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Magnavox Odyssey 2
Emerson Arcadia 2001
Sega SG-1000
Atari 8-bit / XEGS
TurboGrafx-16 / CD / Duo
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Genesis Reviews A
ATP Tour Championship Tennis
Publisher: Sega (1994)
Reviewed: 2012/9/8
Supports three or more players Cooperative Play
ATP Tennis is the sequel to Wimbledon Championship Tennis (Genesis, 1993), and I wish I knew what ATP stood for. This is a full-featured tennis game. You can create your own player and enter him in a series of tournaments, saving your progress to one of four slots. Or you can dust off your Sega multi-tap for some four-player doubles action. The option menu lets you do things like turn on a ball pointer, toggle automatic replays, and finely adjust the speed of the game. The control scheme offers three types of shots: soft volley (safe), hard volley (risky), and a lob which goes really really high. I was a little disappointed that the six-button controller is not supported in any way. As in real tennis proper positioning is key. Your player will automatically dive for the ball if it's too far away. I like how it's possible to hit the ball into the net or have it bounce off the top of the net - it's a bit of realism missing from most tennis games. There are even double faults and shots that sail out-of-bounds. What kills this game is the fact that the balls seem so dead; they lack bounce. This forces you to play the net all the time, which is not realistic at all. The player models look cheesy, especially the way they gallivant around after winning a point. The courts look good and I like how there are animated line judges and ball girls. The player selection screen features a few familiar faces (McEnroe, Sampras, Lendl), but I've never heard of most of these players (Guy Forget?). The grainy black-and-white photos depicting each player look so bad, it's almost embarrassing. The career mode offers extended replay value, but not being able to save your progress between sets is a deal breaker. One set can last a long time, and this game is hard on your hands. If there's one big selling point for ATP Tennis, it would have to be the four-player mode. My friends had a heck of a lot of fun playing this, and didn't even want to stop. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.
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Save mechanism: Battery
1 to 4 players
If you like this game, try: Wimbledon Championship Tennis (Genesis),
Hot Shots Tennis (Playstation 2), Tennis (Intellivision),
Championship Tennis (Intellivision), Top Spin 3 (Nintendo DS)
Publisher: Flying Edge (1992)
Reviewed: 2017/10/4
Based on a film Contains Halloween themes May contain penguins Caution: May contain bunny rabbits
Although clearly inferior to the SNES edition of Addams Family in terms of graphics and sound, I still find myself gravitating towards this Genesis version. Maybe because it's a little easier? You can rack up plenty of lives, and that's crucial because Addams Family is tough! You play the role of Gomez, but he looks more like John Astin's Gomez from the TV series. The controls are a little slippery but the jumps feel nice and soft. I would like to say the collision detection is forgiving but frankly it's kind of hard to tell when you're taking damage. There are some cool weapons in this game like golf balls you can bounce along the ground and a sword you can poke up or forward. The mansion's "hall of stairs" contains many doors which function as a stage select. Some rooms you get to explore include a conservatory, kitchen, armory, furnace, and game room. You can even explore outdoor areas. What makes the stages hard is how they are jam-packed with weird enemies like rats on unicycles, rabbits wearing sneakers, Jawas, pissed-off tea kettles, and guys riding ostriches a la Joust. Enemies are unpredictable, often changing directions as you're about to pounce. Expect all the obligatory environmental hazards like shooting flames, swinging maces, and spikes. Heck, there's even an ice stage for your troubles - complete with penguins! Vertical spikes are obviously deadly, but why do I take damage while standing on a horizontal one? If you find yourself stuck in this game, look for semi-obstructed on/off switches. Addams Family is a fun little romp but all this random nonsense tends to undermine its macabre spirit. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.
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Our high score: CJS 15100
Save mechanism: password
If you like this game, try: Addams Family, The (Super Nintendo),
Addams Family, The (CD) (Turbografx-16), Great American Golf 2 (Philips CD-i),
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure (Genesis), Saint Sword (Genesis)
Adventures of Batman and Robin, The
Reviewed: 2011/1/17
Cooperative Play Based on a TV show Warning: May contain clowns
Adventures of Batman and Robin boasts sharp graphics, tight controls, and two-player simultaneous action. There's a lot to like, but this game is repetitive to the max! In the first stage our heroes walk down a city street while beating the crap out of clowns that pour out of the woodwork. I like how you can kick while hanging from ledges, and it's cool to toss Bat-a-rangs in a rapid-fire fashion. Actually the game feels more like a shooter than a traditional beat-em-up. But no matter how much damage you inflict, the bad guys keep coming in droves. It feels like you're beating up the same thugs over and over - there must be thousands of them! You'd think that having a partner would help, but in that case the game just throws twice as many thugs your way! Enough already! Had Sega cut the number of villains in half, this would have been a lot better. Still, it's great when you find a skull icon which instantly obliterates every enemy on the screen. The obligatory end-of-stage bosses have life meters that slowly count down from 100, which takes forever. The game is tough and the power-up system is confusing. You can try to play for score, but your score is removed the instant you lose your final life. Buried in this game are many classic Batman foes including the Joker, the Mad Hatter, Two-Face, and Mr. Freeze. The stylish graphics are attractive, with small but well-defined characters and varied scenery. Clever details include alley cats jumping out of trashcans and crooks that get their hats knocked off. With the exception of the obligatory elevator stage (snore), there's plenty to see - especially in the Mad Hatter's Alice In Wonderland-inspired level. Accompanying the action is an intense, pulsating musical score. There's no password option, just six continues. It's a solid action game at its core, but Adventures of Batman and Robin could have used some fine-tuning. My friend Eric and I used an invincibility cheat to beat the game, and it still felt like an ordeal! Despite my complaints however, I do find myself playing this one quite a bit. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.
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Our high score: SLN 63,050
1 or 2 players
If you like this game, try: Batman Vengeance (Playstation 2),
Batman Forever (Super Nintendo), Batman: Dark Tomorrow (Xbox),
Batman (Genesis), Adventures of Batman and Robin, The (Super Nintendo)
Aero the Acro-Bat
Publisher: Sunsoft (1993)
Warning: May contain clowns May contain cheese
I was hard on Aero in my initial review, and that was probably because I was burnt out on all the furry mascot games that proliferated on the Genesis on the heels of Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991). In retrospect however Aero the Acro-Bat is one of the better ones. The opening stage doesn't make the best impression, set in a circus tent with hideous clowns and spikes all over the place. The accordion music sounds like a cross between the circus theme and a "love that chicken from Popeyes" commercial. I was anxious to see what the second stage had in store, so you can imagine how annoyed I was to discover that each stage is five acts long! And that's not even counting the boss and bonus rounds! Despite being a freaking bat Aero cannot fly most of the time. Instead he performs mid-air "drill" attacks to propel him diagonally up or down. Using this attack on moving enemies is tricky and requires good timing. Each stage offers a new objective, from hopping on "star" platforms to jumping through rings to rescuing a girl. I find it confusing how certain columns block your way while others let you pass. I do like how after falling through a series of rings there's a pool of water waiting for you on the bottom. The stages are long but interesting, with plenty of secret areas to discover. Plowing through enemies on a unicycle is fun and you can even fire yourself out of cannons. Just be cautious when calibrating a cannon's power, as there are often spikes lining the ceiling. Aero is fun to play for score thanks to tasty bonus treats like cupcakes, cheese, and hot dogs. I enjoyed the amusement park and creepy museum stages but the "outdoor zone" feels like a Sonic knock-off - especially when you find yourself rolling down hills. A stage select would have been nice, but the convenient cheat code works just as well. Aero the Acro-Bat gets off to a rough start but ultimately it proves its worth. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.
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Our high score: 40,190
If you like this game, try: Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance),
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (Genesis),
Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance), Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS)
Aero the Acro-Bat 2
Seasonal winter fun Rare and Expensive
I wasn't actively pursuing Aero the Acro-Bat 2 until a reader informed me of its wonderful winter stages. He wasn't wrong. There are two snow stages and both are excellent. The game opens with Bell Castle which is pretty fun in its own right. I was surprised how Aero 2 has a much different look and feel than the first game. It's a lot smoother and more stylistic, as if they somehow incorporated the Earthworm Jim (Genesis, 1994) engine. The castle oozes atmosphere with cobwebs, shady corners, and stone windows. Unlike the original game there are no specific objectives - just make it to the exit. Using your drill attacks is more satisfying this time thanks to improved sound effects and less pesky enemies. Interesting new gizmos include bell chains to swing from and gears that fling you across the room. The varied music includes some of that trademark Genesis "rubber band funk". Zone two is where the game really takes off. It almost feels like a bonus stage as you glide up and down hills on a snowboard, jumping ramps and soaring through the air while snagging goodies. That snowy mountain scenery is refreshing! The next stage is nearly as good, albeit a little slushier. This time Aero is trudging through snow caves while fighting little Russian dancers. Additional stages include a psychedelic disco, an underground train, and a dungeon rendered in gorgeous blue and orange tones. A handy password feature is available via the options menu. Aero the Acro-Bat 2 doesn't come cheap, but if you enjoy Genesis platformers you may want to consider breaking your piggybank for this one. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.
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If you like this game, try: Aero the Acro-Bat (Genesis),
Earthworm Jim 2 (Super Nintendo), Earthworm Jim 2 (Genesis),
Earthworm Jim (Super Nintendo), Earthworm Jim (Genesis)
Afterburner II
