An economist with DRI/McGraw-Hill said yesterday there is a disproportionate acceleration of credit card debt among lower-income Americans. Dr. David Wyss says a full 27% of families with household income below $10,000 now have credit card obligations that exceed 40% of their income. By comparison, fewer than 5% of families earning more than $50,000 are equally burdened by credit card debt. Wyss says the most distressing fact is that those households with the least disposable income are most overextended and increasing their credit card usage faster than any other demographic group. He called for card issuers to back off and reevaluate loan loss reserves.
A disproportionate acceleration of credit card debt among lower-income Americans, those with household incomes below $25,000, may be directly related to the record high level of more than 1 million personal bankruptcy filings last year, and if left unchecked, could become a major concern for the nation's banks and other credit card issuers, according to David A. Wyss, Ph.D., research director and financial economist for DRI/McGraw-Hill, a leading provider of economic consulting and information services. A full 27 percent of families whose household income is below $10,000 now have credit card obligations that exceed 40 percent of their income. By comparison, fewer than 5 percent of families earning more than $50,000 are equally burdened by credit card debt.
"By extending too much credit to Americans who will have the most difficulty paying it back, banks are forgetting the basic principles of banking," said Wyss, one of the nation's most respected financial economists, who delivered his remarks here today at the National Collections and Credit Risk Conference, hosted by Faulkner & Gray Inc.
Wyss acknowledged that consumer debt overall has stabilized in the past year; credit card usage, however, is rising steadily. Outstanding consumer credit card debt as a percentage of disposable income among all Americans has risen to 8 percent, a 60 percent increase since 1989. More distressing is that those households with the least disposable income are most overextended and increasing their credit card usage faster than any other demographic group.
According to Wyss, the trend over the past four years has been a greater willingness on the part of domestic banks to make consumer installment loans. Aggressive marketing campaigns and lower standards pushed revolving credit levels to over $450 billion last year.
DRI/McGraw-Hill, a unit of Standard & Poor's, is the world's leading provider of economic consulting and information services. DRI/McGraw-Hill provides data, analysis, forecasts and expert advice to more than 2,000 business, financial and government organizations worldwide. Headquartered in Lexington, Mass., DRI/McGraw-Hill maintains offices in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and outside the United States in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. The company also maintains strategic partnerships with firms throughout Asia and Latin America.


Al Jazeera television broadcast a second videotape of the kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll last night, showing her dressed in a white Muslim head scarf and weeping as she spoke to the camera.
Ms. Carroll's voice is almost inaudible on the tape, but the network said she had called for the American and Iraqi governments to release all women held in the jails of the Iraqi Interior Ministry and the United States Army, and said doing so would help to win her release.
The 30-second video clip bore a date stamp of Jan. 28. In the upper left corner of the screen were the words "The Revenge Brigade," the same logo that appeared in an earlier videotape of Ms. Carroll broadcast on Jan. 17.
In the new videotape Ms. Carroll, who was abducted in western Baghdad on Jan. 7, looks directly at the camera, speaking quickly, her face contorted with anguish. Her voice, tremulous and breaking, can be heard at one point saying "hope for the families," but at other times it is obscured by the network voiceover.
The white scarf she wore covered her head and chest, and behind her a pale blanket was hung with what appeared to be an animal figure on it.
It was the first sign of Ms. Carroll since the first videotape, in which her captors threatened to kill her in 72 hours if the American military did not release all Iraqi women from its jails. Ms. Carroll, a freelance journalist, wrote mostly for The Christian Science Monitor. A number of prominent Iraqi and Arab figures, including some with ties to insurgent groups, have issued public calls for her release.
The American military freed five Iraqi women from detention last week, but military officials said the decision had no relation to the kidnappers' demands.
Kidnappings of Westerners have surged in the past two months, after the tactic appeared to have dropped away for more than a year. On Friday, two German engineers appeared in a videotape pleading with Berlin to intervene on their behalf, after they were abducted by gunmen earlier in the week.
On Saturday, four Western peace advocates kidnapped in November also appeared in a videotape, and their captors renewed threats to kill them if all Iraqi prisoners were not set free. Like Ms. Carroll, the advocates had appeared in an earlier videotape, and their captors had threatened to kill them in three days if their demands were not met.


Passengers flying on American and Delta may notice new boarding procedures this month. Now's a good time to double check that boarding pass.
Both American and Delta made changes to their boarding process within the past month in an effort to simplify and expedite the passenger loading.
American's changes, which officially went into effect on March 1st, were made to better segment the numerous priority travelers that were formally grouped into one or two boarding zones. Moving forward, American now separates travelers into nine boarding groups starting with First Class and active military members in group one and concluding with discount economy fares at the back of the pack.
Elite members of American's AAdvantage loyalty program (including AAdvantage members who have the cobranded credit card) will now largely board with groups two through four, while premium economy passengers with no status will load in group five. Passengers with basic economy fares, which just went on sale, will board last.
Delta's new boarding process, which is still in its test phase, is more focused on organizing passengers in the gate area. The airline is currently trialing a system of pillars across several gate areas at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport, a Delta hub, that clearly label boarding groups and queues. Used properly, the pillars will better organize passengers prior to loading and expedite the process for ground crew.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, among other carriers, currently use a similar system. If Delta's new pillars receive positive feedback from consumers at Hartsfield-Jackson, it'll expand to other venues.
Currently, Delta Air Lines boards passengers across seven groups and with simple priority and non-priority lanes at the gate.
Though American and Delta are each applying different initiatives this month, each has the same goal of bringing more efficiency to the boarding process. Operationally, airlines have recently underscored efforts to reduce aircraft time on the ground and maximize flight time and revenue. If these campaigns succeed — if only by shaving a minute or two off the process — the carriers can potentially save millions each year.


On July 6, 2017, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) published for comment proposed rule amendments and policy changes related to designated rating organizations (DROs) and credit ratings of DROs.
CSA staff are proposing to amend National Instrument 25-101 Designated Rating Organizations (NI 25-101) to reflect new European Union (EU) requirements for credit rating organizations, to ensure the EU continues to recognize the Canadian regime as "equivalent" for regulatory purposes after these new requirements go into effect on June 1, 2018. The proposed amendments would allow credit ratings of a Canadian office of a DRO to continue to be used for regulatory purposes in the EU.
To ensure that NI 25-101 continues to reflect the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Code of Conduct Fundamentals for Credit Rating Agencies (the Code), the proposed amendments also reflect new provisions in the March 2015 version of the Code..
Stakeholders are invited to submit their comments in writing by October 4, 2017.
For further details refer to the press release and the proposed changes.


Tyler joined Goodskin in 2016. Tyler brings many years of experience in the medical industry. He is helping Dr. Aanderud and clinic managers with all aspects of the practice. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and being outside.


Anyone know how to change this unit from 10mW to 50? It's asking for a password and I have no idea what it is or where to find it.
How did you find this, for those us who, for some reason won't remember the password but will remember how to find it?
Part of the secret wisdom that is passed through generations of danish sound engineers at our yearly meetings ceremonies.


text:
Q: Why do this book telling a story in the past but they use present tense? I was reading a book "Call me by your name" and I was so confused by the tense they use in the book. It is obviously the story they tell happens in the past but they use present tense. I am trying to understand but have not figured out yet. Someone please takes a look and help me:
"Later!" The word, the voice, the attitude. I'd never heard anyone use "later" to say goodbye before. It sounded harsh, curt, and
dismissive, spoken with the veiled in-difference of people who may not care to see or hear from you again.
It is the first thing I remember about him, and I can hear it still today. Later!
I shut my eyes, say the word, and I'm back in Italy, so many years ago (IT IS OBVIOUSLY IN THE PAST BUT THEY USE PRESENT TENSE) , walking down the tree-lined driveway, watching him step out of the cab, billowy blue shirt, wide-open collar, sunglasses, straw hat, skin everywhere. Suddenly he's shaking my hand (WHY DO THEY USE PRESENT TENSE????) , handing me his backpack, removing his suitcase from the trunk of the cab, asking if my father is home. It might have started right there and then: the shirt, the rolled-up sleeves, the rounded balls of his heels slipping in and out of his frayed espadrilles, eager to test the hot gravel path that led (WHY IS THERE A PAST TENSE IN PRESENT TENSE???) to our house, every stride already asking, Which way to the beach?
This summer's houseguest. Another bore. Then, almost without thinking, and with his back already turned to the car, he waves (WHY DO THEY USE PRESENT TENSE) the back of his free hand and utters a careless Later! to another passenger in the car who has probably split the fare from the station. No name added, no jest to smooth out the ruffled leave-taking, nothing."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


These's are Putnum Nitro Dirt oval cars. Spare chassis plates, aluminum kickup nose rear shock towers and nitro tanks. These aren't complete they are part cars!!! The item "Putnum Dirt oval Nitro Late Model or EDM part cars" is in sale since Sunday, October 21, 2018. This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Radio Control & Control Line\RC Model Vehicles & Kits\Cars, Trucks & Motorcycles".
The seller is "extremecelica69" and is located in Manchester, Pennsylvania. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion.


