilities of the planet.
Participating Democracy. Government by advice and consent of the citizen.
Captive Government/Colony. Government by a leadership answerable to an outside group, a colony or conquered area.
Balkanization. No central ruling authority exists. rival governments compete for control.
Charismatic Dictator. Government by a single leader enjoying the confidence of the citizens.
Non-Charismatic Leader. A previous charismatic dictator has been replaced by a leader through normal channels.
Charismatic Oligarchy. Government by a select group, organization, or class enjoying overwhelming confidence of the citizenry.
This list, however, seems limiting to me. To make the game a little deeper, I researched a list of government types found in history and in fiction. My intention was to create a more diverse and interesting planetary setting for Traveller games.
I soon discovered that this also brought about a better game of Dungeons and Dragons. In Dungeons and Dragons, the typical government setting tends to be fairly consistent: a simplified monarchy, or an evil tyrant overlord. Armed with a varied list of different governments, I was able to create a lively campaign setting of unusual fantasy nations.
Eventually, my creative juices turned from role-playing games to writing fictions. The list of ways that we might govern ourselves proved to be very helpful. Which is probably why so many writers have been asking me to post this list.
Please note that this list is not meant to be academic in any way. Many of the definitions are slightly off. I have invented names for other types of government. This is merely a tool I created for myself to spur my imagination when world-building. Feel free to change definitions to suit your own creative process.
Aristocracy: Rule by royal birthright.
Martial Law: Rule by military law.
Theocracy: Rule by priests and clerics who speak for the deity/ies or who base their decisions on holy writings.
Shadow Government: Puppet leader controlled by an "evil" entity that intends the community or the legitimate government harm.
Puppet Government: Puppet leader controlled by a foreign government, covertly or openly.
Sycophant Government: Puppet leader loyal to another, non-evil person who has the good of the community or the betterment of the legitimate government in mind.
Syndicate: Rule by organized crime mob bosses.
Magocracy: Rule by a council of mages.
Xenocracy: Rule by aliens from off planet or a "monster species" that shares and controls the state.
Psiocracy: Rule by psionic leaders, often with mind control used over the governed.
Autocracy: Government rests in self-derived, absolute power of hereditary leader.
Bureaucracy: Rule by departments and bureaucrats.
Confederacy: Rule by league of social entities, which may or may not be rather diverse.
Direct Democracy: Citizens vote on everything.
Representative Democracy: Citizens appoint delegates to make decisions for them.
Dictatorship: One supreme leader, come to power through the previous government, which has been abolished. Note that one dictatorship can lead to another.
Feudality: Feudal allegiances between nobles.
Feudalism: A feudality in which a supreme leader owns the land and grants the use of it to lords; citizens are usually serfs in forced allegiance to their respective lords.
Gerontocracy: Rule by a council of elders, usually the oldest able people in the community.
Chiefdom: An absolute ruler who is the eldest able person in the community.
Gynococracy: Only women can rule.
Androcracy: Only men can rule.
Matriarchy: A gynococracy of the eldest women.
Patriarchy: An androcracy of the eldest men.
Hierarchy: Rule by levels of responsibility, as in a corporate structure.
Religious Hierarchy: An hierarchy where priests of increasing power control each level of responsibility.
Meritocracy: Ruler chosen based on qualifications or required accomplishments. May be a winner or challenger in a contest of ability.
Militocracy: Military general is in charge, under the rule of civil law.
Constitutional Monarchy: Rule by a single leader, usually hereditary, checked by a parliamentary body.
Oligarchy: A few powerful leaders sharing power equally.
Star Chamber: A secret oligarchy.
Unicameral Parliament: Part elected delegates, part hereditary nobles, in one great council.
Bicameral Parliament: One council of elected delegates and another of hereditary nobles.
Tricameral Parliament: One council of elected delegates, another of hereditary nobles, a third of appointed delegates.
Unicameral Republic: A council of delegates elected by the citizens.
Bicameral Republic: Two councils of delegates elected by the citizens, often according to different electoral districts.
Tricameral Republic: Three councils of delegates elected by the citizens, often according to different electoral districts.
It's better to be a god!
Pharoanic Deitocracy: Hereditary ruler revered as a deity, usually leading a theocracy or religious hierarchy.
Technocracy: Rule by those who have superior technology or control of vital technology such as power or water.
Feudal Technocracy: A supreme leader controls all rights to vital technology and grants licenses to lords. Citizens are often employed or enslaved in the service of their respective lords.
Monopoly: One individual or group controls vital services, such as food and water, and provides these services to whomever it pleases.
Duopoly: Two competing individuals or groups that control vital services, often on the verge of war with one another.
Polypoly: Three or more competing individuals that control vital services, with citizens choosing allegiances.
Anarchy: No leaders at all.
Communism: Government plans and controls the economy for all citizens equally; there is no private property.
Socialism: Government provides for vital services citizens and controls all business; there is no private property beyond basic personal belongings.
Limited Socialism: Government provides crucial services for citizens; many important businesses are owned by the government.
Federation: Community is a member of a group of communities that have one set of laws, usually through a republic style of cooperative government.
Dyad: A diarchy of two dictators often vying for power.
Triumvirate: Three equal rulers, who might be required to rule by unanimous consent or by majority rule of two of them.
Triad: A triumvirate of three dictators often vying for power.
Polycentrism: Several leaders within a single political organization with each leader being responsible for a different function of government.
Modular Governments: Each function of government operates independently, with independent budgets and laws over their particular jurisdictions. May lead to contradictory laws and multiple taxes.
Layered Government: Citizens belong to two or more communities, and each community has a separate government, often in order of "eminent domain." For example, federal, state, county and city governments all forming laws that govern the same citizen.
Fascism: Dictatorship with strong central control of socioeconomics, usually accompanied by a secret police.
Colonial Hegemony: Established and ruled by a foreign government that is physically removed from the community.
Imperial Hegemony: Ruled by a foreign government that has a military stranglehold on the community.
Ochlocracy: Rule by the masses, but without votes.
Pantisocracy: Utopian society where all citizens rule equally, that is, by pleasant consensus.
Plutocracy: Rule by the wealthy, perhaps by purchase of the throne in an annual auction.
Regency: Rule by an individual holding power until the rightful ruler can assume power.
Satrapy: A government of delegates appointed by a foreign government, not unlike having the United Nations run your country.
Utopia: No government required because everything magically works smoothly and there is no crime.
Frontier Government: The community is newly formed and the government is still being created, which usually gives considerable leeway to public officials in applying and interpreting the law.
Occupation: Foreign military has invaded and holds the community under martial law.
Ruins: War-ravaged community where leadership has disappeared. Not unlike Mad Max and other post-apocalypse movies.
Besieged Community: The community is under attack, with survival being the rule of the day.
Rasputinian Rule: For lack of a better name. Rule by soothsayer.
