text:
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Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and disclose personal information.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Water Corporation protects the privacy of individuals' personal information, including sensitive information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) and confidential information.
This document outlines how we collect, use, disclose and otherwise handle and maintain personal, sensitive and confidential information.
The Water Corporation is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals' Personal Information, including Sensitive Information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) and Confidential Information. This document outlines how we collect, use, disclose and otherwise handle and maintain Personal, Sensitive and Confidential Information.
There is currently no legislated privacy regime which applies to Western Australian statutory authorities (including the Water Corporation). The Water Corporation is however, committed to protecting Personal and Sensitive Information in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) which apply to organisations.
The Water Corporation collects Personal and Sensitive Information about individuals in order to provide services, to compile statistical data and to perform research and evaluation programs to improve its services in the future.
The Water Corporation only collects Personal and Sensitive Information that is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, one or more of the Water Corporation's objectives and functions, and ensures that all Personal and Sensitive Information held by the Water Corporation, including information contained in documents and electronic or other devices, is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Guideline and in a manner that is consistent with the APPs and the Privacy Act.
The Water Corporation has adopted the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC) Privacy Management Framework. The OAIC Privacy Management Framework provides steps to:
Embed a culture that enables compliance;
Establish robust and effective privacy practices, procedures and systems;
Evaluate privacy practises, procedures and systems to ensure continued effectiveness; and
Enhance responses to privacy issues.
Although the Water Corporation is not formally bound by the Privacy Act, the Water Corporation is committed to protecting Personal and Sensitive Information in a manner, where practicable, that is consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. The purpose of this Policy and Guideline is to outline how the Corporation deals with Personal and Sensitive Information in the manner described within the context of the Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Principles and the OAIC Privacy Management Framework.
This policy applies to all Personal Information, including Sensitive Information, with relation to our customers, internal and external suppliers, contractors, employees, potential employees, internal and external stakeholders and any other solicited or unsolicited personal information collected, used, disclosed and stored by the Water Corporation. It also covers all media in which information is collected and stored e.g. paper, electronic, film and recording (e.g. CCTV).
Australian Privacy Principles Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as set out in Schedule 1 to the Privacy Act.
Confidential Information Means all commercial, business, technical, personal or sensitive information which is not otherwise common knowledge, in the public domain, trivial or capable of being adequately described and which is disclosed to the Corporation in circumstances which imports an obligation of confidence.
Non Identifiable Information Information that is not about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, such as aggregate average data pertaining to website hits or water usage.
Personal Information Information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is:
(a) true or not; and
(b) recorded in a material form or not,
but which is not Confidential Information.
Privacy Act Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
Sensitive Information Has the meaning in the Privacy Act and includes information or an opinion about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or practices, political opinions or associations, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of professional or trade associations or trade unions, or criminal record that is also personal information, or health information or genetic information about an individual and which is Confidential Information.
The Water Corporation will not collect Personal and Sensitive Information or Confidential Information unless the information is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, one or more of the Water Corporation's functions, powers or activities.
The Water Corporation may ask individuals to provide information via various methods including telephone, fax and forms (hard copy and electronic, such as via a website) in support of an application by the individual for a particular service from the Water Corporation. The Water Corporation will collect Personal and Sensitive Information or Confidential Information about an individual only from that individual, unless the individual consents to the collection of the information from someone else.
The Water Corporation collects the following types of Personal and Sensitive Information:
Supplier and contractor information
Stakeholder information
Credit history information
Competition entrant details
Personal information provided via our website
Personal information provided via social media
Personal information captured by our surveillance devices
Personal information resulting from customer complaints, investigations, prosecutions and litigation.
The Personal and Sensitive Information collected from individuals may be used:
To provide individuals with the service that they requested or to meet the purpose for which the information was submitted;
To identify with whom the Water Corporation is communicating (if necessary);
To create de-identified aggregate data about certain groups of individuals; or
For any other purpose the Water Corporation considers necessary.
The Water Corporation will not collect or use Sensitive Information or Confidential Information about an individual unless the individual consents to the collection of the information and the information is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, one or more of the Water Corporation's functions or activities. Where the personal information of an individual has been attained from a third party provider, the Water Corporation will confirm from the provider that the individual has consented to the use by and disclosure to a third party of that personal information.
The Water Corporation's collection, use or disclosure of Non Identifying Information is not subject to this policy.
Disclosure of personal and sensitive information
The Water Corporation will disclose Personal Information collected from an individual to the extent that it is deemed necessary to provide the service that the individual has requested or to meet the purpose for which a request was submitted and the Personal Information provided.
The Water Corporation will only disclose Personal Information to third parties to the extent necessary to carry out the purposes outlined above. Whenever possible, the Water Corporation will ensure that third parties to whom Personal information is disclosed have in place privacy practices that protect the confidentiality of Personal Information. The Water Corporation also takes reasonable steps to ensure that any contract it has with third parties to whom Personal Information is disclosed contains appropriate contractual obligations on those third parties regarding the use of that Personal Information.
The Water Corporation will not disclose Sensitive Information or Confidential Information about an individual unless the individual consents to the collection of the information or the Water Corporation is required by law.
When someone approaches the media or their member of parliament to discuss their particular situation, and the Water Corporation are then contacted by this third party for more information or for advice about that situation, that individual has provided implied consent for the Water Corporation to disclose information to that third party that will identify the individual or situation.
We send customers, potential customers, suppliers, contractors and stakeholders information about our products and services that we consider may be of interest to them. These communications are sent in various forms, including mail, SMS and email, in accordance with applicable marketing laws, including but not limited to the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Where an individual has indicated a preference in regards to a method of communication, we endeavour to use that method if practical to do so. Individuals can opt‑out of receiving marketing communications at any time by lodging a request with our Privacy Officer or by using opt‑out facilities provided in marketing communications. We do not rent or sell personal information under any circumstances.
Cross border disclosure, overseas transfers and storage of data
The Water Corporation may disclose Personal Information locally and overseas to other parties including any agent, contractor or third party who provides administrative or other services to the Water Corporation. The countries in which these third parties are located will depend on the circumstances.
Accuracy and security
The Water Corporation will take reasonable steps to:
ensure that Personal Information it collects is accurate, complete and up-to-date;
ensure that the Personal Information it uses or discloses is, having regard to the purpose of the use or disclosure, accurate, up-to-date, complete and relevant;
protect Personal Information from misuse, interference and loss, as well as unauthorised access, modification or disclosure; and
destroy or permanently de-identify Personal Information which it no longer needs to use or disclose, unless the information is contained in a Commonwealth record or the Water Corporation is required to retain the information by law or by a court/tribunal order.
Inquiries, access and correction
If at any time an individual wishes to find out more about the Water Corporation's privacy practices, or access or correct Personal information, the individual may contact the Water Corporation's Privacy Officer by email – privacy@watercorporation.com.au.
If at any time an individual believes that the Water Corporation has not adhered to this policy, the individual may lodge a complaint with the Water Corporation's Privacy Officer by email – privacy@watercorporation.com.au.
Following the commencement of the Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017, the Corporation will take reasonable steps to notify individuals impacted by eligible data breaches (as defined under the Privacy Act), as soon as possible after it becomes aware of the breach.
Amendments to policy
We may amend this policy from time to time in order to ensure that it remains accurate in view of any alterations to our information handling practices due to new technologies and changed business practices. Any updated policy will be published on our website.
Privacy Act 1988
OAIC Privacy Management Framework
S513 Privacy
Australian Privacy Principles – available from www.oaic.gov.au
Australian Privacy Principle 1 – Open and transparent management of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 2 – Anonymity and pseudonymity
Australian Privacy Principle 3 – Collection of solicited personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 4 – Dealing with unsolicited personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 5 – Notification of the collection of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 6 – Use or disclosure of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 7 – Direct marketing
Australian Privacy Principle 8 – Cross border disclosure of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 9 – Adoption, use or disclosure of government related identifiers
Australian Privacy Principle 10 – Quality of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 11 – Security of personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 12 – Access to personal information
Australian Privacy Principle 13 – Correction of personal information
Drone usage over Water Corporation assets
Using our systems