text:
Lifelong Service to Education: Jim Lindenmayer
Jim Lindenmayer says changes are coming to higher education. Changes in funding models, changes in demographics, changes in delivery methods; all are coming or already here. Nobody can predict with certainty what further changes lie on the horizon, only that they will happen.
Lindenmayer, the former 12-year president of Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, was appointed to the Board of Regents in July. Moving from the community college system to the Regents Enterprise brings new challenges and opportunities, but change remains constant.
"Education will be strongly influenced in the next five years by technology, financing, delivery and access," Lindenmayer said. "All four of the arenas are very fluid and demand that the institutions and government work hand in hand to provide the best resources possible."
Lindenmayer's dedication to higher education is obvious. He has spent the majority of his life working with students, faculty and staff. For the last 15 years, Lindenmayer has been involved in workforce training with Job Corps, the nation's largest residential training program for youth ages 16-to-24. The jobs of tomorrow will require more education and training than ever before, and as chair of the National Job Corps Association, Lindenmayer brings considerable experience to the Regents enterprise.
"My Job Corps experience has involved me with colleges in other states, as well as Iowa," He said. "The National Job Corps Association keeps me abreast of national workforce training trends and funding through the Department of Labor. This experience has only heightened my interest in higher education and its service to students."
Regent Lindenmayer, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, said he was "honored" when Governor Reynolds appointed him to the Board.
"Our universities provide great opportunities through education and research," He said. "They also are economic engines that are imperative to moving Iowa forward. I want to be part of that."
Lindenmayer is a dedicated educator that has spent his life in service of students and faculty. His appointment to the Board of Regents is the latest stop in a lifelong story of service. Service to education, to research, and to academic excellence has been a large part of Lindenmayer's life.
That's something that won't change.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


China's central government has flashed red on irregular behavior in public-private-partnership (PPP) projects and local government investment funds.
"Local governments are encouraged to form public-private-partnerships with private companies, but local governments and private companies must cooperate on a benefit and risk-sharing footing," the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Thursday in a statement.
Local governments can set up investment funds alone or jointly with private companies, but such funds must operate on a legal and market-oriented basis, it stressed.
The statement was released on the heels of a joint notice issued Wednesday by several governmental agencies including the MOF to ask provincial authorities to examine their financing practices as soon as possible and to rectify all irregularities by the end of July.
"Unless agreed by the central government, local governments and their subsidiary agencies are forbidden to promise to buy back private companies' investments, and may not undertake investment losses of private capital in any form," noted the statement.
Local governments are not allowed to promise a minimum return on investment to private companies in any form, and they are forbidden to undertake all the risks in such projects, it added.
Local governments have been looking to government-supported investment funds and PPP, a collaborative investment model between government and private companies, as ways to fund infrastructure projects as concern rises over local government debt and the central government tightens its grip on local financing platforms that were previously widely used.
By the end of last year, combined debt of central and local governments in China stood at 27.3 trillion yuan (4 trillion U.S. dollars), with a debt-to-GDP ratio of around 36.7 percent and the total outstanding local government debt climbing to 15.3 trillion yuan.
"The authorities are strengthening supervision of both capital source and capital use in PPP projects and local investment funds," said Zheng Chunrong with Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
"PPP projects picked up momentum in 2016, but problems including the uneven sharing of risk among participants are emerging," said Li Qilin, a senior analyst with Lianxun Securities.
Last year, the number of signed PPP projects and total investment more than quadrupled from 2015, with private enterprises participating in more regions and sectors than ever before.
PPPs will become the main financing model for Chinese local governments in infrastructure investment up to 2020, with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to play the leading role, global ratings agency Fitch predicted in a recent report.
The PPP model is in its infancy in China and SOEs have emerged as the main partners of local governments, rather than private investors, Fitch cautioned.
Financial regulators are increasing financial risk control and de-leveraging, as solid GDP growth in the first quarter provided more room for such adjustments, conducive to long-term growth.
"The document has further standardized local government debt management. They are not allowed to increase debt in the name of PPP projects," said Li with Lianxun Securities.
Li predicted that private companies will be more prudent in cooperation with local governments, and this will help improve quality of joint projects.


