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Top Items:
GOP pollster: Stop talking about rape — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — It's way past time: House Republicans need to stop talking about rape. — That's the message GOP lawmakers got here Wednesday evening from Kellyanne Conway, a top GOP pollster. — Conway dispensed the stern advice as part …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, Twitchy, The Plum Line, Mediaite and Shakesville
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: The Anti-Choicers' Fascination With Rape
Thisistwitchy / Twitchy: Effort to Akin-ize pro-life Republicans continues apace
Jonathan Bernstein / The Plum Line: The GOP's real problem
Noah Rothman / Mediaite: Republican Pollster At GOP Retreat: Stop Talking About Rape
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: Today in Perfect Solutions
Ashley Parker / New York Times:
Republicans May Offer Short-Term Extension of Borrowing Limit — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Gathered for a retreat to map out how to manage coming confrontations with President Obama and Congressional Democrats, often combative House Republicans seemed on Thursday to be looking for a quick way out of one imminent fight.
Discussion: PostPartisan, A plain blog about politics, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather and Weekly Standard
Jonathan Bernstein / PostPartisan: When is a roll a roll? — Republicans have now twice allowed …
Jonathan Bernstein / A plain blog about politics: Elsewhere: Rolling, DOMA, More
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Ryan: House GOP discussing short-term hike to debt ceiling — WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - House Republicans are discussing a short-term debt ceiling increase to buy time for broader deficit reduction negotiations with Democrats, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters Thursday.
Discussion: Politico, Wall Street Journal, FreedomWorks blogs, Daily Kos and CNN
JBorowski / FreedomWorks blogs: End the Debt Ceiling Shenanigans
Deirdre Walsh / CNN: Ryan to attend Obama's inauguration
Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:
Republicans worry they'll lose the House to Dems if they botch fiscal talks
Republicans worry they'll lose the House to Dems if they botch fiscal talks
Discussion: The Democratic Daily, The National Memo, The Week, The Plum Line, Politico, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and The Reaction
The Democratic Daily: Poll Finds Positive Outlook on Obama's Second Term as Inauguration Day Approaches
Henry Decker / The National Memo: Poll: Obama's Approval Surges, Voters Back White House On Debt Ceiling
Jamelle Bouie / The Plum Line: GOP intransigence won't hurt the party (much) in 2014
Alex Isenstadt / Politico: Dems have hard road to taking House in 2014
Hugh Hewitt / Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog: Memo to the GOP Retreat
John Parkinson / Reuters:
Ryan: GOP Mulling Debt Limit Hike
Ryan: GOP Mulling Debt Limit Hike
Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Hot Air
Keith Hennessey / Wall Street Journal: How to Wage the Debt-Ceiling Fight
House GOP seeks to make friends
House GOP seeks to make friends
Discussion: CNN, Daily Kos and Hullabaloo
Jed Lewison / Daily Kos: Republican 2016 plan: Shut up
Digby / Hullabaloo: It's all Mitt's fault
Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:
Joe Biden To Mayors: Obstacles To Gun Control Legislation 'Not Impenetrable' — FOLLOW: — Joe Biden , Obama Gun Control, Obama Gun Violence, Biden Mayors, Biden Mayors Gun Control, World Elections In 2013, Gun Violence, Joe Biden Gun Control, Joe Biden Gun Violence, Politics News
Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'
John Fund / National Review:
Gun Sales and Background Checks: Obama's Bogus 40 Percent Stat
Gun Sales and Background Checks: Obama's Bogus 40 Percent Stat
Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Outside the Beltway
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Do 40% of Gun Purchases Really Escape Background Checks?
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: "Universal Background Checks" Likely Unenforceable
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Biden on guns: 'We're going to go around the country.'
Biden on guns: 'We're going to go around the country.'
Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Washington Free Beacon
President Barack Obama: Now is the time
President Barack Obama: Now is the time
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Quotes of the day — As a society, our first task must …
Geoffrey Norman / Weekly Standard: Healer in Chief — Among the president's 23 "executive actions" …
Janet Shan / The Hinterland Gazette: Right Wing Site Likens President Obama to 'Tyrants' Mao Zedong, Kim Il-Sung & Fidel Castro
Jonathan Easley / The Hill: In op-ed, Obama urges lawmakers to 'act soon' against gun violence
Imani Gandy / Angry Black Lady Chronicles: President Obama Wrote An Op-Ed; He's Still Coming for Your Guns
Jennifer Epstein / Politico: Obama, Biden begin guns outreach
Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress: Everything You Need To Know About Obama's Gun Violence Prevention Proposals
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Republicans Brag They Won House Majority Because Of Gerrymandering — In a classic Kinsley gaffe, the Republican State Leadership Committee released a report boasting that the only reason the GOP controls the House of Representatives is because they gerrymandered congressional districts in blue states.
Steven L. Taylor / Outside the Beltway: The Gerrymander Did it — A report from the Republican State …
Jason Sattler / The National Memo: With The GOP Bragging About Rigging A House Majority, Is There Any Way To Stop Them?
Libby Spencer / The Impolitic: GOP boasts cheating to win works very well
GottaLaff / The Political Carnival: Doonesbury: Shhh... You didn't hear it from the Speaker, but future of the GOP is gerrymandering, voter suppression!
