text:
Spectre Collie
The Journal of Poorly-Explained Phenomena
One Thing I Like
Category: Videogames
My Last E3
So yeah: the show itself. It's tough to come up with anything to get excited about. Microsoft has a huge booth set up for the Xbox 360, but it's fairly unremarkable. The highlight is a big game from Rare called "Kameo", notable for having hundreds of enemies on screen at the same time, but to be honest I assumed it was running on an old-school Xbox at first. Apart from that, there's an unforgivably cheesy "Grand Theft Auto" rip-off, a racing game, and a couple of sports games out on the floor. Nothing to get all that excited about; it seems it would've been better for Microsoft to milk another year out of the original console before putting all that expense into showing off a lack-luster successor.
To be fair, it's quite possible that Microsoft were showing the good stuff in private. It's been at least three years since I've been to an E3, but it seems to have outlived its usefulness to the general videogame public; it's a lot easier just to let the press and retailers deal with the nonsense and catch all the real info online. The last show I went to was Sega's dream year, with big, impressive displays for "Jet Set Radio" and "Space Channel 5;" this year, everything worth seeing is sequestered away from the smelly masses. The PS3, the new Zelda game, and a game based around Peter Jackson's King Kong movie, all had semi-private showings behind closed, huge, very expensive-looking doors, each with at least an hour-long wait in line. As it is, I just kept thinking of how expensive all these displays must've been.
Part of it could be that this is The Year of the Handheld, and there's more new stuff to show for the PSP, the GBA, and the Nintendo DS, but handheld games don't lend themselves to the huge screens and excess of E3. Sony went balls-out on their booth, with a huge video screen showing off the PSP, but it's all over the place instead of focusing on anything. There's a platformer spin-off of "Jak and Daxter" called just "Daxter" that looks really nice, but wasn't all that fun to actually play. Apart from that, and a version of "Animal Crossing" for the DS, none of the handheld stuff really caught my attention.
There were a couple other minor highlights: a Japanese ink-brush themed game called "Okami" for the PS2, and "Shadow of the Colossus" from the makers of ICO. Bethesda Softworks had a bunch of announcements of cool-sounding games, "Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion," "Fallout 3," and "Call of Cthullu" game, but they weren't showing anything except for a non-interactive trailer for "Oblivion." I'll see if I can make today the "survey" day and see stuff in more depth tomorrow.
Another thing: I saw Brian Posehn again. I see that guy everywhere — the Wonder-Con, E3, and an episode of "Tom Goes to the Mayor" featuring him was just on TV. I think he's stalking me or something.
Author ChuckPosted on May 20, 2005 Categories Videogames
Electronic Entertainment Expo
Speaking of weird obsessions, I'm driving down to LA for the big E3 show tomorrow-which-is-actually-today. If I had any sense, I'd be leaving in just a couple of hours, but I ain't been to bed yet. Turns out that sitting around surfing the web all day isn't as tiring when you don't have to commute down to San Mateo to do it on Corporate Entertainment's dime. So I'm still wide awake.
But when I sleep, I'll dream dreams of driving six hours on three hours' worth of sleep to go into a convention center packed to the sweaty and unshaven gills with gaming nerds, smarmy frat-guy producer types, and near-nekkid women with giant fake guns and even more fake grimace smiles held in place only by the thought of the cash they're making and how that somehow makes it worth having hordes of blue-balled game developers ogling them with perverse thoughts so pathetic they can't even fantasize about having sex with them without an internal monologue of stuttering, flaccid analogies to force feedback joysticks.
I can't wait!
Author ChuckPosted on May 19, 2005 Categories Personal, Videogames
You Can't Fire Me; I QUIT! Eventually. If that's okay.
I put in my official resignation letter today, after telling my boss on Friday. He was really cool about it, saying all the stuff you're supposed to say when an employee's about to go, asking what they could do to have me stay on, offering to help get me on another project if it meant I stayed at the company, etc. It was appreciated, but of course nothing he could've offered to make me stay was more powerful than the inertia that's kept me from quitting that place already in the past two years, so once that broke down there was nothing left to keep me.
I realize that four weeks' notice is a bit on the extreme side, but I wanted to make sure they knew ASAP so they could schedule around it, instead of my leaving in the middle of the crunch towards E3. Also, I suck at keeping secrets, so once I'd made up my mind I just wanted it out and done with. Four weeks of lame duckitude is probably worth it just to know that freedom (and unemployment) await on May 6th. It turns out that that's also content lock for the game, meaning it's actually somewhat good timing through no fault of my own. If all goes well, I'll get a month off between gigs, the longest time I've gone unemployed since college. I can't wait.
I'm potentially missing out on some bonus money in there, by leaving before the end of May. I'm having a hard time regretting that, though. Even if I didn't enjoy being able to pat myself on the back for saying that I have INTEGRITY for choosing to leave on my own terms instead of waiting for a cash payout. There's still the issue of my soul gradually getting squeezed out of my body.
That's not a case of yet another disgruntled EA employee leaving and running home to talk about it on his weblog — a year ago, I would've been all "Fuck you, EA!" but now I see that they're just a bunch of people running a business. Frequently, they screw up, and when they screw up it messes with hundreds if not thousands of people. But it's not the dark cabal some would make it out to be. They're pretty clear with what their priority is: a full set of product ready every E3 and Christmas; product comes first and foremost. It's not as if it's a secret. That's what keeps the money coming in and the stock price relatively stable.
Hell, it's taken me three and a half years to leave, and I like to think that I'm a little better at "Detect Evil" than that. It's a very comfortable environment, because it's stable, they pay pretty well and give all the benefits. It's just not an environment that I can do well in. I just haven't really been happy since I went there — I haven't been unhappy, just not as happy as I used to be. And every few weeks or so, I just start crying for no good reason. Nothing more than a sense of "This isn't how my life was supposed to be, and I don't know how to fix it." Leaving the job isn't going to fix everything — I'm probably still just an oversensitive, delicate flower, or else I'm mental and don't realize it yet — but it's probably a step in the right direction.
Author ChuckPosted on April 11, 2005 Categories Personal, Videogames
My friend Seppo from work bought a PSP this morning, and I went to check it out. Even though I should've known my "just checking out" a shiny new piece of personal electronics would be like Robert Downey Jr. "just taking one hit" off a crack pipe. I became like a man possessed.
I finally found one at the Best Buy in Palo Alto. I had to get the bundle, which is what I'd been trying to avoid, but in the end I don't think I got screwed too badly. I would've bought a game anyway (I got Tony Hawk Underground), and I figure paying too much for useless pieces of plastic in the form of a screen guard and a clunky cover is just a fine for my having no patience. The whole escapade took two hours, so I had to stay late at work, but it was worth it.
After using it for a few minutes, I was like Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona. "I love this thing so mu-u-u-u-ch." The screen is what sells it; it's just astounding. And the whole thing is just slick and, for lack of a better word, futuristic. They tried to go for the whole "We are Sony. Welcome to the 21st Century." thing with the PS2 front-end, but it really works on the PSP. It feels like using a tricorder, but without all the nerdy connotations. It's just damn cool.
They include Spider-Man 2 with it, which was a nice touch because I would've written off its potential as a movie player otherwise. Again, the screen is what makes it worthwhile. The picture is remarkably clear, and it's as easy to navigate as a DVD player. I might even build up a little UMD movie collection, although it'll never be more than a novelty.
I really hope that Sony's not serious about its being a "Walkman for the 21st Century," because its potential as a media center has all kinds of problems. It'll never take the place of the iPod, because it doesn't have a hard drive and you can't fit that much data on a memory stick. It's too large and heavy to replace a Flash-based MP3 player, so the iPod Shuffle is safe there. Movies are fine, but again, UMDs are never going to replace DVDs. And I thought at least I'd be able to pop pictures from my Sony camera onto my Sony PSP as a little novelty, but I can't even do that because the memory stick format is completely incompatible. That was a spectacularly boneheaded move on Sony's part.
So it's a game machine, and that's fine, because the games are already the best available for a handheld, ever. The other game I got is Lumines, a Rez-meets-Tetris game which is so good at showing off the PSP that it should come standard. It's just a fairly simple 2D puzzle game, but it's insidiously addictive and presented extremely well — music and visuals and multiplayer capability and it's aimed right at their target market.
And speaking of Lumines, the song they use on the first level sounds a lot like "Star Guitar" by the Chemical Brothers. The video of that song happens to be by Michel Gondry, I found out, because I bought a DVD of his videos the other night. I think it's overtaken "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim/Spike Jonez as my favorite video ever, partly because I have no idea how it was made. Watching the rest of the videos on that DVD was neat but a little depressing, because I couldn't stop thinking, "I will never ever have that much imagination."
Author ChuckPosted on March 24, 2005 Categories Videogames
I really didn't think it were possible for me to get this much into a videogame again. Sure, I had a good and unhealthy obsession going with The Sims 2 when it came out, but it's always been and is always going to be more about the potential of what you can create out of it than just being an "experience."
And the whole "Steam" copy protection/installation nonsense for Half Life 2 sucks ass. It's intrusive, it's annoying, it's slow, and it's even offensive in its Big Brother-ness. As my friend Cory would say: F MINUS. In fact, the whole installation process pissed me off so much that I was all set to hate the game. I spent the first fifteen minutes or so thinking, "Big deal. Textures aren't all that impressive. Whole setting is boring. Nothing I haven't seen before. And they got the havok engine. Whoop-de-shit. Great. A big physics engine demo. With a see saw and some cinder blocks. Bravo, Valve. What else you got?"
Then, I'm in an apartment building and the shit hits the fan. All of a sudden noise is going on all around me and people are yelling at me to get to the roof. And all of a sudden, I'm no longer thinking about level design and triggered events and texture maps and enemy spawn points, I'm just thinking I've got to get up to the roof. Running through hallways, not even bothering to stop and look, oh crap there's another bad guy!, where the hell did he come from?, out the window, up to the roof, getting shot at, not looking back to see who or what is shooting at me, until I finally get to safety. And when it was over, I just stopped and though, "Okay, now that's the way you make a videogame."
Sure, I've still got issues with it. It's not really a big virtual world; you can tell that there's a single path through the levels and a solution to every puzzle, even though they've attempted to integrate that into the story. There are jumping puzzles and a whole Mario-esque sequence I still think was too "gamey." And they rely on some of their gimmicks, especially the physics engine, a little too much to where it knocks you out of the story.
But then, I'm riding in a speedboat, jumping over dunes, turning tight corners, running down evil guards and hearing the beep of their communications failing fade off behind me into the distance, knocking down scaffolding to kill other evil guards, being chased by a helicopter shooting at me and dropping mines to slalom around, narrowly avoiding a burning car to smash through a barrier and jump over a big wall of fire made from more exploding cars, and tears of joy are just streaming down my face. It's just bad ass; there's no better way to explain it.
I'm going to have to take a week off for Thanksgiving, and I'm already missing it. Is this going to mean I'm actually going to like playing videogames again?
Author ChuckPosted on November 19, 2004 Categories Videogames
Free at Last?
This is the first weekend I've had that I can remember where I wasn't either at work or feeling like I was supposed to be at work. It seems that this entire year has been one long crunch mode. Over and over again I've turned down offers to go out and do stuff, because I just didn't have the time. My Tivo is hemmoraging perfectly fine programming that I just don't have time to watch. I've got a stack of videogames that I said I'd check out when I got time, a stack of DVDs I've bought and haven't yet unwrapped, and (most daunting) a stack of books that I'm determined to read to make myself more literate.
And this weekend I did nothing. Yes, I spent a lot of it just sitting and staring. Everything seems like too much effort; even watching a movie. I just wanted to be. I've been in that weird state of hyper-boredom — plenty of stuff to do, but not wanting a part of any of it, and still desperate for something to happen.
I did finally go see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and I thought that it was just amazing. Except for Gwyneth Paltrow, but she gave it her best shot. There was just so much that the movie got dead-on right, that it seemed like it came directly out of my subconscious — that is exactly what a ray-gun is supposed to look and sound like!
Other than that, though, nothing. And it's been driving me nuts. Maybe I'm still just decompressing. I hope it's over with soon.
Author ChuckPosted on October 3, 2004 Categories Arts & Entertainment, Personal, Videogames
Corporate Rollout Strategy
This is the part of the year where I write stuff not because it's interesting, but just because it's something else. I left work at 5:30 AM on Monday after being there all day Sunday, then got back in at about 2 this afternoon. Or yesterday afternoon. I'm not really sure.
At some point during the day was our big two-hour all-hands corporate roadmap meeting. All highly classified, so I can't divulge details. Except that the question came up of why we worked so much, including the teams that have mandatory 6-day workweeks (my team's aren't mandatory, they're just required). The answer was, basically, "Because it's the videogame business." Of course, worded with a lot more double-talk. The dreaded phrase work/life balance was again used.
I'm honestly trying to get back my motivation for the whole games business, to remember the excitement and whole "creative impulse" I felt when I wanted to get into it in the first place. But then I realize that it's 3 AM and I've only been home for an hour and I'm still alone and I don't have any towels to use for my shower tomorrow because I haven't been able to do laundry for three weeks now.
Author ChuckPosted on July 13, 2004 Categories Personal, Videogames, Whining
This week is the Electronic Entertainment Expo down in Los Angeles, a trade show for the videogame industry. Every year it's the same thing: we work like crazy for months leading up to the show date, trying desperately to get a game demo ready for the show. After that, there's an explosive decompression as we go from working 12-or-more hour days back to having not much to do to fill up 8 hours worth of time.
It all really sucks.
First, because it's a completely artificial deadline that is driven solely by marketing.
Second, because the crunch to get read for E3 is independent of the overall life cycle of the game — you go through two peaks of horrible crunch time (pre-E3 and pre-Christmas) instead of having a steady, manageable rate of development throughout the year.
And third, because it's a loud, flashy marketing show, the emphasis is always on flash instead of substance. So all your shallow, glittering particle effects and button-mashing gameplay elements get all the attention first, while the overall core game design gets put off until the end.
I haven't been to the show in the past three years, partly because it's inconvenient (companies never pay for employees to go to the show unless they're working at it, and EA makes employees take personal time off to see it). But mostly because it's depressing to see the state of the videogames industry. Lots of stupid, flashy stuff with no substance.
I'd wanted to go this year, just for the novelty of it, but couldn't book a hotel room. It's just as well; it sounds like I need at least another year to get back in the mood to see another loud, flashy trade show.
This is a personal blog for Chuck Jordan, a writer and game designer living in Oakland, CA. There's a little more info on my About Page.
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text:
Morrissey, Francis "Frank," 76, of Loch
Sheldrake, died May 29, 2005 at home.
Colonial Memorial Funeral Home.
Israelski, Sam, of Great Neck, N.Y., passed
away. Nassau North Chapel. 516-487-9600
Evans Jr., Paul H., 81, of Cornwall, died
May 29, 2005 in Newburgh. Quigley Bros.
Funeral Home. 845-534-9424
Knerr, Agnes M., 81, of Wesley Hills, died
May 27, 2005. Wanamaker and Carlough
Fisher, Raymond W., of Walden, died May 29,
2005 in Newburgh. DeWitt Funeral Home.
Connolly, Clara, 76, of New Paltz, died May
28, 2005 at home. Copeland Funeral Home.
Haviland, Gerald S., 74, of Liberty, died
May 28, 2005 in Liberty. Ramsay's Funeral
Homes Inc. 845-292-7160
Kinne, Charles B., 77, of Eldred, died May
29, 2005 at home. Knight-Auchmoody Funeral
Home. 845-856-3312
Stifano, Joseph Marco, 90, of Middletown,
died May 29, 2005 in Middletown. Morse
Funeral Home, Inc. 845-343-6918
Leahy, Marilyn E., 57, of Pomona, died May
29, 2005 in Nyack. Wanamaker and Carlough
From, Stanley Lucian, 84, of Tuxedo Park,
died May 27, 2005 in Tuxedo Park, N.Y.
Scarr Funeral Home.
www.scarrfuneralhome.com or 845-357-1137
Baker Sr., Robert Forrester, 81, of West
Milford, N.J., died May 29, 2005 at the
Chilton Memorial Hospital. Richards Funeral
Raymond, Frank C., 76, of Wappingers Falls,
died May 29, 2005 in Poughkeepsie. McHoul
Crofoot, John Rea, 79, of New Port Richey,
Fla. and formerly of Middletown, died
Saturday May 28, 2005 in New Port Richey,
Fla. Cornelius, Dodd & Connell, Inc.
RAYMOND W. FISHER
Walden, N.Y.Raymond W. Fisher, of Walden, a loving
son, brother and cousin, died May 29, 2005
at St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, N.Y. He
was a lifetime area resident born in
Suffern, N.Y. on July 8, 1965.Survived by his parents, Howard R. and
Caroline Arquitte Fisher Jr., of Walden and
four sisters, Brenda Rose and Melissia
Degrote of Walden, Synthia Nuise and Cheryl
Osborne of Wallkill. Two brothers, Howard
Fisher of Pine Bush and Brian Fisher of
Newburgh and many aunts, uncles, nieces,
nephews and cousins.Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m.
Thursday at DeWitt Funeral Home, 64 Center
St., Pine Bush.Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9