You must make reservations at least 5 minutes in advance of the time at Twist Fells Point BYOB.
We do cater to businesses and offices within a three miles radius , fresh ingredients , creative buffets and on time deliveries .
Escape the bland fare offered at most restaurants when you and your family choose to dine at Twist Fells Point in Baltimore, Maryland. You will get a fantastic array of traditional American cuisine with options for takeout and catering. Our American restaurant is unlike any other, with meals at any time of day or night.The secret to our success is the mind behind our new menu. Our executive chef, Mr. Jose Joel Molina, is the owner of our restaurant. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, his time living in Greece and his Hispanic influences infuse the unique flavor of our menu items. Mr. Jose Joel Molina's parents lived in Morrocco, and he speaks several languages, including Spanish, French, English, Arabic, and Italian. The international clientele we draw are always able to receive assistance from Mr. Jose Joel Molina.
Took the family for Easter Brunch. Great service and food.
Thank you for the kind feedback. It's great to hear that you enjoyed your meals so much. We are happy that our team took excellent care of you and your experience was wonderful. We look forward to seeing you again. Have a good week!
We are excited to try dinner as we have only tried brunch. It was great until a table of 6 came and the guy on the end slid his chair back and it was almost touching our table. That was uncomfortable for us. The food was delicious. We had Chesapeake Benedict and turkey cranberry maple sausage - yum! The only reason not 5 starts is that the Chesapeake Benedict is described on the menu as, "Poached eggs with jumbo lump Maryland crab meat on english muffins..." but it was a sort of crab cake and wasn't jumbo lump. Still delicious, though, but should be as described on the menu. We'll be back. The space is small but cool, and the staff was very nice.
Thank you for the feedback. We're happy to hear that you had a nice experience with us. We are glad that you enjoyed your meals and found our Chesapeake Benedict to your liking. We appreciate the nice feedback. We hope to see you again soon. Enjoy your week!
This was my second time here and I love this place! The food is delicious, the prices are very reasonable, and the service is spectacular! They really treat the patrons wonderful!
Debbie, Thank you for the blissful feedback. We are thrilled to hear that both your dining experiences with us were great. We are so happy that your meals were delicious and our team took fabulous care of you. We appreciate the kind words. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
Visited from out of town and we were looking for a quality BYOB. The service was excellent and the food exceeded both of our expectations. It's in a lively part of town so also easy to grab a cocktail before or after if you don't want to bring your own, but we preferred that option. There was a $5 corkage fee (state law). We would definitely eat here again should our travels bring us back to the area.
Thank you for your fabulous feedback. We are so glad that you loved your meals and everything was so delicious and you enjoyed your meals so much. We're thrilled to hear such a great review. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
Loved the food! We sat by the window and got to people watch. It was not very busy. We were waited on very frequently. HATED the noise. Way too loud. The space is very small so you hear everything. Noisy group of young females but overall it was a wonderful experience and would definitely go back again.
Thank you for the marvelous feedback. We're glad to hear that you had such a great time with us. We are happy that your meals were delicious and everything was to your liking. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
Great food. Definitely will return.
Everyone enjoyed what they got.
Tom, Thank you for the cheerful feedback. We are delighted to see your time with us was excellent and you enjoyed your meals. We can't wait to see you back. Have a nice week!
We had breakfast food and they were wonderful. The menu has some dinner entrees, sandwiches and burgers. Will definitely go back to try other food.
One of the reasons I don't like going to Fells Point is its lack of parking. It's just ridiculous.
Steve, Thank you for the blissful feedback. We're glad to see that your meals were divine and you enjoyed our sandwiches and burgers so much. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
We went for brunch. There was quite a selection. Everyone tried a different menu selection. The Moroccan breakfast was excellent. All agreed we would come again.
Thanks, Bernie. We are so happy to see that you enjoyed your brunch experience with us. We are thrilled that you found our Moroccan breakfast so amazing and everything was delicious and your liking. We'll see you next time. Have a good week!
Great experience - good food. Loved the banana pudding. Seafood salad loaded with seafood and lamb burger very tasty.
Thank you for the lovely feedback. We are excited to see that you had a great time with us. We're charmed that your meals were excellent and you loved our banana pudding as well as our seafood salad and lamb burger. We appreciate the kind words. We'll see you next time. Have a good week!
Great food and atmosphere. Service was excellent. Very attentive and friendly.
Thanks for the kind words. We are excited to see your visit with us was wonderful. We are so happy that your meals were delicious and our team was so attentive and kind. We can't wait to see you again. Enjoy your week!
We appreciate the kind words. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your meals so much and your visit was great. We look forward to seeing you again. Take care!
Delicious food -amazing choices on the menu and service was top notch!
Kent, Thank you for the marvelous feedback. We are thrilled to see that you had a wonderful time with us at Twist. We are excited your meals were delicious and our team provided you with outstanding service. We can't wait to see you back. Have a nice week!
Great food. Be sure to try almond cake!
Thank you for the nice words. We're glad that you found our almond cake delicious and your meals great. We appreciate the kind feedback. We can't wait to see you back. Enjoy your week!
Service and food were excellent. The noise level, however, was awful. Bring earplugs.
Allan, We appreciate the lovely feedback. We're glad to see our team took wonderful care of you and your meals were delicious. We hope to see you again soon. Take care!
We were the only people there which was awkward but on Monday afternoon I don't think that it was their fault. Food was great and server was very friendly. Would recommend!
Valerie, Thank you for the lovely words. We're charmed to hear that you had such a fabulous experience with us at Twist. We are happy that we are one of your favorite places to dine and everything is always to your liking. We're thrilled that you find your meals so amazing and you love our Chesapeake Benedict so much. We can't wait to see you next time. Have a great week!
Went for brunch. Food was great, service was great. Would definitely recommend.
Cindy, Thank you for the kind words. We are so happy to hear that you had a nice brunch experience with us. We're glad that our team took wonderful care of you and were so fast and efficient. We are happy that your meals were delicious. We can't wait to see you next time. Have a good week!
Great byob please, super nice staff!
Thank you for the nice feedback. We are delighted to hear that your dining experience with us was great and our team took good care of you. We will see you next time. Enjoy your week!
Really friendly staff! Upscale food in a casual setting, overall very nice dinner experience.
Sarah, We appreciate the wonderful words. We're delighted to hear that our team took fabulous care of you and were so courteous and friendly. We are thrilled that your meals were great and everything was to your liking. We look forward to seeing you again. Enjoy your week!
Joanne, We appreciate such kind feedback. We're excited to see that your first experience with us was a nice one. We are happy that our team took wonderful care of you and were so kind and attentive. We're glad that you enjoyed your meals and everything was to your liking. We will see you next time. Have a good week!
Pleasantly Surprised about how good the food was. Definitely going back here. BYOB makes for a great atmosphere without breaking the bank!
Mike, Thank you for the nice words. We are happy to see that you had a great time with us. We're pleased that your meals were great and you loved the atmosphere we provide. We can't wait to see you again. Enjoy your week!
Twist is tucked into a modest row of storefronts and probably would not draw you in if you were not looking for it, but inside the dining experience is quite nice. The front dining room is casual, and could get noisy, but the rear dining room was pleasant with table cloths and not noisy even when it filled up. The menu has a range of traditional selections plus some more adventurous, and the food is well prepared. The wait staff is knowledgeable and attentive but not obtrusive. Parking is always an issue in Fells Point, but usually a spot can be found within a block or two. Twist is BYOB with a modest $5 corkage fee. I'll be back. I'd like to try the more casual fare for lunch, and their weekend brunch has an excellent reputation.
Thank you for the marvelous feedback. We're excited to hear that you had such a lovely time with us at Twist. We are glad that your meals were amazing and you loved our variety of different options. We are thrilled to hear our team provided you with phenomenal service. We really appreciate the kind words. We can't wait to see you again. Enjoy your week!
Is like being transported to the Mediterranean Sea , it's casual eurochic and paired with a prompt service and freshly executed ingredients , we tried the Mezze served with Zaatar pita bread , lamb shank and scallops over saffron risotto and we couldn't be more satisfied , it's byob and the corkage fee only $5 , really worth your visit !!
Thank you for your wonderful words. We're charmed to see that you enjoyed your meals and found everything delicious and our Mediterranean meals wonderful. We are glad our team took fabulous care of you. We will see you next time. Enjoy your week!
Quaint establishment , prompt service and really good food on the affordable side , I would call it easily the best value in Fells , be prepared that it's byob which is a great thing !!
Thank you for the nice words. We are glad to hear that your experience with us was great. We are happy to see our team provided you with excellent service and were prompt and attentive. We're thrilled that your meals were delicious. We can't wait to see you again. Take care!
We came for an early dinner, which was just perfect. We had the restaurant to ourselves. We always request a table in the rear dining room. It is quiet, cozy and nicely decorated. The food is always top notch here.
My husband enjoyed the Roasted Atlantic Salmon (topped with a lemon, Beurre blanc but, they now charge $5.00 corkage fee. We finished with dark Chocolate gelato, which was a great sweet ending.
Maggi, Thank you for the fabulous feedback. We're excited to hear that you had another lovely experience with us at Twist. We're glad to see that you enjoyed your meals and found our Roasted Atlantic Salmon and dark Chocolate gelato so much. We are thrilled you love our atmosphere and find it so relaxing. We can't wait to see you next time. Enjoy your week!
The food was delicious and the service was good.
As usual my favorite spot to eat in Fells , we love the food and atmosphere , the lamb dishes are always the best and the Bronzini special was a great addition to the regular menu , we love twist !!!
Thank you for the nice feedback. We are excited to hear how much you love your dining experiences with us. We are thrilled that you love our lamb dishes and our bronzini special so much. We appreciate the lovely feedback. We can't wait to see you again. Enjoy your week!
We went for brunch. The staff greeted us at the door, and took our information. It was VERY busy. Even though they were super busy, the greeter came back 3 times to check on us and assure us our table would be ready soon.
Once seated we were more than taken care of by the staff. This is a team that works well together!
The food is phenomenal! Good portions and just delicious. Everything was cooked perfectly and their seasoning is on point! This is very much Mediterranean inspired American food.
Thank you, Christy. We appreciate the marvelous feedback. We're excited to hear that you had a lovely time with us. We are glad that our team provided you with outstanding service and were so kind and helpful. We are thrilled that you loved your meals and found our Mediterranean inspired dishes wonderful. We can't wait to see you next time. Have a lovely week!
Second visit to twist and the same excellence in service and food , we ordered from the restaurant week menu , large variety , nicely executed dishes and the byob factor is so wonderful , we will be back !!!
Thank you for the cheerful feedback. We are delighted to see that you had another lovely experience with us at Twist. We are so happy that your meals were once again wonderful and our team took fabulous care of you. We can't wait to see you again. Enjoy your week!
They didn't honor the open table reservation. They told us to wait 45mins to one hour , so we didn't dine there and have to find another place to eat.
Came here during Restaurant Week. Prompt service and excellent food. Their braised lamb shank was delicious. It's a BYOB and they do have a corkage fee of $5, which seems reasonable. Will definitely come back when visiting Baltimore again.
Louie, We appreciate the nice words. We are glad that you had a wonderful time with us. We are pleased that your meals were delicious and you enjoyed our lamb shank so much. We're delighted to hear our team took fabulous care of you and were so attentive and prompt. We will see you next time. Have a good week!
The food was good not great. I was surprised to get dressing packets, of blue cheese dressing. It wasn't even a good quality packet. It is an affordable meal out especially because it is byob.
I am not sure if I would go back.
Great food, cool vibe, awesome service...just an awesome place!
Thank you for the wonderful words. We're charmed to hear you had a lovely experience with us. We are thrilled your meals were excellent and our team took great care of you. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
Thank you for your charming feedback. We are delighted to hear you had a wonderful dining experience with us. We are glad your meals were excellent and our team provided you with outstanding service. We look forward to seeing you in the future. Have a nice week!
I love this place! Great food and a lively setting run by wonderful people. We'll definitely be back.
Thank you for the kind feedback. We are glad that you enjoy your visits with us. We are thrilled your meals are always delicious. We can't wait to see you again. Have a nice week!
Great place!! Loved it! Highly recommend !
Thanks, Barbara. We're charmed to see that you had a wonderful experience with us at Twist. We appreciate the kind words. We will see you next time. Take care!
The food, ambiance ( back room) coupled with excellent service made this worth the drive from Owings Mills. We were surprised with the $5.00 corkage fee for 1 bottle of wine, $500 corkage fee for 1 bottle of beer and we were charged $3.95 for sparkling water which we never ordered. We are sorry that no one mentioned the corkage fee and did not review the bill until we were home.
It was Xmas eve with friends and had a lovely time. All meals were prepared and presented very well!!
It is a very small space, but friendly and good food.
Thank you for the nice feedback. We're glad to see that you enjoyed your dining experience with us. We are happy that your meals were good and our team provided you with friendly service. We look forward to seeing you next time. Take care!
Awesome staff. Veg friendly options. Tasty stuff. Nice area.
Thank you for the kind words. We are glad to see your meals were excellent and our team took fabulous care of you. We can't wait to see you back. Have a nice week!


text:
Is 'Climategate' Really the Game-Changer Skeptics Say It Is?
On Friday, the news broke that hackers had obtained and released thousands of email exchanges between climate scientists at England's University of East Anglia. Climate change skeptics pounced on the leak, dubbing it "Climategate" and proclaiming that the questionable communications between the scientists proved that global warming was based on cooked data.
"Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?" asked one headline. Another piece called the scandal "one of the greatest in modern science." Today, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) called for an investigation.
So what exactly in these emails is causing such celebration among the deniers? The Daily Telegraph compiled "the most contentious quotes," and while they're certainly embarrassing for their authors, they don't come close to undermining the very basis of climate science. Here are three of the six they list:
From: Michael Mann. To: Phil Jones and Gabi Hegerl (University of Edinburgh). Date: Aug 10, 2004
"Phil and I are likely to have to respond to more crap criticisms from the [global warming-denying] idiots in the near future."
From: Phil Jones. To: Many. March 11, 2003
"I will be emailing the journal to tell them I'm having nothing more to do with it until they rid themselves of this troublesome [global warming-denying] editor."
From Phil Jones To: Michael Mann (Pennsylvania State University). July 8, 2004
"I can't see either of these [global warming-denying] papers being in the next IPCC report. Kevin and I will keep them out somehow — even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!"
These emails demonstrate a deep disdain for global warming skepticism that does not befit scientists in objective pursuit of the truth. But disdain is a far cry from intentional falsification, which is what they're being accused of. These scientists could — and maybe should — suffer consequences for presenting their findings, and those of their colleagues, in a way that jibes with their broader agenda. But that this leak threatens to undermine next month's climate negotiations in Copenhagen strikes me as more than a bit excessive.
aac5c2107c27e27dbb8efe1fcd9a2dfdf57bc4863b51bf7768d68bb355cf34740cb5a6b7574a61c6354af29d435f4e7061b5e896f104aa2e304fc6490dc63b33


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Q: Expected num of empty bins after some balls are tossed Suppose that balls are thrown, one at a time and randomly, into five initially empty bins.
What is the expected number of empty bins after three tosses?
So i am confused, do i have a 50% chance to hit or miss and i go from there?