text:
Gear Optics
January 03, 2011 By David Fortier
Leupold 1.5-5X 20mm & 3-9X 36mm Mid Range/Tactical Scopes
By David Fortier
If there is one rifle that has distinguished itself during combat operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq it has to be the 5.56mm MK 12 in both its MOD 0 and MOD 1 formats. Time and time again, Special Forces troopers equipped with this lightweight sniper rifle have faced overwhelming numbers of the enemy and prevailed. The MK 12 MOD 0/1 is a highly accurized M16 variant with an 18-inch Douglas 416 stainless-steel match barrel (1:7-inch twist) that is free-floated with either a PRI (MOD 0) or Knight's Armament (MOD 1) free-floating handguard mounted. But what is of interest to us here is the special scope used.
Developed for the MK 12 series of Special Purpose Rifles Leupold's 3-9X 36mm MR/T is a perfect match for an accurate AR-type rifle.
Mounted in ARMS Inc. No. 22M Throw Lever rings is a compact 3-9X 36mm scope from Leupold, Dept. ST, P.O. Box 688, Beaverton, OR 97075; 503-526-1400; www.leupold.com. Two models were issued: the TS-30A1 and the TS-30A2. The difference between the two being the TS-30A2 features an illuminated reticle. Equipped with M3 turrets and a bullet drop compensator (BDC), these scopes are well suited to this rifle's role. When mated to Black Hills's MK 262 Mod 1 77-grain OTM (Open Tip Match) ammunition, the rig has proven effective out to 700 meters in actual combat.
Originally available only to the military, in 2004 Leupold introduced these scopes, along with two similar models, to the civilian market. Called the Mark 4 Mid Range/Tactical, or MR/T for short, this group of compact variable magnification scopes consists of four models based on a common 3-9X 36mm platform. Offered are models with and without an illuminated reticle with either M1 or M3 adjustment turrets. These models are growing in popularity, so I decided to take a closer look at them. To do this I requested examples of both M1 and M3 models.
As I removed them from their boxes, it immediately became apparent that these scopes are sized for their intended application. Overall length is just 11.3 inches and the objective lens is only 36mm in diameter. Both scopes are built on a 30mm tube milled from one piece of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum with the only difference being their adjustment turrets. Leupold's M1 turrets are tall, uncapped, competition-style turrets with 1/4-MOA adjustments. In stark contrast, the M3 turrets were designed with military use in mind.
The 3-9X 36 MR/T's M3 turrets feature 1-MOA elevation adjustments and 1/2-MOA windage adjustments.
These uncapped turrets are much shorter and feature coarser 1/2-MOA clicks on the windage knob. The elevation knob features 1-MOA adjustments with all the elevation in (60 MOA available on the dial) with one revolution of the knob. In addition the elevation knob features an upper row of numbers. These act as a BDC. My review model was calibrated for 62-grain M855 Ball ammunition, and the turret increments were in 100-yard delineations from 100 to 800 yards.
Optically these scopes feature Leupold's Index Matched Lens System. Actual magnification runs from 3-8.7X. Field of view (FOV) runs from 35.5 feet (at 3X) to 13.6 feet (at 9X) at 100 yards. Eye relief varies by almost .75 inch, depending upon magnification setting. At 3X there is 3.7 inches of eye relief. This shrinks to three inches at 9X. Two reticle options, Duplex and Mil Dot, are available on M1 models, but M3 models can only be had with a Mil Dot reticle.
Total adjustment range of the reticle (located in the second plane) is 90 inches at 100 yards. Models featuring an illuminated reticle sport a large rheostat mounted onto the eyepiece at approximately 10 o'clock. This features a total of 12 positions (including "Off") of varying illumination intensity. Power is provided by one small DL1/3N three-volt battery. (This is the same battery used in an Aimpoint Comp M red-dot sight.) The finish on the scope is matte black with white markings. Overall weight is just 16 ounces.
Both models look good, and I quickly mounted them onto ARs. Big scopes are currently the rage, but these compact models were designed for a specific application. Their small size makes them relatively easy to mount onto an AR without adding excess bulk or weight. These scopes were developed with a military application in mind, and in this regard, a large objective lens is not necessarily a desirable item. Sunlight glinting off an objective lens is one way a sniper can accidentally reveal his position. This is one reason why the Russian/Romanian/Yugoslavian/Chinese sniper scopes deployed against our boys have relatively small 24mm objective lenses with retractable sunshades.
New from Leupold is the Mark 4 1.5-5X 20mm MR/T. It is small, lightweight, and provides rapid target engagement from close to medium ranges.
Both Leupold models worked well shooting at distances out to 330 yards. I particularly liked the M3 model I mounted onto a PRI 6.8mm SPR. This handsome rifle performed extremely well with the small quantity of 6.8mm ammo I had on hand.
One complaint I have always had with Leupold's Tactical scopes, however, still holds true. Their adjustments, both with M1 and M3 turrets, are very mushy feeling and kind of roll along. Choosing turret type comes down to the type of shooting you'll be doing. For target-type shooting choose the M1 turrets; for field shooting choose the M3 turrets. While the magnification ring adjusted smoothly on both models, I found the rheostat large and bulky with no distinct clicks in-between positions.
Optically the scopes performed quite well. Color rendition was extremely good, and I experienced no troubles regarding internal flare. Resolution in the center of the image was good, but it did degrade towards the edges. Set at 6X this scope generates a 6mm exit pupil, so low-light performance is also quite acceptable. Run head to head against a Russian PSO-1 issued on the SVD sniper rifle, the Leupold 3-9X 36mm MR/T is both more advanced and a more flexible design. Put to the test in weather down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit no problems of any kind were experienced.
My thoughts? For an SPR-type rifle in 5.56mm, 6.5 Grendel, or 6.8x43mm SPC, Leupold's MR/T would be a fine choice. Magnification is more than adequate for use out to 700 yards o
r so. I'm currently putting together an SPR project rifle, and it will wear an illuminated reticle Leupold MR/T with M3 turrets.
First Look At A New Leupold
Leupold gave me an opportunity to take a first look at a new model it's introducing for 2005. A new addition to the MR/T line, it's a Mark 4 1.5-5X 20mm. Designed to bridge the gap between red-dot sights and conventional higher magnification riflescopes, it's intended to provide both speed and precision.
Built on a 30mm tube, this model is just 9.4 inches long and weighs only 15 ounces. Actual magnification runs from 1.5X to 4.5X. FOV varies from 65.7 feet at 1.5X to 23.7 feet at 5X at 100 yards. It is a very small and compact unit, but what sets this Leupold apart visually are the new M2 turrets. Lower profile than even the M3 turrets, they feature 1/2-MOA adjustments on both windage and elevation. While 80 MOA of adjustment are available when zeroing, the elevation turret offers 30 MOA in one full revolution. With only one revolution available there is no chance of accidentally getting one rotation off. Happily the M2 turret adjustments on my review sample were much more distinct than those found on M1 or M3 turrets.
As this is a tactical scope intended for use from point blank to 500 meters,
Leupold developed an entirely new reticle for it. Called the Special Purpose reticle it consists of three heavier posts connected by fine stadia. The bottom vertical stadia are delineated in 2.5 Mil increments out to 15 Mil. This allows it to be used as a BDC for use at extended ranges. The horizontal stadia are also delineated in 2.5 Mil increments out to 15 Mil for hasty lead or windage compensation. In the center of the reticle is a large circle 10 Mils in diameter.
Keep in mind the model I had to test was a prototype, so Leupold may well change the reticle. I hope it does because the rest of the scope performed quite well. I really liked the M2 turrets and the optical performance was quite good. With a better reticle this scope will be a real winner.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gama Aviation has taken on the management of its first Learjet 75, having overseen the delivery of the new aircraft from Bombardier on behalf of one of the company's long standing US customers. The aircraft is expected to be based in Central America.
The new model joins the Learjet 45, 45XR and 60 aircraft, as well as aircraft from Bombardier's Challenger and Global series, which Gama Aviation already operate for their clients across the USA, Europe and China. In total, Gama Aviation's worldwide fleet now includes more than 30 different aircraft types.
KC Ihlefeld, VP aircraft management of Gama Aviation, said, "As a business we pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers expert support across a wide range of aircraft types and we're delighted to add the Learjet 75 to our stable. We have hands-on experience with aircraft from all the major OEMs and this enables us to provide clients with a consistent level of service, no matter what the aircraft type or their mission requirements.