Reviewed: 2011/11/13
My friend Chris once described Afterburner as "Outrun in the sky", and I think that's a great description. Afterburner 2 compares favorably with its Sega CD and 32X counterparts, although you'd expect those to be far more advanced. The action begins with your plane firing up its engines on an impressive-looking aircraft carrier named the "Sega Enterprise". Once airborne you view the action from behind your plane as bushes, rocks, and towers rush by on the ground below. Enemy planes scale in from the distance, but targeting them is tough because your plane turns on an arc, making it hard to line up your crosshairs. When a digitized voice yells "fire!" it means you're "locked on" and should unleash a guided missile. Resist the urge to fire these with reckless abandon because they're limited in supply. If you use them up, you'll have to wait for a refueling plane which appears every few stages. Afterburner 2's odd control scheme uses A button to speed up, C to slow down, and B to fire missiles. Your speed doesn't really come into play until the later waves when enemies start riding your tail. Your machine guns fire automatically, which makes sense from a practical standpoint but seems a little cheesy. Your guided missiles are followed by a plume of gray smoke, but the chaotic visuals make it hard to enjoy your kills. The action is choppy and the gameplay tends to boil down to unleashing a series of shots and then weaving side-to-side like crazy to avoid the incoming barrage. When your plane begins smoking and burrows into the ground, you won't even know what hit you. The scenery is less than spectacular but the color schemes are extremely attractive, especially in the snow and night stages. The audio features the distinctive Afterburner theme, but it's fuzzy. Overall Afterburner 2 nails the frantic arcade style it was shooting for, but comes up short in terms of playability. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.
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Recommended variation: Easy w/ cnts
Our high score: CJS 4,747,780
If you like this game, try: Afterburner (Sega Master System),
Afterburner (Sega 32X), Mission X (Intellivision),
Warbirds (Lynx), Missile War (Arcadia 2001)
Air Buster
Publisher: Kaneko (1991)
Cooperative Play This game is a hidden gem
Once you get past the goofy title, it's easy to get hooked on this riveting side-scrolling shooter. Its basic formula is unremarkable as you blast pods, jets, and mechanical beasts over cities, through caverns, and in space. It seems strictly by-the-numbers, but there are enough original touches to give Air Buster some personality. Shooting special canisters cause weapon icons to spring forth, and these include six-way shots, missiles, rear shots, or a revolving gun turret. With enough skill you can scoop up a specific icon before it falls off the screen. Stage two offers a nice change of pace with high-speed tunnel chase sequences that challenge you to avoid collision with the walls. It helps if you can snag the "bumper" power-up which provides a layer of protection above and below. An excellent two-player simultaneous mode allows players to compete against each other or strive for highest combined score. I didn't pursue Air Buster for many years because I heard it was simply the Genesis version of Aero Blasters (Turbografx-16, 1990). While that's technically true, there are enough differences between the two games that shooter fans will want both. The graphics are more detailed in this Genesis version, beginning with a more elaborate opening sequence. Each stage not only boasts additional background detail, but there are some new obstacles in the foreground as well. The colors are extremely vibrant - sometimes to a fault. The bright red screen near the end of the first stage is hard on the eyes! The Genesis version is much more difficult, not because the enemies are different but because the action moves faster. I noticed that some bosses require slightly different tactics to defeat. The soundtrack is much richer on the Genesis, and the sound effects pack a lot more punch. This version seems more fine-tuned, as pesky enemies are easier and your missiles are all guided. An extra screen appears between each stage, but it doesn't serve much of a purpose except to delay the action. On the surface the Genesis version seems to have the edge, but my friend Chris insists the Turbografx edition has cleaner visuals and better playability. Whatever the case, both will satisfy your urge for some arcade shooting fun. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.
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Our high score: 123,900
If you like this game, try: Aero Blasters (Turbografx-16),
Raiden Trad (Super Nintendo), Raiden (Turbografx-16),
Sinistron (Turbografx-16), Punch-Out!! (NES)
Air Diver
Grade: D-
Publisher: Seismic (1990)
Air Diver's instruction manual paints a grim picture. Apparently the entire world has been taken hostage! The 32-page manual had me bracing for a sophisticated flight simulator but in fact this is an arcade shooter like Afterburner II (Genesis, 1990). It even has the same three-button control scheme. The cockpit consumes more than 50% of the screen but most of those indicators are just for decoration. The steering is strange. You can't turn more than 45 degrees yet you can perform a vertical loop. The scenery looks terrible. It's just a hodgepodge of islands flashing across the bottom in a seizure-inducing manner. Is my plane flying sideways?! Enemy craft don't as much scale into view as suddenly appear, so you need to be quick to launch your lock-on missiles. The cannon is pretty worthless but I still use it on the off-chance I'll shoot something by accident. Enemy planes disappear from the screen as fast as they appear, so the dogfighting aspect leaves much to be desired. If an enemy locks onto you from behind, perform a vertical loop to turn the tables and place him ahead of you. Sweet! As far as avoiding incoming missiles, I tend to go buck wild and hope for the best. When you go down in flames you won't know what hit you anyway. Air Diver is marginally playable once you get a feel for it, but its cat-and-mouse boss encounters are a pain in the ass. And once you think you've prevailed, some huge anime robot consumes the screen and obliterates you. I enjoyed the music of Air Diver (early Cure?) and the stage select is nice. Then I made the mistake of playing the actual game. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.
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If you like this game, try: Afterburner II (Genesis),
Galaxy Force (Sega Master System), B-17 Bomber (Intellivision),
Flight Simulator II (Atari XEGS), Afterburner III (Sega CD)
Publisher: Virgin Games (1993)
May contain monkeys Based on a film
While watching the 1992 movie I was mesmerized by Aladdin's fantastic visuals. Likewise, this video game really pushed the state of the art. Its gorgeous backgrounds and fluid animation make this platformer a showcase title for the system. Our hero exhibits the same distinctive mannerisms as in the film, and his little monkey companion is adorable. It's fun to watch Aladdin leap between canopies in the marketplace, scale ruins in the desert, and whisk through volcanic caves on a magic carpet. I love riding those magic ropes that take off like bottle rockets! The artistic scenery is practically painted on the screen, and the deep blue hues of the dungeon stage are especially appealing. The sense of humor from the film carries over as well, with enemies that lose their pants and camels that spit when you hop on their hump. Aladdin plays nearly as well as it looks. An all-in-one-instruction screen tells you pretty much everything you need to know at a glance. The sword-fighting action is fun but sometimes you'll absorb a mandatory hit or two, so remember to throw apples to avoid close combat. It's hard to tell when you're taking damage, so it may come as a shock when you suddenly keel over. The lack of a password is disappointing, but this is one well-crafted adventure you probably won't mind restarting from the beginning. Like the film, Aladdin is an exuberant joyride that's extremely easy on the eyes. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.
Find Aladdin on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Aladdin (Super Nintendo),
Sword of Fargoal (Commodore 64), Aladdin (Game Gear),
Toki (Lynx), Dungeon (Atari 2600)
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Grade: D+
If Alex Kidd was Sega's answer to Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1984) they came up well short. Super Mario always had an innocent quality but Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle comes off as cheesy. The main character is some kind of monkey-boy who can punch and execute a fairly worthless jump-kick. The opening stage takes place in a neighborhood with houses, cars, and trees rendered with colorful simplicity. Alex later explores forests, prairies, pyramids, and underwater areas. He'll battle cars, fish, scorpions, dung beetles, and even Jason from Friday the 13th. More often than not however Alex takes out his aggression on innocent wildlife like sea turtles, eagles, and prairie dogs. Who punches a prairie dog? Alex can bust through circular "blocks" to access shiny chests loaded with money. Cash is used to gamble against a blue gorilla in a game of Janken, otherwise known as "rock-paper-scissors". Why this is played on a stage in front of an animal audience I have no idea. I recommend you play early and often, as you can win fun items like a helicopter, pogostick, motorcycle, or fireball power-up. Experimenting with vehicles and special items are what makes the game worthwhile. The rock-paper-scissors mini-game is also used for boss battles, believe it or not. The stages are short but there are plenty of chests to open and hidden areas to discover. On the downside, there's no score and the happy-go-lucky music will get on your nerves. Alex Kidd is no Mario, but I think there's something to be said for its back-to-basics style. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.
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Our high score: 2020
If you like this game, try: Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Sega Master System),
Super Mario All-Stars (Super Nintendo), Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES),
Super Paper Mario (Wii), New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS)
Publisher: Arena (1992)
Based on a film
I thought for sure that Alien 3 would be just like the SNES version, which had superb graphics but lackluster gameplay. Fortunately, the Genesis version is everything the SNES game should have been. There's no complicated maps or tedious missions here, just explosive arcade action! The graphics and sound don't measure up to the SNES version, with cartoonish characters and the music that's more upbeat than ominous. But in terms of pure gameplay this is far superior. Each stage is a maze of rooms connected by tubes and ladders. Your job is to rescue all the prisoners and exit before time runs out. You can switch between several weapons including a machine gun, flamethrower, grenade launcher and hand grenades. Each weapon is effective in certain situations, and the action is fast and exciting. The aliens look terrific, and I love how they scream and splatter when shot. I do have a few complaints however. First, it's never clear where the so-called "exit" is located, which can be frustrating. Next, there are times when the aliens seem impossible to avoid, so you'll take some mandatory hits. While the controls are decent overall, squatting down to fire low can be problematic. But these are minor issues. All in all, the fast pace and arcade style of Alien 3 makes the game hard to put down. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.
