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Qilin is one of the heavenly creatures to attract the powerful cosmic breath of the dragon. Chi lin has dragon head and scales of carp over the horse body. Chi Lin is also called Dragon horse, Kei Loons or Chinese Unicorn.
Qilin has the meanings of success, prosperity, wealth, enchantment and longevity. They are also the creature to bring good omens and outstanding offspring as well as keep off bad chi.
Chi lin are used as one of powerful feng shui cures to ward off bad flying stars. They are also the auspicious animals to represent good omen, prosperity, success, longevity, illustrious offspring, and enchantment. Where to place chi lin statues?
This pair of brass color chi lin has two pieces. One playing ball is male chi lin and another one with child is female chi lin. Chi lin can bring good omens and outstanding offspring as well as keep off bad chi by feng shui.
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I was a really active kid, played different kind of sports. In 1999 my dad bought me a BMX race bike, and a few months later they built a BMX track in my home town. I really loved to ride and the next year I had my first race license and became Belgian Champion in 2000 racing against the boys :).
Where in Belgium do you spend your time training, and if you could choose a location to always train at, where would it be?
We have the BMX supercross track in Zolder where I ride the most, but the Belgian weather isn't always good for us so I prefer to ride in warmer country's like France and America.
I saw a clip of you riding an indoor park, do you do that often? How does park play a role in racing or the other way around?
It's fun and a good way to improve your techniques, it's something different then the race track.
Last year we saw a lot of situations where the racers had to compete in really bad conditions, have you ever questioned yourself if you should be in the gate?
It's not always fun to ride in such weather conditions but you can't control the weather so I try to focus on the things I can control, like a good gate…
Being 10th in the UCI rankings put's you ( I assume) in a very good position for the Olympics in Rio. What are your thoughts on the track and how is the preparation going? Are you looking forward to any other sports while there?
The Olympics is the biggest competition for any athlete in the world, and every racer is dreaming about that goal. I can say I'm in a good position for the moment but the points are still counting and the 2016 season still needs to start.
How are you healing up so far, I see you're going through some fun rehab for your knee?
My knee is doing good, I teared my meniscus while I was on a training camp in America but I'm back in training and can ride my bike in 2 weeks again, so I will be ready for the next season ;)
I see you also coach and train, with traveling during the race season and competition, where do you find the time?
I really love to do something to give back in the sport and really love to coach those kids. Sometimes it's a bit busy but I need to have something different next to all the racing and training.
I see you're sponsored through Oakley, what goggles do you wear?
I'm racing with the Oakley airbrake MX I really love those goggles. I tried different brands because of the team sponsors, but I always come back to Oakley !
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Quick Questions
Best thing to eat while in Belgium: I really like the food in Belgium, if your here you need to try the Belgium fries, chocolate and beer, I know those are not the healthy ones but just eat them on your cheat day :p !!
Worst habit: I'm really bad at paperwork, I try to do better but I love riding my bike
Race in the cold or race in the heat: race in the heat
Best Redbull flavour: The RED and Tropical edition
Currently listening to: All kinds of music
Go to training music: some hard but happy music
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SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) -- Inside one of Honduras' most dangerous and overcrowded prisons, inmates operate a free-market bazaar, selling everything from iPhones to prostitutes.
It's more like a fenced-in town than a conventional prison, where raccoons, chickens and pigs wander freely among food stalls and in troughs of open sewage. But guards do not dare cross the painted, yellow "linea de la muerte" (line of death) into the inner sanctum run by prisoners, and prisoners do not breach the perimeter controlled by guards.
"The prisoners rule," assistant prison director Carlos Polanco told The Associated Press. "We only handle external security. They know if they cross the line, we can shoot."
The unofficial division of power at the San Pedro Sula Central Corrections Facility is mimicked throughout the country, where a Lord-of-the-Flies system allows inmates to run a business behind bars, while officials turn a blind eye in exchange for a cut of the profits they say is spent on prison needs.
This culture virtually guarantees that even in the glare of international scrutiny over a fire that killed 361 prisoners at another Honduran prison three months ago, little stands to change.
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My name is Gary Curtis and I work under the name Zerosix Design. I have worked on a varied range of clients projects developing excellent long term relationships.
From large scale designs for Sports Media companies, Illustrations for Corus Steel, promotional banner advertising for i2i Group to smaller local council newsletters and posters.
Easy going and dedicated, I have a love of all things design. I pride myself on producing high-end work for my varied clients. I enjoy photography, music, film, snowboarding and tea.
Clients include: Final Third Sports Media, Cambridge Weight Plan, FCV International Football Academy, Grainger Guitars, Global Media Projects, Active Magazine, JC Security, Detail Extra Ltd, Garden Centre Buyer Magazine, Floral Silk, Giftware Review Magazine, Market Deeping Parish Council, I'd Rather Be In Deeping Magazine, i2i Group, Corus Steel, Hester Cresswell, Classic Kitchens, Wright Care At Home, Charles & Dean, Quintessentially Wild, Words and Spaces, Nimble Media, Premier Kitchens and Bathrooms, ADP, Design Counsell, Peterborough University, Deeping St James Parish Council.


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This is the topic that actually sparked my post Learning While I Homeschool but I didn't want to admit it at the time because I felt I needed more information before I posted 'anything' about it. Christine Miller ( www.classical-homeschooling.org/) has been posting about it herself since July. Here's the link to her very first post about it: Young or Old Earth.
Well I finally got the gumption to ask on the Well-Trained Mind boards what everything thought and the responses were varied. I received a lot of links mostly from Old Earth believers but only a few from Young Earth. Hmmm. I'm going to be reading into this and I'll share my final thoughts sometime in the next five years! I really received so much that to truly read and digest it all- it's going to take some time. But in case you don't know what Young Earth and Old Earth is or means, let me share some definitions with you.
(from Answers.com, click here for link)
Young Earth creationism is a religious doctrine which teaches that the Earth and life
on Earth were created by a direct action of God relatively recently (about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago). It is generally held by those Christians and Jews who
believe that the ancient Hebrew text of Genesis is a literal account of historical events, and believe that evidence for a strictly factual interpretation of the text is present in the world today, and that scientific evidence for Darwinian evolution or geological uniformitarianism is wrongly interpreted.
Old Earth creationism is a variant of the creationist view of the origin of the universe and life on Earth. It is currently the view of many
Catholic and Protestant Christians, and is typically more compatible with mainstream scientific thought, on the issues of the age of the Universe or Earth, than Young Earth creationism. However, it still takes the accounts of creation in Genesis more literally than evolutionary creationists. See also Progressive creationism.
One type of Old Earth creationism is Gap creationism. This view states that life was immediately created on a pre-existing old Earth. One variant rests on a literal reading of Genesis 1:1 as, "In the beginning, when the earth was formless and void," implying that the earth already existed, but had passed into decay during an earlier age of existence, and was being "shaped anew". This view is more consistent with mainstream science with respect to the age of the Earth, but still often resembles Young Earth creationism in many respects (often seeing the "days" as 24-hour days). This view was popularized in 1909 by the Scofield Reference Bible.Main article: Day-Age Creationism
More commonly, advocates of an old Earth hold that the six days referred to are not ordinary 24-hour days, but rather the
Hebrew word for "day" (yom) can be interpreted in this context to mean a long period of time (thousands or millions of years)
rather than a 24-hour day. The Genesis account is then interpreted as an account of a progressive creation, or sometimes a summary of life's evolutionary history. This view is often called "Day-Age Creationism".
events as held by Young Earth creationism. In this view the first "day" God is said to have created light; on the second, the firmament of heaven; on the third, the separation between water and land, and the creation of plant life; on the fourth the sun, moon, and stars; on the fifth created marine life and birds; on the sixth land animals, and man and woman.The order of light, then the firmament, then stars, might be taken as a simplified description of modern theories of cosmology, namely the Big Bang, followed bycosmic inflation, followed by stellar evolution. Similarly, modern zoology believes that marine animals preceded land animals.
Critics of this old Earth view of Creationism comment that the order of the days of creation are inconsistent with modern
scientific interpretation. For example, the Earth is unlikely to have existed before the Sun and all other stars, plant life
could not have survived millennia without sunlight, flowering plants could not have been pollinated without insect life, and most
birds could not survive long without terrestrial life.
The popular sites for each camp is Answers in Genesis for the Young Earth creationists and Reasons.org for the Old Earth creationist and of course each have books to read further. If you have sources that support your beliefs will you share them with me so I that I can see them too?


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Salt in Downtown Alpharetta/
The Salt Factory Pub has 3 locations! (Roswell, Woodstock, & Alpharetta) We went to the one in downtown Alpharetta! Upon arriving at Salt my mom told me I had to try the Pulled Pork Taco appetizer. She did not steer me wrong, they were A-mazing! (As you can see!) Loaded up with yumminess and flavor! These may not be a first date item to order as they were quite messy and taco sauce smeared all over your face is not ideal! But hey as long as you both have taco sauce on your face, I don't see the problem! haha Anyway.. seriously try these tacos! I got the Tuscan Kale & Pecorino Salad + Grilled Chicken as my main (to balance out the tacos of course). It was very good and the portion size was perfect.
Other items ordered at our table (we we're a table of 5! C'mon I could not eat all of this food by myself, well maybe...) were The Gastropub Pizza, Salt Factory Mussels, Chicken Pot Pie, and two Burgers (can't remember which ones!) There were no complaints at our table, so I'm confident you will love all of these options as well!