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill: Dem bill would require independent commissions to redraw congressional districts
Lamine Chikhi / Reuters:
Six hostages, 8 kidnappers killed in Algeria siege; 7 still held — (Reuters) - Six foreign hostages and eight of their captors were killed when Algerian forces fired on a vehicle being used by besieged gunmen at a gas plant in the remote Algerian desert on Thursday, a local source told Reuters.
Fred Kaplan / Slate: Don't Overreact to Mali (or the Hostages)
Lamine Chikhi / Reuters: "We'll kill infidels": Algeria gunmen told hostage
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn: Algeria hostage situation and 'leading from behind'
Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard: Al Qaeda Commander Suspected in Algerian Attack
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Report: 34 of 41 Hostages Killed in Algeria - 2 Americans Survive Raid - One American Escapes
Josh Rogin / Josh Rogin's blog: White House: We don't know if American hostages in Algeria are alive or dead
Stable Hand / The Jawa Report: Algeria: Some Hostages, Including Americans, Escaped Captors Unconfirmed Report: Several Hostages …
Donald Douglas / American Power: Reports: 35 Hostages Killed in Algeria
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: So Obama is Antagonizing Israel Again
Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia: Dispatches from the (Nonexistent?) Global War on Terror
Pamela Leavey / The Democratic Daily: Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Hold Nomination Hearing for Secretary of State Nominee John Kerry
Alex Spillius / Telegraph: Algeria attack: Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed gangster behind the raid
Anthony Faiola / Washington Post:
Some hostages are reported killed in Algerian operation
Some hostages are reported killed in Algerian operation
Discussion: New York Times, Booman Tribune, Hot Air and CBS News
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: CBS: Algeria hostage situation "deteriorating"; Update: Terrorists claim helicopter strafing killed 34 hostages
Carlo Munoz / The Hill:
OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: US kidnappings in Algeria an act of terror
OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: US kidnappings in Algeria an act of terror
Discussion: ABCNEWS and The Moderate Voice
Dorian De Wind / The Moderate Voice: Is 'Mr. Marlboro' Behind the 'Act of Terror' in Algeria?
Melissa Hayes / The Political State:
Christie calls NRA ad criticizing Obama daughters' security 'reprehensible' — Governor Christie called the National Rifle Association's ad criticizing President Obama's daughters' security detail "reprehensible." — "I think any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe," he said.
Discussion: Mediaite, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Hinterland Gazette
Noah Rothman / Mediaite: Chris Christie Slams 'Reprehensible' NRA For 'Dragging People's Children' Into Gun Control Debate
Maggie Haberman / Politico: Chris Christie slams NRA's Obama daughters ad
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Awful... Chris Christie Slams NRA: "Reprehensible" For "Dragging People's Children" Into Gun Debate (Video)
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: RINO Chris Christie Slams "Reprehensible" NRA For "Dragging People's Children" Into Gun Control Debate...
Erica Goode / New York Times:
Even Defining 'Assault Rifles' Is Complicated — One obstacle President Obama may face in proposing a new federal ban on assault weapons could lie in the use of the term "assault weapon" itself. — The label, applied to a group of firearms sold on the civilian market …
Discussion: Hit & Run, Daily Kos, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Guardian, Washington Free Beacon and Power Line
Jacob Sullum / Hit & Run: NYT, Which Uncritically Refers to 'Assault Weapons' All the Time, Explains Why the Term Is Misleading
Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute: Is There A Calm Explanation Of The Merits Of The Proposed Assualt Weapons Ban?
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: NYT: Say, what exactly is an "assault weapon," anyway?
Ana Marie Cox / Guardian: Why Obama's gun control orders miss the target
Matthew Stolle / Post Bulletin:
Franken undecided on assault weapons ban
Franken undecided on assault weapons ban
Discussion: Wonkblog, Politico, Hot Air, Post Politics and Washington Monthly
Ginger Gibson / Politico: Franken: I support 'principle' of assault weapon ban
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Franken: I'm not so sure about the assault-weapons ban; Update: "I also support the principle …
Rachel Weiner / Post Politics: Al Franken backs assault weapons ban in principle, wants to review proposal
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Sign of the Times
John H. Hinderaker / National Review:
Obama's Unserious Gun Proposals
Obama's Unserious Gun Proposals
Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Washington Examiner and Betsy's Page
Betsy Newmark / Betsy's Page: Political Theater of the Absurd
Jim Hoffer / ABC 7 Eyewitness News:
Additions to be made to gun laws for law enforcement — new york city, albany, gun control, new york news, jim hoffer — More: Bio, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Stories by Jim Hoffer, News Team — NEW YORK (WABC) — A troubling oversight has been found within New York State's sweeping new gun laws.
Discussion: The PJ Tatler, "The Lid", Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and National Review
Jeff Dunetz / "The Lid": NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Ready, FIRE, Aim
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Oh, by the way: New York forgot to exempt cops from its new ban on high-capacity magazines
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: NYPD To Be In Violation Of Cuomo's New Anti-Gun Law After They Fail To Exempt Police Officers …
Michael Walsh / National Review: High-Magazine Clip Capacity
David Nakamura / Washington Post:
McDonough to be Obama's next chief of staff — President Obama is expected to name deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough, one of his closest confidants who served in his Senate and campaign offices, as his new chief of staff, associates said. — Administration officials cautioned that Obama has not made a final decision.
