I'm a big fan of Modest Mouse, from early to late. I liked their last album quite a bit, through Sherri prefers the one before. They have a bizarre sensibility and the lead singer possesses a distinctive voice. I'd like to see more of them on Rock Band. "Float On" was an obvious choice and I think there's more and better songs they could have up there. Anyway they have a new album coming up and an advance video for one of the songs. Bonus points if you can name the Kurosawa film they're borrowing images from.
Here's a nice retrospective on Thief: The Dark Project, one of the great PC games. I had a hard time getting through the game itself, but I have fond memories of it-- along with System Shock 2, Half-Life and Deus Ex I had some of my favorite PC first-person experiences here.
An interesting site for people doing DTP or just trying to put together game handout and things-- a collection of public domain images from old books.
The classic old-school rpg game has players delving into caverns and caves. I'm not a geologist so I hardly take into consideration scale in those things. However, this recent discovery kind of brought me some perspective-- both for how absurd some of the cave layouts in games are and how enormous they actually can be in real life.
The Literal Version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", if you haven't seen it already.
I love maps, as I may have mentioned before. I still have the world atlas I received in grade school. We got National Geographic for many years-- but I hardly read the articles. Instead I'd look at the maps. If they had a nice big pull out map I'd be happy. I'd check fantasy novels to see if they had maps-- part of what drove me to read the John Carter novels even though they were pretty bad. I recall fondly the Hyborean maps of Conan, the strange metaphorical roadmap of The Phantom Tollbooth, and even a strange sketch map of Yoknapatawpha County from Faulkner. My mom loved Faulkner and we had a prized set of paperbacks of his books in the front room as long as I could remember.
I had an Atlas of Fantasy for as long as I could remember-- I bought it I think two or three different times. My sister got a map of Middle Earth in a frame as a gift from a friend-- that person had hand drawn it from references. I remember a child's version of A Pilgrim's Progress, which I didn't understand, but loved for the bizarre map. Of course various games had great maps-- I hated TSR's method of hex mapping which made everything ugly and cluttered. I think if I'd had some mind to it, I might have done geography or cartography as a pursuit-- but I've never been able to draw very well and I didn't understand the field of geography could have larger social implications until much later.
I'm not one for meditation or formal exercises, but I will admits I have one trick I fall back on when I'm trying to relax, fall asleep, or pass time. I usually do a visualization exercise for some place I've been. I had a paper route for several years and I used to be able to chart in my mind not just that route, but also the layout of all of the houses on those blocks. Generally, I'll try to imagine myself walking in a particular building, home or area-- trying to get the general spatial relations in my head. The details aren't as important as the larger context of the space itself. I think that's part of why I have some affection for Las Vegas-- all of the buildings there have a strange enormous configuration. They baffled me even as I went around them and they form a labyrinth in my mind-- I can't quite fit all of the connections together.
Anyway, this relates to some things I've been thinking about in terms of rpgs. Kaiju picked me up a book from my wishlist called Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer. He hits on a number of topics-- structure, intention, visualization, interaction for example-- and their relation to a narrative. I think the most obvious and interesting point of his discussion is that we each draw vastly different maps of experiences. I can't lay claim to any real grasp of Literary Criticism theory, but I am familiar with the basic idea of one approach called Reader Response. Stanley Fish wrote the the seminal book in this theory Is There a Text in this Class? He suggests that each reader interprets the experience of a text (in the broadest sense) differently, and that those readings derive from membership in "interpretive communities." I don't know about the later, but the idea of the former and focusing some analysis on those varying readings strikes me as worth following up on.
The bottom line here being: each player in an rpg ends up with a very personal sense and reading of the course and form of a game. Yet at the same time, they're directly interacting with both the authority and creator of that text, in the form of the gamemaster, and with competing interpretive communities, in the form of other players. In this case I'm not talking about the discussion and back and forth between players about what to do next, the solution to a problem, or combat tactics. Rather the meta and often unstated sense of how a game text appears in one's mind, especially in retrospect-- who is the main character, what are the themes, what is the dramatic pattern...the bigger questions.
In some ways, the most interesting things arise from misreadings-- in the sense that the GM provides an incomplete text. It has to be incomplete by virtue of the player character's having their own volition. The GM cannot know with certainty how the players will react. Misreadings, contradictions, the unexpected, changes, all of these are juncture points between the texts, or maps, in the GM's mind and the player's. In some ways it would be interesting to have players write some kind of game summary mid-stream-- but I'm not sure that would really delve into things. We're too aware of the conventions of the back of a book cover-- unless perhaps you had them write that up with the idea that the book would actually be centered around their character. That might be a useful exercise.
But to circle around to my main point-- differing perceptions and expectations. I think the imaginings and visualizations of a game text vary strongly between players-- even in terms of what the map depicts. You could chart of map of the journey of the game chronologically, from beginning to end. Or you might focus on the geography of a place. Or on the interactions of plots. Or on the relations of people. Of course, I don't think players see things in these literal forms, but I do think they have a kind of perception that shapes their behavior, reactions and even how they look back on things which have happened before in the game.
And I think some player displeasure arises when the map they have in their head doesn't match up with the incidents at the table. Again we hit on expectations. There's the unusual stage here in that the GM is describing a world the players have no real experience with-- their interactions are colored heavily by the GM's words and their own expectations. There are exceptions-- obviously if you're running in an established setting (a historical period, a set and known fantasy universe, a real world place) then the player draws on some of that knowledge and the GM can make some assumptions about what the player knows. But that can also be a bad thing, especially if the GM's making changes-- at what point does the player's knowledge break down? There also the case of players having played within a particular campaign world before-- since I've run quite a bit in the same setting, I've seen this. How do you balance the knowledge and mental maps of previous players with those of new players? Or even more to the point-- I'm sure players come into my games generally with a picture of the play and structure of my game. I know when I play with a new GM OOH, I'm trying to get a sense of his play style-- what are the limits? What's the theme? Is there a theme? Should I pencil in this place, this point or event on my mental map-- is it a signpost or is it just a throwaway thing? I'm trying to assay the geography of the game...to survey the realm of play.
Kane is an interesting iconic hero in that Howard repeatedly describes him as having a dual nature. The exact meaning of this split drifts a little from story to story. To the extent that he examines his actions at all, he believes himself to be a simple man obedient to Puritan virtues. His true nature, explains the omniscient narrator, is a reckless, obsessive pursuer of adventure. This notion of the divided self is a surprisingly sophisticated one for a blood and thunder pulp hero.
On first thought, this seemed to me to be something we don't often see in roleplaying. People create simple characters and attempt to stick to a clear conception of what they will and won't do. But in fact we see it all the time—though rarely intentionally. Players often describe their PCs as having one set of motivations, and perceive them according to the assertions they make about them. Yet to the GM and everyone else at the table, who see only the character's actions, the PC appears to be quite a different person. Most often, the self-conception is nobler than the actuality.
You could look at this as a bug: the player isn't living up to the markers he set down when creating the character. In practice, though, it adds layers, and thus reality, to the character. He becomes as complicated and self-contradictory as a real person.
This dynamic, in which an unconscious tension between the author's intention and result adds interest to the story, may be unique to roleplaying. Kane's divided self because Howard meant to make him that way. In fiction an author's lack of insight into his characters never ends well.
I think one thing to consider then, is the road map we as players give to the other players and to the GM. The difference between how we picture the character in our mind versus how they actually appear to other players. I had a problem with this in one of Derek's games, where I had a conception in my head, but my play and communication with the others didn't match this. I recall Barry's character Basho, and that of a few others in the past, where their characters did things, adopted attitudes, and spoke in ways that I could only read as being deliberately obnoxious, stupidly over angsty, petulant and so on. However, in talking with the players, it became clear that they didn't self-describe themselves as this. But more importantly, they didn't read that behavior as coming off like that. I think that's a difficult and important job for the GM-- trying to get a sense of how a character pictures themselves and then reconciling that with how they actually play at the table.
I'm over my limit, but I may come back to this. I'd like to talk about character reads on groups (like Scott and I and our continuing debate on the Elves), why I don't run people's characters when they're not there, overprotectiveness of a conception versus uncaring play, bodyswitching, finding ways to love the PCs, and considerations of parody. Perhaps I'll even provide specific examples and signpoints rather than this airy meta-talk.
The power of Lowell compels you.
Me circa 1978-- I know by this point I'd been playing DnD. The year before or after this I went as a Shambling Mound from the AD&D Monster Manual...with a ray gun. I remember also I had a Wizard's staff to to with this-- a long dowel rod painted white with a colored tip that ended up looking more like a seeing-eye cane than anything else.
I'm been going through old pictures and slides that survived the fire, trying to scan things. I've also been trying to cement in my mind the date when Cat and I first got DnD. Actually Cat did and I just trailed along for the ride for a time. My Dad had been working up at Ann Arbor IIRC and picked up a copy of the original small three book set for my sister. I'm guessing Christmas of '76-- but I could be wrong. He also bought her a copy of the old Starship Troopers Avalon Hill boardgame. That's one of those monster wargames that I wouldn't try even now. But we got into rpgs, with things like Metamorphosis Alpha, Empire of the Petal Throne and Monsters, Monsters! coming soon after.
That's one from my 1981 birthday party-- you can see the classic AD&D module I'm running from there: C1--The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan with an Erol Otus cover. Later editions used a multi-colored cover image. You can also see the homemade DM's screen, with relevant charts photocopied out and taped to a piece of cardboard. To my left you can see my figurine box which I had for many, many years. I think there's a basilisk and a Storm Giant sitting out. I liked this module, as it had removable handouts. I also put everyone's character sheets into envelopes ahead of time to let them choose. The year before this IIRC, my sister ran a game for my birthday party with amazing and elaborate maps. I was trying to capture that, though I was only 12. I think it is fair to say I've been running/playing pretty continuously for 30+ years.
So going through the slides has been a little melancholy-- or at least emotionally tiring. I'm fighting off some GM burnout as well, but that's another story. Mostly it is just weird seeing all of this stuff-- the various toys and games I had growing up, in part, that I took for granted. Sherri's family, for example, had little in the way of that. And I know other friends I have had tight budgets growing up. It bothers me now to see all that waste a little-- or maybe it bothers me that I didn't appreciate what I had as much as I should have.
Anyway this is a picture of me sitting in my dad's study. That was, and I think Cat would agree, the most interesting room in the house. It was downstairs off the living room, without a door. From time to time my dad would hang a curtain there to separate it from the rest of the house. At some point he put up corkboard over the entire east wall to put up clippings and such. Between that and the heavy curtains, the room was always a little darker than the rest of the house. I remember he had a characteriture of himself sketch by someone always posted up. That and a newspaper clipping of Sophia Loren's face, a picture of Janis Joplin, and an odd clipped out photo from McCabe and Mrs. Miller. There'd be other papers and maps up there as well and I'd go in to look at them from time to time.
The room also had a strange narrow closet that had a locked door and a little window out. The door came from the time that had been the back of the house, before the back had been added on. We knew where the door went (to the top of the basement steps) but it always seemed a little odd. As well, because the cloest had been built under the stairs, the room narrowed down to a sharp corner which made it an attractive hiding place. It stank of moth balls, on the other hand.
My dad had a big wide desk and lots of book shelves. They'd originally been stack shelves but one year he put up hanging ones. One night while Cat and I watched TV we heard an explosion downstairs. We freaked out until my parents came home-- when we discovered that he'd missed a couple of the studs in the walls and the entire thing had come down. He had a lot of books.
The office always smelled of his pipe-- mostly the rich cherry smoke smell. That one stuck more than the others. He had a copper change bowl with sharp edges that my sister and I would thieve nickels and dimes out of. He had a Tijuana mounted frog standing at a microphone that I loved staring at and playing with. That somebody had nailed the frog's feet to the base always freaked me out. I'd imagine they'd done that while it was still alive or that maybe it has some religious meaning-- I mean Christ had feet nails, right?
In the picture you can just see the plastic pencil caddy sitting on his desk too. It was that kind of fake cherry plastic and spun around. Pens would leak down into the compartments, creating little black and blue tacky spots where stray paper clips would become permanently stuck. It attached dust, I remember that, and he only ever had a few pens in it-- the rest would end up tossed around the desk or the room. I loved that lamp too-- you could move it and make a really satisfying sound from the springs-- when I saw the first Star Trek film, I assumed that's how they'd made the V'ger noises that overwhelmed everything. I also remember his tobacco jar-- heavy and made of cut green glass. It had a wooden top with some arcane pin thing underneath it-- I'm still not sure what that was for. You'd open it up and you could really smell the tobacco.
And of course there were the books. I'd look through them all the time. He had a book on Camelot that was disappointing because it was about the JFK administration rather than King Arthur. And he had magazines and other stuff there-- including Playboys hidden away. But mostly I think we loved it because it was kind of a cool, very personal room. And usually very messy which I can use as an excuse for why I'm so messy today.
Lastly, the Wizard takes an important phone call before settling down for a drink.
Feeling better today after getting knocked down by something yesterday. The second scattershot entry on NPCs below-- third and final part will come next post.
Pick-n-Choose: I've focused on inner life and knowing details, but of course I leave these kinds of considerations for characters who are going to reappear or serve a more permanent role. Sometimes I'll know that beforehand-- certain characters fit into vital roles for the plot. We know they'll be recurring and worth developing. However we know that some characters just don't stick. They don't generate interest among the players. You can bring a character back and try to add some element to them that might make them more interesting, but in general because I operate with a large cast, if someone doesn't work I will retire them. They'll still exist but probably won't get much time at the table. If they served a particular minor role, I'll transfer that to another existing character or develop an entirely new one.
The trick for noticing this at the table is twofold. Obviously if the players actively seek out the characters to talk with them, that's an indication that they're interested in them. A more subtle clue is to listen when the PCs talk amongst themselves and see who they mention. Those mentions indicate that the character has made an impression. Take advantage of that. Bring the character back for a ply-through or make them more integral to the plot. If you're keeping a list of quick scenes for the PCs make sure to use those NPCs.
From the player side of things, if you find an NPC intriguing, seek them out. Tell them GM that you enjoy how a particular character plays at the table. A good GM will take that into account and bring them back. By the same token don't push that point-- sometimes a GM will not enjoy an NPC as much as the players do. They may be bothered at how the character's actually rolled out in play.
Sometimes a weird dynamic arises from this. One of the most frustrating things for me as a player is to have an NPC I liked never reappear or be available. I've had a couple of times where I've pushed hard, in part because talking to or allying with a particular NPC makes sense but the GM avoids it. Sometimes this makes sense-- the NPC has another role to play or has other circumstances going on that means they react that way. The GM ought to communicate that.
Dead NPCs: I kill NPCs, but I do that more sparingly than I have in the past. I've learned over the years that being ready to kill NPCs at the drop of a hat is a certain way to make players avoid making real connections and investment in the world around them. The same thing applies to trust and betrayal by NPCs. Both death and revelation of the traitor scenes need to be handled carefully. While they might seem like potent dramatic moments they have serious consequences on the players' mindset. Obviously the Gm can't rule these things out-- but assess the consequences carefully.
Keep in mind that players at your table are constantly trying to get a sense of the world around them. And in another sense they're trying to get a feel for what kind of story they're in. If you signal that death is cheap, players will act accordingly. Some players naturally avoid NPCs because of this-- assuming they're unimportant or more likely some kind of trap for the players. You can usually pick these players out early in a game. Dealing with them is a more difficult task. If they're clearly gunshy, then you need to probably talk openly about that issue. If they just don't care about NPCs or take them seriously then you have a few options. You can concentrate on other plot details for them-- concrete things, puzzles, rumors or capers. You can also try to provide them with NPCs who might demonstrate the value of these interactions. Someone who can get them something they need or want, but only if they're treated respectfully.
Puzzling out how different players see the NPCs is important. Some players seem to think NPCs function as they do in videogames-- possessing limited dialogue branches, providing fetch quests, vomiting exposition, or to be killed without consequence. If possible, rid these players of that conception early. Some players haven't played in an "open game"-- where NPCs serve as a kind of floating pool of information. I've had some frustration in games where I've provided lists of NPCs and then had players decide they've come to a dead end in an investigation because they don't have the appropriate skills. The GM has to make clear a few times in a gentle manner that the campaign has a certain logic to it-- model and reward play to help players who feel stuck. Some players play defensively across the board-- they've come from games where the GM and player have an adversarial relationship or else they're generally risk-adverse. They avoid all but the most superficial engagements with the NPCs or, in fact, most background and setting detail.
Another player approach worth watching out for and dealing with, on some level, are players who take a proprietary approach to NPCs. They interact with a particular NPC and then assume that this character is their's and their's alone. If other players interact with that character, especially when they're not present, they become irritated. That gets played out as a certain amount of tension and irritation at the table. On the one hand if another player is deliberately moving to step on another player's toes, that's one thing. But I've seen this happen as both a GM and a player-- usually without any basis except a feeling that an NPC represents a very personal thing or a resource to be written down on a character sheet. A GM has to keep a close eye on this for a couple of reasons. First, it creates inter-party tension, especially when you have players operating in different modes-- a player who doesn't see anything proprietary in interactions may not understand why another player has suddenly become angry at the table. Second, if you've invested plotlines in a particular NPC and a player has decided that no one else should interact with that character, it can bring those plots to a screeching halt. If the player doesn't follow up then those plots become lost. On the other hand, if you do activate those plots and they by necessity broaden to impact the whole party they you run the risk of irritating the possessive player again.
Selfish players and players who overly invest in their characters are just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, to the smooth operation of a group than apathy. In some ways, I'd rather deal with apathy-- as the other set of problems requires disentangling personal and play behaviors.
Authority: It has been my experience that players generally tend to react negatively to authority figures. I'm not saying constantly, but more often than not if a figure seems to be part of the establishment, players may react out of preconceptions rather than who the character is. A person who is in charge when the PCs meet them will more often than not be seen as an obstacle or as wrongly holding their authority. A GM has to be prepared for those kinds of reactions. You can sometimes spot that pattern with players and begin to shape your narrative in reaction to that. Not that authority figures then all have to be sunshine and roses, but you can taken the opportunity to complicate their reactions and deepen the scene. I'd take this authority-reaction as a general idea and not a strict rule. It varies from player to player and from campaign to campaign.
Next post-- romance, rivals, the paradox on rpg narrative, email voice, living with the consequences, pandering and more.
I think it would be hard to overestimate the importance of NPCs to a campaign. Characters, done well, allow the GM to provide depth and texture to what would otherwise be text box descriptions of things and events. I watch a lot of crap TV and most of the time it isn't because I'm amazed by the plot, but rather that I like the characters. That's what separates the various CSI's for me-- some have more interesting characters. It keeps me watching bad shows long after they've passed their expiration date.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about some things to think about regarding characters, from a player and GM perspective. I'm splitting this across two posts. I've put together a set of ideas rather than one long analytical treatment of the idea. For many of my campaigns, NPCs serve as the engine that drives the action. I have plot, incident and environment, but the NPCs serve to help explicate all of those things. Some stories will obviously have more or fewer NPCs, but generally I fall back to them as a tool and a device. Some PCs work with and enjoy NPCs more than others-- and some interact with them on a more serious level. That's an assessment GMs need to make about their players and play styles.
With NPCs consistency is tough but necessary. One challenge as a GM comes from establishing a character vividly and then remembering that character's personality later. I juggle many NPCs across many games, and right now I have two character-intensive campaigns going. While some NPCs will show up every session, some will reappear more rarely and as a GM you need to be ready to pull them up quickly. You need to be close to that character's previous portrayal: attitude, interests, voice, and so on. If you don't you're throwing away one of your most powerful tools.
The trick is this: if you establish behavior-- read generally as all of those markers you've provided for the character previously-- you can then have a behavior shift at the table as an indication that something has happened. They've heard something about the players, they're protecting something, their family is being held hostage. If you don't establish that consistency, then players will either not read what you're doing as being any different and therefore ignore potential developments or they will spot changes when there are not. That can be a frustrating cycle for the players. Missteps can be little things. At a session the other day I dropped into character but didn't bring up the NPC's established voice. The sharp PC assumed, since we were on an intercom, that this wasn't in fact the NPC. I had to switch to the voice quickly.
In that case I'd established the voice several times before. If I'd done it once or twice, it might not have been a big deal. I'll say this quite honestly-- that consistency is what I worry about most when I do voices for NPCs-- will I be able to remember that voice later? Generally I try not to do a distinctive voice unless I know the character will reoccur again fairly often or the character is never going to reappear.
The running joke, with a deep truth to it, is that Sherri remembers the names of all of the NPCs. She does-- and remembers them for campaigns long gone by. What I try to keep organized in my mind is a character's role and motivation. I also try to remember what they thought of the PC's when they last spoke of them. I focus on that-- so I often forget the names and have to look them up. Or I would but usually Sherri's already shouted out the name by the time I've started leafing through.
I think remembering motivation and needs is vital. There's a writer's edict that says when two people have a conversation in a scene, both of them are trying to achieve something. They each have something they want. The trick of the scene lies in conveying something of those desires through the subtext. That's important when you have a PC talking to an NPC. If the NPC simply serves as a "talking head" providing information, then the GM ought to communicate that at the beginning of the interaction-- through body language, voice or even phrasing like "...he begins to tell you a tale...". In those cases the NPCs are event points rather than real interactions.
Real interactions have context and meaning. If they've met before, that should shape how the NPC reacts. If the NPC doesn't like something about the character, that should obviously impact the exchange. If they have something to hide or something concrete they want, that should be hinted at. I restate the obvious here, but really NPCs should have their own inner lives, ones which don't necessarily sync up with what the PCs want.
NPCs can serve as both devices for moving the story forward and also obstacles for the PCs. They can do this at the same time. Sometimes when players hit obstacles in a game, they don't see a challenge-- they see a wall. I'd say this happens most often with player interactions with NPCs. If they've had a bad encounter with a particular character, they will be gunshy about dealing with them again. They'll assume they've burned a particular bridge and can't get any further. In some cases they do, but more often solutions can be found-- other people can be influenced, other approaches can be used. Strangely enough, apologies can work.
I like to visualize social skills as the equivalent of lockpicking skills for NPCs. Players should balance out their approach to a character by considering what skills of abilities they have that can help with the approach. They can state those things up front, like mentioning a high skill with Etiquette or a knowledge of the Arts, if appropriate. Not that the player's asking to necessarily make a roll based on those, but instead they're making a kind of argument about the scene-- i.e. When I meet with X I'm going to try to put them at ease-- which I can probably do because I have X and Y skills. If I'm on as a player, I'll do that before I actually launch into the conversation. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: it is not a sign of weakness to fall back to the mechanics of one's character sheet. Those skills and points you've spent serve as support for the arguments you're making about how the scene is going to go.
Part of my task as a GM is to filter what players say into what their characters say. If characters have invested in social skills or abilities and mention those, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt about how what they say is taken. Sometimes I'll offer them a take-back (used to represent advanced social skills). In other cases I'll try make explicit the subtext of a particular comment or approach for a player. By virtue of an rpg being a system model we have to make allowances for those things.
The catch is this: if I, as a GM, don't have an understanding of a player's intent before they go into a social situation, I really can't make those kinds of allowances. At that point, I have to take the players completely at face value. So if you're a player, it is worth taking a moment before interacting with an NPC to state what you're trying to do. Not that you have to stick to that course, but at least at the beginning you can help the GM in that way. On the other hand, if you're trying to catch the GM off guard or aren't sure what you want to get out of an interaction, then you don't need to make those statements.
Most NPCs don't exist in a vacuum. I've mentioned their inner lives, but we also have to know something about their daily lives. I find it easiest to remember roles and duties. That's often the first thing a player picks up on-- what job an NPC performs. Related to that, what social level or position they hold. Those traits open up a range of details and allow the player to get a basic impression. They're also a catalyst-- does the NPC fit strongly to the mold of that role or do they act askew from expectations? Do we have the lazy butler or the one so strongly in that role that they turn their nose up immediately at any whiff of impropriety on the characters' part? Do we have the sinister high adviser or one more focused on a game of croquet? These details come easily and often can be enough to give a fairly broad impression to the players.
That impression has huge implications-- as a GM you want to give the players enough cues and materials that they can reasonably play off of and approach the NPCs. I like to mix up matching and countering expectations with NPCs. They shouldn't always throw the PCs off, but they should do it often enough that players learn to take a moment to do an assessment before an encounter. Or at least to be open and responsive when first meeting someone. You don't want the PCs gunshy, but you also don't want them always jumping to the easiest assumptions and running with those.
Beyond those important surface details, I like to know something about the ecology of the NPC. If, as I've said, NPCs don't exist in a vacuum, that means they know other NPCs. Just as in real life, those relations hold significant weight. We learn something about a person in how they act when we're speaking to them. But we learn more when we see how people talk about them when they're not around-- and we learn even more about a person when we see how they talk about someone who isn't there. Those interactions allow a GM to complicate and refine the portrayal of an NPC. You hint at other stories and entanglements. You create a sense that these people have their own real lives.
Two related considerations to this-- consider showing how an NPC interacts with their family and their community. Family forms a set of involuntary bonds for people. How have they dealt with the good and bad of those lives? Do they change their behavior drastically when they interact with them? Meeting an NPCs family can often go a long way to explaining some of their motivations or even their stranger behavior. Likewise, being a member of a community-- neighborhood, religious, social-- can demonstrate an NPCs inner lives. Do they change when they deal with that group? Do they laugh at the ideas of their community or take them dreadfully seriously? Do they search for acceptance from their peers? We place less emphasis on these communities in our lives, but in some settings they're as serious and important as family. For example, on the Third Continent of my campaign, everyone has a faith-- belongs to a cult devoted to a god or gods. People judge, note and react in part based on that. But perhaps even worse to people than being a member of a strange cult would be not demonstrating membership in any cult. That would be taken as a sign of exile and of not being a person who could fit it.
The campaign itself lasted about ten months. We had a number of missed sessions due to schedule conflicts and people being out. I'd say we probably ended up with 14 or so sessions IIRC. Maybe more. While I'd begun with a fairly linear concept, I ended up creating a more complicated set of events with several intersecting plot lines.
* Everyone seemed to like their characters. Having Alan and Chris paired up worked well. They had good characters and played off of each other well. Sherri and Shari also managed to create a nice balance of reaction between themselves, a sisterly bond that worked despite their very different backgrounds.
* I decided to let the PCs have essentially whatever resources they wanted. They each had significant wealth as well as the backing of their patron. We had a nice feel where the group could play wish fulfillment-- being able to get excellent service, the finest tables at bars and restaurants, tailored clothing done up quickly, vehicles at a moment's notice and so on. Vegas treats high-rollers well and I wanted to carry that ethos through. That was a nice change from other games where players end up having to scramble and manage those kinds of resources.
* Scion's character building system works well. It does create a nice empowering feeling for the PCs. There's some funkiness with the calculations for Legend (as a fixed stat) and Legend (as an expendable resource. But that only got in the way a couple of times. The idea of Epic Attributes providing both an automatic success as well as a special ability worked well. Most players looked to those rather than the Purview abilities.
* The Virtue System of Scion system worked really well. Usually in Storyteller you get an automatic success when you spend a point of Willpower. Instead in this system you got extra dice based on the value of the appropriate Virtue associated with the action. This did two things. First, each pantheon has a different set of possible Virtues which helps create a distinction between them. Second, players had to take a moment to justify why an action would be associated with a particular virtue.
*We had a lot of mythic stuff going on, but players seemed to handle it pretty well. Some of it was pretty easily recognizable, like the Alberich the Smith who ties into the Ring Cycle. However other details got a little more obscure, like the concept of the Slavic Pantheon and the Arthurian Mythos I threw in with the Fisher King references.
*Players took seriously the idea of Fate-binding. As I mentioned before I think Scion has a really great concept there. In the campaign the party realized that interacting with NPCs meant that over time they could be linked up with their own fates and destinies. They always recognized the dangers in that, and if someone did get linked up, they made sure to take care of them rather than leaving them out to dry.
*The PCs also took their own Mythic roles and duties seriously-- providing largess to others. We spent an hour one session just on the party's work to make a particular restaurant the hit of the strip. I made sure to follow up on that and confirm that their efforts had paid off. I think that's really important-- if players spend time and energy on something, especially as a group, the Gm should have an obligation to revisit those ideas and show the PCs what's happened. The GM also has an obligation not to simply kick over their sandcastles for story effect. Give the players victories.
*Some of the NPCs I came up with on the fly really stuck. I decided Mr. Geier would have hired a researcher for them, so I introduced a guy named Jet Jaguar (that's an old Godzilla reference for those of you not in the know). The PCs loved him and took great care of him. When he got injured late in the game, the PCs got blood in their eyes. A Scion of Sun Wukong from the Chinese Pantheon also drew great affection from the PCs-- she was so totally obnoxious. Finally I liked using Siegfried and Roy as magical gatekeepers for the Norse Pantheon in Vegas. They came off pretty well in the course of play. Plus we had a nice real world reference there.
*The final fight was pretty awesome, from my perspective. I overwhelmed them with the opposition-- and if they hadn't coordinated their actions I probably would have killed a couple of them. The final shot had Alan laying down the dead man's hand in front of the Fisher King at the card game. Shari raises the magic revolver at the Fisher King. We cut to the quiet lake outside the houseboat where the card game's taking place and just hear the sound of a single gunshot.
*I probably over-relied on borrowing from existing fictional sources. While it worked out in the end, it ran the risk of overcomplicating things. I'd borrowed from two distinct books and then had some of my own plot lines running through there. A couple of times I went a little too far off the reservations so that why something was happening wasn't immediately clear. That meant having to insert an NPC or go to the GM's voice to explain things. In particular I'm thinking of the serial killer scene (which borrowed from Sandman).
*I think I probably could have managed the game as well if I'd cut down on some of the plots and connections a little. As we began to roll into the last third I realized how many outstanding threads I had. Some got dropped (the airplanes in the desert thread) and some got resolved at a distance (the Church of the Desert thread). Some I welded together in a kind of hamfisted way. I wanted a particular threat to come up and so had two groups join together in an attack on the PCs. I had a logic to it, but it was a little convoluted. When I looked at it objectively I realized the players would and could only really draw one conclusion-- that certain of the key players were allied. They weren't, but by establishing that connection I had to backtrack and explain why that wasn't the case. While the scene itself was dramatic, it wasn't worth the confusion it generated.
*I like the idea of the rival Scion group. They're presented as adversaries in the basic book, but I modified them a little. However I only used them a little. That might have been for the best, I'm not sure. If I had used them I would have had to cut elsewhere significantly. In retrospect, I could have done with a little more planning on my side on that.
*While I like the Scion system, it does have a couple of real weaknesses. The first comes from the Purview system. These are a set of powers covering the aspects of the various gods. Buying into those associated with your divine parentage costs less. However those abilities seem significantly less potent and useful compared to the Knack system. A character gains a Knack when they buy a dot of an Epic Attribute. Given that the Epic Attributes themselves give benefits, you get more for your money. Most Purviews also require a long action for activation, reducing effectiveness in combat. Then there's the question of balance between the various Purviews. I don't usually need absolute balance, but I do want some parity. Some of the purviews end up being useful, while many would rarely come up in a game. Even if they did, they ended up weak. I'm of the mind that if something is narrow in scope, you make it a little more potent to compensate. I need to look at those when I run this again and see if there's some small alterations I can make...or if that's even needed.
*The other weakness comes from the basics of the combat and action system. Old Storyteller has a system for multiple actions that, while a nice idea, often broke down when PCs got to throwing around big dice pools. The Scion system uses some of the old ST dice mechanics but goes in another direction. The new Exalted 2e system uses the same approach. Scion maps initiative and action timing to a circular display with eight sections or wedges called Tics. Players make an "enter battle" roll. The character with the highest number of successes gets placed in Tic 1-- everyone else is placed relative to that based on successes. That does mean that there can be a fairly large number of Tics between the first and last person in the round-- that will be important later.
However after running several combats with the system several things become clear. First, Speed Kills. A character with a faster weapon will be in much, much better shape. They will have several more opportunities to act over the course of a combat, which is to be expected. But since you also reset your DV to normal when you take an action, it could be hard to wear them down to a manageable level. Second, other actions like activating Purviews and such cost a more speed than attacks and knacks. That means that if you want to do those things, you're going to be waiting a bit before you get to go again. Third, while I liked the chart, it could get in the way-- and it was difficult to make up markers big enough to be visible to everyone and still have room to fit within each wedge.
Overall the system really showed its weaknesses when we did some really big combats. Players had to make choices between their more interesting abilities and simply going for a swack. The difference in speed costs usually made the latter a better choice. On my side of things we also had the problem of the rapidly rising Defensive Values. In this system, Defense wins-- and more abilities seem to support defensive options. To hit someone you have to beat their DV in successes on your attack roll. Generally that means you have to be throwing a little less than twice their DV in dice to have a decent shot (7+ for successes, 10's count as two successes). Most DVs sat at around 7-8. This meant ordinary characters didn't have a real chance of hitting the PCs unless they coordinated-- an action which cost them time an opportunities. It took me a while to kind of work through those numbers and get comfortable with them and I suspect I'll have a better handle on them next time I run this.
*To solve some of these problems the next time I run, I'll probably make up a combat control and reference sheet for everyone. That will breakdown the cost and rules for each action for the players. It will also have space for them to record and track their own combat specific abilities so they don't have to hunt around their sheets. I think that will help speed up a couple of things. The system can be intuitive, but it looks enough like old Storyteller that it is easy to get confused.
I enjoyed this campaign much more than I thought I would, quite honestly. I expected a light breeze through game, but I ended up engrossed in the setting, story and the player characters. Except for a few problems getting a handle on the mechanics and my own penchant for overcomplication, I think it went well. I expect to return to these characters and this setting. I like the idea of having a campaign with three chapters, each set in a different city. Las Vegas had some interesting ideas as a certain kind of place. I look forward to exploring the environment of other cities-- probably one from the Midwest or old South and one from the East Coast. That will give me a chance to work through very different themes and see the evolution of the PCs.


