The earthy combination of the mushrooms combined with the nutty undertone of the almonds and the smooth, rich cream makes this a soup of choice for cold rainy days when you just want to sit with a good book and centre yourself.
* You can use a lactose free cream alternative.
Chop down the onion into small chunks, melt the butter in a large pot and gently fry the onions in the butter until they soften. Chop up the mushrooms in the meantime, removing any dirt from them.
Once soft, add in the chopped mushrooms and fry alongside the onions, add in a chopped clove of garlic too. Fry together until the mushrooms have reduced.
Add a teaspoon of the mustard, almonds, thyme and parsley to the mixture and stir together for a minute, then pour in the vegetable stock and cream; season with salt and pepper if required.
Allow the flavours to combine. Remove a few mushroom slices and place to one side. Blend all your ingredients in the pot together into a smooth consistency and reintroduce the mushrooms you removed.
After a couple of minutes, serve this, dressing with a sprinkling of thyme and parsley and if desired a dressing of olive oil.
Next articleMama Lotties gets a Heritage Award.


text:
Manchester City: Premier League
Pep Talk: "We want to win. They will push this team."
A good match to cap the festive fixtures.
By Saul Garcia Dec 28, 2022, 12:00pm GMT
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Manchester City enter the match vs Leeds United in good spirits after a solid win in the League Cup. Pep Guardiola set out to speak as he hit on many subjects of note. From Haaland, Leeds and much more, the manager talked about a ton.
Let's dive right in-
Pep on Haaland
"I think he'll be ready [vs Leeds]. Day by day he's getting better. As much, he can train, he'll get his condition. The injury is completely different to last season. It was a knock in his feet in Dortmund when we played #UCL..."
"The doctor says his damage his ligament in his feet is so painful, it's not easy to recover. That's why he struggled. But muscular issues and everything is perfect and now he is much, much, much better. Now it's a question of time..."
"Of course, we need him. And yes, he was good [vs Liverpool]. On Thursday he finished good."
Pep on Leeds
"They [Leeds] want to win. We want to win. They will push his team. It'll not be a friendly game. Hopefully Erling can't be contaminated with nice words from the opponent! I'm pretty sure Jesse would prefer to play with good players on the pitch."
"One of the toughest games. I'd have preferred another opponent than Leeds in that moment after the World Cup. It's the most aggressive team in the #PL with statistics. Their guys don't give you time to think. You have to be precise..."
"You have to be high level after our defeat against Brentford. And how strong is Arsenal and the opponents that come from behind. You have to be alert and be careful because if the distance is bigger, it'll be so difficult to catch them."
Great presser as we set the table for a stunning match.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Stop Microsoft Word 2019 from defaulting to English (United States) The language in Microsoft Word will default to English (United States) for all documents despite setting the default language as English (Australia) and changing the "Normal" style language to English (Australia).

A: I have tried several fixes and the only method that worked was:

*

*Open Windows Search

*Edit Language and Keyboard options

*Under preferred languages, click Add a language

*select English (Australia) and install

*Click Keyboard at the top

*Under Override for default input method, select English (Australia)

To keep the same keyboard layout, use English (Europe) instead of English (Australia).