Astrocracy: Rulers and laws determined by the positions of the heavenly bodies.
Pathetic Earthlings! Who can save you now?
Demonocracy: Government ruled by a demon. In SF, this usually means that the citizens are cowed by an individual or an alien government who wields fearsomely destructive technology and who may be willing to execute the complete annihilation of the community if displeased.
Quearchy: Each citizen in turn rules for a select amount of time, perhaps for only a day.
Government by Lottery: Ruler is chosen by a drawing of names.
Government by Contest: A regularly scheduled contest determines the ruler. This may be a physical, mental or chance-driven competition, or a combination thereof.
Government by Oracle: An oracle, perhaps one kept in stasis for years at a time, writes the laws. Not unlike a Mysticism Government, except that the source of the leadership is known to the citizens.
Absent Dictator: Leader with absolute control has no interest in running the government, causing a power vacuum among his subordinates.
Advancement by Combat: Leadership and the hierarchy of the governing organization are determined by lethal duels.
Company Town: The community and many of its stores and businesses are owned by a large merchant company (i.e., a megacorp), and the citizens generally are employees who are prevented from leaving by their debt or physical constraints.
Pottersville: One powerful businessperson controls the community through mortgages, usury, exploitation and bribery, within the law, without actually being the ruler of the community.
Ancient Law: The laws were written a long time ago and never change, enforced by an elite group. The ruler merely judges but has no other power.
Private Government: Each individual private owner of the land rules absolutely on that property.
Lunacy: Rulers are lunatics and make up the laws seemingly at random.
Revolt: The government is under attack by its own citizens.
Civil War: Two or more governments are violently vying for control; citizens take up sides.
Impotent Leader: Leader makes laws, but no one enforces the laws, either because they cannot be enforced or no one chooses to enforce them.
Machiavellianism: Evil overlord bends and corrupts everything to his will, usually through fear and intimidation.
Orwellianism: Secret thought police and constant scrying, which support an oppressive, fascist state.
Police State: The Constabulary creates and enforces the law, possibly without trials.
Automatocracy: Rule by computers and machines. They may or may not be berserk machines.
Robocracy: Rule by robots with artificial intelligence; may follow the Three Laws of Robotics of Isaac Asimov.
Imperial Rule: Ruled by an emperor directly, within a large empire of many governments. In Traveller, this of course means the Imperium directly governs the planet.
Clans: Ruled by family councils in a feudality, where allegiances are drawn along familial relationships.
Psi-Puppet: A puppet leader who acts under the secret mind-controlling powers of a psionicist.
Imaginary Government: The citizens believe they have a type government, but the government is incompetent to act or has been removed from power. Leaders may not realize that they hold no power. No one is in actual charge.
Illusory Government: The citizens are led to believe that they have a particular type of government, such as a democracy or republic, but in truth, the government is another government system, usually a Star Chamber or oligarchy. The elected leaders may not realize that they have no power.
Preprogrammed Government: The laws and decisions of the government have been determined in the past and are disclosed at preselected times. Soothsaying may have lead to the preprogramming. The influence of the program may be direct and exposed, or subtle and covert.
Psychohistory: A preprogrammed government that relies on a mathematical model of large societies. The mathematics of psychohistory always predicts the best course of action for a government to take. Mathematicians rule. However, the traditional problem of psychohistory is that it cannot predict the actions of individuals, which often change the dynamics of society whenever a dictator comes to power.
Elected Leader: A simple form of democracy where the citizens elect a single leader, who then controls the entire government.
Boss: Ruled by a leader who is appointed by someone other than the citizens. Usually a government for small groups working on company projects.
Syndicracy: Ruled by groups that control different types of services and trades, such as a council of trade unions.
Penal Colony: Community is made of criminals and debtors sentenced to work in a colony. Colony leaders are usually part of a colonial hegemony, using the prisoners for slave labor.
Exiled Government: The rightful government is in exile while a hostile government has taken over. The exile government plots to return the community to its own control once again.
Government in Exile: The government has left the community but still rules the community. This is often the result of invasion or war.
Refugee Camp: The citizens have fled their government in fear, usually by physically leaving the community, and have found themselves without a community of their own. They are either a large homeless community with no government that forages to survive, or are living as guests in another community that may or may not assist with basic survival needs.
Slave Camp: The government forces the members of the community into forced labor for the financial, political or military gain of the government leaders.
Judicial Law: The law is set by judges who hear cases. Laws and decisions are based on the results of previous cases.
Talmudic Law: A form of judicial law, except that the judges not only hear current cases but consider hypothetical cases to create laws before they may be needed.
Proprietary Government: The government is run by a corporation that owns the community. Citizens themselves are usually the product. Citizens may be grown in vats or be drugged into unconsciousness for most of their lives. Citizens may have an illusory or imagined government.
I have a randomization table to pick from this list via percentile dice, dependent on the original Traveller government type. For fiction and other RPGs, I consider different variations and combinations after reading through the list once or twice, to fit the story. Often, I pick two or more government types.
For instance, I may select one type of government to define the judicial function of government, another for the practical application of community services, and a third for legislation, maybe even a fourth for enforcement functions.
I also tend to mix government types. A direct democracy rules the nation, but the local city government is a theocracy. Or a bicameral republic where one house of government includes delegates voted by a populace who have votes equal to their wealth, while the other house is a pedocracy.
If you'd like to have this list for yourself, you can download it as a text file.
1. Can you add to to this list of government types?
2. What ideas for a science fiction or fantasy setting, in fiction or a role-playing game, do you have?
Please post your answer (or other comment) in the comments section. And please tweet me about it on Twitter with the hashtag #SciFiChat; my Twitter account is @DavidRozansky.
Tagged Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy, government, political science, role-playing games, science fiction, traveller, world building, writetip, writing. Bookmark the permalink.
Wonderful blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally confused .. Any tips? Kudos!
It's all a matter of taste and what features you want, but I find that WordPress has adequate functionality and versatility for an author's blog. I recommend using it with your own proprietary URL instead of the WordPress.
Whatever blogging application you go with, though, the real power lies in what content you supply.
Use an editorial schedule, and try to keep a one-month supply of material at hand.
Give your readers what they want to read. Not what you want to write. Don't write about writing (inless writers are your target market).
Be the expert in your field. When people can learn from you, they will keep coming back.
Tie your blog in with your writer's brand and positioning.
One resource I like a lot is the ProBlogger blog, as well as his book. Problogger.com.
I think you have some redundancy there. Isn't a Demonocracy just a subset of a Xenocracy? Also why does it matter how many houses a government has rather than who they are. More than one would be complex/mixed, right?
A Xenocracy is an alien government that wants to actually govern the citizenry, although not necessarily in a good way.