Discussion: Business Insider, Hot Air, msnbc.com, New York Times, Post Politics and CNN
Walter Hickey / Business Insider: Meet Denis McDonough, The Bare-Knuckle Staffer Who Is Set To Become Obama's New Chief Of Staff
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: CNN: Obama to pick Denis McDonough for chief of staff
Mark Landler / New York Times: Denis McDonough to Become White House Chief of Staff
David Nakamura / Post Politics: Denis McDonough to be Obama's new chief of staff
Kevin Cirilli / Reuters:
Marco Rubio: Obama lacks 'courage' on guns
Marco Rubio: Obama lacks 'courage' on guns
Discussion: Mario Piperni dot Com, ThinkProgress, Prairie Weather, Fox News Insider and Weekly Standard
Mario Piperni / Mario Piperni dot Com: GOP - Guns Over People
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress: Rubio Claims Obama Doesn't Have 'The Guts' To Admit He's Against The Second Amendment
The O'Reilly Factor / Fox News Insider: Senator Marco Rubio: President Obama Doesn't Believe in the Second Amendment
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
Why President Obama might choose to lose on guns
Why President Obama might choose to lose on guns
Discussion: Hullabaloo, USA Today, Hit & Run, The Hill and The Week
Brian Doherty / Hit & Run: Post-Sandy Hook Support for Gun Control Already Slipping
Justin Sink / The Hill: Obama initiates fight with NRA
Mark Murray / First Read:
NBC/WSJ poll: Public lowers expectations heading into Obama's 2nd term — As President Barack Obama is set to begin his second term next week, he finds himself with a job-approval rating above 50 percent and with majorities supporting his general direction on gun control and immigration …
Discussion: Business Insider and msnbc.com
Joe Weisenthal / Business Insider: The Debt Ceiling Poll Question That Will Make Republicans Extremely Depressed
Dave Itzkoff / ArtsBeat:
Biden Getting an Autobiography From The Onion (Whether He Wants It or Not) — "Hombre, you've just done Uncle Joe a real solid buying this book," begins the foreword to a new autobiography attributed to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. "I ain't the kind of guy who forgets his debts.
Discussion: Politico and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Mackenzie Weinger / Politico: The Onion's Joe Biden 'autobiography' out Friday
Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite: The President Of Vice: Joe Biden's Autobiography To Be Published By... The Onion
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
I Have No Words — I'm not going to characterize this or say anything about it. But I had to share it with you. From TPM Reader PH ...
Discussion: Eschaton
Mike Allen / Politico:
Exclusive: Fox renews Karl Rove contract through 2016 — Fox News Channel is expected to announce shortly that Karl Rove has signed a multi-year deal to remain a Fox contributor through the 2016 election. — The contract assures the ratings-leader cable news network that it will retain …
Discussion: Mediaite
Associated Press:
Idaho lawmaker compares abortion and prostitution — BOISE — A lawmaker from northern Idaho drew audible gasps Wednesday morning when he asked representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union-Idaho if their pro-abortion rights stance also means that they support prostitution.
Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …
Katie Glueck / Politico:
Rand Paul: Nullify 'king' Obama — Sen. Rand Paul is pledging to undo some of President Barack Obama's executive orders on guns that the Kentucky Republican believes overreach. — "In this bill we will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation," Rand said Wednesday on Fox's …
Discussion: Mother Jones, Weekly Standard, The Plum Line, Weasel Zippers, First Read, CNN, The Week and Mediaite
Michael Warren / Weekly Standard: Kaine: Rand Paul Using 'Code Word' on Gun Control
Jamelle Bouie / The Plum Line: Marco Rubio's 'reformer' mask slips
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Dem Sen. Tim Kaine: Rand Paul Using "Code Word" When Talking About Nullifying Obama's Executive Actions...
Timothy O'Connor / Newsday:
Journal News map-listed guns, permits stolen from New City home, cops say — Two handguns and two pistol permits were stolen from the New City home of a man whose name and address are listed on the website of a local newspaper as possessing gun permits, police said.
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Daily Caller
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Second Home Identified on Journal News Gun Map Is Burglarized - Vandals Steal Gun Safe
ZIP / Weasel Zippers: Second Home That Was Listed On NY Newspaper's Map Of Gun Owners Broken Into, Thieves Steal Two Guns...
McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:
How Gun Culture Won Over Liberals — The new "gun nuts": media elites, locavores, and hipster hunters. — On a Sunday morning a couple years ago, Brooklyn journalist Foster Kamer and a few of his "particularly liberal" blogger friends decided to skip brunch and hit the shooting range instead.
Discussion: Mediaite, Soup, The Daily Caller and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »
Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite: Website's Story On 'Media Elites' Embracing Gun Culture Draws Ire From Journalists
Joe Pompeo / Capital New York: 'Hipster hunters' get mad at BuzzFeed; we all get mad at Manti Te'o hoax (but at whom?)


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The Museum of Contemporary Photography aims to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the artistic, cultural and political implication of the photographic image in our world today. As a college art museum with a teaching mission, the museum provides a wide range of educational opportunities for students, educators, and the general public including: public programs, free docent-led museum tours, viewings of works from the museum's collections, community engagement initiatives, and curricular resources for educators.
Education programs at the MoCP are supported by After School Matters, the Terra Foundation for American Art, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation.

subset: commoncrawl


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Terry Cooke, former editor of Hot Rod Magazine, starts off his annual Labor Day shindig today. I've been going to this since '87. One of the best shows on the east coast. It's basically the equivalent of bike week for lead sleds and customs. Plus my boys The Razorbacks play every year. Speaking of bike week, if you've ever been to Bank 'n Blues during Daytona, they've been the house band there for years.
