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February 01, 2011
Alienated from the Arcade
Well, it's moved to a point where I can't ignore it anymore. I'm talking about the flap over at the popular webcomic. I don't need to recap the mess, I'm not going to link over to them (they hardly need the whisper of traffic I'd be redirecting), and I'm not going to recap other arguments about it.
I read the comic when it appeared, thought it a tasteless commentary about a humorous disparity between MMO written content and the behavior of players. And then I moved on.
I do tend to believe that humor should have no boundaries, though reasonable cautions to be sensitive to certain audiences with psychological triggers seem appropriate. Had it been me, I would have received initial complaints, apologized privately for the lack of such warnings (owing to my ignorance; I hadn't seen such warnings before this mess), updated my site to put such warnings in place, and never said another word, wiser for the experience.
It became a problem for me when they took it beyond the comedy and made it a policy to alienate others while appealing to the basest elements of their readers, who have responded in numbers under the purview of the Greater Internet F***wad Theory. (Indeed, if they find this commentary, no doubt my site will crumble under the weight. No biggie.) To those readers out writing the worst kinds of comments on blogs all over: try breathing through your nose for a little while and stop and reflect whether anything whatsoever has been taken away from you, while you're off on your idiot tirades and making your cruel, crude attacks.
Anyway, I was a huge fan. Heck, our second game had a code in it that unlocked the whole game based on the name of their site and comic.
Well, they achieved one of their goals, anyway. I'm alienated now, in a way I never would have been had it just been the comic. Time to move on from that particular source of humor, there's no shortage of others. I can't consume the content without feeling, well, a bit dirty, in a moral sense.
I'll miss it a bit, I'm sure, but probably less than I would have expected. I'll throw out the couple of shirts I've bought; I just don't want to be associated with that.
Thanks for the laughs.
Posted by Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 09:40 AM
There are people (especially online) that actively go out of their way to be offended. This seems like one of those times. The word "rape", by itself, is not offensive. So did "dickwolf" offend you? Does the phrase "raped by dickwolves" offend you? Is it a Bad Word? Readers know what kind of comic PA is. It can be raunchy, but it's a pretty honest and brazen commentary on the gaming community. It wasn't a problem when the comic referred to Disney characters as "raped", so why now?
Mike's responses to the comic are just as absurd as the complaints. Besides, they pulled the shirt in order to /not/ alienate people from PAX; what more do you want?
Posted by: ThinkAboutIt at February 1, 2011 05:56 PM
Clearly, you should stick to making games.
Posted by: Zach at February 1, 2011 05:56 PM
The comic isn't the issue, as had been explained dozens upon dozens of times. I would investigate what actually happened instead of assuming it's solely about the comic, which at this point is actually the least important part of the entire debacle.
Posted by: ThinkHarder at February 1, 2011 06:11 PM
@Zach: Clearly, when I talk about not mouth-breathing all the time, I'm talking about you.
@ThinkAboutIt: I'm not going to repeat what Deirdra Kiai has to say about it; I think she's spot on about the exclusive language that they've used. They pulled the shirt, and intend nonetheless to use it.
Again, and this is for both of you, what does this serve? I'm not taking anything from you. Go enjoy your comic. It's just not for me anymore.
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 06:14 PM
Thanks. This is exactly how I feel—the initial indifference, the surprise at their needless escalation, their breezy transgression of Wheaton's Law, and the vaguely dirty feeling from reading comics I'd otherwise enjoy that drives me away in the end.
Thanks for the succinct words.
Posted by: Eggs at February 1, 2011 06:16 PM
ThnkAboutIt, it would help if Gabe didn't tell people he was planning to wear his Dickwolves shirt himself. His approach to this has basically been "we want everyone to feel safe, hut the Dickwolves are still okay and everyone should be okay wearing their shirts." PAX East is going to end up with a vocal minority of Dickwolf Priders who see Gabe as their leader (and will probably have even more offensive homemade shirts, due to the Internet F***wad Theory).
I was indifferent by the original comment. Gabe's reaction to this since Friday, on the other hand, makes me want to be done with PA.
Posted by: Steven at February 1, 2011 06:22 PM
Deirdra Kiai's blog basically said if I wear a dickwolf shirt, I'm a rapist.
Look, I don't know you at all. I don't care who you are, either. But you found it important enough to publicly blog about the issue, and you refuse to explain how you're alienated?
If you don't want people engaging in discourse to your babblings...start writing in a notebook you can keep under your mattress.
Posted by: ThinkAboutIt at February 1, 2011 06:22 PM
Thanks for speaking out Brett. I feel very similarly to you about this and am glad to hear there are others within my own company who share my views.
It's disappointing when people whose work you've enjoyed turn out to be jerks who disregard the feelings of others.
Posted by: Matt Killmon at February 1, 2011 06:33 PM
I'm putting my name in as Anonymous because in this comment I'm going to be recounting a story from my life I'd rather not have to field questions about. Having said that..
I completely agree that the people out there who are swarming the blogs with nasty comments are so far across the line there's no saving face. The group of people who objected to the original comic have had impossibly difficult experiences they need to cope with, and I feel for them.
However, I would like to point out that they (and by they, I mean Melissa McEwan) freaked out over the original comic claiming it was portraying something that it wasn't, and the entire situation spun out from that.
But even if you recognize that there are two solid factors that launched this entire situation (ie: the comic followed with McEwan's misinterpretation of the comic), if you have been following it along the in-between hours of the big events you'd notice that the situation could has been resolved numerous times.
McEwan's blog is so fastidiously moderated it borders on a pseudo-totalitarianist state. While, obviously, it makes sense to remove comments that are vitriolic and hurtful, they also make a point to either delete or change any and all comments that disagree with them. They actively discourage rational discourse on anything that they don't intrinsically agree with, so much to the point that they had to toss in a throwaway line claiming that nobody has ever been banned for having a different opinion -- a flat out lie.
Anybody who attempted to point out that the original comic wasn't about rape, to calmly and politely explain how and why it wasn't were met with this same response. A poster there using the handle Brett attempted over and over again to get their point across, and amongst other things their comments were edited, removed, and constantly assaulted with accusations of "mansplaining" it away -- up until it was revealed that Brett was, in fact, a woman.
Fast forward to today, where anybody still making arguments to defend PA, much like Mike himself attempted to do; these people tend to point out that PA makes jokes about everything taboo (Mike himself pointing out a laundry list of topics) are met with accusations of using the same tired arguments.
There is a reason people make the same, tired arguments. Because generally they are salient points being willfully ignored by the opposite side.
In my eyes it is completely fine that you have decided to stop following their comic. You have watched this entire situation unfold, and made a choice based on that. Nobody can fault you for that. The above flood of words was just an attempt to make sure you were properly informed, that this entire situation could have been avoided and/or resolved from the start had McEwan's camp allowed it to be.
As to your point about what you would have done had it been you: "..updated my site to put such warnings in place, .." I feel this is a completely ridiculous notion.
Another tired argument the pro-comic camp has been using is that of "People who go to the comic know what to expect from them", and I can't stress how accurate that is enough. The mere reputation of Penny Arcade should be enough of a warning without them needing to splash "Trigger Warning" all over their website. And now we get to my story.
When I was a child between the ages of 5 and 7 I was growing up in a very, very small town. As it happened, there was another kid, somewhere in his teens and his gang of friends who decided that I would be their new target for harassment.
This quickly escalated from run-of-the-mill bullying, IE: getting beaten to a bloody pulp on a weekly basis to more extreme forms of torture. On one occasion they dug a hole, lined the bottom of it with nails driven through boards, and then threw me into it. At the age of 6 I had nails driven into the backs of my feet -- it is decades later, and I still cannot walk flat footed.
At the age of 7 the torture plateaued when they decided it would be fun to tie a large rock to my leg and throw me off a wharf into the Atlantic Ocean. Drowning, as it turns out, hurts. It's like having your entire body set on fire, and the best you can think about is how you have all this water around you and you can't seem to put the fire out. At the age of 7 I had, for all intents and purposes, been murdered.
Had my father not been able to pull me free and had his military training not provided him with the means to clear my lungs and kickstart my heart I would have been drowned and that would have been the end of me.
(As a sidenote: the fellow who did all of this to me, and his friends, never smartened up. Almost all of them are serving 10-25 years.)
While I have lived through quite a different set of experiences as compared to those who reacted to the comic, I would argue that they come quite close to the levels of trauma, albeit a different kind of stress.
The point is that I would *never* expect PA to change what they do on my account. They have done comics that have imagery that makes me flinch and feel nauseous, but I move past it. I would never cry outrage at something they created, which I subjected myself to WILLINGLY, as if they had somehow set out to maliciously target me.
