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Simulation, Analysis & Modelling (SAM)
Digitally recreating Earth processes
Earth reconstruction of a selection of the GPlates data at 67 million years ago. Source: Earthbyte.
Welcome to SAM! We provide the community with specialised, high quality software to interrogate Earth processes that affect life at its surface.
Our software delivers robust, open-source solutions to outstanding problems in geodynamics, energy, minerals exploration, mining and natural hazards. It is the infrastructure needed by Australia's geoscience research and industry community to respond to our changing planet.
Underworld (Underworld2) is an open-source, particle-in-cell finite element code tuned for large-scale geodynamics simulations. It is a python-friendly code which provides a programmable and flexible front end to all the functionality of the code running in a parallel HPC environment.
Simulating formation of Earth's oldest, near-surface material in Underworld2 (Beall, Moresi & Cooper, 2018).
Discover our User Manual and Source Code.
Also, news on the Blog and Facebook.
GPlates
GPlates is desktop software for the interactive visualisation of plate tectonics. It offers a novel combination of interactive plate tectonic reconstructions, geographic information system (GIS) functionality and raster data visualisation.
GPlates enables both the visualisation and the manipulation of plate tectonic reconstructions and associated data through geological time. It runs on Windows, Linux and MacOS X.
Need help? Explore
our User Manual.
Tectonic reconstruction of the accumulative deposition of reefal and carbonate platforms from 410 Ma to present day using the Matthews et al. (2016) plate model. GPlates animation for Pall et al.
esys-Escript
esys-Escript is mathematical modelling module for python. Using the power of the python language users can implement complex 3D models based on coupled, non-linear, time-dependent partial differential equations. Modelling scripts can run on desktop computers as well as on large scale parallel computers.
It has successfully been applied in a broad spectrum of applications including geophysical inversion, damage mechanics, Earth mantle convection, earthquakes, porous media flow, reactive transport, plate subduction, and tsunamis.
esys-Escript integrates with many standard python modules and provides interfaces to 3D visualization tools and the mesh generation tool gmsh. It is available on Linux and MacOS.
3D inversion of gravity anomaly data in Western Queensland with about 64 million cells (Altinay & Gross, 2018).
Questions? Please visit our Q&A page. If you are running Debian or Ubuntu, please search for python-escript in your package manager.
Our SAM Underworld team continues to help researchers understand our planet's evolution and dynamics across a range of settings including the formation of the modern Australian continent, the formation of the Himalayan and Andes, the structure of sedimentary basins, the initiation of plate tectonics on Earth, the role of subduction and mantle convection on tectonic plate reorganisation.
Our SAM GPlates team is currently working on a global deforming plate model for the last 240 million years that captures the progressive extension of all continental margins since the initiation of rifting within Pangea, starting with the Triassic extension between Africa and North America (~240 Ma).
The model also includes the progressive compressional deformation valong collision zones, and the evolution of complex regions that have experienced consecutive extension and compression, as is the case for New Zealand.
Our SAM Escript team is working on virtual geophysical monitoring of carbon sequestration injections. In the project the response of geophysical methods such as for electric resistivity tomography (ERT) and gravity anomaly measurements are predict from CO2 spread simulated using a specialized pores media flow simulator (CSMP++).
Constitutive relationships are used in esys-escript to model the target quantities electric conductivity and density from the state of the reservoir. The simulated geophysical signals are feed into esys-escript inversion to optimize geophysical survey designs for tracking the plume spread.
Recently we, and researchers nationally have:
Launched Underworld2 into the cloud thanks to a collaborative project between AuScope's AVRE and SAM — Underworld teams (2018).
Recreated craton formation and the onset of Plate Tectonics using Underworld2 software, suggesting an early 'catastrophic switching on' mechanism of plates (Beall, Moresi and Cooper, 2018).
Examined the dynamics of continental accretion using Underworld2 software (Moresi, Betts, Miller and Cayley, 2014).
Resolved a long-standing debate on how Australia's Highest Mountains in the Eastern Australian Highlands formed by the EarthByte research team using GPlates plate tectonic reconstructions. The team were able to explain that voluminous sediments, important for energy exploration, in the Great Australian Bight were transported there by the ancient Ceduna River, coinciding with the initial phase of uplift of the highlands in the Cretaceous Period. This research was widely reported in the media, including the Sydney Morning Herald, communicating to the public the value of understanding the evolution of the Australian continent.
Provided the capability to run large-scale, parallelized geophysicial inversion using esys-Escript software on the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) facility through the AuScope geophysical data portal (VGL).
Built an Australia's lithospheric density field model based on the AUSREM seismic model using esys-Escript.
Introducing Stripy
Geodynamicists from Sydney and Australian National universities have developed Stripy, a software module that allows scientists to efficiently place GIS 'wrapping paper' around the spherical Earth 'present'.
We made a moving tectonic map of the Game of Thrones landscape
Scientists are among the millions of die-hard Game of Thrones fans digesting the show's finale today. The striking landscape of Game of Thrones has led some researchers to build climate simulations that explain the erratic seasons depicted in the show, and others to piece together the geological history.
Explorers unpack Earth's sedimentary basins
Sedimentary basins around the world are critical to sustaining modern life on Earth. These basins can be thought of as containers that hold water, minerals, energy, and can potentially be used to store carbon dioxide. Unpacking how they form, and where those resources and storage opportunities may lie is a sizeable feat for the best of us...
Congratulations, Dietmar!
Dynamic. Thinking big. In it for the long haul.
These are three key leadership qualities for any field. But for Dietmar Müller, the award-winning geoscience professor leading Sydney University's EarthByte Group, they take on tangible meaning as he investigates Earth's complex evolution.
Endless volcanic eruptions like Jupiter's Io for early Earth?
There is a mystery in Earth's ancient past, and the clues lie in ancient cratons of Australia and other places. What was the Earth like before the plates formed? AuScope's Simulation and Modelling team led by Prof. Louis Moresi have a new theory.
Assessing geotechnical risk in geothermal areas using ESys computation
Hydrogeologists demonstrate that AuScope code is critical for advanced geotechnical risk assessment.
SAM software has enabled research geoscientists to better understand Earth's system, and how it relates to climate and oceanic systems in turn, enabling positive impacts for Australia. One recent example includes our GPlates team informing the selection of potential Carbon capture and storage (CCS) across Australia (EarthByte, 2017).
In the next decade, the dynamic response of the Earth to changing conditions is increasingly going to impact on daily life. Our Underworld project team need to design code that will help us model things like sea level change, natural hazards and earth subsidence due to groundwater pumping and engineering work at a measurable scale.
Our GPlates team plans to develop code for models that tell us about deep Earth in deep time:
assimilate geophysical and high-precision and high-resolution geochemical data into models to reveal critical aspects of the mantle to great depths (since convection transports deep mantle material into the shallow melting region) and in deep time (e.g., through the time-integrated decay of radiogenic isotopes), as constraints for geodynamic models.
develop inverse/adjoint modelling capabilities through international partnerships, where present-day and time-dependent observations are propagated backward through geological history, together with uncertainties
build statistical approaches to evaluate uncertainty complex models dependent on a multitude of parameters and a complex set of observations, through deep time, back to –initial amalgamation of Australia, as part of the Nuna supercontinent
And our esys-Escript team will make multi-resolution capabilities available for inversion and simulations that support not only an easier and more effective way to import geological information but also an adaptation of resolution on the fly as the inversion or simulation progresses.
This approach will allow meeting a target accuracy at minimal computational costs and hence provides a key to address inversion of multi-physical 3D data sets across large spatial areas targeting subsurface imaging of the entire Australian continent.
PROGRAM LEADER
Prof. Louis Moresi
PROJECT LEADERS
Underworld, Melbourne Uni
Dr. Rebecca Farrington
GPlates, Sydney Uni
Prof. Dietmar Müller
eScript, Queensland Uni
Prof. Lutz Gross
Earthbyte
Explore our other programs