This party runs 24/7 til Monday morning. Pack your cooler, grab your ankle biters and the ol' lady and check it out! Bring a camera, not just for the cars, but the place is full of freaks. Here's a pic of me and Tbone with one in the hotel lobby. I'm the handsome one on the left.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Lead East Starts Today!
Posted by MeanMike at 12:05 PM 0 comments
Labels: pickle your liver, shows
Cherries Are In Season...
A cone, and two chicks. Looks like the brunette started drinking early and fell down. What's not to love?
Posted by MeanMike at 4:54 AM 0 comments
Labels: boardwalk splinters in my ass
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Blown Away...
While the overall bike is not my style, it does have some exceptional fab work. Particularly the blower mounts and manifolds.
Posted by MeanMike at 4:59 AM 0 comments
Labels: supercharger
Monday, August 29, 2011
Digger Monday...Missing Link
Posted by MeanMike at 10:47 AM 0 comments
Labels: Digger, my computer loathes me
Digger Monday...Sportster Scallopine
Posted by MeanMike at 8:39 AM 0 comments
Labels: Digger
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Showrod Sunday...The Roof Is On Fire!
Posted by MeanMike at 3:41 AM 0 comments
Labels: showrod
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sick CT...
I love this bike. We've had a '77 in the family since it was new, but never considered chopping it. I used it for trail riding as a kid when we went camping. Later it saw duty as a pit/tow bike when I was drag racing. You can't kill these bikes and you can wheelie them forever!
Posted by MeanMike at 2:28 PM 0 comments
Labels: shit I like
I'm A Hustla', Baby!
Posted by MeanMike at 5:58 AM 0 comments
Labels: Girl's Bike, Strociek
Friday, August 26, 2011
tIt's Friday...Fabulous Funbags
Posted by MeanMike at 7:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: fuckin' perverts, funbags, tits
Thursday, August 25, 2011
More From Tommy Summers
Posted by MeanMike at 9:06 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Andy Anderson
This is the Andy from Andy's T's. If you have some street rod or race shirts, chances are they were printed by Andy. He also has painting bikes for quite awhile. Check out his shiny paint and the shiny brunette. I do like shiny!
Posted by MeanMike at 5:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: paint
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Earthquake Tremors
4.4 here in Jersey. Our whole shop was shaking, trains were rocking on the rails. I was welding on the bench at the time and thought the guys were fucking with me, shaking the welding booth. I took my helmet off and looked up to see the cat walks shaking. They have us evacuated outside now standing under 25,000 volts of catenary power right next to a transformer sub station. I think I need a beer!
Posted by MeanMike at 2:57 PM 0 comments
Labels: tremor
I don't know whose are bigger. The cat jumping, or the crazy fuckers who parked their bikes for him to jump over.
Posted by MeanMike at 10:01 AM 0 comments
Labels: nutz
Monday, August 22, 2011
Digger Monday...To Be Perfectly Frank
Frank Kaisler completely screwed me up. I was about 12 years old, thumbing through the ol' man's Easyrider collection while he was at work and came across this fine ass scoot. At the time I was racing motocross and didn't really care about Harley's. I flipped through Easyriders to look at the chicks. Well this bike stopped me dead in my tracks. I was instantly in love with this bike and still am today. To me, this bike will always be perfection.
Posted by MeanMike at 9:45 AM 0 comments
Labels: Digger
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Showrod Sunday...Street Legal Feds
If you know me by now, I love the impractical. These machines are cool as fuck!
Posted by MeanMike at 1:53 AM 0 comments
Saturday, August 20, 2011
John Harman
Posted by MeanMike at 2:01 PM 0 comments
Labels: shit I like
It's Saturday...
Go out and make an ass out of yourself! Enjoy the weekend fuckers.
Posted by MeanMike at 1:59 PM 0 comments
Labels: asstastic
More Blown Dragbikes
Posted by MeanMike at 4:52 AM 0 comments
Labels: magnacharger
Friday, August 19, 2011
Posted by MeanMike at 5:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: puss 'n boots
tIt's Friday...Pornstar Edition
Posted by MeanMike at 4:56 AM 0 comments
Labels: tits
Thursday, August 18, 2011
More Strociek...Random Pics
Some old ads, parts, and the "dual devastator, astro blaster, and lazer engines". Alot of his machine work and ideas were ahead of its time. I believe he was one of the first guys to do big inch aluminum jugs! Hell, we all love big jugs.
Posted by MeanMike at 9:18 PM 0 comments
Labels: Strociek


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Mother Arrested After Running Over Her Daughter Because She Was Sleepin With Her Man In Baltimore!
Mother Runs Over Daughter In Jealous Rage
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text:
There will be a quick draw, a wagon ride for artists to scout motifs, an auction, cash prizes, and various social events. Art buyers will be able to acquire some fine works in various media. I'll be there as a judge, but I'll be painting as well.
I'll also be giving two lectures:
Thursday, September 9 at 4:00. Imaginative Realism. Behind-the-scenes view of the creation of Dinotopia and other realistic fantasies. Location: Historic Park McCullough. Geared for both artists and family audiences (bring the kids!). Book signing to follow. 802-442-5441.
Thursday evening, September 9 at 8:00 Plein-Air Pioneers. History and modern practice of outdoor painting. Location: Deane Carriage Barn on the campus of Bennington College. Book signing to follow.