text:
Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying - TheTot
Home > School Aged Kids > Expert Parenting Tips, Health & Safety, Behavior & Development, Behavior & Development > Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying
Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying
Teacher and Writer, Braden Bell, discusses why we need to teach kids to differentiate
In my work as a teacher, I've noticed in recent years that parents frequently default to the term "bullying" to describe a lot of undesirable interactions their children have with peers. Bullying is tragically real, with devastating consequences in both the short- and long-term. But bullying also has a very specific meaning.
Defining bullying
Although definitions vary, they generally include some common themes. Bullying must include an imbalance of power (whether it's strength, popularity, or access to information), and is a behavior that happens repeatedly or could be repeated. When bullying happens, it's crucial to address it immediately and effectively. It almost always requires adult intervention from parents, school officials, counselors or even law enforcement. But a recent experience with one of my children reminded me that not all undesirable or unkind behavior is bullying.
When mean behavior isn't actually bullying
One of my children was being subjected to sarcastic and cutting remarks from a co-worker. It was rude and discouraging and made my child feel self-conscious and isolated.
I'm an experienced teacher and parent of five children. I'm closer to 50 than 40. You'd think I'd be fairly grounded by now. But when my child told me about this, I was furious and reacted with a potent mixture of anger and judgement. I suspect most parents have felt something similar. In this state of heightened parental emotion, it's easy to define the offensive behavior as bullying, particularly because it provides a narrative structure with a clear-cut villain and victim. But it's important for parents to resist, or at least question, our use of the term.
After I calmed down a bit I realized that this incident didn't rise to the level of bullying. None of the criteria above was really present, particularly the power imbalance. Someone can be insensitive, thoughtless, immature, mean and even aggressive without it being bullying. And it's important to make sure children understand that. Here's why: for the rest of their lives, our children's happiness at home and success at work will be determined by how well they can navigate relationships and resolve difficult issues. If we write every unpleasant encounter off as bullying, we don't prepare them well. At a minimum, we are modeling misdiagnosis.
"When we fail to distinguish between bullying and ordinary meanness, we trivialize the very serious cases of peer abuse," Eileen Kennedy-Moore, an author and clinical psychologist wrote in an article in Psychology Today. "Also, calling every act of meanness bullying sends an unhealthy message: It says to kids, 'You're fragile. You can't handle it if anyone is even slightly unkind to you.'"
Over the years I've seen parents unwittingly cultivate fragility by misusing the term bullying. I knew a student who had her own circle of friends but wanted to join a more popular group. The girls in the desired group were close-knit, with families that had been friends for decades. They weren't mean to this girl. In fact they were polite, even friendly. If she sat by them at lunch, they would engage and include her. They talked with her at school. If she invited one of them to a movie, they would go and have fun. But they didn't include her in their inner circle. Every time they did something on the evenings or weekends without inviting her, the girl's parent accused them of bullying.
Another girl was enthusiastic about a particular subject and after being particularly animated during a class discussion, a classmate laughed at her for being so passionate about the subject. Again, the girl's parent labelled the behavior bullying.
Developing a victim mentality
Neither of these situations was ideal or good, but they didn't meet the criteria for bullying. The parents took their child's authentic pain, but exaggerated the intentions and behaviors of the other children while minimizing their own child's actions and choices. The kids started to see themselves as victims, powerless to change the situation.
As those children grew older, they demonstrated less resilience, sometimes publicly. The kids got more easily and deeply upset about perceived offenses, including situations that were unpleasant, but weren't really bullying. Beyond stunting their emotional maturity, their heightened reactions had negative social consequences, as peers responded by disengaging from them.
Labels and consequences
Kennedy-Moore also notes in her article that we risk trivializing bullying when we use the term incorrectly or reduce what it means. This has a related, but less obvious consequence: If someone reports bullying to school officials and it turns out not to be bullying, that person's credibility is greatly diminished. Adults – and peers – will be less likely to take their complaints seriously in the future.
Also, accusing a child of being a bully can have severe social, emotional and academic repercussions as accusations can quickly coalesce into a label that is hard to escape. Being labelled a bully often means being ostracized and isolated, with no obvious way to repair or reclaim a reputation. This is particularly damaging if the label is applied unfairly or inaccurately. Ironically, bullying involves causing harm to someone who struggles to defend him or herself. So an adult accusing a child of being a bully can be a form of bullying.
How do we respond when a child encounters unkindness that isn't bullying? While the answers are as varied as the situations and the children involved, I've found some success with a simple question: "What are your choices?" And, as a follow-up, "What are the likely outcomes of those choices?"
Inevitably, the child wants to talk about the other person's behavior. I try to listen and show empathy. Then I redirect by asking, "Yes, but what are your choices?" This can be empowering for the child. In my experience, acting with intention and agency brings hope and empowerment.
Sometimes a child can't come up with a good answer because they are too upset, or because they lack experience, or because something is counterintuitive. In the incident I mentioned earlier, my child felt trapped and struggled with how to respond. My wife and I discussed the situation, talked to our child and suggested possible options for addressing it. One of the suggestions helped fix the problem. Even more important, my child learned how to work through a challenge, something that would not have happened had we simply contacted the employer and accused the co-worker of bullying.
Learning to honestly evaluate complex situations, look at the dynamics of relationships and respond in a thoughtful way requires and develops discernment, honesty and self-awareness. We can help our children build those skills when we model them ourselves. That's what I had to remind myself recently.
This article by Braden Bell was originally published in the Washington Post.
Share Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying on Facebook Share Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying on Twitter Share Parents Need To Know: Not All Unkindness Is Bullying on Pinterest
The Tot 10: Best of Infant Toys
The Problem With Strict Parenting