A: We use an approach that is overkill in this case, but would be very helpful with larger numbers. For $i=1$ to $5$, define the random variable $X_i$ by $X_i=1$ if Bin $i$ remains empty, and by $X_i=0$ otherwise. Let $Y=X_1+\cdots+X_5$. Then $Y$ is the number of empty bins.
By the linearity of expectation, we have
$$E(Y)=E(X_1)+\cdots+E(X_5).$$
The probability Bin $i$ is empty is $\left(\frac{4}{5}\right)^3$. For Bin $i$ is empty precisely if the balls all land in other bins, and the probability a particular ball lands outside Bin $i$ is $\frac{4}{5}$.
So $\Pr(X_i=1)=\left(\frac{4}{5}\right)^3$. It follows that $E(X_i)=\left(\frac{4}{5}\right)^3$ and therefore $E(Y)=5\cdot \left(\frac{4}{5}\right)^3$.

A: It sounds like you are assuming that one ball will randomely land in exactly one bin. Then the possible outcomes are represented by all 3 digit sequences of the numbers 1-5 (considering the balls distinct). This is $5^3=125$. So, you add up the number of empty bins in each outcome and divide by this to get the expected number of outcomes.
There are 5*4*3 cases with 2 empty bins, 5*4*3 cases with 3 empty bins (the bin getting one bin can come 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, hence the '3'), and 5 cases with 4 empty bins. Then the total number of empty bins across all 125 possibilities are 60*2+60*3+5*4=320. Divide by 125 to get 64/25=2.56.
To get expected value you just multiply each outcome by its associated value, then divide by the total number of values. Don't let it get more complicated than that, you don't need to worry about the probability of a bin receiving a particular through (that probability is 1/5).

A: The probability that all three balls go to the same bin is : the probability that the second ball lands in the same bin as the first and that the third also does so.  This leaves how many bins empty.
 $$\mathsf P(X=\Box)=\frac 1 5^2 = \frac 1 {25}$$
The probability that two balls go into the same bin and the third into another is: the probability that two balls land in the same bin and the third in another, with the odd ball out selected from first, second, or third.  This leaves how many bins empty.
$$\mathsf P(X=\Box)=\dbinom{3}{2}\times\frac 1 5\times \frac 4 5 = \frac{12}{25}$$
The probability that all three balls go into different bins is: that the second ball doesn't join the first, and that the third ball doesn't join the third.  This leaves how many bins empty
$$\mathsf P(X=\Box) = \frac 4 5\times \frac 3 5 = \frac {12}{25} $$
The expectation if $\mathsf E(X) = \sum_{x=\Box}^\Box x \mathsf P(X=x)$
Fill in the boxes and complete.

A: if you're asking the probability of having empty bins my answer is this
probability after first toss is $4/5$
probability after second toss is $3/4$
probability after third toss is $2/3$
therefore probability of having empty bins after $3$ tosses is $4/5 \times 3/4 \times 2/3 = 2/5$
or as a percentage $20$%.