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Home Internet Security News Digital Economy Bill Is Official. Pirates Will Go To Jail For 10 Years In The UK.
Digital Economy Bill Is Official. Pirates Will Go To Jail For 10 Years In The UK.
Time for pirates to ready their ships and get out of the UK. The Digital Economy Bill has become law.
No one likes to spend any amount of time in jail.
The UK government doesn't care though as pirates in the UK will now to go jail for 10 years.
If they are caught that is.
The Digital Economy Bill recently received a nod of approval from the royals in the UK and now the Digital Economy Bill has become law.
What does that mean for pirates?
It means that users who share files on the internet publicly can go to jail.
And if they do, it can be for, up to, ten whole years.
But one shouldn't understand that to mean all pirates will go to jail for 10 years.
There are specific kinds of pirates that the UK government feels should not only go to jail, but go to jail for a long time.
What kind of pirates are we talking about here?
The UK government is after pirates that infringe copyright content and make it available to the public.
And all the while they know that doing so will expose the owner of that copyright file to "risk" of a loss.
The operative word here is risk.
And not loss.
IN other words, even if the owner of the copyrighted file is exposed to a risk of loss, not an actual loss, the pirate may go to jail for 10 years.
When Did It All Start
But here is the conclusion of that UK IPO study:
Moving To July of 2016 When The Digital Economy Bill Was Born
Should UK Citizens Be Worried?
According to the Digital Economy Bill, online users are in a bit of trouble.
The UK Government Does Not Like To Listen To Other Stakeholders
How Does Open Rights Group Feel About Their Recommendations?
The Digital Economy Bill Got Passed Unchanged
New Law Or No New Law, Anime Torrent Site Gets Terminated
If The Site's Shutdown Is Because Of A Registry Intervening, Then The Probably Cause Of The Shutdown IS A Legal One.
Copyright holders will be the main beneficiaries of the new law.
It all started in 2015.
The UK government divulged to the public it's ambitious but controversial plan to punish pirates more severely.
The plan consisted of the government being able to send pirates to jail for an increased period of time.
Some of the readers may not know that the maximum prison sentence for copyright infringement was two years before the Digital Economy Bill.
It is now 10.
This increase of eight years is all thanks to the Digital Economy Bill which is actually a law now.
Of course, that wasn't always the case.
Before the Digital Economy Bill became law, it was just a proposal.
And this proposal came into existence after suggestions that were put forward by the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office.
The suggestions from UK IPO took the form of a study.
As mentioned before, this study was commissioned by the IPO in the UK.
What did the study say?
The study said a lot of things and for the obvious reasons, we can't discuss all of those here.
Criminal punishments for online copyright violations were not enough.
These "old" sanctions that were available under the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988) were simply not enough.
That's according to the UK IPO study.
The study also concluded that the existing online sanctions should be synchronized and integrated with penalties for offline copyright infringements.
Offline copyright violations include activities related to counterfeiting products of all sorts including information products.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the then Intellectual Property Minister, said back then that an increase in penalties was necessary.
Why was it necessary?
Because the new tough proposed penalties for commercial scale online offending would protect businesses.
Not only that, the new sanctions would also send a loud and clear message to other criminals that they should stop online infringements.
It wasn't exactly a bill at the time but it was about to become one.
In July of 2016, the United Kingdom government present, or rather published, a new version, or draft, of its document.
This document came to be known as the Digital Economy Bill.
The Digital Economy Bill, even in its earliest forms, proposed an expansion to the number of years on could spend in jail for piracy.
As mentioned before, the then current maximum prison sentence was two years.
The Digital Economy Bill suggested it be increased to, at maximum, ten years.
If you believe whatever the UK government tells you that no.
You shouldn't be worried.
Why? The Digital Economy Bill did just become law right?
But according to the government, normal citizens have nothing to be scared off.
In fact, the government has maintained this position since the beginning.
Maybe the government did that so it would have an easier time with the entire process of legislation and get the bill passed.
Who knows right?
But the UK government continues to insist that there is nothing sinister behind the new Digital Economy law.
And that regular online users who belong to the public will not be treated harshly with length punishments.
In truth however, the Digital Economy law is a bit different from the Digital Economy Bill.
The law doesn't really corroborate what the UK government is trying to relay to the public.
Many reports in the media have mentioned the same problem with the Digital Economy Bill.
The new law says any online user who shares a piece of copyrighted content with the public and puts the related copyrighted holder at a risk of loss has committed a crime.
In other words, if you upload a file and that puts the copyright holder of that file to a RISK of loss, you go to jail.
Not only that, you might go to jail for a period of ten years.
That definitely sounds harsh.
Of course, there are a lot of other variables as well which will determine how long the punishment lasts.
But that does not change the fact that everyday average online users who share files on the internet might face long prison times.
Plus, there is also a little bit of confusion between uploading and downloading files and whether that makes someone a pirate as well.
Online users usually use technologies such as BitTorrent to download files.
As is the norm, sometimes the downloaded files are not exactly legal.
The confusion lies where one has to determine if an average online user can be considered to be someone who pirates on a commercial-scale.
This is where a lot of the critics of the Digital Economy law say there needs to be more specification.
For example, the Digital Economy law says that a person who infringes copyright in a work by communicating the work to the public commits an offense.
This statement from the Digital Economy law further says that if the person suspects or even has a reason to believe that he/she is infringing copyright in the work and knows or has reason to believe that communicating the work to the public might cause loss to the owner of the copyright content or would expose the owner of the copyright to a risk of loss.
Earlier in the year, an organization that goes by the name of Open Right Groups initiated a campaign.
The aim of the campaign was to try and convince the United Kingdom government that it was being unreasonable.
Let's make one thing clear here:
The Open Right Group actually agreed with the government that there was a need to have stricter penalties for pirates.
Especially for those pirates who engaged in online copyright infringement.
But, where the Open Right Group deviated from the government' stance was when it came to differentiating between different users.
The Open Rights Group wanted the UK government to make sure that it targeted only large-scale copyright infringers.
And left the general public alone.
No one really knows for sure if the new Digital Economy law protects the common citizen sufficiently.
A representative from Open Rights Group recently said that the organization's proposal was about two things.
One, that the government should set a minimum threshold which could sufficiently define commercial scale loss.
And two, the government should at least revise the term "risk of loss" and change it to "serious risk of commercial scale loss.
Open Rights Group said that their recommendations are flexible in nature.
The UK government, obviously did not accommodate Open Rights Group or its recommendations.
In fact, it isn't clear if the UK government ever considered Open Rights Group's appeal.
To be fair to the UK government, it is rather difficult for someone to stand up and request a change in the law.
But the least the people of UK would have expected was some form of consultation with all the parties involved.
As it turns out, there wasn't a single person in the law making process who was ready to propose minor alteration tot eh then Digital Economy Bill.
The situation gets even worse when one knows that there are other ways to punish copyright infringers.
Yes, indeed there are.
The UK legislation already had laws related to punishment of even the most basic of copyright infringements.
These punishments were processed through the country's civil courts.
Needless to say, the UK government didn't take Open Rights Group recommendations seriously enough.
That resulted in the bill getting royal approval this past week.
What does that mean for the rest of the small-scale copyright igniters in the country?
Well, they are basically criminals if we're talking about the law.
The number of these small-scale pirates probably runs into the millions.
And all of it is because the Digital Economy bill was not specific enough.
The worst part is yet to come though.
Since the Digital Economy bill has now become law, the real power lies with copyright holders groups.
As it stands now, copyright holders will decide if someone is a criminal or not.
IN fact, they could report someone to the police for a "crime" as small as sharing a single piece of copyrighted content such as a movie or a documentary.
Hypothetically speaking, a person could go to jail in the UK for sharing a single file online.
And as we have mentioned before, the jail time could be in years.
Ten in fact.
Again, the UK government says that regular online users have nothing to worry about.
And that it will not allow copyright holders to abuse the new Digital Economy law.
But no one can guarantee that it will not get abused.
Anime sites are big business. And big businesses attract law enforcement agencies.
You don't really need new laws to take down copyright infringing sites it turns out.
The very established anime torrent site by the name of NYAA recently went down.
In other words, it became inaccessible.
Later, reports in the media indicated that the site owners had actually lost control of the site.
They also lost control of multiple other domain names as well.
All domain names of the site were deactivated within a short few hours.
As you would expect, the site itself also became unreachable.
There are lots of theories on what could have happened.
But the most likely one is that the owner of the website actually closed it down.
With that said, some reports in the media say that the site only got taken out when responsible registries got involved.
Before the shutdown though, the hugely popular anime site NYAA ran supreme as the king of anime content sources.
It served millions of online users every month and had operated in the same business for a number of years.
Why did the site become unreachable on such a short notice is a mystery to many.
Some think the main cause of the shut down is the site's issue with its domain name.
No more Pikachu for millions of users who used NYAA.se
The main domain name that NYAA uses to serve its customers is NYAA.se
As of now, no one can access NYAA through that domain name.
Whenever the registry gets involved, there is always s legal authority behind its back.
Previously though, the people behind NYAA.se indicated that they will not deactivate their domain names.
But they did add that they will do so under a relevant court order.
Punkt SE previously said that they believed that the judicial authorities should determine whether or not it was appropriate to take legal action against a specific domain name registrant.
NYAA.se is no more.
Furthermore, Punkt SE said, unless they were ordered to do so, there was a risk that they could call the validity of the legal process into question.
So it didn't really make sense to take action before a ruling was passed.
Sites such as TorrentFreak have confirmed from NYAA site moderators that the shutdown was done voluntarily.
And the owners of the site deactivated the domains.
To put it another way, we won't be seeing NYAA back anytime soon.
Zohair is currently a content crafter at Security Gladiators and has been involved in the technology industry for more than a decade. He is an engineer by training and, naturally, likes to help people solve their tech related problems. When he is not writing, he can usually be found practicing his free-kicks in the ground beside his house.
Categories Internet Security News, Organizations Tags copyrights, digital economy bill Post navigation
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Pozo de Piedra es una localidad de la provincia argentina de Catamarca, en el departamento Belén.

El municipio fue creado por ley N.º 4101 sancionada el 10 de julio de 1984:

Dependen del municipio las comunas (delegaciones comunales o municipales) de Las Barrancas, y Cóndor Huasi.

Población
Cuenta con  lo que representa un incremento del 6,33 % frente a los  del censo anterior.

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Coord. geográficas e imágenes satelitales de Pozo de la Piedra
 Datos e imágenes en sitio federal

Localidades rurales de Catamarca
Municipios sin concejo deliberante de Catamarca
Departamento Belén

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


See what other parents have to say about our program. The video and written testimonials below are from current and former customers.
Please allow the video to load. You may also use this link to view the video.
I've loved everything about GCDC. Being close enough for me to volunteer, the Teachers, the diverse snack menu, meeting astronauts and other NASA Scientists, great field trips, Spanish, Music, etc...It's a great experience that very few kids will get a chance to have. I'm grateful Jack was able to. ~E. Stolte.
I feel incredibly blessed to have had my grandson, Matthew at GCDC. I cannot imagine a school where he could have been more nurtured and deeply cared about. He is more than ready for first grade and also has learned valuable interpersonal skills that will serve him well in his upcoming school years. Thank you.