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Hot Bomb thrown at police in Northern Ireland
Bomb thrown at police in Northern Ireland
Police officers in Northern Ireland came under attack when an explosive device was thrown at their vehicle in Belfast, a police spokesman said.
No one was seriously injured in the incident, although four members of the public were treated for shock. A local lawmaker said shrapnel from the explosion hit a passing car.
The attack came just hours after a bomb was found nearby, having fallen off a vehicle and failed to explode. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it had not ruled out the possibility that it was aimed at one of its officers.
"Police in west Belfast have escaped serious injury tonight after an explosive device detonated close to their vehicle on the Falls Road," a PSNI spokesman said late Friday.
"The incident occurred shortly before 10.30pm (1030 GMT) close to the entrance of the City Cemetery. It is believed some form of explosive device was thrown at their vehicle."
Paul Maskey, a member of parliament for the Sinn Fein republican party, condemned the "reckless attack".
"A family were fortunate to escape injury as their car was peppered with shrapnel. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt but the family are extremely shook up," he said.
He added: "Those behind this attack clearly did not care who was injured or killed."
Northern Ireland endured three decades of civil unrest between Protestant unionists who wanted the province to stay part of Britain and republican Catholics who wanted it to join with the Republic of Ireland to the south.
The 1998 Good Friday peace accords largely ended the violence and paved the way for a devolved power-sharing government, although dissident republican groups opposed to peace are still active.
UK hopes to be able to consider lockdown easing in March: minister
From Syria to Detroit, we are all migrants, sings bluesman Bibb
Two MQM-Altaf Terrorists sentenced to death in Pakistan for killing 260...
India may reconsider $20 billion French Rafale jet deal in favor...
Chinese vice president meets visiting Pakistani prime minister
China to create US-style trade blacklist in response to Huawei move...
Government divided on free movement after Brexit
Massive medics should slim says NHS
Foreign Secretary sought clarity on EU membership from Alex Salmond
German FM calls on Washington and Pyongyang to cease "saber rattling"
China Fibers Fashion Trends 2017/2018 held in E China