A: What is you system language set to? Microsoft Word may be defaulting to the system language, rather than the app default. Try changing the System default to your language of choice.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home » Featured Articles » No Tune Unturned: Fantasy
No Tune Unturned: Fantasy
Posted by Stephen K in Featured Articles | 0 comments
Welcome back to No Tune Unturned, a feature in which some dude with no musical training beyond boring childhood piano lessons elaborates on why, precisely, he likes videogame music so much. Part 1 of the audio-only Sonic Boombox feature kicked off last month, but now we return to the traditional format of written text and YouTube videos for this most fantastical instalment. Indeed, it's time to step through the proverbial wardrobe (or train station wall if you're a heathen) and visit the worlds of myth.
Dungeons and dragons, swords and sworcery, ghosts and goblins– call it what you will. The term I've chosen is "fantasy", which means plenty of magic and an endless heap of adventure. This genre of fiction has always captured my imagination (only to tag it with creativity and release it back into the wild), especially when videogames are involved. Not only can wondrous realms be fully rendered and explored, but music of all forms spring to life along the roads. I may remember the way a mystical forest appears or how difficult a towering colossus was to bring down, yes, but the memory that lives on in my head forever? That'd be the music.
Time of the Falling Rain
From The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Past
Composed by Koji Kondo
The night is dark, the rain is falling, and the princess is way in over her head. So is the young hero Link, come to think of it, and it's up to you and your Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller to make things right. The opening of A Link to the Past was enormously atmospheric before atmospheric videogames were really a thing, and it gives me chills every time. The repetitive imitation of hyperactive strings keeps a tension crackling in the air, mixed with rainwater, lightning, and the threat of gathering storm clouds. What might be an old school cello pairs up with a horn to complete the ominous mood, casting strange shadows of their own. The entire piece keeps rising and falling as if on the point of snapping like a shoddily made Giant's Knife. It sets a mysterious, exciting mood for a brand new adventure and– as far as I'm concerned– accompanies the best opening to a Zelda game yet.
Astral Academy
From Trine
Composed by Ari Pulkkinen
Openings are generally followed by first levels, as I see it, and that's exactly what the Astral Academy is. Trine's haphazard Wizard wanders these firelit halls of supernatural education as he bumps into co-op buddies Knight and Theif, all the while conjuring boxes like, as it were, a boss. A playful melody follows along with delicately plucked strings and an aura of mystery; not dark and scary like A Link to the Past, but full of half-amused handfuls of magic. The meandering music is snuffed out like a candle at 2:00, shortly floating back into sight for one more round. The whole of Trine is a whimsical storybook of an adventure, illustrated with beautiful locations that tingle with imagination, but the setting wouldn't be complete without Ari Pulkkinen's wonderful soundtrack. And like all the finest musicians of history, I can't pronounce his name.
The Crowfather
From Darksiders II
Composed by Jesper Kyd
Now the war begins. The Crowfather is a strange old man shackled with chains and in the constant company of scruffy birds, which doesn't necessarily correlate with awe-inspiring orchestral arrangements; yet this bony fellow's theme is one of the most powerful pieces of music in Darksiders II. It begins with the gentlest of strings, setting a tragic stage for an unhappy land, made more poignant with a beautifully strummed guitar at 0:53. The Crowfather is embroiled in a world in its death throes, emphasized by an unrest that gathers beneath the surface of the calming song. Finally, unable to contain its inordinate weightiness at 1:34, all hell breaks loose (and yes, I know that's not technically canonical to the Darksider's fiction). This portion blares when Death and a phantom of his brother War lock blades in combat, each mighty blow clashing with the sound of horns. Instead of relying solely on the Inception-esque "BWAAAAAHHHHM" and calling it a day, Jesper Kyd weaves in melody and high drama to the perilous scene, and it's enormously effective. All of that from a crow-obsessed fellow who dies in the first ten minutes.
Revived Power
From Shadow of the Colossus
Composed by Koh Otani
After the dark and desperate plight of Death and all of his friends, Shadow of the Colossus springs upon us an unexpected burst of celebratory excitement. Struggling to defeat sixteen behemoths of the Forbidden Land is gruelling work, but when the beast has been scaled, your horse is but an ant on a faraway earth, and conquest is within your hands, Revived Power rises up. The orchestra goes nuts with unbridled enthusiasm and– dare I say– optimism, upending the tone of doom in exchange for the thrill of victory. 0:54 encapsulates the rush of clinging to a patch of fur as a three-story monster tosses you to and fro like a rag, but you've come too far to simply let go. The whole world rocking underfoot, the strike of the sword, the fountain of thick black blood, and the impossible being achieved all flash through my mind as the triumphant notes of this magnificent piece resound in my eardrums. Whether or not you feel bad about slaying the noble colossi is your business, but it's one heck of a ride.
Pig and Whistle
From World of Warcarft
Composed by David Arkenstone
There's no better place to kick back and take a break from the adventure than a local Azerothian tavern, and let me tell you, there's a lot to choose from. David Arkenstone whipped together a whole bunch of memorable songs for World of Warcraft's varied inns and houses of drink, but I couldn't resist picking the Pig and Whistle for its sheer jauntiness. The clinking mugs and cheerful voices of Stormwind City fade into the background as the most toe-tapping of tunes carries the mood, as if performed by a troupe of talented and surprisingly sober troubadours. A flute and a fiddle hop in and out of the spotlight, happily giving way for one another in the cavalcade of orderly instruments, coming to fruition in a heroic display of musical cooperation from 1:57 until the rousing finish. The effect is a song that distils the spirit of friends gathered about a noisy tavern, inviting the listener to drink in the atmosphere lest its lovingly crafted detail be wasted.
Main Theme
From Jade Empire
Composed by Jack Wall
We now turn from the most western song of the west to the most eastern of the east, conjuring images of coiled dragons and all the bamboo you could wish for. Bioware's foray into Chinese mythology failed to keep me invested (when goat-faced demons from another realm put you to sleep, something's wrong), but the main theme is undeniably beautiful. It's very simple at it's core– no more than a few well-placed notes repeated throughout most of the arrangement– but the soaring majesty it evokes is worthy of the name Jade Empire. 0:55's thoughtful interlude makes the backing drums all the more prominent as they pound methodically away, soon to be swept up in another chorus at 1:22. This mixture of quiet confidence and grand recurring themes gives the entire piece a presence that not many games touch, particular because of the dedication to a radically different culture than your typical fantasy fare. When it closes with the piercing wind instruments of 2:37, I immediately want to sell all my worldly possessions, hop on a segway, and go to China, but then I remember there's an ocean and get pretty bummed out.
Fury Sparks
From Tales of Vesperia
Composed by Motoi Sakuraba
Okay, we're still in the eastern part of the world, but that's where the segway falls apart. Tales of Vesperia is about as Japanese as RPGs come, but boldly tosses out the trope-ridden hero so common to the genre for a protagonist with a genuine personality. Yuri Lowell is an ex-knight with a tendency towards both compassion and anarchist vengeance, so it's always a special moment when he reunites with his old friend Flynn Scifo, a noble member of Yuri's old regiment. These meetings occasionally end with the flash of steel, which is where Fury Sparks comes into play. Upbeat guitars with a deadly focus mingle with the two combatants shouting special powers at the top of their lungs, backed by high-paced drums and a bit of symphonic drama for good measure. As sparks fly (furiously, I might add), the song works its way up to the rocking buildup at 0:50, unleashing the frustration and determination that only two anime rivals can generate. It's a fun bout of exciting battle music that simultaneously highlights a great story and an important piece of the fantasy pie.
From Fire Emblem: Awakening
Composed by Hiroki Morishita / Rei Kondoh
Put the fury sparks away. Time to calm down. Within seconds of starting Expedition, you will be swept away to another place entirely; one of soft, melodic wonder and introspective turn-based battle systems. This music appears upon entering one of Fire Emblem: Awakening's side missions, which are actually about killing zombies, but you'd never know it. After an opening that may have been forged in the heavens, 0:18 introduces a stringed instrument that all but guarantees the heaven theory. The soothing waterfall flows into a hint of eastern flavour before moving stealthily into a peaceful rendition of the Fire Emblem theme at 1:25, playing it through until the end. When the fighting starts, the orchestration rises up with a fiery spirit, adding a seamless new layer to the extraordinary song. It's a glimmering jewel hidden in a huge game's seemingly rudimentary side path, which somehow makes it all the lovelier when discovered.
From Soulcalibur
Composed by Junichi Nakatsuru
Beyond the Horizon represents Hwang Sung Kyung, a swashbuckling warrior from Korea, and his personal stage of history, the Silk Road Ruins. This may sound awfully tame for legitimate fantasy, but no! There is a lizardman and it is armed, thus our hero Hwang Sung Kyung circles his foe with the cautious steps of one who looks scaly death in the reptilian eye and laughs loudly. The song leaps into motion with exotic notes that ring into the blazing sky, adding to the illusion of dust swirling beneath the duellists' feet. The tension mounts as fingers stray to swords, rising like the sandy winds of change, until– at 0:52– the music springs to life with the ferocity of a very annoyed Bengal tiger! Orchestra hits are traded like breathless blows, faster than the ear can track, mirroring the fleet-footed motions of one Hawng Sung Kyung and the wicked lizardman. The fluid one-on-one wars of Soulcalibur could never ascend to their fullest heights without the lightning-fast soundtrack to fuel them, and as has been made clear through the struggles of man and lizard, Beyond the Horizon pulls its own weight.
Nerevar Rising
From The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Composed by Jeremy Soule
And so we come to the final entry in this episode and what I view as the greatest song the fantasy genre has ever known: Nerevar Rising. Drum beats boom like distant thunder in a sea of silence, pausing expectantly in a rhythm, until the main theme shows up at 0:07. It has a light touch at first– almost mystical– but grows in strength, unfurling the mists of Vvardenfell with each passing moment. Mesmerising as it is, this is all preparation, of course, for 1:09. If cresting a hill in the dew-strewn cold of dawn to see a red sunrise sparkle between strange mountainous regions on the horizon could perform a crazy ritual and take musical form, it would be in this moment. Morrowind's majesty and deep mystery are explained eloquently in the unforgettable melody, reminding me of Balmora's flat-roofed buildings, the otherworldly call of a silt strider, and the endlessly shimmering Sea of Ghosts. Even when these sights and sounds glitched out or took three hours to load, Jeremy Soule's amazing (and atypical) soundtrack kept me in open-eyed wonder. As the drum beats return to close out the piece, I'm always left with a feeling of a journey's end, but with more to see tomorrow. In fact, that's exactly what a good fantasy adventure should do.
And that's it, we're all done! The road may go ever on and on, but I'm out of here. I had to cut my list of potential games down to half its original size for this one and I'm fairly certain most of them could carry their own instalments– Soulcalibur and World of Warcraft already did. All the same, these ten incredible songs are a pretty decent representation of the expansive glory that is videogame fantasy music, wouldn't you say?
And hey, don't forget about the No Tune Unturned Twitter account! I tweet one videogame song every day and gladly take requests, so join the club and follow along. It'll be fun and musical. Either way, I shall leave you with my classic and self-explanatory catchphrase that everyone will be quoting someday:
Videogame music is great, so listen to it!
Written by Stephen K
A lover of video games in general, Stephen will happily play just about any sort of game on just about any sort of system, especially if it's a platformer or an RPG. Except sports games. Sports games are boring.
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Classics of English Literature: essays by Barbara Daniels M.A., Ph.D.
THE PROLOGUE to THE CANTERBURY TALES (1)
Writing a literature essay
THE WIFE OF BATH (1)
JOHN DONNE (1)
HENRY IV pt i (1)
THE PARDONER (1)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1)
THE NUN'S PRIEST'S TALE (1)
THE KNIGHT'S TALE (1)
THE MERCHANT (1)
THE FRANKLIN (1)
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (1)
MACBETH page 6
Act IV
Macbeth has acquired some self-knowledge and realises that both his own nature and practicalities in his cicumstances mean that he must continue in evil. The original prophecies have come true but are insufficient to satisfy his need for a sense of security; in this he fails to see that the position of an evil man can never be stable. Obtaining the throne is not enough for him: he must kill anyone whose existence threatens him. This meeting with the witches is the result of these feelings and is initiated by Macbeth. They call upon their familiars, supernatural attendants, who announce the right moment for the encounter. A mysterious and dark atmosphere is created by the listing of the gruesome contents of the cauldron and, although the rhythm is tetrameters, it is controlled and magical. These agents of evil deal with the unnatural things of earth and unchristian elements. The chorus operates as a unifying chant as they add bits of animal bodies and, to Christians, unholy people. The lines of Hecate are clearly spurious and nearly destroy the atmosphere so far evoked.
Macbeth is now felt even by them to be "wicked" and, when he enters, he accosts them in an aggressive manner, perhaps recalling and copying how bluntly Banquo addressed them in the first meeting when he, himself, was more hesitant. The "secret [mysterious], black [practising black arts] and midnight hags" reply in cloaked and oracular fashion: "A deed without a name". Macbeth's next speech reveals utter recklessness and lack of consideration for the future of his kingdom. He is aware that the witches may use black magic and an alliance with the Devil to find answers but does not care: "Howe'er you come to know it". Anaphora in the repetition of "Though" at the start of many of the lines emphasises the obsessional nature of his mood as he states that they may, if necessary, use winds to destroy churches, symbolic of religion and order, allow frothy waves to sink ships, permit crops to be ruined, and trees blown down along with castles, palaces and pyramids and even authorise the seeds of matter and life, ("germens"), to be obliterated until the very forces of destruction are sickened through excess. The lexis suggests unnatural confusion and annihilation and we recall that it is a king who is suggesting this for his own selfish and personal satisfaction of mind.
A further opportunity for instances of the supernatural and unnatural occurs when he agrees to hear the oracles from their "masters" and more grisly ingredients are added: the blood of a sow which has eaten her nine piglets and the sweat of a hanged murderer. This and the rest of the encounter reveal the differences in Macbeth and his behaviour since the first meeting: now he calls upon the spirits and addresses them; he concentrates on possible dangers and he is remorseless, aggressive and heedless. The first apparition is the head of Macbeth when dead and it utters a warning to beware of Macduff which should, in its clarity, colour the next two cryptic utterances. Macbeth is drawn in because the words have "harp'd" [guessed] his fear correctly but he fails to retain this in his mind. The first witch tells him outright that the next apparition is more powerful and it is the infant Macduff in the image of a bloodstained child. This creation advises Macbeth that he will not be harmed by any man born of woman but he does not analyse these shifty words in their context of the "bloody child." Despite his instant conviction that Macduff cannot hurt him he once more decides make an agreement with Fate and kill Macduff to be "double sure" and obtain peaceful sleep despite troubles. Sleep is only permitted to those with an innocent conscience but Macbeth always thinks that one more wicked act will give him security: he has become afraid of fear itself and so intervenes to influence Fate.