p.m. on Wednesday.Burial will be in New Prospect Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made
to the American Cancer Society.
FRANCIS "FRANK" MORRISSEY
Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.Francis "Frank" Morrissey, of Loch
Sheldrake, passed away Sunday, May 29, 2005
at home in Loch Sheldrake. He was 76. He was the son of William A. and Mary
Garrison Morrissey. He was born August 7,
1928 in New York City. Survivors include his sister Irene Picone
and her husband Richard of Inverness Fla.,
as well as his extended friends and family
at New Hope Community. He was predeceased by one brother and four
sisters. Visitation will be Wednesday June 1, 2005
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Colonial Memorial
Funeral Home, 396 Main Street, Woodbourne.Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m. at
The Church of The Immaculate Conception,
State Route 42, Woodbourne. For Further information contact us at
www.colonialbryantfuneralhome.com.
CLARA CONNOLLY
New Paltz, N.Y.Clara Connolly, a retired custodian for
SUNY College at New Paltz and lifetime
resident of the area, died Saturday, May
28, 2005 at home. She was 76.The daughter of the late William Connolly
and Anna Berrian, she was born July 31,
1928 in New Paltz.She was a member of the New Paltz United
Methodist Church, AARP #975, New Paltz
Gardiner Senior Citizens.Survivors include several cousins, close
friends and neighbors.Calling hours will be held from 2 to 4
p.m. Thursday, June 2 at Copeland Funeral
Home, Inc., 162 S. Putt Corners Rd., New
Paltz.Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m.
Friday, June — at the funeral home with the
Rev. Dorothy Caldwell officiating.Burial will be in the New Paltz Rural
Cemetery in New Paltz.Donations may be made to the New Paltz
United Methodist Church, Grove St., New
Paltz, NY 12561.Arrangements by Copeland Funeral Home.
MARILYN E. LEAHY
Pomona, N.Y.Marilyn E. Leahy, of Pomona, died
peacefully on May 29, 2005 at Nyack
Hospital. She was 57 years old.She was born on May 7, 1948 in Suffern,
N.Y. to Griswold Conklin and Dorothy
Conklin (Hagedorn).Survivors include her loving husband Peter
Leahy of Pomona, N.Y.; six loving children,
Linda Mancuso of Highland Mills, Carolyn
Leahy of Newport News, Va., Heather Leahy
of Pearl River, Lisa Leahy of Panama City,
Fla., Peter Leahy of Pomona, N.Y., Sharon
Leahy of Pomona, N.Y.; one sister, Sandra
Dostal of Goshen, N.Y.; 10 cherished
grandchildren; and several nieces and
nephews.The family will be present to receive
friends and relatives on Wednesday, June —
from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wanamaker and
Carlough Funeral Home, 177 Route 59,
Suffern.A funeral service will be celebrated on
Thursday, June 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the
funeral home.Burial will follow in the family plot at
Brick Church Cemetery, New Hempstead, N.Y.For guest book and directions, visit
www.wanamakercarlough.com
GERALD S. HAVILAND
Liberty, N.Y.Gerald S. Haviland, of Liberty, passed
away on Saturday May 28, 2005 at the
Sullivan County Adult Care Center in
Liberty, N.Y. He was 74. The son of the late Maxwell and Pearl
Briggs Slave, he was born on August 30,
1930 in Pittsfield, MA. He was retired from the Army Reserves
after serving 20 years as a Master Sergeant
in charge of a 105 mm Howitzer Group. He
was also retired from the NYC Transit
Authority. He is survived by his wife Geraldine
Kamiski Haviland of Liberty; two sons,
Douglas Haviland and his wife Susan of
Rehobeth, MA and Robert Haviland and his
wife Patricia of Belair, MD; as well as
four grandchildren, Sarah, James, Jessica
and Katie. Funeral services will be held at Ramsay's
Funeral Home, 275 S. Main St., Liberty on
Wed. June — at — p.m. with the Rev. Richard
Hewitt officiating. Burial will be in Sullivan County Veterans
Cemetery, Sunset Lake Rd., Liberty with
Military Honors. Memorial contributions may be made to
Alzheimers Assn, Mid-Hudson Chapter, 2
Jefferson Plaza, Suite 102, Poughkeepsie,
NY 12601-4027. Funeral arrangements are by Ramsay's
Funeral Homes Inc., Liberty.
PAUL H. EVANS JR.
Cornwall, N.Y.Paul H. Evans Jr., 81, of Cornwall, a
retired security guard for Cornwall
Hospital, died Sunday, May 29, 2005 at St.
Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh.The son of Paul H. Evans Sr. and Adelaide
Knapp Evans, he was born January 20, 1924
in Morristown, N.J. Paul was a member of the B P O E, Elks #
247 in Newburgh and an umpire with the
American Softball Association in the area.Survivors include his wife Doris Wood
Evans at home; three daughters: Judy Miller
of New Windsor, Paula K. Eddie & husband
Rod of Cornwall, Pam Napoli & her fianc?
Bill Thorpe of Rock Tavern; two sisters:
Mary Ellen Schirmer of Vermont, Mary Ann
Osterhaut of Florida; two brothers-in-law:
Donald Wood & Ed Schirmer; five
grandchildren: Bill Miller, Rachael
Staples, Heath Eddie, Rori Eddie, & Michael
Napoli; five great-grandchildren; and
several nieces & nephews. There will be no public calling hours.Memorial services will be 10 a.m.
Wednesday, June — at the funeral home.Cremation will be in Cedar Hill Crematory,
Newburgh. Funeral arrangements by: Kevin Quigley of
Quigley Bros. Funeral Home, 337 Hudson St.,
Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY 12520. 845-534-9424
www.QuigleyBros.com
SAM ISRAELSKI
Lake Success, N.Y.Sam Israelski, son of Dora and Itzhak
Israelski is survived by his wife Shery, —
sons, Ira, Dennis, and Ronnie, their wives,
Robin, Kristina and Mary, 8 grandchildren,
Aaron, Julia, Michelle, Katelyn, Sean,
Aidan, Alec and Kamryn, and his sister
Sally. He was born in Wloclawek, Poland. Of his
seven family members only he and his sister
Sally survived the Holocaust. From 1939 -
1945 Sam survived as a prisoner in labor
and extermination camps. After the
liberation Sam married Shery Pollak and
immigrated to the U.S. He worked his way up
from menial jobs to becoming president of
Valerie Sportswear. He raised three sons
two of whom are physicians and one a
special education administrator who later
joined his dad in business. Sam was a true humanitarian who dedicated
his life to philanthropic endeavors. Sam
loved this country so much and helped bring
other families from Europe and Israel to
America enabling them to realize the
American dream. A truly great man who
touched so many lives, he will be greatly
missed. Funeral Service was held at Riverside
Nassau Chapel on Friday May 27th and Shiva
call from 2-8 Sun.-Wed at the Israelski
residence in Lake Success, N.Y. Shiva call will be held locally at the
Israelski residence at 5 Woodcrest Lane,
Goshen, N.Y. Thursday Night 5:30 - 9 p.m.
STANLEY LUCIA FROM
Tuxedo Park, N.Y.Stanley Lucian From, 84, died peacefully
at the home of his daughter and her
husband, Nancy and Patrick Bourke of Tuxedo
Park, on May 27, 2005 after a long battle
with cancer.The son of Stanley From and Olympia
Wrzesienski From, he was born May 22, 1921
in Wawaywanda, N.Y.He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during
World War II, and was a sales
representative for Yale Lock Company for
over 25 years.Before moving to this area, he resided in
Brick, N.J. and Orlando, Fla.He especially enjoyed his family and was
very proud of his grandchildren.Survivors include his wife of 56 years,
Evelyn Sahler From, at home; two daughters,
Mary From of West Warwick, R.I. and Nancy
From Bourke and her husband, Patrick, of
Tuxedo Park; four grandchildren: Paul,
Michael, and Peter Bourke, and Kristie
Emproto; one brother, Theodore From of
Wappinger Falls, N.Y.; and several nieces
and nephews. He was predeceased by five
brothers: Joseph, Paul, Edward, Henry, and
Leon; and three sisters: Anne Flanagan,
Adele From, and Gertrude Rozanski.A Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated on Wednesday June — at 11 AM in
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Tuxedo,
N.Y., where the Rev. John F.X. Smith will
be the Celebrant. Burial will follow at
Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, N.J.Friends may call on Tuesday from 5-8 PM at
the Scarr Funeral Home, Inc., Route 202,
Suffern, N.Y.Memorial contributions may be made to the
Tuxedo Volunteer Ambulance Corp.For directions or to sign Stanley's
guestbook, please visit
www.scarrfuneralhome.com.
ROBERT FORRESTER BAKER SR.
West Milford, N.J.Robert Forrester Baker Sr., age 81, of
West Milford, died on Sunday, May 29, 2005
at the Chilton Memorial Hospital. Born in Sommerville, MA, he resided in
Elizabeth, NJ before moving to West Milford
61 years ago.He was employed by Armament Research &
Development at Picatinny Arsenal as a
chemical engineer and metallurgist for the
US Army for 32 years. Mr. Baker was a Navy
veteran of World War II and served as a
Electronic Technician's Mate Third Class.
He graduated from Bucknell University in
the class of '44 with a BS. His memberships
include: lifetime member of West Milford
PTA; original West Milford Planning Board
member; former West Milford Library Board
President; President of the Macopin
Volunteer Fire Co.; one of the founders of
the West Milford Little League; Past
President of the Lindy's Lake Association;
Boy Scout Troop 44; the first recipient of
the Mary Haase Lifetime Volunteer Award;
past board member of the Bucknell
University Bison Club and a recipient of
the Bison Club Award; recipient of the
Loyalty to Bucknell University Award;
President Alumni Board — Sigma Chi at
Bucknell University. Mr. Baker is survived by his wife of 61
years, the former Helen (Honey) Rhinesmith
Baker. Also surviving are three sons,
Robert F. Jr. of East Norwalk, CT, Thomas
H. of Langhorne, PA and Timothy H. of
Chicago, IL; one daughter, Kitty Sarro of
Newburgh, NY; one sister, Mary Meseck of
Brevard, NC; four granddaughters, Lisa
Breault, Laurel Baker, Kyle Baker and
Rebecca Sarro; one great granddaughter,
Maggie Breault; predeceased by a brother
Eric J. Jr. in 1985. Private funeral arrangements by the
Richards Funeral Home, 1440 Union Valley
Road, West Milford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made
to Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA or to
the charity of your choice.
www.richardsfuneralhome.com
AGNES M. KNERR
Wesley Hills, N.Y.Agnes M. Knerr, of Wesley Hills, passed
away Friday, May 27, 2005 at Good Samaritan
Hospital. She was 81 years old.Mrs. Knerr was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on
August 20, 1923 to Agnes V. Doyle (McAleer)
and Joseph Doyle. She married George F.
Knerr on February 2, 1944 at St. Clement's
R.C. Church, Queens.Agnes was a graduate of Rockland Community
College and Dominican College.She is survived by her devoted husband
George F. of Wesley Hills and her nine
loving children, Kathleen and her husband
Thomas McFarland of New City, N.Y., Maureen
and her husband Kevin Byrnes of Baltimore,
Md., Eileen Patricia and her husband Joseph
Geraci of Ridgefield, Conn., Joan and her
husband William Whitehouse of Haverstraw,
N.Y., Paul and his wife Anne Knerr of
Montreal, Canada, Rita and her husband
Dennis Riehman of Ossining, N.Y., Frank
Knerr of Nanuet, N.Y., Bernadette and her
husband Peter Alcide of Monroe, N.Y.,
Marybeth Interdonato of Ridgefield, Conn.;
two brothers, Joseph Doyle of Succasunna,
N.J. and Frank Doyle of San Diego, Calif.;
23 cherished grandchildren; five cherished
great-grandchildren.Agnes was predeceased by her son Thomas
Michael.The family will be present to receive
friends and relatives on Monday, May 30 and
Tuesday, May 31 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
at the Wanamaker and Carlough Funeral Home,
177 Route 59, Suffern.A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30
a.m. on Wednesday, June — at St. Bonafice
Church in Wesley Hills.Burial will follow in Pinelawn Cemetery in
Long Island.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made
to the George and Agnes Knerr Endowed
Scholarship Fund in Nursing. Send donations
made payable to Pace University (Office of
Philanthropy) — Place Plaza, New York, NY
10038.For guest book and directions, visit
wanamakercarlough.com
FRANK C. "WHITEY" RAYMOND
Wappingers Falls, N.Y.Frank C. "Whitey" Raymond, a lifelong
local area resident, died May 29, 2005 at
Vassar Brothers Medical Center in
Poughkeepsie. He was 76.The son of Charles and Mary Zablinska
Raymond, he was born October 8, 1928 in
Beacon.He graduated from Beacon High School in
1946 and served in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War. For over 30 years, he was a
planner at IBM in Poughkeepsie. He was more
recently employed as a golf starter at the
Casperkill Country Club.He was a member of St. Columba Church,
Hopewell Junction and belonged to IBM's
Quarter Century Club and was actively
involved in many local community sport
associations. For 52 years, he was a member
of the International Association of
Approved Basketball Officials, Board 114,
having been past president and currently
serving as secretary and treasurer. He ran
the Friday Night Golf League at IBM Country
Club for 32 years. He was a lifetime member
of the Southern Dutchess Country Club,
where he was past president, secretary,
treasurer, golf chairman and served on the
board of directors.Survivors include his daughter, Robin Ann
Thomas and her husband Wayne of West Haven,
Conn.; son, Mark Raymond and his wife Joyce
of Martinsburg, W.Va.; daughter, Lisa Pray
and her husband Bill of Stormville, N.Y.;
son, Gary Raymond of Pleasant Valley, N.Y.;
two sisters, Mary LePore of Tucson, Ariz.,
Katherine Maurer of Carthage, N.Y.He will be remembered as the "Coolest
Grandfather Ever." Eight grandchildren,
Heather Zeno of Wappingers Falls, Vincent,
Joshua, and Nicolette Raymond of W.Va.,
Courtney and William Pray of Stormville and
Lyza and Brooke Raymond of Pleasant Valley;
former wife and friend, Carol Ann Enson;
and several nieces and nephews.He was predeceased by his granddaughter,
Emely Raymond in 2000; brother, Joseph
Raymond, and sisters, Helen Penacchio, Rose
Case, Lillian Phillips and Frances Palmer.Calling hours will be held on Tuesday
(today) and Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to
9 p.m. at the McHoul Funeral Home, Inc.,
895 Route 82, Hopewell Junction.A Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated on Thursday at 10 a.m. at St.
Columba Church, 835 Route 82, Hopewell
Junction, followed by interment.For driving directions or to send the
Raymond family an online condolence, please
visit www.McHoulFuneralHome.com
JOSEPH MARCO STIFANO
Middletown, N.Y.Joseph Marco Stifano, a Middletown
resident since 1934, died Sunday May 29,
2005 at Orange Regional Medical Center at
Horton Campus after a short illness. He was
90 years old. He was the son of the late Michael and
Victoria DeBello Stifano. Joe was born on
May 21, 1915 in Genoa, Italy. He attended schools in Genoa, Italy, and
Middletown, N.Y. and worked in the heating
and sheet metal industry for over 40 years
before his retirement from C. R. Wolf in
1982. Joe was a parishioner of St. Joseph
Roman Catholic Church, as well as a member
of The Holy Name Society, and the Knights
of Columbus. Joe opened the church at 6
a.m. every Sunday and acted as an usher at
St. Joseph's for over 50 years. A family statement reads: "Joe was a
dedicated, compassionate and reliable
servant of the people, and devoted his
lifetime to his family and his religion.
His favorite pastime was spending time with
his family and friends. Joe loved to fish
and picnic along the Neversink and
Delaware Rivers with all who would join
him." He was affectionately known as "Father
Time", for his extensive clock collection.
Joe will be remembered for brightening up a
room with his smile and joy as he greeted a
friend or family member. He is survived by his beloved wife Joan
Anne Bianchi Stifano, of 62 years, his
daughter Antonia "Toni" Stifano-Walton and
her husband Marc of Ashton, Maryland and
son Joseph "Gebo" Stifano and his companion
Joyce Bidwell Watts of Wurtsboro, along
with 29 nieces and nephews, and many great-
nieces and nephews.He was predeceased by his father Michael
Stifano, mother Victoria DeBello Stifano,
and a brother Anthony Stifano. Family and friends may visit on Wednesday
June 1, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Morse
Funeral Home, Inc., 33 Railroad Ave.,
Middletown, with prayer services at 8 p.m.A Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated on Thursday, June 2 at 11 a.m.
at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church,
Middletown. Burial will follow in the family plot in
St. Joseph Cemetery. Memorial contributions in his honor may be
made to St. Joseph School, 149 Cottage
Street, Middletown, NY 10940 and St. Teresa
Nursing Home, 120 Highland Ave.,
Middletown, NY 10940.Arrangements were made under the guidance
of Morse Funeral Home, Inc., Middletown.
JOHN REA CROFOOT
New Port Richey, Fla.
Formerly of Middletown, N.Y.John Rea Crofoot, born July 14, 1925, son
of Robert Rea & Louie Higby Crofoot in
Constableville, N.Y., entered into rest May
28, 2005 after a long battle with Multiple
Myloma.John graduated Constableville High School
in 1943 and joined the US Navy in October
1943 serving on LST 629 in the Pacific. He
returned in April of 1946. He married the
late Jean Gleasman. They had a son, Dennis
John Crofoot and a daughter, Rosemary
Crouse. Jean died of Cancer December 28,
1958. In October of 1956 he married Rose
Bickford officiated by Father Edward Goulet
at St. Joseph's Church. They had a
daughter, Nancy Crofoot and three sons:
Steven Michael, Douglas Paul and John
Richard. John worked thirty-six years for General
Telephone in Boonville, Johnstown and
Middletown, N.Y. He retired in 1987. John
was a past lector at St. Joseph's Church in
Middletown. Also, he was past President and
District Governor of the Middletown Lions
Club serving in 1985-1986; also a past
Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus; a
former President of Middletown Little
League; a Scout Master in the Cub Scouts.
John was also active in the Palm Harbor,
Fla. Lions Club, the Salvation Army, and
the Elks Club in Middletown as well as a
volunteer fireman. John is survived by his devoted wife, Rose
Bickford Crofoot, at home; his sons, Dennis
Crofoot and his wife Debbie of Boonville,
N.Y.; Steven Crofoot and his wife Andrea of
Pine Bush; Douglas Crofoot and his
companion Dawn Boehlke of Haines Falls,
N.Y.; and John Crofoot and his wife Karen
of Montgomery, N.Y. Two daughters, Rosemary
Crouse and her husband Gerald of Boonville,
N.Y. and Nancy Crofoot of Newtown, Conn. In
addition, a brother, Donald Crofoot of Port
Leydon, N.Y., eleven grandchildren, seven
great-grandchildren, one
great-great-grandson and several nieces and
nephews. He was pre-deceased by his first wife,
Jean Gleasman; brothers Gerald, Paul,
Robert, and his sisters Betty Jean Crofoot,
Margaret Donelly, and Johanna Merriam.Visitation will be held on Wednesday, June
1, at the Cornelius, Dodd & Connell Funeral
Home on 26 Grove Street from 6-9 p.m. Also
a service by the Middletown Lions Club at 7
p.m., followed by the Knights of Columbus
at 7:30 p.m. and a wake service at 8 p.m. A second visitation will be held at the
Trainor Funeral Home on 143 Schuyler Street
in Boonville, N.Y. on June 2, from 6-9 p.m.
A wake service will also be conducted. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place
on June 3, at St. Joseph's Church in
Boonville at 10 a.m. Father Donald Karlen
and Father David Orzel will officiate.Burial will be in the Constableville Rural
Cemetery, Constableville, N.Y. A family statement reads: "John was a
loving and devoted husband, father,
grandfather and great-grandfather. He
served his community and fellow man more so
through his actions rather than by his
words. And most of all, he was a faithful
servant of God. May God Bless him. We love
you!" Memorial contributions can be made to
either St. Joseph's Church, 149 Cottage
Street, Middletown, NY 10940 or St.
Joseph's Church, 110 Charles Street,
Boonville, NY 13309. Arrangements are under the direction of
Cornelius, Dodd & Connell Funeral Home, 26
Grove Street, Middletown, NY 10940, (845)
343-2142 and Trainor Funeral Home, 143
Schuyler Street, Boonville, NY 13309, (315)