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Snippets and Thoughts from a Wonderful Day well spent at the Carlisle Bay Resort
Life's a Beach
Out and About: Tamarind Hills Antigua
This Week, My Relatives from America are back home in Antigua on Vacation, and decided to book a week long stay at Tamarind Hills.
Tamarind Hills offers luxury staycations at beachfront properties which are just amazing. My Aunt Geraldine, being the wonderful person that she is, places my Mom and I on the guest list to stay at the property.
I made the most of the experience and was sure to photograph some of the decor and landscale that I was lucky enough to enjoy.
I woke up on Saturday morning and took a dip in the cerulean blue swimming pool. The pool also has a swith that makes it "infinitize" as my cousin would say giving it the infinity pool affect.
To give it a local flare, the pool was lined with conch shells. It looks especially wonderful when the sun is shining and it blends with the sea beyond it.
The house we stayed in had 4 bedrooms. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and 2 of them were equipped with outdoor showers in addition to another inside. The bathrooms were spacious and the mirror had lights around it adding to the ambience of the area.
The facebasin reminded me of a boiled egg. It was a most interesting shape.
We had access to about 3 of the houses at Tamarind Hills all of which were occupied by my family members.
The architechture really amazed me and its really a beautiful property. Its an area surrounded by amazing beach fronts and pristine white sad. 4 beaches are in walking distance of the property and its in an area thats great for shopping ie: Jolly Harbour.
If i was building a house, I'd surely model my home after these properties. This post has been mostly taken over by photos to show how nice everything was.
To rent the houses, you can book online at Tamarindhills.com and the houses have various prices. All the houses are different which adds to the amazement of the peroperties. Each house is different, with different layouts, different furniture, different designs which makes your location unique from all the others and creates a special space just for you.
I'm really enjoying my time here. And i hope you get a glimpse at paradise through my post. 💖


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Now on Scribd: Unlimited Romance from Harlequin
Our library just got a little (okay, maybe a lot) steamier. We've just added more than 15,000 titles from Harlequin, one of the world's leading publishers of books for women, to our library of more than half a million books. Now, you can spend your evening (or any time of day, really) with bestsellers from Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, Heather Graham, and Shannon Stacey, all available by subscription exclusively on Scribd. So whatever your favorite type of love story – gossip-filled small town romances, Regency-era wooing, crimes of passion, complicated love triangles – we've got you covered. Not sure where to get started? Here are a few of our favorites:
A hilarious romantic comedy following a feisty, tomboyish heroine as she returns to her hometown and reunites with her first love. This sweet story serves as a reminder that puppy love may be true love.
First loves, childhood memories, and current romantic quandaries result in a charming book that reads like a perfect summer day: full of light and laughter, with enough emotional heft to draw you in.
Frequently found at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list, Robyn Carr has garnered a huge following for her series featuring a small town, strong & smart heroines, and heart-fluttering love stories.
These three novella-length stories about lonely, world-weary Texas ranchers settling down will melt your heart over and over again. Palmer's mastery of the Western romance genre shines throughout this collection.
New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers' beloved Sharpe & Donovan series kicks off with this racy thriller that has it all: art, murder, faith, the FBI & the unlikely duo on the case – both in the bedroom & out.
A lord with the manners of a rogue is determined to marry a lady known for her caustic wit, making for some especially entertaining repartee in this tale of reluctant-yet-inevitable love.


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The Wilson Staff Elite cart bag provides convenience, functionality and design. It has 11 pockets: large one for balls, waterproof pocket for electronic, velour pockets for valuable items and an insulated bottom pocket for beverages. The 8.5x10 inch exclusive top has 14 full length club dividers which make getting clubs in and out very easy. The new 2011 Elite cart bag weighs only 3.5 kg (7.8 lbs).There are 2 umbrella holders and a rain hood in case of bad weather.
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When: Sunday, November 15th, from 6am to 5pm
Where: Lake Hopatcong
What: Fishing for walleye and hybrids with jigs, the Binsky and herring.
Weather: For the end of November, as good as it gets. High near 65, mostly sunny, with a 5ish mph wind from the N to NW.
There are a lot of fishermen who wouldn't consider 11 hours on the water and 1 fish a success, but I do.
Chuck and I had simply gorgeous weather, I was able to actually sit still for almost a half a day, at peace and completely relaxed, and to boot, I caught my first Hopatcong walleye. I really enjoyed fishing with Chuck, and look forward to doing it again. He's a great fisherman with great passion for the sport, and that is something I truly admire.
At the beginning of the spring, I set two goals (sort of) for my fishing season. I wanted to catch my first walleye from Lake Hopatcong and my first hybrid striped bass, period. I think that there was also something about a musky, but that wasn't all that realistic, yet.
This being the first year that I have even known "how" to fish Lake Hopatcong, I am not embarrassed to say that I had yet to pull a walleye or a hybrid from it. I have been the Captain of the boat when Lindsay landed a beautiful walleye and my dad a small hybrid, but had yet to get mine. I have caught walleye from Black Lake in New York and the Connecticut River in Vermont, but not in New Jersey. I have never caught a hybrid striped bass, but I have a hunch that will change in the next 365 days as well.
I got the walleye though.
You can't expect to catch a lot of fish, or even "a fish" every time that you go out on the water. However, if you have even the slightest clue as to what you're doing, and put your time in, good things are bound to happen, at least every once in awhile.
So, I set two goals in April and accomplished one. Along the way, thanks to my first year as a member of the Knee Deep Club and people like Lou Marcucci, Web Guy, Chris Lido and Chuck Sorrentino, I have obtained an incredible amount of knowledge on how to catch fish in Lake Hopatcong. This information helped my father and I catch some nice trout in May, Lindsay land a gorgeous walleye in June, me catch a walleye in November and a ton of other fish, in just one lake, in one year. This is knowledge that I can use for the rest of my life, and I have a hunch that I will be having even more successful outings on this lake for years to come.
This will most likely wrap up my year on Hopatcong until there is safe ice. When I think of all I have learned and how this lake seems to be thriving, it makes me pretty excited to think of what I'm going to catch next year.
A special thank you to Laurie at Dow's for a wonderful year.