text:
Home/all/Electric bike: The state purchase subsidy will be increased to 300 euros on August 15th
Electric bike: The state purchase subsidy will be increased to 300 euros on August 15th
The premium for the purchase of an electrically assisted bicycle will increase from 15 August from 200 to 300 euros, for people in precarious circumstances or with disabilities to 400 euros.
While the government extended the eco-bonus for the purchase of a new electric car to 6000 euros in early July, the bicycle will receive an additional boost from August 15th to December 31st.
An amendment to the Financial Amendment Act provides for a strengthening of purchasing aids, especially for electrically assisted bicycles (VAE).
No longer just as a supplement to regional aid
The text provides for increasing the premium for the purchase of a VAE from the current maximum of 200 euros to 300 euros. A priori, your payment will remain income-related (reference tax revenue per share below EUR 13,489), but no longer linked to the granting of subsidies by a municipality. So far, the bonus only allows this assistance to be supplemented (with the exception of the cargo bike bonus of 1,000 euros introduced in July 2021).
However, as Renaissance MEPs explain in the text of the amendment, "there are few purchase subsidy schemes outside of urban areas, while cycling can be a useful response in medium-sized cities, in the countryside and in the suburbs: only 4% of areas with fewer than 50,000 residents offer shopping assistance, compared to 100% of the 14 areas with more than 500,000 residents".
Aid can reach 400 euros for the most vulnerable households in the first two income deciles. The latter can also receive a subsidy for the purchase of a "classic" bicycle (without electric assistance) of 150 euros.
The "other bikes" allowance is open to folding bikes with an allowance of 1,000 euros (2,000 euros for the most vulnerable) within the limit of 40% of the cost of the bike under the same resource conditions.
People with disabilities can also claim this allowance without any income requirements for the purchase of an adapted bicycle.
Bonus for increased conversion… for bikes
It should also be noted that the conversion premium, which makes it possible to obtain additional aid for the scrapping of a diesel car or van registered before 2011 or a petrol one registered before 2006, now allows the purchase of several bicycles for a single household, while it was previously limited to one. This will make it easier for households to replace their vehicle with the number of bicycles needed.
For the most vulnerable households, this bonus can be doubled from 1500 euros to 3000 euros.
All this help can always be combined with local help. For example, Ile-de-France offers a purchase aid of 500 euros for a new VAE and 600 euros for a cargo bike.
Scam alert: a new scam campaign is hitting all of France, be careful!
Food waste: how long can an expired product be consumed?