Marshal Pilsudski - Poland's new Dictator - reviews his troops after revolution.
Title: "Europe's New Mussolini. Marshal Pilsudski - Poland's new Dictator - reviews his troops after the revolution".
Panning shot follows Pilsudski as he marches across a wide cobbled square with some of his more high ranking officers. The dictator salutes to someone off camera. M/S of Pilsudski and officers taken from another angle, they are accompanied by two officers on horseback. We see that the president is saluting to crowds of people standing about the square, many in military uniform.
High angled shot of Pilsudski and the officers stepping up onto a platform, good C/U of the dictator as he passes the camera. C/U of Pilsudski sitting on a throne-like chair on the platform, the officers stand in a row behind him.
Note: old records spell dictator's name Ipilsudski - other sources suggest this is incorrect and the title cards are right in spelling it Pilsudski. AH 2000.


Five College Joint and Shared Positions and Services. Five Colleges manages the following positions and services among the campuses noted.
Audit Services (Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith). Three campuses and Five Colleges, Inc. agreed in 2006 to retain the services of KPMG.
Fiber Optic Network (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, UMass). Built and owned by all five institutions, Five College Net, LLC, was completed in 2007 and serves all five campuses and several towns.
Five College Library Repository. Known as "the Bunker" because of its previous life as a Cold War-era Strategic Air Command regional control center, this high density storage facility stores lesser-used materials from the libraries.
Libraries (all campuses). Extensive and long-standing cooperation among the libraries also gives Five College campus community members access to the combined strength of all campus libraries, which currently totals some nine million volumes. In addition to open borrowing privileges, members of the Five College community may search the collections and place a borrowing request online.
Meal Exchange. By special arrangement among the food service directors, a student enrolled in a meal plan at the home campus may receive permission to have meals at another campus without additional charge.
Museums10. A collaboration of seven Five College campus museums and three affiliated independents, Museums10 combines the resources of its members with grant funding to promote its members and the region.
Pre-Health Professions Advising (Mount Holyoke, Smith). Mount Holyoke and Smith began sharing a Pre-Health Adviser in Sept 2014.
Risk Management (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith). Through the Five College Risk Management Program, established in 1994, the four colleges share the expertise of one Five College Risk Manager.
Sustainability Programs: Recycling and Energy Efficiency. For more than a decade, the four colleges shared the services of a Five College Recycling Manager, assisting each campus in upgrading its educational campaign and improving methods of recycling as well as the marketing of specified waste materials. The colleges continue to cooperate with the university's own program of recycling and utilize its recycling facility. Until recently, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges shared the services of an energy efficiency manager who, over several years, significantly improved energy efficiency in generation, building, and consumption. Our sustainability programs personnel, in conjunction with college leaders, are assessing new directions for sustainability programs among the colleges.
Training Collaborative. The Five College Management Training Collaborative was established in 1994 (the program is currently in transition). A shared administrative assistant position was based at Amherst College, 2002/03-2005/06.
Transportation. The Five College Bus System serves all five campuses and has been in operation since 1960. Since the 1980s the service has been run by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and UMass Transit. Thanks to Five College subsidies, students and employees ride for free, and they do -- some 1-million rides a year are given over Five College routes.
E-learning (Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith). The three campuses began a shared subscription purchase in 2005.
Environmental Health and Safety (Hampshire, Mount Holyoke). Beginning in 2006-07, Hampshire contracted with Mount Holyoke to provide environmental health and safety services, under the direction of a Mount Holyoke administrator.
Health Services. Amherst and Hampshire Colleges contract for student health services from UMass Amherst.
Local Purchasing. Campuses collaborate on local food purchasing.
MHEC - Joint Purchasing. Initiated as a Five College buying group in 1967, the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) today consolidates the buying power of 87 schools throughout New England in drawing up common contracts for goods and services.
Ombudsperson (Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire). Mount Holyoke and Hampshire began sharing an ombudsperson in 2006. Amherst joined that sharing in 2009.
Public Safety (Mount Holyoke, Smith, Hampshire). In 2004 Mount Holyoke and Smith began sharing a director of public safety. Since 2008 Hampshire has shared management for all public safety services with Mount Holyoke; Smith joined the group in 2009.
Rental Property Management (Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith). Created in 2000 to oversee rental property management for three campuses.
Religious Life (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith). Several institutions have shared services of chaplains over the decades.


text:
By Emily Evans-Miller
Here at Mascot Books, we're proud to share the stories of a diverse set of authors, characters, and situations—it's what makes publishing stronger. In honor of Black History Month, we're sharing some of our books either written by by African American authors or featuring black characters. Check out the full list below:
Adventures of Grandma V and the Case of the Vanishing Fried Peach Pies
By Morgan Cruise
Grandma V's fried peach pies keep disappearing but no one knows why. Good thing Juliana loves solving mysteries! Follow along as Juliana learns about Grandma V's memories of the Civil Rights movement as she solves the case of the missing pies.
Amoya's Big Move
By Dahlia Richards
Take a ride with Amoya as she details the day she and her family give away the last of their belongings and prepare to leave Jamaica for Chicago. The little things, such as her favorite ice cream, pop up in her memory as she reconciles the fact that this treat might not be available where she is going. Amoya's Big Move paints a vivid picture of Jamaica as Amoya and her family journey to the airport and say their goodbyes.
The Amazingly Awesome Amani
By Jamiyl and Tracy-Ann Samuels
Amani Taylor is a boy of few words until he falls asleep. When night falls, he becomes AWESOME AMANI—crime fighting superhero and defender of all that is good. The W.R.E.a.C Havoc Heroes series presents the story of a boy who takes on life's challenges by day but is a perfectly normal avenger in his dreams. This is a tale of perseverance and the power of a great imagination.
B.A.L.D.: Lillie's First Day of School
By Tijuana and Khaila Ramey-Collier
Beauty Always Looks Different
It's Lillie's first day of school and she is very excited to start the new year.Throughout her day, she meets new friends who help her appreciate what makes everyone special and what it truly means to be B.A.L.D. Join Lillie on the first installment of her many adventures!
Carefree Like Me
By Rashad Malik Davis
What happens when two best friends Amir and Neena get bored? They travel to another dimension, of course! Get ready for an adventure that you'll never forget!
Carter: My Dream, My Reality
By Tyrell Zimmerman
It's a scary world out there for little Carter. Scary things are happening every day, and he doesn't understand why. Join Carter as his mom helps him understand these scary situations teaches him how he can make a difference in the world.
$1 from every book sold will be donated to Zimmnation Foundation, Inc. @Zimmnation
Cece and Roxy: How We Came to Be
By Pascha Adamo
Best friends from the start, CeCe and Roxy become family when Roxy's owner must go away. Meet the family who fosters this lovable pit bull.
The Definition of a Friend
By Jimmy Graham
Envy, Love, Hate.
After spending over six years of his life in prison, Sincere has only one thing on his mind—revenge against the person who put him away and the people who did him wrong. After coming home, he realizes that everyone he believed to be a friend may not be who he thought they were, and he could be wrong about everything he thought he knew as a result.
Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo Series
By Dr. Oneeka Williams
I'm Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo,
Super Surgeon ON THE GO!
My hands were made to heal,
I cut, I sew, I tie with zeal;
No problem is too big or small,
Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo can tackle them all!
The Hue of You
By Jade Richardson
Imani and her sister, Crystal, love going to their grandmother's house on the weekends to help with her garden. However, one weekend, a comment from Imani stuns her grandmother, quickly turning a simple day of gardening into a day filled with eye-opening conversation about self-love and the nature of acceptance.
Independent Queers
By Dr. Philip McAdoo
As an educator, activist, and former Broadway actor, Dr. Philip McAdoo has spent his life fighting for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth, families, and educators. Working to combat discrimination in personal spaces, professional places, and public platforms, Dr. McAdoo has always been passionate about equality for all.
What started as an exploration of LGBTQ teachers in the workplace eventually evolved into his dissertation. Independent Queers: LGBTQ Educators in Independent Schools Speak Out is a culmination of his work over the years. Containing over 35 distinguished voices in the space, Independent Queers is an ultimately searing exploration—written by teachers of all grade levels—that will resonate for generations to come.
It's Hard Being Five
By Lee Ann Gray
Khloe is starting Kindergarten, and it's nothing like Pre-K! Khloe's finding out that there's a lot to learn when you're five, and that there are exciting things about starting elementary school, too. It's Hard Being Five will help kids of all ages learn that the discomfort that comes with starting a new grade or at a new school is only temporary. With the support of your parents and friends, school will be easy for you!
My Hair Makes Me… Me!
By Jessica Graie Harris
Graylee and Lili are best friends, but one rainy day leaves Graylee feeling sad about their differences. Big brother Greg comes to the rescue, but can he help the girls see that their differences are also what make them special?
The Nice Monster Under My Head
By Jaxon Glover
Six-year-old Jaxon really wants to be brave, but can he? The world has so many scary shadows, strange noises, and weird-looking things. Follow Jaxon as he tries to fix a problem and find his courage in a big, spooky world.
Not By Blood
By Joyce Harris
LIVE BY HOPE.
GIVE AND RECEIVE MERCY.
OVERCOME THROUGH FAITH.
Hope, Merci, and Grace are, by all accounts, sisters, though they do not share the same blood. At a young age, the three girls vow to be sisters forever, and from that moment forward, choose each other as family every day. They share their lives, their triumphs, their pitfalls, and their hearts. They celebrate in their victories together, and pick one another up when they fall.
In this stunning debut novel, Joyce Adjekum introduces the world to three women who epitomize friendship, love, and resounding courage. Each different in their own ways, Hope, Merci, and Grace are as real to us as those we love: our sisters, our mothers, and our friends. This is their story.
Inspired by her own relationships with wonderful sisters in her own life, Adjekum intertwines her own upbringing in both Ghana and the United Kingdom to voice a novel that is as moving as it is powerful.
The first novel in a trilogy, Not By Blood is a story that is sure to stay with you, long after you've turned the last page.
The SHEs
By Terrence Terrell
Faith, Joy, and Hope, are three sisters who are very different but share the same feeling of not fitting in. After discovering their own mother's secret powers in a quick science lesson, the sisters will never be the same. An uplifting story about three sisters' journey to self-love, The SHEs will encourage all readers to find their own super powers. #TheShes #icrownedme
There's a Person on Top of My Bed
By Nicholas Sampson
When the lights turn off, the things that go bump in the night come out to play. But is it fear that they aim to bring or is it simply a misunderstanding? We've heard this story so many times before, but this time it's from a different perspective.
By EJ Jackson
Thirteen is a memoir about a little girl named EJ and the rollercoaster of a relationship she had with her father in 1970s and 1980s Washington, D.C. This raw narrative shows the good, the bad, and the ugly situations of EJ's childhood that would go on to color her view of the world around her for most of her adult life. Dark comedy, deadpan sarcasm, and frank language are used to frame the profound moments of EJ's journey into adulthood and explore the many lessons she learned along the way.
Wherever We May Go: New Orleans
By Michele Gottlieb
Eight-year-old Jennie and seven-year old Michael love to travel while making new friends along the way.
Join them on their first big adventure as they learn, dance, and eat their way through New Orleans!
Xavier the Prince: Step into Africa
By Aminata Traore
Looking at the world through Xavier's eyes is like a kaleidoscope of different cultures. Xavier is taking a trip to Africa, but he must accomplish a few tasks before he leaves. Xavier is ready to meet his other Grandpère and explore while learning about life in Senegal, West Africa.
Blending Xavier's curiosity and cultural tidbits, this story lets children imagine life outside of their hometown and journey with Xavier to West Africa.
18 Ingredients to Make Daddy
By Trashina Conner
Persistence and quality time are a couple of the ingredients MJ uses to create her daddy. Join her in this unique journey, making any additions you need to create your daddy, after all he is your first love so you want him to be perfect.
Bonus: We might have published a book about your Alma Mater! Check out some of our collegiate titles for HBCUs:
Are you celebrating Black History Month through reading? Share with us on social media @MascotBooks.
Features, Mascot Books, Mascot Kids