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You and Me, We Sweat and Strain
2008 // USA // Tia Lessin and Carl Deal // September 28, 2008 // Theatrical Print
A - Directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal have achieved a triumph in documentary film-making with Trouble the Water, a phenomenal, searing portrait of American survival and spirit. The directors deserve a bow for offering veterans such as Errol Morris and Werner Herzog stiff competition for the best documentary feature of 2008. However, the soul and vision of Trouble the Water's protagonist, one Kimberly Rivers Roberts, so suffuses—one might say possesses—the film, that any fair assessment must regard it as her film, at least in part. Indeed, Trouble the Water recalls Herzog's own Grizzly Man in its near-surrender of its form and content to the sizzling force of its fascinating subject. Admittedly, Lessin and Deal's stance towards Roberts is far warmer, more admiring, and more credulous than that of the German master towards Timothy Treadwell. There is a temptation to regard Trouble the Waters at least partly as "found art," given that Roberts' own amateur footage of the Lower Ninth Ward under Katrina's lash serves as the film's foundation. However, from this small seed springs a work so undeniably powerful that one can only praise the directors for revealing Trouble the Water's glittering treasures for all the world to see.
The film begins at a Red Cross shelter in September 2005, where Kimberly and Scott Roberts introduce themselves to the directors as New Orleans natives and survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Kim reveals, enthusiastically and with knowing showmanship, that she has roughly half an hour of rare, first-hand footage of the storm's devastation, captured on a handheld camcorder. Trouble the Water weaves Kim's astonishing, grainy glimpses of a drowning city with Lessin and Deal's own footage as they follow the Roberts' journey back to the Lower Ninth, then to relatives in Memphis, and then back again to New Orleans to try to rebuild their lives. The simplicity of the story is the film's appeal and also its grand illusion, for Trouble the Water deals with both the ugly reality of Katrina and the hopefulness that defies that reality. The indictment it presents is unambiguous: America's leaders left hundreds of thousands of poor citizens to die like Dark Age peasants in the face of a natural disaster. However, this scathing (yet persuasive) critique is not the heart of the film, but merely the starting point for Kim and Scott's tale of remarkable fortitude.
Kim is an inescapable presence in the film, perpetually behind the camera or in front of it. An aspiring hip-hop artist and a bit of a hustler, Kim serves as a tuning fork for Trouble the Water. She vibrates to her own pitch, and the film can only follow along and find the harmony. To say that the strength of the film lies in her authenticity—her blackness? femininity? poverty?—is woefully off the mark. It is obvious from the moment we meet her that the Kim is not a pristine anthropological specimen meant to embody the Big Easy's plight. She is shamelessly, joyously, fiercely involved in the film. At different points throughout Trouble the Water, she serves as an interviewer, interpreter, guide, narrator, journalist, performer, cinematographer, and counselor, not to mention a proxy for our own shame and frustrations.
I asked myself, "Where did they find this woman?" before I remembered that, no, she found them. Scrappy, graceful self-promoter that she is, Kim evinces a compelling appreciation for the drama of her own story even as it is unfolding, a drama that runs deeper than mere gaping at disaster. She wanders through her neighborhood prior to landfall and interrogates friends and strangers about their plans for riding out the storm. She breathlessly repeats the date and that dread name—"Katrina"—well before the extent of the hurricane's calamitous reach is apparent, as if she knows that the storm will be talked about for generations to come. She speaks earnestly and awestruck about the strength of her community and how hardships bring people together. She sculpts the sorrows of New Orleans into her own life story, rapping to the camera over a track about her unlikely survival and boundless strength.
Rippling through Trouble the Water is the seductive and emotionally overwhelming notion that Kimberly Roberts is the quintessential face of twenty-first century America. Here is a woman who is powerful, courageous, scarred, dauntless, spiritual, sentimental, media-savvy, and self-aware. She is a woman longing to simultaneously start over and find her way home. This, not Trouble the Water's peppering of justifiable liberal rage, is what makes it so engaging. Which isn't to say the the film's gestures towards the indignant polemic sub-genre are ineffective. Lessin has served as a producer for a sizable slice of Michael Moore's output, but his influence is only apparent in the film's bemused, profoundly bitter awareness of the apathy infecting America's ruling class. In contrast to Moore's winking camera-hunger, here the directors only rarely intrude on Trouble the Water in any overt manner.
Lessin and Deal largely permit Kim and Scott to tell their tale, resisting the urge to editorialize or file down the serrated edges of their protagonists. The directors coax out the couple's complexity—a fabulous, human complexity, absent any sort of haughty exceptionalism—so smoothly, with such alert eyes and ears, that it seems effortless. (The bits of ironic news footage spliced in here and there suggest a clumsier hand.) Indeed, while the narrative thrust is unmistakably Kim's, Lessin and Deal leave their mark on the film, often in the way they cunningly convey revealing details. The cherubic Scott carries a deep scar on his left cheek, and I idly wondered: Would its origin ever be explained? Then, near the film's conclusion, Kim explains her husband's wound in her own way, dropping an oblique line into one of her songs that sheds fresh light on the couple's relationship. That moment, and the confessional character to it, is Kim's, but its placement in the film is a testament to Lessin and Deal's marvelous storytelling instincts.
Rarely do socially conscious documentaries about recent events rise above the shackles of outrage, and rarely do they have a purpose beyond motivating already sympathetic viewers to political action. Trouble the Water will persist, I believe, as a work of documentary art that transcends its proximal subject matter. It stands as an essential primary and secondary source in the history of American life, and also as an affecting glimpse of human resilience, one that is both uncommonly noble and strangely familiar. Kim and Scott, despite all the mistakes and tribulations in their lives, represent what we aspire to be, the kind of people we were always told America was made of: the people who start swimming when the waters start rising.


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Meaningful Decisions: Doug Levandowski on Design Choices in Gothic Doctor/
In our Meaningful Decisions series, we ask designers about the design choices they made while creating their games, and what lessons other designers can take away from those decisions.
In this edition, we talk with Doug Levandowski, the co-designer of Gothic Doctor, about player choice, balancing powerful cards, endgame triggers and more.
The rules for Gothic Doctor tell players to remove any action cards they want to before starting the game. Why?
Gothic Doctor is a broad enough game that it could be good for younger gamers or gamers more interested in a light experience--and with the Partial Treatments variation in the expansion, it can be good for players who want to make more risk vs. reward kinds of decisions. With that in mind, John McNeill, the game's co-designer, and I decided--even before the expansion--that we wanted to put this caveat into the rules.
Some players want to play more of a multiplayer-solitaire game, and some players (especially in set collection games) really hate having their sets disrupted; on the other hand, some players want to have a stronger take-that element to the game. So in light of that, we decided the easiest way to make the game fun for all different kinds of players was to give players the option to alter the balance of the action cards however they wanted.
We sort of stole that idea from Dominion. Don't want curse/attack cards? Cool! Leave them out! Want to attack nearly constantly and have high score in the game be, like, 7 points? Cool! Witches for everyone! Moats for no one!
Then, as we developed the Partial Treatments expansion, that ability to change the action cards mattered even more; the more you can affect the waiting room, the riskier it is to partially treat a patient, especially to drop a bunch of treatments on a higher-value patient. So if we had any doubt about that caveat before, giving players the ability to skew that risk/reward ratio became something we were really excited about.
What are the pros and cons of giving players the ability to change the type of experience they'll get in a game?
I think the most significant pro is that it allows players with some experience with the game to alter the balance of what will happen in the game. My friend Ian Reed and his significant other Devon are really aggressive players, so he recently told me that when they play, they take out many of the action cards that are neutral to the other player; they want that sort of experience where they can really screw over the other player even if that means low scores in the game. My wife, on the other hand, wants to play friendly games, so we take out the aggressive actions. My experience with games with variable card powers is that every player has some that they absolutely love and want to see every game--and some that have the potential to ruin the game for them. So a serious pro is letting players mold the game to the kind of experience they want to have.
A pretty serious potential con, which I think we avoided in Gothic Doctor, would come if the change to the experience could make the game unbalanced in some way. In Gothic Doctor, players can't (for example) change the number of Panaceas in the deck or get rid of one type of treatment. If they could, that would change how easily doctors could cure patients, and that would really skew the core of the game. But the actions cards don't run into that issue in my experience.
Another potential con is if there are elements that have the potential to ripple out in unexpected ways that players might not understand, especially after only a game or two. Altering the core elements would definitely lead to that--like if players could decide how many rounds they wanted the game to last for. That seems superficial, but in Gothic Doctor, it has big implications for things like the specialist and generalist bonuses.
Gothic Doctor ends after a set number of rounds. Did it always, or did you test other endgame triggers?
Heh, no, it wasn't always that way, and this is one of my embarrassing first-time-designer stories. Originally, the game ended when a doctor had treated 650 pounds worth of patients. (Typically in a current game, scores range from 325 to 500 pounds--so they were much longer games.) But I really liked playing to a certain value, since the theme of the game is that you're trying to make partner in a practice, and it made sense to me for the practice to be saying, "When you've made this much, then you're partner."
John found that the people he was playtesting with were saying, "This is pretty long..." but I was absolutely dead set on keeping it, so I said, "Fine, then we lower the value!" We argued and argued about it--pretty forcefully, actually--until one day, he said, "Sit down. Play it this way." And within three rounds, I was absolutely convinced how right he was.
With the round-based endgame, we were able to say thematically, "You have this many hours of night. Go!" and that makes a lot of sense, too. It also prevents players from having to be counting their score constantly, which was very tedious, though we could have mitigated that with a score tracker. And, more importantly, playing to a set number of rounds gives you a strong sense of moving towards a conclusion, which is helpful in the arc of the game: "I only have two more rounds, and I need to get another Bestial patient to get that Veterinarian bonus!" or "I just have to keep my opponent from getting another Insane patient for three more rounds..." There's a lot better tension this way than, "Oh! I have enough to win! Game over."
So, the takeaway for me here was to playtest something even if you think it's going to change the DNA of your game. If it does, it might change it for the better.
We also briefly kicked around the idea of having to treat all of the patients in the deck. Super tedious... That lasted half of one playtest.
Are there ways a designer can tell what type of endgame trigger is best for a particular game?
Experimentation is really the best way, I think. If you can think of something to try, my really strong stance is that you should just try it. After one test, it might be clear that it won't work--but even if it stinks, it might open up some other ideas that could work in other ways.
But along with that, I'm a strong advocate of the fusion of theme and mechanics. So if there's a thematically relevant endgame trigger, that's the first one I'd test. More importantly, though, the game has to end before players are bored with it. So thematic concerns have to be adapted to make sure that the fun's still there. Luckily, theme can usually be massaged to make that work.
When drawing cards, players may draw from either the treatment deck or the action deck, in any ratio they choose. This gives players the flexibility of crafting their hand of cards. Why did you divide the cards this way, and why did you make both card types contribute to the seven-card hand limit?
This decision came down, again, to player choice--but it also had a lot to do with controlling randomness in the game. Originally, the decks were shuffled together and you just drew from them--but it could be really, really frustrating to keep drawing action cards when you need to treat a patient. So we split the deck.
In keeping with the elements of choice that we worked into the game, we wanted players to be able to balance their hands however they wanted. I mentioned how aggressive Ian and Devon are with each other; they're heavy action card users too. Some people don't use them at all (which is a thing that newer players tend to do before they see just how much some of them can affect the game). But ultimately, that's one of the strategic elements in the game: If you can cure one patient in the waiting room with the cards in your hand, do you take an action card? They're very powerful, but almost all of them are conditionally very powerful--higher risk, higher reward. Or do you take another treatment card to have a more balanced hand? John and I were really, really happy with this change and the control it gave players over the management of their hand.
How can a game's rules accommodate different players' preferences? Should there be limits to how much flexibility a game gives players?
Player interaction is a key way to do this; it's something that I've picked up from playing Jay Treat's designs (especially Grandeur and Merchants of Araby) and your Sultana, which has one of the best interactions I've seen. Players can decide in these games how much that interaction matters. In Merchants, you can build your engine on your own, or you can work very collaboratively, especially in early rounds. In Sultana, you and your opponents get to choose which path(s) to victory you're focusing on.
At the same time, though, with high collaboration games, there's a sort of paradox there: It can also limit the ability of players to exercise their preferences. When what other players do influences optimal play, it makes it so that what they do alters the options you have, usually not increasing them. But at the same time, it also expands them. It's weird that way.
Another way to accommodate players' preferences, of course, is modular setup--anything from altering what action cards are in the game to changing the setup of the board to encourage or discourage certain paths to victory. And then of course there's something like 504 where even the core mechanics are variable, though I haven't checked that one out...yet. Actually, given how different 504 games can be (from what I understand), that's like saying that you can accommodate players' preferences by letting them choose what game they play...
In terms of limiting flexibility, I think choice should be bounded by the fun in the game. To some extent, that's about protecting players from themselves. Even great, great game designers have ideas that sound awesome in their heads but wind up being unmitigated disasters on the table. So I don't want any of my rules to be so loose that a player could make the game unfun. There are house rules, of course--but then players would know, hey, this isn't allowable in the core.
The Panacea cards are especially powerful because they're required to treat the most valuable patients, and they can be used as wildcards in place of other treatments. How does the game counterbalance this?
Super powerful--and unlike the action cards, Panaceas aren't conditionally powerful. They're powerful every time you treat. So, to counterbalance that, we did a few things. First, drawing them face up costs two draws instead of one, decreasing your hand size until the end of your next turn.
Second, you need them in order to treat the more valuable patients, so they serve more than one function in the treatment process.
Third, we put 13 of them in the treatment deck--while each other treatment card only has 5. When you have a very powerful card, I think you want to make them more widely available to reduce the imbalance based on luck for the number that players draw--as much as is possible in a game based, in some ways, on the luck of the draw.
Fourth, the fact that they are so powerful leads players to have to make decisions about whether to use them as a wild--and when. People tend to not throw them around given how valuable they are, so that helps a bit to mitigate it.
In the playtesting, we tested towards the end for whether having more Panaceas pass through their hands correlated with higher score. They didn't, so, good to go!
Are there go-to ways of counterbalancing powerful cards that designers can keep in mind?
Conditional power is a big one, for sure. For example, one really powerful action card allows you to take a treatment card into your hand when an opponent uses it. So, it's basically a free Panacea--but you have to wait until an opponent drops a Panacea to use it. Sometimes that's nearly immediately, but I've waited more than three rounds to be able to use that card as it takes up space in my hand. And since that's keeping me from having one extra card to create a set, that's a big deal. So making a great card only actually great in a specific situation is good.
The more powerful the card has the potential to be, the rarer the condition should be. But there's also a balance to that. A card that's so, so rarely useful makes it so rare that having it at the right time becomes more luck than calculation. I don't have the exact number here--I think playtesting is the trick here. Mathing it out is great, but ultimately, I think it comes back to having it feel subjectively right to most players during actual games.
Another way is making them more difficult or costly to acquire, as discussed above--though it could also be more expensive to use. One of the things we toyed with was forcing players to spend 25 pounds to use the Panacea, but that proved to be too much of a disincentive. But if a game employs action point allowance, having to spend more action points to use more powerful cards is a way too.
Mitigating the ways in which cards are randomly acquired is important too. If it's all blind draws, then more powerful cards are more problematic since acquiring them or not will always be luck-based.
Cardboard Edison is supported by our patrons on Patreon.
SENIOR INVENTORS: Steven Cole, John du Bois, Richard Durham, Peter C. Hayward, Matthew O'Malley, Isaias Vallejo
JUNIOR INVENTORS: Ryan Abrams, Luis Lara, Behrooz Shahriari, Aidan Short, Jay Treat
ASSOCIATES: Robert Booth, Doug Levandowski, Aaron Lim, Nathan Miller, Marcel Perro, Matt Wolfe
APPRENTICES: Kevin Brusky, Kiva Fecteau, Scott Gottreu, Michael Gray, JR Honeycutt, Scott Martel Jr., Mike Mullins, Marcus Ross, Sean Rumble, Diane Sauer


