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Machinal review at Almeida Theatre, London – 'captivating, intense and resonant'
The cast of Machinal at Almeida Theatre, London. Photo: Johan Persson
by Natasha Tripney - Jun 12, 2018
Written in 1928 and inspired by the true story of the first woman to be executed by electric chair in New York, Sophie Treadwell's Machinal feels intimately related to the work of literary experimenters Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Richardson. It's a play of the jazz age, a lightning bolt, a roar.
Split into nine episodes, the play tells the story of a Young Woman (Emily Berrington), who marries the first man who shows her the slighted bit of attention – she's resigned to the idea that all women marry eventually, it's what people do – and ends up trapped in a stifling household with a man she does not love, raising a child she never really wanted to have.
Though there have been a couple of recent-ish revivals, including a 2014 Broadway production starring Rebecca Hall, for a long time Treadwell's play was rarely performed. This is a shame. It's a fascinating piece, a formally bold and explicitly feminist study of an ordinary woman who snaps under societal pressure. Miss Jones – her name is rarely used in the play – does everything she believes she is supposed to do and yet still she ends up trapped and suffocated.
With each scene, Natalie Abrahami's production subtly shifts forward in time. The opening episode resembles something from King Vidor's 1928 classic The Crowd, but later, when the Young Woman takes a lover (Dwane Walcott), the tone feels more like an episode of Mad Men. Later Nirvana and Nina Simone jostle for prominence on the soundtrack.
Photos: Johan Persson
The ceiling of Miriam Buether's set consists of a sloping mirror. This allows the audience an overhead view of Berrington as she lays weeping on her marital bed, or catatonic in the maternity ward. It's an exhausting part and she's superb in it, febrile with fear and frustration yet also contained.
Between each 'episode' a shutter descends across the stage like a great, blinking eye, as the machine in which the woman is caught resets itself. Much of the language in Treadwell's expressionistic play has a clicky-clacky syncopated quality. It's full of verbal riffs and short bursts of words interspersed with moments in which Berrington simply breaks down and howls "I will not submit" again and again.
When she meets a man to whom she is genuinely attracted, the sense of release and excitement is palpable. A later scene, in which she is held down and shaved by two prison barbers, is one of the most distressing of the whole production – in the end she does not even have control over her body.
Not everything in Abrahami's remarkably intense production works. Its refusal to locate itself in time comes to feel frustrating and the later courtroom scenes feel a bit pedestrian compared with what has gone before. But it makes a captivating chaser to Ella Hickson's The Writer, the previous play at the Almeida, and demonstrates Treadwell's adventurousness as a playwright.
Director Natalie Abrahami: 'Theatremakers must lead the public conversation and push things forward'
Subscribers to The Stage get 10% off The Stage Tickets' price
Almeida Theatre
Captivating, resonant and fittingly intense production of Sophie Treadwell's expressionistic play
The Unbuilt City review at King's Head Theatre, London – 'earnest and unsubtle'
These Rooms review at Shoreditch Town Hall, London – 'powerful and poignant'
Natasha Tripney
Natasha is The Stage's reviews editor and joint lead critic.
Press night
Sophie Treadwell
Natalie Abrahami
Arthur Pita
Miriam Buether
Jack Knowles
Ben and Max Ringham
Alex Lowde
Sarah Cowan
Cast includes
Nathalie Armin, Emily Berrington, Khali Best, Denise Black, Demetri Goritsas, Andrew Lewis, Jonathan Livingstone, John Mackay, Alan Morrissey, Kirsty Rider, Augustina Seymour, Dwane Walcott
Julia Horan
The Writer review at Almeida Theatre, London – 'formally inventive...


meets in Edinburgh and provides an opportunity for Scots, Norwegians and their friends to get together and to celebrate important Norwegian events.
COSCAN - The Confederation of Scandinavian Societies of Great Britain and Ireland.
The coordinating body for societies that work for cultural exchange with the five Scandinavian countries.
CoScan Trust Fund administers a programme of TRAVEL GRANTS for young British people travelling to the Nordic countries for study or adventure. It is open to anyone betweeen the ages of 15 and 25, planning to undertake a worthwhile project of a broadly educational nature. Application deadline 31 March 2018.
An informal group of Scottish professionals who want to raise the standard of knowledge and debate about life and policy in the Nordic nations.
The Society was founded in 1968 to explore inter-relationships between the Scandinavian, Celtic and Scottsh cultures through a variety of historical media and scholarly research and provides both a forum and a community for specialists and enthusiasts of a wide breadth of disciplines to pursue their common 'northern' interests.
Membership is open to all, and new members are very welcome. Members receive a free subscription to 'Northern Studies' and are entitled to reduced prices for the Society's other publications and conferences.


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Q: How Does Alternation Differ From Boolean Or? I am trying to write a Regular Expression to read real literals based on this graph:

I found that this solution works:
([0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?[Ee][\+\-]?[0-9]+)|([0-9]+\.[0-9]+)

Notice the two parts separated via alternation:
([0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?[Ee][\+\-]?[0-9]+)
([0-9]+\.[0-9]+)

When I tried to switch the order of which one is on which side of the alternation symbol, it stops working
([0-9]+\.[0-9]+)|([0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?[Ee][\+\-]?[0-9]+)