Note: Quick-draw artists should register ASAP. Go to website for details and registration form.
North Bennington Plein Air Competition


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A Republican senator from Iowa is questioning Google's use of Moffett Field following an NBC Bay Area investigative story last week.
Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said in a letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden that his office had received "troubling allegations" regarding Google's use of the NASA-run Moffett Field in Mountain View for private use.
To read the whole letter, click here.
NASA has a policy of allowing private companies or citizens to use Moffett Field for scientific purposes.
The contents of Grassley's letter were first reported by Dow Jones.
Google pays NASA $113,365.74 a month to house planes for the use of its executives at Moffett Field, which is just minutes away from the airfield.
In his letter, Grassley asked for details about the agreement that allows Google to use the air base and clarification of a report that Google is allowed to construct more than one-million-square-feet of office space and research and development facilities on the property.
NBC Bay Area has requested a statement from both Google and NASA about the letter.


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Relationships with
Photo Credit: Alisha Klass' picture is courtesy of Z Bone. Photographic illustrations of Alisha Klass are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about Alisha Klass is derived from astrological interpretation of Alisha Klass' date, time, and place of birth.


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Conceptum Works: Neue Klasse-Luxury Multi-Purpose Vehicle by Ying Hern Pow
Ying Hern Pow Shows The Conceptum Works: Neue Klasse Luxury Multi-Purpose Vehicle
Ying Hern Pow, the thinktank behind the awarded design Conceptum Works: Neue Klasse - Luxury Multi-purpose Vehicle by Ying Hern Pow spells out, The Neue Klasse fits itself in the people-carrier segment while demonstrating its luxurious cabin design. It establishes an entire new segment that addresses these issues with elegant solutions, while infusing Asian ideology of social interaction with a groundbreaking interior layout. The Lithium-sulphur-powered Neue Klasse is a Range-extender Electric Vehicle that seats 6-7 people, it also features foldable seats to allow extra-luxury seating layout for 4 (like the seats on the likes of Rolls Royce Phantom or Maybach 62) thanks to its extra-extended-wheel-base..
Conceptum Works: Neue Klasse-Luxury Multi-Purpose Vehicle by Ying Hern Pow Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Competition Winners homepage.


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"Heuristic Vision-Based Computation of Planar Antipodal Grasps on Unknown Objects", in Proc. IEEE Intl. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Seoul, Korea, 2001.,
"Computing Contact Stability Grasps of Unknown Objects by Means of Vision", in Progreso em Inteligência Artificial. Actas do 6$^{o}$ Congresso Iberoamericano de Inteligência Artificial, Lisboa, Portugal, 1998.,
"A framework for using tactile data in autonomous reactive manipulation", in 13th IASTED International Conference Robotics and Applications (RA 2007), Würzburg (Germany), 2007.,
"An active learning approach for assessing robot grasp reliability", in Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2004. (IROS 2004). Proceedings. 2004 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, 2004.,
"Experimental prediction of the performance of grasp tasks from visual features", in Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2003. (IROS 2003). Proceedings. 2003 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, 2003.,
Error Regulation Strategies for Model Based Visual Servoing Tasks Application to Autonomous Object Grasping with Nao Robot. 2012, pp. 1311-1316.,
"Real-Time Model Based Visual Servoing Tasks on a Humanoid Robot", Intelligent Autonomous Systems 12, Vol 1, vol. 193, pp. 321-333, 2013.,
SELF-LOCALIZATION OF A TEAM OF MOBILE ROBOTS BY MEANS OF COMMON COLORED TARGETS. 2009, pp. 274-279.,
"Agents for cooperative heterogeneous mobile robotics: a case study", in 2003 Ieee International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Vols 1-5, Conference Proceedings, 2003, pp. 557-562.,
Optical flow navigation over Acromovi architecture. 2006, pp. 500-503.,
"Agent-based application framework for multiple mobile robots cooperation", in 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2005, pp. 1509-1514.,
"Creation of geometric formations of multiple robots with limited sensory power based on visual information", in 2010 Ieee/Asme International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, 2010.,
Cooperative Navigation using the Optical Flow and Time-to-Contact Techniques. 2008, pp. 1736-1741.,
A framework for the development of cooperative robotic applications. 2005, pp. 901-906.,
Experiences in HRI: Design of an Interface for a Team of Multiple Heterogeneous Robots. 2009, pp. 281-284.,
"An integrated agent-based software architecture for mobile and manipulator systems", Robotica, vol. 25, pp. 213-220, 2007.,
"Visual-Aided Guidance for the Maintenance of Multirobot Formations", in Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems, vol. 83, 2013, pp. 217-228.,
"Agent-based software integration for a mobile manipulator", in 2004 Ieee International Conference on Systems, Man & Cybernetics, Vols 1-7, 2004, pp. 6167-6172.,
An Experiment on Squad Navigation of Human and Robots. 2008, pp. 1212-1218.,
"Usability of the Stylus Pen in Mobile Electronic Documentation", Electronics, vol. 4, p. 922, 2015.,
"Economic feasibility of renewable electricity generation systems for local government office: evaluation of the Jeju special self-governing Province in South Korea", Sustainability, vol. 9, p. 82, 2017.,
"Determinants of Behavioral Intention to Use South Korean Airline Services: Effects of Service Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility", Sustainability, vol. 7, p. 12106, 2015.,
"Modelización de objetos 3D Via Superquadrics para tareas de Manipulación", in FIE'08 Conferencia Internacional 5ta edición, Santiago de Cuba (Cuba), 2008.,
"Distributed architecture for controlling a manufacturing cell", in SMC '03 2003 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and CyberneticsSMC'03 Conference Proceedings. 2003 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. Conference Theme - System Security and Assurance (Cat. No.03CH37483), Washington, DC, USA, 2003.,
"Visual Control of Robots with Delayed Images", Advanced Robotics, vol. 23, pp. 725-745, 2009.,


text:
Item Description
Constitution and Bylaws
Author: Union Emigration Society
Date: May 29, 1854
This document was the Constitution and bylaws of the Union Emigration Society. It included the purpose of the society and information about how to become a member of the organization.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: Port Vault K 325 Un3c 1854
Item Number: 100116 Number of images: 1
Keywords: Antislavery; Emigrant aid companies; Goodrich, J. Z.; Kansas Nebraska Act; Union Emigration Society; Washington, D.C.
