It's that time of the year again. The time when families, friends, and colleagues take part in a Secret Santa gift exchange for the holiday season. This is where people are randomly assigned someone to anonymously give a gift to. Many people dread doing this because they are often paired with a person whom they don't know well. So, what gift should they give them? Have no fear! Here are some books and goodies that you can give to someone for your Secret Santa gift exchange.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng is the perfect novel for fans of Big Little Lies and other suburban dramas dealing with familial issues, motherhood, and scandals that break in small, cookie-cutter towns. This is the perfect novel to read on a rainy weekend. It is sure to capture a reader's attention and leave them wondering what will happen next.
Chanel Cleeton's Next Year in Havana will take readers to the heart of Cuba in this vividly written historical fiction novel with hints of romance thrown in between. In fact, it was actually featured in Reese Witherspoon's book club "Hello Sunshine" in 2018! This is a great, diverse novel to read with a friend or two and then discuss over coffee. It's a story that readers are sure to talk about, long after they've finished reading it.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a novel that is sure to impact readers immensely. For those interested in reading a Young Adult book centered around the Black Lives Matter movement, this timely novel is the one for you. And after finishing the novel, one can see the movie adaptation which recently released in theatres and stars Amandla Stenberg as the brave and insightful Starr Carter.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi is a historical fiction novel that will make a place in reader's hearts. This novel follows two women in eighteenth-century Ghana. One is married off to an Englishman while the other is taken, bought, and sold to become a slave in America. This book follows the generations that come after these strong-willed, resilient women and how their stories intersect over time. For historical fiction lovers looking for an important and awe-inspiring read, this one is the one for them.
Some readers are always on the lookout for a gripping novel that will keep them on the edge of their seat. You by Caroline Kepnes is the perfect story for them. Told in second person, as it follows a sadistic and sarcastic killer, this immersive and eerie novel will hook people in completely. It's also been adapted into a television show on Lifetime. So, this is the perfect novel to gift to anyone looking for a book and TV show to dive into!
It's known that the adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan has taken the world by storm, but your Secret Santa might not have read the book yet! If they are a fan of romantic comedies or the Crazy Rich Asians movie, they definitely need this novel in their life in order to dive deeper into the story that made it onto the big screen and stole the hearts of millions.
If your Secret Santa pick isn't the biggest fan of fiction, then The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is a must-read. Anne Frank's diary will impact any reader of any age, and her words still resonate with the world, today. This novel is a must for any non-fiction lover.
Now that you've found the perfect book for your Secret Santa, why not pair it with another small gift to complete your present? If your Secret Santa is a fan of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, pair that with a quirky mug. That way they have the perfect read, drink, and mug to spend a cozy weekend morning with.
If you're on a gift-giving budget, a bookmark will pair nicely with the book you've chosen for your Secret Santa pick. Or you can include a journal with the novel, because, hey, who doesn't love a good journal to add to their already massive collection of stationery. Or, to keep your Secret Santa warm and cozy, pair your book choice with a knitted hat, gloves, or a scarf!
Hopefully, this will lift a weight off of your gift giving shoulders as the holidays creep closer. And I hope your Secret Santa enjoys the book you decide to give them! Happy holidays and happy reading!


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England's blue moments
Writing about the 1986 world championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, Martin Amis said of chess: '[They are playing] the foremost game of pure skill yet devised by the human mind, a game that is in fact beyond the scope of the human mind, well beyond it, an unmasterable game'.
Eleven years later, Kasparov was defeated by a computer called Deep Blue. The match and its aftermath were conducted in an atmosphere of paranoia and intrigue, of fear and loathing. Kasparov claimed to have detected a 'deep intelligence and creativity' in the machine, his suggestion being that there had been some human intervention in its play. By 2006, a software programme called Deep Fritz was beating another world champ, Vladimir Kramnik, and now the various machines even play each other and gain their own rankings.
Ultimately, the machines beat the humans through sheer grunt: they could calculate more outcomes more quickly. They never got tired or paranoid, they didn't suffer from the anxiety that Kasparov felt while representing the entire human race against them. The only achievement ahead of the machines is whether they can actually 'solve' chess; that is, calculate the perfect outcome of any game from any position.