The final apparition is the young Malcolm, crowned and holding a tree. Its prophecy sounds reassuring but Macbeth should realise he is dealing with the powers of darkness and not trust it. It offers the boldness and absence of fear that he craves as it advises him to ignore those who annoy him and be convinced that he is safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane castle, a distance of twelve miles. The second and third prophecies seem to offer safety but should be seen in the light of the first; they are contradictory to it and he does not turn this over mentally but hears what he hoped to hear, that he cannot be defeated. The last one seems to deal with the impossible but he is listening to equivocators and liars. He feels certain that he will live out his normal span, employing the legal imagery of a lease and we note also that he uses rhyme as though he has truly fallen under the influence of the prophecies. His main obsession now surfaces as he cannot resist asking if one of the orginal predictions will come true and Banquo's offspring become rulers. Although they warn him not to proceed, he risks cursing them to know the answer. A procession of eight kings appears and the last holds a mirror looking ahead. Banquo was thought to be the ancestor of the Stuart kings and these are his offspring. His worst fear is confirmed.
Macbeth's speech in response shows that his ambitions have spread from his own life in the present to the line of succession in the future. He looks at each apparition in turn, finding that they resemble Banquo and his reaction is painfully physical in intensity: "Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls". His attitude to the witches is aggressive and, in calling them "filthy hags", he reveals that he is hostile to Fate and its agents when they do not favour him; he repudiates this unwelcome fortune by saying: "I'll see no more." In the mirror are reflected a whole line of kings and some carry two orbs for the rule over England and Scotland and some three sceptres (which could be England, Scotland and Ireland or two for England and one for Scotland.) This is worse than he had imagined and he sees Banquo with hair matted into knots by blood smiling at him in triumphant confirmation. The next speech by the first witch is clearly spurious and unconvincing. Macbeth is left wishing he could accept the favourable aspects of Fate and reject the rest. In the thematic debate between Fate and free will we see that Macbeth's character is his fate and that he seems to have no choice but obey its edicts.
This time no-one else has seen the witches and Macbeth curses them and all who believe in them, which must include himself, a strange reaction. The news that Macduff has fled to England and has escaped shows that the first of these recent three prophecies could come true and Macbeth recognises this, saying that time has forestalled him and that, unless the plan and the deed are simultaneous, the deed never catches up with the plan. This relates to the theme of the gap between thought and action, often caused by conscience. Macbeth now resolves to cut this out and make the "firstlings" [first ideas] of his heart be the first actions of his hand: he will leave no room for hesitation or virtuous doubts. In his rage and frustration, he determines instantly to kill the entirely innocent Lady Macduff and her children: his evil is limitless and without reason, even though he uses the word "purpose". He blames himself for having paused in the past and his one motive now is to appear bold and sudden. The murder of Macduff's family will bring him no profit except revenge and the audience is prepared for the next terrible scene and its dramatic irony as Lady Macduff is anxious but only we know for certain that there will be an attack.
Lady Macduff has a small but vital role as she shows herself to be a strong character as wife and mother. The scene has great poignancy and is the moment at which we have no sympathy for Macbeth, a dramatic crux as Shakespeare must regain some of that bond with him before the end. Lady Macduff is angry that her husband has left them without protection and accuses him of cowardice. He has been torn between the personal and private desire to stay with his family and the public need to mount an opposition to Macbeth. She will not accept that there was any wisdom in his action and accuses him of unnatural feelings and behaviour, a powerful condemnation and one backed up by the image of the wren (another use of the leitmotif of birds), the smallest of birds but one which will fight a much stronger owl to protect its young. She refuses to believe that there is love or wisdom in him, merely fear and irrationality. The rule of Macbeth is so evil that it makes good men behave in an unnatural fashion to regain law and order as Rosse goes on to explain.
He calls Macduff "noble, wise, judicious" and knowledgeable about the "fits o'th'season", the troubles of the times which necessitate unwanted actions and make it impossible for men to be loyal. Macbeth's cruelty in power has brought this about and we recall that Shakepeare has altered history as the real Macbeth ruled well for ten years. He speaks of rumour and fear without a definite cause, using imagery of a wild sea to indicate how desperate times are but also to suggest that the tide may be turning against the tyrant. Anacoluthon after the word "move", breaking the structure of his sentence, indicates his anxiety and haste but, when he says: "Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward/To what they were before", there is heavy dramatic irony as we know they are about to become much worse in a truly horrific fashion. The little boy is listening and the thought of him in danger without a father present nearly makes Rosse weep, so moved is he by their plight.
The young Macduff is a cameo portrait of a precocious and quick-witted child whose unnaturally adult nature makes it seem as though he is already influenced by the evil condition of the country. It can be played with his mother attending to him as in bathing him which makes the scene more poignantly domestic in contrast to the brutal affairs of state which soon intrude. Lady Macduff taunts him by telling him that his father is dead (meaning dead to her in his abandoning them) but he is unmoved and says he will manage as birds do. When she calls him "poor" he picks up the word and points out, cynically though wrongly, that poor people are not in danger from traps: this also shows that the country is full of hazards for everyone. He is perky and answers all her jibes with wit, claiming that women are faithless. and will readily exchange one husband for another. She points out that he has sufficient wit to answer her with humour and enough intelligence for his age. She calls his father a traitor, but it is not clear if she means to them or to Macbeth; the boy points out by an extended question and answer session that the villains in the country are so numerous that they could become the most powerful and hang the honest men. He is logical, lively and shrewd and claims that she would be weeping if his father were dead and that, if she does not weep for his death, she must have a new suitor in mind. She is preoccupied and feels their vulnerability.
The messenger rushes in to warn them of impending danger: he knows their rank although he is not known to them. He apologetically feels himself to be "savage" in frightening them with his news but shows that there are still good and altruistic people willing to risk themselves to save others. She has nowhere to escape to and tries to trust in the conviction that no-one would harm the innocent, a sense that she and we know to be unfounded. The present state is one where good and evil are reversed, as they were with the witches, and "to do harm/Is often laudable" and to do good frequently "dangerous folly." She and her son show great courage in her replies to the murderers but they are victims of the times and are killed, though Lady Macduff meets her fate off stage, leaving some horror and surprise to our imagination.
The short scene has many functions: pathos in a domestic setting which shows how normal family life might be; the effects of Macbeth's spreading evil influence and the horrific acts he is now prepared to authorise; the contrast provided by the appearance of a women and child in a drama dominated by political dealings; a certain black humour, though related to the wider background; the point of the play at which we can have least sympathy for Macbeth and out of which Shakepeare must rescue some tragic emotions. It is brief but truly memorable.
The next scene between Malcolm and Macduff is based on the historical chronicles of Holinshed and takes place at the court of Edward the Confessor in England. It has a choric function in showing how Macbeth's tyrannical reign has caused deaths and suspicion everywhere but it is hard for a director or actors to give it dramatic interest as it is wordy and somewhat sluggish. Malcolm, heir to the throne is testing Macduff, whose attempt against Macbeth has failed and who has, seemingly inexplicably, left his home unprotected. Malcolm needs to know if he is a true patriot. There is strong dramatic irony when he says that Macbeth has not yet injured Macduff and when Macduff comments that there are new widows and orphans every morning but the dialogue is rather tedious until the entry of Rosse. Having bewailed the state of Scotland, Macduff is subject to a trial as Malcolm fears he may have intentions to offer him up to the King for payment. He comes near to offending his ally but turns the scene into a more difficult test when he accuses himself of several dark vices until Macduff is horrified. We learn that there is a gathering army to save the country, personified as one of Macbeth's victims. Malcolm states that he is not fit to rule, having more evil that Macbeth in being more bloody, lustful, greedy, lying, deceitful, violent and criminal generally (lines 57-60) but Macduff, unwilling to believe, excuses these flaws until Malcolm claims that he has no kingly virtues at all. This list (lines 91-94) serve, as does a chorus, to recall the ideal of monarchy against which to measure Macbeth. Finally, Macduff erupts and turns against him, thus proving his patriotism and loyalty, at which point Malcolm clears his name by stating his own virtues. We see that Macbeth has used many tricks to test his followers and that, in an ironic reversal, Malcolm has had to put on an evil appearance to do good. Macduff takes a while to be reconciled and a further choric speech from the doctor contrasts another good king healing folk with the scrofula. Whereas Edward cures his country, Macbeth's is spoken of as sick and wonded by his actions. The supernatural lies behind both as Edward's powers are miraculous and all Macbeth's evil started from the original secret prophecies.
Rosse knows he has distressing personal news to deliver to Macduff but delays this onerous task as long as possible, thus creating suspense for the audience. He is also given a choric speech in which he laments the state of Scotland, where only the ignorant smile and where heart-rending noises of misery can be heard but hardly noticed since they are so frequent. "Violent sorrow" has become a "modern ecstasy" [a commonplace emotion], deaths occur regularly and good men meet untimely ends. He shows here the unselfish partriotism of the ordinary man and Macduff finds his account "Too nice [detailed] and yet too true"; the dramatic irony here is powerful as we know there is more information to come. When Rosse hints that news even an hour old is derided as out of date, Macduff becomes suspicious that he is hiding something concerning himself but Rosse avoids answering by saying that his wife and the young Macduffs are "well" in the sense that the dead are better off in such a terrible land. He equivocates by claiming that they were at peace when he left them but we know that the truth must emerge soon. Rosse is wary of having to reveal the truth but also wants to enlist their help before involving their personal griefs so that they join the rebellion for more objective reasons. Having received this assurance he breaks the news of the slaughter of the Macduffs claiming that his words are too fearful to be heard.
Rosse firstly tries to give the tidings as gently as possible but finally tells what has happened swiftly and plainly: the deaths of Lady Macduff and harmless servants are not entirely a surprise to the audience and the bitter pun on "deer" makes the information more savage. Macduff is overcome and hides his face but Malcolm encourages him to voice his feelings for relief and to use them to spur him to further revenge. Macduff's response: "He has no children" is a crux with two main explanations. He could mean that Malcolm has no children and so can be comparatively unfeeling or he might refer to Macbeth, which causes difficulty as Lady Macbeth claims to have breastfed a child and Macbeth is deeply anxious about the inheritance of the throne. If he means Macbeth he could imply that he cannot take full revenge on a childless man by repeating his actions or that even Macbeth would not have been so cruel had he his own children. Bird imagery recalls the scene of the slaughter and its mention of the wren.
Malcolm somewhat callously tries to persuade Macduff to immediate action as a man and soldier (another theme of the play being the definition of manliness) but Macduff claims his need to feel his personal distress first as a man should and can only recall the precious nature of what he once had. He feels Heaven has abandoned him and blames himself for their fate, "naught" being a strong word meaning "wicked." He reminds us that Macbeth's evil has spread to harm the entirely innocent if they seem next in line. Now Macduff moves from potential tears to action and vows personal revenge on "this fiend of Scotland" in mortal combat. We have a sense of the play progressing to a final resolution and recall the prophecy concerning the danger of Macduff to Macbeth, one hard to reconcile with the apparent promise that no man born of woman can harm him. Good is uniting and "Macbeth/Is ripe for shaking." Imagery of day and night in a somewhat proverbial maxim adds to the feeling that good will triumph but, as in all tragedy, at its own expense, which in this case has been poignant and heart-rending.
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text:
The Mueller Report Was Just Released. Read It Here.
The Trump administration finally released a redacted version of the special counsel's report.
Mother Jones; J. Scott Applewhite/AP; Getty
The Justice Department on Thursday released a redacted copy of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, revealing some results of the nearly two-year investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia.
Mueller completed his report last month, but the release was delayed while the Justice Department redacted what Attorney General William Barr said were several types of sensitive information in the report. In a March 24 letter to Congress, Barr summarized what he called the "principal conclusions" of the 448-page report. Barr quoted part of a sentence in the report in which Mueller concluded that the "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." Barr made similar comments in a press conference Thursday morning before the release of the redacted report.
Barr also said in his March letter that Mueller found evidence "on both sides of the question" of whether Trump obstructed justice during investigations into the matter and that Mueller noted specifically that the report did not exonerate Trump of obstruction.
Listen to our DC bureau chief David Corn discuss Mueller's findings on this special breaking news edition of the Mother Jones Podcast:
Listen to the latest episode of the Mother Jones Podcast: Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
Barr said that due to Mueller's failure to reach a conclusion on obstruction, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein considered the allegations and concluded that Trump did not commit "an obstruction of justice offense." Trump and his defenders claimed that Barr's letter cleared Trump of wrongdoing. "No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION," Trump tweeted shortly after the letter's release. The White House, its congressional allies, and pro-Trump pundits also launched a campaign to vilify political opponents who had exposed or criticized Trump's ties to Russia.
Even before the release of the redacted report, some members of Mueller's team reportedly told associates that Barr had failed to accurately represent their findings. Some of Mueller's investigators have said they found "alarming and significant" information on Trump's efforts to obstruct investigations into his conduct, the Washington Post reported. Mueller team members were also reportedly irked by Barr's refusal to release summaries they had prepared for different sections of the report. Barr instead offered his own public description that, critics said, seemed to be intended to minimize any negative findings in the report.
Democrats in Congress have demanded that Barr turn over a complete copy of the report, without redactions. While Barr has claimed he is prohibited from sharing information protected under grand jury secrecy rules, Democrats say Barr could avoid that issue by getting a court order allowing the material's disclosure. They have also asked Barr to share evidence gathered by Mueller in support of the report. The release of the redacted report is unlikely to end the dispute. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has said he may use subpoena authority in a bid to force Barr to turn over more information, setting up a potential court battle.
You can read the redacted version of Mueller's report below.
Did William Barr Whitewash the Mueller Report?
Barr Says He'll Release Redacted Mueller Report by Mid-April
Warning: Don't Believe Everything You Hear About the Mueller Report
Remember the Big Story in the Russia Scandal: Donald Trump Betrayed America