The ideal XP project goes through a short initial development phase, followed by years of simultaneous production support and refinement, and finally graceful retirement when the project no longer makes sense.
This chapter gives you an idea of the overall story of an XP project. It is idealized—you may have gotten the idea by now that no two XP projects could (or should) ever be exactly alike. What I hope you will get from this chapter is an idea of the overall flow of a project.


text:
podisum
=======

Application to Summarize Logstash events built on Silex

Installation
------------

To install Podisum, you need PHP 5.3.x and MongoDB. It uses ttl collections to keep only recent data and discard old data.
The amount of time data is kept is configured with the X-ttl header.

The installation is done with Composer:

    # install composer
    curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php

    # install dependencies
    php composer.phar install

Then, configure your virtual host to to the web directory.

Configuration
-------------

Podisum creates summaries of data sent from Logstash in MongoDB. For this, you can send events from Logstash using the redis (recommended) or http outputs.

A config/podisum.yml configuration file was recently introduced. You can define your summaries in this file so sending HTTP headers is no longer necessary.

	mongo: mongodb://localhost:27017
	mongo_db: podisum
	redis: tcp://localhost:6379
	redis_key: podisum
	default_ttl: 86400
	default_sleep: 10
	metrics:
	  -
		tag: dovecot_login
		metric: "dovecot.login|login"
		ttl: 86400
		summaries: "300,3600,86400"

This configuration will match any events with the 'dovecot_login' tag and create a metric 'dovecot_login' using the login field.

Using redis output
-----------------

Example:

  	output {
		redis {
			host => "localhost"
			data_type => "list"
			key => "podisum"
			tags => ["podisum"]
		}
	}

This example will send any events with the tag podisum to the redis server with the 'podisum' key.

Start the redis client:

	$ php redis-client.php

Using http output
-----------------

Example:

    output {
        http {
            http_method => "post"
            url => "http://podisum.dev/collect"
            headers => [
                "X-metric", "test.emails|email", "X-ttl", "86400", "X-summaries", "300,3600,86400"]
        }
    }

This entry will send all matching messages to Podisum and will create a new summary called test.emails. It will create a counter
of entries with the email field. This way you can count how many instances of "foo@example.com" occurred in 300 secs (5 minutes),
3600 secs (1 hour) and 86400 (1 day). It requires 'email' to be a field in the logstash message.