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July 19, 2018 July 18, 2018 Chris SunamiBest, Existentialism, Humanism, Lists, Morality, Movies, Popular Culture, Reviews, Social Issues, Top 10 Movies, Values
Repost: Just rewatched this amazing film recently, and what once felt like a warning from the near future now feels ripped from the headlines…
Today, most people know director Alfonso Cuarón as the first Latino to win the Oscar for Best Director (for 2013's space thriller, Gravity). Others may remember him for 2001's bawdy road movie, Y Tu Mama Tambien. In my opinion, however, the best work in his strong portfolio is 2006's dystopian drama Children of Men.
As with Y Tu Mama, Cuarón takes what seems like a shopworn premise (in that case, a buddy-comedy sex-farce, in this case, a post-apocalyptic chase-thriller) and not only adds some unexpected twists at the surface level, but also a wealth of depth at the very edge of consciousness. The film is a feast of visual details and allusions, many of which flicker only briefly across the screen without calling notice to themselves.
The first sign that we are not dealing with a standard-issue science-fiction potboiler comes in the very opening scenes of the movie. This is a setting in which the end of the world as we know it has come not with a bang, but a whimper. The nature of the disaster is buried in the news story playing as the movie begins: The death of the world's youngest person in a bar fight. It takes a moment for the implications to sink in. A world where the world's youngest person is old enough to go to a bar is a world where no new children have been born in a very long time. As we enter into the film, we begin to catch glimpses of a larger world where the suspicion of being the last human generation has caused most of humanity to gradually sink into apathy and despair, and the remainder to enter a vicious cycle of increasing violence and oppression.
What makes the world of Cuarón's imagination seem so real is not only that there's very little futuristic about it, but also that all the elements are merely amplifications of things that are already happening. The central trope of Britain maintaining itself as an island of stability at the cost of fascism and brutal anti-immigrationism has echoes of Europe's real-life declining fertility and ambivalence about sustaining population growth through immigration, as well as the ongoing immigration debate in the United States (with reference to Cuarón's native Mexico). Later, disturbing scenes of a refugee camp deliberately reference not only the Holocaust, but those notorious sites of United States sponsored torture, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.
In the end, what I found most striking about this often grim but profoundly humanist film was how many of the major and minor characters within it were not only willing, but eager to risk or even lose their lives merely to help a stranger and her unborn child survive. In a world with no other hopes for a future, the chance to support even so uncertain a tomorrow was seen as an opportunity rather than an imposition.
To summarize: Not only a good film, a humane film and a compassionate film, but also an important film; a experience not only of visual depth, but also of emotional and intellectual depth as well.
Top 10 Movies: #2 – Do the Right Thing
Top 10 Movies: #3 – Casablanca
Top 10 Movies: #4 – Stand By Me
Top 10 Movies: #5 – The Princess Bride
Top 10 Movies: #6 – The Graduate
Top 10 Movies: #7 – Eternal Sunshine (Reconstructivist Art)
Top 10 Movies: #9 – The Breakfast Club
Top 10 Movies: #10 – Airplane!
2018 US Midterm Elections
Zora Neale Hurston and the Problem of Audience
1 thought on "Top 10 Movies: #1 – Children of Men"
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Get in touch with Water Time Outfitters.
We've been looking forward to hearing from you. To give us a little more information, or to get back to you in short order, please take a moment and tell us a little about yourself. None of it is required, of course. You can simply call us or email at the locations below the form. Let's go fishing!
Joining you on a guided tripImproving my Spey castingBecoming a more proficient fly fisherCatching more fishAny and all of the above!
Being a small business guiding on Oregon's finest waters, cancellations affect us greatly. When WTO reserves your fishing date we allocate precious resources to that time frame. Each season affords us only small windows to maintain our company as a small family run business thriving amidst the ups and downs of NW fisheries. Cancellations received 60 days in advance of the trip date will receive a full refund. Any cancellations received less than 60 days from the trip date we will do our best to reschedule your trip if possible but last minute changes are often difficult as we are booked well in advance and deposits will not be refunded. We recommend purchasing trip insurance to protect you against unexpected changes to your travel plans. When weather and water conditions do not allow us to fish we will refund your deposit in full or reschedule your trip to an agreed upon fishing date.