A Demonocracy is an alien entity that has no desire to govern and probably does not recognize the native denizens as citizens but rather sees them as animals: perhaps as mere fauna, or as vermin, or as food, beasts of burden, or sub-sentient slaves. A demonocracy may only rule long enough to mine a planet of its resources (such as water) or may be intent on planetary destruction (A disturbance in the force as though a million different voices were crying out in agony and then were suddenly silenced).
It's all about intent and perspective.
As to the difference between a unicameral, bicameral or tricameral seat of government, or a single leader, a dyad or a triad, the difference lies in balance of power. With a unicameral body or single leader, power becomes concentrated in the hands of the most influential. In a bicameral or dyad government, opposing forces give the opposition enough power to prevent absolute corruption, but all too often controversial issues stall out. In a tricameral process or triad (or more than three bodies), where only two houses need agree, things move smoothly but politics then becomes incredibly full of intrigue – the stuff that epic fantasies are made of.
Anyway, that's why I have them on the list as separate government types.
Thanks to John C. Osborn, @bayreporta, for suggesting Hive Collective in a tweet. I am surprised I've overlooked the idea all these years. His suggestion also gives me a second idea, that of the Hive Organism.
114. Hive Collective: Government issues orders to citizens towards accomplishment of a single goal, usually the increased power of the government, and for some reason citizens comply immediately and efficiently.
115. Hive Organism: The citizenry act as if with a single mind. This unity of thought may be natural, psionic, magical or technological. There may be a supreme entity overriding the combined citizens' thoughts, or the citizens may have a single combined consciousness.
Those are great additions, John. Who has more?


text:
Q: WCF Service Not Parsing jsonP Parameters correctly I'm sending a call like so:
$.ajax({
            url: myURL+functionName,
            contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8", //also tried application/javascript
            cache: false,
            dataType: "jsonp",
            data: parameter,
            success:function(response){
                alert("great success!");
            },
            error:function(error) {alert("boo-urns");}

Which is fine and everything looks like it should. The parameter object comes in with a value like so:
{ac:"a8d8e6ef-5907-4978-11cf-39add52b996c",
date:"20160626",
deviceId:"W-eXXX9680-13X3-9317-f1b3-eXXXXe50",
komponenten:Array[5],
menu_kf_nr:1,
mz_nr:"3",
pt_kf_nr:1,
pt_nr:"311701",
sessionId:"b22bXXX6-20XX-4XXX-9ed6-0dXXb297"}

Here is the server side method:
public bool functionName(string ac, string date, string deviceId, List<komponenten> komponenten, int? menu_kf_nr, string mz_nr, int pt_kf_nr, string pt_nr, string sessionId) {
    //do stuff with the data

}

And then on the server side though my params only come as follows:
ac  "a8d8e6ef-5907-4978-11cf-39add52b996c"  string
date    "20160626"  string
deviceId    null    string
komponenten null    System.Collections.Generic.List<kompnenten>
menu_kf_nr  null    int?
mz_nr   "3" string
pt_kf_nr    1   int
pt_nr   "311701"    string
sessionId   null    string

Can anyone tell me where I need to look in order to eliminate the nulls?
Thanks in advance

A: You should pass your parameters individually in the aJax call, also, the C# side is probably expecting JSON data to be received.
Take a look here to see how to pass multiple parameters in an aJax call.
Note the second part of the accepted answer, using JSON.Stringify


text:
Fill In Sentences:
Fill in each blank box with the word from the above list that best completes the sentence.
Be Sure to fill in all of the answers before you click submit.
You will not be able to edit the results after submission, but you will be able to retake the entire activity.
Hi! Our Vocabulary Activities work much better on a laptop or a desktop. Please try to use one of those devices when working on these activities. Thanks!
Definition Matching:
For each vocabulary word in the left column, locate its definition in the right column.
Type the number of the correct definition in the blank before the word.
Crossword:
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To begin, readers are invited to engage in a thought experiment about shipping items from the east coast to the west via a 13,000-mile journey around the tip of South America. The rationale for shortening the trip by almost 8,000 miles for building the Panama Canal couldn't be clearer.
This was the dream Theodore Roosevelt made happen. But it wasn't without controversy and challenges, from a U.S.-backed revolution in Panama to bring about its independence from Colombia to creative solutions for solving problems of geography and climate. Kids are sure to be fascinated by the highly illustrated explanation of how locks work to move ships from higher to lower elevations and the reverse as they cross the canal. Many will empathize with workers coping with extreme conditions of heat, humidity, and tropical diseases for wages and living conditions gradated by race and national origin.
Little will help readers appreciate this feat more than finding out about the contributions and inventions of the people involved–a tower and cableway system that made it possible to deliver building materials where they were needed; a sanitation program and sewage system to keep people from dying of disease; technology for digging through volcanic mountains in the canal's path; and more. From thought experiment to a virtual trip through the canal kids will feel immersed in the process and outcome of this grand project – and its place among the great canals of the world, including the Suez Canal, the Erie Canal and more.
It is 1904. Theodore Roosevelt is president, and the United States is fast becoming one of ...
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Whose Land Is It?
Panama has had a stormy history. In the 1500s, the land was conquered by Spain. The Indige ...
By 1903, the U.S. was ready to do what seemed impossible – to join the Atlantic ...
Working on the Canal
Imagine joining a digging crew in Culebra Cut. By noon, the temperature is about 100°F ...
Heroes of the Canal
Over 100,000 people worked on the canal. Most worked for a year. Few stayed longer than tw ...
A Trip Through the Canal
What is it like to pass through the Panama Canal? The 50-mile trip takes about eight hours.
Great Waterways
The ancient Egyptians built a canal around a waterfall on the Nile River more than 4,000 y ...
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The cloud computing is picking up. With cloud architecture, not only software but also platform and infrastructure would be available as a service. The advantage of cloud computing which includes reduced cost, increased storage, flexibility, easy maintenance and more mobility are very well known facts, especially with the giants like Google, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft as providers and focused in this space. With this huge advantage of low TCO and higher ROI, the organization have started shifting their application strategy towards cloud computing. As we all know cloud is an architecture, mainly for web-based applications that provide on-demand computing power. In 80's legacy applications were the trend and later in 90's client server applications on Visual Basic, Oracle forms and Powerbuilders took the place before web based applications. Today more than 40 billion lines of code is driving the enterprise applications and products.
How these legacy applications would work on cloud? Should organizations use virtualization technology to expose their legacy application on cloud or re-write the legacy code to run natively? In terms of business, migration of legacy/client-server application to cloud would be a huge business segment and there are technology companies who have already started investing and focusing on this niche area. While offering expertise on cloud services using Microsoft Azure will not be a challenge at Octaware, migrating the existing web based solutions with a quick turnaround time would require building a smart tool and strategy.


Thinkbox does some great research. 'It must be biased, look who funds Thinkbox' inevitably pops up in my Twitter and Linked In feeds.