And had this entire situation been allowed to resolve itself in the comments section of McEwan's blog by those same rational, polite individuals who were attacked and censored by those wrongly affronted individuals there would never have been that second reactionary comic made, nor any of the following situation.
As I said: It's totally fine you have decided to move away from reading PA because of this whole thing. This whole thing, to put it bluntly, is a shitshow.
But it feels like you made the above post with only half of the information, in that you (nor anybody else, really) seems to want to talk about the fact that things could have been resolved from the start, except the other side refused to let it, and one could argue actively facilitated it's continuing growth.
Am I saying PA is totally in the clear here? No. Not at all. But the other side are not the wounded victims everybody is treating them as. Ending this situation as easy as ignoring PA.
Instead they are hanging on his every word, watching his twitter, watching the site, even bandying about accusations of malicious choice in music during Mike's livestream today (I was there for it; his iTunes was on shuffle).
Posted by: Anonymous at February 1, 2011 06:38 PM
tl;dr THIS WHOLE THING IS DUMB.
Posted by: Ex at February 1, 2011 06:52 PM
"PAX East is going to end up with a vocal minority of Dickwolf Priders who see Gabe as their leader (and will probably have even more offensive homemade shirts, due to the Internet F***wad Theory)."
Exactly. Male dominated conventions are always pretty risky in terms of sexual harassment, I'm not going to pay PA for the privilege of finding out whether this one is ruined.
Mike continues to ignore the the pro-rape trolls that are actively celebrating & RTing him, but is getting upset and responding to the trolls challenging him saying he's a rape apologist. What's the difference between one troll identifying as a fan and one identifying as a feminist? That's right - he knows that his "team rape" trolls will happily threaten and harass people into being silent, which is why few female game devs are saying anything publicly.
Why would any woman feel comfortable at an event put on by PA after this?
Posted by: Female Game Dev at February 1, 2011 06:53 PM
What the hell are you talking about, Female Game Dev? Of course he isn't going to run around policing the comments sections of the myriad of blogs covering this, but when these assholes pop up on twitter he has specifically called them out and told them to shove off.
Posted by: Anonymous at February 1, 2011 06:55 PM
@Female Game Dev
"Why would any woman feel comfortable at an event put on by PA after this?"
Because no one is actually pro-rape. They wear the shirts, and act the way they do because people are attacking the franchise they love for an offcolor joke.
As a women I am more than comfortable to go to PAX because no matter what people who attend are still going to be friendly and fun, no matter how you want to generalize the audience.
Posted by: A different Female Game Dev at February 1, 2011 07:54 PM
Anon of the long comment, you're missing several vital bits of important information.
Melissa McEwan did not write the original post about the comic. A guest poster wrote to say that the use of rape as a punchline wasn't funny. That was the first public response to the comic (that I have seen, and no one has pointed to another one yet).
You describe the commenters at Shakesville as "rational, polite individuals who were attacked and censored by those wrongly affronted individuals." Please realize that the rational polite comments that appeared on the post were the ones that made it through moderation. I don't doubt that scores of impolite comments were also left on the post. (To see what happens at Shakesville without modding, see the Fat Princess thread.) Furthermore, by calling those who object "wrongly affronted," you're denying anyone the right to have different tastes than you. I don't believe the original comic was meant to hurt anyone (and indeed, the original objection post on Shakesville notes that the viewer is meant to laugh at the joke). However, the poster noted that such a casual mention of rape and its inclusion in this comic is not funny because rape itself isn't funny, and "jokes" about rape contribute to a culture in which rape is normalized. (This has been scientifically proven as well - I'll find the studies if you want.)
Shakesville, the website where the post was published, is what is called a "safe space." The moderators don't allow marginalizing or harmful language. The guidelines for commenting are posted on the site. Most who comment with dissenting opinions are not following those guidelines. The creators and maintainers of Shakesville have every right to run their site the way they wish to, and whether they ban people for disagreeing with them (spoiler alert: they don't) or simply remove all comments that don't follow the commenting policy is completely up to them.
The poster commented that the joke about rape wasn't funny. "Brett," among others, tried to explain that the joke wasn't about that and after all it was funny, thus denying the poster's opinion about the comic and derailing from the topic - that specific comic - by bringing up other comics and "jokes." Again, the commenting rules on Shakesville don't allow anyone to deny another person's experience or to derail from the topic at hand.
You describe the commenters at Shakesville as "rational, polite individuals who were attacked and censored by those wrongly affronted individuals." Please realize that the rational, polite comments that appeared on the post were the ones that made it through moderation. I don't doubt that scores of impolite comments were also left on the post. (To see what happens at Shakesville without modding, see the Fat Princess thread.) Furthermore, by calling those who object "wrongly affronted," you're denying anyone the right to have different tastes than you. I don't believe the original comic was meant to hurt anyone (and indeed, the original objection post on Shakesville notes that the viewer is meant to laugh at the joke). However, the poster noted that such a casual mention of rape and its inclusion in this comic is not funny because rape itself isn't funny, and "jokes" about rape contribute to a culture in which rape is normalized. (This has been scientifically proven as well - I'll find the studies if you want.)
It was not the responsibility of the creators and maintainers of Shakesville to allow others to deny the experience of the PA fan who objected to the comic. Nor did anyone affiliated with Shakesville have responsibility for the second comic, which minimized the objections to the strip (and really pissed off several people who otherwise might never have known about the issue), or the t-shirt which PA created and sold in their store despite knowing that many people objected to the comic and the concept.
Shorter chickwithmonkey: Shakesville isn't obligated to let anyone say anything, and blaming the blog for the entire situation is ridiculous.
Posted by: chickwithmonkey at February 1, 2011 08:02 PM
The joke wasn't about rape, it was not a rape joke. If you came away from reading that and thought it was about rape then you are didn't get it. Sort of like the people who thought Jonathan Swift's work was actually about eating children.
The entire situation is silly and based on a flawed argument. Rape wasn't the punchline it was used a a plot device to convey that the life of that individual is hell.
Those ranting also failed to care about physical violence and slavery, it was only rape that was the trigger. By their own flawed logic I guess they are pro-slaver and pro-violence for failing to protest that. "It is ok to own slaves and beat them, but no rape guys!". I wish the entire issue would just die.
Posted by: Matt at February 1, 2011 09:25 PM
If people are genuinely worried about this being an issue at PAX, East or Prime, they've never attended either. The crowds at PAX are polite, excited, and of the best I've worked with. As has been mentioned by Gabe, if Dickwolves are a rape culture thing, maybe some readers should have noticed a long time ago that FF IS A CHARACTER WHO IS A RAPIST. The guys and ladies in FF shirts are just as polite as everybody else.
Posted by: A female Enforcer at February 1, 2011 10:06 PM
I'll try to get to everyone succinctly, and then I'm doing other things for the evening.
@ThinkAboutIt As I think I made clear in the original post, what I was alienated by was a response by the comic's creators which directed an avalanche of hateful speech and crude remarks to people who really have had enough shit dumped in their laps by life. I think you may have missed some subtleties in Kiai's argument if you think she called you a rapist. But you'll also have to forgive me if I don't care to shake your hand while you're wearing that T-shirt.
As for my scribblings, writing for public consumption improves my writing, keeps me intellectually honest, and makes me edit. Don't feel you have to read if you don't feel welcome.
@Matt Kilmon Thanks for the support.
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 10:17 PM
@Anonymous I'm sorry for your horrible experience. I've met many women who have had terrible sexual assaults; this takes a very long time to get over, and attacking them for their sensitivities is unjust and cruel. I never saw McEwan's posts, haven't followed any of it -- I learned everything up until the last day or so from the webcomic's site itself. Thank you, however, for your point of view of the events as they unfolded.
It may have been completely ridiculous for PA to put warnings on their site; I was speaking to what *I* would have done. At the least, a private response saying "We intended humor through extreme circumstances; clearly you had a personal response. We simply can't do the humor we do and worry about who we'll offend; art has to push boundaries. We hope you'll continue to enjoy some of the comics, and that you'll be wary that on a daily basis we offend someone. If you choose not to read, we understand and wish you well."
Instead, it became a very public assault on a subset of their readers. That I really didn't care for.
@tldr Uh, thanks for your meaningful contribution.
@Female Game Dev. I'd like to think that no-one over there is pro-rape; I've really mostly followed this from the webcomic creators' side until today. I do think those fans tend to respond unthinkingly, crassly, and cruelly when they think someone is threatening the guys who make them laugh every day. I think it's a mob mentality that they've learned over the years from attacking other targets (Jack Thompson, the Strawberry Shortcake people, whatever).
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 10:57 PM
@A different Female Game Dev: Have a nice time at the conference. I agree that "pro-rape" is inflammatory and not helpful.