2024 Studios is an Egyptian Game Studio, founded by a group of people who were bounded to meet in a game developers' Lab, number "2024".
We are passionate developers with over 5 years of experience, our goal is to deliver high quality games and create the most immersive experience for the players. we have experience in delivering games on multiple platforms including android, ios, web and PC.
Simple and atmospheric experience where you solve puzzles by switching colors.
Impulse is a simple and addictive free puzzle game , where you move the green circle " Mr.Green " to the white gate .
A journey of self discovery. Galaxy Rebound is a minimal, relaxing, puzzle game.
Currently working on a mega educational project with a scope of 340 mini games targeting 3 age groups.


text:
Turbach ist ein Dorf mit 200 Einwohnern im Saanenland, am südwestlichen Rand der deutschsprachigen Schweiz. Es liegt östlich von Gstaad auf einer Höhe von  und gehört zur politischen Gemeinde Saanen.

Turbach ist eine Streusiedlung entlang des Turbachbaches mit einem kleinen Dorfzentrum, das Dörfli genannt wird. Die meisten Einwohner sind in der Landwirtschaft tätig, während einige in den nahe liegenden Dörfern (vor allem in Gstaad) arbeiten. Ein Lebensmittelgeschäft und zwei Restaurants (im Sommer) bilden die Infrastruktur des Dorfes.

Vom Turbachtal aus können Wanderungen unternommen werden, beispielsweise auf den Giferspitz, nach Lauenen oder ins Obersimmental. Im Winter wird eine sonnige Langlaufpiste präpariert. Ein Postautokurs verbindet den Kurort Gstaad mit dem Dorf Turbach.