Welcome to the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature's website! This site provides a ready reference to information and news about the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature (ECPL), situated in Bhisho, is the provincial legislative power. The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature is a people's assembly that upholds democracy and transparency and is committed to uplifting the life of the people in the Eastern Cape by effectively administering its constitutional obligations.
It is important to know how the Legislature works, because it belongs to you; the people of our beautiful province. You voted for a political party to represent you in the Provincial Legislature; therefore MPLs have the responsibility of ensuring that you are informed of all aspects within the province that affect you, your family or your community. You need to know how, when and where you can participate and influence the decisions that are taken in the Legislature.
This means that the Legislature must be open and accountable. It means that ordinary people must be able to see and hear what is happening here. It means that you must be able to meet your public representatives and ask them about the work that they are doing to ensure a better life for you. You also have the responsibility to voice your support or disapproval on issues that affect your daily living. Tell the MPLs about your problems that you face in your community. This is your right!


Regular visitors of the site might have noted that there have not been a lot of new posts lately. The reason for that is that a few months ago, we moved over to Southern California. Even though I am now in vegan wonderland, a piece of my heart is still with Paris. Each vegan find was like a hard-earned victory.
I have a few places and things I never got round to writing about, so I will be posting occasionally. I really have been touched by the kind words in the comments on the site and appreciate the many commenters who have taken the time to share their knowledge with us all. Writing this site was a real pleasure, and through it I met so many wonderful people. I hope that our paths will cross again, perhaps on one of my forthcoming visits back to Paris. I am looking forward to writing about new Vegan Paris discoveries!
Emily – are you Liz's daughter?
I live in Paris and just had an amazing vegan lunch near Rue Mouffetard. wonderful!
You should always promote Gentle Gourmet as well. She's an American who has lived in Paris for over 20 years and runs the Paris Vegan Festival.
I have found your site very helpful.. I am visiting Paris from where I live in Southern California and it has been challenging to find a restaurant where my only options are not lettuce with oil and vinegar.