text:
Q: Using GridSpec with custom wspace doesn't work with tight_layout The final goal I'm trying to achieve here is to have a figure saved as a .pdf with a certain size ([5,2] in the example code below), with no padding outside the axis labels/tick labels.
I usually achieve this by creating a figure using a combination of figsize and setting the padding to zero via tight_layout (I added the grey background color to show the edges/padding better):
fig = plt.figure(
    figsize = [5,2],
    tight_layout = {'pad': 0}
)

t = np.arange(0.0, 2.0, 0.01)
s = 1 + np.sin(2*np.pi*t)
plt.plot(t, s)

plt.savefig('figure.pdf', facecolor = (0.7,0.7,0.7))

This creates a nice pdf with size 5x2.

But I'm having trouble doing this with a figure where I'm using GridSpec to create subplots. The strange thing is that the problem is only apparent when setting a custom wspace for the GridSpec.
Example without wspace
fig, (ax0, ax1) = plt.subplots(
    nrows = 1, ncols = 2,
    gridspec_kw = {'width_ratios' : [3,2]},
    tight_layout = {'pad': 0},
    figsize = [5,2]
)

t = np.arange(0.0, 2.0, 0.01)
s = 1 + np.sin(2*np.pi*t)
ax0.plot(t, s)
ax1.plot(t, s)

ax1.yaxis.tick_right()

ax0.set_xlim([0, 2.25])
ax1.set_xlim([-0.25, 2])

plt.savefig('figure.pdf')

Example with wspace
I add some wspace to have some space between the subplots, since they are so close together in the example above
fig, (ax0, ax1) = plt.subplots(
    nrows = 1, ncols = 2,
    gridspec_kw = {'width_ratios' : [3,2], 'wspace' : 0.1},
    tight_layout = {'pad': 0},
    figsize = [5,2]
)

t = np.arange(0.0, 2.0, 0.01)
s = 1 + np.sin(2*np.pi*t)
ax0.plot(t, s)
ax1.plot(t, s)

ax1.yaxis.tick_right()

ax0.set_xlim([0, 2.25])
ax1.set_xlim([-0.25, 2])

plt.savefig('figure.pdf', facecolor = (0.7,0.7,0.7))

(the only change from above is the added wspace to the gridspec_kw dict)
This gives me an error in the savefig command
C:\Users\<username>\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\matplotlib\figure.py:1744:
UserWarning: This figure includes Axes that are not compatible with
tight_layout, so its results might be incorrect.
  warnings.warn("This figure includes Axes that are not "
# the warning is cut off here for some reason

and produces the following image, clearly not using tight_layout

Does anyone know of a way to get around this issue, or a better way to do what I'm trying?

A: If the aim is to save the image, you may leave out the tight_layout argument to the figure, and use  the arguments bbox_inches='tight', pad_inches=0 when savng the figure:
plt.savefig('figure.pdf', bbox_inches='tight', pad_inches=0)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Das Schloss Amalienborg (dän.: Amalienborg Slot []) ist die Kopenhagener Stadtresidenz der dänischen Königin Margrethe II. Das Schloss befindet sich bis heute im Besitz der dänischen Königsfamilie, die Anwesenheit der Königin wird durch ihre Standarte symbolisiert. Ist die königliche Familie zugegen, findet jeden Tag um 12.00 Uhr die Wachablösung der Garden vor dem Schloss statt.

Das Schlossensemble wird durch vier einzelne Palais um einen achteckigen Platz gebildet. Die Häuser wurden ursprünglich als Mittelpunkt eines neuen Stadtviertels für verschiedene dänische Adelsfamilien errichtet und gelangten mit der Zeit in den Besitz der Königsfamilie. Das Palais Levetzau beherbergt ein Museum, das Palais Moltke kann im Rahmen von Führungen besichtigt werden.

Vorgeschichte der Schlossanlage

Die erste Amalienborg
An der Stelle der heutigen Residenz befand sich ursprünglich ein von Friedrich III. 1669 bis 1673 für Sophie Amalie von Braunschweig-Lüneburg erbautes Lustschloss. Der König starb 1670 und erlebte die Fertigstellung des Baus nicht mehr, Sophie Amalie, nach deren zweiten Namen das Schlösschen benannt wurde, lebte dort bis zu ihrem Tod 1685.

Am 19. April 1689 kam es zu einem folgenschweren Brand in einem benachbarten Theatergebäude, der sich auf die Amalienborg ausweitete, das Schloss zerstörte und 171 Menschen das Leben kostete. Unter den Toten befand sich unter anderem der Komponist und Organist Johan Lorentz. Der Bauplatz, der sich innerhalb der Kopenhagener Stadtmauern befand, lag anschließend mehrere Jahre relativ brach. Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts wurde hier dann unter Friedrich IV. ein kleiner Pavillon inmitten eines französischen Gartens angelegt.

Bau der vier Stadtpalais
Anlässlich des 300-jährigen Bestehens des Hauses Oldenburg fasste Frederik V. den Plan, das noch immer mittelalterlich geprägte Kopenhagen zu erweitern und ein neues, barockes Stadtviertel nach französischem Vorbild zu gestalten. Mittelpunkt dieser Frederikstaden auf dem Gelände der früheren Amalienborg sollte ein achteckiger, von Adelspalais umgebener Platz mit einer Sichtachse zu einer zentralen Kirche werden, als verantwortlicher Leiter für das Projekt wurde der Hofbaumeister Nicolai Eigtved 1749 verpflichtet.

Um den neuen Stadtteil mit Leben zu füllen, bot der König die Bauplätze verschiedenen adeligen Familien an. Unter der Bedingung, dass die Pläne Eigtveds umgesetzt würden, erhielten die Bauherren 40 Jahre Steuererlass zugesichert. Die Arbeiten begannen 1750. Als erstes Haus wurde das Palais Moltke für Adam Gottlob Moltke 1754 fertiggestellt, 1757 folgte das Palais der aus Holstein stammenden Gräfin Schack. 1760 wurden die Arbeiten an den Häusern des Barons Brockdorff und des Grafen Levetzau beendet. Die vier Palais wurden, wie damals üblich, nur sporadisch bewohnt, da die adeligen Familien neben den Stadthäusern auch große Residenzen auf dem Land besaßen.

1794 brach im Kopenhagener Stadtschloss Christiansborg ein verheerender Brand aus, der das Gebäude fast vollständig zerstörte und König Christian VII. vorübergehend obdachlos machte. Die Familie Moltke stellte ihr Palais am Amalienborger Platz darauf dem König zur Verfügung, da sie große Besitzungen auf Fünen besaß und auf das Stadthaus nicht zwingend angewiesen war. Nach und nach erwarb das Königshaus die übrigen Häuser hinzu und etablierte ihre Residenz hier. Der Neubau von Schloss Christiansborg wurde dann nur noch für repräsentative Zwecke sowie später für das dänische Parlament und den obersten Gerichtshof genutzt.

Das heutige Schloss Amalienborg

Beschreibung

Die vier – äußerlich nahezu baugleichen – Palais gruppieren sich um den Amalienborger Schlossplatz, dessen Mittelpunkt eine Reiterstatue Friedrichs V. bildet.