text: Friday night was Pouncer Pals Fall Kick Off Party at The Incredible Pizza Cafe. This is the only time we go to IPC because one, it is crazy pricey for a pizza buffet and then you have to buy a game card to play the fun games and two, the food is not that great, we like Stevi B's Pizza better. Although the chocolate ice cream was yummy. Anyway, Abby really likes it and we all enjoy this Pouncer Pals Party. Here are the girls with Pouncer. He was very interactive and very playful this year.


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About a week before every New York fashion week I hold a big, open pre-casting. I invite all the model agents to send their new, and not-so-new girls to see me, I make them walk, take a few snaps, put them in a binder and compile an extensive data base for each one of my designers. I usually see about 150 to 200 girls, so yeah, it gets exhausting, but it's a fun and cool way to see all the newbies and discover a few gems on the way.
This time we did it a little bit differently though… I collaborated with my friend and photographer Paola Kudacki on a casting project that involved some styling too. While my casting went on, we pulled a few of our favorites aside, dressed them up in designer and vintage denim pieces and Poala shot them in a separate studio. The result is this series of black and white portraits – a nice change from all the mugshot polaroids, no? See if you recognize anyone from the shows!
Thank you to all the model agencies who participated! And thanks to all the girls for patiently waiting your turn….
Please hover your mouse over the photos for the clothing credits and the girls' names.


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Have you ever found yourself standing by the open freezer door with an open carton of ice cream, trying to spoon every scoop along the chocolate-vanilla line all the way down to the bottom the carton into your mouth without getting ice cream all over your hand the further down the carton you get as a valley of vanilla and chocolate form on either side, hoping that no errant bit of strawberry taints these perfect, yin-and-yang spoonfuls?
Wow. Well...uh...neither have I.
But just in case there's anyone who has, in such moments, wondered "what's up with Neapolitan ice cream?", I took a few moments to find out more about its sweet history, with a little who-what-where-when-why-how. Not in that exact order.
First off, what is "Neapolitan"? While I personally think "strawberry-vanilla-chocolate" when I think of Neapolitan, this holy trinity isn't a hard-and-fast rule. Sometimes, other flavors (often pistachio) are included--although not a rule of the dessert, it seems that it is most frequently a trinity of flavors, regardless of what they are.
Apparently trinities are common in the ice cream world?
When did it come about? Believe it or not, it's a fairly new addition to the frozen dessert scene. While ices and granitas date back to ancient times, La Belle Neapolitan only seems to go back to the 1800s. Recipes for the fancy bricks of sweetness rose in popularity in the 19th century--a time at which fancy frozen concoctions were increasing in popularity (the same era during which Baked Alaska became popular in NYC, for instance!).
Interestingly, it seems related to spumoni--a three-flavored (usually a pink--strawberry or cherry--ice cream, paired with chocolate and pistachio).
Why then? Likely owing to the refrigeration advancements that were happening at the time, and as some food historians propose, an increasing interest in "collective gastronomy" (or complicated presentations).
Who is "Neapolitan" named after? According to The Food Timeline, "the peoples of Napoli are credited for introducing their famous ice creams to the world in the 19th century. At that time, pressed blocks composed of special flavors were trendy. The best ones were made with 'Neapolitan-style' ice creams."
As previously noted, this would imply that "Neapolitan" refers more to the concept of several flavors pressed together, not referring to the strawberry-vanilla-chocolate combo which has become by far the most famous trinity of "Neapolitan" flavors. Interestingly, recipes from before 1900 frequently refer to different combinations, in some cases even two flavors of ice cream paired with an ice.
Neapolitan ice cream, as I hear, is nowhere near as popular in Italy as it is in the US, where it has been a popular flavor combination since the 1890s. (Some say, btw, that the American term "Neapolitan" for vanilla, chocolate and strawberry tricolored ice cream is based on its former identification with spumoni.)
Where did it rise in popularity? In spite of its Italian name, the cold and creamy sweet rose to popularity in Paris, not Italy (though the makers were Italian...still with me?). Larousse Gastronomique's words on the subject?
"Neapolitan slice. A slice of ice-cream cake made with mousse mixture and ordinary ice cream, presented in a small pleated paper case. Neapolitan ice cream consists of three layers, each of a different color and flavor (chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla), moulded into a block and cut into slices. Neapolitan ice-cream makers were famous in Paris at the beginning of the 19th century, especially Tortoni, creator of numerous ice-cream cakes."
This is confirmed in the Encyclopedia of Food and Drink:
"(18th century) confectioners's shops (were) very often run by Italians. Consequently ice creams were often called "Italian ice creams" or "Neapolitan ice creams" throughout the 19th century, and the purveying of such confections became associated with Italian immigrants."
Also interesting? How it's made commercially. Here's an interesting morsel about the production process in the modern day; also, Wikipedia pointed me toward Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book, which informed me that something exists called the Neapolitan Ice Spoon.
The Neapolitan Ice Spoon has a double use; ice bowl is for putting the mixture into the mold, and the handle is for leveling it. The boxes may be made of tin, which is less expensive than pewter. They are generally sold small enough to make single ices, but these are much more troublesome to prepare. After filling the molds, if there is no cave, "bed" the ice in the usual way.
Well, no matter how you slice it (or spoon it), Neapolitan is a combination which is as iconic as it is delicious, inspiring candies, trinkets that look like candies, dresses, artwork, cakes, rice krispie treats (!) and even blondie bars.
Conclusion? no matter who made it or where it's from, that strawberry-vanilla-chocolate confection is a trinity of awesome that is part of our hearts, via our greedy, sugar-hungry mouths.