These parts are exactly the same as above, but now it's suddenly not working. Am I misunderstanding how the | (alternation) symbol works? Is it not the same as || (or) for boolean expressions?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Honningsvåg and Departure
August 29, 2021 Blog, Holiday, In Darkness and In Light, Life in NorwayHistory, Honningsvåg, Museum, TravelSarah McGurk
Anna and I visited the small Nordkapp Museum on the afternoon of our last day in Honningsvåg. It concentrated mostly on relatively recent history, though it was fascinating to see that being close to the ocean meant that trade routes here allowed this distant arctic region to be colonised early as the ice from the last ice age retreated, long before other regions which nowadays would be considered as hubs for movement and trade.
There were one or two snippets about women, which interested me on a personal level. I am always fascinated by pioneering women. For example this small plaque celebrates the first local paper on Magerøya, which the notice tells us, was written by two ladies.
Witchcraft in the village of Kjelvik seems to have been more strongly ranged against men than women though. Interesting as in other parts of the world, it seems to have been women (and particularly older women) who were targeted.
There was a large exhibition about the war and its after effects. I was aware that the far northern regions of Norway were devastated at the end of the war when the Nazis retreated, and I had wondered whether Honningsvåg was so far away and so remote that it might have escaped being burned to the ground. It seems that it was not. Of course that makes sense. In these days, where road and air travel tend to dominate (at least in my mind) it requires a complete adjustment to understand that in both near and more distant history, boat travel was one of the most significant ways of transporting people and goods. This was especially true around Norway, but also as it connects more distant parts of the world. Of course many goods continue to be transported by boat, but it doesn't predominate in the news unless something goes wrong. But any harbour town must have been particularly useful to any invading forces, and therefore at risk.
It seems all of Honningsvåg was burned with the exception of the church, which I regret not visiting. The rebuilding effort was rapid. Some had fled to caves in the hills, others returned from evacuation to start again, and those who did so apparently slept in the church.
There was also a filmed interview with a man who had been born in Finnkongkeila, which was a busy Sami fishing village to the east of Magerøya. It too was razed in 1944, but due to the lack of road access, and because of the steep slopes that lay behind it with the high landslide risk, the Norwegian authorities decided it would not be rebuilt. The idea of having the place, where you had lived your whole life just disappear, burned and then gradually overtaken by nature, is so alien that I can scarcely imagine it. Here's a photograph of Finnkongkeila before it disappeared.
We also read a lot about the local fishing industry and the related trade in dried fish. I was interested to find out that though stockfish is dried and exported in huge quantities, the local dish is actually boknafisk, which is only semi-dried. I had noticed it on the menu in the restaurant we had eaten in the night before, and so of course I had to go back and try it. It was really very good.
I was going to write that our holiday disaster struck the next morning, but given what I've written about so far, I shall temper it to say that a mild bump in the road reared its head the next day. I had heard coughing from more than one other guest during breakfast the previous two mornings at the hotel. So it should perhaps not have come as a surprise when Andrew came to us first thing and told us he had a sore throat and perhaps the beginnings of a cough. I confess I wasn't too much worried about his health (he's been a school throughout the pandemic and we've been through several rounds of colds) but I was concerned about the logistics. Hotels in Norway are not cheap, and the idea of stopping and getting a test locally, then waiting for the results was not appealing. We were due to check out anyway, and so Anna and I went down to breakfast (and took Andrew up some very tasty chocolate croissants). We discussed the situation afterwards. Andrew was already feeling a bit better, and there was still a chance he was suffering only from a flare-up of his allergies and so we decided to head down to Alta to the cabin we had booked there, and then reassess the situation.
It was only three hours or so, but I was rather sad to be leaving Magerøya so soon. Andrew seemed to be feeling better and we stopped once or twice on the way to get some fresh air and enjoy the scenery. Triar went for a run on a little beach at Repvåg, where I found these two very weathered benches under the sullen sky.
And then we were back into the amazing slate-dominated landscape with its weathered stones, its disconcertingly angles layers jutting towards the sky .
The cabin in Alta was tolerably comfortable. It had a small TV tuned to the National Geographic channel with a sign that sternly informed us that we mustn't touch the settings. By nightfall, it was obvious Andrew's cough was not a resurgence of allergies, but definitely something more, and so we decided that we should try and get a test the next day, then find out whether we would be permitted to drive home, or should wait in the cabin until we got the results.
Friday then, was rather sad. We had arranged to have two nights in Alta as there were things we wanted to do there. Our neighbours had recommended the bathing park and I very much wanted to go and see the famous rock paintings and carvings. Instead, Andrew slept for much of the day, while Anna and I sat on poorly padded wooden benches and watched a series of documentaries about aeroplane crash investigations, airport drug smuggling and some rather Top Gearesque programmes about a man who refurbishes classic cars. The wifi was awful, so other pastimes were not really possible. I had hoped to write a blog update, but that wasn't really possible. Anna and I did take Triar out for a walk in the (fungi-filled) woods, alongside a sortie to the shops and to a local takeaway but that was the extent of our day in Alta.
I was impressed with Alta's coronavirus test station. Our local version involves going into an old school building, where masks are not compulsory, and standing in a queue of blue dots set two metres apart. I've long thought it must be a wonderful hub of infection as everyone who has a cold is meant to get tested. In Alta there's a drive through tent outside the health centre and drive through we did, shouting replies to the man in protective clothing as Triar barked in Andrew's ear from the back of the car. We asked about travel and he told us that so long as Andrew stayed isolated in the car and wasn't too unwell, there was no reason not to head home the next day.
And so abandoning our possible plans for a last night in Vollan or possibly Tromsø (fortunately I had nothing booked as I was sure we would find something and wanted to keep things flexible) we made a run for home last Saturday. It was a six hour drive, and though we stopped to buy food and drinks from garages, we were not really able to take much of a break on the way. We stopped a few times to look at the scenery, which was dominated in part by the sheer numbers of berries growing on the ground and on the trees, and in part by the weather, which was mostly good overhead, but with glimpses of cloud capped mountain tops and distant rain-filled valleys.
I arrived home feeling tired with a rather dry throat. I was still hopeful that this might have been due to a long drive and the car's air-conditioning, but I woke up on Sunday with a raging cold that has seen me spending most of this week in bed. Andrew's Covid test was negative, as was mine, but I was definitely not able to go back to work. I'm still coughing away as I write this and feeling fragile, but I will try to work (from home) tomorrow and hopefully things will gradually return to normal. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed the journey to the north with me. Next time we venture north I'd like to take more time to explore Alta and Magerøya, and perhaps go on a detour to Hammerfest and Karashok. There's still so much of northern Norway left to explore!
← Magerøya and the North Cape	Recovery →
1 thought on "Honningsvåg and Departure"
Lively picturesque and beautiful narration.
The bit about colonialism somehow relieved me…having held the idea that it is only only in Africa that colonialism has caused a handicap to the people. Relieved because I realised that it is a human thing. Thank you very much for taking me through the journey.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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More on Michelle Wie's Ginn Tribute withdrawal
Bill Jempty | Friday, June 1, 2007
From Golf.com
Wie cited pain in her left wrist, which she broke when she fell jogging in January, as the reason for withdrawing. "It felt good when I was practicing," she said, "but I kind of tweaked it in the middle of the round."
Before Wie teed off on 8, her manager, Greg Nared, approached her, and the two talked briefly. Afterward Wie told an LPGA official, "We're not going to play anymore."
It's not clear whose decision it was to withdraw. During the round Wie wasn't obviously bothered by her wrist, and she looked surprised when Nared approached her on 8. (Nared didn't stick around to answer questions after Wie's press conference.)
Wie says she wasn't thinking about the LPGA's 88 rule, which stipulates that any non-LPGA player (Wie was there on a sponsor's exemption) who doesn't break 88 in a round is not allowed to finish the tournament or play in any other tournaments for the rest of the season. "I don't think about shooting 88," she said. "That's not what I do."
Wie didn't seem to think her disastrous Thursday would have much effect on her ability to play next week at the McDonald's LPGA Championship in Maryland. "I definitely want to play next week," said Wie, who has accepted a sponsor's exemption to play in the PGA's John Deere Classic in July. "I definitely know what to work on, so I'm excited to get back into it and try to work on it," she said, declining to elaborate. She added, "It's definitely going to be better for next week."
I both think the 88 rule was behind Michelle's withdrawal, and there is more than a good chance she won't play in next week's LPGA. A 88 yesterday would have had serious reprucussions on and off the course for Wie. As to her health, her play was horrible yesterday and her wrists almost certainly the cause. If they are still hurting, Michelle would be wise to take more time off.
That's just my take on the situation. I've been wrong in another recent prediction, and the same could apply here.
For even more about Michelle's withdrawal, we go to what LPGA tour caddy Larry writes-
Thanks for comin' On the cart path, into the road, off a car, into a sewer, nothin' but net! That's the description I heard of Michelle Wie's tee ball on the third hole. She took a ten and that was all she wrote. Heard her agent was on the horn getting the scoop on something (as told by someone that was standing next to him) and pulled the plug on her round. Could it have been the 88 rule?
How do you think Ashley Gomes feels about now? I know it's too much to ask but when will the sponsors wise up and stop being taken for a ride by this troupe of charlatans. The answer is never. She puts asses in the seats and they all secretly hope that her first win will be at their event.
In an attempt to make a covert exit, Michelle bolted out the side door upon leavening hoping to avoid the press and left a locker full of gift baskets and mementos to sign in her wake. She even had her wrist on ice which prompted one cadero to state with a sarcastic inflection "It was the wrong wrist!"
Larry hasn't been following the news. Michelle has suffered recent injuries to BOTH wrists. It is not a stretch to think both of Michelle's wrists could have been hurting by the end of yesterday's play.
I'm seriously beginning to question Larry's credibility as a source for anything. His animosity towards any player of Korean descent is becoming clearer with every passing day. That makes me question his allegations against Young Kim from April. Larry never replied to my email. By now anything Larry writes on the Korean golfers,(and I've been critical in the past about them when deserving. The Wies included.) has to be questioned before being taken as fact.
Michelle Wie to skip LPGA's first major of 2007
Michelle Wie confident but says injured wrists will never be the same
Michelle Wie withdraws from the Ginn Tribute
Will Michelle Wie play the LPGA's first major of 2007?
Michelle Wie withdraws from John Deere Classic
Michelle Wie won't play at Sony Open
Move over Michelle Wie Part IV
No brainer- Michelle Wie invited to play at the Kraft Nabisco Championship
Michelle Wie withdraws from Safeway
Michelle Wie earns LPGA Tour card
Tags | Golf, Women's Sports Bill Jempty, LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie, PGA Tour
Golf Girl's Diary
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She is a bitch! How can they let her play after doing what she did. They should never let her play again.
Posted by Greg | June 1, 2007 | 04:12 pm | Permalink


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package gedi.util.io.text;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;

public class BufferedReaderLineReader implements LineReader {

	private BufferedReader br;

	public BufferedReaderLineReader(BufferedReader br) {
		this.br = br;
	}

	public BufferedReaderLineReader(InputStream is) {
		this.br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(is));
	}

	@Override
	public void close() throws IOException {
		br.close();
	}

	@Override
	public String readLine() throws IOException {
		return br.readLine();
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
US/Pacific English
OARC 2005 Workshop (Redwood City)
from Monday, 25 July 2005 (08:00) to Tuesday, 26 July 2005 (18:00)
Redwood City, California, USA (Main ISC boardroom)
: Sessions
/ : Talks
: Breaks
ISC DNS-OARC Member's Meeting (until 09:45) (Main ISC boardroom)
ISC DNS-OARC Member's Meeting -Mr. Paul Vixie (ISC) (until 10:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
ISC DNS-OARC Member's Meeting -Mr. Michael Graff (ISC) Mr. Brett Watson (ISC) (until 11:10) (Main ISC boardroom)
ISC DNS-OARC Member's Meeting - Duane Wessels (Verisign) Mr. Brett Watson (ISC) (until 11:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
11:45 --- Break ---
Research Topics - II -Mr. Jon Crowcroft (University of Cambridge (UK)) (until 10:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. David Dagon (Georgia Institute of Technology) (until 10:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Micah Hoffman (US-CERT) (until 11:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Gadi Evron (Israeli CERT) (until 12:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues -Ms. Suzanne Woolf (ISC) (until 12:15) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues -Mr. Rodney Joffe (UltraDNS) (until 12:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues -Mr. Paul Vixie (ISC) (until 12:45) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues - Duane Wessels (Verisign) (until 13:10) (Main ISC boardroom)
13:10 --- Lunch ---
DNS measurements and related issues -Mr. Andre Broido (CAIDA) (until 14:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues -Mr. Lorenzo Colitti (RIPE) (until 15:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues -Mr. Andreas Terzis (Johns Hopkins University) (until 15:15) (Main ISC boardroom)
DNS measurements and related issues (until 16:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - I -Mr. George Michaelson (APNIC) (until 16:35) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - I -Mr. David Malone (National University of Ireland, Maynooth) (until 17:05) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - I -Mr. David Dagon (Georgia Institute of Technology) (until 18:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II - Duane Wessels (Verisign) (until 12:20) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Nevil Brownlee (University of Auckland/CAIDA) (until 12:35) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Brian Reid (until 13:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. George Riley (Georgia Institute of Technology) (until 14:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Hitesh Ballani (Cornell University) (until 15:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Research Topics - II -Mr. Tim Deegan (University of Cambridge) (until 15:30) (Main ISC boardroom)
General discussion (until 16:00) (Main ISC boardroom)
Action items, discussion and wrapup (until 16:30) (Main ISC boardroom)