Sehenswürdigkeiten

Ort im Kanton Bern
Geographie (Saanen)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Hump Day Link-Around: Santorum's Victory Speech, Romney Not Sealing The Deal, Get Out, Newt!
March, 14, 2012 by nicedeb
Rick Santorum's Victory Speech in Louisiana after his wins in Alabama and Mississippi:
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum addressed a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Lafayette, Louisiana, after he was the projected winner in Alabama's primary. "We're campaigning everywhere there are delegates because we are going to win this nomination before the convention," he told the crowd, saying he was headed to Puerto Rico for two days of campaigning there.
Analysis of last night:
Erick Erickson, Red State: Not Closing the Deal:
Newt Gingrich last night proved he is neither a regional candidate nor a spoiler. His influence is headed into Ron Paul territory. Gingrich could not win the deep south. He won Georgia and South Carolina. A Catholic yankee from Pennsylvania won Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and will probably win Louisiana. Even with Gingrich in the race, Santorum beat Romney. He was no spoiler. Gingrich's final act could be king maker by getting out and endorsing, but pride cometh before the fall. Gingrich is in mid fall. What a sad end to a brilliant legacy. But his campaign is over. All we need is Haley Joel Osment and M. Night Shyamalan to point out to him he is dead.
Newt has played an important role in the primaries, by showing the other candidates how they must expose the Democratic media complex's bias at every opportunity. Knowing what Obama is, and recognizing his administration's Alinsky tactics, Newt's rhetorical missiles hit Obama's Achilles heel; his thinly veiled radicalism. The only bombs Mitt is willing to lob are aimed at his conservative counterparts. He continues to insist that Obama is a decent guy with good motivations who is just in over his head. Yesterday, his son actually said of Obama, "I think he's great." The base keeps looking for an alternative to the bland, milquetoast, ruling class candidate.
But, I regret to say the time has come time for Newt to get out!
Dan Riehl concurs: I Backed Newt But The Honorable Thing For Him To Do Is Drop Out:
By losing as he did last night, he proved he can't win much of anywhere. His candidacy is not viable. The only honorable move left for Newt is to drop out. Do the right thing, Newt. Enough GOP primary voters have spoken that, in my opinion, the best thing Newt can do now is to show some respect for them.
Please do the right thing, Newt.
Weekly Standard, Morning Jay: Morning Jay: Santorum's Wins Come at Gingrich's Expense:
The problem for Santorum is that he only netted six delegates over Romney in these two contests – and I am guessing that as of Wednesday morning (after American Samoa and Hawaii come in) Romney will have won the most delegates for the whole day. So, with many of Santorum's best states now having finished voting – the caucuses in the Farm Belt and now much of the South – Romney still has a large delegate lead, with both California and New York still to come.
Thus, last night confirmed for me what I think is the dominant theme of this race: Romney is far from the consensus choice of the Grand Old Party, but his position in this race is strong enough that it is difficult to see how Santorum takes the nomination from him without changing pretty dramatically the dynamics of the race.
Romney Failed To Close The Deal! Dick Morris TV: Lunch Alert!
In this video commentary, I discuss how Mitt Romney failed to close the deal and has now lost seven Southern or Border States. You can't win the nomination with half a party! Tune in!
Smitty at The Other McCain: Inevitability?
By the eye, Mitt has outspent his remaining three opponents combined by 2:1. . .But, for all that negative ad carpet bombing, he's barely holding his own overall.
In other news….
Duane Lester, RWN: Planets Aligning for Jacob Turk in Bid for Missouri's Fifth District:
In 2008, Turk lost by 88,000 votes. In 2010, he was only 17,000 behind. Granted, 2008 was a big year for Democrats and 2010 an election dominated by the Tea Party. 2012 is up for grabs. If Republicans can motivate the base to turn out to vote against a second term for Obama, it could translate to big wins down ticket for people like Jacob Turk.Turk also has the added benefit of early financial support this time around.
"Not only did people want us to run, they said they'd cut a check early for us. And they were true to their word. As of December 31, we had raised ten times more than we had two years ago at the same time."
Specifically, he had raised $114,964, more than he ran his first two campaigns on, combined.
Things finally seem to be coming together for Turk, and 2012 could be the year he finally wins, removing a lying, race baiting, Communist sympathizer from office and replacing him with conservative Marine Corps veteran.
For the sake of Missouri's Fifth, and the country, I hope it is.
Gateway Pundit: It's Tea Time… ROAD TO REPEAL RALLY – March 24 – Washington DC:
Confirmed speakers include: Herman Cain, Ken Cucinelli, Steve Bannon, Jim Hoft, Tom Price, Louie Gohmert and others…
Government run health care is the best example of everything wrong with the federal government. It is financially reckless. No one knows what it will ultimately cost – or where the money will come from.
Additionally, ObamaCare will grow the federal government into every aspect of our lives. It will grow government into a massive bloated bureaucracy making health care decisions that directly affect you. In fact, the federal government must hire more than 17,000 IRS agents to enforce the law.
Conservative News Daily: The Case to Impeach Obama Builds: Why the Right Should Start Preparing:
There is currently a resolution in Congress that would condemn Obama for "impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors under article II, section 4 of the Constitution." The central complaint is that the president committed our troops to an act of military aggression in Libya without an act of war, authorization, or even consultation with Congress after 60 days, as stipulated by the War Powers Act.
But reinforcing the conclusion that Obama does not even believe he needs Congressional authorization to wage war in principle is the recent testimony of his CIA Director Leon Panetta. The CIA director, who was not an intelligence expert by specialty before being appointed to recent security positions, provided a statement to Senate Armed Services Committee member Jeff Sessions that implied the president may use military force abroad without a declaration of war and without Congressional approval. Panetta's remark was made in the context of a potential U.S.-led military campaign against Syria and carries implications for a looming armed conflict with Iran.
"You know, our goal would be to seek international permission," Panetta said. "And we would come to the Congress and inform you and determine how best to approach this, whether or not we would want to get permission from Congress."
This specific remark, both brazen and profound in import, prompted Congressman Walter Jones to introduce House Concurrent Resolution 107, which would condemn President Obama for committing the "impeachable" offense of illegally committing American troops to military engagement. This is more than campaign electioneering from a Congressman in a safe district. Our entire system of checks and balances and divided powers are at stake, not to mention our national sovereignty. Foreign policy analyst Bruce Ackerman rightly points out that Obama has done more to push this administration in the direction of an "imperial presidency" than George W. Bush ever did.
Building the case for Obama's eventual impeachment, should it be required under this term or (heaven forbid) a subsequent one, is a list of twenty-one illegal acts brought forth by nine state Attorneys Generals. The diverse list includes everything from the National Labor Relations Board's bullying of Boeing to the FCC's imposition of net neutrality-type regulations in defiance of defeated legislation. Most significantly, it includes the PPACA (otherwise known as Obamacare), whose provisions of disputable constitutional authority are slated to be ruled on in the Supreme Court. The federal healthcare law continues to be very unpopular, including in several election "swing states."
Not mentioned is Obama's birth certificate forgery, which one would think is also a serious crime….
Selwyn Duke, The American Thinker: Why Obama's Birth Certificate Matters, Especially Now:
There was a time when someone could perhaps justify sitting on the fence on the matter of Barack Obama's birth certificate. There were those on the left who could chalk doubts about its authenticity up to conspiratorial internet paranoia. As for the right, there was every reason to worry about being the victims of an Alinsky-style setup designed to marginalize opponents. In other words, let the other side double down on an incredible claim, and then, at the most opportune time (October surprise?), provide irrefutable evidence to the contrary and make them look like deluded wackos. So, for a long time, there might have been reason to watch, wait, and let the wheels of investigation render their judgment.
That judgment is in, and the time for waiting is over.
With the results of Maricopa County, AZ sheriff Joe Arpaio's "Cold Case Posse," an incredible claim has become an incredible situation: a team of professional investigators, commissioned by a major law-enforcement agency, has determined that the alleged birth certificate produced by the president of the United States is a probable forgery.
Process that for a moment. The regime of the world's most powerful nation — a republic that prides itself on adherence to the rule of law — is likely peddling a forged document. What say you, citizen?
I already know: "W-w-w-we c-c-can't w-w-win on th-th-th-is issue…"
Rush Limbaugh: An Assault on the Symbols of America:
RUSH: There is nothing sacred anymore. An Indian tribe in Wyoming has been given a permit to shoot bald eagles. How does something like that happen? How do you get a permit to shoot bald eagles? I thought they were endangered or protected or something. But this Indian tribe in Wyoming has been given permission. Meanwhile, the Democrat Party headquarters in Lake County, Florida, has been flying a version of the American flag where Obama's face is where the stars used to be.
It was an actual flag. They have taken an American flag, they've taken the stars out of it, and in the blue rectangle where the stars are they have put a picture of President Obama. There seems to be a war on the symbols of America. And in the case of the bald eagles, it's a shooting war! You can shoot bald eagles and now Obama's face is on an American flag at Democrat Party headquarters in Lake County, Florida.
Big Hollywood: EXCLUSIVE: Chris Rock Attacks Conservative Author Over Tea Party Question:
The New York Times bestselling author of the explosive new book, Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama's Biggest Backers, Jason Mattera, had his crew's camera snatched and hurled by comedian Chris Rock when he asked the star why he has called the Tea Party racist (video below).
"I was stunned," said Mr. Mattera in an exclusive interview with Big Hollywood. "Tea Party members get called the worst things imaginable and still remain peaceful. But ask a big Hollywood celebrity to explain himself and the guy goes ballistic, wrestles the camera away from my camerawoman, chucks it 50 feet, and then challenges me to a fight. It's unreal. And it perfectly illustrates why I decided to investigate and writeHollywood Hypocrites."
The confrontation, which took place around 2:00 a.m. on January 23, 2012, at Spike Lee's Sundance Film Festival after party at Tao night club, ended with Chris Rock challenging the conservative author to a fight, says Mr. Mattera:
Video at link…
Newsbusters: Open Letter to MSNBC President Phil Griffin: Take Responsibility for Hateful Ed Schultz:
Your network, working on marching orders from Media Matters, is on a mission to take Rush Limbaugh off the air. Far from being an independent journalistic enterprise, MSNBC is the very essence of a political lapdog of the far left.
Just last night on MSNBC, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton, and Lawrence O'Donnell all devoted time on their programs attacking Rush. In each case, they grabbed at thin air looking, looking, looking for the opportunity shamelessly to keep the story alive.
These assaults by MSNBC have nothing to do with what he said about Sandra Fluke, and everything to do with censoring prominent voices on the right. Gas prices are nearing $4 a gallon, the unemployment rate hovers over 8%, the US debt is soaring to astronomical highs, but MSNBC is too busy to cover these legitimate news stories. Instead you go after Rush.
And you're doing it in the most hypocritical manner imaginable.
The Mental Recession: Voter Fraud Juror – There Were "Just Too Many Charges":
Yesterday, after repeated declarations from the jury that they were hopelessly deadlocked, the Judge in the New York voter fraud trial pulled the plug and declared a mistrial, ordering the case retried. The result was unsurprising and likely appropriate considering the circumstances.
One of the jurors is now speaking out about deliberations. And what does come as a surprise is one of the reasons she says they could not reach a verdict – they were too confused.
Apparently, despite the fact that they were encouraged by Judge Pulver to take their time and work things out, and despite not being bound by any timeframe to reach a verdict, the jury allegedly tossed their hands skyward, and declared the numerous charges to be impossible to keep track of, and too complicated.
Zombie: New Rules for Old Farts:
If you remember when health insurance was optional, you are an old fart.
If you are polite to strangers, you are an old fart.
If you've ever changed a typewriter ribbon, you are an old fart.
If there was only one fat kid in your class, you are an old fart.
If you think "Occupy" is a verb and not a noun, you are an old fart.
If you just want to be left alone, you are an old fart.
If you remember when only sailors had tattoos, you are an old fart.
If you remember when civil rights meant equal rights, not reverse discrimination, you are an old fart.
If you've never uploaded naked photographs of yourself, you are an old fart.
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One thought on "Hump Day Link-Around: Santorum's Victory Speech, Romney Not Sealing The Deal, Get Out, Newt!"
John says:	 March, 14, 2012 at 1:34 pm
"W-w-w-we c-c-can't w-w-win on th-th-th-is issue…"
Maybe – maybe not. What is lost in trying? The democrats keep spinning things like forcing the catholic church to fund contraception and abortion into a so called war on women. Why can't republicans spin Obama's lack of transparency into him not being legally qualified for the job as president? Sure, what they are doing is pure fabrication while on the other hand Obama is not a natural born citizen – maybe that can work to some advantage for everyone. Obama can aspire to becoming Prime Minister in GB while here in the colonies we could set about repealing all the nonsense signed into law by 'the one'.
Keeping Up With the Cucks


text:
namespace fp::lex {

namespace detail {

static std::unordered_map<std::string_view, token> create_keywords_map() {
    return {
        {"and",      token::AND     },
        {"as",       token::AS      },
        {"break",    token::BREAK   },
        {"case",     token::CASE    },
        {"catch",    token::CATCH   },
        {"class",    token::CLASS   },
        {"concept",  token::CONCEPT },
        {"continue", token::CONTINUE},
        {"default",  token::DEFAULT },
        {"do",       token::DO      },
        {"else",     token::ELSE    },
        {"enum",     token::ENUM    },
        {"export",   token::EXPORT  },
        {"for",      token::FOR     },
        {"if",       token::IF      },
        {"implicit", token::IMPLICIT},
        {"import",   token::IMPORT  },
        {"in",       token::IN      },
        {"mut",      token::MUT     },
        {"not",      token::NOT     },
        {"of",       token::OF      },
        {"or",       token::OR      },
        {"return",   token::RETURN  },
        {"switch",   token::SWITCH  },
        {"throw",    token::THROW   },
        {"try",      token::TRY     },
        {"while",    token::WHILE   }
    };
}

} // namespace detail

std::unordered_map<std::string_view, token> keywords_map =
    detail::create_keywords_map();

std::unordered_set<token> keywords = []() {
    std::unordered_set<token> result;
    for (const auto& [_, t] : keywords_map) { result.insert(t); }
    return result;
}();

bool is_keyword(token t) { return keywords.count(t) > 0; }

std::string_view token_name(token t) {
    switch (t) {
        case token::ERROR:          return "ERROR";

        case token::SEMICOLON:      return "SEMICOLON";
        case token::COMMA:          return "COMMA";
        case token::QUOTE:          return "QUOTE";
        case token::ANNOTATION:     return "ANNOTATION";
        case token::SCOPE:          return "SCOPE";
        case token::OPTIONAL:       return "OPTIONAL";
        case token::DECORATOR:      return "DECORATOR";
        case token::BIT_NOT:        return "BIT_NOT";
        case token::MEMBER_ACCESS:  return "MEMBER_ACCESS";
        case token::RANGE:          return "RANGE";
        case token::CLOSED_RANGE:   return "CLOSED_RANGE";