There is no element of 'chaos' in chess: there are no bad bounces or freak weather, the board and the pieces don't change. Its variables are perhaps finite. It might be a leap to suggest that sport is as vulnerable to computing power as a game, but there is no doubt that it will shape its future.
Some sports will be more resistant to numbers than others. Football generates a haze of meaningless TV stats because it exists in chaos, statistically speaking. It's a fluid, random game that lacks the rigidity to support really conclusive analysis. Gridiron exists towards the other end of the 'scale' in that it's quite rigorously positioned and patterned.
Michael Lewis, who wrote Moneyball, the book that represents a kind of year zero moment for modern sporting stattos, also wrote about Gridiron. Blindside was in part the story of the importance of a certain extremely rare physique playing in a particular position. Here, where biomechanics meet statistics, are the threads of cricket's future.
At Loughborough University, where the ECB has its Performance Centre, almost every ball bowled in any form of international cricket is logged, its outcome added to an already vast database. It becomes a kind of anatomical chart of everyone playing the game. Broad and specific patterns in each format emerge, and from those come not just tactics, but the types of player needed to implement them.
You could call this the 'known half' of stats research, in that it's open to anyone with the resources to do it. It's also in its way unmediated and random. It's produced by a wide base of playing skills, from guys that grew up playing tape-ball to players coached systematically from their early teens.
The other half, lesser known, comes where biomechanics meets with statistical analysis. England's coaching teams believe that they have identified five common factors that all international fast bowlers have, and similarly, five possessed by all top-level spinners. There is specific work on six hitting, on revolutions on the ball in spin bowling and lots more.
This work creates paradigms into which suitable players are fitted and then driven up the elite coaching 'pathways' devised to produce players for the England team. There's some brilliant and revelatory work going on, but it is in a way reminiscent of the way that Deep Blue began to 'solve' chess. It strips away mystery, and to a degree individuality.
England are a very good side, but they did not come up with reverse swing, they have never produced a mystery spinner. Their two really innovative players, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, come from outside of their systems. What they do very well is refine technique in a ruthless way to produce the fine margins needed to win at the highest level. 'Executing their skills' as they call it. As such, they are already becoming the product of the research work done.
Martin Amis thought chess was an unmasterable game, but the machines are proving him wrong. Cricket, with all of its variations and oddities, its geographical sweep, its luck and its superstitions, its weather and its deadly psychology, actually might be. But some of its deeper mysteries are being revealed, and new kinds of machines are emerging to play it.
Pondulkar, the IPL and nostalgia
Something strange happens to our old enemies as they prepare the leave the field. Age strips them of their armour, and as it does, they become something else, something different. Their power fades, and from underneath it comes the fuller man.
The blindness has been ours rather than theirs of course. Cricket is a game built on nostalgia of one kind or another: for what was, and for what might have been.
The IPL's fusion of high commerce and eye-melting spectacle may be designed for the future, yet corners of it are filled by the past. It's a happy by-product of the competition's need of fame to power its expansion that it has become a benign and accepting old folks home, an annual reunion for semi-retired warriors. There's Adam Gilchrist, chin a little sharper now and some grey in his stubble; Here comes Brett Lee, bowling an unplayable leg-cutter to a kid who was six years old when he made his Test debut; Over there is Murali, that weary arm looking ever more slender and tortured after many thousands of overs. Big Jake Oram's arrived, patched up and wobbling in to bowl. There are more, too: the noble and eternal Dravid, bristling Brad Hodge, those Hussey brothers...
Till now, they have been small pools eddying in the river, hidden by the flow, but this year they have a headline act in Pondulkar, that irresistible pairing at the top of the Mumbai batting order. It doesn't matter that they haven't yet got many runs, or that one half of the duo is still a fully engaged international cricketer. Instead, it's just enough to see them together in an arena with some meaning. Ten years ago, they might have done some serious damage, too, but the IPL didn't exist then, and anyhow there's something uplifting about watching Ponting in particular searching for method in a format that, in his orthodoxy, he initially disdained.
Two men who will have a combined age of 78 before the tournament closes have given it exactly the kind of widescreen, technicolor glow that softens the bellowed commentary, that leavens the sponsored inanities, that connects thrusting modernity to its past.