Re: @chickwithmonkey and others; I'm not the Brett on that other forum, which I have just learned about this evening reading these comments (but haven't visited). Thanks for your clarity about what to expect from Shakesville.
@Matt The original comic, as I mentioned in my post, is not why I'm no longer interested in reading or being a part of that comic's readership. The public excoriation of people who were offended, the exclusion is what bothered me. That's what alienated me, not the original comic. I'd rather not wait around for an attack on me directly; I'm just going to opt out now.
OK, I think that's everyone. Time to fold that laundry that's waiting.
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 11:09 PM
Nope, another came in while I was writing these. This has to be the last, it's getting late, and I'm getting old.
@A female enforcer -- I had a FF2000 shirt, I thought it was amusing. But let's make a distinction here: a machine juicer ramming home into a piece of citrus is the humor equivalent of those American Pie movies. But again, it's not about the comic itself; it's the public counterattack, directing streams of hate towards people who really don't need it.
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 1, 2011 11:19 PM
Sorry, I picked up the "pro-rape" label from the general tone of the teamrape twitter - I don't think anyone is actually pro-rape, except actual rapists. And a lot of people on Xbox Live if my Halo experiences count.
I still don't feel comfortable paying money to Gabe/Mike ever again. I don't like the inherent maliciousness behind teaching these uptight minorities a lesson by purposely wearing shirts that make them know that they're unwelcome. That goes against the spirit of the event IMO. I experience a lot of sexism in the games industry, and I try to keep a sense of humor about it but after over 10 years of experiencing it daily and seeing something like this I'm starting to think it's never going to change.
Anon - I never mentioned blog posts. RT means "retweet", it's a twitter term.
FWIW, I never thought Fruit Fucker was a rapist unless you equate women with fruit, which I guess I could see, if it was a really cool fruit or something. My problem is and has 100% been with their reaction and mixed messages regarding PAX, which the game industry is heavily involved in.
Posted by: Female Game Dev at February 2, 2011 04:40 AM
I have thankfully never been victimised, but rape and any attempt to mock or further marginalise rape victims (or deny them justice) makes me very, very angry.
That being said, I found the comic funny.
As others in this thread have noted, rape was briefly mentioned, coupled with a ridiculous dick joke, to show what a bastard the "hero" was. This is typical Penny Arcade, and I did not see it as an attack on real rape victims, any more than the (frequent) scenes of murder in their comics are attacks on murder victims or people whose loved ones have been killed.
And, like others who laughed at the comic, I do not appreciate being called a rape apologist. I don't like being told I'm a bad person, that I'm insensitive, that I am perpetuating rape culture, just for laughing at a what boils down to juvenile dick joke combined with a video game quest joke. THAT is why so many people are getting defensive. Well, that and the Greater Internet F*ckwad Theory.
Incidentally, while I do read PA, it's not my favourite web comic, I don't own any of their merch, and I've never been to PAX. And yeah, Gabe's a bit of an arsehole. But this "you're with us or against us" attitude among progressives, this idea that only their interpretation of events matters, this condemnation of everyone with a different perspective or sense of humour... really bugs me.
Posted by: H at February 2, 2011 05:25 AM
Matt @ 9:25pm - Rape was used in the joke. One person saw the joke, noted that rape wasn't the point of the joke (as I said above and you'll see if you bother to read the original post objecting to the comic), and said that because rape was used in the joke, it wasn't funny to that person. A lot of other rape survivors agreed. You don't have the right to tell anyone else what to think is funny.
Many of "those ranting," including Shakesville, have in fact done a hell of a lot to protest slavery and violence. Bringing up those topics is a derailing tactic and doesn't help this conversation.
H @ 5:25am - Nobody is calling anyone anything for laughing at the comic. Again, the original objection was "the joke isn't funny and here's why." Nobody said, "If you think this joke is funny you're a horrible person." When people started to react to the objection by minimizing the valid opinion of the person who didn't like the joke, that's when the rape apology started. It's not whether you like the comic or not, its how you react to people who don't like the comic. The general tone of those who like the comic is that everyone who doesn't is ridiculous and therefor their objections are invalid. Usually this includes dismissing the real pain of rape survivors, and that's where the rape apology comes in.
Posted by: chickwithmonkey at February 2, 2011 09:39 AM
Hmm... but I don't see all that many people (anonymous trolls excluded) who are actually dismissing the real pain of rape survivors or saying that rape jokes are ok. Most people are instead pointing out that the joke in question was NOT a rape joke, but rather a joke about something else that happened to incorporate the word rape.
The ridiculousness comes in when you try to imagine ANYONE, especially someone who regularly reads a comic that's known for being offensive and containing such material, being triggered by the fleeting mental image of a wolf with phalluses for limbs raping a cartoon man to sleep. I think you'd see a similar reaction if someone were to complain about the cartoon violence in the comic. Nothing wrong with just not liking it, of course, but some of the reasons given (i.e. the hypothetical triggered person) seem downright silly, at least to anyone outside the insular progressive subculture.
Posted by: H at February 2, 2011 12:04 PM
H, you don't think telling someone who says 'jokes that use rape as a throw away line bother me and perpetuate a culture in which women and men who are raped are supposed to be funny in contexts that are out of their control' is not...dismissing the real pain of rape survivors or saying rape jokes aren't ok?
Look at what TeamRape and the other internet trolls are using as their means of silencing those who have a difference in opinion on this and you tell me that there's not a direct correlation between the diminishment of rape as a horrific act and the use of it as a tool in conflict.
That's rape apologia. I'm sorry you find it silly that people have differences of opinion and ask that they be treated with respect and dignity in a discourse about those differences of opinion. I don't think it's silly.
I think when your side of the argument produces people who are using images of battered and assaulted and perhaps dead women as part of their argument, who tell women to get raped or killed, and generally act as if they are the very dregs of society because someone -disagrees with their humor-...that maybe it's time for you to look at the situation from another angle.
Maybe the angle of 'this does not exist in a vacuum'.
Posted by: Magnolia at February 2, 2011 01:48 PM
@Magnolia: "I think when your side of the argument produces people who are using images of battered and assaulted and perhaps dead women as part of their argument, who tell women to get raped or killed, and generally act as if they are the very dregs of society because someone -disagrees with their humor-...that maybe it's time for you to look at the situation from another angle."
This comment is EXACTLY the kind of self-righteous, morally bankrupt BS that has made this ridiculous non-controversy last as long as it has. Shame on you.
You've appointed yourself a member of the Most Offended Party, and now anyone who disagrees with you is part of "The Other Side," which means you're free to lump EVERYONE who disagrees with you together and start pointing fingers. "If you're against me, you're for battered or dead women." Shame on you.
And you try to have it both ways, claiming all you're doing is "disagreeing with someone's humor" so what's with the big overreaction? at the same time you imply that anyone who disagrees with you ABOUT A COMIC STRIP thinks and behaves the same way, and is absolutely fine with images of battered and assaulted women. Shame on you.
@Brett: I hate to sound like a condescending jerk, but I've got to say I'm surprised and disappointed. I think it's extremely disingenuous to make it sound as if the PA guys just went on the attack against people who didn't deserve it.
You say that your main objection isn't to the original strip, and you also agree that "pro-rape" is inflammatory. So where's the disconnect, exactly? Do you not realize that every single public statement about this -- including your own blog post -- puts the PA guys in a position where they're expected to defend themselves? And defend themselves against increasingly shrill and ridiculous accusations?
It's the equivalent of the "When did you stop beating your wife?" question on the witness stand: it's an accusation designed as a question to put the other people on the defensive. And the guys gave it exactly the respect it deserved, which is zero.
Posted by: Chuck Jordan at February 2, 2011 05:57 PM
That's bullshit Chuck. That humor -does not exist in a vacuum-
The reason these people think that what they are doing is ok is because of a culture they exist in which? MAKES IT OK. And in which a public figure encourages that behavior and ENGAGES IN IT makes it ok
And if you don't see the complicity in -that-, the not stepping up as a human being and saying 'Dude that's fucked up and I'm sorry if you don't like the strip but that response does not deserve that sort of reaction' then yes..it is part of your side..because no one has fucking decried it.
Also? How come our disagreeing over the humor of a comic comes to that point? Where did it become acceptable for people to say 'hey...we don't like that and we are saying so' to become harassed and harangued and told to be ashamed of themselves because they refuse to allow the responsibility of harboring psychopaths who ask for people's credentials in being raped and sending horrible pictures of battered and abused women while telling people that -they- need to be raped to be shirked off of people who -buy teeshirts- to basically fuel their part in that side of the rhetoric?
Shame on me? Shame on you dude.
Shame on you for not seeing that the simple reaction to this situation of Gabe and Tycho of going 'hey you know what? sorry that this offended you' or even -NOT RESPONDING AT ALL- would have been less offensive and less incendiary than this fucking continuous egging on.