Find Alien 3 on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
Our high score: 237690
If you like this game, try: Alien 3 (Super Nintendo),
Alien Brigade (Atari 7800), Alien Syndrome (Sega Master System),
Alien (Atari 2600), Alien Trilogy (Playstation)
Alien Storm
Alien Storm is a ho-hum side-scroller that lets you gleefully fry waves of invading aliens. The three playable characters include a man and woman decked out in cheesy superhero costumes and a robot who looks like Ultraman's uncle. Your weapons are short-range "fire blazers" that aren't particularly effective. And when I say short range, we're talking five feet! With firepower this weak, you'd be better off bludgeoning the creeps with the butt of your gun! The urban locations are forgettable, but the aliens are disgusting enough. They tend to have this nasty habit of gnawing on your head. Not cool! Alien Storm is a real button masher, so you'd be wise to enable the rapid-fire option on the menu screen. Your character also has an evasive roll and a limited special attack which inflicts damage to all the baddies on the screen. The gameplay is rinse-and-repeat all the way, and the bosses take forever to kill. The game's saving grace is its frantic bonus stages. There are some fast-paced running sequences and first-person shooting stages that let you blast the hell out of alien-infested stores. It's actually more fun to destroy the items on the shelves - especially those oversized boom-boxes. Without these bonus stages, the monotony of this game might be unbearable. I should also mention that the game is very short and easy. I'm all for games that can be completed in one sitting, but the first sitting?! Alien Storm is mildly amusing for a while, but it quickly wears on you and there's not a lot of replay value. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.
Find Alien Storm on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
Our high score: 34
If you like this game, try: Alien Syndrome (Sega Master System),
Alien Brigade (Atari 7800), Contra III The Alien Wars (Super Nintendo),
Solar Storm (Atari 2600), Demon Attack (Odyssey 2)
Alisia Dragoon
Publisher: Game Arts (1992)
The Genesis library is loaded with fine side-scrollers, but Alisia Dragoon is a breed apart. This is a truly gorgeous adventure with rich graphics, an elegant soundtrack, and captivating gameplay. You play the role of a sorceress who casts lightning from her fingertips. With a push of a button you unleash multiple bolts that automatically latch onto enemies. It's especially fun to effortlessly pick off insects as they fly on to the screen. If you wait for your lightning to fully charge, you can unleash a 360-degree attack. As if that wasn't enough, you get a flying sidekick! You can select between several, including a baby dragon, a flying lizard, and a ball of fire. It's a neat idea but frankly these creatures are pretty lame! They aren't much help and tend to die off early. Your enemies don't go down nearly as easy, so weapon power-ups are critical. These are often hidden, so explore each stage thoroughly. I love the look of this game. The layered backdrops convey a fantasy world with posh temples, stormy swamps, and ...massive airships? Why is it that games set in medieval times always have an obligatory airship level? There's no score, but when your game is over you're presented with a statistical breakdown and rank. Uh, what kind of rank is "electric slime"? Isn't that the dance all the ladies get up and do at weddings? I like Alisia Dragoon. It's a classy 16-bit platform-shooter that's like nothing else I've played. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.
Find Alisia Dragoon on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn),
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (Saturn), Slime World, Todd's Adventures in (Lynx),
Pitfall 2 (Atari 5200), Spyro the Dragon (Playstation)
May contain graveyards May contain pigs
Altered Beast is a bizarre side-scroller where you battle legions of monsters and with the help of power-ups, can transform into a monster yourself. It's hard to believe this was the first Genesis pack-in game, considering how dark and violent it is. There's a great deal of blood and flying limbs. Powering up as quickly as possible is the key to winning. A transformation screen shows your character turning into a powerful monster such as a werewolf, dragon, or bear. They didn't have morphing technology in 1988, but it still looks cool. Levels range from a cool graveyard to some boring caverns (yawn). The bosses take forever to beat. The digitized voices sound terribly muffled and the collision detection is questionable at times. Two players can fight simultaneously, but the screen tends to get crowded because the characters are large. One particularly bizarre aspect is the charging pigs, many of which contain power-ups. Okay, they're supposed to be two-headed wolves, but they sure look like pigs to me. I like Altered Beast, but it's hardly a game that will appeal to the masses. Hint: Hold down A when pressing Start to resume play at the last level you were on. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.
Find Altered Beast on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Altered Beast Guardian of the Realms (Game Boy Advance),
Dark Chambers (Atari 7800), Pooyan (Atari 2600),
War of the Monsters (Playstation 2), Golden Axe: Beast Rider (Xbox 360)
Aquatic Games Starring James Pond
Publisher: Electronic Arts (1992)
What a dog this is! I didn't think EA was capable of making anything this bad, but now I'm a believer! Aquatic Games is meant to be a light-heartened Olympics-style game. Among the aquatic creatures that participate is EA's not-so-popular fish character James Pond. I've always been a big fan of Track and Field style games, so I had some hope for this. Unfortunately, my hope evaporated once I tried a few of the "events", which have all the entertainment value of being kicked in the crotch over and over again. The first alarm went off when I realized that despite the fact that this is a four-player game, there is NO simultaneous play! Four players just take turns watching each other play, which is completely unacceptable considering EA created that nifty four-player adapter for the Genesis. And the events are just AWFUL! There are a few button-tapping running games, but the single CPU-controlled opponent is rarely on the screen. At least these are mercifully short. Other events go on and on long after you've lost interest. In one particular event you have to deflect beach balls away from some sleeping seals, and if the repetitive action wasn't bad enough, the event goes on for THREE minutes. Without a doubt these were the three longest minutes of my entire life. In another "event" you bounce up and down on sponges for three minutes while performing simple flips. In this one, I kept killing myself hoping it would end the event early, but to no avail. You'd think that of the eight events, I would at least have found one to be somewhat enjoyable. But no - I absolutely HATED every last one of them! Aquatic Games is an exercise in misery - easily one of the worst games I've ever played on my Genesis. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.
Find Aquatic Games Starring James Pond on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Nagano Winter Olympics 98 (Playstation),
Track and Field II (NES), Track and Field (NES),
Track & Field (Atari 2600), Salt Lake 2002 (Playstation 2)
Arch Rivals
Publisher: Acclaim (1992)
Great head-to-head action
While playing Arch Rivals it dawned on me that this was the direct precursor to NBA Jam (SNES, 1993). This fast-paced, two-on-two basketball slugfest is completely over the top. You can shove your opponents to the ground, run down the court, and shatter the backboard with a dunk. All that's missing is an NBA license, which admittedly is a pretty big deal. Without it you're left with a motley crew of fictional players. Resist the temptation to take that Dennis Rodman look-alike because he's slow as molasses. Despite its arcade stylings the graphics in Arch Rivals lack pizzazz. The players are rendered with a cheesy black outline and the crowd is sparse. Still, the game is highly playable and the ball moves so fast the camera struggles to keep up! You only directly control one of your players but can prompt your CPU partner to pass or shoot. Knocking over opponents is fun and you can even tackle them! Breaking the backboard would be more spectacular if it weren't so easy. Those things must be constructed from the same material as Sega Saturn cases. After each score there's a brief cut-scene of a cheerleader, coach, or referee. You can skip them with a button press but they become irritating and interrupt the flow of the game. Likewise the static-y voice samples ("put it up!", "I'm open!") are abrasive. During the halftime show the cheerleaders strike some provocative poses! Each quarter is four minutes, which sounds reasonable but is actually way too long. When playing a friend, do yourselves a favor and agree to just play a half. It's a little rough but you can't deny Arch Rivals is fun. This is one game that will appeal to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.
Find Arch Rivals on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: NCAA Basketball (Super Nintendo),
NBA Jam 99 (Nintendo 64), Slam and Jam (Saturn),
Barkley Shut Up and Jam (Genesis), NBA Jam (Super Nintendo)
Ariel the Little Mermaid
May contain sharks Suitable for children May contain pirates Seasonal summer fun
It seems like every platform game has that obligatory underwater stage where everything slows to a crawl, pushing your patience to the limit. Well, in Little Mermaid, every stage is like that! Joy! I tend to enjoy 16-bit Disney titles like Aladdin, the Lion King, and Jungle Book, but the lack of quality here is glaring. Each level is an uninspired treasure hunt. Blame the water currents all you want, but the controls are just plain lousy. At the very least you'd expect that fluid Disney animation to shine through, but the choppiness of this game hurts my eyes. Pat, can I buy a frame of animation? Ariel's about as agile as a nuclear sub, and less graceful than Lindsay Lohan after a night of clubbing. And probably less responsive as well! The levels incorporate reefs, pirate ships, and ruins, but each is just a sprawling underwater maze. Ariel's abrupt turns make it agonizingly difficult to navigate the narrow, craggy passages. The goal of each stage is to locate and rescue "mer-people", which look like little green worms until you touch them, causing them to transform. Electric eels pop out and snip at you without warning and fat sharks mindlessly swim back and forth. Aerial can fire musical notes, but they're weak. I hate how after you shatter a skeleton, touching an individual bone inflicts damage. A helpful map is available via the start button, but waiting for it to "unroll" across the screen is annoying. Sometimes you complete a level but the game won't let you exit for no apparent reason. Bosses exhibit no signs of damage as you pelt them, leaving you to wonder if you're doing the right thing. There's no password and no score - despite the fact that point values appear on the screen for killing certain creatures. The one redeeming aspect of this game is its pleasant steel drum music. The Little Mermaid is one of those games that sucks from the minute you begin playing and never stops. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.