        // brackets
        case token::L_PAREN:        return "L_PAREN";
        case token::R_PAREN:        return "R_PAREN";
        case token::L_BRACKET:      return "L_BRACKET";
        case token::R_BRACKET:      return "R_BRACKET";
        case token::L_BRACE:        return "L_BRACE";
        case token::R_BRACE:        return "R_BRACE";

        // keywords
        case token::AND:            return "AND";
        case token::AS:             return "AS";
        case token::BREAK:          return "BREAK";
        case token::CASE:           return "CASE";
        case token::CATCH:          return "CATCH";
        case token::CLASS:          return "CLASS";
        case token::CONCEPT:        return "CONCEPT";
        case token::CONTINUE:       return "CONTINUE";
        case token::DEFAULT:        return "DEFAULT";
        case token::DO:             return "DO";
        case token::ELSE:           return "ELSE";
        case token::ENUM:           return "ENUM";
        case token::EXPORT:         return "EXPORT";
        case token::FOR:            return "FOR";
        case token::IF:             return "IF";
        case token::IMPLICIT:       return "IMPLICIT";
        case token::IMPORT:         return "IMPORT";
        case token::IN:             return "IN";
        case token::MUT:            return "MUT";
        case token::NOT:            return "NOT";
        case token::OF:             return "OF";
        case token::OR:             return "OR";
        case token::RETURN:         return "RETURN";
        case token::SWITCH:         return "SWITCH";
        case token::THROW:          return "THROW";
        case token::TRY:            return "TRY";
        case token::WHILE:          return "WHILE";

        // arrows
        case token::TYPE_ARROW:     return "TYPE_ARROW";
        case token::LAMBDA_ARROW:   return "LAMBDA_ARROW";

        // arithmetic
        case token::ADD:            return "ADD";
        case token::SUB:            return "SUB";
        case token::MUL:            return "MUL";
        case token::DIV:            return "DIV";
        case token::MOD:            return "MOD";
        case token::POW:            return "POW";
        case token::BIT_AND:        return "BIT_AND";
        case token::BIT_OR:         return "BIT_OR";
        case token::XOR:            return "XOR";
        case token::SHL:            return "SHL";
        case token::SHR:            return "SHR";

        // assignments
        case token::ASSIGN:         return "ASSIGN";
        case token::ADD_ASSIGN:     return "ADD_ASSIGN";
        case token::SUB_ASSIGN:     return "SUB_ASSIGN";
        case token::MUL_ASSIGN:     return "MUL_ASSIGN";
        case token::DIV_ASSIGN:     return "DIV_ASSIGN";
        case token::MOD_ASSIGN:     return "MOD_ASSIGN";
        case token::POW_ASSIGN:     return "POW_ASSIGN";
        case token::BIT_AND_ASSIGN: return "BIT_AND_ASSIGN";
        case token::BIT_OR_ASSIGN:  return "BIT_OR_ASSIGN";
        case token::XOR_ASSIGN:     return "XOR_ASSIGN";
        case token::SHL_ASSIGN:     return "SHL_ASSIGN";
        case token::SHR_ASSIGN:     return "SHR_ASSIGN";

        // comparisons
        case token::EQ:             return "EQ";
        case token::NE:             return "NE";
        case token::LT:             return "LT";
        case token::GT:             return "GT";
        case token::LTE:            return "LTE";
        case token::GTE:            return "GTE";

        // increment & decrement
        case token::INC:            return "INC";
        case token::DEC:            return "DEC";

        // containing attributes
        case token::COMMENT:        return "COMMENT";
        case token::IDENTIFIER:     return "IDENTIFIER";
        case token::NUMBER:         return "NUMBER";
        case token::CHAR:           return "CHAR";
        case token::STRING:         return "STRING";

        case token::_n_tokens:      return "_n_tokens";
    }
    throw std::runtime_error("should not reach here");
}

std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, token t) {
    return os << token_name(t);
}

} // namespace fp::lex

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The following is a guest post co-authored by Andrew Battista, Librarian for Geospatial Information Systems Services at The Wagner School of Public Service, NYU Libraries and Stephen Balogh, Data Services Specialist, NYU Libraries originally posted on Data Dispatch.
Recently, we experienced another panic over the ideological attack on scientific data. Rumors circulated that the EPA website, including all of the data it hosts, would be taken down. This appears to be just a rumor, for now. The current presidential administration notwithstanding, efforts to rescue data underscores what many people in the library community have known all along: even if federal data won't abscond into thin air, much of it is poorly organized, partially documented, and effectively undiscoverable. Libraries can improve access to government data and should develop workflows for preserving federal data to make it more accessible.
Data rescue efforts began in January 2017, and over the past few months many institutions hosted hack-a-thon style events to scrape data and develop strategies for preservation. The Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) developed a data rescue toolkit, which apportioned the challenge of saving data by distinct federal agency. The efforts of Data Refuge, a group based at Penn seeking to establish best practices for data rescue and preservation, have been written about in a number of places, including this blog.
We've had a number of conversations at NYU and with other members of the library community about the implications of preserving federal data and providing access to it. The efforts, while important, call attention to a problem of organization that is very large in scope and likely cannot be solved in full by libraries.
Thus far, the divide-and-conquer model has postulated that individual institutions can "claim" a specific federal agency, do a deep dive to root around its websites, download data, and then mark the agency off a list as "preserved." The process raises many questions, for libraries and for the data refuge movement. What does it mean to "claim" a federal agency? How can one institution reasonably develop a "chain of custody" for an agency's comprehensive collection of data (and how do we define chain of custody)?
How do we avoid duplicated labor? Overlap is inevitable and isn't necessarily a bad thing, but given the scope of the challenge, it would be ideal to distribute efforts so as to benefit from the hard work of metadata remediation that all of us will inevitably do.
An example of an attempt to engage with these issues is Stanford University's recent decision to preserve the Housing and Urban Development spatial datasets, since they were directly attacked by Republican lawmakers. Early in the Spring 2017 semester, Stanford downloaded all of HUD's spatial data, created metadata records for them, and loaded them into their spatial discovery environment (EarthWorks).
We can see from the timestamp on their metadata record that the files were added on March 24, 2017. Stanford's collection process is very robust and implies a level of curation and preservation that is impressive. As colleagues, we know that by adding a file, Stanford has committed to preserving it in its institutional repository, presenting original FGDC or ISO 19139 metadata records, and publishing their newly created records to OpenGeoMetadata, a consortium of shared geospatial metadata records. Furthermore, we know that all records are discoverable at the layer level, which suggests a granularity in description and access that often is not present at many other sources, including Data.gov.
However, if I had not had conversations with colleagues who work at Stanford, I wouldn't have realized they preserved the files at all and likely would've tried to make records for NYU's Spatial Data Repository. Even as they exist, it's difficult for me to know that these files were in fact saved as part of the Data Refuge effort. Furthermore, Stanford has made no public claim or longterm "chain of custody" agreement for HUD data, simply because no standards for doing so currently exist.
Data collected as part of the #DataRefuge initiative will be stored in multiple, trusted locations to help ensure continued accessibility. […]DataRefuge acknowledges–and in fact draws attention to–the fact that there are no guarantees of perfectly safe information. But there are ways that we can create safe and trustworthy copies. DataRefuge is thus also a project to develop the best methods, practices, and protocols to do so.
We began by collecting the entirety of publicly accessible metadata from Data.gov, using the underlying the CKAN data catalog API. This provided us with approximately 150,000 metadata records, stored as individual JSON files. Anyone who has worked with Data.gov metadata knows that it's messy and inconsistent but is also a good starting place to develop better records. Furthermore, the concept of Data.gov serves as an effective registry or checklist (this global metadata vault could be another starting place); it's not the only source of government data, nor is it necessarily authoritative. However, it is a good point of departure, a relatively centralized list of items that exist in a form that we can work with.
The next step was to filter down and look for meaningful patterns. We first filtered out all records that were not from federal sources, divided categories into like agencies, and started exploring them. Ultimately, we decided to rescue data from the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. This agency seems to be a good test case for a number of the challenges that we've identified. We isolated 136 records and organized them here (click to view spreadsheet). However, we quickly realized that a sizable chunk of the records had already somehow become inactive or defunct after we had downloaded them (shaded in pink), perhaps because they had been superseded by another record. For example, this record is probably meant to represent the same data as this record. We can't know for sure, which means we immediately had to decide what to do with potential gaps. We forged ahead with the records that were "live" in Data.gov.
Relatedly, we did not make attempts to provide original records for different formats of what appeared to be the same data. In the case of the Forest Service, many of the records contained both a shapefile and a geodatabase, as well as other original metadata files. Our general approach was to save the shapefile and publish it in our collection environment, then bundle up all other "data objects" associated with a discrete Data.gov record and include them in the preservation environment of our Spatial Data Repository.
Finally, we realized that the quality of the metadata itself varies widely. We found that it's a good starting place to creating metadata for discovery, even if we agree that a Data.gov record is an arbitrary way to describe a single piece of data. However, we had to clean the Data.gov records to adhere to the GeoBlacklight standard and our own internal cataloging practices. Here's a snapshot of the metadata in process.
"United States. Department of Agriculture"
Some of the revisions to the metadata are small and reflect choices that we make at NYU (these are highlighted in red). For instance, the titles were changed to reflect a date-title-area convention that we already use. Other fields (like Publisher) are authority controlled and were easy to change, while others, like format and provenance, were easy to add. For those unfamiliar with the GeoBlacklight standard, refer to the project schema pages and related documentation. Many of the metadata enhancements are system requirements for items to be discovered within our Spatial Data Repository. Subjects presented more of a problem, as these are drawn from an informal tagging system on Data.gov. We used an elaborate process of finding and replacing to remediate these subjects into the LCSH Authority, which connects the items we collect into our larger library discovery environment.
Adding these descriptions into the metadata field not only identifies our work with the data refuge movement, but also it allows for anyone who discovers this data to track back to its presentation in an original context. Still it's important to emphasize that this process inevitably means that not all data associated with the Forest Service has been rescued by NYU.
In all, by narrowing down to one agency and then doing a search that is likely to yield spatial data only, we ended up identifying 71 records of interest but ultimately publishing 90 individual records to represent this data (see our final spreadsheet). Note that we are still in the process of importing these records into our discovery environment.
Libraries' ability to represent precisely and accurately which datasets, or components of datasets, have been preserved is a serious impediment to embarking on a distributed repository / data-rescue project. Further, libraries need to know if data objects have been preserved and where they reside. To return to the earlier example, how is New York University to know that a particular government dataset has already been "rescued" and is being preserved (either via a publicly-accessible repository interface, or not)?
Moreover, even if there is a venue for institutions to discuss which government datasets fall within their collection priorities (e.g. "New York University cares about federal forestry data, and therefore will be responsible for the stewardship of that data"), it's not clear that there is a good strategy for representing the myriad ways in which the data might exist in its "rescued" form. Perhaps the institution that elects to preserve a dataset wants to make a few curatorial decisions in order to better contextualize the data with the rest of the institution's offerings (as we did with the Forest Service data). These types of decisions are not abnormal in the context of library accessioning.
The problem comes when data processing practices of an institution, which are often idiosyncratic and filled with "local" decisions to a certain degree, start to inhibit the ability for individuals to identify a copy of a dataset in the capacity of a copy. There is a potential tension between preservation –– preserving the original file structure, naming conventions, and even level of dissemination of government data products –– and discovery, where libraries often make decisions about the most useful way for users to find relevant data that are in conflict with the decisions exhibited in the source files.
For the purposes of mitigating the problem sketched above, we propose a data store that can be drawn upon by all members of the library / data-rescue community, whereby the arbitrary or locally-specific mappings and organizational decisions can be related back to original checksums of individual, atomic, files. File checksums would be unique identifiers in such a datastore, and given a checksum, this service would display "claims" about institutions that hold the corresponding file, and the context in which that file is accessible.
NYU wants a way to grab all of the documents from the Forest Service that it is aware of and make those documents available in an online repository. The question is, if NYU has made organizational and curatorial decisions about the presentation of documents rescued, how can it be represented (to others) that the files in the repository are indeed preserved copies of other datasets? If, for instance, Purdue University comes along and wants to verify that everything on the Forest Service's site is preserved somewhere, it now becomes more difficult to do so, particularly since those documents never possessed a canonical or authoritative ID in the first place, and even could have been downloaded originally from various source URLs.