Morally -bankrupt!?- Morally -bankrupt!?- You're telling me that the fact that -rape survivors- are asking for a little consideration is beyond the pale and that the people who started this situation and escalated it time and time again without out any public recrimination for those followers of theirs who go to despicable lengths to continue to attack -rape survivors- are being persecuted is completely acceptable
and you want to lecture me on morals!?
Where is my over reaction here Dude? When you know they sold -teeshirts- about the whole thing or when they knew that people were being assaulted on their cause and did nothing to stop it?
Yeah I'm totally over reacting. Because I'm the one who thinks that my not getting a joke is the fucking problem.
Posted by: Magnolia at February 2, 2011 07:13 PM
@Magnolia: You can keep saying the same thing over and over again, and it's not any less offensive than it was the first few times. You keep on insisting that anyone who disagrees with you thinks the same way, like some kind of bullshit bizarro McCarthyism. As if all of us are obligated to publicly acknowledge "rape is bad" or else we're somehow complicit in the actions of people who would harass rape survivors on the internet?
I don't have anything to do with those people, and anybody who accuses me of being complicit with them can go to hell. I'm not obliged to publicly decry their behavior as abhorrent any more than I feel the need to point out that the sky is blue.
You act as if only you are one of the chosen few privy to the awareness that rape is a horrible thing. Guess what: anyone worth listening to understands that. That's exactly why this is such an issue. Because being accused of being a rape apologist is one of the worst accusations you can make about a person, and you're throwing it around casually.
I won't speak for the PA guys, but I know that if somebody came out of nowhere accusing me of making light of rape, or being a "rape apologist" or part of "rape culture," then I'd give that accusation the respect it deserves, which is none. For that matter, I'm not going to explain to you how I'm not a murderer or a pedophile, either. Does that mean I'm complicit in those?
You point out an example of the PA guys making fun of rape survivors. Hint: making those stupid T-shirts is not one. It was a bad idea, and it was in poor taste, but it was making fun of the people who would make such horrible, baseless allegations against them. And keep at it, over and over again, because I guess it's easier to go off in self-righteous indignation than it is to stop for one second and try to figure out what it is they're saying, exactly.
The guys made their posts today and that should be the end of it. I'm still just absolutely disgusted by the reaction to this. I've never even been a particularly big fan of the strip, but I've always respected their efforts to build a community. They've shared their personalities through the blog posts and strips, encouraged girls and women to get into gaming, built the PAX show, built up a charity. And the second someone makes a baseless allegation against them, all that flies out the window. Because it's so much easier to be outraged on the internet than it is to think a moment about where they're coming from and to give them the benefit of the doubt. Good lesson to learn about loyalty in the game industry.
Posted by: Chuck Jordan at February 3, 2011 02:56 PM
Chuck: you write "As if all of us are obligated to publicly acknowledge "rape is bad" or else we're somehow complicit in the actions of people who would harass rape survivors on the internet?"
Yes. Exactly. The way you're phrasing that sentence makes it sound like you're offended at being asked to acknowledge that rape is bad. Why is it problematic for you to do that?
Here's a different way of looking at it. "Rape" is a really powerful word. It's not possible to use it in a neutral way -- either using it will help rape survivors, or it will help rapists. If rape is something that can be joked about casually, that doesn't help the survivors.
Posted by: Paige at February 4, 2011 02:58 AM
OK, it's time to close comments on this issue now. This blog is primarily a place for me to discuss with readers my thoughts about games and what I learn about them from other media, with the occasional fatherhood anecdote tossed in. It's not a forum for discussions about rape and "rape culture"¹. I don't think the comments space of any blog is really a great place for that; if there are people who are commenting here and live nearby and want to discuss it calmly somewhere at a coffee shop, bearing in mind that we'll need to keep our voices down to be courteous to others, shoot me an email, its my first name @ this domain. Some of the arguments being made here are so hyperbolic² as to contribute no reasonable starting point for debate.
I could tell looking at the numbers of comments and views of this page that I had been linked from somewhere, and sure enough, I had. Anyone is welcome (nay, encouraged!) to come back and discuss about my thinking on games and film and what I read and all that, but it's really just not an appropriate forum for the rest. I probably should have simply made my statement and closed comments on it originally (explaining why I did so), and that's a useful lesson for the future. I guess I expected to reach my usual target audience; I suspect that this has reached a much wider audience than usually reads me. Certainly, it has reached more than usually comment.
Again, if you want to direct email to me, go ahead, my first name at my full name dot com. But this is a blog primarily about the structure, development, and possibilities of games and I'd like to maintain that focus. So come on back, I'm watching 8½ this weekend, terrific movie (if a little challenging), would love to hear anyone's thoughts on it.
¹I quote this not to give offense but because I'm not sufficiently versed in the private language of those commenting on either side to know what it means to them. Yes, I have read Wikipedia on the subject; but there's a huge amount of intellectual freight in that particular pairing of words that I simply don't have time to unpack right now.
²I mean, how often do I have to acknowledge that rape is bad? Do we need to set up some sort of central authority, or is it just any time someone asks? How frequently do I have to renew? What other things do I have to acknowledge and where do we draw the line? Just how many times would I say it before it ceased to have any meaning at all to say it? For what issues do we set aside the First Amendment, and how do we make the decisions to do so? Please understand, these are not mocking questions in the least -- I am not aiming at parody. These are genuine philosophical questions, not at all flippant, despite their casual phrasing. I use casual language to communicate, because as a former philosophy student I think academic language is more obscuring than helpful.
In matters like these, I often fall back on the motto of my alma mater, which I invoke infrequently: Leges sine moribus vanae. Laws without morals are in vain.
Posted by: Brett Douville at February 4, 2011 07:22 AM


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Even the most perfect lives can be shattered in an instant. In this moving, emotionally charged novel, Danielle Steel introduces listeners to an unforgettable cast of characters striving to overcome tragedy and discover the inner resources and resilience to win at life - once again.
Lily Thomas is an aspiring ski champion training for the Olympics, a young woman with her heart set on winning the gold. But in one moment, Lily's future is changed forever, her hopes for the Olympics swept away in a tragic accident.
Dr. Jessie Matthews, the neurosurgeon who operates on her that night, endures a tragedy of her own, and instantly becomes the sole support of her four young children, while her own future hangs in the balance.
Bill, Lily's father, has pinned all his hopes on his only daughter, his dreams now shattered.
Other lives will entwine themselves with theirs: Joe, a financial manager, faces a ruined career at the hand of a dishonest partner. Carole, a psychologist at Mass General, is a breast cancer survivor, her body and heart scarred by what she's been through. Teddy, with a spinal cord injury worse than Lily's, dreams of college and becoming an artist.
From the ashes of their lives, six people fight to alter the course of destiny and refuse to be defeated. When Bill builds a remarkable rehab facility for his daughter, countless lives are forever altered, and each becomes a winner.
Winners is about refusing to be beaten, no matter how insurmountable the challenge. And when Lily gets on skis again and enters the Paralympics, the battle to brave life again is won. Winners is about more than surviving; it is about courage, victory, and triumph. When all appears to be lost, the battle has just begun.
©2013 Danielle Steel (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
"Really good"
I enjoyed this story, although it was fairly predictable, but this made it "easy" listening.
I enjoyed discovering the characters and seeing how they developed.
The final one
Both in equal amounts!
Really good.
"winners by Danielle steel"
Great story and great to be able to listen to it while able to do other things.
Any other story written by Danielle steel, sad in places but always have an amazing ending
First book I've listened to so can't really comment
Yes but never have that sort of time
Will be listening to more books so thanks
"Would only ever buy this on sale"
This narrator was terrible! His attempt at a female voice was a joke. Entertaining story, but terrible writing. Story wasn't very realistic. A tragedy happens in the beginning but then afterwards literally everything is perfect? Also I think this authors favorite word is "pleased" said it at least 5 times a chapter. It was worth the cheap price I paid for since it was on sale, but I would never buy this full price.
"One of my favorites from Danielle Steele"
Heartwarming, inspiring
Liked them all and how they each needed each other at the moment they came together.
Has to be Terry. I felt so sorry for him. Wouldn't it be great if parents like his were fiction? We all know better though.
"I am not a Danielle Steel fan.. But..."
I haven't considered buying and reading a Danielle Steel book since I was in the seventh grade. All avid readers know that Steel uses the same formula, the same story- just different names and locations. I must have bought 'Winners' on some kind of Audible sale. I downloaded it to my iphone on a business trip and I found, surprisingly, that I really got into the story!