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All posts for the month February, 2010
Dante's Inferno | Review
Posted by Aron Deppert on February 26, 2010
Posted in: Featured Articles, Reviews, XBOX 360.	Tagged: Dante's Inferno, Dantes., EA, The Divine Comedy.	9 Comments
Dante's Inferno for the PS3 & Xbox 360 isn't afraid of pulling any punches, it knows who it's target audience is and goes even further to pull them in the game by offering a simplistic combat system combined with responsive movements and hardcore elements; gore, violence and nudity, which may truly disturb some people (myself included, which I'll discuss a bit later in this review). The visuals for the game are quite nicely detailed if not overly dark, making you wish some more light was shed on this but overall I found the game to be enjoyable along my journey through hell and look forward to more games based on the Divine Comedy.
A lot of people have compared it to God of War and to be honest they're not that far off the mark. There's a lot of things Inferno does that are similar to the GOW games but it also does a few things differently that helps distinguish it's self from Kratos' epic adventures.
Unless you know 'The Divine Comedy' you might get a bit lost within the story of Dante's Inferno. I found however if you've managed to play a bit of Assassin's Creed you might be able to understand more of the Crusaders and who some of the big wigs were during this time, whereas without it the game doesn't give the beginning any context.
Short after the opening Dante is stabbed in the back as the Grim Reaper himself comes for Dante's soul. After defeating Death, Dante returns home to find the impaled body of his love, Beatrix, as her soul's dragged to hell by Lucifer. And here begins the game's descent into being more enjoyable with a tale of love and redemption, as well as truly horrific creatures in stunning detail coming to give you a big hug and where the game presents a few changes to the hack and slash genre.
Dante has a scythe that he acquires from Death early on and a secondary attack weapon, a cross, that Beatrix bestows upon him. The scythe is your primary melee weapon while the Cross acts like a shotgun, sending out a holy cross across the level heavily damaging enemies all around.
Unlike in God Of War where you power up only weapons or magic, Dante's offers a bit more control over what you spend your souls on but first, there are two sides to Dante, Holy and Unholy.
Holy has upgrades for Cross attacks and Unholy has upgrades for Death's Scythe. To level them up you need to find crying glowing spirits, which as it turns out are some historical figures, and once you collect them you can Punish or Absolve them. Punishing them will kill them and damn their soul for eternity while Absolving them will activate a mini game which allows you to gain extra bonus souls, and free their soul to enter Paradiso. Upon levelling up you can spend those souls on magic spells, new weapon attacks, mana or health upgrades.
The mini games can ultimately be annoying especially since it slows down the gameplay to match buttons to the falling sins, and if you were to die after absolving them the game doesn't autosave or create a check point, which I found out on a number of occasions. So instead you must go back to your last save or checkpoint to get to them again and most likely just punish them as it's quicker.
Unlike every other game that has quick time events though this game gives you a slight heads up telling you when these events are about to take place, with the screen slightly desaturating. However the game sometimes doesn't give you heads up with death traps, one such instance is when I was on an elevator that's falling and suddenly I died, leaving me there with a "Wait, I was supposed to do something there?" look on my face.
Apparently I was meant to jump off as it passed an open corridor but the game gave me no indication of this and with the game being so dark it was hard to see the prompts pointing this out to me – which also showcases another problem with the game – it's graphics.
The graphics in Dante's Inferno are often too dark not allowing you to see alot of the levels clearly. I guess hell would be a hard place to explain sunlight though.
Saying that though, everything is beautifully presented with a slick 60FPS, highly detailed characters and monsters (some rather disturbingly so such as the Glutton creature and a certain someone's penis.) Brilliant animation for all characters shine through as does great facial animation, although shadows upon faces can look a little messy. Some levels even have huge vistas, or just as big enemies which makes you wonder how did the team keep that impressive 60fps, with all kinds of visual effects, animation, detailed characters, sound effects, lighting and post processing without dipping in the slightest.
Don't get me wrong the journey through hell is enjoyable; it just feels like it plays it too safe and therefore has a lot of missed opportunities. Such as having the player collecting coins that don't do anything and down playing alot of moments that could have been truly epic, which ultimately makes the game feel like the developers were ticking a check off box or rushing rather then make a fun title. Saying that though I enjoyed my journey through hell and look forward to more games based on the Divine Comedy.
Profile of a Hardcore Gamer
Posted in: Editorial.	Tagged: Editorial, Profile of a Hardcore Gamer.	4 Comments
Every gamer has his (or her?) own definition of what makes a gamer hardcore or casual – from what type of games they play, how much they play, or how good they actually are. However, there is only one true definition of a hardcore gamer. RoboAwesome recently sat down with a few gamers that are 100 times more hardcore than you.
Meet Steve – a 20-year-old junior in college, and an avid gamer.
"I like anything that's good, usually," Steve said when I asked what his favorite genres are.
Steve assured me that he is, indeed, a hardcore gamer based on this fact: all the games he owns are rated M for mature. He also told me that he has never played, watched, or even touched a game with a lower ESRB rating than M.
"I play lots of games that have a ton of blood and gore. You know, stuff where the blood is gushing and the limbs are flying. I own all three systems, but my favorite games so far are MadWorld and Dead Space."
Of course Steve doesn't game on a PC, because a PC isn't a viable gaming platform. If Steve isn't a hardcore gamer, then I don't know what is – I'm almost 100% sure that mature gaming is the exact equivalent to being a hardcore gamer. You know all those 13-year-old kids that t-bag everyone in Halo 3? They're some of the most hardcore gamers ever to exist.
Every hardcore gamer's dream is to someday become a professional gamer. No need to hit up Google – pro gaming exists — and Chad knows it.
"I'm not going to college. Not community, either," Chad told me. "I'm jumping right into pro gaming after High Shool."
There are several large corporations that actually pay gamers to get good at a game and win online matches for them, according to Chad. I fully trust Chad's credibility: he wears a Halo hat every day, so he must know what he's talking about.
I was curious as to what kind of games Chad plays, so I had to ask him. Steve was into blood and gore, and since Steve is a hardcore gamer there must be the same type of connection with Chad.
"I play a lot of Halo 3," Chad said. I pressed him further, asking what other games he plays whenever he isn't shooting aliens as a generic space marine.
"Pretty much just Halo 3," Chad assured me. "Oh, and sometimes I play Madden and Halo 3: ODST."
Fair enough – it seems that hardcore gamers like a lot of gore and like to shoot aliens, at least so far. This leads us into our final and by far most interesting potentially hardcore gamer: Bryan.
Bryan really digs RPGs. Not just any old RPG either – he's really into the Pokemon series.
"I've completed every Pokemon game released in the States," said Bryan. "This includes the spin-offs like the Mystery Dungeon series. I've also caught every Pokemon on my imported copy of SoulSilver. I'd say that I'm pretty hardcore."
Do these facts make Bryan a true hardcore gamer? The answer you're thinking right now is true: absolutely not. Not a single thing about the Pokemon series would qualify it as a game that hardcore gamers play.
Even though the main Pokemon series is one of the deepest RPGs in gaming, there's one huge problem that prevents Pokemon from being hardcore: those cute little monsters can't kill a man. Once Jigglypuff bucks up, puts on its Master Chief armor and starts slicing heads off, it will be a hardcore series – thus allowing Steve and Chad to play it — and in turn, making Bryan a hardcore gamer.
So, what's the profile of a hardcore gamer? If you were too hardcore to read this article, then here's a fancy bulleted list to cover what makes a gamer hardcore. Simply check off the ones that you match to determine if you're hardcore or not.
Only plays M rated games and Madden.
Likes to shoot aliens as a generic space marine with an unbalanced arsenal of weapons.
Wears Halo attire.
Doesn't game on a PC.
T-bags people in online FPS games.
Doesn't play Pokemon.
Trolls people on Internet forums.
Frequents RoboAwesome.com.
Can bench over 9000 pounds.
Are you hardcore?
Disclaimer: This article is a complete joke. If you took this article seriously, then it is advised you invite all your other fanboy friends to this page so RoboAwesome's hits increase.
Lazy Programmers and Low Cap Media Hurting Video Game Development?
Posted in: Editorial.	Tagged: Blu-Ray, Lazy Programmers, PS3, Xbox 360.	1 Comment
Today I was talking to one of my associates about the state of the current generation of consoles. Our discussion highlighted some compelling arguments that puts Microsoft, lazy programmers, and the low capacity media firmly in the spotlight.
This next statement comes from a very biased point of view – I won't try and defend my position, but simply state that these are completely, 100%, personal feelings. The PS3, on the whole, is a much more capable system and the games that are developed on the PS3 are generally more robust and the gameplay has a much more genuine video game feeling about them. What I'm really trying to say though is that 360 games feel like PC games compressed to run on the 360.
Which leads to the next point of discussion – PC developers are likely to be more familiar with XBox 360 development than that of the reportedly more complex PS3 development. It's only natural – the XBox is made by Microsoft after all, and they clearly have a heavy hand in PC game development. So I don't think the argument is too far off base to say that PC's and XBoxes are equivalent to being cousins. The programmers writing games for the PC are more easily able to transition into developing 360 games – it's all in the family.
We all know that the PS3, at its inception, was heralded as being too complex, difficult to program for, and unfamiliar. Programmers were content to continue their familiar MS sponsored PC and XBox 360 development while shunning the PS3 platform. Some however took little issue with the PS3 and a few solid titles were developed. But on the whole, the PS3 just had a really slow start – an issue owing as much to the system's perceived complexity as it was to the highly prohibitive price tag.
We've had all sorts of media formats from the cartridge to the multiple disc types to downloadable content – but I think it's time to bring the technology together under one roof. A common high capacity format. While there isn't much incentive for MS to buy up Blu Ray technology I think we need something that can rival the Blu Ray capacity so that we can have bigger and better games.
Do I think OnLive is the answer? No – not really. While it may do a good job of undermining the printed media arm of the industry I personally like owning the physical box and discs for my games. Having them on the shelf is almost a point of pride when people come over and see all the cool games I have. Sort of like how I like having a bookcase full of books. I wouldn't want an eBook reader – but that's another story.
Back to the subject at hand. The PS3 with it's high capacity media has, by default, the largest advantage to creating the best games. If developers would get off their butts and fully embrace the new technology for the next generation of consoles I think we could see great advances in the next generation of games – much more so than we've seen in between each changing of seasons past.
Bioshock 2 | Review (PS3)
Posted in: Featured Articles, PS3, Reviews.	Tagged: Bioshock 2 Review.	Leave a comment
Ten years have passed since the fall of Andrew Ryan, leaving Rapture a beast without a head. Splicers roam the streets thirsty for Adam, and a new power rises to manipulate them. Sofia Lamb, a doctor, tries to give religion to the people. She tells the masses to put their faith in her daughter, Eleanor. There is a conflict of interest however, as Eleanor is your daughter. As Eleanor's Big Daddy, you have an unbreakable bond with this girl. You are ready to do whatever it takes to rescue her, while Sofia Lamb is ready to do whatever it takes to keep her away from you.
In this installment of the Bioshock series, you take control of a Big Daddy, a devastating armored being assigned to Little Sisters for protection. Because you are huge now, all of your guns will be huge as well. From your arsenal you may choose from guns such as the Rivet Gun, a weapon which fires large bolts at your enemies, to weapons such as the Grenade Launcher. Every gun also has 3 different types of ammo to use, each serving its own purpose given the scenario. As you progress through the game, new guns and ammo will become available to you, adding new dimensions of gameplay with every level.
One of the more noticeable changes to gameplay from the first game is the addition of being able to duel-wield both plasmids and guns at the same time. Combat feels much more natural this way, opening up more room for combination attacks and burst damage. Unfortunately there were no new plasmids added into the game, (with the exception of "Scout") recycling those from the previous. Another noticeable change that was made to the combat mechanics is being able to melee with any of your weapons, instead of restricting close quarters to a single weapon (though the drill does do significantly more damage up close).
In Bioshock 2 you may choose to use the roaming Little Sisters to your advantage. Once you have a Little Sister in your possession, a variety of options open up. You must decide whether to save the Little Sister, granting a hefty sum of Adam and their gratitude, or to harvest them for a much greater amount of Adam. If you choose to save the Little Sisters, they will reward you with useful items throughout the game. Before deciding what to do with them however, using them to gather Adam from dead bodies would be in your best interest. Each Little Sister may gather from up to two sources, granting you additional Adam. This is not as easy as it sounds though, as you must defend the Little Sister against waves of enemies as she slowly gathers. This is primarily where traps come into play, as it sometimes may be overwhelming to defend both yourself and your Little Sister at the same time. During random points in the game you will encounter Big Sisters, (really pissed off Big Sisters) who are some of the more formidable enemies in the game. They are hard to kill, but impossible to outrun.
Moral choice plays a big role in Bioshock 2. Not only must you choose whether to save or kill Little Sisters, but the fate of others are in your hands. It will be very hard to play a "good" playthrough of this game, as the people who you must decide whether to kill or let live don't make it easy on you to do the latter. Whatever way you intend on playing, make sure that it is consistent throughout. A nice trophy (or achievement) lies in wait if you beat the game either completely good or completely evil.
Like any good story, Bioshock 2 holds a carrot on a stick in front of you. Throughout the entire course of the game you will be wanting to push forward to get closer to Eleanor. The beginning of the game leaves many ends untied, but with each level more and more becomes revealed. You will never feel as if you were killing for no reason, as everything that you do is to get closer to the goals at hand. The story is definitely a memorable one, and will leave you satisfied up until the end.
The addition of multiplayer plays a big part in Bioshock 2. The multiplayer is story based, (to an extent) taking part in 1959 before the civil war in Rapture. The learning curve is very short and the gameplay is gripping. The online play for Bioshock 2 will definitely add hours the game, but should not be seen on par with the singleplayer storyline. If you are interested in obtaining all the trophies (or achievements) then you will find yourself forced to sink a considerable amount of hours in the multiplayer.
Like the first, the graphics of Bioshock 2 are beautifully designed and rendered. The graphics are also literally like the first, however. Little to no improvement has been made on the actual character and terrain models. Though the graphics of both games stand their own even today, improvements could have definitely been made. The visuals of the multiplayer aspect of the game are significantly downgraded, resembling that of a past generation of gaming.
The sound of Bioshock 2 is as great as ever. The eerie feel is definitely enhanced with the audio, further adding incentive to uncover the mysteries of Rapture. An authentic 40s-50s feel is delivered with many noteworthy tracks from the time, serving as the perfect background music as you rip through the hordes of Splicers.
Bioshock 2 delivers on all fronts, serving as an improvement in almost every aspect of its predecessor. Not only is the combat more fluid and fun, but the overall presentation and feel of the game is authentic and memorable. Though the visuals and locations do feel very familiar, they definitely do not take away from the overall experience of the game as you are sucked into the world of Rapture.
[review title="" pros="intriguing story, amazing combat, improves on a lot from the first." cons="Graphics were not improved on from original, awful visuals for multiplayer, familiar environments." verdict="Bioshock 2 is a fps that should not be missed by anyone, especially those who played and enjoyed the first." score=90]
Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again | Review
Posted in: DS, Reviews.	Tagged: DS, DSiWare, Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, Review.	2 Comments
Mario vs Donkey Kong debuted on the Gameboy Advance as a new take on the Donkey Kong series in 2004, and received a sequel on the Ds years later known as Mario vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Now, for the DSiWare service, Nintendo has released the third iteration in their popular puzzle game series — Mario vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again. However, does this $8 downloadable game provide as much fun and challenge as the full retail versions?
When playing Minis March Again you start off with several mini Marios, with the objective being to reach a certain point in each level. In order to do this, you'll be placing purple blocks to create bridges over spikes, trap enemies, and ultimately navigate the mini Marios. As an added bonus, you can collect coins throughout each level that go to an overall score — rewarding you with a bronze, silver, or gold star.
Throughout the game you will encounter many enemies, with some being impossible to kill and others possible — if you nab a hammer card to bash them, which is only available in a select few levels. Extra lives are awarded after the completion of certain levels.