And if that weren't service enough, they give it heart. Their epic careers trail behind them, and we all have our memories vested in those. They are champions brought back to the pack by age, old men in a young man's game, the last light of the comet's tail. It's almost impossible to watch them walk out and imagine that once, there were hundreds of thousands of people urging them to fail, because nothing befits them more than success.
That's the pull of nostalgia, and in the IPL, it pulls harder than anywhere else.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Financial Market Talks on the highest level – literally. During a short mountain hike, get to know Markus Ziener, Chief Financial Officer, Software AG Foundation. While enjoying the picturesque Alpbach mountain scenery, find out more about responsible investment and the European foundation landscape.


Authenticity - it seems to be an elusive quality that, when combined with the website you've built, is rumoured to bring all the visitors to your yard. There's a lot of chat online about being authentic, and how important it is that you stick to authenticity or risk losing your fan base once they discover you're nothing like the person you've been pretending to be. But there seems to be less chat online about how you start being authentic in the first place.
As I've been figuring out my business and how I want to present myself, the question of authenticity and what that actually means smacked me over the head like a tree falling, alone, in the middle of a forest.
If no one online knows the real you, are you really being inauthentic?
Perhaps more importantly; does it even matter?


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Manteca wants to break away from PG&E because of potential power shutoffs. But how likely is that to happen?
Manteca, Ripon and Escalon want to break up with PG&E and get with the South San Joaquin Irrigation District for their electricity. It's been a long battle.
Author: Becca Habegger
MANTECA, Calif. — With potential power shutoffs looming during wildfire season, electric customers all over Northern California are not happy with PG&E right now.
As ABC10 has reported, the utility's plan to avoid sparking wildfires involves cutting power to possibly tens of thousands of people for days. One community is so mad, they want to leave PG&E altogether, but the fight to get off the behemoth utility's grid is not easy to do.
At last week's meeting, Manteca City Councilmembers grilled a PG&E spokesperson on the utility's Public Safety Power Shutoff plan.
"Let me be a little crude: the people in this town are pissed," Manteca Mayor Benjamin Cantu said. "How do you address a person who has a freezer-full of food and it's going to spoil in a couple of days? Who's going to pay for that?"
PG&E spokesperson Dylan George replied, "We're out here trying to do everything we can to tell people to be prepared for this kind of scenario."
PG&E warns it could cut power to cities for days
'People in this town are pissed' | Manteca mayor rips into PG&E rep at meeting
Councilmembers and other people the packed room were obviously frustrated with PG&E's plan. That's just the latest reason why Mantecans want to leave PG&E and get their electricity from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID).
"It's purely altruistic purposes. We are not profit-motivated here. We are part of this community," Peter Rietkerk, SSJID general manager, told Manteca's Council. "In fact, SSJID is celebrating its 110th year of existence this year."
SSJID provides drinking water to the area, among other services. Since 2004, SSJID has been fighting to provide retail electricity to the area, too.
It first offered to buy out PG&E in the area for $116 million, but PG&E said – and continues to say – that it's not for sale. SSJID then sued, starting a legal process to invoke eminent domain, which has been playing out in the courts for years now.
The lawsuits have been paused while PG&E undergoes bankruptcy proceedings, meaning this legal battle is only getting longer.
"We have been in long-term litigation with PG&E," Rietkerk said. "We're going to continue to fight it."
SSJID is promising not only a 15% discount to customers but also better, more localized service.
"I live in this community. I know what our community values are and what we represent, and you have full accountability to me," Rietkerk said, "whereas you may not – and likely not – have the opportunity to get the CEO of PG&E before you anytime soon."
FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2019, file photo, Pacific Gas & Electric vehicles are parked at the PG&E Oakland Service Center in Oakland, Calif. Pacific Gas & Electric said it will shut off power Saturday, June 8, to about 1,600 customers in Northern California and may do the same for thousands more to reduce the risk of wildfires. The utility announced Friday night that as of Saturday morning it will turn off electricity to customers in Napa, Solano and Yolo counties west of Sacramento. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
AP Photo/Ben Margot, File/AP
But PG&E has been providing electricity to customers in the area for more than 100 years.
"Electric rates would be higher while service quality and reliability would diminish," if SSJID were to become the local electric utility, PG&E said in a statement to ABC10. "Entering into the retail electric business is no small undertaking and SSJID has no experience in providing retail electric distribution service."