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Sardines form a "bait ball" to hamper efforts of predators such as California sea lions to catch individuals.
A PROBLEM LONG BREWING IN THE OCEAN has become painfully obvious on land. Wildlife rehabilitators have found thousands of dying sea lion pups in central and southern California. The state's brown pelicans have had difficulty breeding, and scientists have counted hundreds of dead or dying tufted puffins on the Pribilof Islands off the coast of Alaska. While these events may seem unrelated, all have the same culprit: starvation on an unprecedented scale because of declines in forage fish.
Once-plentiful schools of sardines, herring, anchovies and other small fish—which feed sea lions, birds and a host of other animals—have declined severely off the West Coast. Scientists estimate that during the past decade sardine numbers have plummeted more than 90 percent and the anchovy population has dropped from more than 1 million tons to as low as 22,000 tons.
While no one cause of their decline has been identified, a contributing factor may have been a hotter ocean. The so-called "Blob," a large expanse of warm seawater off the Pacific Coast, was first noted in 2014. During the latest El Niño from 2015 to 2016, ocean temperatures in this region increased as much as 9 degrees F above normal. Such events could have chased fish to cooler waters.
In 2015, alarmed by grim stock numbers and starving wildlife, federal fish managers banned commercial fishing of Pacific sardines, sand lance and silversides and are now considering reductions in anchovies. States are also getting on board. Oregon imposed limits on harvesting certain forage fish in October, and similar restrictions are pending in California.
The decline of such forage fish caused thousands of sea lion pups to starve, including one that collapsed in San Francisco last February.
Forage fish—which are typically less than a foot long—eat microscopic marine plants and animals drifting close to the ocean's surface and then convert this food into protein. Many marine animals in turn depend on forage fish for food. The small fish can comprise as much as 70 percent of the diet of Chinook salmon and 90 percent of the food for brown pelicans. In the Atlantic, menhaden is the most important forage fish, feeding everything from striped bass and humpback whales to ospreys and eagles.
Forage fish also account for a third of the seafood harvested each year, with commercial fishing fleets scooping up an estimated $5.6 billion worth worldwide. Sardines and anchovies caught off the West Coast are shipped to Australia to fatten farm-raised bluefin tuna, while menhaden harvested from off the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico are used in livestock feed, pet food, fertilizer and nutritional supplements. Leaving forage fish in the ocean, however—where they feed larger, commercially important species such as salmon and cod—could be worth more than $11 billion, report scientists of the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force.
Frigatebirds and sailfish vie for sardines in the Gulf of Mexico. A host of seabirds and marine species rely on forage fish—a vital part of the intricate ocean food web.
Working with the Pew Charitable Trusts and state affiliates, NWF is promoting an ecosystem-based approach to managing forage fish, one that takes into account how these fish fit into the marine food web rather than managing them individually. "This is a positive decision for everyone who has a stake in a healthy ocean," says Paul Shively, Pacific Ocean project director for the Pew Charitable Trusts.
This past fall, NWF joined its affiliates the Delaware Nature Society, Florida Wildlife Federation (FWF) and North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) in supporting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) amendment that would take an ecosystem-based approach to managing menhaden. "It's a very simple principle: You have to have forage fish if you are going to have game fish species and commercial fish species," says Tim Gestwicki, NCWF chief executive officer.
In the Southeast, FWF also is working to persuade state wildlife agencies to take a proactive ecosystem-based approach to managing southern Atlantic and Gulf Coast forage fish. "We want to be prepared for potential increases in pressures on forage fish as has occurred elsewhere," says FWF President Manley Fuller.
Indeed, forage fish are connected to so many other living creatures that their true importance has yet to be fathomed. One thing is certain: These moveable feasts help complete the marine circle of life—a circle that is very hard to repair once broken.
Environmental writer Ken Olsen is based in Portland, Oregon.


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GAME REVIEW: Ratchet + Clank (2016)
14 years after their debut, Playstation's shiniest and furriest duo return in one of the greatest remakes ever.
"Fan favourites Ratchet and Clank are back. Can they repeat the same magic we saw during our last competition?" says an overly enthusiastic commentator during your hoverboard race on Rilgar, unintentionally harking back to the great platformer boom of the early 2000's. Crocodiles, lizards and bandicoots(?) lead the genre with Insomniac having two horses in the 3D race with their former entry being beloved purple dragon Spyro. The latter was Ratchet & Clank, an unlikely duo who have put on a suphero performance, managing to do what most Playstation icons can't by traversing not one, not two but three console generations.
In a strange turn of events, predicted by the original game nonetheless, Ratchet + Clank have reached the status where they can have their name adorned on a feature length film. The results have been…less than stellar…but it feels like the ultimate pay off as the game (based on the movie, based on the game) is not only full to the brim with nostalgia: it's a damn solid game overall.
Right from the get go, you know that you're in for something special with Ratchet and Clank. This is the first game I've played where I've totally avoided the objective on hand to admire the look of the environment as, having played the PS2 original, there are a lot of memories attached to these levels. From the rich, piranha infested waters of Pokitaru to the snow and war afflicted land of Batalia, Ratchet and Clank is full of levels that have a Pixar level of shine to them. They aren't just areas for you to test out your lucrative arsenal of weapons, more on that later, they're characters in their own right and are accompanied by some equally impressive music as well.
How Blue-tiful: Pokitaru is one of 14 spectacular looking planets.
Now about those weapons. Ratchet and Clanks prides itself on not only its sense of humour and interesting world but its gameplay and that's where these aforementioned weapons come into play. Ranging from the aptly named Groovitron, which causes all enemies in the vicinity to start dancing, to the Pixelizer which turns enemies into 8-bit versions of themselves with a shotgun blast, Ratchet + Clank is the pinnacle of imagination when it comes to how creative these weapons are and whilst they may lose their laughs fairly quickly, they never get any less cool to use, especially with the leveling up system in place.
Whilst it may be seen as a sin to profess it, the PS2 original was not perfect and having played it recently, I can say that implementing the evolve-as-you-use method with the weapons adds an extra layer of replay value as well as immersion. All too often games ground themselves in realism and, to their credit, immerse you in their gritty, depressing narratives so it's refreshing to have a game where you can turns enemies into sheep and rocket jump over their fleecy coats.
Snaggle-what?!: Many bosses will greet you on your journey to save the galaxy.
Speaking of narratives, Ratchet + Clank's story is where the only issues with the game lies. Delivered to us via Captain Qwark, think Zap Brannigan from Futurama with a love for the colour green, the story suffers from being affiliated with the movie as it moves at such an alarmingly fast pace that we never get a chance for the characters to develop. The eponymously titled protagonists friendship seems rather tacked on despite having been established near flawlessly in the original series. Given the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure Insomniac would have managed to avert this issue and it's something that, helped out by a sequel, could easily be fixed.
Despite that nitpicking, the story is pretty solid though predictable. It's your classic tale of intergalactic peril with Ratchet and Clank stopping the evil tycoon Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the galaxy. It's fairly bread and butter as things go but it's all that it needs to be: a template for the developers to display their wacky ideas and humour without feeling too jarring.
Pesky Slimeballs: Enemies look as vile as ever with the refined graphics
Launching with a £30 price tag, the game packs a lot of replay value with a challenge mode, Ratchet + Clank's New Game Plus of sorts, providing the bulk of your playtime and will have you doing multiple playthroughs to fully upgrade your weapons and collect everyone of those holocards. It's not quite Gwent but it'll do.
TL:DR
When all is said and done, you'll be forgiven for forgetting that this game is simply a byproduct of it's big blockbuster brother. Ratchet + Clank manages not only to outdo its own film but the entire series that it's rebooting with it's newly refined graphics and gameplay giving a breath of fresh air to both the series and gaming itself. All nitpicks aside, you'd be crazy not to go out of your way to play this game.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some boxes to smash.
– Liam Menzies (@blinkclyro)
blinkclyro
Editor of blinkclyro.com . Wine, meme and vinyl connoisseur who hums Born Slippy far too often. Veggie wank🌱	View all posts by blinkclyro
Posted on May 23, 2016 Author blinkclyroCategories Gaming, ReviewTags Game Review, Gaming Blog, New Games, Platformer, Playstation, PS4, Ratchet + Clank
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This report—the 6th installment in a series devoted to revolutionizing detention programs and practices in America—is packed with practical tips aimed at improving and assessing institutional conditions and practices. The goal: Transform even the most dangerous and disruptive facilities into fair, humane centers for today's youth.
Why crowded detention centers are unsafe.
How to effectively assess detention center conditions.
Tips for enhancing institutional conditions—and making the changes stick.
How to develop and conduct assessments on programs.
Detention centers open their doors to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and take a hard look a their institutional conditions.
This report shares lessons learned from a multiyear, multisite project conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Called the Justice Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), this project aimed to do just what its name suggests: identify more effective, efficient alternatives to juvenile detention.
The issues at crowded detention centers extend far beyond the laws of supply and demand. Studies indicate that these facilities are also more likely to be unfair and unsafe—with higher rates of injuries, suicidal behavior, imposed isolation and searches of youth.
One of the first questions that detention centers need to ask? Who are we detaining—and why?
Experts have identified 6 must-have ingredients for improving conditions at detention centers. Sneak peek: Key component no. 3: Leadership at multiple levels must be committed to change. Key component no. 4: Raise assessment bars beyond the bare minimum—aim for a best practice.
To help evaluate institutional conditions, the Annie E. Casey Foundation created a new assessment tool that integrated federal and state laws, constitutional rights and professional standards.
Experts who've been-there, done-that have numerous tips for pulling off an effective on-site assessment. Some of their advice? Talk to as many people as possible; stick around at night; conduct spontaneous interviews and ask everyone—from leadership to frontline staff to youth in isolation—the same questions.
When it comes to improving detention center conditions, experts urge administrators to go back to the basics: Utilize data, train and involve staff, maintain operating manuals and visit your living units on a regular basis.
On any given day, some 24,000 youth are incarcerated in public juvenile detention centers in this country.
Our decision to invest millions of dollars and vast amounts of staff time in JDAI was not solely the result of Broward County's successful pilot endeavors, however. It was also stimulated by data that revealed a rapidly emerging national crisis in juvenile detention.