Find Ariel the Little Mermaid on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600),
Sub Hunt (Intellivision), In The Hunt (Saturn),
Worms Forts Under Siege (Xbox), Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (Playstation)
Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf
Arnold Palmer is an arcade-style golf game with bright graphics, catchy music, and simple controls. The left side of the screen shows an overhead map of the hole while the right side shows an over-the-shoulder view. Your caddie is a cute blonde chick in a short shirt. Wait - are you telling me the game made her carry my bag around?! That golf bag is bigger than she is! To be fair, in two player mode a male caddy lugs the clubs for a female player. The holes are rendered in layers from distant to close, and at first it looks like you're standing on the edge of a gaping chasm! You need to page through a series of small windows to check the wind, lie, stance, and club. Is all that really necessary? Why isn't the distance to the hole displayed? Why must I always select my own club? Now I'm starting to realize how that caddy got her job! The swing meter is a little confusing. You hit a button to start it, and if you don't hit it again before it reaches the top, it resets. The fairways tend to be narrow and sand traps attract balls like moths to a porch lamp! The greens tend to be pretty small, but you have to have a really soft touch or the ball will roll right over the hole. After nine holes there's a little "coffee break" animation featuring a Playboy bunny! You don't see that kind of silliness in games anymore. Once you get into a groove you can knock out a round in well under 30 minutes. The background music sounds like it belongs in a 2D shooter, but I love it! If it doesn't appeal to you, you can toggle between three other tunes or just shut it off altogether. The tournament mode offers a password featuring mixed capital and lowercase letters (oh dear). Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf is one of the fastest golf games around and also one of the more addictive. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.
Find Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Golf (Atari 2600),
Golf (NES), PGA Golf (Intellivision),
Mean 18 (Atari 7800), Golf (Arcadia 2001)
Arrow Flash
Publisher: Renovation (1990)
Arrow Flash is not one of the more impressive Genesis shooters, but it has its moments. The upbeat opening theme immediately reminded me of Kim Wilde's hit single "Keep me Hangin' On". After that, things settle down. Better shooters try to wow you from the start, but Arrow Flash makes you sleepy. Not only do enemies approach in repetitive patterns, there are inexplicable lulls between waves! There's not much to see as you fly over layers of gray clouds. The music has spirit, but the sound effects lack punch. I nearly fell into a coma before being jolted by a flashing "OUT OF DANGER" message. Huh? Apparently that's the game's way of telling you a cut scene is starting. At this point the action stops as a giant space cruiser slowly falls from the sky and plunges into the ocean below. A little splashing would have made it look more convincing, but I do like how the flames disappear and the hull turns blue as the ship cools off. Arrow Flash finally gains some traction in stage two, which ratchets up the difficulty and offers better variety. Once you power-up your blasters and shields you can really get into a zone. Sadly, taking one hit reduces you back to the 'ole pea shooter (doh!). The A button allows you to toggle forms between a mech robot and a streamlined space ship, each of which offers a slightly different special attack. I don't think it adds as much strategy as it intended to. The options menu offers a rapid-fire feature, and you'd be absolutely insane not to use it. Arrow Flash is one of those run-of-the-mill shooters that serves its purpose but fails to leave a lasting impression. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.
Find Arrow Flash on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Ocean City Defender (Atari 2600),
Thunder Spirits (Super Nintendo), M.U.S.H.A. (Genesis),
Strikers 1945 Plus (MVS) (Neo Geo), Mobile Suit Gundam (Japan) (Arcadia 2001)
Atomic Runner
Publisher: Data East (1992)
This game is a hidden gem Arthur Award for Extreme Difficulty Rare and Expensive
Though its lame title conjures visions of abstract mazes, Atomic Runner is really an action-packed rapid-fire platformer. You control a small spaceman running on a constantly-scrolling screen blasting spiders, anteaters, dragons, and orcs armed with shields. Your weapons positively kick ass, ranging from laser beams to spinning spikes to homing missiles. Your shooting angles are limited to straight ahead and diagonal, but performing a somersault will let you fire in random directions. You can also pounce on most enemies. It's possible to turn around and fire at enemies approaching from the rear but the default controls for doing so are awkward. An options menu offers several control alternatives but frankly I never felt comfortable with firing in reverse. When your guy dies he gyrates and performs "jazz hands". The stage designs are terrific, featuring architecture from ancient Egyptian, Aztec, and Mayan civilizations. The colorful, artistic backdrops call to mind modern platformers like Little Big Planet (PS3, 2008) and Puppeteer (PS3, 2013). The Mayan pyramids in a sea of lava are quite a sight, but it's the modern stage with the spectacular nighttime city skyline that takes the cake. The music is pretty good despite the random grunt samples which struck me as odd. I had so much fun playing Atomic Runner it made me wonder how I could have missed it after all these years. Retro gaming is a hobby that just keeps on giving. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.
Find Atomic Runner on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
Recommended variation: easy
If you like this game, try: Happy Trails (Intellivision),
Zed Blade (Neo Geo), Piece O' Cake (Atari 2600),
Dragon Wang (Sega SG-1000), Mega Turrican (Genesis)
Awesome Possum
Publisher: Tengen (1993)
Of all the attempts to rip-off Sonic the Hedgehog, Awesome Possum may be the most blatant offender. I can only imagine what those early design discussions at Tengen were like. "Hey, we need a new video game character! What marsupial hasn't been taken yet?" We just can't get enough of those small, furry mammals can we? Apparently we can, because Awesome Possum's unlikability quotient is off the charts! This scrawny little rodent is one seriously ugly bastard, and his grainy, high-pitched voice spews all sorts of idiotic nonsense like "I'm awesome!", "I'm so cool!", and "Don't pollute!" Just hearing that last line makes me want to run out and pour motor oil into the nearest stream! And whenever you hear his maniacal laugh, you'll want to reach into the TV and beat the living [expletive] out of that unappealing SOB. The game looks bad in general. Foreground objects are sloppy and grainy, and the backgrounds look dark and muddy. The framerate is so choppy you'll want to divert your eyes, and the level design is infuriating. In one stage you'll whiz through a series of tunnels only to be tossed into a set of elevated buzz saws! Your adversaries include chainsaw-toting gray robots which can be defeated by Awesome's patented spin attack. And when I say patented, I mean patented by Sonic of course. Awesome Possum is woefully unoriginal, which is also evident in the derivative rainforest, underwater, and ice stages. The background music is a few notches below Casio keyboard quality, and the muffled sound effects are grating. Between stages you're presented with trivia questions which make little or no sense. Awesome Possum is one platformer that should only be played out of morbid curiosity - don't expect to derive any degree of enjoyment. Heck, Awesome even makes that lame-ass Bubsy look cool by comparison! © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.
Find Awesome Possum on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
If you like this game, try: Bubsy: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (Genesis),
Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Playstation 2), Bubsy (Jaguar),
Sonic Mega Collection (GameCube), Condor Attack (Atari 2600)
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
Ayrton Senna is my favorite Formula One driver of all time, and this game was released not long before his tragic death. Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II has a slightly different feel than Super Monaco GP (Sega, 1990). There's more speed and as a result the laps are shorter. The tracks are generally flat but sometimes undulate slightly. This game is more forgiving than the first, so if you drift off the track you probably won't crash. The sound effects have been remastered to deliver more oomph, for better or worse. There's a lot more bass and I love the sound of your car speeding through a tunnel. The engines sound a little harsh however, and my friend Brent mentioned it sounded like he was racing in a beehive! The voice samples are clearer but so brief you can barely catch them (what did he say?). The arcade mode (Senna GP) offers three tracks to select from, which seems like an improvement. Two are fairly dull however, and the lack of position limits takes away some of the suspense. The World Championship mode is where this game shines. You can select from beginner or expert difficulties. There's an interesting variety of tracks with digitized scenery, including a rainy track in Brazil. I love the effect of water spraying off the tires. You can save your progress to six battery-backed save slots. My cartridge contained some pre-existing saves with names like Ass-h***, Ass-f***, and Old Bastard. Stay classy, gamers! The game lacks babes but there are plenty of digitized images of Senna. Super Monaco GP II feels less arcade-like than the first game, but probably has more long-term replay value. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.
Find Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II on eBay, Amazon, YouTube
Recommended variation: GP
Our high score: 2'17"63
If you like this game, try: Super Monaco GP (Genesis),
Super Monaco GP (Game Gear), GP World (Sega SG-1000),
F-1 Formula One World Grand Prix (Nintendo 64), Marine Fishing (Dreamcast)
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September 2016 – with Shura Ford as expert contributor.
If it's taking a bit longer than expected to conceive, it can be difficult to know where to turn.
Coach speaks to experts in a variety of fields including acupuncturist and herbalist Shura Ford to find out how they go about treating couples wanting to start a family.
Whilst Chinese medicine does not directly treat fertility Shura Ford says Chinese medicine practitioners counsel patients to engage in healthy lifestyle practices.
"Chinese medicine can only do so much to enhance health if underlying health and lifestyle issues contributing to fertility aren't addressed. There needs to be a good foundation of health for conception to be successful," she says.
Chinese medicine practitioners use acupuncture, herbs or a combination of the two to bring balance to the body. Treatment involves feeling your pulse and looking at your tongue to establish patterns of disharmony in the body.
"Struggles with fertility are very emotionally taxing and regular acupuncture can help patients cope with the associated stress".