pg. 1
pg. 2


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After checking out our Ten Worst Train Stations post, I recalled Hate Comics creator and brilliant libertarian ranter Peter Bagge's insightful comic entitled "Amtrak Sucks."
Now, there's nothing wrong with public transportation per se, as long as it gets the job done. Oh, sure, your typical vodka-drinking commie- who will under no circumstances drink water- is gung-ho for all forms of public transportation for the same general commie principle that makes him gung-ho for water flouridation and communal kitchens, but riding from LA to San Francisco in a 250 MPH bullet train would sure beat the hell out of those TSA cavity searches at the airport. None of that futuristic train-y goodness is ever gonna happen, however, as long as the nightmare Amtrak zombie continues to suck up federal tax bucks while providing the kind of service that would shame even Leonid Brezhnev.
Bagge actually makes the point that it's not the Fiendish Flouridators who keep Amtrak shambling along; instead, it's the train worshipers who deserve the blame. He's writing for a libertarian publication here (i.e., a bunch of highly articulate nerds who would be probably get ground up like hamburger by Hilux-driving warlords approximately 17 seconds after their utopia came true), so Amtrak is about the easiest fish-in-a-barrel target imaginable, but still very much worth reading.
[Reason Online]


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(CNN) -- Standing on the spot where 50 years earlier the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made "I have a dream," the clarion call of the civil rights movement, a broader call for equality rang out Saturday.
Thousands rallied at the National Mall to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic August 28, 1963, March on Washington.
Leaders from civil rights, religious and civic organizations paid tribute to those who fought and continue to fight for racial equality, but the slate of demands today has expanded to other hot-button issues.
Income inequality, discrimination based on sexual orientation and mistreatment of immigrants were all themes espoused by the dozens of speakers.
"I am a daughter of the civil rights movement, and as a daughter I am a beneficiary of all the good that resulted from the hard work, the sweat and tears, and the blood that was shed by the leaders and doers of that movement," Jennifer Jones Austin of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies told the crowd. "And as a daughter and a beneficiary, I am now the burden-bearer of this generation's civil rights movement."
That burden, she said, includes equal rights for gays and fights against poverty and gun violence.
Attorney General Eric Holder credited King's famous words for providing a foundation for the progress of the civil rights movement.
"Our focus has broadened to include the cause of women, of Latinos, of Asian-Americans, of lesbians, of gays, of people with disabilities and of countless others across this great country who still yearn for equality, opportunity and fair treatment," he said.
Many speakers invoked the killing of Trayvon Martin as an example of where they see a lack of justice for African-Americans.
Martin Luther King III, son of the civil rights icon, said his father's vision was a nation without racial discrimination. "But sadly, the tears of Trayvon Martin's mother and father reminds us that far too frequently, the color of one's skin remains a license to profile."
In 1963, "we could not have imagined we'd be here 50 years later with a black president and a black attorney general, but that's a measure of how far we have come," civil rights activist Julian Bond said. "But still, we march."
Minorities have never wished their way to freedom, he said, but have worked their way up, and must continue to do so.
"While I'm elated that we've come today to march on Washington, we must not only march on Washington. We must stand for a genuine living wage and jobs. We must stand to end the 'stand your ground' laws. We must stand against stop-and-frisk, must must stand against voter suppression," Bishop Darin Moore of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church said.
Another theme repeated throughout the event was outrage at the Supreme Court decision that threw out a key part of the Voting Rights Act.
The court in June invalidated the formula used to determine which states or local jurisdictions -- mostly in the South -- could remain under special federal oversight, requiring approval from Washington before they can change voting procedures.
That blunted much of the government's enforcement power in states and localities with a history of discrimination at the polls.
"We didn't forget the price they paid," the Rev. Al Sharpton said, referring to those on the front lines of the civil rights movement. "We've fought too hard, our parents shed too much blood, there was too many nights in jail, for you to take our vote from us now."
Sharpton said organized protests to demand a reinstatement of the provisions are forthcoming.
Kathleen Johnson and Jean McRae were at the first March on Washington 50 years ago, and as the crowd grew on Saturday, they reflected on the span in between.
"It was a wonderful experience (in 1963) because prior to that there were many things going on in the United States that were not right," Johnson said.
The injustices that existed in 1963 convinced Johnson and her family and friends to attend the march.
"We had to be there. We had to be a part of it," she said.