Manteca's City Council voted unanimously to support SSJID, which was more ceremonial than anything, but it did give Cantu the go-ahead to sign a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, asking him to help in this fight to break up with PG&E once and for all.
The communities of Ripon and Escalon are also involved in this battle, and its mayors are also listed on the letter to the governor.
Fights like these are notoriously long and difficult. Back in the 1920s, Sacramentans voted to get themselves out of PG&E territory. It took 23 years of legal battles before the city won and SMUD was allowed to provide electricity to Sacramento.
Today, SMUD electric customers pay less than PG&E customers.
Continue the conversation with Becca on Facebook.
Q&A on PG&E power shutoff plan
'Everything has a consequence' | PG&E power shutoffs come with dangers
PG&E could cut your power to prevent wildfires. Is it time to own a backup generator?
WATCH ALSO: PG&E to pay $1 billion to governments for wildfire damage | EXTENDED INTERVIEW


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Andy Murray opens up about family life ahead of Wimbledon final
July 10, 2016 - 09:39 BST hellomagazine.com Andy Murray has opened up about how family life has changed his outlook on his career.
Andy Murray has opened up about how fatherhood has changed his outlook when it comes to his career. The 29-year-old revealed that "for the first time ever, tennis is probably more of a distraction" now that he and wife Kim Murray have welcomed their first child, daughter Sophia.
Andy Murray has opened up about family life
"Experiencing the Wimbledon fortnight as a parent has been different because now I have a family to get home to," he told BBC Sports. "For the first time ever, tennis is probably more of a distraction from my home life than the other way around.
"Beforehand, in the build-up to a Slam final, I'd always be thinking about that match. I don't feel like that just now – I'm just looking forward to the next time I see Sophia and Kim."
He will face Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday
The tennis star admitted that he would love for his daughter to come and watch him play when she's older, explaining that it would give him "extra motivation" during his matches.
GALLERY: HOW KIM MURRAY ACES IT WITH HER WIMBLEDON HAIR
"Sophia's already watched a bit of tennis with Kim at home over these last couple of weeks and maybe when she's older she'll want to come and see me play," he said. "I would like that; it would be nice for me in a selfish way. I'm sure she won't be that interested but it gives me a little bit of extra motivation to keep going when I get a bit older."
He admitted he hopes Sophia will watch him play when she's older
It's already been a successful Wimbledon tournament for the Scottish star, who is set to play in the final on Sunday against Milos Raonic.
Andy's grandmother Ellen Murray revealed that little Sophia could have inadvertently contributed to his ongoing success "I think she is his lucky charm," she told the Evening Standard. "And she's a beautiful one!"
Sophia, who was born in February, has already made her debut at Wimbledon with mum Kim, on day two of the championships. Despite remaining in the crèche while Kim cheered Andy on courtside, she did prove to be a good luck charm for her dad as he faced Liam Broady in the first round match.
Kim Murray
More about andy murray
Andy Murray unveils never-before-seen part of £5million family home
Andy Murray shares glimpse into adorable child-friendly living room
Andy Murray gives rare insight into family life with wife Kim and their children
Kim Murray takes baby daughter Sophia to her first Wimbledon
Judy Murray talks to HELLO! about playing tennis with Kate – and how to survive Wimbledon
Andy Murray's grandmother says daughter Sophia is his 'lucky charm'
Kim Sears cheers Andy Murray to victory as he reaches Wimbledon semi-final
Kim Murray supports husband Andy as he sails through second round of US Open
Andy Murray shares rare family pictures during luxury holiday in the Maldives


A large book is open, waiting to be read, on a wooden table in a traditional library. The tables hold rows of stylish lamps, each ready to illuminate a reader's individual space.
Visit Pinterest for more table images.


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Social Justice at the Heart of Liverpool
BY Sarah Cupitt | 12-May-2019
The poster child for social justice inspiring a whole community to pursue their purpose
Web: http://clairefoxton.com.au/
UOW South Western Sydney student Adi Holmes smiling down on Bigge Street. Photo: Paul Jones
Liverpool's larger than life mural is officially complete! Artist Claire Foxton has been busy transforming the giant wall on Bigge Street opposite Liverpool Station to illustrate Adi Holmes' story of strength and determination. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wollongong, Professor Alison Jones officially launched the vibrant mural at the South Western Sydney campus on the 6th of March. The artwork required manoeuvring on a massive eight-storey façade and using over 30 litres of paint in the blistering heat over nine days.