I am Brandon Melendez and I'm the commercial Truck Expert here at the Keffer Ram Truck Commercial Center. Please call or email me and let me know how I can help. We are the "Family Store" and the home of the Guaranteed Low Price.


With the World Economic Forum in Myanmar, the Young Global Leaders were interested in learning more about different aspects of the country's economic and cultural life. We helped the organizers develop a program for an "Art Learning Journey" which would give this group of highly accomplished professionals a quick appreciation of Myanmar's contemporary art scene. It was a bit like speed dating - there was a quick introduction, and then they were rushed off to the next thing. Together with some of our artist and gallerist friends, we hosted them in River during the morning then headed off to Lokanat Gallery to see Yangon's first art gallery, before having a special tour of The Secretariat - one of Yangon's most fabulous colonial buildings, which we hope will become the site of a future art museum. There was a brief midday visit to Padauk 7000, an experimental art space, and then onto Khin Zaw Lat's gallery to meet the younger generation of conceptual artists. It was a rewarding day for everyone;the YGL's had a glimpse of the challenges faced by artists in Myanmar, and our artists had the benefit of exchanges with successful professionals from other countries, all of whom had a keen appreciation of visual art.
The visitors bought with them and donated to the art community about 60 art books. These will reside with Ko Aung in the Pansodan Gallery until there is an Art Library as a permanent home.
Strong demand for works from south-east asian countries highlights a developing trend, as collectors turn their attention from the more established contemporary markets of China and Indian to the most talented artists of the smaller countries in the region. We expect that Myanmar will be included in this south-east asian category within the next 12 months.
Last week I went to visit Khin Maung Yin, one of Myanmar's most esteemed and beloved artists. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by paints and canvases, looking at some books someone had just brought him. He was delighted by the books as they all used his painting images on their front covers, and seeing them brought back memories of those works and when he had created them. He was full of fun and devilment, teasing Aung Myint, who had accompanied me, and telling stories about the 400 students of English who come to his small house for lessons and laughs. Although partially paralyzed from a stroke, Khin Maung Yin is undimmed by age, still painting every day and receiving legions of visitors. Long may it continue.
In an extended interview, Htein Lin talks about his journey as an artist, from his early days as a student through to his years in prison, to his current chapter living in the UK. At the end of the interview he reveals that he will be moving back to Myanmar in the coming months - something we at RIver are much looking forward to.
In conjunction with the Calcutta Arts Club, River Gallery artists are highlighted in a group show that will travel to several Indian cities over the next six months. At the preview on Tuesday, viewers were able to see a diversity range of works from five of Myanmar's top contemporary talents.
Pls view the following link.
One of Myanmar's most acclaimed abstract artists, Myo Khin has just published a book about his artistic career and his philosophy of art. A bi-lingual publication, it provides a unique insight into one of Myanmar's most thoughtful and thought-provoking artists.
Photo journalist, Cedric Arnold, investigates Myanmar's contemporary art scene, interviewing River Gallery artist Yang Naing Tun about his work.