The fight for equality that the original march embodied remains a work in progress, McRae said, which makes Saturday's event so important.
"We need this, especially now," she said.
Both women wore buttons from the march in 1963.
Saturday's event is the first of two rallies to mark the anniversary.
President Barack Obama headlines another event Wednesday, the exact anniversary of the March on Washington, where MLK delivered the now-famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
The Wednesday event will include a longer march through Washington and speeches by Obama and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
By Mariano Castillo
CNN's Chris Lawrence and journalist David Simpson contributed to this report.


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'Woman of Two Worlds:' Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and Her Quest for an Imperial Legacy
BALTIMORE - The Maryland Historical Society presents "Woman of Two Worlds:" Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and Her Quest for an Imperial Legacy, an exhibition that brings 1812 Baltimore vividly to life.
|Portrait of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, George D'Almaine after Gilbert Stuart, 1856, Maryland Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, xx.5.78
With hundreds of objects and reams of documents, the Maryland Historical Society is the official keeper of Elizabeth's memories. On view now and extended indefinitely, the "Woman of Two Worlds:" Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and Her Quest for an Imperial Legacy exhibit marks the first time the Maryland Historical Society has featured a exhibition exclusively devoted to a historical female figure.
The Dramatic Life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte
Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, born in Baltimore in 1785, was the oldest daughter of thirteen children. Her father was William Patterson, an Irish shipping merchant and one of the wealthiest men in Maryland. Elizabeth attended Madame Lacombe's Academy and studied history, culture, mathematics and French, a skill that would later prove useful. She grew into a great beauty - a woman of dainty stature and an ivory complexion and a celebrated bosom. Her taste for the latest European fashions inspired her to wear gowns considered risqué by American standards.
Her beauty, coupled with her sharp wit, charm and fierce independence, made Elizabeth one of the most desirable women in Baltimore. She declined many marriage proposals from wealthy, powerful men on both sides of the Atlantic. She once stated in a letter to her father that "Nature never intended me for obscurity." Indeed it hadn't, for it blessed her with the beauty and allure that mesmerized Napoleon's younger brother Jerome and thrust her into a love affair that would forever change her life.
About Jerome Bonaparte
Jerome Bonaparte was an officer in the French Navy. Unlike his serious-minded brother, Napoleon, Jerome preferred to study girls and to spend his brother's money. He served in the Caribbean in the early 1800s, and when war broke out, fled to the U.S. to avoid capture from the British. Once there, he lived lavishly, wearing the finest clothes, living in the best rooms, and attending balls. Determined to see the "most beautiful woman in America," Jerome met Elizabeth and set his mind to marrying her. For Jerome, it was a coup de foudre, love at first sight.
About Their Marriage
The two young lovers were married in 1803 by John Carroll, the Archbishop of Baltimore – but all were not celebrating the union. They met with strong resistance from Elizabeth's father, William Patterson, and Jerome's brother, the future ruler of France, Napoleon Bonaparte. Upset with his headstrong daughter, William eventually only left Elizabeth a pittance of his substantial estate. Napoleon ordered his brother back to France immediately, and forbade Elizabeth from entering French soil or ever using the Bonaparte name. Jerome was told he must give up Elizabeth or be stripped of all his titles and left without a cent. Despite his proclamations of love, he followed his brother's orders.
Elizabeth spent the rest of her life trying to secure the imperial title for herself and the son she had with Jerome Bonaparte, whom she nicknamed "Bo." She returned to Baltimore but often travelled to Europe and was frequently sought after by the upper echelons of both American and European society. First Lady Dolley Madison, for example, asked Elizabeth to pick her up something on one of her travels "in case you meet with anything elegant in the form of a turban or an evening wrap of flowered lace in gold or silver thread." Irish-born Lady Sydney Morgan, one of the 19th century's greatest feminist writers, remained one of Elizabeth's closest confidents throughout her lifetime. Calling cards and invitations attest to Elizabeth's popularity and allure wherever she went.
Elizabeth lived in Baltimore on and off until her death in 1879. She transformed the annuity from Napoleon into a significant fortune that eventually included over $1 million and interests in more than forty houses throughout Baltimore. She became one of the city's wealthiest female landowners as a result. Elizabeth truly was the "Notorious Belle of Baltimore," and is regarded today as one of the country's most fascinating early celebrities.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition includes silver, porcelain, paintings, textiles, jewelry, manuscripts and furniture associated with Elizabeth and her descendants. Of particular note are a collection of extraordinary French porcelain purchased by Elizabeth in Paris around 1815, forty examples of silver used by Elizabeth and her descendents, Elizabeth's pearl and garnet tiara and other jewelry, and one of her "scandalous" dresses in the French-style. In total, more than 100 objects will be on view in the exhibition.
In addition, one of the jewels of the show is a portrait of Elizabeth by Gilbert Stuart that remains in private hands. The breathtaking painting will be on loan to the MdHS for the duration of the exhibition.
The exhibition emphasizes the 'two worlds' that Elizabeth inhabited. On one side of the gallery space is the American world, with portraits of the Patterson family, a dress owned by Elizabeth's beloved mother, Dorcas Spear and even the French dictionary she used as a girl. On the other side of the gallery is the European world, which displays the elegant accoutrements of Elizabeth's life after her 1815 divorce from Jerome. Although her frugality moved her to devote most of her money to her son's education, Elizabeth always had a taste for elegant fashion and accessories. Her silk and cashmere shawls, velvet turbans, finely wrought lace cuffs, exquisite jewelry and elegant gowns attest to a woman who spent her money wisely and maintained an elegant appearance at all times. Her account books attest to the expenditures she made on shoes, gowns, jewelry, and beauty products throughout her lifetime. Even in her later years, Elizabeth's beauty was central to her persona and celebrity.