text:
Meet Tina
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"Your workshop was incredible. Oh. My. Gosh. I arrived preoccupied and breathless with panic over all the work I had to do later in the day, and you immediately took the knot out of my stomach. From the first cleansing breath in the opening meditation, I knew it was a special space. Your exercises (charting the highs & lows, negative core beliefs, inner strengths, etc.) were unique and reflective in a way that had me seeing my life in a totally different way. How did that happen in only a few hours? Jeez: you are AMAZING at what you do!"
— Rachel Greenwald, Workshop Participant
"It was so wonderful to meet you last month in Snowmass for Community Conversations. I could not have asked for a better presentation to kick off AREDAY's first Community Conversations. You brought such an amazing sense of self-awareness as well as sense of community to the stage. Thank you so much for your presence and your work. "
— Taylor K. Barry, Development Associate, American Renewable Energy Institute
""The Kindness Workshops have been an uplifting reminder to take the time to be kind to others and to ourselves. This brings positivity both to our community as well as our workplace. Tina uses real life examples and interactive activities to engage the group and bring people together.""
— Emily Westra, The Denver Agency/Account Executive
""I've learned so much from Tina over the years as a clinician and a person. But none more important than the value of love. She taught me that everything in life boils down to love of self, others, community, and just being present.""
— Renea, Duke University Social Worker
""I thoroughly enjoyed your talk to the Chamber of Commerce this morning and am so inspired by your message. You are incredibly inspirational and such a powerful and motivating speaker. I truly believe your message can change the way people think and act. Thank you!!!!!""
— Jodi Sorensen, Denver Resident
""There are few people in the world who will be able to help you like Tina Staley. On a scale of 1-10, she gets an 11. There is no recommendation high enough for Tina. She is off-the-charts good at her job. If you have ever had the good luck to work with Tina Staley, you know what the definition of good luck is. The word trust was invented to describe Tina Staley. Whatever your problem is, it's not as big as you think. At least not after you've talked about it with Tina Staley. Tina is the best at what she does in the world. There is nothing more to say.""
— Cal Fussman, Journalist & Author
""Just finished watching "What Love Is." It's a masterpiece. And the message and mission is more important than ever. Wow. Thank you for creating it. You are amazing.""
— Carole Segal, Founder of Crate & Barrel
""It is quite interesting how you can bring such a diverse group together and have them become a community of kindness.""
— Brandon Lake
""I was moved by Tina's presentation. Tina's action steps for kindness is a message that everyone needs to hear.""
— John Barry, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver/CEO
""I think it's wonderful what you're doing! I was very impressed—you had very interesting content, and I like what you're suggesting with your Action Steps. I think it's a real contribution—putting people into a giving mindset. You handled the group very professionally and held everyone's interest. You're great!!!!!!!!!!!!!""
— Kathy Finley, Denver Resident
""I count myself one of the lucky ones. I survived my cancer, the death of my marriage and then the rebirth of something extraordinary. My life is amazing because I had Tina to guide me through the darkness. Thank you Tina. I feel so blessed to have had you walking beside me these many months." "
— Donna S., Client
""Thank you for speaking this morning [at the Chamber Meeting]. It was great! I always try to be kind every day, but realize that even the best of us could always do more! You are an amazing woman...and a very relaxed and effective speaker!!""
— Janet Robinson
""We are all so grateful to you for the amazing presentation you gave and all of the work you are doing to make Colorado kinder! It has been such a joy getting to know you!""
— Conor Hall, Program Coordinator of Community Partnerships/ Office of Governor John W. Hickenlooper
""I wanted to thank you for the presentation. It was great how you tied Kindness into the work that we do. Good luck this year and keep doing the great work you do.""
— Chanin Strassburger, Professional Development and Quality Coordinator
""Thank you so much for setting the tone for our program last night! We received a lot of positive and uplifting feedback from our volunteers about you. You sure did WOW the crowd.""
— Ebony Baines, Manager of Volunteer Engagement
""I wanted to thank you for your presence last night and the great message to our volunteers and staff. I truly appreciate your understanding of the importance of a strong volunteer program and their impact on the lives that we are so honored to be a part of. AND, the importance of them taking care of themselves.""
— Bruce Kemper, Denver Hospice and Palliative Care/Director of Operational Support
""Tina, you did a fabulous job! Many speakers do not have the talent to interact in a variety of ways with the audience, and you blended them all in a cohesive and inviting style. Of course, your loving heart and expertise on kindness is a given. Thank you for touching my life!""
— Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert, Courageous Leadership | Global Speaker | Courage Coaching
""My wife, Rhoda, and I enjoyed your talk last evening to the Hospice volunteers. You were Inspirational!""
— George Guerin
""Thank you for a meaningful presentation. The feedback in the room was very positive.""
— Kimberly Harper, NASW WYOMING/Executive Director
""Whether speaking to 1, 10, 100 or 1000, Tina Staley captivates. Tina has the uncanny ability to bring the good to light, even in the most desperate situations; she teaches all of us to "flip our thoughts" and get back to the positive. I often find myself quoting Tina in my home life and work life; her messages persist.""
— Amy Abernethy, Flatiron Health: Chief Medical Officer
""Thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful presentation. It was refreshing and inspiring. I am very grateful for you to take the time and help us learn. I've been actively thinking about remembering your words and potential actions to do each day.""
— Jeanie Youngwerth, MD, FAAHPM University of Colorado/Associate Professor of Medicine
""One of the best groups I have ever been to, and I am not a group person. It was a friendly environment where they made it easy to articulate thoughts about End Of Life. I realized death didn't have to be so dark.""
— Linda Lee Law
""Thank you for your meaningful presentation on Kindness. I especially liked the idea of starting a tough conversation with kindness.""
— Monica Johnson, Volunteer, Palliative Care
""I felt so much love when I walked into the room…. Thank you for spreading such positive thoughts into this life.""
— Maree Chavez, Owner of Hair People Cherry Creek
""You were absolutely inspiring! Thank you for speaking!"
— Christine Des Enfants, Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce/Executive Director
""Tina helped us to train our mind to go outside the situation we were in and find inner peace.""
— Melinda M., Client
""Tina, you were wonderful. Apart from the obvious, I learned numerous new approaches to thorny questions from you. Thanks for your warm, caring, imaginative self. 'Twas lastingly lovely to meet you. Keep on keeping on.""
— Ann Weaver, Workshop Participant
""Thanks so much for you presentation yesterday – it was great, so appreciate you and the work you are doing!" "
— Lorez Meinhold, Senior Policy Director
""An absolutely great interview [with Rocky Mountain PBS]! What a gift, to make such a difference in people's lives at a time that it means the most when they are going through such difficult and frightening times. Brava, Tina! It is not easy to break through the biases of medical tradition and broaden medical care concepts to include a more complete approach for, not only the patient, but their caregivers too. We need more empathetic people like Tina.""
— Donna Lee Wilkinson, Florida Resident
""Tina is truly one of Earth's Angels. Her heart is pure, and it is evident that higher powers guide her actions. Tina touches everyone around her with kindness, love, and caring. I am one of the very lucky ones who know her as a colleague and more importantly, a dear friend.""
— Sophia Smith, Associate Professor, Duke University School of Nursing
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Monday, 10th,December 2012
Immigration Law Changes Announced in the UK
A number of changes to the immigration policies that govern the United Kingdom were announced last week and these will come into force on December 13th 2012.
The UK Border Agency announced new immigration laws last week that aim to tighten rules against potential abuse and attract more investment into Britain. The changes to the immigration system impact applications under the points-based systems that are currently applied to the Tiers 1, 2, 4 and 5 visas, as well as family and private life applications.
The changes are as follows:
Tier 1 (Enterpreneur)
• The English language entry requirement will be reduced from Level C1 (advanced) to Level B1 (intermediate).
• Visas will be cancelled if the entrepreneur does not maintain the required level of investment throughout the duration of his or her stay.
• Investments cannot be held in offshore accounts.
• Intra-company transfer migrants who are senior staff members who earn more than 150,000 GBP per year can now remain in the UK for nine years, as opposed to five.
• Migrant workers who leave the UK on or before the expiry of their visa and required to complete a 12 month cooling off period before being readmitted to the country. This period will now commence from the date the worker left the United Kingdom, not the date of expiry of the visa.
• For all migrants in Tier 2 and other work routes who are eligible to apply to settle in the United Kingdom, permitted absences will increase to 180 days per year over the five years required to qualify.
• Migrant workers are now permitted to take on supplemental employment if the job is classified as a shortage occupation.
Tier 4 (Students)
• Students who are in the UK under a Tier 4 visa will only be permitted to switch to a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) if they have funding of at least 50,000 GBP from a reliable source.
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The McGann Library :: View topic - Members -- Show us your pics!
Members -- Show us your pics!
It's this stuff: ?action=view&current= that's messing it up for some reason.
I just did what Teri suggested, and your pretty piccy comes up just fine.
Yep, those words are the culprit. By the way, welcome! I hope you'll have fun around here. Perhaps you'll consider registering as a member.
Put it as a link as it's rather large pic, so you've been warned!
It's nice to see ya!
You´re looking pretty, thanks for sharing and welcome to this excellent place here!
Thanks guys and thanks for the kind welcomes .
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Independence, MO, to Frankfort, KY
It was a short drive of only about two hours from Blue Springs Campground near Independence, MO, to our next stop in Columbia, MO, where we stayed at Cottonwoods RV Park, a Good Sam park. Cottonwoods RV has paved roads and patios and gravel pads with grass between the sites and a some smaller trees for a little shade. There are a few back-in sites along one side, but most of the sites are pull-throughs. There are full hookups, some with 30-amp electric and some with 30/50-amp, and there is free Wi-Fi.
Although the sites are relatively long, they are a little narrow. There is one row of extra-cost premium pull-throughs that are extra-extra long. The photo below shows our standard pull-through site at Cottonwoods RV.
The next photo is a view down the road past our site.
There was a little traffic noise from the four-lane highway that went past the campground, and we could hear the PA announcer over at the fairgrounds next door on the weekend. However, it was hot so we ran the air the whole time we were there, and the outside noises weren't that noticeable.
Our summer travels are beginning to wind down now that we are heading back east. We scheduled four days in Columbia so we could relax and so we wouldn't be traveling over the weekend. Although there are a few things to do in Columbia, MO, we didn't make any sightseeing plans.
We did make a Walmart run (actually we stopped at Walmart several times while we were in Columbia), and we went to the Boone County Farmers Market on the western side of downtown on Saturday. The market had about a dozen vendors, and they had a nice selection of local produce.
We bought some zucchini and a tomato. The zucchini was a new variety of golden zucchini that was outstanding. It had a somewhat nuttier and sweeter flavor than regular green zucchini. The tomato was excellent, too. What a treat to have locally-grown, fresh produce. Walmart saves us a lot of money on groceries, but produce isn't one of their strong suits - sometimes it's OK, other times not so much.
From Columbia, it was a little longer drive of about four hours to our next stop. We drove through St. Louis, and Margery got a nice shot of the arch as we passed by.
We planned to stop at at Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area in Whittington, IL. The recreation area has over 200 sites, most of which are first come-first served, so we didn't make reservations. From a satellite view on Google Maps, we could see the campground was heavily wooded, but it looked like there might be a few sites where we could get satellite.
We parked the motor home near the entrance, unhooked the toad, and drove through the campground. Wow! Although it was even more wooded than we thought, there was a lot of dappled sunshine. Had we not been concerned about satellite reception, it would have been a campground that we would have enjoyed.
We found a couple of sites we thought might work; but they had very few 50-amp sites, and all the ones where we thought might get satellite were 30 amps. Thirty amps is fine in cooler weather, but when it's sunny, hot and humid, we need 50-amp service to run both air conditioners to keep the rig cool during the day.
Earlier, at the interstate exit, we saw a sign for a private campground nearby, so we decided to give them a call to see if they had any sites where they thought we could get satellite reception before we tried any of the sites at Wayne Fitzgerrell. The name of the other campground was Whittington Woods, so we didn't have much hope since they had "Woods" in their name, but we figured it was worth a shot. To our surprise, they said they had a full hookup, 50-amp site available where they were sure we could get good satellite reception.
Whittington Woods was a bit more expensive than Wayne Fitzgerrell, but at about $30 with a Good Sam discount, it wasn't unreasonable for a full hookup, pull-through, 50-amp site. Wayne Fitzgerrell is $20 a night for electric only, and only a handful of sites have 50 amps.
Whittington Woods has nice, fresh gravel on the roads and pads. There is grass between most of the sites, but it's a little sparse because of all the shade, which is heavier overall than Wayne Fitgerrell. There are both pull-throughs and back-ins. The next photo shows our site at Whittington Woods. You can see our dish pointing at the small, sunny opening in the trees. Actually, it looked like the two sites next to us would have also worked for satellite, but they recommended the site they gave us as THE satellite site.
The sites were pretty narrow, but the campground wasn't anywhere near full so we had plenty of space and privacy. There is a fair amount of traffic noise from nearby I-57, and it would have been pretty noticeable if we hadn't had the air conditioner running all night.
<We originally planned to stay at Wayne Fitzgerrell for two nights, but after we changed our plans on where to stay, we also changed our plans on how long to stay and decided to move on the next morning. We were able to hook up the toad the night before to get an early (for us) start around 9:00 AM. We had a drive of almost five hours (including a fuel stop), plus we lost an hour to the time change from Central to Eastern Daylight time.
Our next stop was at Still Waters Campground north of Frankfort, KY, which is near Lexington, where we planned to stay for a week. We originally wanted to stay at the Kentucky Horse Park camping area in Lexington because it would have been more centrally located to some of the things we wanted to do; but there is a major equestrian event at the Horse Park for the month of October, and the campground was closed to the public in October AND September so they can make the campground into a "grooms' village" for the event.
Still Waters is a gem. It's about 10 miles north of Frankfort making it pretty far out of the way, but that wasn't all bad. There were no trains, no interstate noise, and it was far enough from the two-lane road that passed by the entrance you could hardly even hear the small amount of local traffic. The campground wasn't real full, and it was very, very quiet. The weather even cooled off to the low 80s during the day and the 50s at night so we could open the windows and hear the crickets.
Still Waters has gravel roads and pads that are grassy gravel. All the sites are back-ins, and there is a mixture of full hookup, water and electric only, 30-amp and 50-amp sites. We had a full-hookup site with 50 amps. There is no Wi-Fi and no cable, but that doesn't bother us. We could easily spend a month here which we have noted for the future.
As you can see from the photo below taken looking down the road toward our site, the grassy sites are fairly widely spaced. There is also a nice mix of sun and shade.
There appeared to be a fair number of seasonals, but the sites all looked relatively neat. One or two of the RVs were older, but they were all in good condition. About our only complaint about the campground was some of the roads are a bit uneven, which means you have to drive the RV very slowly. The peace and quiet more than made up for a few dips in the road.
We're planning some sightseeing in the Frankfort/Lexington area, so stay tuned; and we'll tell you what we found.
Posted on August 30, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
From Nebraska City we headed south to Blue Springs Campground in Lees Summit, MO, which is right outside Independence. Blue Springs is one of three campgrounds operated by Jackson County. Blue Springs Campground has some campsites with full hookups, some with water and electric only, and some with electric only. Most of the full-hookup sites have 30/50-amp electric, but a few have 30-amp. All the rest of the sites have 30-amp electric. Most of the sites are back-ins, but there are a few pull-throughs that are parallel to the road. None of the pull-throughs have full hookups.
The roads are paved, and the pads and patios are fresh gravel. Quite a few of the sites are "buddy" sites, which are two adjacent, closely-spaced sites so you and your buddy can stay right next to each other without having to share a site. When we made our reservations, we were more concerned about satellite reception, so we didn't realize we had reserved a "buddy" site. However, even the "buddy" sites were spaced farther apart than the sites in most commercial campgrounds. The next photo shows our site at Blue Springs Campground.
The next photo is a view down the road past our campsite. The campground wasn't full, even on the weekend.
Independence, MO, was the home of President Harry S. Truman. Since we have enjoyed our visits to several other presidential libraries, we decided to stop at the Truman Library.
The Truman Library and Museum is dedicated to preserving documents and artifacts relating to Harry S. Truman, who was the 33rd President of the United States from 1945 to 1953. The Truman Library opened in 1957 and was the first of the presidential libraries built under the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act.
Inside the lobby is a mural depicting Missouri pioneer life. Many pioneer wagon trains left Independence headed for the west.
One of the first displays inside the library is a replica of the Oval Office as it appeared in 1950.
After seeing the Oval Office, we watched a movie about Harry S. Truman's early life and start in politics. There are also displays on the lower level with more details about his boyhood, marriage and politics.
Harry Truman was born in 1884 in Lamar, MO, about 100 miles south of Independence. The "S" is his name doesn't stand for anything - he had no middle name. It's just an initial to honor both of his grandfathers, Anderson Shippe and Solomon Young.
When Truman was 6, his family moved to Independence. After graduating from high school, Truman worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and in several other clerical jobs. In 1906, he went to Grandview a few miles south of Kansas City to work on his grandparents' farm where he stayed until 1917 when he went into military service. Truman, who had served in the National Guard from 1905 to 1011 while in Grandview, re-enlisted in the Guard with America's involvement in WWI. Truman served as a battery commander and fought in France.
After the war, Truman returned home to Independence and married Bess Wallace whom he had met earlier. He opened a haberdashery which failed during the recession of 1921. In 1922, with the help of "Boss" Tom Pendergast and the Democratic machine, he was elected a county judge. This was an administrative rather than a judicial position. Truman would have needed a law degree for a judicial position, and he never went to college.
With Pendergast's backing, Truman was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1934. In 1943, his success as head of a committee to investigate military waste, fraud and mismanagement and his common-sense cost-saving measures thrust Truman into the national spotlight.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president at the time. Roosevelt's health was failing, and the Democratic National Committee felt Roosevelt would not live through another presidential term. They were opposed to then Vice President Henry Wallace becoming President, so they replaced Wallace with Truman on the ticket for the 1944 election. Roosevelt won an unprecedented 4th term as President (Congress voted in term limits after Roosevelt's death) with Harry Truman as Vice President.
Roosevelt died of a massive stroke on April 12, 1945, and Harry Truman was sworn in as President. The exhibits on the main floor of the Truman Library begin with Truman's swearing in and they follow some of the issues and decisions he faced. Truman, who was relatively unknown and untried, would face some of the most difficult decisions any president would ever have to make.
About two months after Truman took office, Germany surrendered, but Japan remained defiant refusing to even consider terms of surrender. President Truman was briefed on the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb on the day Roosevelt died. Truman ordered an atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on the morning August 6, 1945, and a second bomb dropped on Nagasaki two days later. On August 9th, Japan surrendered.
The decision to drop the atomic bombs was controversial to say the least. Supporters maintain hundreds of thousands of lives were saved, both American and Japanese, that would have otherwise been lost in an invasion of Japan. Opponents maintain the use of such terrible weapons was immoral and that Japan could have been defeated without an all-out invasion. However, the good news was the war was finally over.
During WWII, millions of Jews had been displaced. Although millions were killed, some were deported by Germany, and others fled. Jewish refugees scattered all over the world. After the end of the war, President Truman pressured Britain, which controlled Palestine at the time, to admit Jewish refugees. Britain submitted the issue to the United Nations, which recommended partitioning Palestine into two states - one Jewish and one Arab. This was a decision Jewish leaders accepted and Arab leaders rejected even to this day. Nevertheless, the formation of the state of Israel was announced on May 14, 1948.
Against the recommendations of his advisers, President Truman recognized Israel on May 25, 1948, and he was the first world leader to do so. The Torah in the photo below was presented to Truman by the first president of Israel in appreciation of America's recognition and support.
President Truman oversaw the transition to a peacetime economy. Many feared a return to the tough times of the Depression that preceded the war, but the poor economics of the Depression and the rationing during the war created an unprecedented demand for goods. Although there were shortages, threats of labor strikes and inflation shortly after the war ended, all the pent up demand for goods generated immense investments in manufacturing, and the economy began to boom. New industries like television sprang up. Homes were filled with air conditioners, TVs, electric clothes dryers and consumer goods of all kinds.
The Cold War also started shortly after the end of WWII. The Soviets, fearing a German resurgence, established absolute control over East Germany and eastern Europe, and they imposed their system of Communism. The United States and its European allies wanted more self determination and free markets. Fearing the Soviets were out to grab more territory for Communism, Truman took a hard line to contain the Soviet Union.
With all the turmoil, Truman was not expected to win reelection in 1948. There is even a famous photo of Truman holding a newspaper with headlines saying his opponent, Thomas Dewey, had won; but Truman pulled out a last-minute, come-from-behind win to serve another term.
The museum has on display a 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan limousine that was one of a fleet of specially-designed cars leased to the White House for use by high government officials. This was before the time of special, armored Presidential limos. The car has a V-8 engine, two heaters - one in front and one in back, hydraulically-operated windows, two radios, and four cigarette lighters.
In 1950 during Truman's second term, the North Korean People's Army invaded South Korea. Truman proposed a naval blockade of North Korea, but found out there were no longer enough U. S. warships to enforce a blockade following military cutbacks after WWII. Truman urged the United Nations to step in, and the UN authorized a multi-national military defense of South Korea. The Korean Conflict, as it was called, remained more or less a stalemate for two years with over 30,000 Americans killed before an agreement finally re-established borders and restored peace.
Congress had already passed term limits for the office of president that would prevent a president from serving a third term or from serving a second term if he had served more than two years of a previous president's term. The latter part of that law would have applied to Truman except that the law contained a grandfather clause exempting the current president. However, in early 1952, Truman's approval rating stood at a dismal 22%, and Truman lost the New Hampshire primary. Truman canceled his plans for re-election.
President Truman left office in early 1953 and returned to Independence to live in the Wallace house that had become his home after his marriage to his wife Bess. The house, now called the Truman Home, is a National Historical Site and is normally open for tours. Unfortunately, it was temporarily closed while we were there to repair damage to the home's electrical system caused by a storm. We did, however, drive by for a photo.
After his presidential library opened in 1957, Truman maintained an office there and often worked 5 or 6 days a week until a fall in his bathroom in 1964 limited his physical capabilities which ultimately forced him to stop spending time in his office. His office has been preserved as it was when he left it.
President Truman died in 1972 from complications from pneumonia. Bess died ten years later in 1982. Both are buried on the far side of the museum courtyard shown in the photo below. The Flame of Freedom in the foreground was placed by the American Legion. The Truman's daughter Margaret and her husband are also buried in the courtyard.
As with the other presidential libraries we visited, we enjoyed learning more about the history of our great country. We still have another report from the Kansas City/Independence area, so stay tuned.
First of all, we would like to thank all our friends and readers who expressed their condolences about the loss of our sweet dog, Molly. She was such a good traveler, and we'll miss her.
After delaying our departure from Bushnell, we finally hit the road on Thursday. We made an overnight stop at Pine Lake RV, a Passport America campground near Fountain, FL, in the panhandle. In other years after leaving Bushnell, we stayed at Chattahoochee RV located on the Apalachicola River. Chattahoochee is closer to half-way to our destination in Summerdale, AL; but last year, the river was flooded and some of the sites at the campground had recently been underwater. With more rain this year, we thought we would just drive a little farther and try a new campground that wasn't located near a river. The next photo shows our site at Pine Lake RV.
Pine Lake RV is located about 16 miles from the interstate, but there is still some highway noise from four-lane U. S. Highway 231 that passes by the campground on the way to Panama City. There is a railroad track a few hundred feet on the other side of the highway. Fortunately, there were very few trains because the rumble of the few that did pass was very loud. Fortunately, there is no crossing near the campground so there were only a few, distant toots of the train horns.
The roads through the campground are paved, but the pavement is quite narrow. The sites are a combination of grass and sand, and most are extra-long pull-throughs. The site width isn't too bad for a private campground. Pine Lake has full hook-ups with free Wi-Fi. Some sites have 30 amp electric and some have 50 amp. As you can see from the above photo, there are a few trees, but the office was very accommodating in allowing us to move to another site to get satellite reception. In the first site they gave us we could get internet, but not TV. They are on two different satellites, and a tree branch was blocking the TV signal.
In the morning we hit the road at 8:30, which is a little earlier than usual. We pulled into Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL, shortly after noon. It was a good thing we got an early start because we got the last available site. A lot of Escepees spend the winter in Summerdale; and although some had moved on, others (like us) were stopping on our way north from Florida.
Rainbow Plantation is one of our favorite Escapees RV parks. The roads are paved, and the sites are a combination of grass and sand. There are full hook-ups and free Wi-Fi. Fifty-amp electric is available for an extra charge. Sites are nice and wide, and the campground is quiet.
One of the things we like about the Summerdale area is there are lots of things to do and see. Even though our visit to Summerdale was shortened because we extended our stay in Bushnell, we still wanted to see the azaleas blooming at Bellingrath Gardens over in Mobile. Bellingrath is famous for the over 250,000 azaleas that normally bloom around the middle two weeks of March. Unfortunately, when we checked the Bellingrath web site, we found out the unusually cold weather this winter had delayed the blooming by about two weeks. This delay was confirmed by observing the azaleas in people's yards in the area. Only about a third of the blossoms on most of the plants open, and it looked like the azaleas still had at least a week to 10 days to go before they even neared their peak. Therefore, we decided to save seeing azaleas for another time.
One of the other things we like about the Summerdale area is the close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico which means there is a lot of delicious seafood available. Last fall when we were in the area we discovered Shrimp Basket restaurants. Shrimp Basket is a chain of about a dozen restaurants with one in nearby Foley. Paul was hungry for fried shrimp, and the Shrimp Basket has all-you-can-eat shrimp baskets on Wednesdays and Sundays, so we headed down to Foley on Sunday.
After spending the weekend at Rainbow Plantation, we hit the road again on Monday. We were heading to Branson, MO, for the wedding of Heather, who is our daughter Lora's best friend and former roommate. We were friends with Heather's parents from our former church back in Pittsburgh, and we were pleased to have been invited to participate in the festivities.
With extending our stay back in Bushnell, our recent travels were a bit less leisurely than normal. We usually plan to travel no more than four hours a day, but this time, we would be traveling 5+ hours a day for a couple of days in a row. Our next overnight stop was at Movietown RV Park in Canton, MS, a little north of Jackson.
Movietown RV is a nice RV park. It has gravel roads and pads with full hookups and 50/30 amp electric. Sites are mostly pull-throughs and are fairly wide with grass between. Even though the campground is conveniently located near the interstate, there is surprisingly little traffic noise - and there are NO trains!
Apparently, the name of the RV park comes from the fact that quite a few movies have been filmed in the Canton area. Canton even has a movie office and a couple of movie museums. Maybe we'll go back some day for a longer visit, especially now that we know a good place to stay.
From Canton, we drove north to Little Rock, AR, in another 5+ hour travel day. We stayed at Maumelle Park north of the city last fall when we met up with our friends Marilyn and Alan. Since that time, Alan took a voluntary layoff when he found out the company he worked for was planning a cut-back, they sold their house, and they are now full-timers.
Maumelle Park is a Corps of Engineers campground located along the Arkansas River. The campground has paved roads and pads and gravel patios. There are water and electric hookups (30 amp) only. As with most COE campgrounds, sites are very generously spaced. The photo below shows our site at Maumelle Park.
We didn't make reservations because we were uncertain about our arrival date and because we thought the campground would be empty in the middle of the week in March. Boy, were we surprised when we arrived and found the campground was almost full! It looked like a lot of families were spending the week at the campground, so we're guessing we hit spring break for the Arkansas schools. There were also some college kids on spring break, and we're pleased to report the group tenting on the site next to us were very well behaved. The next photo is a view down the road from our site and gives you an idea of how crowded it was.
We normally look for a campground with pull-through sites when we make a one-night stop, but we liked Maumelle so much, it was worth unhooking the toad. Not only that, but Marilyn and Alan took us to Larry's Pizza when we were there last fall. Larry's is a chain of about a dozen restaurants around the Little Rock area, and, fortunately, there is one right down the road from Maumelle Park. They have a lunch buffet every day, but they only have the dinner buffet on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Luckily for us, we were there on Tuesday, so we had another good reason to unhook the car. The next photo shows Margery loading up at Larry's. Yum!
Here Paul is toasting Alan and Marilyn for introducing us to Larry's.
The next morning, we headed out for an unprecedented third straight travel day. The distance was a little shorter, and we were only on the road for about 3 1/2 hours instead of the 5+ hours we had been doing. We pulled into Escapees Turkey Creek Campground near Branson, MO, a little after noon.
In contrast to Maumelle Park, the campground in Branson was nearly empty. Late spring, summer and fall are the most popular times for Turkey Creek Campground, and we were a little early. But that was OK because some of the sites are also a little small, so we had plenty of elbow room with the campground almost empty.
Turkey Creek has gravel roads and pads, full hook-ups (there is an extra charge for 50 amp electric), free Wi-Fi and cable. Although the temperature was in the 60s when we arrived, we opted to pay extra for a 50 amp site because the weather forecast was calling for rain and falling temperatures so we thought 50 amp would make it easier to do laundry and use the electric heater at the same time. The photo below shows our site at Turkey creek.
We'll be spending a week in Branson, so we'll have time to relax a little between the wedding festivities. We're also looking forward to seeing Lora and J. Michael. We might even come up with some other activities or possibly a good restaurant, so stay tuned.
Posted on March 25, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Branson, MO Part I: Branson Landing
After leaving the Omaha area, we drove south on I-29 through Kansas City, MO. Then we headed east a short distance on I-70 before turning south again on U. S. Route 65. It was a long drive of over 5 hours to Sedalia, MO, where we stopped for one night at Countryside Senior and Adult RV Park.
Countryside RV has mostly back-ins, but they have about half a dozen pull-throughs they reserve for those staying only one night. The campground is all gravel and they have full hookups with 30/50-amp electric plus cable. There is a little traffic noise from U. S. Route 65 that passes the campground; but unlike an interstate, traffic dwindles to almost nothing at night. The sites are a little close, but the campground wasn't anywhere near full. It was a great place for a one or two-night stop. The photo below shows our site at Countryside Senior RV.
From Sedalia, we had about a three-hour drive to Hollister, MO, which is just south of Branson. Hollister is the location of Escapees Turkey Creek RV Village where we planned to spend a couple of weeks to chill out and to let our budget recover a bit. Turkey Creek, like other Escapees campgrounds, has low daily and weekly rates for Escapees members. We spent the entire spring and summer in tourist areas where most of the campgrounds were pretty expensive.
Turkey Creek has gravel roads and pads, paved patios, and grass between the sites. There are full hookups with 50-amp electric available at some sites, and they also have free Wi-Fi and cable. Some of the sites and roads are a little tight, especially in the area of the park where our site was located. The photo below shows our site at Turkey Creek.
There is a little daytime traffic noise from Business Route 65 that passes the campground. We could also hear occasional trains rumbling by on the other side of Turkey Creek, but we seldom heard their horns even though there is a crossing nearby in Hollister.
We arrived in Branson a few days before Labor Day weekend. We were just in time to catch up with some friends from back in Pittsburgh who retired to Branson two years ago. We got to visit with them before they took off on a nine-day motorcycle trip to Gatlinburg, TN.
We stayed at Turkey Creek and visited Branson our first year of full-timing. Branson, of course, is known for its family-oriented entertainment and shows. We found out the period after Labor Day is a slow time for Branson. Some of the shows close down or go on a reduced schedule for a while until some of the bus tours start later in October. That was fine with us because traffic was also greatly reduced after the Labor Day weekend.
Speaking of traffic...when we were the area three years ago, any time we wanted to travel in or around Branson, we had to drive right through town which is generally bumper to bumper most any time of the day. There was also road construction that made reaching SR 65 to by-pass downtown an even bigger nightmare. However, with that construction completed, it has become very easy to reach northern Branson (the new Super Walmart to be more specific) by zipping up the limited access, 4-lane road...and by golly there's a Kohl's, Target, Home Depot, and Michael's up there, too!
Branson is named for Ruben Branson, who opened a general store and post office in the area in 1892. The city was officially incorporated in 1912 when the Powersite Dam across the White River was completed downstream of Branson in nearby Forsythe, MO. The dam formed Lake Taneycomo, which is named for the county in which it is located - Taney County, MO. Lake Taneycomo is long and narrow and is really more like a widened section of the river than a lake.
After the holiday weekend, we stopped at Branson Landing, which is located on the waterfront along Lake Taneycomo. Branson Landing was opened in 2006 and is a retail shopping area that is anchored by Bass Pro Shop on one end and Belk's at the other end with numerous smaller shops in between. There is something for everyone.
The landing is also the departure point for cruises of Lake Taneycomo on either the 100-foot luxury yacht the Landing Princess...
...or the paddleboat replica the Lake Queen.
The other big attraction at Branson Landing is the $7.5 million fountain that features hourly shows of water, fire, and lights (at night) that dance and pulse in time to music.
The next photo is another view from the upper terrace overlooking the fountain.
The terraces are planted with colorful annuals and provide an attractive view from the restaurants, condos, and hotel surrounding the central square of Branson Landing.
As we said, Branson is known for its family-oriented shows. In 1959, the Baldknobbers Jamboree opened their show in Branson. In the same year, the theme park Silver Dollar City opened, followed by the outdoor drama "Shepherd of the Hills." At that time, most people went to Branson to fish, and the shows gave them something to do in the evenings. By the 1960s, there were several more shows, and a number of them began to relocate along Highway 76, which came to be known as "The Strip." The growth in the number of shows in Branson that transformed it into a major tourist attraction took place in the 1980s. Incidentally, the Baldknobbers are still performing, the "Shepherd of the Hills" drama is still being presented, and Silver Dollar City theme park is bigger than ever with over 1 million visitors a year.
Branson has some very good shows, so we decided we wanted to see at least one while we were there. We'll tell you about it in our next post.
Posted on September 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