Why are you using .NET System namespaces in your product?
There are namespaces such as System.Diagnostics (and StopWatch class) in the scichart.dll.
SciChart is a cross-platform WPF & Silverlight component, which shares around 95% of its codebase between the two platforms. I'm sure you're aware there are a few deficiencies in the Silverlight platform, for instance, there is no System.Diagnostics.StopWatch, no ICloneable interface, no UIElement.SnapsToPixels etc!
Where you see classes like this it is to provide a syntactically correct equivalent for a WPF class or method which doesn't exist in Silverlight. To give us the best cross-platform compatibility, the namespaces are the same as in WPF. It's a technique many bloggers & tech writers use to create cross-platform code.
SciChart also uses WriteableBitmapEx, which is an open source 2D drawing engine, licensed under MS-PL. We try not to deviate too much from their source, which uses the namespace System.Media.Imaging so that WriteableBitmap extension methods are available wherever you reference a WriteableBitmap.
To ensure your code doesn't get polluted with ours in dummy namespaces, those classes are marked as internal. May I ask, is there a problem with conflicting namespace on a class from SciChart with a MS namespace? If so, let me know which, I can rectify this by ensuring it is marked as internal.


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Board index General Forums General Discussion
The Stars Align!
Moderator: Milldawg
Thalraxal
Protoss Stargate Concierge
Re: The Stars Align!
Postby Thalraxal » Thu Jun 11, 2015 5:40 am
As feared as abominations are, even worse things dwell in the Kel'thuzad's citadel.
For the record, that quote is transcribed word for word from my calendar. Naxxramas' is ruled by not just any Kel'thuzard, but the Kel'thuzad. I guess he had a phase where he decided that all Scourge leaders needed to follow The Lich King's example and have an article in front of their name.
Grobbulus was created as a prototype for a new type of flesh giant. It was full of plague slime and had a giant syringe for a hand which it would use to infect people with. Said plague would eventually cause the subject to explode, damaging the subject and everyone around them. Clearly, the winning strategy against this type of foe would be to cluster as tightly together as possible.
Grobbulus was destroyed due to the joint efforts of the Argent Dawn and Scarlet Crusade. It was later reanimated, however, and destroyed by adventurers once again in Northrend. It has likely since been resembled and now plays Hearthstone to pass the time, waiting for the day when Naxxramas will return to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of the Scourge.
Postby Thalraxal » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:02 am
"Hrm, you're not glowing. That's a good sign!" -Ozzie Togglevolt
Viscous Fallout was once a peaceful water elemental who lived in the water systems of Gnomeregan. However, the radiation unleashed within the city by Sicco Thermaplugg, led to the elemental's corruption and transformation into a radioactive toxic horror.
Drops the Hydrocane, which is a really cool staff that lets you breath underwater indefinitely. Kind of useful if you're not a warlock. No relation to a certain video game franchise. Destroyed by adventurers.
Postby Thalraxal » Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:07 am
"Pride heralds the end of your world. Come, mortals! Face the wrath of the Soulflayer!"
Hakkar the Soulflayer was the blood god of the Gurubashi trolls. In ancient times, his priesthood, the Atal'ai, sought to summon him into the world from the city of Zul'Gurub. The other trolls of the Gurubashi Empire thought this was a terrible idea, and drove the Atal'ai into exile. The exiled priests would eventually make a new home for themselves in the Swamps of Sorrow, where they constructed a new temple for their god, the Temple of Atal'hakkar. Their renewed efforts to summon their god were eventually stymied by the efforts of Eranikus and the Green Dragonflight. However, Eranikus and the dragons who remained within the temple would eventually succumb to the Soulflayer's corruption, eventually allowing his Atal'ai servants, under the leadership of Jammal'an the Prophet to return to their temple of carry out their dark designs.
Jammal'an and his followers would not succeed in summoning Hakkar, however their efforts were not in vain. Another one of Hakkar's servants, Yeh'kinya, was able to make use of their efforts, tricking adventurers into summoning the Avatar of Hakkar and absorbing its essence into a special egg. Yeh'kinya then delivered the Egg of Hakkar to Zul'Gurub, where Hakkar's true summoning would take place.
With the Egg, the remaining Atal'ai and their Hakkari followers, led by Jin'do, summoned Hakkar the Soulflayer from within the ruins of Zul'Gurub. High Priests of the other troll gods banded together to stop Hakkar's summoning, however, they would all ultimately fall under the sway of the Soulflayer, their power adding to his own.
The Zandalari Tribe, knowing full well what Hakkar would be capable of, sent a group led by Molthor to Stranglethorn Vale in an effort to defeat the Soulflayer. Settling on Yojamba Island, the Zandalari recruited adventurers to help them defeat the blood god. Ultimately, the adventurers succeeded in raiding Zul'Gurub, freeing the bound spirits of the Gurubashi high priests, and defeating Hakkar and his followers.
It seemed like Hakkar's plans would be delayed once again, however Hakkar was patient and willing to bide his time until another opportunity to enter the mortal world came about. The Cataclysm, however, likely ushered in his returned far sooner than anyone would have anticipated. Jin'do the Hexxer managed to bring himself back to life, and sought to summon Hakkar once again. His second attempt was stymied once again by efforts of adventurers and the Zandalari tribe, but the third time proved to be the charm.
"You overstepped your bounds, Jin'do! You toy with powers that are beyond you. Have you forgotten who I am? Have you forgotten what I can do?"
With their homeland damaged by the Cataclysm, and now slowly sinking into the sea, the Zanadalari tribe chose to establish new goals. While once their focused on preserving troll knowledge and culture, they now decided that the only way for their species to survive would be for the remaining troll tribes to unite, and form a new troll empire. Now supported by the Zandalari tribe, Jin'do brought forth Hakkar's spirit once more, although this time, rather than summon the Soulflayer, he instead bound the blood god in spirit chains, and proceeded to drain his power.
In an effort to stop the rise of a new troll empire, adventurers stormed Zul'Gurub once again, this time to rescue Hakkar. After being freed from his bindings the Soulflayer promptly turned his wrath on Jin'do, and rewarded adventurers for their service by not killing them at this time.
Hakkar the Soulflayer was likely the deadliest boss in WoW, as he unleashed a virtual plague in the game world. The Corrupted Blood Incident was the result of his Corrupted Blood power, a contagious damage over time debuff, escaping the confines of the Zul'Gurub raid and infecting characters outside of the instance, killing players en masse and providing an unexpected model for the spread of infectious disease. This event likely served to help inspire the Zombie Plague that was part of world event just prior to the release of Wrath of the Lich King.
Postby Thalraxal » Mon Jun 15, 2015 6:23 am
"This time, there will be no escape!"
Azgalor was a Pit Lord and served as the Legion's field commander following the death of Mannoroth at the hands of Grom Hellscream.
He led Archimonde's ground forces, consisting of both demons and the undead, against the forces gathered at Mount Hyjal. He was ultimately defeated by combined armies of the Alliance, Horde and Sentinels following the death of Archimonde. Azgalor's status is unknown, but he is likely still alive, merely banished back to the Twisting Nether rather than suffering a true death like his superiours, Archimonde and Mannoroth did.
Adventurers traveled back in time to reenact the Battle of Mount Hyjal and fought him there. Rumour has it that his alternate past counterpart may appear in Warlords of Draenor due to the increasing presence of the Burning Legion there.
Postby Thalraxal » Tue Jun 16, 2015 6:15 am
Many try to obtain its hide for its legendary protection against heat as intense as lava. Many fail.
The Beast was a powerful core hound who had captured by Nefarian's forces and subsequently retrained to serve them. He served his new draconic masters faithfully.
The Beast, due to whatever experiments Nefarian performed on him, possessed a particularly strong hide, which was greatly sought after by adventuers, as the masfter craftsman, Malyfous Darkhammer's Fall catalogue contained many powerful items that required its Pristine Hide as a crafting reagent. However, it required a highly skilled skinner, with talents not normally heard of at that time, to successfully harvest The Beast's hide.
The Beast was slain by adventurers, and its hide removed, likely with the aid of Finkle's Skinner. Once skinned, they discovered that they had inadvertently freed the gnomish adventurer and explorer, Finkle Einhorn from The Beast's stomach. As a reward for saving him, Finkle pointed adventurers in the direction of his friend, Malyfous.
The Beast's son, the Son of the Beast, would eventually take his father's place in Blackrock Spire, sometime after the Ironmarch had claimed it as a base of operations.
Postby Thalraxal » Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:35 pm
"So... full of life."
Pandemonius was a void lord who once served as a lieutenant to Dimensius the All-Devouring during his invasion of the ethereal homeworld of K'aresh. His actions during the invasion resulted in Pandemonius earning a host of impressive titles, including the Duke of Chaos, Eater of Nations, and Worldslayer. His service to Dimensius the All-Devouring ended when he was bound by Nexus-Prince Shaffar and forced to serve him.
Pandemonius was killed by adventurers, and sent back to the Void from which he was spawned. A sample of his essence was delivered to Mamdy the "Ologist".
Postby Thalraxal » Thu Jun 18, 2015 3:56 pm
"You be dead soon enough!"
Nalorakk was one of the strongest, and most fierce warriors of the Amani tribe. As a result, Hex Lord Malacrass chose him to be the vessel for the power of the troll bear god, Nalorakk, who's name he took following his empowering.
During... Budd Nedreck's... uhg... treasure hunting expedition to Zul'Aman, Akil'zon captured and held the troll, Tanzar, captive, as Hex Lord Malacrass intended to sacrifice him and other captives as part of a dark ritual. Tanzar was rescued by speedy adventurers. Despite his seemingly low opinion of Budd Nedreck, Tanzar remained a member of his crew. As for Nalorakk, he was killed.