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The Temple of Elemental Evil
In Niole-dra, Exex was tasked by the Thieves' Guild to spy on one of their "benefactors", Madame Blavatsky – she runs a bath house in the southeast part of town. The Guild noticed that her contributions had been decreasing over the last year or so though there seemed to be no decrease in her clientele.
Exex was nearly caught, but managed to escape with the Madame's ledger; inside were details suggesting that she was laundering money through several hands to provide monetary and armed support for someone in Nulb. The Guild decided that Exex should have the pleasure of following up on this lead and shut it down or report back to the them.
In the meantime, Darmok and Chees were informed by the Knights of the Law that Prince Thrommel had been kidnapped a couple months ago, and that there was little in the way of clues- even from supernatural sources. As provisional Knights they were asked to be aware of an "evil temple deep in the woods" where the Prince supposedly is. This could of course be almost anywhere, and even remembering their encounter with Rollon Ferndis (who was on his way to explore one in the Gnarley Forest) didn't seem to ring a bell. All well and good though, for they decided to accompany their unlikely companions to Nulb anyway.
In Nulb the party's first stop was the Waterside Hostel, run by Skole, and then to Otis the blacksmith. When the party asked about an abandoned temple he directed them to Old Man Jenkins on the South Road, where they heard legends of Attar, the Maiden of Flowers who attracted young lovers into her cult. Worship was held at a temple in the south woods, which developed an increasingly bad reputation until forces from Verbobonc, Veluna and Furyondy laid waste to it, ending the cult. The Maiden has not been seen since, and most people in this backwater sty don't seem inclined to talk about it, except for Old Man Jenkins, who talks to his chickens.
Early the next morning the party mounted horses and set off down the mostly-unused South Road, and after a couple hours found the ruined walls of a courtyard. Within was an awful edifice of evil, surrounded by choking weeds and shrubs up to a man's eyeballs. They carefully trotted up to the fane's front, dismounted, and examined the huge iron-bound portal. After much discussion the PC's decided to break in through a side door, rather than trying to batter open the main doors, and left the horses and ponies out front.
Once within the foyer Exex was encouraged to explore the entire expanse of the immense cathedral, whose pillars and walls were decorated with scenes of debauchery and degeneracy, and featuring sickly floral accents. She found three stairways down and decided to venture to a lower level via the west stairway, in a vestry. She found several long passageways, some used (for they had lit torches), and discovered ruined armories down unused hallways. Eventually she snuck her way up a used passageway only to be surprised by a pair of gnolls, who tried to grab her and missed. Running and trying to duck them, she finally escaped by casting a Lightning Bolt and found her way back to the west stairs. Yelling, she alerted her compatriots of the danger of humanoids below.
Once the party was confident that no monsters were going to rise from below they proceeded down the east stairwell, and found more long hallways, disused armories, a garbage room, and a sloping passage to a lower level. When Paddy checked a side room for traps he became trapped himself with harpies; Darmok and Garath bent the enclosing bars and came to his aid, having to then fight off ghouls and ghosts as well.
Moving north, our intrepid band ran afoul of what seemed to be a multiple crossbow trap down a cross-hall, which nearly killed Exex. Bobill used his Wand of Fireballs to send a fireball down the hall, following it up with a second fireball for good measure. The gnoll manning the quadruple crossbow and his fellows were not happy; actually, several died as the doors were blown off. Further melees with gnolls and ogres ensued, until the humanoids fell back to hit-and-run tactics and were pursued through barracks into a wide, bone-strewn hall. Darmok and Garath found themselves in a trap as skeletons – human and gnoll – sprang up around them. Chees and Rebamac turned most of the skeletons; when human guards then appeared around the corners and from a side door, the clerics and Exex cast paralyzation and hold spells that were terribly effective in helping the party drive off or defeat these forces. The adventurers turned back to the rooms hay had just cleared, scouring them for treasure. When Paddy disarmed the traps on a large iron chest in what appeared to be an ogre's chamber, and began digging through the coins within, the poor chief of the ogres couldn't take it any more. He burst in cursing and proceeded to batter the halfling to a pulp; only the intervention of Darmok saved Paddy, who was one good ogre-hit away from death.
Making note of what treasure was where the party decided to move further north from the bone hallway, fighting through a series of small rooms held by human guards. They eventually reached more opulent quarters, finding concealed alcoves, including an "L"-shaped little hall terminating in what seemed to be a dead end and containing an iron chest chained to the wall. Seeing no opposition the party chiseled the bracket out of the wall and dragged this booty, and other loot, into their Bag of Holding and decided to take their leave for the day.
Battered and bruised they exited the cathedral, only to discover their steeds – missing! Quelle surprise!
Garath tracked the mounts to a ruined tower in the northwest corner of the compound, and the group proceeded to argue over what to do with the barred and chained door at the foot of the wrecked structure. Pretty soon arrows began picking at them and they charged the walls to get past firing range. They broke the chain free and unbarred the door, then the barbarian swung open the door so Darmok could wade in, protected head-to-toe in field plate armor.
Allynfred, who has taken to the moniker Kalak Ropebeard, assisted with the tower invasion, helping Rebamac fight brigands in the dark east section while the paladin and Garath fought to the northwest. Bobill, using his Cloak of Arachnidia, proved invaluable when he webbed nearly the entire brigand contingent. The battle was quickly finished after that with most brigands killed and one captured; the party's mounts were further back in the common area, as they suspected. Rebamac charmed the captured brigand, named Yutoob, and they learned the brigand leaders had escaped, but Yutoob knew not how. He also identified a scrap of paper they found as a list of upcoming raids, including one in Hommlett.
Our heroes decided to head back to Nulb for the night, for there was much recovery needed, even though only a few hours had passed since arrival at the Temple grounds.


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Chapter 5
Scientific Sampling and Data Collection
The primary scientific occupation of an observer at sea is to gather data on discards: tuna discards and the catch and discards of sharks, billfish, and other species. Other duties include collecting fish measurement data, collecting biological samples, and carrying out other research-related activities. Without these data, scientists would be unable to accurately monitor the health of the tuna stocks and other species encountered during fishing.


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As reported By Nora Flaherty of HarnessLink Gamblers in Maine spent nearly $54.6 million on slots and table games at the state's two casinos last year.
Those numbers are from the Gambling Control Board's annual report out this month. The report also finds that while Oxford Casino made about $2 million more in 2017 than in 2016, Hollywood Casino made about $900,000 less than the year before.
I feel there are many reasons for the disparaging revenue statistics, but the main reason is location, location, location!
Bangor is a quaint DownEast city in south-central Maine. So, what are the things that might make it a destination?
- Some say they have the best shopping in Maine with the Bangor Mall, which is so popular that people from all over North America, including Canada, shop there. It has spawned several motels just to service the customers. However, all those hotels don't seem to have spilled over into stay-cations including the Hollywood Casino. Besides, doesn't the Outlet Madness area of Kittery entice people from all over New England?
- Downtown is a great place to eat, enjoy some night life, and enjoy free concerts and movies. The beer selections, with the increase of craft brewers such as Geaghan Brothers Brewing next to the casino, Masons Brewing, Black Canvas Brewing and Maniacal Brewing are all great additions to SeaDog Brewing right in the Bangor area.
- Darlings Waterfront Pavilion has excellent open-air entertainment in the summer, just a brief walk from the casino.
- The Penobscot River Walkway is an excellent walking, biking, or running trail that starts in the back of the casino.
But this just isn't enough it seems. Milton Champion is the executive director of the Gambling Control Board says both casinos made some changes this year. "Oxford Casino added their hotel, and with that hotel addition they've also added some gaming floor," Champion says. "On Hollywood's side, they've actually taken away."
Hollywood just isn't close enough to draw from other cities. The driving distance adds to location problems:
- Portland, Maine – 1 1/2+ hours
- Berlin, New Hampshire – 2 hours+
- Quebec, Canada – 3 hours
- Montpelier, Vermont – 3 hours+
- Boston, MA – 3 hours+
But gamblers have made their way to CT casinos driving longer distances?
Yes, but the end product is quite different. Number of better gaming tables, better video poker, better amenities….the list goes on…will entice people. Bangor and the Hollywood casino isn't that enticing.
Oxford on the other hand seems like the little engine that could. Additions along the way – better infrastructure, added hotel (with another new Hampton Inn across the street) a new dining option in the OX Pub, and closer proximity to the cities cited above makes their growth in revenue understandable.
According to Nora Flaherty's report, "Of the money they took in, Oxford and Hollywood casinos sent $18 million back to the state to use for K-12 education; $5.9 million to the University of Maine system, the state's community college system, and Maine Maritime Academy; $8.9 million went to the general fund; and $4.4 million went to harness racing purses. That's among many beneficiaries, including the agricultural fair support fund, which got $1.8 million.
Every Summer, NETG drives up to check out both casinos. It's always a fun and relaxing trip, and we have more to check on besides the casinos. Something to look forward to.