text:
'This compact but dense collection of rock Americana riches is unrelentingly emphatic and persuasive due to its smooth-as-silk diction and entertaining narratives.'
The Akademian team
ALEXIS: What has your experience been like working with the other people on your team?
RICHARD SMITH: I was very lucky of meeting Charlie Holoubek and his bands when I went to the first recording studios in 1981 in Adelaide . I did record most of my songs with Charlie between 1981-to 1991. Charlie was a great musician, organizer and teacher who did help me. He played a range of music from rhythm and blues to rock and modern jazz and having fun with contemporary New Orleans music. So when I met him and asked him to help me to record my songs, he could understand what I want to do with my music and where it was coming from. We are still friends after 35 years. Also I met Bill Harrison at his own recording studio as a studio engineer. He helped me to create my songs when I was young. He allowed me to mix my songs in the studio between 1982 to 1984 such as ' I Got the Power', 'Persian Love ('I Need Love)', and 'Working in the Workforce'. I was very lucky to have great talents helping me at that time. In my nursing career, I was also getting along with my team. You might know that nursing is a stressful job because you have the life of those people in your hand. but still we had time in our break to have fun and tell jokes. My wife and I moved to Queensland in 2007 from South Australia and still after 9 years we are in contact with our nursing colleagues in South Australia. Believe it or not the first person who bought my song was my nursing work mate. She has been one of my best friends for over 25 years. I am a reliable person, also stable. I stayed with my job the same Hospital for 25 years. Of course there are always disagreements between people, but I believe we have to talk about it, think about it, find the truth, and solve the problem.