Alle Paläste bestehen aus einem großen, quaderförmigen Mittelbau mit angewinkelten Seitenflügeln und verschiedenen Nebengebäuden, welche ursprünglich als Wirtschaftsgebäude und Remisen dienten. Die Fassaden der Häuser sind mit kolossalen Säulen und Pilastern geschmückt und werden allgemein als Höhepunkt des dänischen Barock betrachtet. Die Palais Moltke und Schack wurden im 19. Jahrhundert durch einen klassizistischen Torbau verbunden, der als repräsentative Durchfahrt zur Amaliegade dient. Die Dachterrasse bot die Möglichkeit, von einem zum anderen Palais zu gelangen, ohne über den öffentlichen Platz gehen zu müssen.

Die Grundrisse der Häuser wurden sämtlich gleich entworfen, im Laufe der vergangenen 250 Jahre jedoch den unterschiedlichen Bedürfnissen der Bewohner angepasst und sind heute in jedem Palast leicht unterschiedlich. An den Umbauarbeiten Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts und zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts waren Caspar Frederik Harsdorff und Christian Frederik Hansen beteiligt.

Hinter den Palais befinden sich kleine winkelförmige Gartenanlagen, die ursprünglich im französischen Stil angelegt waren.

Gebäudeensemble

Palais Schack
Das Palais Schack, auch Palais Christian IX. genannt, wurde ursprünglich für den norwegischen Adeligen Løvenskiold in Auftrag gegeben, aber vor der Fertigstellung 1757 bereits 1754 von der Gräfin Schack erworben. Das Schloss war der Wohnsitz von Friedrich VI. und Christian IX., welcher fast 50 Jahre hier lebte.

Heute ist dieses Palais der offizielle Kopenhagener Wohnsitz von Königin Margrethe II. Das Palais Schack wird von ihr vorzugsweise als Winterresidenz genutzt, sie bewohnt hauptsächlich das außerhalb Kopenhagens gelegene Schloss Fredensborg sowie im Sommer auch einige Wochen Schloss Gravenstein in der Nähe von Sønderborg.

Palais Moltke
Das Palais Moltke, auch Palais Christian VII. genannt, war 1754 bezugsfertig und wurde von seinem wohlhabenden Erstbesitzer besonders aufwändig ausgestattet. Der sogenannte Rittersaal des Palais gilt als eine der schönsten Räume des Rokoko in Dänemark. Der winkelförmige Garten hinter dem Palais entspricht weitgehend dem Originalzustand.

Das Palais diente nach dem Brand von Christiansborg ab 1794 Christian VII. als Residenz. Nach seinem Tod wurde es hauptsächlich als Gästehaus der Königsfamilie genutzt, diese Funktion nimmt es noch heute regelmäßig wahr. Die Prunkräume können im Rahmen von Führungen – vorausgesetzt, die Königsfamilie ist abwesend, und es sind keine Staatsgäste im Haus – besichtigt werden.

Palais Brockdorff
Das Palais Brockdorff, auch Palais Frederik VIII. genannt, wurde 1760 erstmals bezogen und bereits 1765 vom Königshaus erworben, das hier eine Kadettenschule einrichten ließ. Erst ab 1828 wurde das Schloss als Wohnhaus benutzt und diente als Wohnsitz für Friedrich VIII. und später Friedrich IX.

Das Palais beherbergte die Stadtwohnung von Königinwitwe Ingrid, die dort bis zu ihrem Tode im Jahr 2000 lebte. Es wurde in den folgenden Jahren renoviert und zur offiziellen Kopenhagener Residenz des Thronfolgers Frederik und seiner Frau Mary von Dänemark umgebaut.

Palais Levetzau
Das Palais Levetzau, auch Palais Christian VIII. genannt, wurde 1760 bezugsfertig. Es wurde 1794 vom Königshaus erworben – die Familie Levetzau verfügte, dass das Familienwappen nicht abgenommen werden dürfte – und diente Christian VIII. und Christian X. als Residenz. Heute befindet sich in dem Schloss ein Museum, das sich dem dänischen Königshaus widmet. Der museale Bestand, dazu gehören beispielsweise die Arbeitszimmer der beiden Könige, wird durch regelmäßig wechselnde Ausstellungen ergänzt. So war hier 2007 unter anderem eine Sammlung der Festkleider Königin Ingrids ausgestellt.

Über dem Museum befand sich die frühere Stadtwohnung des Thronfolgers Frederik. Heute befindet sich dort die Kopenhagener Wohnung von Joachim und seiner Frau Marie von Dänemark.

Die Umgebung
Vom Schlossplatz führte eine gerade Sichtachse auf die Frederikskirche, die sogenannte Marmorkirche, zu, die zeitgleich mit dem neuen Stadtteil geplant, jedoch erst knapp 150 Jahre später fertiggestellt wurde. In derselben Flucht, auf der anderen Seite des Hafenbeckens, befindet sich der Bau der 2005 eingeweihten neuen Königlichen Oper.

Zwischen dem Schlossbereich und der Hafenanlage liegen die Grünanlagen Amaliehave, eine Schenkung des Reeders A. P. Møller an die Stadt Kopenhagen.

Siehe auch
 In der holsteinischen Stadt Glückstadt befindet sich ebenfalls ein Brockdorff-Palais.
 Liste von Burgen, Schlössern und Festungen in Dänemark
 Der Überlieferung zufolge wurde der Österreichische Platz in Sankt Petersburg als Miniaturkopie des Schlosses Amalienborg gestaltet.

Weblinks

 Schloss Amalienborg auf der Seite des dänischen Königshauses (englisch)
 Das Amalienborg-Museum

Einzelnachweise

Amalienborg
Amalienborg
Amalienborg
Erbaut in den 1760er Jahren
Indre By
Amalienborg
Sophie Amalie von Braunschweig-Calenberg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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text:
New Genetic Study on Homosexuality Repeats Old, Unproven Theory – With Your Tax Dollars!
Media outlets are flush with the rush to promote yet another inconclusive hypothesis attempting to tie biological factors to the penchant for homosexual behavior. After an unusual 7 year tweaking before release, Dr. Alan Sanders of NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute et al, compared the genes of 409 gay twin brothers (the largest twin sampling to date). The team argues that they found linkages to the X Chromosome 8 region and Xq28 but were unable to cite any actual gene. This runs contrary to the conclusions of eight other international twin studies examining the same notion[2]with the exception of Dr. Dean Hamer's claim to find Chromosome 8 involvement 20 years ago but also failing to find any actual gene.
The inability to find and verify gene involvement makes the entire exercise of identifying linkages fruitless since there can be no linkage between non-existent entities. This leaves wide open the interpretation of what these researchers are seeing within these chromosome bands. Sanders himself describes his results as, "not proof but a pretty good indication." An indication of what remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the reaction by genetic experts ranges from skeptical to completely dismissive. Dr. Robert Green, medical geneticist at Harvard Medical School called the study, "intriguing but not in any way conclusive" and Dr. Neil Risch, genetics expert at UC San Francisco states the data is too statistically weak to suggest any linkage (with homosexual preference.)[3]
Of bizarre concern is Sander's use of a deprecated genetic method. Genetic linkages have been replaced with GWA (genome-wide association) methodology in genetic science which gives a higher, but still not guaranteed, association between a given gene and a behavior. Sanders admitted it would have been the preferable approach but it was the only way to try to expound on Hamer's failed attempt 20 years ago. Ken Kendler, an editor at Psychological Medicine admitted it was a surprise to see Sanders submit a study using the old technique and Sanders admits that one publication turned down his submission outright.[4] Sanders has announced his intention of a GWA study using an even larger sample group.
It is the opinion of most in the ex-gay community that scientific research would be better utilized addressing the knowns of same-sex attraction, such as the high child sexual abuse and childhood trauma histories found in research which is more results oriented by healing traumas that often lead to same-sex attractions and therapies that eliminate unwanted same-sex attraction. This more appropriately achieves the goals of the American Psychological Association's vow to patient self-determination. Much like the already proven genetic components of depression and anxiety disorders, genetic involvement only contributes to predilection and has no bearing at all on outcomes. Thus, any genetic discovery while interesting is irrelevant to ultimate behavioral self-management and choice.
John Ozanich is an Advisory Board member of Voice of the Voiceless and a former United States Marine Corps Anti-Terrorism Strike Team member. An ordained minister, John authors articles on religious history, constitutional issues, science, and religion.He has been awarded the IBM Authorship Award. He is a an award winning professional computer network design architect and I/T project manager who has worked for a variety of Fortune 500 companies.
This entry was posted in Development of Homosexuality, Ex-gay, Science, Uncategorized on 2014-11-19 by VoV Contributor.
← Citizen Magazine: Beating the Bans! Ex-Gays Call on Human Rights Campaign to Fund Reparative Therapy for HRC's Alleged Pedophile Founder and His Child Victim →