text:
Q: jquery template create new row every nth item data from server structured like:
  var projects= [
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 1,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 2,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 3,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 4,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 5,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 6,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 1',
          hours: 7,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 1,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 2,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 3,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 4,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 5,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 6,
        },
        {
          name: 'project 2',
          hours: 7,
        }
    ];

With jquery template how do I created a table with a new row every 7th item?
I want to format like

project 1
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    hours 3
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    project 2
    hours 1
    hours 2
    hours 3
    hours 4
    hours 5
    hours 6
    hours 7

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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Film Review Online
Home Film Puss in Boots – Director Chris Miller on the blessing of Guillermo...
Puss in Boots – Director Chris Miller on the blessing of Guillermo del Toro
Judy Sloane
Oct 28th, 2011 @ 8:00 am EDT
Puss in Boots - Director Chris Miller and Antonio Banderas attend the Miami premiere aboard Royal Caribbean's "Allure of the Seas" on October 16, 2011 © 2011 DreamWorks Animation, Photo by Gustavo Caballero / Getty
Chris Miller joined DreamWorks Animation in 1998 as a story artist on the studio's first animated comedy Antz. He went on to work as a story artist on the Academy Award winning Shrek, and followed that by serving as head of story on the blockbuster Shrek 2, directing Shrek the Third.
Chris now helms the spin-off from the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots, who is once again voiced by Antonio Banderas. Spotlighting his life before he met Shrek, the story follows the feline who has become an outlaw through the deception of his best friend, Humpty Dumpy (voiced by Zach Galifianakis). But with the helped of Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and Humpty, Puss attempts to clear his name and save his village.
When Puss in Boots made his first appearance in Shrek 2 did you ever imagine him having his own movie?
Poster © 2011 Dreamworks
Puss in Boots was such an important part of the success of Shrek 2. I felt it was only a matter of time before he broke out on to his own.
He's such an appealing character, and it was clear that this guy needed his own tale told. I just gravitated towards that cat – this little package came with such a history behind him, you knew that there were endless stories and adventures. I always wanted to know, 'Okay, what's your deal? Where'd you get the accent?'
More importantly, where did you get the awesome boots?
What was it like directing Antonio as Puss?
Sometimes it's hard to tell Antonio and Puss in Boots apart. But one thing's for sure, one could not exist without the other, because Antonio brings such passion to the role.
This tiny little creature should have, you would think, a squeaky voice – but out of his mouth comes this deep sound. There's some real humor created in the juxtaposition of the two. Here's this great actor with a massive voice, and he's voicing this cute, furry animal.
How was it shooting this in 3D?
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Director Chris Miller © 2011 DreamWorks Animation
It was really clear from the beginning that this was a movie best presented in 3D, and only 3D, and so we really took advantage of some great opportunities.
There's this sequence where they plant the magic beans, and the script calls for this great storm that comes down, this huge tornado, that sends energy down into the bean, that then shoots up into this ever-growing beanstalk, which extends beyond the solar system and up into the land of the giants.
That makes for these great, energetic scenes of incredible action, that suddenly become these quiet moments, that feature rich detail in the frame, with amazing depth and scale – these tiny characters wondering at the universe. C'mon, now that's 3D!
What input did Guillermo del Toro as Executive Producer have on the movie?
Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro © 2011 DreamWorks Animation
Having Guillermo tied to the film was a real blessing. I had just been reading in the trades he wasn't working on The Hobbit. And that really bummed me out because I wanted to see whatever dark twisted version of that film he was going to make, and then a few hours later I saw that he was coming to DreamWorks.
I had an opportunity to pitch him the story, show him some artwork, and he was definitely attracted to it. Also, it just so happened we were screening the movie for the studio the next day so we invited him and he saw it and he really gravitated toward it and fell in love with it and said, 'Can I be a part of this movie?'
He became an executive producer and really became a creative force for us.
We'd bring him in once a month or every six weeks and show him the artwork, a sequence in editorial, character and story, and he was great. He pushed us and encouraged us to make the movie more fantastic. [He was] a real blessing and great producer too.
What is the secret to directing this type of film?
One of the animators at work © 2011 DreamWorks Animation
There's no secret. It's all filmmaking and storytelling. We start with a really bold, dynamic, colorful, romantic character, larger than life, and everything springs off of what Antonio created. It's a reflection of his character.
One thing I love about the character of Puss in Boots is how seriously he takes himself. How melodramatic he can be at times, which I think is a great source of comedy for the character. Talking to Antonio when we started, he thought it was important to take something precious from him and give him a journey.
As funny as the film is and as beautiful as the film is I think it's that journey, that personal dramatic story of redemption, revenge, betrayal and brotherhood, that's what's going to make the film special.
Can you talk about the spaghetti western influence in the movie?
Director Chris Miller and Salma Hayek at the Miami premiere © 2011 DreamWorks Animation
The Sergio Leoni vibe the film has, it's part of the fabric. It's a very legendary epic movie and took cues from classic cinematic figures. Actually, it's more Clint Eastwood than Sergio Leoni. But there's also a bit of Indiana Jones and James Bond in there, and some Zorro and Errol Flynn.
Once again, the characters are so dynamic; the 3D lends itself to his world. For scale and depth it really helped inform the action scenes knowing we had that tool. I think 3D looks beautiful in the film. It's really special and the film is best seen in 3D, without a doubt. The story plays well in that format. We had some great people working on it.
I love animation. As an approach to storytelling, it feels like the possibilities are limitless – you have the ability to create an entirely different universe with zero limitations. And I like that idea. But animation, or live-action, it all comes down to how well you tell a story, and how well an audience can connect with the characters.
Antz
Guillermo Del-Toro
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text:
Shayne Looper: Who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be
By Shayne Looper More Content Now
Dec 30, 2014 at 12:17 PM Dec 30, 2014 at 12:22 PM
On Dec. 9, a Senate Select Committee issued a report on CIA interrogation methods that focused on the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques." The report was clearly flawed. Nevertheless, it brought to the light a policy that all Americans should denounce.
According to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who served on the committee, the interrogation process failed on five major points. First, the program was conceived by people who had never met a terrorist and was conducted along the lines of untested theories of interrogation.
Secondly, the people performing the enhanced interrogation techniques lacked the necessary linguistic skills, interrogation training and real-life experience to know whether the process was working.
Thirdly, senior officials failed to provide sufficient oversight for the program, which was fraught with the personal and financial conflicts of those involved.
Fourthly, and most disturbingly, the techniques used were brutal. The acronym "EIT," despite Dick Cheney's denials, means nothing more or less than torture.
Finally, the quality of the intelligence gained from the ruthless treatment of detainees was suspect, and claims that it prevented further attacks or saved Americans' lives are doubtful.
To someone who grew up watching old war movies in which the Americans acted with honor, regardless of the ruthlessness of their enemies, the report is deeply distressing. As a follower of Jesus, I find it simply appalling.
Freezing a man to death, threatening to rape and murder a detainee's children, placing a man in a coffin-sized box for 11 days, and perpetrating other acts of torture — in one case on a man later discovered to have been wrongfully accused — these are not the kind of things that Americans do. They are certainly not things a Christ-follower can approve.
Some people have argued that, while excessive, these methods were necessary to protect innocent lives. But how do we know that? Even the director of the CIA cannot say that these techniques provided life-saving intelligence that could not have been otherwise obtained.
And even if it did, are we willing to corrupt our character and stain our national honor to obtain that information? Are we willing to become the kind of people we deplore?
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., himself a victim of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, put it this way: "The main reason to oppose its use ... isn't about our enemies; it's about us. It's about who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be. It's about how we represent ourselves to the world."
McCain hit the proverbial nail on the head. It's about who we were, a people who stood, at great cost to themselves, against Nazi brutality. It's about who we are, a nation that promises "liberty and justice for all." And it's about who we aspire to be.
Ah, but who is it that we aspire to be? On that point, I think, there is confusion and a lack of consensus. We no longer share a common vision, one capable of evoking our aspirations. As the biblical proverb rightly warns, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
This lack of an inspiring vision helps explain the bitter partisanship that has crippled our government in recent years. We cannot find common ground on issues of immigration, race and taxes partly because we have no guiding vision of who we want to be. We can't decide on a road because we're not sure where we want to go. There have been calls for a national conversation on these issues, but that conversation keeps turning into a shouting match for just this reason.
Before a national conversation about legislative issues can be productive we need to have a conversation about national aspirations. What kind of nation do we want to be? That may be, in our increasingly pluralistic society, a long and difficult conversation. One thing I hope we can all agree on: we do not want to be the kind of people who resort to torture when we're afraid.
Shayne Looper is the pastor of Lockwood Community Church in Branch County, Michigan. Read more at shaynelooper.com.


text:
Q: dojo drag and drop: don't want to sort items I have a dojo.dnd Source object that I just want to list out normally, without the user being able to sort the objects. Is this possible?