Please use this form to send high school transcripts if you are an alumnus of Brother Martin High School, Cor Jesu, or St. Aloysius.
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A blog containing mostly commentary on military history, and related tactical/military gaming.
I would like to have been in the room when this concept was devised - hey how about putting air to ground artillery on these old transport planes we have lying around? The AC-130's first incarnation was the AC-47 in Vietnam, weaponry mounted on the fuselage of the old C-47 transport aircraft used in WWII. Capable of flying faster than helicopters and at high altitudes with excellent loiter time, the use of the pylon turn allowed the AC-47 to deliver continuous accurate fire to a single point on the ground. The first few designs were armed with 20mm cannons and 40mm Bofors and were used primarily as interdiction of supply along the Ho-Chi Min trail. With extended loiter time and constantly upgraded targeting and avionic systems the AC-47 became an absolutely devastating weapon, so much that a large bounty was levied on the head of any crewmember captured or killed.
In 1968 the C-130 Hercules airframe was selected as the upgrade for the AC-47, with the new designation of AC-130. At this point the 7.62mm MG was dropped in favour of 20mm Gatling guns and 40mm Bofors, allowing the AC-130 to fly at greater altitudes above NVA anti-aircraft fire. Over its history it has had many callsigns, including Spooky, Suprise Package and Thor. The current AC-130 versions mount a 105mm howitzer makes it absolutely unique among aircraft, and it is the largest gun mounted on any production aircraft in history. It is probably the most devastating and cost effective aircraft in the U.S. arsenal, and will be flying over many battlefields of the future.
When Puff The Magic Dragon first appeared in Viet Nam they used it with tracers. The Viet Cong thought that the Americans had a death ray.
The AC-130 is credited with the demise of the Communist insurgency in El Salvador in the 1980s. Crews flew the missions very much undercover as they blasted guerilla camps and concentrations.
I was not aware of that anecdote, it is somewhat funny to think of it that way.
The power of this aircraft is unprecedented in the way it can loiter over a target and produce sheer volume of firepower.
The ammo is cheap compared to a smart bomb, the parts and airframe are common and easily replaceable. Unfortunetly its excellent avionics and targeting system comes with a price tag in the hundreds of millions.