I was surprised that the story not only held my attention, but I really wanted to continue listening to it. The narration is told by different characters, and although it's non plausible and 'too good to be true,' I still essentially enjoyed the story.
We have a young promising Olympic skier who is injured and is told she would never walk again. Then we have her hard nosed father who refuses to accept his daughter's injury. The night the teen skier is brought to the hospital, there is a terrible storm and the doctor on call's husband dies in a horrific car accident. The lives of the skier, the father, and the doctor continue to collide, and they develop a heart warming relationship between the three of them.
Yes, this is typical Danielle Steel, however I do think that her writing has improved. The characters in 'Winners' were thought provoking and gritty, and I enjoyed this book so much I am considering looking for another Steel book to listen to. Any suggestions?
4 stars
"Too Pat for my tastes"
Although the book had a great premise and was easy to listen to, the story was too predictable. I also felt like there were too many adjectives and conjunctions, like Danielle Steele was trying you hit a specific word count.
"Good Story"
I enjoyed the story.
However, the use of 'voices' in the telling of the story were not particularly well done (sorry) & were difficult to listen too.
The 'voices' got in the way of the story and became more irritating as the story progressed, requiring timeout from listening.
Just simply telling the story would have been much better & allowed for a more natural flow. The listening reader's imagination would have taken it from there.
"Not A Winner"
This started out pretty good, but after some events, it was predictable!
If you r looking for a book that you know whats going to happen after
A few chapters, this book is for you.....
Predictable story line. No real suspense. Overall really bland and nothing keeping the reader / listener interested. Happy ending all around. #eyeroll
"Made me happy"
We are all going to face tragedy ...it's a part of life. This story made me happy knowing that good things can happen despite tragedy.
I didn't like the fact the subjects were rich, rich, rich. So easy for those who are rich
This was a fantastic book. Kept my interest the entire time! Would definitely recommend t to anyine
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


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United States: Design Patents At The Supreme Court: A Picture Is Worth...
Last Updated: May 25 2016Article by Gregory J. Winsky
FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS...Or maybe the three pictures on this page are worth that much?
In August of 2012 a jury awarded Apple over $1 billion in patent infringement damages against Samsung in one of the legion lawsuits in the ongoing smart phone war between these two competitors. On May, 18, 2015, the Federal Circuit, the appeals court that reviews d
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Top Developments And Headlines In Trade Secret, Computer Fraud, And Non-Compete Law In 2017 And What We Expect In 2018
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Continuing our annual tradition, we present the top developments and headlines for 2017 and what we expect in 2018 in trade secret, computer fraud, and non-compete law.
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On February 15, 2018, in Goldman v. Breitbart News Network, LLC, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that Defendants' embedded links to a 'Tweet' ...
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Continuing our annual tradition, we present the top developments/headlines for 2017/2018 in trade secret, computer fraud, and non-compete law.
McLane Middleton, Professional Association
The simple act of payment does not mean you own all rights, title and interest in artwork or other copyrightable work.
The More Things Change, The More They … Change: Recent Developments In Trade Secrets Protection And Non-Competition Law
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Trade secrets and confidential information are receiving increasing protection in many states, and as more states perceive this as a "business friendly" issue, this trend will continue and expand.
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04-24-2010 #1soultrane Guest
Midnight Club 3 (PS2 ver) on PS3 - sound?
60GB backwards compatibility owners, does the sound clip on your 60GB PS3 when playing the _PS2_ version of Midnight Club 3 (Dub Edition Remix)?
I have some time on my warranty and would like to know if it's a problem across the board with this title or if my system may have a problem with the emotion chipset (solder joints, etc).
Search of the forum and Sony's compatibility website hasn't turned up anything that matches. Other than the sound, gameplay is fine on my PS3.


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Amelia Biehl and
Christopher C. Douglas
Additional contact information Amelia Biehl: University of Michigan-Flint
Christopher C. Douglas: University of Michigan-Flint
Journal of Economic Insight (formerly the Journal of Economics (MVEA)), 2011, vol. 37, issue 1, 39-57
We survey bars and restaurants in Genesee County, Michigan to examine how, absent a smoking ban, different establishments accommodate smokers and nonsmokers. We find evidence that smokers and nonsmokers are systematically accommodated. The majority of establishments without bars voluntarily ban smoking, and the majority of establishments with bars restrict smoking to a separate room or to the bar area. This pattern of accommodation is consistent with what the Coase Theorem would predict when dealing with the externalities created by secondhand smoke.
JEL-codes: D21 H75 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Appliance Repair Questions? Ask a Technician for Answers ASAP
Hello, my name is***** be patient whilst awaiting any responses as I'm not constantly available.Please supply the PNc or Product Code of the appliance
Model 8800-4-A
product number ********* /p>
D8800-4-A , product no: ********* /p>
Can you repost the product number placing a # ***** of the nuber so that I can view it
ok .... I dont have a hash' it's nine four four one seven one three one three.
I am asking you to place a # ***** of the number ... otherwise the number is ***** out at this side
has it worked spelling it?
Yes thank you for that, I am just looking at the service manual to see what design features your appliance has...
I've got to go out, back in a couple of hours, thanks. William.
Thank you for waiting William... There seems to be nothing in the oven design that would cause this..Can I ask you what type of oven thermometers you are using to measure the temperature?
it is a salter oven thermometer. we noticed food is not cooking properly which is why we checked the oven against it. i'm going to town so will get another in case it is the salter that is wrong. could it be the oven casing temp cut out switch that is faulty?
I understand what you are saying but if that were to cut out it would not normally reset itself... and your oven has two separate thermostats as oposed to one dual thermostat so even though unlikely, it is possible, that the thermostats are causing this, or other parts... once you have tested the temperature again we can test further
If you have some test equipment we can do some tests on the individual items
OK.. looking further into this at the moment... it seenms that the oven thermostatic controls are different on your model... I will be back in a few moments
Let me know when you are back, when we can then test a couple of parts
If there is a problem after testing the temperature it lies with one or more of three parts...
Have you re-tested the oven temperature yet?
Hi George. Sorry for the delay. I have checked the thermometer in my neighbors oven and it seems to be correct. any ideas on what to check next?
Your appliance does not have conventional thermostats, it has sensors.. therefore, we need to test them as they, or the board that controls them could be the issue.
Do you have a multimeter?


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God And The Golfer
by Robb Shultz
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"God and the Golfer"
Robb Shultz
Dedicated to Bev Shultz, my dad who taught me golf and how to love life.
In the movie, "The Legend of Bagger Vance", Jack Lemmon's character says, "Golf is a game that can't be won: only played." How true that is. No matter how accomplished one becomes with the various aspects of the game, there is always the feeling that the round of golf just played could have been better. You will hear even the best of players recount their sterling round by acknowledging the magnificent shots played, but also admitting that parts of it could have been better. The game or sport of golf, like life, is riddled with "would-uhs, could-uhs and should-uhs."
And so it is with life. In the pages that follow I have tried to describe the parallels between golf and life. The instructor, or "Pro" will be God, as if He were taking a beginner in both the Christian life as well as the game and teaching him or her the lessons of each.
Each chapter is devoted to explaining some aspect of the game such as a particular club in the golf bag, a situation on the course during a round, or some other important aspect of the game. With that there will be a companion life lesson. Whether you play golf or not, you will find this an interesting read and you may even become a golf enthusiast---or not. Either way you may learn something as you read it as I did while writing it.
While this book is intended to be a refreshing look at how we manage our Christian life and behavior, it is not intended to be a substitute for how we manage either or both. For that one should refer to the manufacturer's handbook---The Bible.
My hope is that this will be a read that one will enjoy rather than endure. When I say "enjoy", I am serious (or is that a contradiction?). You will notice that I love humor and you will find much of that here. There is much humor to be found in the game of golf just as there are many valuable life lessons. With that it mind, let's head on out to the golf course for lesson #1.
Chapter One: Learn The Basics
Basics 101
Any avid football fan remembers the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi. Whether it is legend or fact, there is a story that at the beginning of each season, Lombardi would march all of his coaches, players, veterans and rookies onto the practice field and have them form a circle around him. Everyone was stone silent as the coach was about to speak. With every eye and ear riveted on him, he would pick up the object of play and say, "Gentlemen, this is a football."
Of course all the players knew that. But what they didn't know was that the reason for Lombardi's success as a coach and his record of continued winning seasons was his emphasis on the basics of the game. Coach Lombardi knew better than anyone that if you forget the basics you begin to lose and if you remember them you will win much more often.
And so it is with golf and living the Christian life. Let's examine how this relates first to golf and then to the Christian life.
The game of golf is played by using a hard, dimpled ball that is 1.62 inches in diameter. The object of the game is to strike this ball with any one of a number of odd sticks called "clubs". Usually we think of a club as a weapon used to subdue or even kill someone. Some people occasionally use the golf club in this manner if they don't get the result expected in their attempt to strike the ball. This is not acceptable behavior, especially on the golf course.