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Design, like a language, requires articulation. Everyone speaks, but not everyone communicates well. Good communication requires skillful articulation. The better the articulation, the better the communication, which in turn eliminates miscommunication. Likewise, all designers design, but not every designer articulates design clearly and precisely, in accordance with the information given.
In short, design articulation is the keen ability to articulate aesthetically of the objectives – words, thoughts and visions – provided.
That is what I do – articulating your objectives through design for your audience – space, objects and identities.
By turning designs into meaningful experiences for your audience, it cultivates a stronger emotional bond between you and your audience.
Hello. My name is Daniel.
Creating Real, Iconic and Thoughtful Designs.
Space. Objects. Identities.
TUDESIGN is an award-winning interdisciplinary design studio founded by Po-Fu Daniel Tu, an independent designer whose design sensibility is shaped by his childhood in Taiwan, adolescence in Dominican Republic, and adulthood in the United States.
Daniel graduated from College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Michigan, with a BFA in Industrial Design. Since his graduation, Daniel has had the opportunity to serve in various design disciplines across an array of diverse industries throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.
After an answered prayer, in April 2007 Daniel started his design studio without any clients or projects. Since then, Daniel has worked on more than 300 projects, by the grace of God, with dedication and commitment.
Daniel currently lives in Northern California with his wife and six children.
Working With TUDESIGN
TUDESIGN is always looking for new collaborative opportunities, whether you are an individual, organization or company. Working with TUDESIGN is as easy as 1-2-3:
Contact us to discuss project and expectations
Review the design proposal
Upon approval, collaboration begins
There are no obligations when discussing and reviewing our design proposals, and there are no surprises at the end. Everything is agreed upon beforehand. Interested in working with us? Contact us today.


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Funeral wakes can also be held at private funeral parlours. There is currently 3 privately operated funeral parlour in Singapore for public booking: Sin Ming Parlour, Teochew Parlour and Mount Vernon Sanctuary.
Address: 121 Upper Aljunied Road Singapore 367878
Mount Vernon Sanctuary has 6 different halls of varying sizes and are spacious and offers privacy and security. The neutral design of the halls allows it to be used for any religion. It sits in a tranquil park environment surrounded by lush greenery and easily accessed by adjoining major expressways, MRT station, and bus services.
Sin Ming Funeral Parlour
Address: Sin Ming Industrial Estate #01-577, 37 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore 575711
Address: 10 Ubi Road 4, Singapore 408609
The Teochew Funeral Parlour serves to continue the Ngee Ann Kongsi's original objectives of preserving the funeral rites of the Teochew community. It is open to members of the Teochew community as well as the general public who wish to perform funeral rites for their departed relatives.


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5 thoughts on an uneventful Final Four opener
As if the weather wasn't bad enough, North Texas was treated to very little entertainment in the first semifinal of Saturday's Final Four.
Here are my thoughts on No. 7 UConn's 63-53 victory over Florida, the tournament's overall No. 1 seed.
1.) It's not breaking news but AT&T Stadium is a terrible basketball venue. Yes, the Final Fours are now all being played in football stadiums and none are ideal for basketball. But Jerry World has to be the worst. Folks in the upper bowl are so far away from the action that they have to watch the majority of the game on the big screen. And I get it, it's a nice big screen. But spending hundreds of dollars on tickets, parking and food clearly offset the price of watching basketball on a $40 million TV.
2.) If you weren't a basketball fan before the first semifinal game, you probably didn't change your mind over the next two and a half hours. Both teams had extremely sloppy stretches. UConn scored only four points over the first 11 minutes. With five minutes remaining, Florida had two total assists and the Gators were shooting 37 percent from the field and 1-of-9 from 3. The Gators played in AT&T Stadium during last year's regionals. Obviously that familiarity didn't help their shooting touch. And it wasn't like UConn was overly impressive. Superstar point guard Shabazz Napier finished with 12 points and six assists. Florida's star point guard Scottie Wilbekin shot 2-for-9, finishing with four points and one assist.
3.) UConn, a team that lost to SMU twice this season, has a way of making the title game a little dull. The Huskies' last two title game appearances â 2011 and 2004 â were victories over Butler and Georgia Tech. Neither game was memorable. Actually they were probably the worst two title games of the last 15 years. There's a decent chance a Monday matchup against Wisconsin or No. 8 seed Kentucky won't break that trend. At this point, the best possible championship game scenario would be Kentucky impressively winning another title with a dominant performance from the local kid, Julius Randle.
4.) What would a major sporting event at AT&T Stadium be without Jerry Jones? The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager was shown sitting in his owner's box early in the contest. He got booed. He smiled and waved. You're not going to upset Jerry Jones with a little booing. And let's be serious for a second, if it wasn't for Jones and his $1.3 billion stadium, the Final Four might not even be in North Texas right now. Other celebrities at the first semifinal game: Troy Aikman, LL Cool J, Danica Patrick and Dwight Howard.
5.) Can Mother Nature give the area a break during big events? As the first game concluded, the PA announcer warned fans to stay inside because of severe weather in the area, which included possible hail and lightning. If it's not snow and ice falling off the roof during the Super Bowl, it's cold, windy and rainy for the Final Four. How about sunny and 75 degrees on Monday before the title game, deal?
Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota


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Siemens cuts CO2 emissions by 20 percent and joins CPLC
In September 2015, Siemens announced its intention to cut the carbon footprint of its operative business in half by 2020 and to become climate neutral by 2030. To achieve this, Siemens is focusing on four different levers: energy efficiency, decentralized energy systems, intelligent e-mobility solutions and the purchasing of clean electricity. Siemens invests €100 million in improving the energy efficiency of its own buildings and production facilities with expected annual savings of about €20 million from 2020 onwards. One year after the launch of its CO2-neutral program, Siemens is already making significant advances in reducing its CO2-footprint. The company was able to cut its CO2 emissions from 2.2 million tons in fiscal 2014 to 1.7 million tons in fiscal 2016. Just recently, Siemens has joined the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC).
This press feature was originally posted to Siemens website


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CBS Miami's Jim DeFede is the host of Facing South Florida.
Facing South Florida: One-On-One With Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum
Sponsored By
Categories: News
Latest Videos
CBSMiami.com Weather @ Your Desk 9-19-19 11PMCBS4 News chief meteorologist Craig Setzer's weather outlook for South Florida.
No Issues Discovered On Other Aircraft Worked On By Former Mechanic Charged With SabotageAmerican Airlines announced Thursday they did a thorough review of other aircraft worked on by a former mechanic charged with sabotaging a jetliner at Miami International Airport and discovered no issues.
Mother Charged After Child Found Wandering In Parking Lot Of Strip ClubA young mother was charged with child neglect after leaving her little girl in the car while she danced at a gentleman's club.
Tracking Hurricane JerryCBS4 News chief meteorologist Craig Setzer's latest on Hurricane Jerry.
State Rep. Michael Gottlieb On New Proposed LegislationNew proposed legislation would allow victims of sexual abuse more time to pursue their cases through the court system.
Remembering Maurice FerréThe former six-term Miami mayor passed away Thursday at the age of 84 surrounded by family.
Arrest Made In Elevator Attack Of Woman At Miami Beach CondoMiami Beach police announced the arrest of a man wanted in connection with the attack of a woman inside an elevator on Wednesday.
Miami-Dade School Bus Aide Rescued After Garbage Truck CrashMiami Fire Rescue used the jaws of life to rescue a trapped man after a Miami-Dade school bus collided with a dump truck.
Former Magic City Mayor Maurice Ferré Has DiedWhen asked what he wanted his legacy to be Maurice Ferré said without hesitation, "Love. Love for the people. We the people. We the people of Miami."
More Videos
Search On For Missing TeenDestiny Rose, 16, was last seen nearly a month ago at the Alpha Group Home in Southwest Ranches.
Hand Sanitizer Study Shows What?A new study shows that quickly smearing an ethanol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands probably won't kill those cold and flu bugs.
Trending: Gaga In New Movie?Lady Gaga has reportedly been offered a role in a remake of Little Shop of Horrors
Keeping Your Children Safe Inside Your VehicleFederal officials announced new steps to prevent children from dying in hot cars
CBSMiami.com Weather @ Your Desk 9-19-19 5PMCBS4 News chief meteorologist Craig Setzer's weather outlook for South Florida.
Arrest Made In Elevator AttackMiami Beach police announced the arrest of a man wanted in connection with the attack of a woman inside an elevator on Wednesday.
Case Of Mistaken ID Keeps Woman In JailA local woman was kept in jail even though she was the victim of mistaken identity.
Suspect Caught After Bailout In Miami-DadeA suspect is in police custody following a bailout incident in Miami Shores on Thursday afternoon.
Tracking the Tropics: Keeping An Eye On JerryCBS4 News chief meteorologist Craig Setzer tracks Hurricane Jerry.
CBSMiami News Update 9/19/19 3pmCBSMiami News Update 9/19/19 3pm
Dallas, Miami Mayors Bet Pies On Cowboys-Dolphins GameBoth mayors from Dallas and Miami bet their city's best pies on Sunday's Cowboys vs. Dolphins game. Katie Johnston reports.
CBSMiami.com Weather 9/19 12PMConsiderable cloudiness this afternoon with occasional rain showers.
Tropical Depression Imelda Is Drenching Parts Of Southeast TexasCourtney Zubowski reports more than a foot of rain has fallen in some places and first responders have received requests for more than two hundred high water rescues.
Tensions Running High After US Believe Iran Response For Saudi Oil Facility AttackBofta Yimam reports Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the drone strike an "act of war."
Woman Charged With Child Neglect After Leaving Daughter In CarManouchika Daniels accused of leaving her three-year-old alone in a car while she worked in a Lauderhill strip club.
Delta Passengers Get Scare In The Air On Flight To Fort LauderdaleMarybel Rodriguez said the flight made an emergency landing in Tampa after developing a pressurization problem.
Miami-Dade School Bus Aide Removed Fro Bus After CrashPeter D'Oench reports both the bus driver and aide were hurt in the crash which involved a dump truck.
Tracking The Tropics: Hurricane Jerry 9/19 12PMHurricane Jerry is expected to strengthen over the next day.
Delray Beach Doc Sentenced To Nine Years In Prison For Possession Of Child PornA Delray Beach doctor has been sentenced to nearly a dozen years in prison for possession of child pornography. Katie Johnston reports.
Child Found Wandering In Parking Lot Of Lauderhill Strip Club, Mother ChargedA woman was charged after her child was found wandering in the parking lot of a gentleman's club. Katie Johnston reports.