San Francisco – March 30, 2016 – 8ninths was named today by Microsoft Corporation as one of seven companies chosen for the Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness Program, and will showcase their "Holographic Workstation"™ prototype, designed and engineered for Citi, this week at Microsoft Build 2016. The Holographic Workstation™ increases efficiency by using the Microsoft HoloLens platform to create 3D holograms of real-time financial data. A three-tiered system of dynamically updated and interactive information enables traders to view, process, and interact with large amounts of abstract data in a combined 3D and 2D environment. The physical workstation integrates tablet screen space, 3D holographic docking space, keyboard, mouse, gaze, gesture, voice input, and existing Citi devices and workflows.
"8ninths has created a business solution in the financial industry that revolutionizes the way people will interact with and best use financial data in a compelling and competitive way," said George Zinn, corporate vice president and treasurer at Microsoft.
8ninths – one of the first seven companies selected to go through the Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness Program – designed and engineered the physical workstation to address business problems and challenges traders currently face working with large amounts of information with limited screen real estate. 8ninths engineered a new 3D holographic system that organizes data by tiers. Ambient, high-level market conditions are represented in holographic spheres hovering at the top of the workstation like a cloudscape or weather system. Traders use hand gestures and voice to drill further into market segments and filter financial instruments to trade in the middle tier. The lowest tier comprises the 'Holographic Stage' where the trader can view historical and real-time performance before executing a trade as well as remotely collaborating with others at room-scale.
This new paradigm leverages the way the human brain cognitively processes the physical world and builds upon and enhances the typical workstation configurations of multiple 2D screens containing financial news terminals, email, chat, and other financial applications.
The process of developing a holographic trading workstation began with 8ninths partnering with Citi to understand the current workflows traders use, and the real-world problems these systems create. 8ninths identified a core set of problems stemming from the traders use of large amounts of raw data in 2D format that limited collaboration between traders, as well as how the traders accessed, interacted with, and processed the data. 8ninths developed their own design patterns and language to explore how Microsoft HoloLens could be used to evolve 2D data into a 3D, holographic experience in a way that would address current workflow and data problems in an all new, real-world application. The tiered system of holographic information organized from micro level at the base, to macro level at the top, created a whole new way of thinking about the workstation. The new "Holographic Workstation"™ optimizes a trader's ability to interact with data in a tiered system; extract meaning from the data quickly and accurately; and collaborate in a whole new way.
"Once we defined the problems, we were really excited to see how we could design a new way for people to better visualize, interact with, and gain insights through a holographic experience. We were in uncharted territory, and that's a space we thrive in – applying our knowledge, the newest technology, and real world problems to engineer something truly innovative and beneficial to our partners," said Heather Raikes, Creative Director at 8ninths.
Founded in 2008 by long-time Microsoft veterans Adam Sheppard and William Lai, 8ninths is a 12- person, Seattle-based, design and development studio providing Mixed and Virtual Reality content, applications, and solutions. "8/9" of an iceberg is hidden below the water and the iceberg is a metaphor for what they do in the world of technology. They explore non-obvious, new, and emerging technologies. Partnering with large enterprise customers, 8ninths helps them utilize those technologies through envisioning, designing, engineering, and deploying custom solutions to meet their objectives in the most innovative and competitive way. They believe strongly that Mixed and Virtual Reality is the next huge wave in technology.
As one of a handful of companies selected by Microsoft Corporation for their Microsoft HoloLens Agency Readiness Program, 8ninths is actively developing holographic applications for clients. 8ninths is partnered closely with Microsoft HoloLens, Samsung, Oculus, HTC Vive, and others to develop solutions on a wide variety of emerging Virtual and Mixed Reality platforms.
To see video of the Holographic Workstation for Citi and a presentation from Microsoft Build 2016, please click here.
To access the full Press Kit, including images, gifs, presentation, logos, and video, please click here.
For more information on 8ninths, please visit, http://54.202.5.168.
For media inquires, please contact, press@54.202.5.168.
"Holographic Workstation"™ is a trademark of 8ninths, LLC.