In each floor, comparable to worlds in traditional Mario games, there are eight levels — with a total of six floors. This gives Minis March Again 100 levels to play through, including special levels and boss battles. On that note, boss battles with Donkey Kong occur after the completion of every floor.
With Minis March Again comes a more refined construction zone that what was in its predecessor, March of the Minis. After playing the game and having a feel for how the mini Marios work, you'll be able to create your own custom stages. To make the deal better, you can exchange stages with friends via Wifi and beat them. Unlike March of the Minis, which only allowed eight custom stages, Minis March Again allows a grand total of 140. When you think you're a champion of the game, you're in for another treat: Plus Mode. In Plus Mode, the mini Marios will start on their own — instead of when you click on whichever mini Mario you want to move at your own convenience.
The backgrounds in Minis March Again are pretty interesting — they're simple layouts of hills or your traditional Mario level, except the clouds are held up by strings — showing that the game doesn't take itself too seriously.
Story: N/A
Sound: 7.0
Splinter Cell Conviction Story Trailer
Posted in: Trailers.	Tagged: Conviction, Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell.	Leave a comment
In case you missed this Splinter Cell trailer last week we've uploaded it to our Youtube account for your viewing pleasure. In this trailer Ubisoft shows us a little more about what the story in Conviction is about and gives some insight on Sam Fishers motives.
Clearly taking someone's daughter is not cool with Sam. The bathroom segment actually reminds me of the flashback scene from Casino Royale. There's nothing like smashing a guys head into a urinal. I do it all the time – usually two or three times a week.
The game is scheduled to release on April 13th, 2010.
Dashed Hopes/New Prayers
Posted in: Editorial.	Tagged: Alien Vs Predator, Aliens: Colonial Marines.	2 Comments
OK I admit that the title of this entry sounds like something youd see on local access channels at 3 in the morning or maybe the Hour of Power shows that come on Sunday mornings. But that's not what I'm talking about here. What I'm talking about is how my prayers were dashed over Alien vs. Predator recently released by Rebellion and SEGA.
I'm pretty pissed that they didn't give this title enough time to simmer and instead flung an undercooked meal to all the fans. A property as awesome as Aliens and Predator has no excuse to not turn out an awesome video game. There have been alot of terrible movie to game translations, sure, but in this case Alien versus Predator was already shown to be successful with the very first AvP PC game from Fox and Rebellion. So what the hell happened?
I don't know whether this is a case of the game being rushed/over budget but they clearly didn't give it the time it deserved and now the fans are left with a steaming pile of slag.
Fortunatley there is a bright spot on the horizon – Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox – the same guys that do Borderlands. This co-op focused first person shooter based on the Alien universe, most notably the film Aliens will put players in the role of the Colonial Marine on a mission to investigate the U.S.S. Sulaco in search of Ellen Ripley, Corporal Dwayne Hicks, and the rest of the missing marines who were dispatched to LV-426.
Sounds awesome – I'm going to put my money on Gearbox pulling it off. They did a fantastic job with Borderlands – I think they can redeem the Alien game franshise for us gamers. Too bad we won't be seeing the predators any time soon though – sorry crab face.
8 Bit Mega Man FPS
Posted in: News.	Tagged: 8 Bit Mega Man Deathmatch, CutStuff.net.	1 Comment
Over at CutStuff.net they've got a post about their MegaMan 8-Bit Deathmatch being developed as a mod to the original Doom engine from the sounds of things. I still have my original Doom discs – all 5 of them on 3.5 inch diskettes.
Looks pretty bad ass.
Quoted from CutStuff.net, "Megaman 8-bit Deathmatch is a new multiplayer mod that aims to puts Doom and Megaman into a blender and spew out a fun new way to blast your buddies online."
MAG | Review
Posted in: Featured Articles, PS3, Reviews.	Tagged: MAG, Zipper Interactive.	2 Comments
Having now invested approximately 10 hours of play time into MAG and risen through the ranks to achieve the role of squad leader I can finally deliver my final verdict on MAG – the massive action game developed by Zipper Interactive for the Sony Playstation 3.
If MAG does anything right it's conveying a sense of large scale conflict as it's namesake suggests. From the big 64 player skirmishes to the earth shaking 256 player wars MAG succeeds greatly at making you feel a part of something big – really big.
First and foremost when you initially start playing MAG you will be given the option of joining one of three separate warring factions, or PMCs (Private Military Corporations). There is a flimsy story that attempts to serve as the game's back story but even after having watched all the PMCs recruitment propaganda I'm still not sure what I'm fighting for. Since MAG is an "online only" shooter I get the feeling deep down inside that once the player pool starts to dry up (which likely won't be anytime soon) Zipper will consolidate two of the lesser popular factions into one and use the "Shadow War" as an explanation of why the factions joined forces – then we'll all forget about the story and get on with what truly makes MAG an awesome game – the gameplay!
The three factions are SVER, Raven, and VALOR. Once you choose to recruit with one of the three you cannot change your mind without deleting your character. Zipper's explanation is that they want people to feel a sense of commitment to their chosen faction.
SVER is a rebellion of sorts – a well organized terrorist style PMC. They don't have any real uniform solidarity to speak of and they use guerrilla tactics and unconventional weaponry.
Raven (my outfit) is a highly trained European based PMC with modern high tech weaponry and it is said that they are the most well funded and well organized of the groups. Honestly I just picked them because they looked cool. I buy my books for the same reason…
VALOR is a coalition of US and British Special Forces veterans who have years of experience but still use conventional weaponry you may recognize from other popular military shooter games. I played as them briefly until Keyan voiced interest in Raven and I switched factions (by deleting my character). VALOR seems to be the most popular of the three groups.
There doesn't seem to be any major difference between the three factions aside from the weapons they use and the maps that they defend. As far as perks and ancillary equipment go they are equal in capability. Again – I liked the look of the Raven soldiers as did Keyan and I do like their mid-grade assault rifle.
Scoring kills, completing objectives, healing teammates, repairing structures, and so on and so forth will net you experience points which build towards level ups. Every level you earn grants you a skill point to use towards unlocking new weapons, equipment, or talents. There are plenty of unlocks to acquire so every soldier on the battlefield will do something different. You have five slots to save your custom loadouts (something Call of Duty players will find familiar) so you can build soldier templates to quickly select on the fly at the start of matches and in between deaths.
There are three basic soldier classes to choose from- rifleman, sniper, and support gunner. From those three depending on your other skills and equipment you will be assigned a designation such as engineer, fast assault, medic, etc. and in your squad others can see what you're equipped for. It adds a diversity to your eight man squads and has a noticable effect on the squads performance. Just as every soldier is different every squad is different and some squads will be better suited to certain tasks than others.
I've built my custom loadouts such that they're tuned for the different game types. So for example when assaulting enemy bunkers I tote my ATAC rifle with reflex scope, pistol sidearm, smoke grenades, a medical kit (because I'm a squad medic), and heavy armor complete with full face masked helmet. I found I was spending alot of time running at the front of the pack where alot of my buddies get gunned down in the initial invasions. Being able to pick those guys up off the ground really pays off when you're trying to take an enemy stronghold.
As I mentioned you will earn XP towards new talents and equipment but it also earns you points towards being eligible for leadership roles. With 256 players (128 per team) the game would be pretty hectic without some sort of rank and file system in place. Each platoon of 128 players is broken into 4 companies of 32 players. Of each company there are 4 squads consisting of 8 players. Each squad has a squad leader who is chosen amongst the eligible applicants (you have to apply for the role). Each company has a company leader chosen amongst the 4 squad leaders in that company, and each platoon has an Officer In Charge who is chosen amongst the 4 company leaders. To keep the communication channels from being flooded with chatter each soldier can only communicate within his squad by radio and hear other players speaking nearby (albeit at a lower decibel). The squad leaders can communicate up at the company level. Lastly the company leaders can communicate up at the Officer In Charge level. Of course the communications structure is just the opposite for the guys at the top – they can communicate down – which really helps lift the spirit of the squads when you hear the OIC drop some words of encouragement after having secured an objective.
Of course the whole command system wouldn't be much without some cohesion right? Otherwise we'd just have a bunch of people running in circles and trying to grind kills to level up their soldier. Fortunately the squads seem to stick well together and only in a couple matches of the two dozen or so I've played did my squad totally fall apart. Truthfully the squad leader was to blame as he never took the time to assign objectives to the squad so we ended up adopting other more organized outfits and still pulled out a win. Most of the time however the squad leaders will lay down objectives for their guys and when you're in the vicinity of the objective you're earning double XP. The effect is that players are less likely to run off in a random direction. The teamwork is focused and highly rewarding. On occasion you'll get a special assignment from the squad leader to go an take out some key target but again – those are team efforts.
The takeaway from all of this is that the command system and communications system work very well. Just make sure you're using a headset. Without one the teamwork feels a little detached. In my experience it seems I was able to get alot more done playing MAG while communicating with my squad. This is definitely a team based affair – no lone wolves here.
As far as gametypes are concerned MAG starts you off in a training course to come to grips with the controls. It's not required but will net you an experience point to apply towards your soldier so it's definitely worth the 5 minutes you'll spend running the gauntlet. From there you will need to rank up to start unlocking the larger gametypes.
The first offering is a 64 player team deathmatch style game called Suppression where you face off against players in your own PMC. You'll probably want to dip into these rounds before anything else because it will really orient you to the way the game is played more so than the training course could ever achieve. The maps are smaller in size and the action is more direct than the other gametypes. So while you may be tempted to jump straight into the next 64 player objective based game available to you just stick with the Suppression to help get your feet wet.
The other gametype available to you at the start is Sabotage. In this mode one team attacks while another team defends two satellite arrays. 32 players per team means two squads of 8 guys each will split up to keep the attackers from destroying the arrays. If the attackers do get both arrays down though they will unlock access to secure the main objective – the comm station. It's here where the scale and ambition of MAG starts to become more evident. When 32 attacking players are swarming 32 defending players in a single structure you really get a sense of what's in store with the 128 and 256 player games.
Acquisition is the 128 player gametype where again you have an attacking and defending team. The attackers have to secure two prototype vehicles and deliver them to marked locations on the map. This isn't exactly a cake walk however since the enemy base is fronted by 8 bunkers. Guess who has to take out those bunkers? YOU SOLDIER! Each of the 8 squads per team will lead their charge against the bunkers. The bunkers themselves have gun turrets on top to mow down incoming squads. Sometimes two squads will band together to take down one bunker which, good fortune and well organized squads permitting, will cascade into a chain reaction of other bunkers being taken down. This forces the defending armies to spawn further back and gives the attacking soldier a chance to push further into the enemy base. From there the battle goes in many directions so I won't get in to all the subtleties but rest assured Acquisition mode rocks.
Domination is the main event sporting an insane 256 players all fighting for control of key objectives. As with other objective based games you have an attacking and a defending squad and in this gametype there are three phases to the assault. Like the Acquisition gametype there are bunkers arranged around the base that serve as front line defense and beyond those are a series of objectives that your squad must secure in a specified order to win the match. Apart from being big in terms of player counts the maps themselves are big. I imagine it would take a solid 3 minutes to walk from one end of a map to the other. Fortunately the travel time is mitigated by troop transports that you can drive or ride in up to the front line engagement or drop in on a parachute if your team has disabled the anti-air cannon. Occasionally a pave-low will fly in and hover in position to provide advanced troop deployment although they usually get shot down pretty quickly by the more astute enemy squads. Something else to take note of – these matches will take 30 minutes to complete unless the attacking squad completely steamrolls the competition. Be sure to take a pee break and have some snacks and beverage close at hand before deploying.
Graphically MAG isn't the most stunning game you've ever seen. While it doesn't look terrible you can tell that they had to scale back on the graphics a bit to accommodate the online gameplay with so many players. Smoke and explosions can look a little rough but with so much going on all around you there is plenty else to distract your attention – like all those grenades that just landed at your feet. And while not technically a matter of graphics when the enemy leaders drop airstrikes or mortar attacks on your position the whole area around you will be rocked and roiled (see what I did there?) and thick black smoke and dust will be thrown in the air. It's a pretty powerful effect and stops every soldier in their tracks.
MAG is all about the online gameplay and Zipper has done a tremendous job given that there seems to be very little lag. I won't say no lag because anyone with a basic understanding of networking will tell you there is always packet delay but I've honestly not encountered any situations where the game was lagging. Everything feels buttery smooth.
The controls feel great too especially if you're used to games like the Call of Duty series. You can stand, crouch, or go prone with the triangle button and the left shoulder trigger will focus down your sites. You can sprint by clicking the left thumbstick in and jump using the X button. Pretty standard stuff. Nothing real special here but it works well and never feels clunky or awkward.
To summarize MAG does very well what it intended to do by making the players feel like they're a part of something much more epic. The story may as well have been scribbled on the back of a cocktail napkin and the graphics certainly aren't a showcase for the PS3's power but damn if this isn't one of the best console games I've played ever – hands down.
Oh and by the way, JOIN RAVEN!
You can find me on the Playstation Network!
PSN ID – Moduserous
[review title="" pros="Massive battles, great teamwork, nice leveling system." cons="You'll forget about the backstory before the game begins." verdict="A great online team based shooter that shouldn't be missed by Playstation 3 owners and shooter fans alike." score=95]
Why Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Will Succeed
Posted in: Editorial.	Tagged: Bioshock 2 Multiplayer, RPG FPS.	4 Comments
Yesterday myself and some of the other RoboAwesome guys spent some time with Bioshock 2's multiplayer offering. Given that my multiplayer focus these past couple weeks have been dominated by MAG there wasn't a whole lot of incentive for me to go out of my way to jump into something that, sight unseen, gave the impression that it was little more than a hand out offering.
Of course I'm speaking about Bioshock 2's multiplayer mode which has been the focus of some debate over whether or not 2K Games spread themselves too thin to develop both the single player and multiplayer components of Bioshock 2.
It's understood that two different development studios under the 2K umbrella developed the single and multi player offerings independently of each other so as not to make either component feel half baked – but more so to ensure that the solo campaign was not a diluted experience. It's hard to live up to the original title's story – so many twist and awesome segments like the Bathysphere ride – one could see how a single studio trying to cram a standard multiplayer offering into their development efforts would naturally divide their efforts.
But the focus of this article is not the single player campaign (you'll have to wait for Dave's review on that) but rather the multiplayer and why I believe it will hold up as well as other popular online shooters.
To be certain Bioshock 2's multiplayer will never achieve the critical mass of players that more populous shooters like Modern Warfare 2 can boast in multiplayer but rather it will bring as many players in for the single player campaign. It seems everyone I know has purchased Bioshock 2. Once all these people have run through the single player stuff they will latch on for some of the multiplayer that 2K is offering.
And having played quite a bit of Bioshock 2 multiplayer last night I can attest to the fact that it is indeed robust enough to keep people interested. Being able to build custom loadouts and earn experience to unlock new weapons and abilities will drive people to keep playing. The RPG FPS isn't a new concept to gaming but it's definitely been more common in shooters like Borderlands, MAG, and Call of Duty games and it's just one of those revolutions like the Gears of War cover system that define the old school games from the new school (side note – I realize Gears of War wasn't the pioneer here but it definitely put the whole cover system component of gaming on the map).
So given Bioshock 2's large install base and the fact that it's multiplayer, while not exactly groundbreaking, employs the new standard for online FPS games (the RPG elements… have you forgotten already…?!?) I think Bioshock 2's multiplayer will have a solid life even in the midst of so many other high profile multiplayer games. Bungie should take note – Halo needs to adopt this RPG format when Halo Reach launches this Fall.