That wasn't the end of Nalorakk though. He was somehow restored back to life as part of Amani's contribution to the Zanadalari Tribe's plans to create a new, united troll empire. However, he was soon killed once again by adventurers when they stormed Zul'Aman to put an end to the Zandalari Tribe's ambitions.
Postby Thalraxal » Fri Jun 19, 2015 7:38 pm
"The works of the Shen'dralar have been marred by the madness of Prince Tortheldrin." -Azi'Tordin
Prince Thortheldrin was the leader of the ancient city of Eldre'Thalas, a Highbourne night elf and a member of the Shen'dralar. During the Burning Legion's first invasion of Azeroth in the War of the Ancients, the city had come under siege. While Thortheldrin and the city's defenders had succeeded in repelling the invaders, the demon's attacks and the earthquakes unleashed by the Sundering left much of the city in ruins. Furthermore, the destruction of the Well of Eternity left the Highbourne mages who lived in the city without a source of arcane power to draw on. In order to resolve the magic shortage his people were suffering from, Prince Tortheldrin captured the demon, Immol'thar, and used its powers to feed his people's thirst for magic, and grant them immortality.
"For 10,000 years I have ruled this kingdom. In that time, I have heard many fascinating tales from those that would walk the hallowed grounds of the House of Shen'dralar." -Prince Tortheldrin
This system worked fine for several centuries, until Immol'thar's powers began to wane, and the bonds holding him began to weaken. Prince Tortheldrin's solution to both of those problems was to cull the population of Eldre'Thalas to a more sustainable level that could be supported by Immol'thar's waning power. Additionally, the population marked for culling would then sacrificed to strengthen the bonds holding Immol'thar. It was around this time that many of the Prince's followers began to question his sanity. However, the fates of those who questioned him led many to prefer to remain silent on the subject.
Prince Thortheldrin's rule continued for many more millennia. He was quite welcoming to many of the explorers who ventured into Eldre'thalas, now known to the rest of the world as Dire Maul. Unable to leave the city of else risk losing his immortality, Thortheldrin was always interested in learning more about the world beyond the walls of his city, and was also willing to share some of his own considerable knowledge. However, anyone who attempted to steal the secrets of the Shen'dralar would be quick to earn his ire, and would likely end up dead.
A party of adventurers, likely containing a warlock and a paladin, stormed the ruins of the city, destroyed the pylons binding Immol'thar, and then fought and killed the demon. After performing some strange warlock ritual to bind a dreadsteed, the party proceeded into the Anthenaeum where they encountered an enraged Prince Tortheldrin who tried to kill them. Prince Thortheldrin was killed by adventuerers, ending his ten thousand year reign. Prince Thortheldrin was succeeded by Mordent Evenshade as leader of the Shen'dralar. Mordent, tired of living in Dire Maul, sought to renew the ties between his people and the rest of the night elf population. Ending the long exile of the Highbourne, Mordent led his people to Darnassus, and allowing WoW players to play as night elf mages.
Prince Thortheldrin was originally going to be involved in a questline to find Ashbringer, as he apparently knew its secret location, and was willing to share it with someone who brought him the head of Nefarian. However this questline was been dropped, and the Prince never shared his secrets. Ashbringer was later found in the hands of the Scarlet Highlord, Alexandros Mograine, however it had been corrupted and tainted by the betrayal of his son, Renault Mograine.
Postby Thalraxal » Sat Jun 20, 2015 10:24 am
"Quagmirran is the most mythical of the bog giants. Now that I've found him, though, I wish I hadn't!" -Naturalist Bite
Quagmirran was once one of the leaders of the bog giants who lived in Zangarmarsh. The naga, however, saw a use for him, and enslaved the mighty giant, torturing him until he submitted to their will. Now Quagmirran serves as an enforcer for the naga, helping them to subjugate others who dwell in the marshes.
Too far gone to save, Quagmirran was killed by adventuerers.
Postby Thalraxal » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:37 pm
"My friend, Mor Grayhoof, was the first to fall victim to possession of a piece of Lord Vathalak's amulet." -Bodley
Mor Grayhoof was a tauren druid and member of the Veiled Blades mercenary company. The Veiled Blades had been hired to steal Lord Valthalak's spellbook, but ended up killing the draconoid warlock, and looting a cursed amulet from him. Taking the amulet and breaking it into several pieces summoned Lord Valthalak's angry spirit, who immediately summoned a horde of spectral assassins to kill the Veiled Blades. In poor shape after their fight with Lord Valthalak when he had been still alive, the party fled. Mor, however, slipped and fell, falling from Upper Blackrock Spire all the way into Lower Blackrock Spire and presumably, to his doom.
While the party assumed that the fall killed him, it didn't. Mor survived, much to his regret, as he was captured by members of the Dark Horde and tortured by Warmaster Voone. In the middle of one of Voone's torture sessions, a spectral assassin arrived and killed Mor. Mor's spirit now haunts Voone's chambers, however it can only be drawn out through the use of a Brazier of Beckoning.
Adventurers later summoned Mor's spirit, fought him, and retrieved the fragment of Lord Valthalak's amulet in his possession, freeing his spirit.
"You will not defile these mysteries!"
Arcanist Doan was a member of the Scarlet Crusade and Keeper of the Scarlet Monestary's library. He previously served as a member of the Order of the Silver Hand, acting as an advisor on arcane matters. He was also a master of abjuration magic, and his Detonate spell was noted as being a powerful combination of abjuration and evocation magic in Ansirem Runeweave's The Schools of Arcane Magic: Abjuration.
Doan was also present when Alexandros Mograine revealed the strange crystal that would one day empower the Ashbringer. As the only spellcaster there unable to use holy magic, he did nothing to help purify the crystal.
He had a crush on High General Brigitte Abbendis, and would have likely joined her in Northrend as part of the Scarlet Onslaught had he been able to. He may have been the father of Abbendis' daughter, Lynnia, however it's unknown if High General Abbendis actually returned his affections or not.
Doan was killed by adventurers when they stormed the Scarlet Monestary. He was succeeded by Flameweaver Koegler who was less concerned about preserving the contents of the Monastery's library and more concerned about destroying any evidence of the Scarlet Crusade's misdeed and failures, and also fire.
"You should have fled while you could, mortals! The fury of Blackrock courses through my veins!
Vaelastrasz was a red dragon who had dedicated himself to ridding the world of Deathwing's son, Nefarian. To accomplish this, he infiltrated Blackrock Spire, at first disguising himself as a member of the Dark Horde, and then recruiting adventurers as they stormed through Hordemar city.
By working together, Vaelastrasz and the adventurers were able venture further up Blackrock Spire, defeating Rend Blackhand, and gaining access to Blackwing Lair. However, Vaelastrasz, unwilling to wait for his adventurer allies to form a raid group, went on a head, and engaged Nefarian in combat alone. He lost to the black dragon, and in turn was corrupted by Nefarian's twisted magic. Nefarian gleefully turned the red dragon against his former allies, and greatly enjoyed the resulting battle.
Unable to free Vaelastrasz from his corruption, the adventurers were forced to kill their former ally. Vaelastrasz apologized profusely to anyone he killed.
Vaelastrasz had also been tasked with guarding the Red Dragonflight's shard of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands. After losing to Nefarian, the black dragon took the shard from him, intending to destroy it to see what would happen to the world as a result. Adventurers were able to reclaim the shard from Nefarian before he was able to succeed in doing so, however.
"Horde will... crush you."
Gurtogg Bloodboil was a massive fel dire orc, and proof that you can make creatures more powerful by giving them more adjectives. He was a member of the Bleeding Hollow clan, and a member of Illidan's Fel Horde. He was killed by adventurers when they stormed the Black Temple.
In another time and place, his alternate past self emerged as one of the most powerful warriors of the newly corrupted Iron Horde, earning himself a position on the Hellfire High Council alongside Dia Darkwhisper and Jubei'thos. He hasn't been killed by adventurers... yet.
"You know not what you do! We must destroy you for your own good!" -Dreamscythe
Dreamscythe and Weaver were two of four young green dragons who traveled with Eranikus and Itharius to the Swamps of Sorrow to prevent Hakkar the Soulflayer from being summoned there by his exiled Atal'ai priests. After driving the trolls from their temple, they acted as its guardians to prevent the Atal'ai from returning. Unfortunately for them, they too succumbed to the corruption within the Emerald Dream, and were driven mad by its tainted power.
Dreamscythe is the by far the most talkative of the four dragons.
Closer! Come closer... and burn!
Keli'dan the Breaker was a fel orc warlock, and member of the Shadowmoon Clan, in the service of the Fel Horde and the Illidari. As one of the few remaining highly skilled warlocks left, Keli'dan served as Magtheridon's jailor, keeping the mighty pit lord contained while his blood and power were drained to produce ever more and more fel orcs.
Keli'dan was killed when adventurers stormed the Blood Furnace in Hellfire Citadel to find out what was going on in there. His death greatly weakened Magetheridon's prison, threatening to release the pit lord on Outland once more. That, however, would be someone else's problem. Or, maybe the adventurer's own problem when they reached level 70 and wanted the rest of their Tier 4 gear.
In an alternate past, Keli'dan the Breaker was one of many members of the Shadowmoon Clan who followed Ner'zuhl in embracing the power of the Dark Star and gaining mastery over the Void and learning shadow magic, and necromancy. He has the dubious honour of being one of the first call back cameos in Warlords of Draenor, being killed by the surviving members of the initial strike force sent to alternate past Draenor to stop the Iron Horde's invasion.