Jason Bourne, the action hero of Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity, has a fairly unusual surname, ranked as the 3,461st most common name in the US, according to Name Facts.
Of course, it's not nearly as rare as my own last name, Sarokin, with a ranking of 249,774 (take that, Jason). Still, Bourne is a good test name to see how much family history information any given lookup database is likely to provide.
I, er, borrowed this image. Hope no one minds.
The Social Security Death Index includes 3,075 Bourne's, some born (no pun intended) as early as 1870.
There are plenty of Bourne's in the military. The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System came up with 227 soldiers named Bourne, while WWII Enlistment Records came up with 298. Even the Medieval Soldiers database came up with 17 hits for Bourne, including Adam, Edmund, Henry, Thomas, and a multitude of Johns (but no Jason).
Bourne's have a good presence north of the border, it seems, as there are 448 of them in the Canadian Genealogy Centre database.
2,172 Bourne's show up in federal legal cases in LexisNexis, the earliest dating back to 1804...there were too many state cases to easily count.
It's always fun searching the half-billion records at WorldConnect. Turns out they win the prize for free databases, with almost 67,000 Bourne's...9 actual Jason Bourne's...to speak of (but only 11 Sarokin's...can you believe it!).
I could go on and on, but by now, you might well be asking: What's the point?
The point is...there is information on your family name...your family history...your ancestors!...in more places than you might imagine. Searches of large databases are usually fast, easy and, with luck, very revealing.
So don't delay. Start searching roots, and find out how many Jason Bourne's, er, family relations, you can find.
Okay. So now try Bonn.
I don't know how to enter a URL -- why do you ask?


text:
Increased risk of heart abnormalities in children born to mothers with HIV-1
11 September 2002. Related: Paediatric care.
A report published on The Lancet website reveals how HIV-1 infection in pregnant women is associated with persistent cardiovascular abnormalities in children shortly after birth. The authors report that, irrespective of their HIV-1 status, children born to HIV-1-infected women have substantially worse cardiac function than other infants.
The scientists, led by Steven Lipshultz of the Golisaon Childrens Hospital, University of Rochester, New York, used echocardiography to measure the cardiovascular function of infants born to HIV-1-infected women every 46 months, for up to five years. The group studied 93 infants infected with HIV-1 from birth, and 463 uninfected children as an internal control.
Additionally, a group of 193 healthy children born to mothers who were not infected with HIV-1 was also included as an external control.
The study showed that children with HIV-1 had a higher heart rate at all ages compared with those in the internal control group, by 10 beats per minute. Furthermore, children born with HIV-1, together with those in the internal control group, had impaired cardiac structure and function up to the age of eight months, after which point there was no difference between children in the internal and external control groups. However, children born with HIV-1 had impaired heart function for the first 20 months of life, as a result of a lack of reduction in size of the left ventricle.
Co-author George Sopko stated that: Differences in the hearts structure and function in uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers were milder and tended to dissipate over time compared to changes found in HIV-infected children.
Professor Lipshultz concluded: Impaired cardiac structure and function seem related to HIV-1-infection status in children born to women infected with HIV-1. Since LV [left ventricular] dysfunction is found in both infected and uninfected children born to women infected with HIV-1, the dysfunction could be related to the intrauterine environment. These environmental effects could result from HIV-1 and other infections, maternal and postnatal nucleoside analogue and other drug use, maternal nutrition, placental abnormalities, racial and ethnic differences, and mitochondrial dysfunction. He continued: We suggest that continuing follow-up and appropriate treatment strategies should be considered for all children born to women infected with HIV-1.
The Lancet 2002; published online June 18. Source: www.mediscover.net
Links to other websites are current at date of posting but not maintained.
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An introduction to Union Square Hospitality Group, Our Family Values, and what makes our system of hospitality 'enlightened.' The course includes a brief history of our businesses and organization. Participants will also learn USHG buzzwords and concepts including skunking, charitable assumption, agents and gatekeepers.
An introduction to the perks of working at USHG. Review opportunities for medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as how and when to enroll. Learn about our 401k Plan (with company match!), flex spending, Pre-tax Transit sign up, discounts at local businesses, and our employee discount dining program.
An introduction to the resources available to you from our Home Office team. Take a tour of the office to put faces to names, and strengthen your connection to a whole network of people eager to support you.