The object of the game is to advance the ball down a stretch of mowed grass called a "fairway", using as few attempts as possible to strike the ball. One begins this process from a marked area called a "tee" and culminating play on that "hole" by hitting the ball into a hole (the cup) that is usually from 100 to over 500 yards from the tee. The cup is located on another area of even finer grass and this area is called the "green".
Note: in the winter time, or even during the summer in the hot, southern, desert parts of America the greens may actually be brown due to heat or lack of water. We still call them "greens".
So the first obvious thing to note is that golf is an outdoor sport. It is played on an expanse of earth measuring between 110 and 190 acres. This includes the fairways as well as the "rough" which is the area outside of the fairways, greens and tee boxes. The course itself from the first tee through the 18th green measures between 5500-7200 yards on average, or between 3-4 miles. This would be true if you hit every shot on the centerline of each hole played. Since this seldom if ever happens, one is more likely to travel between 5-6 miles during a round of golf. If you are walking and carrying your bag of golf clubs then this is a great way to burn calories.
It is important to remember that when you do this it is more than simply a few hours of playing a game outside. It is much more than that. Here is an opportunity to enjoy God's creation for several hours. During your round of golf take note of the wonder and majesty of the creation---trees, earth, grass, water, flora and fauna.
When I was ten years old I spent a year in bed, unable to move or feel anything in my legs. I had contracted paralytic polio just months before the Salk vaccine would be administered to all other school children. To everyone's amazement, I recovered. Many other children in the nation did not. My doctor then prescribed as much walking as I could tolerate in order to strengthen my legs and regain muscle tone.
As part of my physical therapy, my dad began to take me with him on Saturday mornings when he would play golf with his friends. There were many things about this decision that I instantly liked. I simply enjoyed walking again more than ever before. It was a great treat to be taller than I had been for too long. Standing and walking was so much better than viewing life from an elevation of only 18 inches while lying on a bed.
One of the other things I discovered at that tender age of eleven was how much I loved my dad. I simply loved walking with him. I barely noticed his playing companions because I so enjoyed just being with him. We would arrive at the golf course at dawn and I marveled at the sight of the sun just waking up, big and orange, slightly elongated, and then assuming its normal color, shape, and size as dawn became day. I remember laughing when I noticed how the morning dew had so saturated my socks that they looked like deformed donuts gathered around my now-thinned ankles. But most of all I remember the sweet, sweet smell of the fresh cut grass, and how often I would inhale deeply to quench my thirst for the wonderful aroma. What wonderful, glorious days those were, if for those reasons only.
Near the end of that summer, a new passion began to take hold. On those same Saturdays while he would be finishing play on one hole, I scurried to the next tee, dug a club and ball from his bag and tried to emulate my dad, the golfer. An excruciatingly small instant after hitting the ball on my first attempt, I was hooked! When my dad and his friends joined me at the tee and saw what I had done, his golf buddies remarked, "You better watch out, Bev, or he'll be beating you before long".
For me, golf is so much more than a game. It has become an opportunity to witness the wonder of God's creation. I still breathe deeply to smell the cut grass. I still marvel at the trees, some old and majestic, others young and struggling to grow, but each so unique. My playing partners still kid me when I help a turtle find his way back to one of the many creeks or lakes. I never forget those moments with Dad and I enjoy now, as then, the wonder and world of God's creation from the roots of the grass to the heights of the heavens.
Basics 102
Now for just a moment, imagine that we are going "Back to the Future". Let's pretend that after several weeks or months of golf lessons and practice, we are going to play a round of golf with friends. We begin the round of golf on the 1st tee. Oh, by the way, this area is usually not far from the "clubhouse" where you register and pay to play. You can also purchase equipment, clothing and snacks here. Many people end their round of golf here after attempting 18 times the efforts described earlier. By now, several hours have passed and the participants are either eager to get away from the trauma they have brought upon themselves or else they need time to anesthetize their bruised egos with some kind of intoxicating beverages. I recommend the former, but not the latter.
Back to the first tee. There is usually some discussion about who will "tee off" first. In reality, no one wants to be first. There is the obvious pressure of having the other players in your group (as well as the other golfers in all the other groups after yours) watching to see what kind of spectacle you will make of yourself. It is amazing what kinds of physiological dynamics are set in motion in these moments when you are expected to hit your shot. Body mechanics suddenly go awry. You find that your hands are wet and your mouth becomes dry when it would normally be the reverse.
Various muscles you never noticed before start to twitch and spasm. You become acutely aware of this and so you take deep breaths. You must be careful to remember not to hyperventilate. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to faint in the middle of your backswing as your eyes roll back into your head. So you tell yourself: "Breathe, darn it!"
So you try to regain control which you haven't had since you were invited to play by your friends several days ago. You love the idea of spending several hours with them out in nature, but you had forgotten about the pressure that comes with the territory. As you are still standing over the ball, aiming down the fairway, you look at the ball, then the fairway, then the ball, then the fairway until one of your trusted friends says loudly enough for the rest of the guys in your group to hear ( oh, and don't forget about all those other guys in all those other groups also waiting for you so they can play), "C'mon! Will you hit the ball already?"
Without looking up, you pretend you heard nothing and you begin your swing. You manage to raise your club, which by now seems to weigh several pounds more than it did when you removed it from your golf bag. Now you are at the top of your backswing and it is time to hit the ball. But instead of making a smooth, natural looking swing, you lunge at the ball. How did that happen? Because your mouth is still dry and your hands are still wet with sweat. The result is that you have mishit your ball so badly that it has only rolled to the front end of the tee box. After your fellow golfers have hit, you will need to try again from that location, again under the watchful eyes of all those other waiting golfers. You won't have to worry about the others in your group. You have taken the pressure off them and they will hit their shots in the fairway (do you still remember what that is even though you haven't found one yet?). They will also scurry past you to the sides of the fairway while you are left to try and advance (hah!) your ball, again under the ever-menacing gaze of those others waiting to tee off. As you finally proceed down the fairway toward your next shot you overhear several waiting golfers say, "Looks like it's going to be a long day."
Thank goodness that was only a dream! Maybe it would be better if we started on the practice tee. This is where we need to learn before we put ourselves in a position to perform without embarrassment.
If we are going to use our various clubs to propel the ball then we must first learn how to hold the club. Golf is not like baseball or hockey (we don't imitate Happy Gilmore). If you want to learn to play and enjoy the game, you can't put a death-grip on any of the clubs.
If we shake hands with our right hands, then that is how you place your right hand on the grip of the club. When we shake with our left hands, that is how you put your left hand on the club. Very simple. Very basic.
Then lock your hands together by laying the little finger of your right hand between the fore finger and middle finger of your left hand. This is called the Vardon grip after Harry Vardon, a great player during the early 20th century. If you are a left handed player, this will be reversed. Congratulations! You have achieved beginner status!
It may sound silly but you should do this as often as possible during your off time. It will help your hands to develop "muscle memory" and feel much more comfortable when you begin hitting golf balls.
Understanding some of the golf terminology and starting points is essential to prepare you for the next steps in your golf career. Similarly, this is equally important for those who are just now taking their first few steps in their Christian faith. One can't possibly know everything about Christianity in one afternoon.
Like Vince Lombardi, someone with experience should be there to show you, "This is a Bible", and not just any Bible. There dozens and dozens to choose from so become a conjoined twin with someone who is further along in their faith. They can help you select a Bible version that is easy for you to read and intellectually grasp. When I was twenty six years old and recovering from a severe car accident, some friends of mine visited me in the hospital. They slipped a copy of Good News for Modern Man (the New Testament written in modern English) into my bedside nightstand. When I got home I read it from cover to cover and understood for the first time who Jesus was and what the Christian faith was all about. Why? Because I could understand the language!
One of the basic things I did subsequently included attending the church my two friends attended. I would never have gone to a church where I didn't know anyone. But my friends got me started. Then, about the third or fourth Sunday, I attended but they were absent. I stayed anyway and listened very carefully to what was said. Even though that was over forty years ago, I still remember exactly where I was sitting---end of the pew next to the door for a quick escape if needed.
That wasn't necessary though. I was attentive through the sermon and the moments that followed when there was an invitation to solidify a decision I had been considering. There was no emotion involved for me. Having worked as a civil engineer I was used to weighing and measuring everything, including my thoughts and all evidence about this Jesus. As Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame would say, "It was logical." So that day I publicly, rationally, logically made a conscious decision to commit to this Christian way.