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I'd be lying if I said that Ilene wasn't one of my blog crushes - she's cute, she's talented, she has her own personal style which I love, she isn't afraid to pull faces at the camera (which I also love) and she is an incredibly dedicated blogger whose persistance and enthusiasm constantly amazes me.
And as well as having her enthusiasic and fun blog, Ilene also has a gorgeous shop which I am completely smitten with - in fact I already own two of her pieces and I've just ordered two more custom designs, I can't wait to see them already.
So, you can win: $20 credit to spend in Much Love, Illy
How to enter: Visit Much Love, Illy and leave a comment with what items you would buy with your $20 credit
This giveaway is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who entered.
p.s. the winner of last weeks giveaway from City of Blackbirds is Ashley from The Pharr Side - please email me!


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Our shop is run by the community
for the community. That means you!
There are many ways to get involved.
Even though we have been trading for some time, there are still specialist skills we need help with.
Can you help? We particularly need volunteers who can assist with:
- Book keeping skills
- Helping in the garden areas
- Serving in the Shop at times convenient to you
If you could help in any way please contact David Lewis: 01572 748 748
Thank you so much to all the many volunteers who have worked in The Shop in our first four years. The commitment of so many has been thrilling to see. This now means that newcomers can start their experience alongside at least one other person who will remember their own first days (not so long ago!) and be pleased to help someone else build up their confidence on the till and around The Shop. Tell David when you could come for a trial run.
Our system needs much support if we are to make this Community Shop a genuinely community activity.
Our Shop – Owned by the Community to Serve the Community
Volunteers Stories
" I love working in the shop because it gets me out of the house! It's also taught me a bit about retail and I've made some friends whom I wouldn't otherwise have met. It's a great family to be a part of."
" Why I like working in the shop. Just two to three hours a week helps the village, even just helping out when they are stuck when people are sick or on holiday's. Every bit helps.
The benefits:
1 It gets you meeting locals
2. It gets you out of the house
3. It's like one big family
4. It keeps the old grey matter working.
Food coffee lunches
How lucky are we
To have this lovely
Viv P.
" I really enjoy my shifts at the shop firstly because David is so helpful and supportive, as are all the other volunteers I've worked with, so till and change anxieties are minimised, and goof ups rectified with good humour. Also, customers are always so patient, friendly and can usually help you out if in a till dilemma!
There is also a real sense of community and 'connectedness' about the shop, it's great to meet such a wide variety of people, residents old and new and visitors, from babies to school children to older residents.
Another thing that I value about volunteering is being able to be a 'floating voter' at The Shop, without having to commit to a regular weekly time slot, as being a newly released wage slave we want to go away visiting/exploring.
I am full of admiration for the regular commitment of the volunteers, but especially so of the organisers, Kay (and of course David) of the rota, who do so much to fill in, and Gill, who counts the money tirelessly. Obviously, there are lots more special people who give, and have given in the past, such a lot of time and effort to and for The Shop, who represent a good force which it's important to be reminded of.
(Here endeth the lesson!) "


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John F. Kennedy said, "…We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept…"
I wasn't alive then, but those words have always meant something to me. For me these words mean that despite how hard something seems, it doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. That no matter how impossible something seems, it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. For me those words have always meant that we should dream and dream big.
Flash forward almost 55 years and here we are, in a world that no one back than could have dreamed possible. We've been to the Moon, we have a permanent space station in low Earth's orbit. We've sent any number of machines out into the universe. There are men and women planning on going to Mars (okay, that is a bit farther out, but still NASA is planning a trip as are Mar's One and Space X). We want to mine an asteroid. We want to have a permanent presence on the Moon. We're in the process of opening up space exploration to private companies such as Bigelow Aerospace, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Space X. These are big dreams with big dreamers behind them.
Why we need to celebrate these dreams is because these dreams spawn conversation, and these conversations spawn action, and these actions create change (mostly for the better). Not all these dreamers will see their dreams come true, but some will. Those dreams that do come true will spawn new dreams and so on.
Without these big dreams we would have never had flight, never had computers, never had cell phones, or any number of everyday items we take for granted.
As a writer, I'm a dreamer, I suppose if I did better in math and science I could have been one of these dreamers creating our future, but instead, I tell stories. Stories that maybe, if I'm lucky, someday will inspire future dreamers and if I'm really lucky, possibly I'll be writing them from my new home on the Moon, or perhaps Mars. I do it not because it's easy but because it's a challenge I'm willing to accept.
What are your dreams? How are you celebrating them, and the dreamers around you?


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The old German base
The Duga-3 long range radar, near Chernobyl
Swimming pool in Pripyat, Chernobyl
Swing in the Pripyat amusement park, near Chernobyl
Bumper cars in Pripyat, Chernobyl
Ferris wheel in Pripyat, Chernobyl
Silence, Pripyat, Chernobyl
The red chair
In Pripyat, Chernobyl, Ukraine
The fluvial port, Chernobyl
Community center in Zalissia Village, near Chernobyl
Former sodium factory, Schiedam
We went to visit the factory with the Urban Photo Collective.
The factory was built around 1800. The last years it has been completely neglected but now a number of people are trying to collect funds, restore it and give it a new destination. Check www.sodafabriek.nl for the details (in Dutch only).
The building is normally closed. Don't go in there on your own. It's very dangerous!
Sodium Factory Schiedam
Sodium Factory, Schiedam
Hardly anything is straight in this building
Fomer sodium factory, Schiedam
Inside the former sodium factory in Schiedam
Wood and salt don't mix
Taken inside the former sodium factory in Schiedam.
The wooden beams of the building are slowly being destroyed by the salt and acids that were used in the manufacturing process. The individual fibers of the wood are coming loose.
Backlit by a big construction lamp that happened to be there.
Quite happy with the result given this was at 1/45th of a second and ISO 6400, handheld.
MFU - My First Urbex
Charbonnage du Gouffre. Made three exposures and combined them in photoshop. No HDR software was used.
Abandoned mine in Charleroi
Charbonnage du Gouffre.
We were lucky to be there just when the trees were blossoming.
Closed down mine
Charbonnage du Gouffre
Charbonnage du Gouffre
An abandoned factory in Charleroi.
Abandoned metro station in Charleroi
This station was built but never used. Time took its toll and people stripped it of the valuable parts. The power on the power lines is still on to avoid people stealing the copper.
We heard it will be broken down soon.
Made 3 bracketed exposures in quick succession. Did not use the brightest one for this composite image.
Hand held, 1/90th of a second. Aligned the two pictures in post.
6 second exposure. Used a Joby gorillapod, which is great as a walk-around-all-day tripod. It encourages you to assume a low viewpoint.Fired my flash manually for some fill on the metal grid on the left. Flash was not triggered by the camera but I had a full 6 seconds to fire it :-).
Canon EF-S 10-22 lens. Sharp but prone to green and purple color fringing.
Sharpened quite a bit in post because I forgot to lock up the mirror and introduced some motion blur.
Tools of the trade
An abandoned metro station in Charleroi