I love this great looking lamp from West Elm! Looks like a one of kind find.
Love that lamp too. And the vintage glassware is actually from Estate Eclectic!
Yesterday I went to their pop-up store in Georgetown DC. The new collection is amazing!
Love that lamp. Thanks for the tip. That rattan tray is really nice, I've used it for a client.
that lamo is by far my fave west elm one so far…ive contemplated buying it…but dont really need another lamp 🙁 Love it though..i bet i'll regret not getting it!!
I like the tray looks good, not too sure about the lamp, interesting design but not something for me.


text:
A Walking Tour of Downtown St.George, Utah
By Suz November 30, 2017 March 30, 2018
Some Sentimental Stuff
St. George, Utah, is a city from my childhood. My grandparents retired there when I was 6, and I have wonderful memories of staying with them over school breaks into my adulthood. I'm very close to my grandparents, and we always had a great time together eating at their favorite restaurants, taking scenic drives into Zion National Park, and wandering the streets to their favorite stores or landmarks.
In February 2017 my 91-year-old grandfather passed away. I immediately flew in from North Carolina for the funeral, and stepped into their familiar 3-bedroom condo under a dark cloud. My mom, aunts, uncles, and grandmother were all there playing our favorite card game and laughing through my grandfather's old pictures; sharing memories of the wonderful life they'd lived together. Me; I just missed him. Four months later my 90-year-old grandmother moved to a retirement community in Salt Lake City, where she could be watched by attentive staff and my aunt who lives nearby.
This Thanksgiving was the first time I've stayed at their St. George condo in a few years, and it was both wonderful to be back and surreal without either of my grandparents. We visited with my sister and her family, and happily started making new family memories amid the pictures and figurines from the past.
We had an incredible time filling each hour of our 3 days together. As a group we rappelled off of the Dixie Sugarloaf in Pioneer Park, hiked in Zion National Park, mountain biked, played cards, and ate. And ate. And ate.
My sister and her family left a day earlier than we, so Saturday afternoon was spent slowly wandering the adorable St. George downtown as a family of 3 to recuperate from our adventurous week.
I do love this place. The shops are unique and friendly, the street art and architecture are beautiful, and the family-friendly activities are endless.
But I missed my grandparents.
I don't think I'll ever go back.
A Walking Tour of Downtown St. George
Park at the Children's Museum to begin. The St. George Children's Museum is 2 floors of interactive fun, including many different interactive rooms. Whit's favorite was the broadcast room on the first floor. It features a stage with working curtains, dress up, and a light booth to control music and lighting. Whit fluttered from light booth to curtain manager to performer quite happily for around an hour. Seriously. An hour. Ben and I just sat in the audience chairs and made sure he hadn't left the room. Plus, the museum runs off of donations so we chose to pay $10 as a family. I call that a win!
Leave your car at the Children's museum and walk north towards downtown. The street you're on, Main Street, is full of super cute boutiques and street art. Enjoy!
Turn right at St. George Blvd. for more cute shops and restaurants. My favorite shop here is M & S Turquoise, which showcases some of the most beautiful, genuine, handcrafted turquoise from local native american artists. Ask for Karen and say Ricki's granddaughter sent you and she'll treat you well! You can also find dreamcatchers, incense, and prayer rocks there to make your trip complete. Two diners on this road boast great burgers and milkshakes to really drive home the small-town America feel!
Pictured below is the Tabernacle on Main Street. It's a historic building to the Latter-Day Saint faith, and is currently being remodeled. It will be so cool when it's finished!
Stop at the St. George Carousel behind the Tabernacle on your walk back. It only costs $1/ ride, which includes a free ride for children 42″ and under with a paying adult! We love carousels. $5 well spent!
You can walk or drive from the Children's Museum parking lot to the LDS Temple a couple blocks away. It's one of my favorite buildings in the entire world. It holds spiritual significance for me, but is also simply gorgeous (and I have a weakness for beautiful architecture.) Take a picnic on the large grounds, walk around and up the giant staircases, or visit the Visitor's Center for more information on it's construction and religious significance. All welcome to wander!
Walking Tour of Downtown St. George, Utah Details:
St. George Children's Museum: 86 South Main Street.
Cost: Donation ($4/ adult and $3/ child recommended)
Plan on a couple hours of play
Boutiques and Antique Stores
Visitors Center: 20 N Main St #105
St. George Blvd
Boutiques and restaurants
View Pioneer Park red rocks and Dixie Sugarloaf
Twisted Noodle Cafe, 20 North Main St.
American, vegetarian, healthy
One Hot Grill, 14 Tabernacle St
American, Hot Dogs
Larsen's Frostop Drive-In, 858 St George Blvd
American, Milkshakes, Burgers
St. George Carousel: 50 South Main Street
Cost: $1/ rider, plus free child admission with paying adult
St. George LDS Temple & Visitors Center: 250 E 400 S
Bring a picnic
Walk the grounds
Visit the visitors center for videos and dioramas
While you're in Utah check out our other tour guides on Park City, The Nebo Loop, and Sundance!
A Canon 60D camera was used for most photos and videos. Consider getting your own by clicking here!
(This is an affiliate link. I will receive a small commision if you choose to purchase this product.)
Tags st. george utah
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Midway Ice Castle: Worth It! (Even When Melting)


text:
Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.
Credit Opinion: Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.: Update to credit analysis following the outlook revision to stable
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review for a group of Cruise and Lodging issuers
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns Ba1 CFR to Hilton Domestic Operating Company, withdraws ratings from Hilton Worldwide Finance
Rating Action: Moody's assigns a Ba2 to Hilton's proposed $1.0 billion senior unsecured note issuances
Moody's changes Hilton's outlook to stable from negative; affirms Ba1 CFR
New York, May 17, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") today changed the outlook of Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc. (combined herein with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. as "Hilton") to stable from negative. At the same time, Moody's affirmed its corporate family rating at Ba1, probability of default rating at Ba1-PD, senior secured credit facility at Baa3 and senior unsecured rating at Ba2. The company's speculative grade liquidity rating of SGL-1 remains unchanged.
"The revision of Hilton's outlook to stable reflects the improved operating environment. In the first quarter of 2022 Hilton's revenue per available room ("RevPAR") improved to within 17% of 2019 – which Moody's forecasts will enable that the company to achieve debt/EBITDA at around its downgrade factor of 4.5x at the end of 2022," stated Pete Trombetta, Moody's lodging analyst. Despite the near term impacts from the Omicron variant in early 2022, Hilton's EBITDA in the first quarter of 2022 improved to 90% of 2019. Leisure travel continues to drive the stronger EBITDA results with business travel lagging, but improving through the early months of 2022. Moody's forecasts that continued pricing strength for leisure travel this summer with increasing occupancy levels and a gradual ramp up in group and large corporate business travel throughout the year will improve Hilton's debt/EBITDA(as adjusted by Moody's) to about 4.5x at the end of 2022 from 5.6x for the 12 months ended March 31, 2022.
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc.
.... Corporate Family Rating, Affirmed Ba1
.... Probability of Default Rating, Affirmed Ba1-PD
.... Gtd Senior Secured Term Loan, Affirmed Baa3 (LGD2)
.... Gtd Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility, Affirmed Baa3 (LGD2)
.... Gtd Senior Unsecured Global Notes, Affirmed Ba2 to (LGD4) from (LGD5)
Outlook Actions:
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From Negative
Hilton's corporate family rating reflects its large scale. With just over 1,080,000 rooms Hilton is the second largest rated hotel company after Marriott. Hilton's credit profile is also supported by its well-recognized brands, good diversification by geography and industry segment and its high level of franchise/management agreements that help the company maintain financial flexibility in normal economic downturns. The normal ongoing credit risks include its historically high leverage relative to other Ba1 rated companies and our expectation that the company will use its free cash flow for shareholder returns as opposed to absolute debt repayment.
Hilton's liquidity is good and reflects its solid cash balances at March 31, 2022 of $1.5 billion and full availability under its $1.75 billion committed revolver. The company is subject to a financial maintenance covenant – consolidated secured net leverage ratio (as defined) of less than 5.0x, which had ample cushion at March 31, 2022. The company has no scheduled debt maturities until its revolver expires in 2024. Hilton's management stated its intentions to return between $1.4 billion and $1.8 billion to shareholders in 2022.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
An upgrade could come if travel demand returns to near prior levels, debt/EBITDA improved to 3.5x and financial policy supported leverage remaining at that level. Ratings could be downgraded if the company's financial strategy becomes more aggressive resulting in debt/EBITDA remaining above 4.5x or EBITA/interest expense below 3.5x.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., the ultimate parent company of Hilton Domestic Operating Company Inc., is a leading hospitality company with 6,982 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels, resorts and timeshare properties comprising about 1,080,000 rooms. Net revenues for 2021 were about $2.4 billion.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Business and Consumer Services published in November 2021 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1287897. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1288235.
The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.
Peter Trombetta
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Associate Managing Director


If A Cow Laughs - Do you like to laugh? Cow Funnies!
Do you like to laugh? How about inspiration? It's easy to take ourselves too serious in business and in general right? We love selling guardrail but we really enjoy laughter at the LiveStock Steel office. What if a cow laughs? We think they do. They seem to be happy animals.
Laughing is great for the soul and is an amazing gift from God. It's healing and so good for our quality of life. It helps us cope with sadness and everyday life too. Have you ever felt mad or frustrated and then someone said something to make you laugh? You can be upset and ready to rip someone a new one and start to laugh and everything else just melts away.
Y'all have a Moooverlous Day!


Adornato rides through the intersection of art and politics with his performance art campaign: a candidate for the None Of The Above Party in the 2018 Ontario provincial election. More about this project here.
The City of Ottawa and the Diefenbunker Museum both own a real Ruined Landscape painting. Read more about this irreverent series & buy your own painting, signed-archival print, or get the coffee table book HERE!
The City of Ottawa just awarded a Creation and Production Grant to continue developing, Dystopia Rising.
Read more about this dystopian painting series..


Banking giant HSBC said first-half profits grew 10% on a year earlier, to $14.1bn (£9.2 bn) on lower bad debts and shrinking costs.
But shares in the bank fell more than 2% as the earnings haul disappointed City hopes for pre-tax profits of around $14.5bn (£9.5bn).
The banking group makes an estimated 90% of its money outside Britain and has benefited from its exposure to emerging markets in Asia.
The lender, the last of the major UK high street banks to report on first-half trading, swung back into the black in the UK with first-half profits of $2.2 bn (£1.4bn).
But HSBC set aside another $367m (£239m) to compensate customers mis-sold payment protection insurance. That takes HSBC's total bill for the mis-selling scandal – where customers were sold loan insurance they did not need or could not claim on – to £1.8bn.
The bank reported pre-tax losses of $1.6 billion (£1.1bn) in the UK a year earlier, weighed down by the cost of mis-selling claims and a money-laundering scandal in the US.
Its UK retail banking arm returned to the black with profits of $804m (£524m), and the bank said it lent £7.1bn of new mortgages to 68,000 homebuyers during the first six months of the year.
Profits in its UK business banking arm swelled more than 70% to $894m (£582m) year-on-year.
Chief executive Stuart Gulliver shrugged off 'muted' global growth – including output slowing to 7.5% in China in the second quarter.
He said the bank is well-placed to benefit from long-term trends in the global economy.