Newsworks does work to demonstrate the importance of trust in news reporting. 'Well, they would, ask yourself who owns their paymasters'.
Needless to say the argument is inevitably unsupported by facts, often misinformed, and ignorant of the work that those accused of bias actually do.
Why bother defending them? BARB, Thinkbox, Newsworks and the IPA are all perfectly capable of arguing their case, but it seems to me important to do my bit to point out a few basic truths.
It's also important that someone should point out that the ad business is full of genuinely smart people doing their best to provide the rest of us with the best data and research they can to help us navigate the complicated communications world we inhabit.
There are conferences about this stuff, well thought out articles are published, debates are had, award entries are written, and yes not all of it is perfect, not all of it is as up-to-the-minute as it might be but we're a ton better off with it than without it.
Many of the data cynics come from the online world. These online evangelists have a belief that market research is old hat in the era of big data, that immediate reactions are all that matters, and that a show of hands at a conference attended by their fellow evangelists somehow proves their point.
The irony is that FB, and various other online platforms are guilty of some pretty appalling misuses of research and data. As you can read here, here, and here.
It's also interesting that some communication forms that have been short of independent research and data have recently gone out of their way to provide it. Step forward JICMAIL (measuring the impact of advertising mail) as one excellent example.
So, the next time someone goes on about 'why doesn't your industry measure the impact of influencers/ in-game ads/ ads on cows chewing away in a field passed by a railway' (yes that was once a thing), you might suggest that they get off the sofa, pull the parties together, raise the cash, organise the research and publish the results. As opposed to blaming someone else for focussing on something else.
There is a community committed to trying to answer questions that help advertisers spend their budgets more wisely, and thus for many forms of commercial communications to work as effectively as possible.
Like news, not all data is fake.


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We are in frequent contact and aligning our response with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management, which remain the best local resources about the virus, how to prevent its spread, and how to align with the City's preparedness plans.
We are also in communication with the San Francisco Travel Association, which offers information on the virus's impact on convention and tourism activity and related City business.
We have created an Emergency Response Team (ERT) to proactively develop plans to protect and secure the health and safety of staff, volunteers, and our visitors, while also ensuring the security of the collection and building.
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As you guys know, I'm a fan of the Moto G—Motorola's off-contract budget phone that packs in a surprising amount of good features for a super-cheap price. As I stated in my review, the Moto G is a good choice for anyone wishing to dip their toes into the Android waters, or for anyone who needs a cheap second smartphone.
The Moto X Pure Edition ($399.99 on Amazon), is a whole different beast altogether. It looks similar to the Moto G in build material, but it's way bigger, has a 5.7″ QHD screen at 1440p, a 21 megapixel rear-facing shooter, a front-facing flash, captures 4K video, and features extremely fast charging.
Unlike the budget Moto G, the Moto X Pure Edition is Motorola's de facto flagship offering for 2015. At $399 for the base model, it's more than double the price of Motorola's popular Moto G, yet much cheaper than major "flagship" models from big named Android OEMs.
How does it stack up with the competition? How does it compare with the iPhone 6 Plus—its closest iOS competitor? Check out our full video review for all of the details.
As you can see, that's a pretty good offering for $399 unlocked. But the sum of the parts is what really matters. Let's see if all of these pieces can mesh together for a complete package.
If you've unboxed the aforementioned Moto G, then you know that its packaging leaves a lot to be desired in terms of quality. The Moto G comes packed in economy cardboard that seems appropriate enough for a pre-paid phone that's sold on the shelves of your local gas station or Walmart.
The Moto X's packaging feels more premium. Its box is quite a bit larger than the Moto G's box as well.
Inside the package, you'll find the Moto X Pure Edition, a micro USB TurboPower charger, a bumper, SIM eject tool, and plenty of documentation. Oddly enough, Motorola continues to pack in an all-in-one power charger solution, meaning that the USB micro cable doesn't separate from the power brick itself. You'll need an extra cable if you'd like to connect to a computer or another USB device.
The inclusion of the free bumper is nice. I have a feeling that the Moto X's anodized outer edge is extremely easy to scratch and scar. Motorola probably thought the extra cost for the bumper was minimal compared to the amount of complaints that they'd have about the outer edge getting banged up.
Needless to say, I immediately placed the Moto X into the bumper. While it isn't the prettiest thing in the world, I really want to keep this device looking nice.
Ultimately, I decided to go the Amazon route, because Amazon provides faster shipping time. Keep in mind that if you choose to order from Amazon, you don't have nearly the amount of options that you'll find on Moto Maker.
Although the Moto X starts at $399.99, the price can substantially rise when you take advantage of customization options like increased storage and leather back covers. The most expensive Moto X comes in around $524.99. That's quickly approaching upper-tier flagship smartphone levels.
The first word that came to my mind when holding the Moto X is "solid". Like the Moto G, the build quality benefits a lot from its aluminum underpinnings.
I opted for an "off the shelf" Moto X, so I didn't go through Motorola's Moto Maker program to customize the look of my device. Instead, I received a black Moto X with dark aluminum accent with a black rubberized back cover. Despite the fact that the cover is replaceable, it sits flush with the aluminum trim at the edge of the device and thus maintains a high quality feel.
The external buttons on the side of the device can easily be distinguished from one another thanks to the indentions on the outside of the power button. The buttons also have a responsive click, and don't feel jiggly or lose in their positions.
The budget model Moto G was remarkable, because it had good build quality for a super-cheap price. The Moto X costs more than the Moto G, and as such, you can tell that the build quality has been turned up a few notches.
The Moto X boasts a 5.7″ QHD screen with 520ppi and its screen is crisper than the Moto G. That said, I had a hard time telling any difference between it and the iPhone 6 Plus' screen, even though the iPhone 6 Plus' screen has less pixels.
I also noticed that the Moto X screen runs a little warm with regard to color temperature. When browsing the web via Chrome, there's a noticeable yellow tinge, especially when compared with the iPhone 6 Plus' screen.
Although the Moto X's display is technically larger than the 5.5″ iPhone 6 Plus, because of the on-screen Android buttons, you can actually get more text on screen at once when browsing the web on the iPhone.
It's worth mentioning that, despite the difference in screen size, the Moto X has a smaller vertical footprint than the iPhone 6 Plus. Even with the supplied bumper on the device, the Moto X is still shorter and therefore a bit more pocketable. That said, the Moto X is also noticeably thicker, due to its tapered edge that curves outwardly and non-unibody design.
Sound is one of the best features found on the Moto X—at the same time, it's also at the center of one of the device's biggest flaws.
This device has true sterero front facing speakers. The Moto G fooled me at first, and appeared to have stereo speakers, but only one of its front-facing grills featured audio output. With the Moto X, there is no such tomfoolery; you get sound out of both speakers simultaneously.
The Moto X's speakers are…well…incredibly loud. These are some of the loudest speakers that I've heard from a smartphone.