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Home Events Church of St Mary and All Saints, Fotheringhay
Church of St Mary and All Saints, Fotheringhay
18th September, 2021 @ 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
« St John the Baptist Church
Alwalton Church – St. Andrew's »
Set alongside the River Nene, Fotheringhay Church has a superb octagonal lantern tower. In addition to being an important place of worship, it has numerous and notable links with history. Guide books available.
From the time of the Normans to the advent of the Stuarts, it was directly linked to the royal families of both Scotland and England. Here a future king of England, Richard III, who would die on Bosworth Field was born; here a queen of Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots, accused of murdering her husband and plotting the destruction of Queen Elizabeth, was publicly executed. Here a royal duke, killed fighting the French in battle at Agincourt in 1415, was buried; here too a royal duke and his son killed in battle nearer home, at Wakefield in Yorkshire, were re-buried. Here an English King, Edward IV, plotted and failed to replace the king of Scotland with his brother, just as his own brother, The Duke of Clarence, had plotted against him. Meanwhile, the Church in Fotheringhay deformed but defiant stands testament to the destruction wrought by Henry VIII's Reformation. Between 1100 and 1612 Fotheringhay was a place to be reckoned with, a place that reflected and took part in many of the bloody events which shaped the history of the two nations.
Saturday 18 September: 09:30 – 17:00
Pre-booking: Required
Use contact details on St Mary & All Saints website (link below)
Booking Contact: Bill James
Email: thefriendsofc@btinternet.com
Go to: https://thefriendsoffotheringhaychurch.com/contact-us/
Church, Heritage, Heritage Open Days, Historical
https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/church-of-st-mary-and-all-saints-fotheringhay
St Mary & All Saints Church
Fotheringhay
Peterborough, PE7 1RD United Kingdom + Google Map
13 February @ 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm Recurring Event


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How to raise confident teenagers
Adolescence brings with it its own share of challenges. The only way to build up your child's self-esteem is through greater support and awareness
By: Parenting Desk
For a lot of children, adolescence can also mean increased anxiety about their sense of self which might usher in a lack of debilitating diffidence With new pressures to fit in, including appearance and behaviour, some kids may feel out of step with the world and look for reassurance from people and places that are not very safe for them. Research on child abuse, bullying and cyber-crime has shown that children who tend to seek validation from outside their trusted circle are more susceptible to being victimized through false praise and sympathy. It's easier to get sucked into a vacuum if one feels ungrounded. I wish fewer children felt this kind of instability but the more I look around, the more I see that we're just not see that we're just not attuned to how our kids feel.
Also Read |Why teens must learn the art of body confidence
Unparenting: Sharing Awkward Truths with Curious Kids by Reema Ahmad; Penguin eBury Press; 288 pages; Rs 299. (Photo: Amazon.in)
One of my closest friends is a brilliant woman, full of creative ideas and a stellar work record, but all her life she has listened to this one voice in her head, her mother's. Despite achieving considerable success, she always second guesses herself and is very rarely sure of her worth as an individual or a professional. We've often discussed this and it turns out her childhood was replete with negative criticism from her mother. Nothing she did was ever good enough; nothing was praiseworthy or credible. My friend says it impacted her to a degree where she needed constant approval from friends and teachers. I can only imagine how easy it could have been for anyone to groom her or bully her through false compliments and praise. One might argue that our parents were strict because they didn't want to spoil us; being soft has only led to a generation of kids who swagger around feeling entitled. While I agree with some of that in terms of material benefits that are so easily available to kids today, I do feel that the old way of using negative criticism and harsh punishments created a sense of worthlessness, rather than discipline, in our generation.
Children who are assured of their worth, valued with not just words but also actions, are more secure and less vulnerable to abuse and harassment from potential abusers or bullies. There is nothing like parental love to build a solid foundation for a robust sense of self in children. Your voice is the voice they will hear in their head all their lives and they need your words and actions to affirm and encourage them, especially at puberty. I cannot tell you how many clients I see who still have a bodily-trauma response to memories of names they were called by parents while growing up. A lot of them have a loud self-talk that repeats dialogues that their parents would say whenever they did something that was perceived as a mistake.
Those harsh voices never really leave their heads:
You're good for nothing.
You're useless.
You're lazy.
Don't you have any sense?
You'll never succeed.
You're a failure.
January 28, 1983, Forty Years Ago: Congress-I Shake-up
The rout in Adani Group shares after a short-seller report calls for more...
Also Read |Parental Guidance: Help your teens become social beings again
These are some of the parental statements seared into memories of individuals as adolescents, reducing grown adults to tears in my office or zoom room. Our worries and our fears for our children's future or safety need not manifest as cruel words. You can be aware of who your children are interacting with and where they're going without suffocating them. Look out for them, assure them that you have their back and will support them no matter what or who they feel threatened by. Please tell them that they are beautiful and unique and no losses can dim their brilliance. In a world which values material wealth, academic performance and physical beauty above everything else, your children should have the courage to be happy with the way they look or what they have. And you and you alone can give them that.
I often catch my son eyeing himself in the mirror, pulling up his T-shirt to look for 'abs'. He says he wants an eight-pack abdomen like Tiger Shroff and I jokingly remind him that his mother has a 'family pack', and that's okay. As he grows older, I see him being more and more influenced by the way people look, what they wear, what they have. I know that's only natural. I remember a time when I used to hide in my bedroom when we had guests because I thought I was ugly. No one called me that, it was just that there were too many beautiful people around, too many outsiders comparing me to others and not enough people telling me I was okay the way I was. Yes, we need to talk about health, fitness and education, but not in a way that makes our children feel inadequate. Because, if they begin to feel small, they will withdraw inwards, become invisible and compel themselves to fit more tightly into whatever box is marked appropriate. Upholding them no matter what they do is not the answer, but maybe softening your tone as you correct them when they're wrong may just be the key to raising well-balanced children who will know how to stand up for themselves. God knows we need that now more than ever, with our world becoming scarier by the minute.
(Excerpted with permission from Penguin Random House)
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The rout in Adani Group shares after a short-seller report calls for more scrutiny and transparency


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BN Staff BoxingNewsED
When Ray Mancini silenced Quentin Tarantino
The day boxing champ Ray Mancini confronted Quentin Tarantino, writes Rolando Vitale
BN Staff
Ray Mancini today Action Images
LAST April the cast of Reservoir Dogs, the iconic 1990s gangster heist movie, reunited 25 years after its release at the New York Tribeca Film Festival amid smiles and revelry. Much has been written about the hit movie with trivia, facts and oddities aiding its profile. But an episode that Quentin Tarantino, the controversial and outspoken director, might rather forget is an audition that went wrong with Ray Mancini, former world lightweight champion turned actor.
At the time Mancini was living in Santa Monica, California and had embarked on a film career. He was no stranger to the competitive auditioning process having appeared in numerous films and performed on television and in an off-Broadway play. On completing two successful auditions, Mancini was invited back by Tarantino at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles. Mancini described the fiery incident to Boxing News.
"I am sure you're familiar with Reservoir Dogs. Now I went up for the role of Mr Pink. Third call back. He [Tarantino] said: 'Man, you blew us away with that, but I can't give you the role.' I said: 'Why not?' He said: 'It will take people right out of the movie. They'll say, 'That's 'Boom Boom' Mancini and they won't be paying attention to the film.' I said: 'Then why did you have me come back?' He said: 'I gotta be honest with you I was waiting for you to fall. I was waiting for you to fail.' I said: 'Is that right? What about if I come over to that table and f**king go for your jugular? How about if I kick your ass in front of everybody here? That'd be a story everybody would like. Let me tell you something, don't you ever disrespect an actor like that! If I come across you again and I audition for you and I do the same type of job, you'd better give it to me or I'm coming after you.' [Mancini recalled a stunned Tarantino who could only say] 'Oh s**t!' I was leaning over the table. He was on the other side of it. You can't go after a guy in a room full of people, but I said it in a serious and threatening way."
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Issue | Letters | Premium | Jan 20 2020
10 of the best songs about boxing
The Last Fight: How easy is it to finish on top?
BN Investigates | Highlight 2 | Issue | Premium | Jun 21 2019
'The boxer is the first to know, but the last to admit it.' How the sport's finest reached their last fight
EXCLUSIVE The day Ray Mancini silenced Quentin Tarantino