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First batch done this year
Here are some of the first prints from this year… progress… always nice to see 🙂
Sending stuff to the printers :)
I told you it was busy 🙂 Here is what I just sent to the printers – over 300 parts.
More 3D Design on St Pancras
Well I managed to do some work over Christmas on St Pancras but the list seems never ending! Here are some of the bridges and first pass of the old Imperial Gas Works Co Gasometers (still needs some work) – oh and of course the hotel entrance.
Language skills can get you behind the scenes!
We had a super time at RIAT this weekend, practicing my awful Polish skills got us a behind the scenes look and talk through one of their aircraft, really fun!
Ferrograph Display with weather and tfl (Transport for London) train data
I got this ferrograph display as scrap about a year ago from the 3 week shelves at rLab and it gathered a lot of dust! So I started looking into testing and could see that it was functional by changing some of the headers. I then had a look on google and these displays were designed to plug into phone systems as such there wasn't really an in.. until I saw a chap called Robert Coward had created a custom firmware.
I bought the firmware from Robert (which wasn't cheap) but it is amazingly documented and actually brilliant.
I then hacked the input over to RS232 and plugged a Raspberry Pi into this interface.
The Pi runs a crontab every minute to download the contents of a php page which gets data about the weather and tfl.
So an evening later, I can see if the Metropolitan line is running okay and what time the 8.30 arrival is departing so I make it to the train on time.
I plan to really extend this out a lot as it is really nicely simple and very useful!
PHP code with screen output
// Weather
$json_data = file_get_contents('http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?id=2634451&units=metric');
$json_obj = json_decode($json_data);
// Tube
$tube_status_json_data = file_get_contents('https://api.tfl.gov.uk/line/mode/tube/status');
$tube_status_json_obj = json_decode($tube_status_json_data);
// Journey - use your own key!
$tube_journey_json_data = file_get_contents('https://api.tfl.gov.uk/Journey/JourneyResults/1000111/to/1000149?nationalSearch=False&&time=0845&timeIs=Arriving&&&&&&&&&&&&&alternativeCycle=False&alternativeWalking=True&applyHtmlMarkup=False&useMultiModalCall=False&app_id=XXX&app_key=XXX');
$tube_journey_json_obj = json_decode($tube_journey_json_data);
// Output
print "_01Z00_02A0" .
"Outside now: " . $json_obj->weather[0]->description . " " . round($json_obj->main->temp,1) . "c " . date('jS H:i') . "_0C " .
$tube_status_json_obj[6]->name . " " . $tube_status_json_obj[6]->lineStatuses[0]->statusSeverityDescription . "_0C " .
"Planner: " . $tube_journey_json_obj->journeys[0]->duration . "mins, depart " . date("H:i",strtotime($tube_journey_json_obj->journeys[0]->startDateTime)) . " arrive " . date("H:i",strtotime($tube_journey_json_obj->journeys[0]->arrivalDateTime)) .


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Sabel creates tailored dining experiences for your party or event. Our team can bring the full Sabel experience directly to you, or work with you to create an evening catered to your specific tastes.
Flatbreads, labneh, roast figs and mint
Round radishes, seaweed butter
Crab doughnuts, pickled cucumber
Ceviche of scallop, avocado and gazpacho vinaigrette
Pikelets, cured sea trout and horseradish
Smoked steak tartare, crisp potato
Open sandwich of smoked venison, anchovy remoulade and pickled onion
Crisp chicken skin, sweet corn, tarragon and pickled mushrooms
Arancini of porcini and aged parmesan
Fritelle of spinach, ricotta and nutmeg
Berkswell and fine herb custard, asparagus soldiers
Prawns with pancetta and sage
Butter poached lobster, three-cornered garlic
Oxtail croquette, English mustard mayonnaise
Scrumpets of lamb breast, mint and redcurrant
Five spiced pork belly, palm sugar


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Brian Seitz learned about the building industry at the knees of his father, who owned and operated Seitz Bros Exterminating located in northeastern PA. Brian who worked along side father was exposed to hundreds of Northeastern Pennsylvania foundations, where he repeatedly encountered desperate homeowners dealing with defective crawl spaces and leaky basements.
After excelling 10+ years in the pest control industry, in 2005 Brian Seitz founded Seitz Bros. Waterproofing to provide basement waterproofing and crawlspace waterproofing services for new and existing homes in PA. From Allentown to Tamaqua, the Lehigh Valley to the Poconos, PA., Brian has been able to make a difference in the habitat of crawl spaces and basements, and better educate the public about the serious repercussions of moisture in those spaces. Quite simply, he paved the way for healthier home foundations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Brian, with the help of Thomas McArdle (manager), has taken Seitz Bros Basement Waterproofing to a place of domination in the Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Central Pa for crawlspace waterproofing and basement waterproofing by providing the highest-quality, most technologically-advanced products and services in the industry.
Brian and Thomas's expertise in home construction, building products, foundations, waterproofing, encapsulation and structural repair has designated them true professionals who brings a focused, intelligent approach to each job Seitz Bros. Waterproofing performs.
As part of our basement waterproofing and crawlspace waterproofing service, we provide 3 convenient locations covering places like Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton at our Trexlertown location in the Lehigh Valley; or Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Stroudsburg at our Tannersville office in the Poconos; and Hazleton, Reading, and Lancaster at our Tamaqua Headquarters in Eastern and Central PA. We also service parts of New Jersey and New York. Call today to schedule an appointment and see why you are calling the best basement waterproofing and crawlspace waterproofing service in PA.


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One of the biggest challenges facing business today is simplifying choice for online consumers. If we ignore this challenge we fail to grasp the context of our role in the consumer's life. As consumers, our attention is finite; 24 hours per day is all we have. At work or play we are bombarded by choice and content has no respect for time.
Anything we do to make consumers choice easier and less time consuming is critical. If businesses fail to make choice easier, consumers simply buy from vendors who do.
The question is: Are your products and services easily understood and easy to buy?
Most products and services are complex. When I use the term complex, I mean that more than three things need to be clearly understood before the buyer will be confident enough to make a decision to submit payment. This complexity represents the majority of products and services. All too often when researching a product or service online we give up because the learning curve takes too long or is too complicated. By default, we turn to trusted advisers (peers, friends, family) to help recommend a specific product or service. Unfortunately the product or service that our trusted advisers recommended was great for their situation but not for ours.
The goal is to make our products and services easy for consumers to buy.
Businesses are addressing this problem by fine tuning their websites and adding more and more pages of text and images to try and make it easier for consumers to buy. But in the distracted world we live in, consumers are no longer reading; they are skimming websites hoping to make informed buying decisions.
So, how do you make the buying experience better? How do you keep buyers engaged longer?
Here are five reasons you should consider using video to communicate with consumers.
- Cisco predicts that 91% of all Internet traffic in 2014 will be for video
- 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second.
- On average, 80 million hours of video are consumed globally each daily
- Marketing Sherpa states that 76% of people find video to be influential in their purchasing decision
- Forrester Research states that online video is second only to word of mouth in strength of influence throughout the buying cycle
Interactive video is best way to simplify a complex purchasing decision. Since consumers do not want to read and would prefer to be lead, consider using a person in video to help consumers make the right choice. It's simple, easy and most importantly, respects the consumer's time. "Interactive" means that the consumer chooses what information they want to consume to get what they are looking for.
Take a look at this example of interactive video that we produced for Lenovo, "Choose the Right ThinkPad for You"
Lenovo is the world's third largest seller of computers. This interactive video is focused on helping consumers to choose the right product. The goal of this interactive video was to guide the online buyer to be able to choose the right ThinkPad for their specific use.
The experience is simple and easy. Based on the buyer's requirements, they can select from three recommended models. Once the consumer chooses the right ThinkPad for them the video launches the e-store to complete the purchase. If they choose to go back, the video remembers where they left off so they do not need to start from the beginning again.
This type of buying experience is exactly what busy consumers want. The online experience is much more pleasurable as it is active and the consumer remains in control at all times. It is a great example of what most online experiences will become. So if you want to sell more effectively online then you should investigate using interactive video.
Keystone: Interactive video engages the online shopper and simplifies their decision making process by helping them choose the right product for their needs.
Pete Callaghan is our Guest Blogger this week. Pete is the CEO of HuStream, a creator of Social Videos for websites.


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I'd like you to meet my friend Rocky Mazzeo, he wasn't a doctor when we met at Airport Junior High back in the 60's, but he is one of those one name wonders that you just knew was going to make a difference in our world.
Rocky will be my very special guest on my Born To Talk radio show, Monday, September 11th. You can hear this live audio/visual show on LA Talk Live or Ustream from 1-2 PT.
We will still be on a 50-year Westchester class reunion high! High as in High School, High as in magical moments that happen when you gather a couple of hundred people together to celebrate your youth and your adulthood!
Rocky is more than an esteemed leader and classmate he is a family care physician in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. He received his degree from University of Washington School of Medicine and has been in practice for over 20 years.
He is particularly interested in preventive health care and educating patients about their health and how to improve it. He's a great listener and is engaged in what concerns his patients. He has a true appreciation for life.
Rocky has always been a kind person. He works with nonprofits including Habitat for Humanity. He's been to Costa Rica and Guatemala to help in clinics. You won't meet a more genuine humble person.
His medicine begins with him and his outlook on life. This Dali Lama quote is important to him.
I'm looking forward to spending an hour with Rocky and sharing his story with you. If you are of a certain age, this may also spark a memory. Memories have been a very important part of this weekend!
To all our classmates that attended the reunion and those of you that couldn't I hope you enjoy this show. If you didn't go to school with us, I believe you will still find this show to be inspiring because friendships are not unique to our class and being an exceptional inspiring person may just give you some hope and insight to volunteer in your own community.
Born To Talk
Conversations + Connections = Community
What's Your Story?
You can follow me on Facebook
and Twittter @Born2Talk