A: You should use selfAccept="false" (and probably copyOnly="true") too in your Source declaration.  That will prevent the user from re-ordering your list.
If you want to prevent items from getting dragged into it, just set the accepts parameter to something that you don't have.
You can see an example of it on dojotoolkit.  Just do a search for selfAccept


text:
Thierry Breton
Europe: The Keys To Sovereignty
News11 September 2020
Europe has made the historic choice of solidarity to face the crisis and finance recovery and reconstruction. While the pandemic has revealed our dependence on products, critical materials and certain value chains, Europe must now take its strategic interests into its own hands in order to ensure sovereignty, which has become a common necessity. In a world where the balance of power between blocs is hardening, the race for autonomy and power is in full swing.
The balance of power between blocs is hardening
Faced with the "technological war" being waged by the United States and China, Europe must now lay the foundations of its sovereignty for the next 20 years. It is not a question of giving in to the temptation of isolation or withdrawal into oneself, which is contrary to our interests, our values and our culture. It is a question of making choices that will be decisive for the future of our fellow citizens by developing European technologies and alternatives, without which there can be neither autonomy nor sovereignty. Mobilised around major projects developed in partnership, Europe has demonstrated in the past that it has the capacity to play a leading role on the world stage. The time has come to take back the common initiative.
Our digital sovereignty rests on 3 inseparable pillars: computing power, control over our data and secure connectivity
At the forefront of the major challenges is our digital sovereignty, which rests on three inseparable pillars: computing power, control over our data and secure connectivity.
Firstly, Europe's capacity to develop and produce the world's most powerful processors, including quantum ones, must be increased without further delay. These microelectronic components underpin most of the key value chains of the future: cars and connected devices, tablets and smartphones, supercomputers and edge computers, artificial intelligence and defence.
In the same vein, it is becoming imperative to have autonomous European clouds that guarantee our companies that their industrial data will not be subject to any third country law and will be protected against external cyber interference.
Finally, in addition to our broadband and 5G networks, we need to think about a constellation of satellites in low orbit to provide all Europeans, wherever they are on the Continent, with broadband connectivity, to do away with white zones and to give Europe access to the level of security offered by space-based quantum cryptology. Such a constellation would usefully complement our sovereign infrastructures Galileo for geo-localisation and Copernicus for observation. This would strengthen Europe, the world's second largest space power.
In terms of security and defence, strengthening technological autonomy is now essential. Europe, through the European Defence Fund, has just taken a new and decisive step forward because it will make it possible to organise European cooperation in key technological projects such as drones, combat aircraft, the European tank, space capabilities and cybersecurity. The latest budget proposal will enable us to generate between €30 and €40 billion of additional collective investment over the next seven years. And to ensure that each Member State feels involved in the defence industries and makes coherent choices of European equipment.
Make Europe the epicentre of "green tech"
On the internal market, sovereignty must also be applied to the spectrum of green technologies and make Europe the epicentre of "green tech". This requires us to strengthen our value chains, diversify our essential supplies and even relocate some production. But also to accelerate the process of industrial decarbonisation and reduce our energy dependency. For example, by giving ourselves the means to achieve European leadership on clean hydrogen. The production of hydrogen by electrolysis is particularly electricity consuming. It will be based on our decarbonated energies (wind and solar power) or on the availability of our decarbonated transition energy (nuclear and hydropower).
Do we have the political will and the means to achieve these ambitions? The answer is yes! For all the sovereignty programmes as a whole, it is an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous budget and even 30% after the departure of the United Kingdom. As regards digital sovereignty alone, the new Digital Europe programme will enable additional investments of more than 20 billion. As for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme, its digital component has practically doubled. In addition to a tenfold increase in resources for defence, research and space are slightly up. One could always hope for more. The European Parliament has the opportunity to decide on this. Moreover, national recovery plans will themselves be able to increase the funding for our major European industrial and infrastructure projects. The crisis has given rise to a Europe of solidarity that is less naïve. A more autonomous, more resilient Europe has a new ambition. We will come back to this.


The school and district data reported on this Web Site were submitted by local school district officials. School superintendents were provided with an opportunity to review and correct summary reports based upon this data. The data reported on this Web Site, therefore, reflect information, including any local corrections, received by the Department by its reporting deadline (January 28, 2000 for secondary-level assessments and January 11, 2000 for middle- and elementary-level assessments). It is possible that district officials have notified the Department of errors in the data that they previously reported after the deadline. Therefore, interested individuals should contact the district to be sure that they have the latest data available.
School reports again are in Adobe® Acrobat® .PDF file format. To access them your computer system must be running Adobe® Acrobat® Reader Version 3.01 or higher. If you do not already have this program, you may wish to retrieve it now. If you are unsure if you have it, try viewing a school report. You can always retrieve the Reader another time.
This page was last updated on August 28, 2000.


Rugged, volcanic and very remote, the three tiny islands of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha dot the South Atlantic like so many bits of flotsam. As Napoleon's place of exile following the Battle of Waterloo, St Helena has gained a notoriety that assures its place in the travel lexicon. This fully revised edition includes information on St Helena's new airport, which makes it possible for the first time for visitors to explore the island's natural and historic attractions without a five-day sea voyage to get here. Hiking, fishing, snorkelling and diving are included, plus details of marine wildlife, from whale sharks and dolphins to groupers and soldier fish. Expert author Tricia Hayne also provides a section on '24 hours in Cape Town', offering a brief overview of what to see and do with a day between voyages.
Tricia Hayne is a freelance travel writer and a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. Formerly editorial director at Bradt Travel Guides, she has a fascination for islands and culture, and puts walking, diving and sailing high on her list of interests. Tricia has written and updated several guides for Bradt, covering destinations from the Caribbean to southern Africa.