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How Elizabeth Holmes Changed Her Style for Trial
Some day, the three-month-long Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial will become fodder not just for the pundits of the tech world, but for historians looking back on how we got to here. It will be a case study in the use of clothing to affect opinion (public and judicial) and, if not to make friends, at least to influence people. Or try to.
When the verdict comes down, the transformation of the wunderkind founder of Theranos from black-clad genius to besuited milquetoast will be an integral part of the story. Did it work, or was it a seemingly transparent effort to play the relatable card? Rarely has there been as stark an example of Before and After.
The reinvention started even before the trial officially began, when Ms. Holmes made her first court appearance in San Jose, Calif., for her arraignment in April.
Gone were her signature black turtlenecks and black slacks; gone the bright red lipstick and blond hair ironed straight as a board or pulled into a chignon. Gone, in other words, was the look immortalized on magazine covers of Fortune, Forbes and Glamour (and, yes, T: The New York Times Style Magazine). The look that inspired a host of ironic imitators at the beginning of her trial. The look that famously referenced both Steve Jobs (but glamorous!) and Audrey Hepburn. The one that tapped into the Silicon Valley myth of the mind beloved of the tech world, in which having a uniform means having more time to think about substantive things rather than clothes.
Instead there was … sartorial neutrality, in the form of a light gray pantsuit and light blue button-down shirt, worn untucked, with baby pink lipstick. She looked more like the college student trying on a grown-up interview look than the mastermind of a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.
By the time opening arguments began in September, the new look had been perfected: a no-name skirt suit (or dress and jacket or pantsuit) in a color so banal as to practically fade into the background. Her hair was set in loose waves around her face, like Christie Brinkley or a contestant on "The Bachelor." Her face masks were light blue and green — the colors of nature. There was not a power heel or a power shoulder in sight. The only part of her outfit that was branded in any way was her diaper bag backpack (her son was born in July), which was from Freshly Picked and costs around $175.
That's not cheap, but it's nothing like the Hermès bag Martha Stewart carried during her 2004 trial for insider trading, which prompted let-them-eat-cake comparisons and became a classic example of what not to wear to court — especially when you are charged with mishandling funds. (On the other hand, when Cardi B appeared in court with her Hermès to reject a plea deal in a misdemeanor assault case, the high-end bag served as a symbolic riposte to the idea that the rapper was a street brawler.)
The net effect of Ms. Holmes's makeover was middle manager or backup secretarial character in a streaming series about masters of the universe (but not her! uh-uh), with the diaper bag functioning as an implicit reminder of her maternal status and family values. In case that accessory wasn't enough, she often entered the courthouse with an actual family member — her mother, her partner — in tow, and a hand to cling to. It was code-switching of the most skillful kind. It was relatable.
One of the stereotypes of Silicon Valley's superstars, after all, is that they are other: speaking in bits, relating to machines more than people; living, literally, in a different reality. When you want a jury to sympathize with your plight, you have to make them imagine themselves in your shoes. Which means, you need to look, if not like them, at least like someone they might know.
As an article in the journal of the American Bar Association put it: "How you dress makes an impact on a jury or judge's attitude about you. The goal is to look appropriate and nonthreatening while not distracting from the case."
The author, Brenda Swauger, advises her clients to avoid bright colors (check) and keep it simple (check) and conservative (check). Gloria Allred, the celebrity lawyer whose clients have included Rachel Uchitel and Bill Cosby's accusers, advises people to dress for court as if it were "church," as she once told The New York Times.
Such images tap into our lizard brain, calling up impressions of power (or lack of it), threat (or not) and agency. Put simply: If in her previous incarnation Ms. Holmes's image was crafted to suggest confidence, control and single-minded, maybe ruthless, pursuit of a goal — and it clearly worked, part of the case made for investors — she is now conveying softness and dependency, so unassertive that, as her defense argued, she would make a perfect target for a man to Svengali her.
(While Ms. Holmes's lawyers described the efforts of Ramesh Balwani, her former boyfriend and Theranos partner, to control what she ate and how she came across, and though they submitted into evidence a text that read "I have molded you," they did not say it was Mr. Balwani who came up with the idea of the black turtleneck. Which suggests that the image-making, at least, was all her own.)
In this, her makeover is like a version 2.0 of the techniques employed by Winona Ryder in her 2002 shoplifting trial, when she wore a Marc Jacobs outfit that made her look like a polite schoolgirl, complete with a Peter Pan collar, as well as assorted discreet knee-length hemlines and headbands; or Anna Sorokin, the society grifter who, in the final days of her 2019 trial, wore sweet baby-doll dresses that practically blared "innocent."
Interesting as they were to watch, however, those strategies didn't prove effective in the end. Both Ms. Ryder and Ms. Sorokin were found guilty. Perhaps Ms. Holmes will have more success. On this, the jury is already out.
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Bugs for Bugs founder and director Dan Papacek has been named winner of the Peter Kenny medal. The award celebrates outstanding contributions to the future of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Dan received the award in recognition of his role in pioneering integrated pest management in Australia and for supporting growers to achieve best practice pest management wth minimal pesticides.
The award was presented by Agriculture minister Bill Byrne and Hilary Kenny, the wife of the late Peter Kenny, at the AgFutures conference in Brisbane last week. Read more in the Queensland Country Life write up.