Researchers at the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis have found that commercially available brainwave entrainment devices can stimulate theta brain waves to improve memory performance.
A paper regarding the research has been published in the journal Cognitive Neuroscience.
Brainwave entrainment involves stimulating the brain into entering a specific state through the use of pulsing sound, light or an electromagnetic field. The method aims to encourage a patient's brain activity to reflect the oscillating patterns of the sensory inputs. Theta brain waves are often targeted because they can be measured outside of the head and are associated with the brain actively monitoring an activity, such as navigating through a maze.
Brainwave entrainment devices are marketed to address numerous issues including anxiety, insomnia, depression and learning difficulties. However, until now there has been very little evidence to support any of these claims.
In a previous study, Professor Charan Ranganath and his colleagues at the Center for Neuroscience found that high levels of theta wave activity immediately before a memory task were associated with a better performance.
This discovery led Brooke Roberts, a postdoctoral researcher in Ranganath's lab, to test the theory after obtaining a theta brainwave entrainment device. She conducted an experiment which involved 50 volunteers either using the device for 36 minutes or listening to 36 minutes of white noise before undertaking a simple memory test.
Participants who had used the brainwave entrainment device showed both improved memory performance and enhanced theta wave activity.
Roberts then showed her results to Ranganath, who suggested conducting more experiments with new controls. The experiment was repeated with another 40 volunteers, but this time the control group received beta wave stimulations. Beta waves are associated with normal waking consciousness.
Results from the 40-person study also found that theta wave entrainment enhanced theta wave activity and improved memory performance.
Ranganath's lab also conducted a different study using electrical stimulation to enhance theta waves but this had the opposite effect, as it resulted in disrupted theta wave activity and temporarily weakened memory function.
Ranganath was surprised the devices have worked this well. "What's surprising is that the device had a lasting effect on theta activity and memory performance for over half an hour after it was switched off," he said.


Please keep in mind that orders are processed by us on workdays (Monday - Friday) only. Therefore, orders placed during the weekend will not be handled before Monday.
In addition, check first how security programs and safeguards on your system (like junk and spam filters, anti-virus software and scanners, and/or firewalls) treat *.cfos or *.cfosspeed file extensions. It is entirely possible that one of those applications somehow blocked our e-mail together with the attachment. Turning some security settings off or adjusting their configuration accordingly may therefore allow you to receive our e-mail and your license key.


Electric Machinery Fundamentals continues to be a best-selling machinery text due to its accessible student-friendly coverage of the important topics in the field. In the fifth edition the use of MATLAB® continues to be incorporated in examples and problems where applicable. The targeted and thought-provoking problems you've come to appreciate have been retained in this edition.Chapman continues to share his up-to-date knowledge and experiences in the field in an engaging and understandable style.


Cubby House Crafts: My favourite spot!
Hubby finished putting the new deck down before Christmas, ready for dining out on Christmas day. We have spent all our spare time out there since! All the shrubs have grown up around the backyard boundries, which has protected our new deck beautifully!
All my favourites mingled together...Agapanthas,Grevillea, Salvia, Kangaroo paws, Penstemon.
This is where we sit on the lounge chairs watching the bumble bees and the birds. I think that later today I might have to sit with some GJ stitching!
My white Glady has flowered for the first time. I have been patiently waiting for my Lilliums to flower (Late planting them) Hopefully next post will have some to show.
I hope you have all had a great start to 2011!
Your little piece of paradise looks beautiful and very peaceful. Enjoy your hours on the deck which could result in another set of cute little stitcheries.
Beautiful photos of a beautiful garden. Alas mine is all dead and only just surfaced from the mountains of snow we have had here in UK. Hoping mine will look like yours in a few months time.
All I can say is---I am jealous!!!!!
Isn't the white gladi a stunner - beautiful.
Your garden does look like a paradise to me! It's so cold today and even colder tomorrow.
GJ Block D...Blog post take 2!
Not Giving up on my GJ!


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American Photonics
American Photonics 5 min read
Laser optics is an extremely specialized industry with only a handful of players competing for market share. American Photonics filled a gap in the industry in 2000 when it emerged as the only United States-based manufacturer of precision laser optics for the CO2 laser industry, offering the same high-quality products for a much lower cost.
"American Photonics has 15 percent of the market share, so we are better, faster and cheaper because that's the only way to survive," CEO Ana Piumbini says. "We take a boutique-style approach to our customer service. My husband, Steve Walters, and I are the owners of the company and are here every day. Our approach is completely different and more personalized than working with a big corporation."
Steve Walters bought the business from his father and came aboard in 2008, bringing with him the manufacturing and technical skills to redevelop the manufacturing process. "He changed machines, hired new people and implemented alternative and flexible ways of fabrication," Piumbini says. "Those changes resulted in the manufacturing process to be 'better, less expensive and faster.'"
In 2014, Piumbini joined American Photonics as CEO. She brought with her an extensive background in international business with sales and marketing being of primary importance. The expertise has allowed the company to begin to reach its goal of increasing business with international customers and suppliers.
Today, American Photonics is poised to become a significant player in the CO2 laser optics industry with its continued focus on innovation, continuous improvement and dedication to reliability. The company designs and produces optics that require soft crystals such as zinc selenide (ZnSE), zinc sulfide (ZnS), silicon (Si), gallium arsenide (GaAs), germanium (Ge) and more. It offers a full range of products for high power, low power, military, medical and customized laser projects.
American Photonics manufactures optics and components and stocks laser nozzles and accessories that are compatible to OEM specifications as replacement parts for such OEMs as Trumpf, AMAD, Mitsubishi, Mazak and more. "About 70 percent or more of our revenue comes from replacements parts that are equal in quality to the OEMs and at half the price," Piumbini says. "The other 30 percent of our business consists of custom projects, fiber laser accessories, nozzles and the military and medical markets."
American Photonics is one of only three companies in the world that manufactures infrared optics lenses with CNC machines. Using CNC machines, American Photonics can produce a radius surface faster and cheaper than a plano surface, which is the easiest to manufacture conventionally. Manufacturing meniscus lens cost less and is easier to produce a higher quality product. The meniscus lens is superior, and the larger the beam and shorter the focal length, the more significant the improvement in focal point size and beam mode.
Its 18,000-square-foot headquarters in Sarasota, Fla., houses state-of-the-art conventional and CNC optical fabrication equipment, inspection equipment and a coating lab with two high capacity 1.4-meter chambers. "Our products last three times longer than our competitors' because we have better technical specs on our products, in addition to our coating being far superior than that of our competitors," Piumbini notes. "Steve is an engineer and creates his own machines, which is a major differentiator because he assembles chambers for the coating, which is our secret weapon. Our coating is the best in world. What really differentiates the quality of our product is how we manufacture using CNC machines, our quality control and our coating."
American Photonics offers more than 45 special coatings, which is more than any of its competitors. The company is equipped with three very sophisticated, high volume vacuum chambers that deposit multilayer and anti-reflection, reflective beam splitter, polarizer, mirror and filter coatings. Its coating performance is measured using an infrared spectrometer, which is used to test a sample from each coating batch to confirm the specifications. Every surface is inspected by a highly skilled technician prior to coating and again before shipping.
American Photonics is the only optics company to manufacture 100 percent of its products in the United States, but sources raw materials from suppliers around the world. "Steve and I travel around the world to find suppliers," Piumbini says. "We visit suppliers' operations, ask for samples to be sent in-house and qualify each supplier. We have partnered with some suppliers for years, but the company is open to new suppliers as it develops new solution and maintains its mission of providing better products faster and cheaper."
Building its Brand
In November, American Photonics will set itself apart from the competition during FABTECH 2019 in Chicago as the only United States-based optics manufacturer with a high-quality inventory of 4,000 items part numbers. "We control every aspect of our supply chain including procurement, manufacturing and distribution to ensure each part number SKU, replacement part and consumable our clients need is always in stock when they need it," Piumbini explains.
FABTECH 2019 is just one of the ways American Photonics plans to increase its customer base and improve brand recognition and reputation. "To survive, American Photonics needs to find new customers around the world," Piumbini says. "American Photonics' long-term goal is to grow sales and revenues by 20 percent yearly, allowing us to grow at a comfortable rate."
American Photonics plans to achieve its growth goals through expanding distribution channels, product diversification and efficient use of raw materials purchased through competitive pricing. "We will seek continual improvement in all aspects of the company, proactively promote responsible growth and become the respected 'company of choice,'" Piumbini says. "Our goal is to always exceed customer expectations from request to reality with affordable products using innovative technology and production processes, current business models and experienced talent."
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Home Music Album Reviews Rolling Stones, 'Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition' (Abkco)
Rolling Stones, 'Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition' (Abkco)
by David Luhrssen
For Stones fans who have everything, why not give them the Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition? The box set includes LPs and CDs in mono and stereo (remastered). There is also a seven-inch single of "Honky Tonk Women" b/w "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (mono in the original sleeve); a reproduction full-color Stones' poster from 1969; an 80-page hardcover book (promising "never-before-seen-photos"); and—as the jingle goes—much, much more.
At the heart of it is the album itself, which represented the Stones in their second period of greatness (the first was achieved 1965-1967 with Brian Jones pushing the band toward the unknown). On Let It Bleed (1969), the first Stones' album since Jones' death, the band refocused and distilled their American influences into something new and distinct. "Gimme Shelter" opens the LP on a profoundly spooky note, less a plea for emotional security in an upside-down world than a command. It transitions gracefully into Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," conveying ineffable sadness and loss.
Let It Bleed (the title spoofing The Beatles' Let It Be) achieves a balance and flow unheard of in the past quarter century (and rare enough 50 years ago). The album's casual decadence is gritty yet sophisticated, segueing comfortably between rural and urban, poetry and raunch, sincerity and sarcasm—often within the same tracks.
Rolling Stones Beatles Let It Be Gimme Shelter Let It Bleed 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition ABKCO Brian Jones
David Luhrssen
David Luhrssen lectured at UWM and the MIAD. He is author of The Vietnam War on Film, Encyclopedia of Classic Rock, and Hammer of the Gods: Thule Society and the Birth of Nazism.
Read more by David Luhrssen
The Music section is sponsored by 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Through music and stories created for a culturally open-minded community, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee is a catalyst for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged Milwaukee..