Two other things happened that were an essential part of my "basic training". First, I was encouraged to join with a group of others my age in the church that met regularly for fellowship and Bible study. This I really enjoyed for a couple of reasons. I was now with people who were decent, moral, fun folks to be with, unlike my former lifestyle. Also, I began to grow in my understanding of the commitment I had made. These new friends were helping me to maintain and understand that commitment. I later understood the meaning of "discipleship."
The second part of my basic training involved the act of baptism. The night this was to take place at the church, I invited my friends, my new support group, and my mom and dad. Again, this act involved no emotion on my part. In fact I never did feel like going out and hugging a tree for 30 minutes, nor did I see fireworks of any kind. Again, it was a logical, rational appropriate thing for me to do. It was after my baptism when a moment of intense, personal emotion occurred at my mom and dad's apartment.
Following the baptism service, my good friends Cliff and Brenda and I went to my folk's place for refreshments. While there I happened to be in the kitchen with my dad. I was shocked and will never forget what he said to me: "Robb, I am more proud of you tonight than if you had won the U. S. Open (Golf Tournament)." That was his way of telling me how much he loved me---for the first time that I remember. Perhaps now you can understand why I equate my love of golf with my love for my faith. I now had the love of my earthly father along with the love of my Heavenly Father. It is basic to who I am.
Chapter 2: Size Doesn't Matter
Master What is Important
The first club one should learn to master is the putter. actually no one ever masters the putter but the better you get with it, the lower your scores will be and the more times you will outscore your opponents. Why, you may ask, if we are going to learn to play the game of golf on expanse of land covering a hundred acres, on a course measuring several miles in length, should we start with the smallest club in the golf bag? Why not start with the Driver, the #1 One, the Big Dog, the club that hits the ball the farthest? The answer is deceptively simple: you will use this club only about 14 times during a round whereas you will use the putter much more often. As you practice and your game improves, this club will be responsible for a quarter to one half of all your strokes. If you don't master this one first it could account for much more than that. Oddly enough the reason for practicing so much with this club is to gain a proficiency whereby you need to use it less and less. The more skilled you become with this club, the lower your scores will be, which is the object of the game---lowest score wins---every time.
When I attended high and then college, the putter was my best friend. Since I was not very big or strong, most of my teammates as well as opponents could hit the rest of the clubs farther than I could. In fact, even though my scores were consistently lower than my teammates' the coach would almost always appoint the biggest, longest striker of the ball to play the number one position during team competition. Coach Barnacle in high school and Coach Bishop in college were more impressed with distance. And yet when the scores were tallied for all to see, there was my name at the top of the leader-board. Why? Because I had mastered the "short game" where it really counts. When it came to the shorter shots and putting, no one could beat me. My dad taught me that and it paid off. He was a great teacher and I was an attentive student.
So let's begin. In a round of golf lasting eighteen holes, the objective with the putter is to use it no more than twice per hole. It is normally used only on the greens. When you first begin using this club on the practice green near the clubhouse you will quickly notice how difficult it is to control the speed and distance your ball travels on the closely cut grass. It takes a lot of time and practice to be able to become consistent in your ability to control this club. Let's face it: it takes a lot of time to learn to use each of the 14 clubs in the bag. But someone who becomes skilled with the use of the putter can drive his or her playing partners to desperation.
My dad was the best putter I have ever seen, and I have played with several thousand golfers over my lifetime. Dad had developed a very smooth, effortless stroke that looked the same every time. The only thing that ever changed was the force with which he used it. Even this part was amazing. Whether the putt was a distance of four feet or forty, he always managed to get the ball close to or in the hole. He was a master with this club for gauging the correct speed and direction of the ball. Even though the norm for number of putts per round of golf is 36 (again, 2 per hole times 18 holes), he consistently managed to use less than 30 per round. Countless times I witnessed his playing partner's frustration at his uncanny ability with this club. They knew that as soon as Bev had reached the green, it was "game over". The putter is the most valuable club in your golf bag. It is ironic that in golf it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference.
The Master is What's Important
When I began my Christian journey in a small town in Northern California, I did not immediately sign up to go to Outer Mongolia to save all those souls that needed saving. Nor did I wander across the nation dragging a cross on my shoulders. Neither did I arrange to speak to groups of thousands of people like a Billy Graham. There are people like that and I am sure they are well-intentioned, good caring people. But I am not like them, except for the "caring" part.
Since I could see no farther than my own sphere of influence (actually a sphere of non-influence), I started small, in my own back yard, metaphorically speaking. I had no knowledge of my faith or of Christianity except what I had read in my little "New Testament in a Language I Could at Last Understand." I had read this book (Good News for Modern Man) but did not understand much of it. In fact six months went by before I realized that the last book of the Bible was actually called "Revelations" and not "Revolutions". Still, it was revolutionary for me.
I started small by joining the small group of other Christians my own age in the church I was now attending. There were nine of us: four couples and me. We met weekly for Bible study, prayer...and fun! I was wonderfully surprised when I learned that one could be a Christian and still have fun. The two years I was with that group were just what I needed and enjoyed. I grew in my faith and made some lifelong friends.
Another thing happened during those two years that helped concretize my faith. This same study/fellowship group was also engaged in an outreach ministry to un-churched high school kids. Once each week, my young-adult friends would meet with group of 60-70 high school youth in someone's home. Furniture was moved out of the way and kids would sit on the floor. In the span of an hour and fifteen minutes there was singing familiar songs (popular culture music rather than church hymns), fun skits and activities, and a closing fifteen minute presentation of some facet of the story of the Christian faith. This was amazing! All these un-churched high school kids listening attentively to information they (and I) had never heard before.
On weekends my young adult group would go to the school football games and other activities just show the kids they cared and to connect with them. It was several months before I realized that this was a ministry, and I was involved, in a small way. It was great! I loved this. Without realizing it I was engaging in ministry, without traveling to Outer Mongolia, and without knowing everything about everything regarding the Christian faith.
It took me several months to realize this was ministry. I've often been a bit slow on the uptake. The reader should know that it took me eleven years to complete college. Until the time of my serious auto accident, I had flunked out of college three times. I spent too much time having a "good time". But then spending these past few months engaged with my support group and also working with these kids, I learned an entirely new definition of a good time.
Then, when school let out, I was about to expand my definition of a good time. My support group along with about 40 of the high school kids we had been working with joined several other groups and together we caravan need with several bus loads to head north through Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and into Canada. Arriving at a seaport departure point, we all boarded a private ship that then sailed for eight hours up the Straits of Georgia to the Princess Louisa Inlet. If that were not enough, we were then over-astonished at what we would then see.
Sometime during the 1930's a very wealthy entrepreneur built a camp for the Hollywood set in this remote portion of Canada. In addition to cabins, meeting lodges, dining hall, etc., there was a swimming pool. But this was not just a swimming pool: it was a SWIMMING POOL! It was an Olympic size pool that had been chiseled out of the native bedrock. It was then filled by the incoming tide which meant that it was salt water and it was cold.
Every face of every passenger on board the boat was frozen in amazement. Every jaw dropped. None of us had ever seen, let alone visited, a place like this. And we would be there for a week. The entire facility was ours. The only access was by 8-hour boat trip, or seaplane. At the time we did not know that sometime that next week a singer named Bob Marley would fly in to perform for and meet the kids. At that point all of the adults became kids too.
Throughout the week there great activities that engaged everyone: hiking, rock climbing, team sports, and even swimming in the incredibly beautiful, cold swimming pool. There were also scheduled times for camp-wide "talks" or message presentations. There was a logical sequence of subjects presented that culminated near week's end with an opportunity to find a private place to reflect upon the series of messages. Campers, counsel ours, junior counselor a (which included me) participated.
I found a large boulder on which to sit and reflect. I remember as if it were just a moment ago when I said, "God, is all this that I have learned and experienced these past few months real? Is it all true?" A moment later I heard or thought I heard an in-audible voice. I know that sounds like a contradiction but it is the only way I can describe it. The "voice said only two words, two small words that I would never have thought to say. The words were, "Welcome home". And I was.
Small steps made a big difference as I grew in my new-found faith.
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text:
Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
Joe Fielder was a comic book author.
He wrote and edited Hero Illustrated from Warrior Productions from early 1994 through to mid-1995. In August 1995, he wrote the story "Dangerous Times" in the Malibu Comics "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Special".
Since moving on from comics, he began writing and editing at Gamespot and Electronic Gaming Monthly. That led to design and writing work on various video games including Medal of Honor: European Assault, Medal of Honor: Vanguard, and Medal of Honor: Heroes.
He also founded Radio Free Silver Lake, a blog about the Los Angeles music scene.
External linkEdit
- Radio Free Silver Lake – music site


text:
i wanna code a program that read and write from and to a COM port and wanna this program works anywhere anybody can help me?