text:
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Review
First Released Jan 10, 2005
The Minish Cap executes the classic overhead Zelda formula with great precision and delightful whimsy.
By Brad Shoemaker on January 11, 2005 at 4:58PM PST
If you've been clamoring for a brand-new Zelda adventure that fits in your pocket, you can stop making a fuss now. Link's newest portable appearance, The Minish Cap, is here, and it executes the classic overhead Zelda formula with great precision and delightful whimsy. The basic gameplay is fundamentally identical to that of past games in the series, but the Zelda model is so entertaining, you can hardly call that a negative. The game is a little on the short side if you just plow through the main dungeon progression, but there's a vast array of optional side quests to undertake, and Nintendo and Capcom have also done a great job of coming up with new items and abilities for Link that fit right in with the standard Zelda structure.
Tiny Link has a big task ahead of him, as he sets out to save Hyrule from the sorcerer Vaati in The Minish Cap.
Capcom, you ask? Relax--the company's Flagship studio developed the Game Boy Color Zeldas, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, and it handled the porting duties on 2002's GBA version of A Link to the Past. Flagship definitely has Zelda chops, and they're put to good use in this newest adventure. In The Minish Cap, Link is once again appointed the savior of Hyrule when a wicked sorcerer named Vaati turns Princess Zelda to stone and sets off looking for the legendary light power that will give him dominion over all the peoples of the land. Early on, Link will come into possession of the eponymous cap, a sentient piece of headgear that bossily instructs him on how to complete his quest. Link's quest to restore Zelda and stop Vaati will be aided by the minish, a race of tiny, powerful (and cute) beings whom only children can see. You'll find portals hidden throughout the game that will shrink Link down to minish size, which will help you solve puzzles, find secret items, and generally see the world from a new perspective.
To stop Vaati, you'll have to gather the four sacred elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--and infuse an ancient broken blade with their essences. The quest for these four elements provides the impetus to seek out and plumb the depths of four ancient temples, each of which is a massive, complicated dungeon in the classic Zelda style. Multiple floors, a unique item in each one, a boss at the end--it's pretty standard stuff. There are a couple of nonelemental dungeons to pad the lineup, and all six are chock-full of devilish puzzles and fearsome enemies (many of which return from previous Zeldas). None of the dungeons are too hard--if you've played Zelda games before, you'll generally know how to approach the puzzles, even if you have to think about them for a while--but each one gives you a nice sense of satisfaction when you finish it.
The items you'll pick up to aid your adventure are a mix of Zelda mainstays and new, interestingly designed tools. In addition to the standard bombs, boomerang, bow and arrow, and so on, you'll find items like the gust jar, which can suck enemies in or blow puffs of air out; Pocci's cane, which shoots a bolt of energy that can flip enemies and items upside down; and Roc's cape, which lets you jump and even fly for short distances. As you'd expect, the level designers have found all sorts of ways to integrate the many items into the game's puzzles, and you'll find uses for each and every one of them right up to the final climactic battle.
The game does an excellent job of making you feel like a thumb-size Link in a great big world.
Another interesting new mechanic that harks back to last year's Four Swords Adventures allows you to create identical copies of Link using glowing tiles on the floor. These copies will attack when you attack and maintain their formation based on which tiles you activated them on, and again this mechanic is used extensively in some of the game's puzzles to create some interesting brainteasers. Finally, you'll gain a bunch of extra sword-combat abilities if you seek out the appropriate trainers, who will teach you how to perform a downward thrust, a rolling stab, a spin attack, and so on. Some of these simply come in handy while fighting the game's tougher enemies, while others are actually used in a few of the puzzles. All the variety definitely spices things up.
If The Minish Cap consisted only of the six primary dungeons, it would be one short Zelda indeed. Thankfully, there's a ton of stuff to do in between the dungeons, some of it required and some of it optional. You'll occasionally go on smaller quests to progress the main storyline, such as returning a number of lost library books in order to speak to a minish elder who's taken up residence on a library shelf, or visiting a witch in the swamp so you can gain some much-needed new shoes. Aside from these story-related activities, you could easily spend a dozen hours (on top of the dozen you spend on the main quest) simply exploring the world, looking for extra heart containers and discovering other Zelda-style secrets. The Minish Cap's Hyrule Town is perhaps the most bustling burg yet in a Zelda game, with a ton of houses you can enter and plenty of people to talk to, buy things from, and fuse kinstones with.
The kinstone fusion opens up access to new areas, characters, and treasures.
Wait, kinstones? These are small colored medallions, the halves of which you'll uncover in treasure chests, under rocks, and in the possession of enemies all over the world. Most of the folks of Hyrule have a kinstone half of their own, and you can approach them to fuse the appropriate half, if you have it, with theirs to cause some effect somewhere in the world map. Some kinstone fusions will spawn treasure chests or open paths to new areas, where you can acquire rupees, heart containers, and so on, while others will have profound effects on other characters that may (in the rare instance) allow you to gain a useful new item. Kinstone fusion is almost entirely optional, but it certainly allows you to become stronger, find more items, and generally experience a lot more of the game than you would if you just rushed from one dungeon to the next. If anything, the game definitely encourages exploration.
The Minish Cap's presentation is top-notch, and it's heartwarming to see 2D games still being produced with this degree of care and attention to detail. Rather than reusing graphical elements from A Link to the Past, Flagship has created this game's graphics from the ground up and made them consistent with the whimsical, cartoonlike aesthetic of The Wind Waker, which is embodied especially in Link himself. The artists had a field day with the minuscule Link idea--the areas you enter while shrunk down are filled with bigger-than-life enemies, set pieces, and background elements, creating memorable moments in which you climb atop a desk and tiptoe past a giant slumbering with his head on the table, or walk through the rafters of a house, seeing the secret places the minish have made their homes in the world of the big people. Visually, this is easily identifiable as a Zelda game, but it's great that the artists have exploited the tiny-Link-in-a-big-world conceit to its fullest.
If you're a fan of traditional Zelda games, you'll find the game's audio just as uplifting as its visuals, with a great mixture of classic music that draws from Zelda games all the way back to the NES original (though many of these have slightly new arrangements) and new songs that fit in perfectly with the Zelda milieu. The sound effects are nicely implemented too, from Link's powerful yell when he swings his sword to the vocal effects of other characters and so on. You wouldn't expect anything less than greatness from a Zelda game's presentation, and it's nice to see that The Minish Cap delivers.
This may or may not be the last 2D Zelda --but it's deserving of reverence either way.
With Zelda games on the big consoles having long ago transitioned to 3D, and with Nintendo's new focus on its 3D-capable DS in the handheld market, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that The Minish Cap will be the last totally original 2D Zelda game. The game easily lives up to its predecessors, with enough questing and variety to keep you entertained for the duration of its storyline and beyond. Whether or not this game represents the end of an era for this hallowed franchise, it's a superb game in its own right that any fan of Zelda, and indeed any Game Boy Advance-owning fan of adventure games, shouldn't be without.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap / Game Boy Advance
Classic Zelda gameplay and flavor will please fans.
Lots of new items and abilities.
Dungeons are full of tricky puzzles and tough enemies.
Great visual style.
A little on the short side if you don't undertake side quests.
Very similar to past games.
About GameSpot's Reviews
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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap More Info
Link returns in an all-new Game Boy Advance adventure. When the sorcerer Vaati turns Princess Zelda to stone, the king of Hyrule sends Link on a quest that takes him to all-new locations.
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text:
Forums General Gameplay Feedback Mainline Campaign Feedback Tutorial
Wesnoth Tutorial: Part I
Feedback for the game tutorial.
Content Feedback
Location: #wesnoth @ chat.freenode.net
Contact Content Feedback
Post by Content Feedback » March 11th, 2008, 9:35 am
Unlike other scenario reviews, reviews of the tutorial are informal. So post your thoughts about the first part of the tutorial here, especially if you are new to Wesnoth.
Mainline Campaigns: Scenario Feedback • Development & Overall Feedback
User-made Add-ons: Feedback
Anym
Joined: April 2nd, 2008, 6:27 pm
Contact Anym
Re: Scenario Review - Tutorial Part I
Post by Anym » April 2nd, 2008, 7:47 pm
No reviews so far? OK, more weight to my opinion, I guess.
Anyway, I'm new to Wesnoth just finished the tutorial and here are my thoughts:
The scenario does a good job a teaching the basics of movement, attacking, healing, recruiting.
The portrait graphics don't always match the units' sprites, for example the colour of Delfador's robe or the shape of Elvish Fighters' blades. (This seems pretty obvious, so I assume it's known and tolerated, but as I wasn't completely sure, I decided to point it out, just in case.)
The graphics for the quintain look a bit ugly and aren't up to the standard of the other units in this scenario. As it is the fourth unit most new players are probably going to see, this mars the (otherwise very positive) first impression a little. (This is very subjective, of course.)
"Hitpoints" is spelled inconsistently: usually "hitpoints", but at least once "hit points" and once "hp". While it probably is obvious that the latter stands for "hitpoints", it might be a good idea to introduce the abbreviation, i.e. having somebody say "...hitpoints (HP)" before using it alone, as is done for "XP". Seeing it as "hp" instead of "HP" looked also a bit strange to me.
Similarly, some uses of colons as punctuation marks struck me as a bit odd, for example "Yes: it's a magical quintain."
It's quite possible to destroy the quintain by turn 4, but even if you do, Delfador will tell you to "End your turn, then attack again."
Once you do destroy the quintain, the Elvish Fighter that destroyed it will report that "The quintain is dead" which strikes me a bit inappropriate, as it wasn't alive in the first place. That fighter also refers to both the player's character and Delfador together as "sirs", no matter whether you picked Konrad or Li'sar.
The latter turns of this scenario contain valuable information, which the second tutorial scenario seems to take for granted, even though I assume a good deal of new players will have skipped them, because once you destroyed one quintain, there doesn't seem much left about "movement, attacking, healing, recruiting" that can be "figured out" by destroying three more. I know I did. I only found out about those bits when reading the .cfg file in order to compose this post.
Sorry for any redundant or misplaced comments. Please tell me if any of these comments should also be reported somewhere else.
I look just like Bobbin Threadbare.
gruush
Joined: April 1st, 2008, 3:04 pm
Post by gruush » April 2nd, 2008, 9:42 pm
I just started playing Wesnoth a day or two ago, and went through the tutorial.
In retrospect, one thing that I felt wasn't clear was the fact that scenarios are time-limited. I think there would be benefit in adding something somewhere that says something like this:
"Each scenario has a limited number of turns, indicated by the flag icon in the upper right. If you fail to achieve the scenario objectives in the specified number of turns, you will fail the scenario. Additionally, you receive bonus gold for each turn early that you finish the scenario."
Additionally, this is more of a general note, but if you fail a scenario due to time limit, it just says "You were defeated!" It might be a little friendlier if that message told you why you were defeated. "You were defeated! (Time limit ran out)" or "You were defeated! (Fred was slain.)"
Anyway, just my n00bie 2 gp.
Post by nataS » April 19th, 2008, 8:53 am
I recently played the tutorial again, not because I needed to learn the basics, but because I wanted to know what it teaches new players. I think the tutorial is ok, and has some good humoristic parts that help keeping the players attention. On the other hand there is the "Do you want to keep practicing" popup that comes every time starting at turn four. I think this is both annoying and encourages players to quit instead of ending the tutorial and learn all the basics. Just take it out and as optional alternative point people to the menu option where they can quit the game?
List of Campaigns
theruler
Post by theruler » April 19th, 2008, 12:16 pm
I totally agree with Satan-Santa-NataS.
In addition I would report that if you move and attack during the very first hand to hand round with the puppet, instead of attack only (like you should do as explained in the text!), the tutorial is not able to handle the exception (in the following turn you cannot reach the southern village. Only the northern... but the tutorial says that you moved in the wrong space!)
do not allow to move (insert a rule), or set player's movement to zero in that specific turn.
Or allow the player to withdraw in the northern village.
Chuck Norris' watch displays only an hour. Yours.
Jozrael
Joined: June 2nd, 2006, 1:39 pm
Location: NJ, USA.
Post by Jozrael » May 1st, 2008, 5:17 am
I just redownloaded Wesnoth with the new 1.4 branch, and played the Tutorial over just for fun (I want to see -everything-).
I must say: I am very impressed right off the bat. The new graphics and music are excellent.
A criticism:
During an attack screen, units with too much information have their xp (12/24 or whatever) partly 'chopped off'. It significantly mars the screen.
About this scenario, only 2 minor suggestions:
1: The turn that Konrad first recruits, urge him to end his turn in the village so that he can recover more health.
2: If all quintains are defeated, give the player a message implying that he should just wait out the scenario to hear the tips, or BETTER: Just give him the option of hearing all remaining tips, then end the scenario.
Great job guys.
Rapturous
Post by Rapturous » January 10th, 2009, 12:29 pm
Excellent first scenario to orient new players. This was a well-structured tutorial that gave me a clear understanding of the basic mechanics.
netzakh
Post by netzakh » May 26th, 2009, 3:15 pm
Mythological wrote: Unlike the other scenario reviews, the review of the tutorial is informal. So post us your thoughts about the first part of the tutorial here, especially if you are new to wesnoth.
I will follow the more standard
(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
(1) 1.6.2
(3) N/A
(4) clear but see (7)
(5) as to the objectives themselves, none; otherwise, giving all four kills to the same Elvish Fighter, though it was not "major"
(6) appropriate for the very absolute introduction
(7) (i) if Delfador's instructions are exactly followed, it may happen that an E-Fighter ordered to attack the Quintain will do it from water (this was my first experience with BfW, but when I saw that 20% I immediately understood that something is not optimal); (ii) a hint that experience gained here might be useful later can be added - the resulting E-Fighter with 32+/40 XP proved a good reason not to select "No, I think I've got it."
A post-thought: the players gets a message that includes "Note that level 2 units cost you twice as much to support as level 1 units.", which may mislead to a conclusion that a unit's upkeep doubles on every advancement. I propose something like "Note that while each level 1 unit costs you 1 gold per support, each level 2 unit costs 2 gold per turn." This might be further expanded with "Level 2 units may also advance on gaining enough experience, and each level 3 unit costs 3 gold per turn."
Last edited by netzakh on July 15th, 2009, 7:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Krellja
Post by Krellja » May 26th, 2009, 10:48 pm
I play the game in german, so the quotations are only guessed I think the tutorial is a very good introduction to BfW. After playing a few campains (Tale of Two Brothers, Southguard, Orcish Incursion and some HTTT) I returned to the tutorial, to try the beforementioned idea of giving an elvish-fighter all the four kills (ok, I rolled bad, so he finished with 26XP).
Two points
When the scenario is finished, the game tells that I will start the next scenario with the maximum of a percentage of my current money and the starting money of that next scenario. I think this is the description of the old gold-bonus-rule (Version is 1.6).
When I play the scenarion till the turns run out, there are many hints about the game given. Does a player who finishes early also see these hints? Oops, just found this topic twice in the older posts.
moneypossum
Post by moneypossum » May 29th, 2009, 4:56 am
I play the game in german as well, works pretty well!
how to french kiss
jaimeastorga2000
Post by jaimeastorga2000 » November 15th, 2009, 11:32 pm
Well, I did the tutorial when I first got Wesnoth in version 1.6.4. I would like to start by making one thing clear; the tutorials work. Between this scenario and the next one, I went from knowing nothing about Wesnoth to being reasonably able to hold my own in missions. I've played a lot of turn-based tactics games before, so maybe that helped, but I want to state these tutorials definitely achieve their objectives of introducing the player to the game.
Now, onto the scenario itself. I did this review in version 1.6.5. using Li'sar, but unless I am mistaken the dialogue is virtually the same for both characters.
Elf-land is a good choice of introductory music, beginning with a hint of epic sound and continuing into a soft, graceful welcome that matches the green tiles the map is primarily made of.
The introductory welcome message narration is nice. I think "You are standing in the keep, and your mentor Delfador is on the east side of the river" should be changed to "You are standing in the keep, and your mentor Delfador is waiting for you on the east side of the river." That way it establishes a motivation for the character to move next to Defaldor. Also, the later note about you losing the game if units with crowns die would be better placed here, before the moving begins. It doesn't need the "note" mark, either; it would feel natural here as part of the mechanics narration.
It is good that the message mentions what you will be learning. However, "Destroy a fierce enemy" as an objective is a bit dramatic when you are fighting magical dummies, the last three of which are optional and stand in place until you approach them. "Defeat the enemy" or "Destroy the enemy" might be tried instead.
Good job on explaining selection and movement. However, "Is it time to attack things?" is rather tacky. Something like "Is it time for training?" would be better. When the character says "Have you found an orc for me to fight, huh? A troll?" I assume the intent is to portray him/her as brash and eager, in which case, it succeeded. Once again, though, I think slightly more formal dialogue is in order; for instance "Have you found an orc for me to fight? Or perhaps a troll?"
"You want me to pretend to fight a dummy?" was funny. Good job with that one.
I think Defaldor should move south at this point, before the fighting begins. I know he does it later (I am unsure, but I guess it is to prevent the quintain from attacking him), but there is no explanation for why he does it then. If he does it now, he can mumble something about giving you some space for the practice fight, and it will make his movement feel more natural.
Like above, "The DUMMY gets a turn?" is downright hilarious. Very nice bit of dialogue.
When the player says "The quintain is dead, sirs" that should probably be "sir" (singular) unless she is also addressing the elves, which would be somewhat odd. It should also probably be Defaldor who comments on her gained experience, since he is supposed to be the teacher and she the learner. She could stop after saying the quintain is dead and Defaldor could say something like "Yes, and you have gained some experience. You gain experience through battle..."
It's rather jarring to have Defaldor leave in the middle of the scenario, as it is to have him mention "real work to do" which isn't followed on in either this or the next scenario of the tutorial. Rather I think it would be better to have him stay and say "Now, [name], I will summon a few more dummies to practice with." That way, it can also be him and not the narration which asks you whether you feel comfortable enough to end the scenario or whether you wish to continue practising. Also, "do you wish" would sound slightly better than "do you want" for that question.
An extra turn or two for finishing off the quintains might be good. New players are likely to be overtly cautious, healing their units in villages completely before assaulting the mannequins.
One more thing. It gets annoying to be asked whether one wishes to end the scenario at the end of every turn. At most, it should be asked 3 times. Once at the end of the turn the three extra enemies are summoned (or at the beginning of the next one) and once after each the first two enemies get killed. Or maybe it could just be asked once, when the manequins first appear.
Last edited by jaimeastorga2000 on January 5th, 2010, 11:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
Post by Jozrael » December 4th, 2009, 7:18 pm
What excellent feedback .
I agree with everything you said, although I believe Delfador would need a better line (not that you gave a poor one) for his 'motivation to move away from the dummy'.
I hope you continue to give feedback of such quality for later scenarios that you find quibbles with .
Thegoergen
Location: Estrela - RS
Re: Wesnoth Tutorial: Part I
Post by Thegoergen » October 5th, 2010, 2:04 am
When I played the first time Wesnoth, I played in the tutorial, and it works very well. However, is it the same from the earlier versions? No more options since them?
And... I am a translator, and when I was translating the tutorial I though: Why every string is duplicated, one for the Konrad and one for the Li'sar, if the only modification is the name of character? I think the translation will be much more simple if it had "neutral" strings, or if the name of character saved in a variable (or something of this...).
Well... but the tutorial for players is a very well-monted tutorial, with a crescent difficult level.
Diego Inácio Goergen
Sorry by the English.
Trying to help the translation
I am a nulity in not-Java programming
obnoxiousman
Joined: August 23rd, 2010, 7:50 pm
Location: West of Fort Tahn
Post by obnoxiousman » October 28th, 2010, 5:16 pm
Good. It helps new players learn how to play, and I play it for fun sometimes (I have been playing wesnoth for a year now). It doesn't exactly teach strategy, but that's what Part II is for, right?
"Oh, Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain!" --William (Bill) Shakespeare, Hamlet
I made The Brotherhood of Wesnoth, a super fun (and incomplete) Campaign!
Skaithe
Post by Skaithe » July 13th, 2011, 11:17 am
jaimeastorga2000 wrote: Well, I did the tutorial when I first got Wesnoth in version 1.6.4. I would like to start by making one thing clear; the tutorials work. Between this scenario and the next one, I went from knowing nothing about Wesnoth to being reasonably able to hold my own in missions. I've played a lot of turn-based tactics games before, so maybe that helped, but I want to state these tutorials definitely achieve their objectives of introducing the player to the game.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I played the tutorial well out of order but still thought it was very well done and not boring in the slightest. In fact, I avoid tutorials because they are usually boring, I wish I played this one before I started on the campaigns.
Definitely an option to get rest of tips before exiting scenario would be good.
Return to "Tutorial"