text:
Michael Jaffa Promoted to COO of Genius Brands Int'l
Global TV & Streaming News Bytes
Genius Brands Announces Strategic Acquisition of ChizComm
NBA Legend O'Neal Gets a Toon-Up in Genius Brands' 'Shaq's Garage'
Genius Brands Launches STEAM-Focused 'Kartoon Classroom!' Channel
Michael Jaffa
Genius Brands International, a global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia entertainment content for children, announced the executive promotion of Michael Jaffa to Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as General Counsel & Senior Vice President of Business Affairs. The announcement was made today by Genius Brands' Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, to whom Jaffa continues to report.
In his new role as COO, Jaffa will be responsible for overseeing the business operations of production, consumer products, global distribution, as well as legal, human resources and the diversity divisions. Additionally, he will continue to oversee the business and legal operations of the Company's digital channels, Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom!, while retaining his responsibilities as General Counsel.
"Since joining Genius Brands in 2018, Mike has been a tireless leader in driving the business forward as we lay the foundations for the next great kids company," commented Heyward. "Heading into 2021, we are poised to take a giant leap forward with the execution of business strategies for our new brands, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, Shaq's Garage and Stan Lee Universe, joining tentpoles Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama, and the continued rapid expansion of our digital platform, Kartoon Channel! now in over 100 million U.S. TV households, and available in virtually the entire country. He will additionally oversee the integration of the recent acquisition of Chizcom Media, the largest buyer of children's advertising in North America. Mike's pedigree coming from Hasbro Productions, and DreamWorks TV Animation, is another example of building Genius Brands into a powerhouse entertainment company with proven leadership from the world's most successful companies in the entertainment and broadcast industries."
"There are tremendous opportunities for growth in the years to come for Genius Brands," stated Jaffa. "I am honored to take on this expanded role and look forward to working together with Andy, my management colleagues, our dedicated employees and all of the departments across our business to continue our transformation to one of the foremost producers and distributors of enduring first-class content for kids and their families."
Prior to joining Genius Brands as General Counsel & SVP of Business Affairs, Jaffa served as Head of Business Affairs at DreamWorks Animation Television and was responsible for all studio business and legal affairs matters, including the negotiation and drafting of hundreds of development, production, acquisition, talent, digital and music agreements. Previously, he was the Vice President of Legal & Business Affairs for Hasbro Studios, working directly with Hasbro Studio's President, CFO and General Manager to help create programs and launch strategy for a new studio and related network. Jaffa has also represented various clients, including Sony Pictures Animation and MGM Studios.
Jaffa received a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Related Topics:Andy Heyward, featured, Genius Brands International, Kartoon Channel, Kartoon Classroom, Michael Jaffa, Shaq's Garage, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten
Geographic Region:North America
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National News Opinion Political Radar Biden
Biden on the Economy: Wrong for Way Too Long
Obama-Biden Oversaw the Worst Economic Recovery Since the Great Depression
Biden's trying to convince Americans that he's the right choice to handle America's economic recovery after the coronavirus. But here's the problem: as Vice President, Biden oversaw the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression and eight years of stagnant wage growth. Before he was VP, Biden spent decades voting for and defending terrible trade deals while he cozied up to China and insisted they were not an economic threat.
Despite his record of failure, Biden is pledging to repeat his mistakes, doubling down on his failed, old, liberal ideas of raising middle-class taxes, more red tape, smothering American-made energy and sacrificing jobs. President Trump is the only candidate who knows how to fire up our country's economic engine with pro-worker policies that put America first.
Under President Trump, July's job report of 1.8 million jobs added is more than three times bigger than the best month Biden ever delivered.
During the global pandemic, President Trump's Paycheck Protection Program preserved 51 million jobs, most of them at small businesses. Biden has falsely claimed the PPP was not protecting jobs.
Biden oversaw the 2009 stimulus package, which failed to deliver the "shovel ready jobs" he promised, and was plagued by taxpayer waste, fraud and abuse. Remember the $535 million Solyndra disaster?
President Trump kept his promise to renegotiate NAFTA. He replaced it with the USMCA, a huge win for American workers who bore the brunt of Biden's bad judgment.
Biden, who once admitted he is not "an expert on international trade matters," voted for NAFTA, then spent years defending it while 850,000 Americans lost their jobs due to the bad trade deal.
President Trump cut taxes for middle-class Americans and successfully encouraged American companies to bring $1 trillion in wealth back to the United States. Biden has said "the first thing" he would do is end President Trump's middle-class tax cuts – and his plan would ultimately raise taxes by a whopping $4 trillion, resulting in a tax hike for 82 percent of Americans.
President Trump successfully negotiated a Phase One trade deal with China. Biden said he would stop President Trump's efforts to hold China accountable for its unfair trade practices, allowing Beijing to rip off our country and hurt American workers without any consequences.
President Trump unleashed our energy independence. Biden wants to strangle it with The Green New Deal. Biden's newly unveiled plan to eliminate oil, gas, and coal from our electric grid would cost $4.5 trillion and destroy 10.3 million jobs.
President Trump's deregulatory actions are expected to increase household income annually by $3,100. At a time when workers were struggling, the Obama-Biden Administration flooded businesses with regulations, at a cost of roughly $750 billion.
Biden has admitted himself, the economic policies he enacted as vice president were a disaster for hardworking Americans:
"The middle class has been buried the last four years," Biden said in 2012.
"The American people right now, are, many of them are in real trouble. An even larger percentage have stagnant wages," Biden said in 2011.
Biden said that Americans had a "right to be mad" and expressed concerns that he and President Obamacould lose their re-election in 2012 over the economy
In 2012, Biden referred to the economy as a "depression," admitted that wages were stagnant, and said it was"hard" for those in the middle class
"A lot of people were left behind," Biden told The New York Times in 2019. "In areas where people were hard hit, I don't think we paid enough attention to their plight."
Biden has been so wrong for so long. After 47 years of failure, he's offering the same failed, old, liberal ideas.
President Trump is the only candidate who knows how to fire up our country's economic engine with pro-worker policies that put America first.


MAT and Unchosen are hosting an evening to raise awareness about human trafficking through film. Unchosen is an anti-trafficking charity that organises film campaigns to raise public awareness and combat all forms of human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in the UK and Ireland. Over 60 filmmakers entered the first Unchosen Human Trafficking Film Competition to shine a light on this dark trade. Based on real life cases, the shortlisted films are now touring the UK to show what slavery looks like in the 21st Century – and what we can do to stamp it out.
Price: Free (only 50 tickets available). Book via Eventbrite.


With Directrail.com you can search for Trains to Bordeaux, find train times and book a cheap train to Bordeaux online avoiding the usual hassles associated with buying train tickets at the station.
If you're already in mainland Europe and want to book a train ticket to Bordeaux, then you can do that too! Just enter your departure and destination train stations and search for tickets.
Bordeaux lies on the Garonne River is south western France. The port city is the capital of the Aquitaine region and the historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Bordeaux's railway station, Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean, is near the centre of the city and is served by high speed TGV trains and regional services operated by SNCF. TGV services to Paris take 3 hours where connections can be made for onward travel to major European cities including Lille, Amsterdam, Cologne, Geneva and London (by taking the Eurostar service).
Regional services depart to destinations including Arcachon, Limoges, Agen, Périgueux, Pau, Le Médoc, Angoulême and Bayonne.
Train Ticket search provided by Voyages SNCF. Direct rail is not responsible for content provided by external sources.


Hi, first let me thank you for developing such and a fantastic plug-in. I just upgraded to 1.1.1 and it works beautifully.
We are using your plug-in to integrate our employees' user accounts with an internal blog that we use for company announcements. In Active Directory, each user has an avatar profile image. What is the best way to get the user's profile into WordPress and associated with their account?
I thought about such a feature in the past. Could you send me the tools you use to add images to your AD, so I can do some tests?
I'd love to see photo get added too with some sort of front end that allows easy upload/manipulation.
I will have a look at this. Please give me some time.
HI First i just want to congratulate for your excellent work. I tried a lot of plugins and ADI is by far the best one.
It does the job but i'm not sure if it's the correct thing to do. In your next version, can you check this issue.
thanks a lot for your patch. Right now I'm working on a feature to disable users in WP who are deactivated (or deleted) in AD. And your code is a great help. I'll check it.


Allenby accountants is your one stop solution to all your financial needs. We here, with our team of expert accountants equip you with the most accurate and precise analysis to enable your organization to reach it's business potential.
We are a friendly, confidential service in the West London area aiming to make your business dynamic.
Established in 2007, Allenby caters to clients in varied industries including that of hospitality.
Our expertise in the field of hotel accountancy lets us help give you the solutions to your woes at your doorstep. We aim to provide you with reliable hotel accountants and flexible yet effective financial plans to enable your organization to secure itself in a vastly deteriorating economy.
Providing the business owner with a strategic plan for greater productivity with minimum cost.
You should choose us because we are already associated with various big and small scale businesses across London all under the aegis of the hotel industry and are capable of serving you with the benefit of such experience.
Whether your business is a multi billion dollar one or a small B2B, serviced apartments or a family run business, we understand the extent of your financial needs.
Our hotel accountants subsequently come up with the best plans custom made to your specifications and requirement. Further, we believe in doing all this at your convenience offering quality service with ease of implementation.
If you believe we can fulfill create a benchmark for your restaurant business, then please feel free to get in touch with us for your first consultation.


White wine vinegar powder is produced from spray drying of white wine vinegar on suitable carriers. White wine vinegar powder offers convenience of use in dry mixes and in warehouse storage.
We offer high quality White Wine Vinegar Powder in 40-50 lb. carton packing. Please contact us to discuss about your specific requirements.


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9-year-old Harlem student becomes New York state poet laureate
by: Greg Mocker, Jocelina Joiner
HARLEM, N.Y. (WPIX) – The new year welcomes many new beginnings. It's a time for promises and speeches from politicians. But it's the words of 9-year-old Kayden Hern, of Harlem, that are echoing across the world.
Kayden spoke as poet laureate at the inauguration of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on New Year's Day, performing a piece he wrote titled, "In My Mind."
He told WPIX his grandmother, Jackie Hern, provided some of the initial inspiration, saying she told him to write his thoughts down.
"In my mind, I used to be a child of poverty, not knowing that hopes and dreams can become reality. In my mind, I thought it was fine to sit in the back of the classroom because my teacher never asked me to read or write. But little did she know I was ever so bright," Kayden wrote.
Hunt for woolly mammoth tusks underway in East River
He was waiting to go inside the Apollo Theater last year when he met the governor. Hochul was making an official appearance and spoke with him.
"There's a long line around the block, and I saw this young man standing there. I said, 'You're going in to watch somebody?' He says, 'No, I'm a poet. I'm going to go recite,'" the governor said during her inaugural address.
Hochul promised him an invitation to speak at her inauguration as her poet laureate if she was elected, and she kept her word. Kayden said his next poem is for the president.
"If you … practice, you can do anything," he said.
To determine the cream of the heavy-hauling SUV crop, iSeeCars looked at the best SUVs for towing over 6,000 pounds.
Download the KSN News App and stay up-to-date wherever you are. You can even watch KSN News live for free!
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Traditions, superstitions run deep for Mahomes
Chiefs fans brave cold before AFC Championship
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Two men shot at east Wichita nightclub