Printable View
i wanna code a program that read and write from and to a COM port and wanna this program works anywhere anybody can help me?
softwares to work with COM
1 comm.jar
2 win32com.dll
3 javax.comm.properties.
comm.jar should be placed in:
win32com.dll should be placed in:
javax.comm.properties should be placed in:
i know that but i wanna code a portable application
my main problem is win32com.dll
u suggest me that my application automatically place win32comm.dll in java-home/jre/bin ?
my application is like this :
(please download and open Pihatonttu.cmd in notepad)
but i cant find out how this application use its win32com.dll
this application do not place win32com.dll in any folder and use it itself(whitout copying win32com.dll to another directory ! )
and please anyone tell me what
"javaw -Djava.library.path=. -cp .\lib\comm.jar;.\lib\jdic.jar;.\class Pihatonttu.PihatonttuMain COM3 null"
means exactly!
josAH did u download hiisi program from my previous post?
if no please download that and open Pihatonttu.cmd with notepad and tell me how this application use win32com.dll without copying it to any directory
i think it change java.library.path value but i dont to where : - )
can you help me?
kind regards,
dear josAH my main problem have solved now but i have a question from u
tell me whats the diffrence between "java.library.path" and "classpath"
and tell me when i use for example java.awt.* or javax.comm or ... which directory in my pc be scanned to find these packages java.library.path or classpath or ?
Thanx a lot!
last question : when i write "import java.awt.*" or "import javax.comm"
which directory in my pc be scanned for these packages?
As JosAH said:Quote:
which directory in my pc be scanned for these packages?
the classpath variable is a list of directories (and jar files) where the compiled java classes are stored (the .class and .jar files).
This is where the javac program will search for packages and classes.
no i mean when i write "import java.awt" which directory be scanned for AWT package or when I write "import javax.comm" which directory be scanned for comm package can anyone help me?
kind regards,
but there is not java/awt directory in X ( i dont understand )Quote:
Suppose your classpath variable contains a directory 'X' (whatever that may be); the directories X/java/awt and/or X/javax/com are scanned for files in those packages. If otoh, your classpath contains a .jar file 'Y.jar' then that file is scanned for entries java/awt or javax/com respectively.
Then javac won't look there for the java.awt package.Quote:
there is not java/awt directory in X
The javac program scans the folders and jar files in the order they are in the classpath.
It's first found, first used.
if there is not java.awt package in the X directory from where javac starts scanning ?Quote:
Then javac won't look there for the java.awt package.
The javac program scans the folders and jar files in the order they are in the classpath.
It's first found, first used.
It scans the paths that are on the classpath.Quote:
from where javac starts scanning
It has a jar file for its own JDK classes. After that it looks on the classpath
Do you understand the idea of a path variable and how a program uses its contents?
Dear Norm!
thanx a lot!
i got it :D


text:
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) released today the nominated reels in the Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series category for this year's 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards to be handed out on May 1st. In the running are: Ashlyn Pearce (Ex-Aly) The Bold and the Beautiful, Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma) General Hospital, True O' Brien (Ex-Paige) Days of our Lives, Hunter King (Summer) The Young and the Restless, and Reign Edwards (Nicole) The Bold and the Beautiful.
In this category, only Hunter King has won previously having taken this category twice. So who's performance will have them taking home the gold on Emmy night? Will it be Pearce's twisted Aly who is out to kill Steffy? King's Summer, who learns the truth of her late husband's infidelities with Abby? Edwards compassionate Nicole, who tries to tell her unwavering parents about Maya, and that she wants to stay in L.A. and live her life? O'Brien's Paige, who learns her mother has been sleeping with her boyfriend? Or, Silzer's Emma, who falls apart upon learning that Sam and Patrick are breaking up and once again she has no mother figure in her life?
Watch the nominated performances after the jump, and then weigh-in: who do you think deserves the Emmy based on these reels? Which actress are you rooting for? Comment below!


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It was a time of unregulated madness. And nowhere was it madder than in Chicago at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. Speakeasies thrived, gang war shootings announced Al Capone's rise to underworld domination, Chicago's corrupt political leaders fraternized with gangsters, and the frenzy of stock market gambling was rampant. Enter a slick, smooth-talking, charismatic lawyer named Leo Koretz, who enticed hundreds of people (who should have known better) to invest as much as $30 million - upwards of $400 million today - in phantom timberland and nonexistent oil wells in Panama.
When Leo's scheme finally collapsed in 1923, he vanished, and the Chicago state's attorney, a man whose lust for power equaled Leo's own lust for money, began an international manhunt that lasted almost a year. When finally apprehended, Leo was living a life of luxury in Nova Scotia under the assumed identity of a book dealer and literary critic. His mysterious death in a Chicago prison topped anything in his almost-too-bizarre-to-believe life.
Empire of Deception is not only an incredibly rich and detailed account of a man and an era; it's a fascinating look at the methods of swindlers throughout history. Leo Koretz was the Bernie Madoff of his day, and Dean Jobb shows us that the dream of easy wealth is a timeless commodity.
"Dean Jobb's exploration of financial shaman Leo Koretz's shameless scheming is a great read, but it's also so much more than that. A brilliantly researched tale of greed, ambition, and our desperate need to believe in magic, it's history that captures America as it really was - and always will be." (Douglas Perry, author of Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero)
"A captivating tale of high-flying financial chicanery in 1920s Chicago. Dean Jobb tells the story of Leo Koretz, a legendary con artist of Madoffian audacity, with terrific energy and narrative brio. A thoroughly enjoyable read." (Gary Krist, New York Times best-selling author of City of Scoundrels)
"This highly readable account of a major swindle in the Roaring Twenties in Chicago will convince any sensible reader that when it comes to investing in crackpot schemes, nobody ever learns anything by experience. Leo Koretz did exactly what Bernie Madoff did, and came to the same end, as did his investors. A dramatic read, and a useful lesson!" (Michael Korda, author of Charmed Lives)
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text:
Microsoft has confirmed it isn't changing the way people pay for content on Xbox Live.
The company, which currently utilises Microsoft Points for any purchase, has indicated the real prices that appeared recently were a mistake.
Since we are talking about points, Any kind of fake currency is always used as a means to confuse people into spending more money than they would be willing to.
I don't like the idea of points just because I just want the real price.
-but It's a pretty clever move on microsoft's part, it's been pretty successful at getting sales, or encouraging sales because you don't think of the points in the terms of spending actual cash on something..
-you just tend to just think, how much points do I need to get this. So I'm sure this was just a glitch in the matrix... so to speak.
I like points as they can go on sale therefore I am paying less but for actually money values then it is going to stay that way.
Everything costs 20% more on XBL, so i avoid buying things from there when i can.
The points system is just a rip off, plain and simple.


text:
Electrical problem
1987 Cadillac Hearse V8 Front Wheel Drive Automatic 92,000 miles
Hi looking for details for an ecu/ecm for my car. I am based in the UK and have a 1987 Cadillac Hearse (s&s Victoria) vin no: 1EGDZ9085H4221090
the Log details call it a Fleetwood but the vin classes it as a Brougham on a commercial chassis, it's a 4.1ltr FWD, just imported in the UK - & sent into the garage for a service (new filters,plugs,dizzy, etc.) now it's not running right, and the mechanic thinks it may be the on board computer. The Uk mechanics are not familiar with the system, and don't have any software to diagnose faults...! I suggested running a flash code test on the aldl and clipping A+B together, even giving a printed sheet with how to do it, all I got was " ...beyond us mate!" I think I need to access a proper diagnostic, so I could do with knowing which one it is please. I think it may be 1227056, but I'm not shure. Please, please can you help, do I need to replace the ecm alltogether, any help would be most appreciated. Thanks in anticipation, Andy Mcknight. Blackpool, Lancashire
have the same problem?
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 AT 5:03 AM


text:
I was in Blockbuster yesterday, and started chatting to the staff. I asked them why Pan's Labyrinth (good film) only has 2 copies shown, while Shadowboxer (worst film of all time) has 2 entire shelves worth of boxes on display.
They explained to me that they are not entitled to make choices. Head office sends them a certain number of display boxes. They have to put them up on the shelves.
Because of the location of the store, their customers tend to ask for a lot more niche and arty films than the national average. And the staff get really frustrated, because they want to do something about it – to please the customers. But they aren't allowed.
Online video services go to such efforts to build and leverage contextual information. And they'd dream of having an untapped local community 'ready to go'.
But what do Blockbuster do? They ignore it, and plod on.


text:
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Cancer Council SA
This video is about an Aboriginal woman's experience with breast cancer. It aims to raise awareness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the need to talk about their illness and to seek treatment. It also encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be involved in the self-management of their cancer and to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle, for example, eating well and exercising.
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