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They had me as soon as I saw the wooden boards overloaded with sausages, wvrst, and aspics waiting for us.
December is a time of festive gatherings and celebration. It is, most certainly, a time for feasting. And the chefs from The Group Of 7 collective certainly know how to host a feast! Held at Sanagan's in Kensington Market, I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a small space and most notably, a butcher shop. But as we milled outside in the cold, our curious faces peering into the brightly lit space, a long table set for what looked like 40 people called to me. Waiting for us to partake in this, the Hunter's Feast.
Chef Matty Matheson's (Parts & Labour) fabulous terrine platter. So. Good.
The long table that greeted us was already set with nibbles – a wooden board laden with enormous portions of rabbit liver & kidney wvrst, moose kielbasa, macaroni pickle head cheese (I think), pickled smokies (jar), and tongue in aspic. So many delicious things! Pickled curried veg and pickled herring were also on the table. It's hard to articulate the amount of excitement this elicited in me, but I could barely contain my eagerness to get right in there. It was an auspicious start to the evening and an augur of what was to come (if only I had kept that latter thought in mind as I ravaged the platter)! I enjoyed the tongue in aspic so much that I wish I had asked to take some home.
I have no notes for this, but I think: slice of duck(?) procuitto glistening with fat on a generous smear of (brie?) cheese. Topped with a (tomato?) chutney. From the Martini Club(?). Terrible documentation (read: none), sorry.
Wild boar and chestnut meatball.
Chef Jamie Bissonnette's pickled oysters with blood sausage and nuoc cham. Great flavours – I ate three of these..!
A drink, compliments of the Martini Club, was handed to me as we made our way into Sanagan's. Glass in hand, we settled into our seats before the appetizers began circling. Loved the pickled oyster from Chef Jamie Bissonnette – lovely irony flavours from the blood sausage and a tart hit from the pickling brine played so well with the oyster's creaminess.
Guests seated and starting to feast.
Chef Scott Vivien's (Beast Restaurant) lovely pickled zucchini. With burrata & shaved bottarga. And these awesome fried capers.
Chef Chris Brown's (The Stop) heirloom carrots with hollandaise and hazelnuts. Lovely roasted flavours and creamy sauce offset by a nutty crunch.
Vegetables made their spotlight appearance early on, and both offerings were quite delicious. More of that pickled+salt+creamy combination continued with Chef Scott Vivian's zucchini dish and lovely sweet notes from the Chef Chris Brown's roasted heirloom carrots. With an added crunch from toasted hazelnuts and richness from the Hollandaise, it was very appealing, both in taste and visually.
And then the meat parade began.
Mark Cutrara's elk ravioli with honey mushrooms, parsnips, and chestnut.
Chef John Horne's (Canoe) game (including moose, foie, bison, & venison) tourtière. He hunted some of the critters himself. Excellent rich & meaty flavours mingling with the flaky pastry. Tender liver bits on top gave a boost to the dish with an extra hit of iron/meat flavour.
Goose cotechino sausage, lentils, green sauce, & goose liver "shrimp chips." Really interesting to see good liver prepared this way.
Chef Kevin McKenna's (Taboo Resort) rabbit stuffed with moose, black walnuts, & maple cranberries. Sided by bacony sprouts.
Smoked water buffalo cheek w/black garlic mole on fried kale, candied peanuts, & pickled onion from Scott Vivian (Beast Restaurant).
Each plate bearing meaty and delicious things was loaded with ridiculously generous portions, and each could have been a main in and of itself. So by the time we'd gotten through four non-vegetable offerings, people had begun to sit back in their chairs. It was a futile attempt to ease the strain of bellies ballooning over waistbands.
It was at this point that I recalled the terrine board we began with, and I regretted (only a little bit) being quite so liberal in my consumption of its contents. We were winding down with only a few more dishes to go, but I knew that things were going to get challenging from here on in.
Of course, I hadn't anticipated the last main dish of the night. Large cast-iron skillets began their progression out to the tables, and before they could even set the dish down, I gave a groan as I realized they were going to serve us what Anthony Bourdain calls the single heaviest dish in the French repertoire: cassoulet.
Suffolk Down Cassoulet: horse ribs, tripe, bone marrow, pig's feet, & fried sweetbread cassoulet. From Jamie Bissonnette (Coppa, Boston).
Bissonnette was pretty stoked to cook horse, as availability and reception in Boston is not what it is here in Toronto. Just to push things further, bone marrow, pig's feet, and fried sweetbreads were all a part of this dish. Rich and over the top, this hearty dish nearly destroyed me.
Chef John Horne (Canoe) introduces the cheese course.
Chef John Horne's beautifully plated cheese platter with fruits and beets.
I was a little leery of the cheese course when it was announced – I wasn't sure I could handle more food right then, let alone cheese – but Chef John Horne's sheep's milk mousse was blessedly light so I could still enjoy the lovely flavours of roasted beets, parsnip cream, and the mousse. As the large slates (brought in from Canoe) for the cheese were cleared away, I rallied. I could eat a few more bites. Just a few more.
One side of the table was asked to push their chairs back to make some room. But for what?
7-foot buche Noel w/eggnog cream by Bertrand Alépée (The Tempered Chef). There were TWO of them. Amazing.
Why, two 7-foot long buche Noels with eggnog cream by Chef Bertrand Alépée, of course! An incredible edible woodland wonderland of cake, sponge, cream, chocolate, and marzipan. I saw others delicately nibbling away at this, and I simply dug in. How could I not give my best (though feeble) shot at doing this justice? It truly made for an unforgettable cap to an ultra-decadent evening.
Having been to some Group Of Seven events (Hogtown Throwdown, Prohibition) throughout the year, this certainly topped anything I'd ever experienced put on by these guys. Actually, put on by anyone in Toronto so far. The tsunami of food, course after course, yet each one compelling enough to push the creeping tide of food coma away for just a little while longer, to taste just one more spoonful. A really fantastic night that I'm so very glad I was able to attend!