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Лозано () — переписна місцевість (CDP) в США, в окрузі Камерон штату Техас. Населення — 404 особи (2010).

Географія
Лозано розташоване за координатами  (26.189590, -97.543730).  За даними Бюро перепису населення США в 2010 році переписна місцевість мала площу 0,31 км², уся площа — суходіл.

Демографія
Згідно з переписом 2010 року, у переписній місцевості мешкали 404 особи в 127 домогосподарствах у складі 94 родин. Густота населення становила 1318 осіб/км².  Було 142 помешкання (463/км²).

Расовий склад населення:

До двох чи більше рас належало 0,2 %. Частка іспаномовних становила 92,1 % від усіх жителів.

За віковим діапазоном населення розподілялося таким чином: 29,7 % — особи молодші 18 років, 51,7 % — особи у віці 18—64 років, 18,6 % — особи у віці 65 років та старші. Медіана віку мешканця становила 36,4 року. На 100 осіб жіночої статі у переписній місцевості припадало 83,6 чоловіків;  на 100 жінок у віці від 18 років та старших — 89,3 чоловіків також старших 18 років.
За межею бідності перебувало 64,6 % осіб, у тому числі 100,0 % дітей у віці до 18 років та 100,0 % осіб у віці 65 років та старших.

Цивільне працевлаштоване населення становило 232 особи. Основні галузі зайнятості: освіта, охорона здоров'я та соціальна допомога — 44,8 %, сільське господарство, лісництво, риболовля — 21,6 %, роздрібна торгівля — 21,1 %.

Джерела

Переписні місцевості Техасу
Населені пункти округу Камерон (Техас)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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TRENDING STORIES Mar 5th, 2018
Interviews & Opinions
February 8th, 2018 - 12:13pm
By Steve Takle, Editor
Impact Unified's Simon Hultgren explains how they were able to hit a steady 60FPS on hardware such as the Note 4 for the release of A Most Curious Murder, out this week for Gear VR.
One question you'll face when developing for a still emerging market is whether you should spend your precious time making sure you hit the required 60 frames per seconds consistently on all available devices. Is it more important to not miss out on any potential player out there, or take the quick road to release and limit your game to high end phones and blocking out a portion of the already small VR user base as a result?
Having created something unique - at least we like to think so - we decided to leave no phone and no potential gamer behind. Strapping on the coding gloves and ordering a pallet of dodgy energy drinks, we set out to make our game run smoothly on every Oculus Gear compatible phone, all the way back to the ancient Note 4.
Oculus requires game play of a smooth 60 frames per second and knowing the restrictions of mobiles, we had already limited ourselves to one dynamic light; the so important flashlight that you carry as you break into the police station in hopes of finding evidence that will free you of the murder trial. All other lights were baked and neatly packaged into light maps to make the mobiles happy.
We had also made sure all our 3D models are low poly and that our levels are not too crowded while still keeping enough props and details to make them realistic for the experience. It is a police station after all, so expect some donuts and empty coffee cups in this murder mystery game.
Loading up the game on the old Galaxy Note for the first time, we were carefully optimistic, all until we reached the more intense locations of our levels and saw the frame rates plummet to around 30 frames per second. With that low frame rate, we knew we that we missed the 16.7 microsecond deadline for the GPU to complete the next frame most of the time.
Meshes, Textures And Shaders
We now turned to the built-in stats monitor in the Unity editor that tells you the number of polygons and number of draw calls needed to render the current view in your scene among other things. After replaying the intense locations in the editor, we could see that we had a problem with the number of draw calls, which was getting close to 200 in the worst cases.
Draw calls are essentially preparations that the CPU needs to do to load the GPU with one or more meshes, one material and a shader for rendering. Having too many draw calls increases the risk that the GPU will not render the entire view in time for the next frame to be shown on screen. The key here is that the GPU can be loaded with multiple meshes at the same time, as long as they share the same texture and shader settings.
Since we wanted to keep the individual materials on our objects in the scene, we decided to create a texture atlas, which is basically a large texture containing the original textures tiled. Each model will then receive an offset into the atlas where its texture is stored.
Apart from creating a texture atlas, we also reworked our level design to avoid choke points with too many models in view at the same time. For example, extending short corridors going out at an angle from the larger rooms to fully utilize the occlusion culling when moving in and out of rooms.
By default, the Unity engine won't render objects that are located outside the camera's field of view, but it will render objects that are in front of the camera but still fully obscured by another object. Occlusion culling is a way to divide the scene into smaller cells, mark those objects that are non-moveable and thus will hide or be hidden by other objects. And finally, bake an occlusion dataset that is used by the engine while rendering the current view. This is a very important tool for keeping your draw calls and number of polygons down.
After creating texture atlases and reworking the level to improve occlusion culling, we managed to get the average number of draw calls to around 50 and never exceeding 100, even in the most intense views, even with our dynamic flashlight enabled. With this, we were able to reach 60 frames per second even on the humble old Note 4.
Steve Takle
Steve is an award-winning editor and copywriter with 20 years' experience specialising in consumer technology and video games. He was part of a BAFTA nominated developer studio as project manager for the UK's first fully interactive digital TV channel. In addition to editing TheVirtualReport.biz, Steve contributes to PocketGamer.biz, PCGamesInsider.biz and BlockchainGamer.biz, as well as creating marketing content for a range of SMEs and agencies.
News Feb 19th, 2018
Resolution Games' VR Pirate Adventure, Narrows, Sets Sail on Daydream
Interviews & Opinion Oct 31st, 2017
VR's Meaningful Future Must Be Fun Too
Interviews & Opinion Oct 2nd, 2017
How Indie Studios Can Put Business First, Games Second
Deal Mar 22nd, 2018
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Both practical and stylish! Toyota prioritized fit and finish as evidenced by: 1-touch window functionality, lane departure warning, and much more. Smooth gearshifts are achieved thanks to the 3.5 liter 6 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. Four wheel drive allows you to go places you've only imagined.


This is the wind, wave and weather forecast for Long Beach/Tofino in British Columbia, Canada. Windfinder specializes in wind, waves, tides and weather reports & forecasts for wind related sports like kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, sailing or paragliding.
The Forecast is based on the GFS model. Forecasts are available worldwide. The horizontal resolution is about 13 km. Forecasts are computed 4 times a day, at about 10:00 PM, 4:00 AM, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. Predictions are available in time steps of 3 hours for up to 10 days into the future. The arrows point in the direction that the wind is blowing.
Check the wind forecast for Long Beach/Tofino when you want to find the best last minute travel destination for your kiteboarding, windsurfing or sailing vacation in Canada.
Help If you need more information about our wind forecast for Long Beach/Tofino, have a look at our help section.


It took Chrigel 10 days, 23 hours and 23 minutes to battle across the Alps.
It took Christian Maurer (SUI1) 10 days, 23 hours and 23 minutes to complete this year's 1,138km Red Bull X-Alps. And Benoit Outters (FRA4) came in a couple of hours after him. How many more pilots finish the race before it ends at 10.53am tomorrow morning, however, remains to be seen. It appears certain that Paul Guschlbauer (AUT1) will make Peille, but will we see a fourth, fifth or sixth athlete land on the beach at Roquebrune?
In 2015, with good weather and a route through the mountains, 19 of the 32 athletes who started in Salzburg completed the 1,038km course to arrive in Peille, overlooking the Mediterranean sea.
Chrigel Maurer's personal record for Salzburg to Monaco is six days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes, but that was in 2013, when the weather was good and the course also followed the high mountains. That year, nine other teams made it to goal.
In 2007, five people made it – but it took victor Alex Hofer (SUI) 12 days, one hour and 20 minutes to complete, the longest race so far. In the first edition, in 2003, just three reached goal, while in the three other races – 2005, 2009, and 2011 – only two made the finish line.


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Listen to Lisa Caruso's new single "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas"
by Lochie Schuster
on Dec 07, 2021 December 7, 2021
Lisa Caruso has ticked off her bucket list dream of releasing a Christmas song, but the sentiment of the single goes a lot further than that.
Written in the midst of a grief filled year, "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas" details the toxic positivity that can come with the holiday season, a time when Western society expects you to be full of 'Christmas spirit' no matter the circumstances.
But if you're keen to get wrapped up in the spirit of Christmas, this track still has you covered. It has a really cosy atmosphere, perfect for a mood-lit December evening with the warm scent of a spiced candle filling the room.
For many, the latest single from the Sydney artist will be the soundtrack to a good cry, but it still possesses the nostalgic sway of Christmas classics like John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" and "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
"It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas" is a comforting blanket for anyone who needs it this holiday season, and even if you don't, it's just a really beautiful Christmas song.
Listen to "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas" below.
Christmas, new release, sydney
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