Sadly, distortion and sound glitches occur when the Moto X's screen is rotated. The distortion also occurs when unlocking the device, or when simply adjusting the volume of the device. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it's there, and it's definitely noticeable. To be honest, I don't see how Motorola felt it was okay to ship a device with such an issue, especially a mid-tier device like the Moto X.
I found it even odder that the Moto X lacks a pair of earbuds. Even a pair of cheap headphones would have been better than nothing.
The Moto X comes with the same system on a chip that's contained in the LG G4—the Snapdragon 808. It's a slightly lesser version of Qualcomm's top of the heap Snapdragon 810 processor, but that chip suffers from overheating issues.
Although the benchmarks speak to the Moto X's ability to perform better at multi-threaded tasks and the iPhone's ability to perform better and single-threaded tasks, in real world usage I wasn't able to discern outright huge differences.
In some games, like Asphalt 8, textures and particle effects seemed more pronounced on the iPhone, while the frame rate felt more solid on the Moto X. I think it's safe to say that both of these phones can perform well when it comes to gaming.
The Moto X has 2GB more of memory than the iPhone 6 Plus, yet I felt that multitasking and other RAM intensive tasks were a wash. I found my Chrome tabs refreshing on the Moto X just as much as my Safari tabs on the iPhone 6 Plus. Having 3GB of RAM is nice, but I didn't feel like it made a noticeable difference when it came to real world usage.
Motorola packs in the latest generation of its TurboPower charger. The included TurboPower 25 charger promises to provide a charge that lasts up to 10 hours in just 15 minutes.
The TurboPower 25 charger is capable of Turbo 2: 12v/2.5A or Turbo 1: 9V/2.85A charger for 25Watts of power output. That's substantially more than your typical phone charger, and allows for the Moto X Pure to have ridiculously fast charging times while the device is depleted. Charging will slow as charging progresses.
I tested out the TurboPower charger on a Moto X Pure that was almost completely depleted of battery, and it worked fairly close to the claims set out by Motorola. If you're someone who always finds themselves low on battery at the most inopportune times, then the TurboPower 25 charger could be a big help to you.
Here is one of the Moto X's big claims to fame—picture quality. Thanks to the Snapdragon 808, the Moto X can support 21 megapixel photos for extra large photos. It also supports 4K video at 30fps out of the box.
The Moto X performs fairly well in low light conditions. The following photos were taken with just a single overhead CFL bulb in a fairly dark kitchen setting. All camera settings were set to automatic.
Autofocus with the Moto X is really fast in both still picture mode and while shooting video. I also found it easy to achieve the depth of field look that most shooters want while focusing on up close subjects.
4K video is another big draw for the Moto X. It's a feature that's beginning to trickle down to lesser hardware, but it's still not as pervasive as you might think it'd be at this point.
4K videos on the Moto X are shot at about 6.3MB/second. That's highly comparable to the iPhone 6s Plus 6.25MB/second rate. Both devices are using H.264 compression, so that shouldn't come as a huge surprise. One big bonus for the Moto X over the iPhone is that it comes with expandable storage via its SD Card slot. You could easily slap a cheap sub $20 64GB card in this thing and have plenty of space for your 4K videos.
The Moto X is a "Pure Android" device in that it's not inundated with unnecessary skins, duplicate apps, or third-party bloatware. It's about as close as you can get to a stock Android experience without buying a Nexus-branded phone.
This fact, in and of itself, makes the Moto X worth your consideration. If you're looking for a mid-tier device with decent specs and a stock Android experience, it deserves a look.
Motorola does add a few thoughtful additions to the Moto X, so it's not 100% stock Android. But like the Moto G, Motorola's additions are simple and even useful. Additional features include hands-free voice control, gesture-based activation for the flashlight or quick camera app launching, and more.
The bottom line is that the lightweight customizations found on the Moto X are a far cry from the heavy-handed and often overbearing UI and skins present on flagships like the HTC One M9 and the Galaxy S6.
The Moto X isn't perfect. Its glitchy sound is probably the most noticeable flaw found in an otherwise solid offering. At $399 and up, it's firmly in the mid-tier range as far as price is concerned. It comes with awesome features like front facing stereo speakers, a front facing flash, and a near stock Android experience.
The build quality lives up to the Moto X's price point, and the screen is very large at 5.7″. If you're looking for something a little more substantial than the Moto G, and your main device is an Android device, then the Moto X is worthy of your consideration.
If you're looking for a secondary Android phone to go along with your iPhone, then I still pick the Moto G over this device, unless you absolutely need the larger screen or the mid-tier specifications.
All of that said, I wouldn't feel ashamed if the Moto X was my primary daily driver. It has great build quality, a couple of headlining features, and puts it all together in an attractive package both looks-wise and price-wise.
Still, the flaw with the sound when rotating the screen is a pretty significant flaw in my opinion. Hopefully it's one that Motorola will fix in short order.
Again, you can purchase the Moto X Pure Edition from Amazon for $399. It may be out of stock now, as it's proving to be popular. You can always go to Motorola.com to order one that way, especially if you want custom colors.


most avid exercisers. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that runners with flat feet consult a physical therapist or exercise physiologist for recommendations on the best running shoes. While flat-footed runners may experience the greatest benefit from the arch stability found in most running shoes, even those with high arches can benefit from the right kind of support. Injury Prevention In many cases, running shoes can help prevent certain types of injury. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that the midsole cushioning and arch support described above can prevent overuse injuries, such as tendonitis, stress fractures and joint pain. Though barefoot running -- in which exercisers run without the protection of any foot covering -- has increased in popularity over the past few years, the risk for cuts and scrapes is high. The American Council on Exercise reports that the outsole protection offered by the shoes reduces injury to the feet. Improved Athletic Performance Those who use the right type of running shoe may experience greater athletic improvement than those who do not. The experts at the American Council on Exercise believe that this is likely due to several factors, including greater comfort and improved running capacity. Competitive runners, therefore, should greatly benefit from wearing them. Even those who are not competing can still achieve improvements in athletic performance by wearing running shoes.


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Airmanship Program takes flight
Chris Liebmann, 773rd Test Squadron, Aero Club pilot, Chloe Angulo, 771st TS, and David Cortes, 775th TS, pose for a photo with a Cessna 172 airplane following their inaugural Airmanship flight at the Aero Club on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., May 24. (U.S. Air Force photo by Giancarlo Casem)
David Cortes, 775th TS, refuels a Cessna 172 airplane following an Airmanship flight at the Aero Club on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., May 24. (U.S. Air Force photo by Giancarlo Casem)
Chris Liebmann, 773rd Test Squadron, Aero Club pilot, instructs Chloe Angulo, 771st TS, how to check fuel levels prior to an Airmanship flight at the Aero Club on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., May 24. (U.S. Air Force photo by Giancarlo Casem)
Chris Liebmann, 773rd Test Squadron, Aero Club pilot, briefs Chloe Angulo, 771st TS, and David Cortes, 775th TS, prior to their inaugural Airmanship flight at the Aero Club on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., May 24. (U.S. Air Force photo by Giancarlo Casem)
By Giancarlo Casem
412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Flying on Edwards Air Force Base, California, is not just for test pilots. The 412th Test Wing's Airmanship Program allows flight test engineers to also take to the skies.