Adi has become immortalised in the 28-metre-tall mural, in the heart of Liverpool's community. The mother-of-two moved to Australia from Fiji eight years ago passionate about seeking justice for those without a voice. She was inspired to become a human rights lawyer after her involvement as an activist in the Free West Papua Movement and volunteering for Amnesty International. Adi is now studying a double degree in International Studies and Laws, majoring in Human Rights.
"I became a mother and had my first child when I was only 19, so I had to grow up very quickly and learn things on my feet. I had to put aside my studies and be a full-time wife and mother. That experience taught me a great number of skills and virtues that I would not have otherwise learnt if my life had taken a different path," said Adi.
The canvas is enormous, and in perspective, the width of one eye is about Claire's height. Photo: Aristo Risi
Social justice is what fuels Professor Jones to work with communities, hence why she funded the mural with her budget for community engagement activities as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Health and Communities).
"What we're hoping to achieve is that demonstrable commitment of UOW to Liverpool and the South Western Sydney community and that people's interest will be peaked by seeing the mural and find out a little more about the lady behind the story and the university the behind the lady," Professor Jones said.
Adi Holmes positioned between Artist Claire Foxton and her embodiment of social justice. Photo: Paul Jones
Claire graduated in 2009, unaware of returning as a successful former student with the opportunity to be involved in the Wollongong Strong project. She is now a graphic designer and artist who has painted over 30 murals across Australia and New Zealand.
"It's the people that make a community – not the big blank walls. My work is about celebrating humanity and honouring the people who, collectively, make a place what it is," said Claire.
As someone who represents strength itself, Adi Holmes hopes that the story of her journey to university will inspire and motivate others to pursue their aspirations and be empowered through education, to find their purpose and drive the social, cultural and environmental change they wish to see in the world.


First outing of the season, did the Brown at Tarrywile. Apprehensive whether the physical therapy over the winter and still ongoing would get me through this without coming back to Finish severely limping and right hip screaming. I avoided any serious attempt at jogging (did try some unserious mock up of jogging), and did well in remembering nearly the whole way "engage the abs, then the glutes, then the quads" (or more simply, sustain the pelvic tilt). It worked. I got back OK. Of course, all the muscles froze up sitting in the car driving home.
Navigation was good, paying more attention to detail inside the red circles than I usually do. Except for 5 and 6. On 5 I failed to notice cliffs to the south and went up the wrong re-entrant. Went up to sight the summit and take a bearing to it to learn I needed to turn south. OMG, what a climb! On 6 I mistook a rivulet west of the mound to be the brook closer to the road and cliff, so did not go far enough and got frustrated not espying any mound ... until went further downhill.
My route, a QR-like image created entirely on my iPhone using the Control app that coordinates with my Apple Watch and the phone's camera to capture the raw map image.
Nice weather. Good refresher on O concepts. Good company to have Charlie along for the drive.


Quick chart review - stocks pop, can they keep it up?
Wow! Stocks have put together two days of rip-roaring gains. The major averages have added roughly 12% in barely two sessions. So where do we stand technically?
With charts a mess and moving averages pointing steeply down, it's worth looking at resistance and support levels.
S&P 500: 850NASDAQ 100: 1500Dow Industrials: today the Dow breached first resistance at about 8250 but was not able to get past 8500Russell 2000: 450A clear push above these levels would imply the current rally has legs. Failure to break above them would bring out the caution flag again. As an example, the chart of the S&P 500 is presented below. The resistance level described above stands out plainly.
Pretty much every sector of the market is ugly these days so I console myself by looking forward to better times and trying to determine what sectors will be ready to outperform when the economy begins to gain traction again.
Could light emitting diodes be one of those sectors?
The simple light emitting diode (LED) has been around for decades and perennially shows up in signs and signals and as indicators in numerous gadgets. This mature sector of the semiconductor industry, however, is about to get juiced up.
In December of 2007, President Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Among many other things, the law mandates the phase-out of inefficient, power-hungry incandescent bulbs in favor of more efficient lighting solutions such a compact fluorescent and LEDs. Specifically, the law requires roughly 25 percent greater efficiency for light bulbs, phased in from 2012 through 2014. This effectively bans the sale of most current incandescent light bulbs.