You can add multiple http outputs for different summaries.

Web UI
------

To view the summaries, go to http://podisum.dev/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Review: 2000 AD – Prog 1948
A very cool, very fitting chapter of Dredd in the aftermath of the devastation caused in Enceladus: New Life. I fucking love Dredd. Yeah, yeah, I have that one friend who has to make his liberal ideas really well known (not that I often disagree with him, he's just, you know, THAT guy), and hates fictional characters like Dredd because they're fascists and, for some reason, that means you have to be a little bit of a fascist to enjoy them, according to him.
I just don't think that's true. It misses a lot of nuances the character has, first of all, and, as this chapter shows, Dredd himself might be some kind of fascist, but he doesn't operate in a bubble. There's an uncomfortable reality that this newest Dredd story is making us face head-on: Dredd and the Judge system as a whole might be an authoritarian regime, but they saved everyone's asses.
In the newest story, from writer Ian Edginton and artist Dave Taylor, we see Dredd making some hard decisions that involve, of course, killing the shit out of people. But I think it's really important that we see those decisions through the eyes of a bystander who is having trouble coming to terms with the extreme nature of Dredd's decisions. The tone of Dredd is rarely, "look at how great it is that Dredd is killing the shit out of this guy that he could have just wounded," and often counterbalances his decisions with more human elements.
Look, if Judge Dredd was just some human, he wouldn't have been riding a black horse into a super-human ice-people army with one of his arms flayed and absolutely no hope of victory. Let's not forget that the world of Mega City One is not analogous to our world in any robust way, especially not after an extremely devastating attack on a city and its resources by an army of ice monsters. One of the most compelling things about the Battlestar Galactica reboot, for instance, is in the fact that it takes seriously the notion of people in power forced to make hard decisions for the good of the whole.
Anyway, besides thinking "Ghost Town" gets Dredd right in an important (and seriously timely) way, the last page of Grey Area alone was worth this entire run of the comic, and Deadworld had its strongest chapter yet.
What felt claustrophobic about previous Deadworld chapters is absent in a story that feels like it has a lot more motion, and really benefits from a well-executed penultimate page where color livens up a more traditional page layout. I think Deadworld might have also picked up some because it's gaining some momentum into the story's climax. Either way, I enjoyed this chapter for more than just its set-pieces.
2000 AD – Prog 1948 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: 2000 AD Price: £1.99 (Digital) £2.49 Release Date: 9/16/2015 Format: Weekly; Print/Digital
← Review: The Spirit #3Review: Bloodshot Reborn #6 →


text:
Rebuilding a future for the displaced people of Burkina Faso: a Resident Coordinator Blog
"This was my first field mission in Burkina Faso, and I visited Kaya, some 100 kilometres northeast of the capital, Ouagadougou; Dori, which is the capital of the Sahel region, on the border with Niger and Mali; and Djibo, a town in the north of the country.
The people we met all asked the same questions: can we get jobs? Can we get back our dignity and go back to our normal life? Can we become the actors of our future? Can you help us to go back to a normal life?
UNOCHA/Naomi Frerotte
A group of displaced women collect water in the town of Djibo in Burkina Faso.
Give women and youth a seat at the table
Women make up half of the population, and more than three-quarters of people in the country are under 35. However, they are conspicuously absent from decision-making.
I made a point of speaking to women, and I asked them if they can help to resolve longstanding issues and stop the violence. "Yes, that's true", they said. "If we say to our husbands, our sons, our brothers, to stop fighting, to stop the violence, they're going to listen to us, and we need to find a space to make that happen, so that we have a seat at the table."
My second question to them was, 'what can I do? What can we do as United Nations to help you?' They replied that they want to find their own solutions, but they asked for help educating the men to shift some of the traditional and cultural ways of doing things.
UNDP/Aurélia Rusek
Internally displaced people in Kaya, Burkina Faso, work on gardening plots region provided free by a local resident.
Contribute to solutions, do no harm
During the crisis, education and health services have been particularly vulnerable to violent non-State groups, and many have closed down, which has exacerbated the situation.
But I have seen that the UN and our partners are having a positive effect, from food distribution to out-of-school activities, psycho-social support, nutrition centres, and health centres.
Our guiding star must be to ensure that we contribute to solutions and do no harm. We can't just see vulnerable communities as victims, but also as actors involved in finding a solution to humanitarian issues.
We need to listen to them, and bring their voices across the whole spectrum of discussions. And we need to be the voice of the voiceless, in a constructive way.
FAO/Pissang Tchangai
Barbara Manzi, UN Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso, with women farmers in Djibouti. (File 2019)
My message for people outside Burkina Faso, including donors and development partners, is that there is hope, despite all the terrible things that are happening, and I think we have a collective responsibility to make sure that this hope does not fade away.
We need to be ready for some setbacks. It's likely to happen, considering the situation, but this should not discourage us from continuing to focus on the people, trying to bring them to the forefront of discussions, supporting the State in what they're doing, and ensuring that all levels of the traditional community systems are involved.
I think I'm really lucky to be in this position. It's not an easy job, but it's a job I love because I see the whole spectrum of the work that the UN is doing, and how the system can be put to better use to serve people in need."


F18 Carrier Landing free game download for PC, F18 Carrier Landing game release date on 12 Apr 2019. For this game, direct download links are provided for you and share your friend's.
Overview: F18 Carrier Landing places you in the cockpit of an F/A 18 Hornet. As gamers, we search for experiences that aren't possible in our daily lives. With F/A 18 Carrier Landing, we're able to bring the armchair pilot into the cockpit of a fighter jet.
F18 Carrier Landing Game Info!
Check out the latest system requirements for F18 Carrier Landing PC Game and applications, including recommended and optimal designs, to provide the best gaming and PC application settings.
DOWNLOAD F18 Carrier Landing HERE!


text:
JOHN LLOYD YOUNG
March 13, 2021, 8:00 pm White Plains Performing Arts Center, 11 City Pl 3rd Floor, White Plains, NY 10601, USA
Jukebox Hero Music Direction by Tommy Faragher John Lloyd Young is the Tony and Grammy award-winning 'Frankie Valli' from Broadway's Jersey Boys as well as the star of the Clint Eastwood directed Warner Bros film. John Lloyd Young: Jukebox Hero is a celebration of classic hits from the '50s and '60s presented in the authentic acoustic style of original rock 'n' roll, Doo-Wop and R&B standards. Along with tracks from Young's critically acclaimed debut album "My Turn" the show features "Sherry", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me", "In the Still of the Night" along with treasures in shades of Goodfellas, James Bond, David Lynch and spaghetti westerns from Roy Orbison to The Platters, the Righteous Brothers to Paul McCartney, Adele to Luther Vandross, Little Anthony, Elvis, Tom Jones and more. This evening is not to be missed!
More From Stage
Please Call Home: The Big House Years (1/23/21)
Tarrytown Music Hall13 Main Street, Tarrytown, NYa
NEW DATE! TERRAPIN: A GRATEFUL DEAD EXPERIENCE
Bijou Theatre275 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, USAa
EagleMania - The World's Best Eagles Tribute Band (1/22 ...
Providence Performing Arts220 Weybosset St., Providence, RIa


when you can form quickly and accurately, documents are much easier to compose. The means that are only realize your documents will likely conform. Since university documents add a considerable percentage regarding the grades for the pupils, it really is imperative for you to master the skill of writing effortlessly to find great grades. Once you choose the university documents, you're sure to get value for the wide range. Everything that you simply think is ideal for documents defintely won't be equivalent once you'll begin with their writing. Academic documents, such as for instance other styles of writing, call for a specific style and format therefore as become easily accepted.


text:
James Taylor, John Mayer Trio to headline Love Rocks NYC concert
James Taylor will be headlining the 7th Annual Love Rocks NYC concert at the Beacon Theatre in March, Page Six has learned.
The "Fire and Rain" singer will be joined by a stellar lineup including the John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Mavis Staples, Pat Benatar, St. Vincent and Rufus Wainwright.
Stephen Colbert, Andy Cohen, Chevy Chase and Phoebe Robinson are also slated to appear at the charitable gala.
The beloved bash is the brainchild of Douglas Elliman broker Greg Williamson, concert producer Nicole Rechter and clothing designer John Varvatos. The annual event benefits Gods Love We Deliver, a charity that delivers meals to New Yorkers who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves.
Past performers for the star-studded concert have included Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles.
John Mayer is one of many artists who will perform at the Beacon Theatre in March.
"We didn't know what we were doing when we started," Williamson told Page Six in a recent interview. "Now this is a labor of love that we work on all year long."
Rechter noted that the genesis of the show was wanting to do something "that wasn't a seated event" with people buying tables, adding, "It is a rock and roll show; it's not a 'come-and-hear speakers' event."
Sheryl Crow will also be returning to perform at the charity concert.
CBS via Getty Images
Unfortunately, the demand for God's Love has grown exponentially over the last few months.
"In the last six months, the number of meals we're cooking and delivering has increased 33 percent," David Ludwigson, president and CEO of the charity, told Page Six.
Williamson and Rechter came up with the idea for Love Rocks eight years ago.
Gary Bouge
"The first year that I started, we cooked and delivered 670,000 meals. This year we're on track to do more than 3.2 million," he added, noting proudly, "We've been able to fulfill it and we've never had a waiting list and we do it without charge to the client."
Love Rocks NYC takes place March 9 at the Beacon Theatre.
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival: See the best celebrity looks
Kylie Jenner clarifies how to pronounce her son Aire's name


Check out Location and Driving Directions for details.
Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card.
No, but they are highly reccommended. Call us at 970-325-3006 to schedule your ride.
How many other people are going to be on my ride?
Small groups and personal service is our specialty. We try to keep every ride exclusive to your group. During peak times we may have to mix groups together to accommodate everyone. Small groups and personal service is our specialty.
I have never ridden a horse is this an issue?
We take first time riders everyday. We take special care and time to educate you on the basics before and during the ride.
This is a question we get regularly and the only way to answer it is bluntly. We have stout horses that can handle up to 280 pounds. But there are different ways to be 280. If you are 6'4" and a well built 280 you will be just fine. If you are 5 foot tall and a jiggly 280 you should probably stay home.
11+ years old - 4 hour and wilderness trips.
We do require 12 and below to wear provided helmets.