"The airmanship program is a flight and ground training program for non-flying government engineers," said Sean Rios, Airmanship Program Manager. "The purpose of the program is to provide basic airmanship knowledge, familiarize them with the local airspace, and to expose new engineers to in-flight experience regarding execution of typical avionics and flight dynamics tests."
The Airmanship program uses Cessna 172s based at the Aero Club on Edwards to provide a cost-efficient manner along with fellow engineering pilots who provide the training, Rios said.
"The program consists of an airspace orientation flight, private pilot ground school, and a test demonstration flight," he said. "Students can continue on with an instrument ground school as well as basic visual and instrument flight rule (VFR/IFR) flight training as well."
An iteration of the Airmanship program was previously employed in previous years, but a younger crop of engineers necessitated a return to the program. The program provides an opportunity for Edwards engineers to be able to gain more understanding of their unique work environment and to further ingrain their role in the Center of the Aerospace Testing Universe.
"This program was revived to increase retention of the scientific and engineering workforce," said Dan Osburn, 412th TW Technical Director. "It's a great opportunity to learn the range from a bird's eye view as well as get acclimated to aircraft flying at Edwards air space."
This approach to familiarization benefits the Wing as whole in that it increases engineer proficiency and understanding of flight operations, which will eventually benefit the Warfighter.
"The better an engineer understands the air picture; where the pilot flies, bomb range targets, layout of the airspace, along with understanding the maneuvers or tasks they are having the pilot perform, the better engineer can communicate with aircrew what data they need. Everyone wants to do their very best in supporting the warfighter," Rios said. "Not only does airmanship allow them to better visualize the airspace, cockpit information the pilot is processing, and understanding the complexities of flight test; but it is one of the few things we can provide our engineers that perhaps the private sector cannot."
One of the program's first passengers, Chloe Angulo, recently started working as an electronic warfare engineer. She said this experience will benefit her in her duties.
My area of expertise is in electronic warfare, and I believe a flight would relate in terms of test setup, conditions, or methodology," she said. "When preparing for the execution of a test, these aspects of the test plan can play important roles in how successful we will be in executing the mission."
Rios said that it is important to attract and retain engineers in a technical workforce, and the various engineering departments on Edwards view it as essential to provide real-world experience.
"In the current recruiting environment it is absolutely essential to provide this type of training to our engineers," Rios said. "We provide real world experience to our engineers within the test environment that they can relate to in their everyday job in the control room, pre- and post-flight briefings, as well as when they are analyzing data."
The Airmanship experience is definitely different from working in the private sector, Angulo said.
"This experience differentiates in the sense that we are gaining practical flight knowledge that someone in the private sector might not have access to," Angulo said. "Not everyone can just fly in the same airspace as the airplanes that you will be testing, so I think this is a major plus."
Note: Edwards Air Force Base flight test engineers interested in the Airmanship program may contact Rob Warner, 775th Test Squadron, at 277-4353.
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BECKFORD, England (WABC) -- Officials at a wildlife hospital say a seagull turned bright orange after falling into a vat of chicken tikka masala in Wales.
The gull was likely scavenging for food when it became stuck in the thick sauce.
The bird was rescued and taken to Vale Wildlife Hospital near Tewkesbury, a town about 110 miles (177 km) west of London. Staff cleaned the seagull until it returned to its original color, but said it still smelled spicy the following day.
Caroline Gould, who founded the wildlife hospital, has nicknamed the gull David Dickinson, after the British TV presenter known for his tanned complexion.


text:
MOSONYI MIHÁLY: PIANO WORKS
Akkord A-1026A Budapest, 2006
Biography: The native village of the composer Mihály Mosonyi called Boldogasszony (Frauenkirchen) was a well-known place of pilgrimage as early as the 14th century. Since 1921 it has belonged, together with the western strip of the one-time Kingdom of Hungary, to Burgenland in Austria.[1] He was born on 4 September 1815 and baptised Michael Brand after his German-speaking grandfather and father.[2] As the fourth child of a poor village furrier, he soon had to earn a living. At the age of fourteen he was already sacristan at the county seat Magyaróvár. Some years later he enrolled at the teachers' training college of Pozsony, the former Hungarian coronation city (Pressburg in German, now Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic). Aged twenty, he obtained a job as a tutor to the children of Count Péter Pejachevich and his wife Countess Franciska Esterházy at Rétfalu near Eszék in Slavonia (Osijek, Croatia). There he laid the foundation of his independent existence and improved his musical skills through zealous self-education. In 1842 he moved to Pest[3] where he lived as a music teacher to his death. He got married at the age of thirty-one and took part in the 1848–1849 War of Independence as a member of the National Guard. When his wife died in 1851 his personal bereavement and the nation's tragedy brought about a crisis both in his life and work.