As a byproduct of the Alert HQ process we are providing a list of all the stocks or ETFs that are currently in strong up-trends. We call them Trend Leaders and the list is, of course, absolutely free.
Is Qualcomm the best semiconductor company in the world?
IC Insights recently released their research bulletin that ranks the major semiconductor companies worldwide over the first three calendar quarters of 2008. The company provides two rankings in their free offering: a list of the top 20 by sales and a list of the top 20 by sales growth rate.
Another notable week came to a close with politics and negative economic reports taking center stage.
This week the country participated in an historic election while stocks bounced up and down and then up again.
The week started off with auto sales which, as expected, were horrible.
Next, of course, was the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American to be elected to the nation's highest office. The stock market surged on election day.
After strong gains on Tuesday and in the prior week, the markets proceeded to lose 10% in the next two days after the election. It felt like yet another slow-motion crash.
The blame for the downturn in stock prices was assigned to the ADP employment report which indicated a continued weakening in the job market and suggested Friday's non-farm payrolls numbers would be similarly weak.
Then there was the bad ISM services report indicating contraction in the service sector.


The Citroen EGGO concept by Damnjan Mitic is the electric coupe powered by 4 motors built in to each wheel that can be supplemented with power from a solar panel roof. "The egg shaped provides a compact, strong structure & glass, scissor-style doors ensure total visibility of the area around the vehicle. ATV-like suspension makes for a comfy, adjustable, & weather-ready driving experience." Very unusual and fresh concept! Meanwhile be sure to check other beautiful concept cars: 15 Best Concept Cars of Largest Automakers.
I am number five on this list. To hell with Tesla.
I want this one also.
I want this Car! Please sell it to me!
LOVE IT !!!!! Get this rolling, I want one.
Thas's the hot seat when the lithium's catch fire.
Клааассс… Хочу такой… Подарите а !!!!
Now that is an awesome car! Too bad it probably won't ever come to concept and be sold in our lifetime! I'd buy one.. if I could!


Editor's note: this interview features some videos captured from the Japanese version of the game. In the UK & Ireland this game is available in English.
This is our sixth time to discuss The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in "Iwata Asks." I would like the three of you participating for the first time to introduce yourselves.
I'm Mori from the Software Planning & Development Division (SPD). I worked on the scripts for cinematic scenes and part of the direction and storyboards.
How long were you involved in this project?
About one year and three months.
That feels a little less than the full five-year development period, but that's because if you don't make the cinematic scenes after the structural framework of a Legend of Zelda game is determined, you'll have trouble later on.
Yes. The game contents change a lot, so while I only came in during the latter half of development, a lot happened.
I can imagine. I'd like to explore that more later.
I'm Wakai from the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division (EAD). I coordinated the overall sound and wrote some of the music myself. The first Legend of Zelda game that I worked on was The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.1 This was my second Legend of Zelda game. 1The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: An action-adventure game released for the Nintendo GameCube system in December 2002 in Japan.
Did you participate in this project from the very start?
No, not from the start, but since about three years ago.
Even so, that's quite a marathon.
I'd like to ask about the "dense" sound later, too.
I'm Yoshida from SPD. I was director of cinematic scenes.
Were you involved about as long as Mori-san?
Yes, that's right. But we were arranging the surrounding environment from early on, so I started a little sooner than he did.
The game required a lot of cinematic scenes, so you had to start by making a solid foundation and system.
Shall we start with the script? How does the script get made?
This time, the theme is the sword which makes use of the Wii MotionPlus2 accessory. When you think of a sword in The Legend of Zelda, you think of the Master Sword. Rather early on, we decided to address the origin of the Master Sword. 2Wii MotionPlus: An accessory with a built-in gyro sensor that can detect detailed player movements. It is used by attaching it to the Wii Remote controller. The Wii Remote Plus controller already has this technology built into the controller itself. Either one of them is required in order to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Basically, it's there because Fujibayashi-san wanted to jump down from a high place!
Yes. (laughs) We settled on having the sky and surface world, and on top of that, it was going to tell the story of the creation of Hyrule, with the untold story of the origin of the Master Sword. So, looking back at the series so far, we began knitting together the various elements. And then all sorts of contradictions arose.