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Home » New Car Reviews » Rolls-Royce » 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom | new car review
2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom | new car review
Posted on Jun 25, 2009 by Editor
Two years after the launch of the Rolls-Royce Phantom and its rapid establishment as the worldwide, market-leading, super-luxury saloon, a second model was launched at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. This new Phantom with an extended wheelbase offered additional interior space for the rear occupants while maintaining the elegant exterior looks of the standard length Phantom and its first class driving performance.
An extra 250mm has been added to the standard Phantom, behind the B-pillar, to create a motor car with an even more generously proportioned rear passenger compartment. The extra space lends itself perfectly to the addition of Bespoke features, limited only by the imagination of the customer.
The new extended Phantom is entirely hand crafted in-house – designed, engineered and hand built by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the same way as the standard length motor car.
An extended wheelbase motor car had been planned from the early days of the Rolls-Royce Phantom project. An aluminium space frame chassis was chosen for the Phantom precisely because it lends itself to structural adaptation with relative ease. This ability to create 'coach-worked' models to meet the individual needs and desires of Rolls-Royce customers is something that has been central to the marque throughout its 100 year history. The body is the largest aluminium space frame ever constructed.
The Phantom in its various guises epitomises the best of British bespoke engineering and craftsmanship (even though the Rolls-Royce brand belongs to BMW) and in its modern form the Phantom still can very admirably lay claim to be the best motor car in the world. Big, imposing yet highly drivable, the Phantom is built using some of the best materials in the world: finest leather, cashmere trim and fitted cabinetry of real wood along with aluminium, magnesium trimmings and components.
Designed specifically to provide the best comfort and ride to rear seat passengers, the Phantom has a flat floor so that passengers can simply walk right in and sit down. But that does not mean that the Phantom will not be enjoyed by owner drivers. Self levelling air springs, electronic dampers and modern suspension front and rear combine to provide a ride that is serene, silent and devoid of harshness – the age-old feeling of wafting still remains at the core of this modern Rolls-Royce and this absolutely epitomises the beauty of the brand.
Power comes from the custom-built 6.75-litre V12 which is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. For all its bulk, the Phantom shows a clean pair of heels to many a smaller and nimbler competitor (if there are any) as the ton comes up in only 5.9 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 240kph from the 453 horses produced. But its true genius is shown by the gigantic amounts of torque produced (720Nm) of which 75 per cent being developed from as low as just 1000 rpm.
Look to the past, inbibe all the classic ethos and package them into a thoroughly modern motor car. This is exactly what Rolls-Royce has done and they have a winner on their hands, sweeping aside all pretenders to claim stake as the world's best car.
Body Type Sedan
Price (in AED) 1,650,000
Engine (litre) 6.75
Power (bhp) 453
Torque (Nm) 720
Transmission 6A
Also look at: Maybach 57/62, Bentley Arnage
Tags: 2007, Convertible, Coupe, Full size luxury car, Full Size Luxury Car - F, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Sedan / Saloon
2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom | new car review 2008 Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe | new car review 2009 Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe | new car review 2014 Rolls-Royce Phantom | new car review


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New album: Sound the Bells out 11/8/19
Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) has been praised as one of NPR Music's Favorite Albums of 2018. The opening track "Ride" is noir, mean, sexy; "Fire Drills" was crafted from a snippet of an iPhone field recording Dessa made in Turkey; "Half of You" is infectious, up-tempo pop; "5 out of 6" features a unusual looping riff that gives way to a gale-force chorus that begins, I'm the phoenix…and the ash. Chime showcases Dessa at her finest—she's fierce and tender, deft, and passionately curious.
Check out a few of Dessa's recent music video projects here:
Good For You / Grade School Games 7"
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Click to stream/purchase Dessa's latest singles:
Grade School Games
Both tracks available now on limited edition 7″ vinyl
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A few months ago, I wrote a post defining health savings accounts, and the basics of how they can serve you.
OK, so you've done your research, talked to your provider, tried not to visibly nod off in your company's open enrollment review snoozefest. You've decided, for whatever reason, that a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) is right for you/your family. You've seen "HSA hack" floating about the blogosphere, but you aren't sure how to tap into that. Or if you even want to.
This isn't an exhaustive analysis that breaks down each and every possible situation or comprehensively compares fees. This HSA post is more of a jumping off point so that you have an idea of the questions you should even be asking. Let's dive in.
Before I married my husband, I didn't know I should even be asking how I can hack an HSA to work as a "stealth retirement account." Because I didn't know what an HSA was. Must've missed that personal finance class in high school.
Your HSA's main role is to act as a savings account that offsets the costs of a high-deductible health plans. There is no "use it or lose it" provision like with a flexible spending account, so the money in your HSA rolls over from year to year.
The contributions go in tax free.
The money grows tax free.
You can withdraw the money tax free when used on qualified health expenses.
Instead of using your HSA for qualified medical expenses, you cashflow those costs, meaning you pay out of your regular ol' savings account. If your HSA is smartly invested, it can stay put and continue to grow. More on that in a sec.
So, instead of paying for that $1,000-worth of contact lenses for the year out of your HSA, you pay out of pocket. Your $1,000 stays invested. It grows. You withdraw the new sum after age 65 with NO taxes and NO fees for qualified medical expenses (and you're old now. There will be qualified medical expenses). Or, you get it with regular taxes taken out if you want to spend it on a boat or a self-steering lawn mower.
How do I invest an HSA?
Is it just me, or does anyone else look forward to dealing with complicated HR conversations about as much as a root canal? I get panicky because I think I'm going to sound dumb or something.
Fun fact: I've never spelled 'separately' correctly on the first try a day in my life. And I used to be a proofreader. Neat!
The HSA belongs to the individual — not the employer — and any eligible individual may open an HSA, as long as they are covered under a high deductible health plan (HDHP).
Your HSA is yours, regardless of your employment situation.
Don't have an employer? It's cool — really the only requirement here is that you have an HDHP. Employers that offer to contribute to actual health savings accounts through a third-party bank are likely doing so as part of the employee's benefits package. For which they should feel #BlessedAndGrateful.
Mine doesn't, but I am able to get in on my husband's like the leech that I am.
After high-fiving yourself for talking to your HR department, the next logical step is to compare banking institutions that offer HSAs.
What do they charge to manage your money? Most charge a monthly fee that totals somewhere in the neighborhood of $30-$75 per year. In general, yearly fees are something that make me roll my eyes and run away, but it's worth it at a certain point. Don't forget to factor in yearly "trade fees" and "closing fees" and other financial hogwash that will ultimately cost you money. But again, this nominal fee typically pays off.
Same goes for your customer service. Are you helpful? Are you easy to get a hold of? Are you going to make me sit through nineteen hours of grainy violin music only to tell me every 30 seconds that my call is very important to you, and to please continue holding? It matters. I wish it didn't, but it matters. Don't make this process any harder than it needs to be.
There are many factors to how much an HSA account will cost you to invest besides fees, like how high the threshold is to invest. In other words, how much money do you have to have in the account before you can invest it? Though some accounts allow you to invest the first dollar, many have a "threshold" of something like $1,000-2,000 before you can invest, and others require that you keep certain portion of your fund in "savings" (non-invested), even if you invest the rest.
The account you choose will impact your options for investing. To be 100% transparent, I have no current desire to get fancy with this. I just want a low-risk Vanguard index fund that I don't have to think about. And I don't want it to cost me a lot.
Fees bad. Growth good. Nailed it.
In all seriousness, the White Coat Investor has done a lot of the legwork for us, and has a fairly comprehensive comparison of fees and investment options for HSAs.
It's a great place to start if you aren't sure where to find an HSA to invest.
When researching which HSA is best for the purpose of investing, you need to hone in on finding the one with the lowest fees and the best investment options. Following that, find out what the investment threshold is. Finally, customer service and an easy-to-use website, while not critical, are a factor.
Automatic payroll deductions: Easy, peasy, brainless saving -- funds are moved from your paycheck, pre-tax, into an HSA. But you gotta hit up your HR lady again.
Direct contributions: You can manually add funds to your HSA online (or I think via check, but I'm actually having a hard time fact-checking that … ) or set up recurring contributions. choose to add funds to your HSA at any time. If these aren't being deducted from your paycheck, they aren't technically going in tax-free, but they can be deducted on your tax return.
Note: If you are age 55 or older as of 12/31/2018, you may also contribute an extra $1,000 as a catch-up deduction.
Once you've reached a designated threshold, you can invest your HSA (or a portion of your HSA) in mutual funds.
While bank accounts, money markets, mutual funds and stocks are all on the "yes to invest!" list, here are things you are not allowed to invest your HSA money in: collectibles, art, automobiles or real estate.
OK, so you maintain enough cash in your regular savings account to cover regular and emergency health expenses, you contribute to an HSA and invest those funds, and then you relish in decades of tax-free investment growth.
Then, years later, you can then withdraw your big, fat HSA without a penalty tax or fee when you need to spend it on health expenses in your old age (or with regular tax if you want to spend it on a yacht instead).
Of course, this is a moot point because by the time I am 65, the standard trip to the doctor will be closing my eyes and asking my Virtual Brain Assistant to fetch the doctor, who will scan my body remotely and diagnose via the chip that Elon Musk tried to insert in my brain.
Siiiiike. Elon Musk can implant a chip into my cold, dead body, and only then.
Cool story, SC, but is your money where your mouth is?
Currently, our HSA is through Optum, which was previously a segment of Wells Fargo. (My husband used to have accounts with Wells Fargo before we had a come-to-Jesus meeting about their systemic corruption and tone-deaf advertising).
And want to know a secret? We aren't investing our HSA right now. Why? Well, see above about the joys of Marital Money Merging.
But here's the other reason why we haven't invested our HSA yet: It's low. There's not quite $5,000 in there. To some, that number is extraordinary, especially at a young age. But it just hasn't been that long since we started REALLY working, and we are shoveling a large amount to student loans on the other end at the same time. So while we are contributing to our retirement accounts and the HSA, we are also aggressively paying down debt. Read: We're trying our best, people.
Investing our HSA is on our list, though, and at the top!
RELATED READ: Taking on Traditional IRAs: What, when, how and more!
We currently have about $5,000 in our HSA. We haven't been maxing out our HSA OR investing it because ugh, adulting, but we will start doing both once our finances are fully merged. Which, assuming all goes well, should be November 1.
Both of our deductibles for our HDHPs are $5,000, and we have plenty of cushion saved elsewhere before insurance kicks in should a tragedy occur. That way, we can completely cash flow our health expenses and invest our HSA. And then some time after that, we can finally retire to a goat farm where my husband goes fishing every day with our 19 dogs, and I spend my time healing injured sea otters and writing the next great American novel.
We will likely stay put with Optum for the time being, but are considering changing over to Lively or HSA Authority.
Should we change? Convince me in the comments!
Are you investing in an HSA? Do you keep yours for its original purpose to help off-set high deductibles? Want to join me in healing sea otters in our old age? Comment below!