Norix® is a leading provider of mental health furniture solutions that are specially designed for facilities looking to create safe and secure environments. Designed and engineered for critical applications, Norix® psychiatric furniture is ideally suited for residents or patients requiring exceptional care in behavioral healthcare settings.
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The College of Engineering is home to five departments, eight degree programs, more than 80 faculty, and about 3,200 students.
We offer an educational experience for students of all levels, from undergraduate programs to the Ph.D. degree. Regardless of your ultimate goals, engineering at The University of Akron will provide a solid base to begin your career.
We invite you to explore our departments to learn more about what goes on within UA engineering.
A career in the rapidly expanding field of biomedical engineering is indeed an exciting path for you to consider. At The University of Akron, we have developed a series of challenging curricula to meet the educational demands found in the variety of fields of biomedical engineering. Our graduates are prepared for immediate employment or advanced graduate education in engineering or medical school.
The Department of Civil Engineering was established in 1914 and is currently one of the most productive and successful departments in the College of Engineering. We are committed to continuing a heritage of educating leaders in engineering and to moving to the next level of excellence consistent with the goals of the University. Our success is demonstrated by the talented faculty attracted from the top national programs.
Our record over recent years is among the best in the nation, and the success of our students has established our department as a leader in undergraduate education. We offer undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and aerospace systems engineering. The graduate program includes both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in four areas of emphasis—thermal-fluid sciences, mechanics, materials, and controls and manufacturing.
The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has a long tradition of excellence in education and research. Our goal is to prepare our students with the necessary skills so that they can contribute to a highly technical global society. The department's recent name change to the "Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering" reflects the increasing role that the biological sciences are having in the evolution of the profession. Commercial products targeting human health care are becoming available as a result of the unique contributions of chemical engineers in the expanding biotechnology industry, particularly in the areas of bioprocessing, biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, gene therapy, cell and tissue engineering, drug design, discovery and delivery, functional genomics and proteomics.
The department was established in 1917 and is the second largest department in the College of Engineering. We offer ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. The undergraduate learning experience is enhanced by the optional cooperative education program that provides a coordinated sequence of alternate periods of classroom instruction and employment. At the graduate level, we offer a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (M.Sc.E.E.) and an interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Engineering. The M.Sc.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees allow a specialization in Computer Engineering, or in any field of electrical engineering.


What's coming soon in the world of online video calling? BlueJeans software developers are playing around with a few ideas.
One is AI, or artificial intelligence. It's a big word being tossed around in the online video calling world. It's one thing to record an online meeting and save it for participants to revisit, or for those who couldn't make it to experience the complete conference call later on. But what if there was a way to dynamically and automatically capture notes in some other form, like a text list or whiteboard drawings, and share those with folks who couldn't make the online meeting? It would save time, and potentially enable a single employee to effectively attend multiple video calls in the time it currently takes to attend one.
"It's something people are curious about now: in a nutshell, how to make online video calls more productive both while they're happening and after they're over," says Joe Mann, BlueJeans Technical Manager for Sales Engineering. But what would this AI look like, and how would it work? That remains to be seen.
2. Second is conference room hardware integrations with Dolby: getting already-existing wired-up conference rooms to work even better, thanks to Dolby audio. We've seen some amazing advances in the last few years with what's called "spatial audio" or "directional audio," where you are sitting in a wired-up room, online video calling in a remote, wired-up room, and can actually tell—with your eyes closed—if the person talking in the remote room is on the left or the right.
If you've watched for instance professional basketball on television lately, you already know how astoundingly precise directional audio can be, and those advances are trickling into all sorts of other applications as well, for instance BlueJeans Rooms online video calling.


The Saturday after Christmas was balmy in Baltimore, drawing the bicyclists out into the north part of the city, where grand old trees stretch over broad, Olmsted-designed boulevards. Among them was Tom Palermo, a 41-year-old software engineer and former bicycle mechanic who built custom bike frames when he wasn't chasing his two young kids around.
The ride was Palermo's last. Cyclists and neighborhood residents found him, hit by a car and dying, on the pavement on Roland Ave., a lightly traveled street lined with well-marked bike lanes. The driver, who initially fled the scene, was Heather Cook, the second highest ranking official with the Episcopal Church of Maryland. Cook has a previous DUI conviction. The cycling community is calling for her head.
I know Roland Ave. well. I rode it regularly during the four years I lived in Baltimore in the late aughts. My daughter Lucia rode behind me in a trailer, and later on a "tag-along" bike, on the way to kindergarten and first grade. I have friends who still ride that road with their kids.
Palermo's death was just the latest reminder of the risks cyclists take while pedaling through U.S. cities, often just to get to school or work. Among the other wake-up calls I've received this year: Getting hit by a car while riding home in a well-marked Seattle bike lane; and, while riding to work a month later, coming upon the body of 31-year-old attorney and mother Sher Kung, who was killed by a truck while riding in a bike lane downtown.
And still I ride, four or five days a week, unless the weather is truly dreadful — and even then, I often wish I were huffing along on my old commuter bike rather than slouching in a seat on a King County Metro bus. I've been commuting by bike, on and off, for more than 20 years.
If the stakes are so high, why do we do it? And isn't there a way to change the rules so that we can get to work in the morning under our own power without flirting with death?
First, the why. Me, I blame my dad. He was riding his Raleigh ten-speed to his job as a computer engineer in Salt Lake City when I was in diapers. We've got a photo in a family album of him weeding the garden in a cast, having slipped on a patch of wet pavement and shattered his tibia. He missed my brother's third birthday party because he was in the hospital having screws put into his ankle.
Like my dad, I ride because I spend all day at a desk, which is not only about the worst possible thing you could do to a human body, but is also enough to make a high-energy Hanscom completely batty. I could yammer on about the environmental benefits of biking vs. driving, or why I think bikes are one of the keys to creating sustainable, livable cities, but really, it's that simple: I would be a miserable monkey if I had to drive or ride the bus to work every day. I honestly don't know how people do it.
As for the question of how to make cycling safe, my thinking has changed a lot in the last year. Until I was hit, I operated on the assumption that bikes and cars could coexist peaceably on city streets. There are idiots and assholes wherever you go, but for the most part, drivers had been respectful and accommodating during the years I'd commuted by bike. I'd had some scrapes, mostly of my own making (ask me about the time I got my cleat stuck in my pedal and toppled over in the middle of rush hour traffic), but had managed to navigate the world of concrete and steel without major injuries.
But my crash made me realize that, by some combination of skill and luck — mostly the latter, I'm sure — I'd managed to thread the needle. I truly believe that the woman who hit me did not even see me riding up the lane in front of her in the afternoon sunlight. I was the gorilla on the basketball court — that thing she saw right through because she wasn't expecting it to be there. I don't blame her. If anything, I feel bad for her. The accident was clearly as traumatic for her as it was me.
The real problem is that our streets weren't designed to accommodate bikes and cars together. Cities like Seattle and Baltimore have made strides in recent years, laying down miles of bike lanes and peppering the streets with sharrows, but neither has a coherent bike network, despite having plans on the books. Getting from Point A to Point B on a bike inevitably involves navigating streets alongside cars.
When I hear about wrecks like the ones that killed Sher Kung and Tom Palermo, I find it hard to relate to the knee-jerk fury that I see from many in the cycling community.* I drive a car, too, after all. I know how easy it is to get stuck in the bubble of steel and glass and think, "What in the world is this dope thinking riding a bike on this street?" I see cyclists do stupid things every day — things that could easily get them killed. We're all fallible, no matter what our mode of transport.
No, mainly I feel sad — sad that we've lost another kindred spirit, another person trying to find his or her way in a world we've designed for our gadgets, forgetting about our humanity. Kung and Palermo were both close to my age. Both had young kids like I do. I know my wife, Tara, worries when I'm late getting home from work. Most of the time, I feel like I'm relatively safe while riding on the streets — vulnerable, yes, but in control of the situation — but I know what can happen, and I hate to think about how my family would feel if it happened to me.
I know there are risks to biking in the city, but I believe that if we keep working at it, we can make room on our roads for bikes and cars, both. The future of our growing urban centers depends on it. Besides, I know my kids are going to need a way to burn some energy on the way to school or work. They're Hanscoms, after all. They'll be some sad monkeys if they don't get their ya-yas out before they hit the books.
* UPDATE: After I published this story, state's attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced that Cook will be charged with manslaughter in Palermo's death, as well as leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving under the influence, and causing an accident due to texting while driving, reports the Baltimore Sun. You heard that right: drunk and texting. Now I'm feeling the fury.


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Moscow, A unified air defense system has been set up in Syria thanks to efforts of Russian and Syrian military experts, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces Major-General Sergey Meshcheryakov told a round table dedicated to the Syrian experience at the Army-2017 International Military-Technical Forum.
"Today, a unified integrated air defense system has been set up in Syria. We have ensured the information and technical interlinkage of the Russian and Syrian air reconnaissance systems. All information on the situation in the air comes from Syrian radar stations to the control points of the Russian force grouping," he said.
The Russian air defense group in the Hmeymim airfield area includes a radio engineering battalion, a battery of the Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems and the S-400 air defense missile systems.
"These air defense missile systems are capable of destroying targets within a range of up to 400 kilometers at an altitude of up to 35 kilometers," Meshcheryakov said.
He added that the Russian Aerospace Forces had inflicted substantial damage on the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) terrorist infrastructure by destroying their ammunition and fuel depots, weapons and military equipment repair plants and significantly worsening militants' logistics support and their ability to quickly redeploy reinforcements.
"Thanks to regular airstrikes against the oil infrastructure and the destruction of oil convoys, substantial economic damage has been inflicted on the enemy as well," Mescheryakov concluded.
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