text:
Initiatives to Advance Library Uses of CENIC
Libraries can use broadband to train and certify professionals to provide pre-K services; the CENIC network could help libraries to do this at scale.
Participants noted that the CENIC network can be used to re-imagine programs that develop reading, writing, and creative skills for youth.
In a world where local media in many places are having difficulty sustaining themselves, libraries can even serve as local content repositories for community members to share and store local content in lieu of traditional media.
In Sutter County, many reporters gathered at the fire station looking for Wi-Fi during the recent wildfires when a gigabit connection was available down the street at the library.
CHAPTER 6 - Initiatives to Advance Library Uses of CENIC
Although participants identified ways in which libraries are taking advantage of CENIC connectivity, there was also a clear sense that libraries have to do more to shift the aspirations and engagement of the public and key stakeholder groups for libraries in California. Libraries have roles in cross-cutting areas such as workforce development, career readiness, and improving literacy. In a world where local media in many places are having difficulty sustaining themselves, libraries can even serve as local content repositories for community members to share and store local content in lieu of traditional media. CENIC gives them greater capacity to fulfill these roles.
To move beyond aspirations, participants proposed that stakeholders explore specific initiatives that can put into focus how libraries can leverage CENIC bandwidth to align with key priorities across the state. The issues they identified were:
Universal pre-kindergarten
Participants noted that universal pre-kindergarten (pre-K) in California is a priority for Governor Gavin Newsom and discussed how libraries can play a part. In particular, libraries can use broadband to train and certify professionals to provide pre-K services; the CENIC network could help libraries to do this at scale. Should libraries undertake such certification programs on a large scale, it is critical for them to document and communicate the number of jobs their pre-K certification efforts create. To think through a replicable model for libraries across the state to use for being a fulcrum for universal pre-K, participants suggested hearings across the state—perhaps convened by the State Library—to highlight innovative pre-K training models and libraries' role in developing them.
Participants noted that the CENIC network can be used to re-imagine programs that develop reading, writing, and creative skills for youth. A vehicle for libraries to address this is visual storytelling developed by kids. In turn, this can build kids' writing skills, creativity, and facility with digital tools—all of which can build citizenship and career-readiness skills. The CENIC network can serve as a tool for creation, production, and distribution of the stories created by youth, and bandwidth allows kids to use video and animation to tell stories. The non-profit organization 826 National is an example of how this can be done. Some libraries have already embarked on digital story-telling programs. As a participant in the state library's Libraries Illuminated grant program, Marin County Free Library used CENIC bandwidth to allow kids to produce high definition video and virtual reality to convey to grandparents their experience on a farm. Going forward, libraries should seek partnerships with entities like 826 National to maximize the reach of digital story-telling that engages youth. These partnerships may also include K-12 schools in the state, a natural connection given libraries' relationships with schools. The added capacity of CENIC bandwidth can provide opportunities to learn from new partners and explore how to create new pathways for youth learning and engagement.
Using technology to improve youth writing skills is a natural priority for libraries. 826 National is an enterprise that runs a national network of youth writing and publishing centers that includes a strong presence in California. The organization is using digital technology to help spark creativity for young people. 826 formed a partnership with the Cartoon Network to combat bullying. Kids often do not intervene when they see bullying because they have not witnessed such interventions done effectively. Working with the Cartoon Network, 826 had kids tell stories using writing and animation of bullying and how they intervened, which the Cartoon Network turned into public service announcements.
Participants felt that libraries could use CENIC connectivity in three ways to improve civic engagement in the communities they serve:
Voting: In 2020, all California counties will have the option of all-mail elections, which means that voters will have ballots mailed to them, which they will return to specified voting centers for tabulation. In 2018, a number of library systems in California served as ballot drop-off sites and more will serve that function in 2020. Libraries are ideal for this task because people trust them, but the CENIC network makes them even more ideal. The network can handle the capacity of dealing with tabulating votes and may have security advantages as well.
The 2020 Census: Low-income and minority communities are at higher risk than others to being undercounted in the Census and that can have significant consequences for localities and the state, including the potential loss of millions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade. Libraries can play a role in educating people to participate in the Census, which is crucial given that the Census Bureau will encourage people to fill out the 2020 Census online. Already Marin County has received a state grant for pre-Census outreach. Since many population segments at risk of being undercounted have fewer digital access tools, and since the library is already a place where these groups turn for online access, the library's role here is a natural one.
Public safety and disaster recovery: A number of examples showed the role the library can play in having a resilient network in the face of disasters. In Nevada County, the library lent hotspots for people displaced because of the Oroville Dam breach. In Los Angeles, the library is part of neighborhood resilience in the face of wildfires, offering a place for connectivity and community during times of emergency. In Sutter County, many reporters gathered at the fire station looking for Wi-Fi during the recent wildfires when a gigabit connection was available down the street at the library.
Libraries can help with civic engagement in more basic ways as well. Some local governments are moving away from providing paper forms for citizen transactions, instead making access available in digital formats. This may penalize those without the means to access the internet, making libraries and their online access tools the face of e-government for some population segments. All in all, the public's trust in the library is the foundation for the public library having a role in civic engagement, and the CENIC network offers a tool to help the library execute in these areas.
Foreword - Amy Garmer
CHAPTER 1: Overview
CHAPTER 2: What CENIC Means
CHAPTER 3: Changing Expectations: Equity, Technology and Community Design
CHAPTER 4: Closing the Bandwidth-Imagination Gap
CHAPTER 5: Getting More out of CENIC
CHAPTER 6: Initiatives to Advance Library Uses of CENIC
CHAPTER 7: Jumpstarting the Future: A Blueprint for Action
Afterword - Kevin Clark: Reflections on the Future of Public Libraries
About C&S
Aden, Cindy
Alvarado, Joaquin
Bracken, John
Brief, Laura
Broman, Susan
Burnett, Sheila
Clark, Kevin
Daveluy, Suzy
Garmer, Amy
Hildreth, Susan
Jones, Sara
Keller, Jarrid
Lai, Diane
Lewis, Kim
Lucas, Greg
McPeak, Sunne
Means, Don
Mills, Heather
Ochsner, James
Olguin, Jr., Irma
Sass, Rivkah
Sufi, Narinder
Taketa McLaughlin, Sean
Wilburn, Yolande
Wong, Patty
Beyond Connectivity
From Books to Bandwidth
Nevada County Rising to the Challenge
Bridging Capital
Creative Collisions
What CENIC Means
Changing Expectations: Equity, Technology and Community Design
Closing the Bandwidth-Imagination Gap
Getting More out of CENIC
Jumpstarting the Future: A Blueprint for Action
Afterword - Kevin Clark
Reflections on the Future of Public Libraries
Title Goes Here
What is Beyond Connectivity?
Learn more about the California Library Dialogues