RTD's Southwest Light Rail has two stops in Littleton: downtown, and at Mineral Avenue and Santa Fe. Littleton residents enjoy the warmth old world charm with the modern conveniences. There are many homes and townhomes in this area. Most have wonderful amenities, including trails, parks and open space near by. Littleton residents have a strong pride for the city in which they live and there is a strong community involvement. Littleton strives towards business and economic growth, as well as maintaining a wonderful quality of life.


Samsung on Friday announced a sales halt and recall of the Galaxy Note 7 only a few weeks after the device went on sale. The suspension comes a Yonhap News claimed the company was preparing to issue an unprecedented recall following a number of battery-related incidents.
In addition to today's recall, U.S. carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, have also suspended sales as Samsung works to find a fix. It doesn't sound like customers are able to exchange their device just yet, but the carriers are currently assessing how best to move forward.
The timing of today's Note 7 recall couldn't be worse for Samsung, as Apple is scheduled to announce its iPhone 7 next week.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Novotel Wollongong Northbeach has a range of elegant function rooms to choose from. So whether you are planning a lavish banquet or a small intimate affair, we have the facilities to cater for your special day.
The Illawarra Room boasts floor to ceiling windows with spectacular views along the coastline.
With direct access on to The Deck, The Illawarra Room is a popular choice for couples who are holding their wedding ceremony on the roof top terrace.
Featuring a private terrace that is ideal for a small wedding ceremony or pre-reception drinks, the Admiral's Room is a popular choice for intimate wedding receptions of up to 100 guests.
With stunning ocean views through floor to ceiling windows you will be able to relax and enjoy your special day in comfort and style.


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Summer temperatures here in Portland continue to break records. If you are seeking respite from the high heat, you'll want to visit our air-conditioned smoking lounge!
We welcome both tobacco pipe smokers and cigar smokers (tobacco cigarettes and clove cigarettes are not allowed).
Since our smoking lounge is a private club, you can purchase a membership for $50/month or a day pass for just $5.
Why choose a membership? Our Cascade Cigar Club members receive their very own Cascade Club t-shirt and 10% off all purchases.
In our lounge you'll find five big screen televisions, seating for more than 20, free wi-fi, a dedicated video game area, and a variety of seating options.
Need to work? Bring your laptop and set up at one of our tables!
Need to relax? Claim a leather recliner and enjoy!
Need to unwind? Our comfy club chairs provide ample seating!
Our Portland cigar lounge is open daily from 10am to 7pm.


Atlus has revealed The King of Fighters XIV Burn to Fight Premium Edition for North America. The limited edition bundle will come with the PlayStation 4 game, a three-disc soundtrack with over 60 songs from the game, 144-page art book, SteelBook case for the game, and a collector's box. The SteelBook case is identical to the one that is offered as a launch edition bonus. Deep Silver has not yet said if it is preparing a The King of FIghters XIV Premium Edition for Europe.
The King of Fighters XIV will come to the PlayStation 4 in August. It will arrive in North America first, on August 23, 2016, come to Japan on August 25, 2016, and then show up in Europe on August 26, 2016. For the first week after the game's debut, a free Classic Kyo costume will be available via the PlayStation Store.
Read more stories about King of Fighters XIV & PlayStation 4 & The King of Fighters XIV on Siliconera.


Gautam Duggal, Standard Chartered Bank's Regional Head of Wealth Management for Africa, the Middle East and Europe, speaks to Forbes Africa on his experience advising people how to invest their money and why Africa is a good bet for returns.
Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world and the stats show how moneyed its populations are; high-net-worth individuals, according to the World Wealth Report, grew by 8.1% in Africa last year, with overall affluence increasing by 10.7% – faster than anywhere else in the world.
"We definitely see this trend continuing far beyond 2018. There is an entrepreneurial spirit sweeping the region. As we see technology permeate all areas of the economy, individuals are using this access to start new businesses and expand beyond city centers and geographies. It's these entrepreneurs who are creating wealth for themselves and their families," says Duggal.
The wealth needs of Africa's diverse, growing middle class population, estimated at 300 million people, are intricate, with most countries being emerging economies and wealth being a relatively new notion for many. The African Lions report defines the continent's middle class as "not in poverty" and having "disposable income and discretion". The African middle class, says the report, also has a tertiary education that has been completed or is underway; they have money to fall back on in times of emergencies and access to a computer with email and internet.
"This particular growing middle class is looking for means to save for their first home, pay for their children's education and set money aside for retirement. In many cases, they are the first ones in their families to attain surplus wealth, so often, there is a need to care for their aging parents or other relatives," notes Duggal.
Saving early and doing so prudentially is key, however there is a need to dispel the sentiment that a considerable amount of cash is required to start investing. Many banks cater for basic savings plans that allow for a fixed amount to be put away each month. Standard Chartered, for example, offers a vehicle where money can be invested in a diversified portfolio of globally-recognised mutual funds. In South Africa, tax-free savings plans that are comprised of unit trusts and other investment vehicles intended to bolster savings are also gaining popularity, with the likes of Allan Gray and Old Mutual offering similarly structured products.
THERE ARE CHALLENGES WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BUT I WOULD SAY THERE ARE FAR MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAN CHALLENGES.
On the trends in Africa, Standard Chartered sees real estate as a favored asset class for many with developers turning to mixed-use projects as a means to boost their bottom lines. There is also a marked increase in technology start-ups with the rise of mobile devises – an IDC report shows that the African smartphone market reached an estimated 95.37 million units in 2016; although feature phones still rank number one, homegrown manufacturers such as Mint Mobile in South Africa are coming to the fore with a 'Made in Africa' solution to meet local smartphone and tablet demand. And while asset classes invested in Africa's natural resources and commodities are popular, a portion of their money can also be found in offshore investments.
From the bank's perspective, diversification across both asset classes and geographies is vital to reducing overall risk, which is unique to the individual with investment power dependent on their existing risk profile as well as personal preference. But generating wealth substantial enough to be able to invest it is not without its challenges, which includes high inflation, illiquid markets, a lack of information and credible research data however, Duggal is confident the pros outweigh the cons.
"We are optimistic that many African economies will continue to grow in the long run amidst certain shocks here and there. There are challenges which need to be addressed but I would say there are far more opportunities than challenges," he says.
There is a growing consensus that the millennial generation currently has the greatest buying power – projections put this number at between 80-90 million in America alone and thus, millennials are at the core of the majority of industries today. Wealth management is no exception.
A key driving factor amongst millennials in their decision making is their need to change the world. According to EY, a millennial is twice as likely to invest their money in a company that is focused on social or environmental issues. This bodes well for sustainable investments, which currently represent 18% of assets under management in wealth and asset management classes.
"They need to know where their money is put, and they want to make sure that this it serves their purposes. This would require vast research and a restructuring of product offerings," explains Duggal.
So what qualifies Standard Chartered to advise its clients on where to put their money?
"We have strong advisory capabilities and a specialist model, which makes us unique in the market. We also leverage on our local market knowledge. We have had a presence for over 100 years in many of the countries we operate in… We are deeply rooted in Africa and can confidently say that we are 'Here For Good, Here For Africa'. The bank also has a global footprint. It is because of this that we are able to combine global, regional and local knowledge to best serve our customers," says Duggal.
From within, Duggal believes in the importance of nurturing the bank's young talent. Standard Chartered has programmes to invest in its talent across all levels of seniority – a leadership programme aimed at its senior managers and heads of business helps them grow within the business. Similar programmes are in place for junior employees with the objective of upskilling them, where they can travel on short-term assignments for up to a year to more established markets to help them to gain a better understanding of how these markets work.
With the prospects in Africa riper than ever before, we can certainly look forward to seeing Standard Chartered putting their money on the continent, along with their clients.