Size: 7 3/4" x 9 3/4" (197mm x 248mm); Opens out to: 15 1/2" x 9 3/4" (394mm x 248mm). Fourteen leaves on quality board & high gloss varnished throughout Wire-o-bound. Individually wrapped with mailing envelope. This colourful calendar features vibrant images of the Lake District National Park.


For Jérôme and Emmanuelle de Noirmont, working simultaneously on several creative large-scale projects alongside demanding artists emphasised early on the complexity of contemporary art production.
David Mach's Spaceman, a huge sculpture of hangers on display in the Palais Royal gardens in Paris in 2000; the most colossal creation, Jeff Koons's Split-Rocker with live flowering plants, the highlight of the major exhibition La Beauté in Avignon in May 2000 and the artist's most monumental work to date.
With these early experiences and the many that followed in twenty years of gallery management, Jérôme and Emmanuelle de Noirmont today have a unique global expertise that makes Noirmontartproduction a platform for contemporary artistic creation.
Artwork production requires specific human qualities demanding both a high level of psychology and versatile management skills. Working with an artist with an extremely sensitive personality involves entering into his private life, his deepest self and demonstrating the important capacities of listening and connecting with the artist, to approach his creative projects with diplomacy and finesse. These interpersonal skills become even more essential when creating monumental works which are always idealized by the artist as they represent a very spectacular part of his work. Producing a work or a complex artistic project also requires analytical and problem solving skills in order to combine the artistic, technical, economic and administrative challenges associated with such projects. Negotiation skills are also needed to deal with all the different suppliers. Management skills are equally important to handle and coordinate the many different business sectors and professionals, and to secure adequate financing. Always with an unwavering enthusiasm for contemporary creation, this intuitive and professional approach was the strength behind the work of Jérôme and Emmanuelle de Noirmont alongside the gallery's artists for twenty years, and today they offer it to you at the service of your projects.
The growing sophistication of materials and technologies used by artists in their creation, the significant rise in insurance budgets due to the increased valuation of works as well as the promotion and expanding media coverage for exhibitions in order to distinguish themselves internationally, all contribute today to a sharp increase in the budgets of artistic projects. Institutions and event organizers must deal with this exponential need for financing in the rather unfavorable context of a general decrease in financial resources, both public and private. Galleries representing exhibited artists are therefore increasingly being called upon to fill this financial gap and to advance all expenses related to exhibiting their artists. They find themselves, however, with a rising number of projects, keeping in mind that they also have the increasing costs of promoting and marketing these same artists including the participation in international art fairs that is becoming more and more common. An essential part of Noirmontartproduction's activity is to relieve these cultural actors from this stressful burden, putting together a method of financing for each project and taking over all financial responsibility. With strong financial reserves that can be added to if other external contributions are needed, Noirmontartproduction offers the advantage of making a quick and immediately effective decision. All proposed projects are subject to an immediate analysis to determine the cost and to put together, with the sponsor, the most adequate financing solution. Noirmontartproduction is committed to providing all the necessary resources and will consider all types of payment solutions ranging from a commission on the cost of producing a monumental work upon its sale to acquisition possibilities. For exhibition productions without any future resources linked to a sale of works, our expenses will be covered by the financial sponsorships found for the event. In all cases, Noirmontartproduction takes on the financial risk along with its partner.
Making a monumental sculpture such as the creation of a large installation for a major exhibition always involves complex technical requirements for both its construction and its exhibition in a public setting. This complexity is due to the size of the work, its extraordinary nature which raises obvious issues of quality and compatibility of materials, weight, resistance to weather and the elements for outdoor exhibitions as well as its assembly, transport and storage. Added to this are the constraints of an exhibition for the general public which require reinforcing certain technical aspects to ensure complete safety. Given the multitude of contemporary art expression, carrying out such a project entails coordinating very different business sectors and areas of activity including industries, foundries and factories, architects and graphic designers, engineers and IT specialists, scientists and biologists, artisans, sound and audiovisual specialists. It requires integrating their ways of working which are not always compatible and leading them to innovate, sometimes beyond their established skills. Noirmontartproduction is used to working with the most demanding artists as well as with the most novice and offers the opportunity to accompany the artist in carrying out these procedures in order to optimize the overall project regarding the long-lasting quality of the selected materials and technologies as well as their costs and various constraints.
In addition to the boundless enthusiasm always at the service of the artists they represented, Jérôme and Emmanuelle de Noirmont demonstrated for twenty years a high level of professionalism that made their gallery one of the international leaders in contemporary art. Known for their attention to detail, they now propose, as producers, to put this high standard at the service of your projects to ensure a complete and accurate follow-up thus relieving you of any concern, whatever it may be. Legal representation is advised for all productions because of the risks associated with the production of large-scale works, uncertainties about the feasibility of such projects and the diversity of those involved. For this reason, Noirmontartproduction has established a partnership with Mrs Isabelle Nahum-Saltiel, a lawyer specializing in complex legal contracts in the arts, with over fifteen years of high level experience in this field. For any exhibition in a public and outdoor space, we also help you with all administrative procedures related to this type of project concerning all regulations, whether it concerns insurance, security checks, general public access, etc. Thanks to its knowledge of the contemporary art world, Noirmontartproduction can also assist you with media coverage and public relations in promoting the project. Noirmontartproduction offers you a complete and "customized" follow-up for any production or exhibition !


From a young age PJ O'Keeffe had a strong passion for farming and a desire to succeed in the industry. The Kilkenny man grew up on a mixed enterprise farm, consisting of dairy and beef enterprises.
Several years ago, his parents decided to retire from the business. Since then PJ has overseen a major expansion of the operation focusing solely on the dairy enterprise. He has expanded the herd size almost sevenfold – moving from 70 to 480 cows today.
The farm operates on a 3.5LU/ha basis on the grazing platform of partly owned and rented land.
The Callan native has three staff working fulltime on the farm all year with him, while his father and mother also lend a hand on occasion.
Although there are a few pedigree Jersey cows and cross breeds in PJ's herd, he said he'll be choosing high EBI Holstein Friesian bulls going forward because of the better cull cow prices and stronger calves.
"It's nice to be able to offload cows and bull calves when you need to," PJ said, but adding that he found it a nuisance to sell Jersey cattle in the past.
The Callan herd is yet to be scanned, but PJ is hopeful that this will be the most successful breeding season to date.
PJ, 2017 winner of the Macra na Feirme FBD Young Farmer of the Year Award, said that he envisages his herd to be milking 500kg of milk solids on 700kg of meal, taking advantage of the grass-based system.
Weekly grass measurements are carried out on the farm and zero grazing is carried out on the shoulders of the year.
PJ installed a 50-unit Pearson rotary parlour last year, redone the collecting yard and installed a backing gate and also has a drafting gate.
"I could have spared getting all the bells and whistles with the new parlour but they just make life so much easier" he said.