There have been a lot of games in the series since the original Legend of Zelda game 25 years ago and they each have their various stories and settings. Trying to create a new setting based on all of them is bound to become a battle against contradictions.
Yes. Then about two years ago, we had to think about a number of things all at once - from the system to the stages and game fields - and Mori-san, Yoshida-san and the cinematic scene staff were beginning to join the team, so we were under pressure to make the 'hakogaki' soon.
The 'hakogaki' is a rough synopsis of the essential points of the script.
I can't condone such behaviour, but you wanted to concentrate alone.
Yes. I locked myself in and from morning to evening did nothing but write the synopsis.


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Poettker Approach
#PoettkerGivesBack
FAMILY VALUES CARRY POETTKER CONSTRUCTION CO. INTO THE NEXT GENERATION
By Poettker Construction
In Awards, Poettker News
FAMILY VALUES CARRY POETTKER CONSTRUCTION CO. INTO THE NEXT GENERATION2017-10-062018-06-07https://www.poettkerconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/poettker-logo.pngPoettker Constructionhttps://www.poettkerconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/poettkers-105-e1509385920609.jpg200px200px
Publication: St. Louis Business Journal, October 6, 2017
Charles "Chuck" Poettker served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War in 1971, and like many veterans returning home, he needed a job.
He followed his brother Dan into carpentry, working 10-hour days, and then attended night school at Belleville Area College (now Southwestern Illinois College) to study construction management. It wasn't long before he decided to invest that time and commitment into his own company.
"My first project was building a house for a friend, and you can't build house by yourself, so I needed to hire employees," Poettker, who serves as CEO, said. "I remember thinking, 'OK now I don't have to feed (just) my own family, but I have to provide for two other families. I had to go out and find additional projects."
Breese, Illinois-based Poettker Construction started in the summer of 1980, first building commercial and light industrial facilities in Illinois with a few employees. More than 30 years later, Poettker Construction works in a variety of industries, including health care and education, serves clients in 24 states and employs 124 full-time workers. It recorded $121 million in revenue last year, up more than 267 percent from 10 years ago.
Current projects include: the $30.9 million Jefferson Barracks VA engineering warehouse in south St. Louis County; the $8 million Children's Learning Adventure in Ellisville; the $12.5 million Menards in Farmington; the more than $20 million McKendree Metro Rec Plex in O'Fallon, Illinois; and the $9.5 million HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital outpatient surgery addition in Breese.
Poettker Construction counts Ameren, Menards, Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies, Planet Fitness and Walmart, for whom the company has constructed more than 180 stores in 13 states, as repeat clients.
The Poettker family takes "care of people, they don't take advantage of them," said USI Insurance Services Senior Vice President Dennis Lutz, who wrote the company's first bond in January 1981.
The variety of clients ensures the company does not become dependent on one industry even as it struggles with finding and retaining talent from a shrinking candidate pool.
President Keith Poettker, Chuck's son and successor, said the decline in skilled workers is due to years of pushing people to attend universities and instead of encouraging trade work.
Now in its second generation of family ownership, the company employs 11 family members.
"All of us kids early on have been involved with various aspects of the construction business," Keith Poettker said. "All of us have had leadership roles in the business for the past 10 years."
His siblings all work in different departments — Kimberly Luitjohan in finance, Kevin Poettker in business development and Ryan Poettker in project management — and Lutz said the siblings' varying niches strengthen the company even more. The company is currently developing its succession plan, Keith Poettker said.
"All of the children are in top management positions, but they didn't start out that way. They earned their stripes in helping the company develop," Lutz said. "They melded together these talents and are working for one common goal."
The company prides itself on its culture of professionalism and respect, values that Chuck Poettker said he learned and inherited from his parents.
"We provide coaching for people that might need some help to adapt to culture and figure out how their character can fit in," he said.
"The big thing is communication, good values corporately and personally," Lutz said of the company's longevity.
Added Keith Poettker: "We've got a lot of longtime employees that we consider part of the Poettker family" — including Tom Albers, now vice president of field operations, who was the company's first employee in 1980.
Within the community, the company has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Illinois (Kevin sits on the board), HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese (Kimberly served on the 2016 Leadership Council), the Boy Scouts of Greater St. Louis and Community Link, an organization that provides services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
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