A road bridge is shut due to a stranded trailer carrying a boat.
The bridge, on Mill Lane, is currently shut in Acton Trussell.
The closure was first reported shortly before 2pm.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "No access in and out of Acton Trussell by the canal bridge on Mill lane. Boat run a ground on the bridge."


text:
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  xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
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text:
Q: Power Button in awful.key How can I set an action to powerbutton on my laptop? I tried to use awful.key({ }, "Power",... but it doesn't work.

A: Try running xev in a terminal and see what it says for the key press. For example, I have a calculator key on my keyboard and it seems to be XF86Calculator:
KeyRelease event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x2400001,
    root 0x761, subw 0x0, time 179605294, (572,728), root:(2493,769),
    state 0x10, keycode 148 (keysym 0x1008ff1d, XF86Calculator), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
    XFilterEvent returns: False

Here are some random guesses on what the key name might be:
$ grep -r Power /usr/include/X11
/usr/include/X11/Xtrans/Xtranslcl.c: *  Pittsburgh Powercomputing Corporation (PPc)/Quarterdeck Office Systems
/usr/include/X11/XF86keysym.h:#define XF86XK_PowerDown  0x1008FF21   /* Deep sleep the system      */
/usr/include/X11/XF86keysym.h:#define XF86XK_PowerOff       0x1008FF2A   /* Power off system entirely  */
/usr/include/X11/Sunkeysym.h:#define SunXK_PowerSwitch      0x1005FF76
/usr/include/X11/Sunkeysym.h:#define SunXK_PowerSwitchShift     0x1005FF7D