In his first stylistic period (1837–1849) elements of German romanticism permeated gradually into his musical idiom inherited from Beethoven and Schubert. His first works already show his excellent sense of proportion and form-creating skills. He composed in this period three masses, two symphonies, an overture, a piano concerto, a sonata for piano duet, a string sextet, seven string quartets, two piano trios, several choruses, and made arrangements. At the time of his moving to Pest, Hungarian elements were still rare in his music. In his second period (1853–57) his music became increasingly individual and modern, enriched with Schumannian features. The works he wrote then include his fourth mass, a dozen of songs, some choruses, piano works, and arrangements. His personal acquaintance with Liszt, the failure of his romantic German opera (Kaiser Max auf der Martinswand) and the success of his Hungarian fantasia for piano with the title Pusztai élet (Puszta Life) contributed to a further change of style.[4]
The Hungarian music of the time was based on the verbunkos. This style roots in the so-called Werbung, the recruiting of soldiers accompanied with music during the reign of Maria Theresia (18th century). Except for György Antal Csermák (1774[?]–1822), the early verbunkos masters were not accomplished music theoreticians but virtuoso violinists of exceptional skills who had a natural genius for shaping melodies and improvisation, such as János Bihari (1764–1827) and János Lavotta (1764–1820). After the death of the trained musicians Márk Rózsavölgyi (1789–1848) and Béni Egressy (1814–1851) the genre verbunkos had no outstanding representatives. Although the Hungarian musical idiom had developed, it lacked musically trained, committed reformers. It was then that Michael Brand, a German composer of Pest achieved overwhelming success with his verbunkos fantasy Puszta Life in 1857. [5]
His change of style was a conscious decision. After preparations of about a year, the composer and writer on music appeared with a new, Hungarian name Mihály Mosonyi in 1859. He composed his two Hungarian operas (Szép Ilonka [Pretty Helen] 1861, Álmos 1862), his fifth mass, three cantatas and four symphonic poems. Numerous songs, sacred and secular choruses, piano works and arrangements of lasting value date from this period.[6]
Mosonyi's work as a writer on music, moreover, as a general educator of the public unfolded in Zenészeti Lapok, the first significant Hungarian-language musical journal. Its owner and editor-in-chief was Kornél Ábrányi sen. (1822–1903), a writer on music, composer, pianist and teacher. The editorial board consisted of the music publisher Gyula Rózsavölgyi (1822–1861), the nephew of the above mentioned composer Márk Rózsavölgyi, the music historian, critic, ethnomusicologist, teacher and writer István Bartalus (1821–1899) and Mosonyi, who was the most versatile of the three. He wrote leading articles, feuilletons, treatises, essays on music policy, analyses, concert critics and reviews. He edited with pedagogical consideration in mind, some of the young composers' first attempts at composition both in their original and corrected forms and even arranged the valuable ones in his own works. He participated with unbroken zeal in the work of editorial office from the foundation of the journal (3 October 1860) to 1866.[7]
In February 1870 Mosonyi was invited to a conference discussing the plan of the Academy of Music in Pest. However, he did not live to see the opening of the Academy on 14 November 1875, even though he could have been a pillar of that institution of music education. He died of pneumonia, aged fifty-six, on 31 October 1870.[8]
The Description of the Works. The first two cycles of the present volume were still written under the name Brand. The composition Drey Klavierstücke (Three Piano Pieces) op. 2 is the composer's first surviving work for piano solo[9] printed, similar to all pieces in the present volume, by Rózsavölgyi in Pest. This cycle appeared in three volumes in 1855. The first piece entitled Gebet nach überstandener Gefahr (Prayer After Danger Endured) is a representative of Mosonyi's significant church music output both in size and contents. Apart from the drawing on the title page, the titles of the second and third pieces Bei dem Brautkranz winden and Abschied der Braut aus dem Elternhause (Bridal Wreath and The Bride's Farewell to the House of Her Parents) also bear out that this cycle was meant to be a wedding present. The work Zwey Perlen (Two Pearls) op. 3 was printed in two volumes in 1856.[10] Its composition may have been inspired by the concerts of Clara Schumann (1819-1896) given in Pest in February of the same year. The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik of Leipzig reported that after her last concert Mosonyi presented the artist with a bouquet in which there was a smaller laurel wreath dedicated to Robert Schumann's genius. Clara accepted the flowers of admiration amidst cheering from the audience, with tears in her eyes,[11] because her husband Robert Schumann (1810-1856) had long been staying in the asylum of Endenich by that time. The setting of op. 3 no. 1 evokes Schumann's piece written in commemoration of Mendelssohn with the title Erinnerung (Album für die Jugend: op. 68 no. 28: 4 November 1847 Felix Mendelssohns Todestag). In his op. 3 no. 1 Mosonyi paid tribute to Schumann in much the same way.[12] The title Die bethaute Rose (Dewy Rose) may equally allude to the bunch of flowers and Clara's tears. The intimate duet of no. 2 Die Thrän' im Auge (Dewy Eyes) seems to express the tragic love of Clara and Robert as well as Mosonyi's love to his early deceased wife Paulina Weber (1820-1851). All five pieces are composed in ternary song form with varied return and a short thematic coda. Their musical idiom and message are strikingly more modern than Brand's works written under the inspiration of Viennese romanticism a few years earlier. Op. 3 no. 2 seems to anticipate the tone of the mature Brahms.
In 1857 the Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elisabeth visited Pest-Buda. It was an event of crucial importance after the War of Independence (1848–49) and eight years of absolutism demonstrated well by the great number of remarkable works created for the occasion. They were all honouring the Empress who was known for her sympathy with the Hungarians and not the unpopular Emperor. This was the case, for example, with the opera Erzsébet (Elisabeth: a romantic treatment of the marriage of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary) composed by three composers: the first act by Franz Doppler (1821–1883), the second act by Ferenc Erkel (1810–1893) and the third by Karl Doppler (1825–1900). The music publisher Rózsavölgyi printed a representative album with the title Erzsébet-Emlény comprising a work each by twelve composers written for the visit. Mosonyi's fantasy Pusztai élet (Puszta Life)[13] still published under the name Brand was the third piece in the collection and the composer's first work using exclusively Hungarian musical elements.[14] As a gesture for the occasion there appears in it, from bar 123 onward, the imperial anthem Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (Haydn) in Hungarian disguise as a cimbalom imitation, with augmented seconds[15]. Mosonyi later said of this work: "It was after the experiments in this album that I became convinced, as a matter of fact, that the Hungarian music was veritably destined for forming an independent, separate and original branch of the tree of all musical arts."[16] The choice of title may have been influenced by the designation of a baulk called Puszta way lying to the west of the composer's native village of mixed German-Hungarian population.[17]
The 1859 defeat at Solferino shook the Habsburg Empire and forced it to make concessions. All of a sudden the Hungarian cultural scene oppressed by strict censorship so far and practically doomed to stagnation came suddenly to life. The centenary celebrations of the birth of Ferenc Kazinczy (1759–1831) provided a good opportunity for expressing the nation's longing for freedom. As a matter of fact, Kazinczy was more than a writer, poet and translator. At one time of his life he was an ardent supporter of the ideas of the enlightened Emperor Joseph II, later a political prisoner in the ill-famed dungeon in Kufstein, then a leading personality of the language revivalist movement and of contemporary literary life. Mosonyi used a poem by Kazinczy when he composed the cantata Tisztulás ünnepe az Ungnál a 896. esztendõben (The Festival of Purification at the River Ung in 896) (in fact, his third symphony)[18] and also wrote a work for piano in his honour Hódolat Kazinczy Ferenc szellemének (Homage to the Genius of Ferenc Kazinczy).[19] It was Michael Brand's first piece published under his Hungarian name Mihály Mosonyi chosen after his place of birth. Mosonyi's attraction to Kazinczy seems to be inevitable since he played a similar role in Hungarian musical life as Kazinczy's had done in literary life in his own time. The composer drew a striking portrait of the poet and language revivalist.[20] The work is a Hungarian Lamento e Trionfo in verbunkos style. The middle section of the bridge form of the slow part evokes the atmosphere of the slow main subject of Liszt's symphonic poem Hungária.[21] A year later Mosonyi orchestrated his highly acclaimed piano work. It was the first symphonic piece in music literature to include the Hungarian cimbalom in the orchestra: in bars 2 and 66 of the work Mosonyi inserted long solo cadences.[22] The material of the symphonic poem is, for that matter, identical with that of the piano fantasy.