NEW: Levels 1 and 2 of the Professional Development in Teaching Program have received accreditation through the SEDA UK Professional Development Framework (SEDA-PDF).
8 hours of workshops facilitated by the Learning and Teaching Office or at the Departmental or Faculty level. This can include the mandatory, paid TA/GA training offered by each Department. Please note: faculty workshops cannot be counted for credit.
Please use the events registration system to print off your events record.
CILT 100 Learning and Teaching in Higher Education I, a 6-week (18-hour) course. This course is offered each semester, including Spring/Summer through the Chang School of Continuing Education at no cost. Read a brief description of the CILT 100 course [pdf].
A ~1000 word reflection incorporating experiences from both the workshops and CILT 100. For more information and templates.
Engage in a learning community made up of peers from across the university"
CILT 105 Learning and Teaching in Higher Education II, a 6-week (18-hour) course. This course is offered each semester, including Spring/Summer, through the Chang School of Continuing Education at no cost. Read a brief description of the CILT 105 course [pdf]. Please Note: This course is only open to those who have completed Level 1 of the Professional Development Program.
15-24 hours of Course Instructor Apprenticeship where, under the supervision of a faculty mentor, participants gain practical experience in course instruction, exclusive of duties normally carried out by a GA. Read a full description of the Course Instructor Apprenticeship [pdf].
A 24-30 hour Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW), an intensive, peer-based workshop that runs over three days. Participants are eligible to take part in a Graduate Student/Graduate Assistant-specific ISW free of charge.
A ~1000 word reflection incorporating experiences from CILT 105 and either the ISW or the Apprenticeship. For more information and templates.
Registration of Level 2 is restricted to individuals who have completed Level 1.
A completed 20-40 page Teaching Dossier. This document builds on the work participants complete in CILT 105 by expanding on the areas of teaching evidence and evaluation, including appendices.
Design and facilitate 2 teaching and learning workshops tailored for Level 1 participants. Participants must submit a lesson plan for their workshop a minimum of 2 weeks in advance for approval by the program coordinator.
Design and facilitate 1 workshop and write a 500-750 word Best Practices article using appropriate teaching and learning resources. Participants must submit an outline of their article in advance for approval by the program coordinator.
Those who complete Levels 1 and 2 of the Professional Development in Teaching Program will receive an internationally recognized certificate from SEDA UK.


Potao Sun was born in Henan province, China, in February 1989. He is now a student studying for a doctorate from the State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment & System Security and New Technology of Chongqing University, China. His major research interest is overvoltage protection of power transformer and grounding technology, and he is also experienced in several domestic projects.


text:
RGS Energy's posts wider Q1 loss but sees bright future
Rooftop solar system. Author: Centre for Alternative Technology. License: Creative Commons. Attribution 2.0 Generic
US residential and commercial solar installer RGS Energy (NASDAQ:RGSE) on Thursday reported a net loss of USD 4.3 million (EUR 3.6m) for the first quarter of 2018, but said 2018 would be "a truly transformative year."
Net loss expanded from USD 4 million a year ago.
The company's CEO Dennis Lacey said RGS Energy is now focusing on the "tremendous market opportunity" of Dow Chemical Co's (NYSE:DOW) Powerhouse solar shingles, for which it signed an exclusive license deal last year. California's new rule that all new home have to have solar panels after 2020 is expected to further support the success of the Powerhouse products. "So, as we start production and sales in [the solar shingles] market, we expect our quarterly operating income to turn positive in 2019," Lacey added.
Nevertheless, the company expects to continue to generate operating losses until sales are increased. In the first quarter, its operating loss amounted to USD 4.35 million, widening from USD 3.7 million a year back.
Revenues in the reporting period declined to USD 2.8 million from USD 3.7 million, while net sales climbed to USD 4.2 million from USD 1.4 million. Order backlog at end-March stood at USD 13.9 million, almost doubling from USD 7.4 million a year before.
Following the deal with Dow Chemical, RGS Energy's plan is to lead all commercial activities for the Powerhouse shingles, which Dow stopped producing in June 2016, including supply chain management, marketing, sales, installation and warranty. As previously announced, it expects to receive UL certification for the product in the second quarter of 2018.
Enel Green Power smashes record with 5.2 GW of new renewables in 2022
Energy transition investment leaps to USD 1.1tn in 2022
GE plans two NY factories if enough orders come from offshore wind tender
Zinc8 to set up USD-68m zinc-air battery production hub in New York
Published May 14, 2018 8:40 CEST
Author Veselina Petrova
Business Company Performance
Electrical Components/Equipment Electricity Generation Energy/Utilities Machinery/Engineering Renewable Energy Solar Power
Veselina Petrova
Veselina Petrova is one of Renewables Now's most experienced green energy writers. For several years she has been keeping track of game-changing events both large and small projects and across the globe.


You can also check Elegant Comfort #1 Fleece Blanket on Amazon - Luxury Micro-Fleece Ultra Plush Cube Pattern - All Season Blanket, Twin/Twin XL, Cream and AmazonBasics Reversible Fleece Blanket - Twin/Twin XL, Grey/Cream for a better comparison at Fleeceblanket.org.
Excellent By ThePureShop ABOUT FOLLOW M Home Fashions Front/Sherpa Fleece 60 Soft face; Sherpa weight and warm, 100% polyester colored Twin XL blanket also available in Patriot Blue Full/Queen size.Warm colorsMachine washable This soft chocolate colored Sherpa blanket for cold weather. percent for easy long super the front and snuggly Sherpa you cozy warm on those chilly up home on with warm Blanket and by Length. in blue color and Full/Queen Home FashionsItem Model M FashionsColorChocolateItemDimensions15.4 13.4 Weight3.2 Delivery shipping USA 4-10 days Returns Return 30 label provided us upon request ONLY.


Every time I make this Golden Chai, it's different according to the day, the weather, the stories and feelings of the moment. I improvise from this basic recipe – be creative, enjoy the process of making something perfect for your unique day.
This recipe truly is a general recipe that will give you the very basic groundwork needed to make your own unique dairy-free-healthy-warming-your-soul chai tea.
3 – 5 of your favourite black tea bags (depending how strong you want it). The tea can be caffeinated or not.
Remember, the ingredients you choose for your unique Golden Chai is up to you!
1 tsp ground turmeric, or use fresh if you like!
Note: use organic ingredients. I personally love the spices from The Gathering Place as their products are incredibly delicious, organic, fresh, and of high ecological consciousness and community ethics. Plus, it is so important to support local business – the Gathering Place is all of the above and more.
Bring water to boil then turn onto simmer.
Fill a mug or two, sit near a window and gaze out at the world.
Risa Salsberg has been preparing this Golden Chai and serving it alongside her edible creations of breakfast and lunch feasts at Hollyhock. In the 2017 season alone, Risa and the fabulous kitchen team have served more than 2000 guests.