We've been saying for a while that game developers will have to find a way to curb their voracious loot box appetites or the government will do it for them. Maybe we forgot about the third option — that virtual storefronts could step in and, if not force developers to change their ways, at least force them to be a little more open and honest.
That doesn't forbid or restrict the sales of loot boxes in any way, but it's still obviously a big step. The first thing that comes to mind is a game like Hearthstone, which is available in the App Store, as it had to do in China. Plenty of other card games in the App Store, like Eternal and Shadowverse, will likely have to follow suit, though it's not yet known how quickly the games will need to release their odds to remain in compliance.
No wonder Games like Paladins are moving over to China.. China has no such Laws there. It all makes sense now..
Are you real? Like do you poop and eat and stuff? Because I can't imagine a real person ragging on people who have valid concerns about loot boxes. you don't have an issue with loot boxes, but people complaining about abusive, manipulative, and expertly crafted addiction engines, seems like crying?
It's still gambling and they're still peddling it to minors.
The same people crying about loot boxes are the same people who keep buying into them.
This won't change anything. If someone wants rare thing- he'll gamble for it.
At the very end, they can lie about odds, nobody will know the difference.


text:
HAMNET Emergency Communications
A division of the South African Radio League
HAMNET Report 19 May 2019
Posted on May 19, 2019 by Dave Reece
One of the strongest solar magnetic storms in recent years, which began early on 14 May and was forecast to continue through the evening, could have increased the possibility of spacecraft de-orbiting, and caused problems in satellite navigation and communication, the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LPI RAS) said.
"In accordance with the developed scale of magnetic storms, level three storms have a noticeable impact on technology, especially in space, including causing [space] vehicles to de-orbit and creating problems with maintaining their orientation", the LPI RAS Laboratory of X-ray Astronomy of the Sun said in a statement.
The lab added that interruptions in satellite navigation and problems with low-frequency radio navigation, as well as interruptions in high-frequency radio communication were expected. In turn, Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos told Sputnik that it did not record changes in the work of Russian satellites [as a result of] the magnetic storm.
The most powerful geomagnetic storm seen in almost two years, caused by the solar activity, began on Tuesday morning, chief scientist of the Laboratory of Solar X-ray Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute Sergey Bogachev told Sputnik.
"In comparison with the events of recent years, this is a major event. Over the past year and a half or two, this is the severest magnetic storm, an impressive event. This event forms aurora, and creates interference in radio communications", Bogachev said.
According to the scientist, the geomagnetic storm can affect meteo-sensitive people too.
The storm began on Tuesday around 03h00 UTC and was expected to last through the evening, as this kind of event usually lasts up to ten hours. Normalisation of the Earth's magnetic field was expected by the early hours of Wednesday.
Thanks to Space Daily for that report.
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station team (ARISS) is pleased to announce that it has worked together with Hamvention again this year. Hamvention's 2019 theme is "Mentoring the Next Generation", and ends today the 19th..
ARISS's mission is all about mentoring and inspiring. Tens of thousands of people have been touched by the programme: students, educators, community members, and new hams–all wanting to explore STEM and Amateur Radio through ARISS.
Hamvention's support to ARISS began with approval for their first-ever ARISS Forum, held last Friday at 1:15pm local time. A group of speakers presented current and future lifelong learning activities for hams and students via ARISS SSTV, APRS, voice repeaters, radio experiments and robots.
Attendees heard about the next generation on-orbit hardware systems, updates on school activities, ARISS's visionary initiative to fly ham radio on the human spaceflight lunar Gateway, how to maximize hams' opportunities to make ARISS connections and listen to the ISS crew in home stations, and to meet special guests.
And that report came from the Southgate Amateur Radio News.
This week's World Health Organisation report says that dementia affects around 50 million people globally with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency among older people.
Here's important advice for you: You can reduce your risk of dementia by getting regular exercise, not smoking, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, controlling your weight, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to new guidelines issued by WHO.
Strangely, there's no mention of the important benefit to health of qualifying for and using an amateur radio licence. The authors must be chided for overlooking this important fact!
The dates fixed by NASA to return to the Moon are 2024, and 2033 to land on Mars, but, according to experts and industry insiders, reaching the Red Planet by 2033 is highly improbable, barring a Herculean effort on the scale of the Apollo programme in the 1960s.
"The Moon is the proving ground for our eventual mission to Mars," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at a conference this week.
"The Moon is our path to get to Mars in the fastest, safest way possible. That's why we go to the Moon."
Amongst the psychological challenges facing the journey to Mars:
Well, from the design, manufacture, and testing of the rockets and spaceships required, to learning the best way to grow lettuce, all the groundwork remains to be done.
Just getting there will take six months at least, as opposed to three days to the Moon.
The whole mission could take two years, since Mars and the Earth are closest to each other every 26 months, a window of opportunity that must be taken.
Key tasks include finding a way to shield astronauts from prolonged exposure to solar and cosmic radiation, said Julie Robinson, NASA's chief scientist for the International Space Station.
"A second is our food system," she added. The current plant system ideas "are not packageable, portable or small enough to take to Mars."
And then there's the question of dealing with medical emergencies. Astronauts will need to be able to treat themselves in case of any accidents.
Techniques to exploit Martian resources to extract water, oxygen and fuel necessary for humans to live there don't yet exist — and must be tested on the Moon by the end of this decade.
Finally there's the most fundamental question: how will a group of people cope with the psychological stress of being totally isolated for two years?
It won't be possible to communicate in real time with Houston mission control. Radio communications will take between four and 24 minutes between the planets, one-way. NASA plans to test out delayed-communication exercises on board the ISS in the coming years.
Artificial intelligence must also be developed to assist and guide the astronauts.
Thank you to Yahoo News for the report on this very formidable task awaiting NASA.
This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.
This entry was posted in Bulletin, National by Dave Reece. Bookmark the permalink.
Gauteng South
Gauteng North
HAMNET Report 19th January 2020
HAMNET Report 5th January 2020
HAMNET Report 29th December 2019
HAMNET Report 22nd December 2019


Home · Property Management · Landlord Forms : Is Your Lease A Ticking Time Bomb?
Is Your Lease A Ticking Time Bomb?
Every landlord wants a lease agreement that's tough. But did you know that if your lease is too tough, it could cause legal problems?
In legal terms, a standard lease agreement is called an "adhesion" contract. That simply means that there is one party who drafted the agreement, and possesses all or most of the power in the negotiation. A lease agreement is a "take it or leave it" proposition.
There's nothing particularly wrong with that, unless the lease provisions are too oppressive.
Then, an adhesion contract may be viewed as "unconscionable." Tenants are forced to abide by disagreeable terms in order to get what they need — a place to live. Courts will restore the balance the power in an unconscionable contract by refusing to enforce some or all of the provisions.
An Iowa landlord learned that lesson when his tenants joined forces, initiating a legal battle over provisions in the lease that a court ultimately determined were unconscionable. The landlord argued (unsuccessfully) that he didn't enforce any of the illegal provisions, therefore there was no harm in including them in the lease. But the judge found that these provisions could be intimidating to a tenant. Next, the court will decide whether demanding that tenants sign such an unfair lease violates the state's consumer protection laws — the same laws that govern door-to-door sales and telemarketers. Consumer protection statutes generally allow for significant penalties.
Leases must be carefully crafted so they cover all of the bases, without going to the extreme. Does your lease put you at risk?
When evaluating your lease agreement, there are two aspects to consider. The first is to identify any specific provisions that could be illegal. These may include seemingly innocent provisions that are only illegal in your particular locale. For example, some states allow attorneys fees against a tenant, and other states strictly prohibit that provision. Attempting to shift your legal responsibilities onto the tenant is another potentially illegal term. The Iowa landlord required tenants to agree to pay for repairs and upkeep that were not the tenant's fault.
Other common problem lease provisions include excessive late fees, application or administrative fees that may be prohibited locally, or any attempt to override the law, like extending the period allowed to return a security deposit. Controversial terms hidden deep in the "fine print" can also be viewed as unfair. Your attorney can help you identify these potential problem spots.
The other aspect of the lease agreement that you should evaluate is the overall impact. Rather than looking at one particular paragraph, a judge ruling on a lease dispute will consider all things together. Not only do the separate paragraphs of the lease have to mesh, but the lease, coupled with the leasing policies, must be fair. Let's say you charge a nonrefundable pet fee for cleaning the carpet. At the same time, you reserve the right to deduct from the security deposit a carpet cleaning fee. If you attempt to enforce that provision and take both the fee and the deduction, these lease terms may be viewed as unconscionable. That's even more likely to happen if you take the deduction even when the tenant cleans the carpet.
To avoid lease problems, the best defense is to know your responsibilities under the law. From there, choose a reputable lease form to work with, and avoid modifications that add fees, change the tenant's responsibilities or shift liability. When you have your draft lease completed, run it past an attorney, just to be on the safe side. Also, try to resolve disputes with tenants before things get heated — it's almost always cheaper that way!
Need a lease form? Check out the AAOA's state-specific landlord forms.


Applique' areas include Body (Lt Green), and fins (dark green). Colors can be adjusted to your liking.
Applique' areas include Body (pink) & horns (grey). Colors can be adjusted to your liking.
Applique' areas include Body (blue). Colors can be adjusted to your liking.
Actual stitch outs shown. Background not stitched. Colors can be adjusted as needed.
Trims are installed after each color/vector. Each embroidery machine is different and may need manual installation of trim points.
All designs are now instant download and the shopping cart will direct you to a link as soon as you pay. A link will also be emailed to you that you can download from.