Magyar zeneköltemény (Hungarian Musical Poem)[23] is dedicated to ÁgnesRosti who was perhaps Mosonyi's pupil and wife to Baron József Eötvös (1823-1871), a writer, politician, and minister of culture for a while.[24] Written in variation rondo form in which the rondo theme returns differently each time, Mosonyi's work was printed in April 1860. A peculiarity of the notation of the piece is the graphic representation of tempo changes[25] not to be found anywhere else until the twentieth century. The diagram provides a key to the Hungarian rubato playing style that has practically disappeared from the performing practice of Hungary as well.
Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860) died on 8 April 1860.[26] He was a writer, politician, and statesman who exerted a decisive influence on his time. He aimed at transforming Hungary to an economically strong and independent country. By means of his splendid reform policy, he achieved more in this respect than anyone else. He was already regarded and appreciated as the greatest Hungarian by his contemporaries. His death shook the whole nation. Mosonyi's piano work Gyász hangok Széchenyi István halálára (Funeral Music on the Death of István Széchenyi) appeared three weeks later.[27] It means he must have written it in the space of a few days (or, as legend has it, on a single day)[28], in the mood of general mourning. The basso ostinato of the funeral music inspired Ferenc Liszt (1811-1886)[29] as well. Mosonyi orchestrated Gyász hangok without any changes in the year of composition yet. His first biographer Kornél Ábrányi sen. (1822-1903) remembered it as follows: "This masterpiece expressed the nation's grief of those days so impressively and with such dramatic force that it made Mosonyi the nation's celebrated composer all of a sudden."[30]
Except for the arrangements and the two cycles written for educational purposes, the present edition contains all of Mosonyi's known and available works for piano solo[31]
The performing questions of the verbunkos style are treated in detail in the epilogue to the new edition of Mosonyi's composition Studies for Piano for Development in the Performance of Hungarian Music (Budapest, 1996).
In the present edition the editor's additions are distinguished by grey colour. The critical notes can be found after the English translation.
I owe acknowledgements to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Research Library for Hungarian Music History (Budapest) for making available the music editions serving as sources of the present edition.
I offer thanks to all my collaborators for their generous work making this edition possible and last but not least to all sponsors contributing to this edition.
István Kassai
Budapest, Easter 1997-Advent 2000
Translated by Erzsébet Mészáros
[1] Gmasz, P., Gmasz, S., pp. 14-15.
[2] Gollowitzer, pp. 53-62.
[3] Bónis (1989a), pp. 170-171.
[4] Bónis (1960), pp. 29-72.
[6] Bónis (1960), pp. 77-264.
[7] Bónis (1960), pp. 142-162.
[8] Bónis (1960), pp. 254–264.
[9] Bónis (1960), pp. 60-61, Mona nos. 1171-3.
[10] Bónis (1960), pp. 59-60, Mona nos. 1209-10.
[11] Bónis (1989a), p. 184. For the original of the article see the German text.
[12] Kassai (2001), pp. 95-96.
[13] Bónis (2000a), p. 12, Mona nos. 1227, 1230-1231.
[14] Bónis (1960), pp. 59-60.
[16] Bónis (1960), p. 60.
[17] Gmasz, P., Gmasz, S., p. 45.
[18] Bónis (1960), pp. 89-106.
[19] Mona no. 1471.
[21] Legány (1994d), p. 5.
[22] Bónis (1960), p. 138. Erkel also used the cimbalom in the score of his opera Bánk bán under the influence of Mosonyi.
[23] Mona no. 1364
[24] Half a century later Eötvös was commemorated by Liszt in the second piece of his cycle Hungarian Historical Portaits
[25].Bónis (1960), pp. 119-120.
[26] Széchenyi's immense lifework has had a lasting and imperishable influence. Even his political adversaries called him the greatest Hungarian. According to the still prevailing official position, he committed suicide although documents either for or against this manner of death are missing, only theories exist that may be interesting, logical but of no real significance. At any rate, it is not our task to deal with them. Széchenyi died, Széchenyi's lifework ended. The cathartic effect of the news of his death put Széchenyi once again into the centre of public life. Several villages and communities held memorial services, commemorations and had masses read. His person inspired a lot of artists for creating poems, memorial speeches, objects of arts and compositions.
[28] It is, however, more probable that Mosonyi took over – naturally extended and arranged for the occasion – this funeral music from the fourth act of his opera Szép Ilonka written in those days. Gyászhangok shows thematic and motivic relationships with the opera, unlike the funeral march that came in its place. As is well-known, the latter is the musically unaltered orchestration – though transposed to B flat minor – of the seventh piece in E minor of the series of studies entitled Tanulmányok zongorára a magyar zene elõadásának képzésére (Studies for piano for the development in the performance of Hungarian music).
[29] In the fourth, central piece of his Hungarian Historical Portraits compiled in 1885 Liszt based the portrait of László Teleki (1811-1861), a politician with tragic fate on this G-B flat –C sharp-F sharp bass. Bónis (1960), pp. 261-263. The opening piece of this cycle is a portrait of Széchenyi, while its last movement is the staggeringly beautiful Lisztian funeral music in memory of the loyal friend Mihály Mosonyi. Bónis (1960), pp. 261-263.
[30] Ábrányi (1872), p. 59.
[31] For the full catalogue of works see Bónis (2000a), p. 26-30. For literature in German see Hoffer, Káldor. For English literature see Bónis (2001) and (2002).


Hailing from Walnut Creek, California, The Story So Far have been a punk band to know since its creation. Paying homage to New Found Glory's song, "The Story So Far" the punk rockers formed in 2007. Signed to Pure Noise Records and represented by Coda Music Agency, the five-piece consists of Parker Cannon on vocals, Kevin Geyer on lead guitar and keyboard, Ryan Torf on the drums, Kelen Capener on the bass guitar and Will Levy on rhythm guitar. Their debut album, Under Soil and Dirt, debuted in 2011 with the fan favorite, "Quicksand". A year before, the band had released two EP's, While You Were Sleeping and Split With Maker.
In 2013, The Story So Far began to take off. On March 26th of that year, their sophomore album, What You Don't See, was released with a debut spot of 46 on the Billboard 200. Later that year on June 18th, the band released a two song EP The Story So Far / Stick to Your Guns - EP, which contained perhaps the band's most successful song thus far, "Clairvoyant". This landed The Story So Far a prominent spot during 2014's Vans Warped Tour. In 2015, the band released their self-titled album.
On September 21st, 2018, The Story So Far released their fourth studio album, Proper Dose. With songs such as the lead single, "Out of It", as well as punk ballad, "Take Me As You Please", the album has been received quite well. The band has been supporting the album on their Proper Dose Tour with help from Turnover, Citizen and Movements. Unfortunately, The Story So Far is on the international leg of the tour. Regardless, get your "Proper Dose" with their Spotify playlist below.