Murano Gallery LUAB 4.0 is a new exhibition area, the outcome of four personalities coming together, driven by their commitment to the artistic glass world and resulting in the renovation of an ancient building, once a furnace, on the island of Murano.
Deeply inspired by the intent of creating and re-launching the quality of Murano Glass in the world, Francesco Scarpa, Ivano Seno, Andrea Perotta and the creative glass master and designer Fabio Fornasier, all together founded the company Murano Gallery LUAb 4.0 Srl.
The gallery is a multi-purpose space of 1000 square meters with five exhibition halls, meeting and conference areas, the furnace, the color room, the cutting and grinding workshop, the kitchen, the outdoor areas, two entrances and a private dock on the Murano Grand Canal.
Not only is it a large furnace and color rooms, but it's also a place of research and experimentation, where the Murano Glass opens up to dialogue with the international glass also by means of events, dedicated to the art of contemporary glass.
The recent essential and modern restoration has enhanced even more the exposed beams and bricks, along with walls covered by a vertical garden and wooden floors made from old briccole (wooden signals that mark the canals of the lagoon) in the halls and living areas.
Partners of the renovation project are the Tubes company, that supplied its innovative radiators, and the Daniele Manin Shipyard for the installation of briccola wood floors.
Murano Gallery LUAB 4.0 opens its doors for the first time to the public with the exhibition Light Blowing, during the first edition of The Venice Glass Week, an international festival dedicated to glass art which took place in Venice, September 10th – 17th.
Light Blowing is inspired by research of the design of blown glass in the creation of lamps and light fixtures and exhibits the most interesting creations of lit blown glass objects, made by some of the best globally renowned names, both in architecture and design.
The exhibition is a lively conversation with many voices, to tell the complexity and the richness of the glass production nowadays, through the creations of Bomma / Simone Crestani / Esther Patterson for Curiousa & Curiousa / Doris Darling / Fabio Fornasier / Jaroslav Bejvl jr. for Preciosa / VI + M Studio and Karim Rashid for Purho / Studio More / Zaha Hadid, Nendo and Nao Tamura for WonderGlass.
Where: Murano Gallery LUAB 4.0 Srl, Calle Vivarini 6 Murano, Venice.
When: open September 10th, until November 12th 2017.
Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, from 11.00am to 7.00pm.


text:
5 Steps For Creating Your Own TV Show
When people talk about creating a TV show it can seem like a pretty daunting process. From the funding to the cameras, and everything in between, there's definitely a lot that can go into making it just right.
But, I'll be honest with you, it's really not as hard as it sounds.
Two years ago, I didn't really know much about creating shows or being a producer. Heck, I was busy creating backyard videos with my iPhone.
So how did I create my own show, and more importantly, how can you do the same?
First off, let's talk about Ambitious Adventures and the story behind its development. After 17 months in the making, the show launched this past October and is releasing a new episode every month for six months.
It's been quite the process, and it's really incredible to see all of the work that we put into it come to life.
Greg Rollet had initially come to me with this idea and suggested that we do a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for it. We ended up raising over $52,000 and before we knew it we were filming our own reality TV show.
Follow these 5 steps to create your own show:
#1 Get Comfortable in Front of the Camera
Buy a camera or use your phone and just start recording stuff. The more practice you have, the more comfortable you will feel being in front of the camera.
Plenty of people feel nervous or silly being on video, but it's not hard once you get going. Remember to be authentic and always let your personality shine through.
#2 Lay Out a Structure for the Show
Is your show going to be filmed in a studio, or are you going to have a reality show where someone follows you around? Are you going to be walking around with a guest and a couple of cameras on you? What is the structure going to be and what is the purpose of your show?
Be clear on what people are going to get out of watching it.
For Ambitious Adventures, we knew that we wanted to travel the country and interview entrepreneurs. The main premise was all about travel and entrepreneurship, along with inspiration, motivation, education, and entertainment. What do you want your show to be about?
#3 Find a Way to Fund Your Show
There are several different ways that you can raise money to fund your idea. Try reaching out to different investors, or start a crowdfunding campaign like we did.
Most people shoot a pilot, pitch it, and hope to get funding to go and create their show. Greg and I said screw it and decided to fund it from the crowd, be resourceful, and create our own show. It's 100% possible.
Keep in mind that people will also pay to have their name as a producer on the film, or for the opportunity to be in the show.
You can have the entrepreneurs or guests that are going to be on your show pay for some of the production costs. Since they are starring on the show and getting marketing and exposure from it, this can be a mutually beneficial piece of their marketing budget.
#4 Hire Experts and Collaborate with Others
You don't have to know everything about filming and creating a TV show. Let the experts handle that. Find people that believe in your vision, and hire them to be a part of your team.
If you want to bootstrap in the beginning, find people that are hungry to get experience and be a part of something. You don't have to pay as much upfront, but over time as you work together on new projects, you can pay them more for their time.
There are many components to creating a show. Scriptwriting, filming, editing, and more.
The people that you hire to help you in these areas will be your mastermind team, and you can collaborate together on what you want to accomplish.
You don't have to be an expert when it comes to video. Bring in a crew that knows what they're doing, and the whole process will be a lot easier than you think.
#5 Focus on Marketing
Once you create some amazing content it will really sell itself. But, you have to put time into marketing it.
Entrepreneur Network saw our fully produced content for Ambitious Adventures and they loved it. Now it's airing to the masses.
Put your heart and soul into your vision and get it out in front of people.
Find people that believe in what you're trying to do, get the money, and create it. I'm living proof that it can be done.
Don't chalk up the idea of having your own TV show as some pipedream. Make it happen!
By Brandon T. Adams|2017-12-18T16:38:36-05:00December 18th, 2017|Blog|
Episode 374: Are You Winning this Game Called Life? with Brandon T. Adams
3 Keys To Building High-Quality Relationships That Last
Plant Seeds Today For Tomorrow's Success
What Are You Living For?
Build Up Your Influencer Network While You Travel
Success Is Just Beyond Our Darkest Times
Build Your Brand to Billionaire Status
© Copyright 2015 - | Live To Grind | All Rights Reserved


Choosing a class at The Yoga Space is based on a number of things – your experience with Iyengar yoga, whether you're completely new to any style of yoga, or whether you have any restrictions that may affect your practice.
We've set out a detailed description of our classes below. If you're still not sure, give us a call or send us an email and we can help you choose.


Vision - FLOS Creative Components Solutions B.V.
When purchasing components you most likely only consider the cost of the product. If so, we feel like you are selling yourself short. What counts, when purchasing components, are the integrated costs. This includes all the hours and costs associated with the selection of suppliers, the offer- and order process, the inspection, storage and internal distribution of delivered goods, and the costs of all the staff and space this requires.
We feel confident in saying you will save money with FLOS, because FLOS delivers your fasteners or components at the agreed time, at the right location, in the desired packaging and with the right quality – at lower costs. Just add up what you will save if you no longer have to place the orders, do the inspection, handling, storage and distribution of the goods yourself. You can have FLOS deliver directly to the production line at fixed times. In addition to logistics solutions, FLOS can provide you with technical knowledge and advice, development and production of custom products, and even light assembly work; all activities that can save you time and money.
By offering you efficient total solutions and accommodating your needs, FLOS makes your work easier and helps increase your profitability and efficiency. We would be glad to help you calculate how much time, money and effort your company can save with a tailored total solution from FLOS. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.


How come my goldfish won't swim?
I bought a bunch of them in a bag labeled "Goldfish" at the supermarket and put the fish in my tank but all of them sank straight to the bottom.
Best Answer: The supermarket ay? You bought goldfish crackers. Cute.


text:
'I crossdress and meet men – I've been married 30 years and my wife has no idea'
Sign up for Daily Star Hot Topics newsletter for the most exciting real life, fashion and sex tips HOT off the press
A man in his fifties has opened up about his double life where he dresses as a woman and meets men – and he claims his wife of 30 years has no idea.
Crossdressing is the practice where a person will dress in the clothes of the opposite gender, sometimes as the result of a fetish.
And Kris, a 50-something man based in the US, shared his experiences in the kink when he spoke on the Consenting Adults podcast.
Asked by the podcast's host what secret he possesses that even his wife doesn't know, Kris confessed: "I enjoy dressing as a woman and meeting men.
"I don't feel bisexual, but I guess if I am engaging in sex with a man, then I guess I could be considered bisexual."
But, Kris explained that when he ventures out to meet men, he takes on an alter-ego called Kristie, noting: "In my mind, I am more of a woman."
Looking back, the US-based man described how his unusual interests had begun in high-school, but stressed that despite crossdressing for so many years, he had never confided in his partner about it.
"There have been several times when I have almost been caught," he recalled.
"I've had some undergarments found, I've had a pair of my heels found, I've had some of my dresses found by her.
"When she found the heels I just said it was a fetish of mine; not that I wore them, but that I really love the image of women in high heels."
"It's almost like I feel like I would be a really good criminal, because I have to cover my tracks."
And, when Kris revealed how long he had been married, host Lena Nguyen was shocked, asking: "You've been married over 30 years and this woman has no idea?"
Getting into the details, Kris described how he finds other men online, before he is then able to meet them during the day because of his work schedule.
And, he admitted that sometimes the thoughts of his rendezvous can intrude upon his marriage.
"Our sexual relationship hasn't really happened in a few years," he acknowledged.
"Over the course of our relationship we've become more kind of roommates, the passion isn't there.
"I think in a perfect world I'd be single, and I'd have days when I went out as Kristie, and then I would have times when I'd meet women as Kris.
"Dressed as Kristie, I wish I even had a female friend where I could say, 'hey, let's look at dresses or go shopping, talk about different sorts of hairstyles and makeup trends'."
To get more lifestyle stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.
Sex confessions
Tilda Swinton and Honor Swinton Byrne Turn Their Relationship Into Art
BBC Breakfasts Naga Munchetty makes MP squirm in toe-curling party grilling
Kenny Rogers Remembered by His Publicist of 15 Years (Guest Column)
Keith Hagan of SKH Music is a veteran music publicist who worked with Kenny Rogers…
'The Humans' Production Designer David Gropman on Building A Horrific Set: 'You Have to Start with a Reality'
The initial meeting between "The Humans" director Stephen Karam and production designer David Gropman included…
British sailor recounts 'terrifying' rogue orca attack
It's still not safe to go back in the water.Killer whales attacked again, and one…


Let the party started with these fun, foil-stamped napkins! "CAKE CAKE CAKE" is imprinted on these soft 3ply napkins in a beautiful warm copper foil. Pair with event decor to add a cute pop of color, or use them as a daily reminder to save room for dessert!