"This exhibit and its fascinating story give visitors an opportunity to see the War of 1812 era in a much larger context," says Burt Kummerow, President of the Maryland Historical Society, "Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte brought Napoleonic Europe to Baltimore along with the celebrity that reminds us of a modern day jet setter."
"Few historical figures I have studied intrigue me as much as Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte," says Chief Curator Alexandra Deutsch. "Every time I read her letters and account books I discover another twist in her very complex story. Too often she has been remembered for her marriage, but in fact, her relationship with Jerome Bonaparte only lasted three years. She went on to live another seven decades, charting her own course, amassing her own fortune and making a life on her own terms. Elizabeth's story transcends time because it is the story of a strong-minded woman who shaped her own destiny despite the limitations society and her family tried to impose on her."
We are deeply grateful to the many funders who have made this project possible, including The Von Hess Foundation.
Related Collaborations
During the War of 1812 Bicentennial, we are partnering with Ft. McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, the Maryland 1812 Bicentennial Commission and the Baltimore National Heritage Area. One of the lifelong learning programs associated with the Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte exhibit will be an exploration of 1812 fashion in partnership with the Baltimore National Heritage Area Education Committee and the Baltimore Fashion Alliance in November 2013.
Online Resources
For a sneak peek into Elizabeth's life, and the fascinating behind-the-scenes-details of the exhibition making process, Chief Curator Alexandra Deutsch has started a blog entitled "Woman of Two Worlds." You can access it by visiting this link: www.mdhs.org/betsy-bonaparte
A 32 page issue of MdHS News, comprising essays on the life and family of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte and her tremendous collection of silver, accompanies exhibition. Published by The Maryland Historical Society, it's free for all who visit the exhibition.
Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission to the Maryland Historical Society is $9 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for students and children ages 3-18 and free for children under 3. For more information, visit www.mdhs.org
Silver Tureen marked by Samuel Kirk, circa 1831, Maryland Historical Society, Bequest of Marie Louise Marquesa de Pozo Rubio, 1983.6 a-b
Portrait of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte by Francesco Emanuele Scotto, circa 1806, Maryland Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, xx.5.52
Portrait of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, George D'Almaine after Gilbert Stuart, 1856, Maryland Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, xx.5.78
Garnet Tiara worn by Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, circa 1803-5, Maryland Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, xx.5.295
About The Maryland Historical Society
Founded in 1844, The Maryland Historical Society Museum and Library occupies an entire city block in the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore. The society's mission is to "collect, preserve, and interpret the objects and materials that reflect Maryland's diverse cultural heritage." The Society is home to the original manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner and publishes a quarterly titled "Maryland Historical Magazine." Visit www.mdhs.org.
For more information, contact Marketing Director Laura Rodini at 410-685-3750 Ext. 322 or [email protected].


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Thanks Adam,
Mostly we worry about Josh, Because of what happened last time he stopped posting...
We understand that programing is ridiculously hard, and schedules are hard to keep.
We where just kinda hoping that once every two weeks you guys could say something like
"all is well and programing continues" or something like that.
Keep up the good work.
and thanks for posting.
Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:29 am
Re: Tuesday, June 27, 2017
"A sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. Clarke
- Arthur C. Clarke


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Courtesy InStyle
Michelle Williams has never been one to look to the outside world for a seal of approval — until now.
In the March issue of InStyle, the actress admits she forever cherishes the unwavering support she has received since going public with her relationship with actor Jason Segel.
"If people are happy about it that makes me feel good because in my head the opposite is often true — that people fault or blame you for things," Williams, 32, says.
"That's really painful. You wish they would just want you to be happy, for your kid to be happy, and for you to have a good life and do good work."
She adds: "Any kind sentiment that the world can feed back, well, I won't turn it down."
Along with Matilda Rose, the actress's daughter with the late Heath Ledger, the couple now share an apartment in Brooklyn, cozy quarters filled with bean bags, book nooks and plenty of priceless pieces.
"I keep things for sentimental reasons. I've kept all of Matilda's baby clothes. even the ones with stains and rips," Williams says.
And as she creates a space that enables her daughter to always "curl up with a book," the Oz: The Great and Powerful star finds nothing compares to her happiness as a stay-at-home mom — at least for now.
"I cook and clean a lot these days. I'm in a very domestic cycle and I happen to love it," Williams explains.
"I feel like this is a real expression of my love for my daughter. Not the only one, but an important one. As a parent, you want the kid to come back to a place where it seems like the walls are made of feather down."
And while she's fiercely protective of Matilda, seemingly succeeding in keeping her out of the spotlight, the 7-year-old still manages to catch glimpses of Hollywood's glitz and glamour — even if it's not in the most flattering forms.
"The other day I was with my daughter at a newsstand and she turned to me and said, 'Mommy, why do all those ladies have their boobs out?'" Williams shares. "And I was going to talk about the power dynamic and society, but I just said, 'Sweetie, I really just don't know.' She just wagged her little head."
From her personal life to her professional success, life has come full circle for Williams — and she's seizing each moment of sheer happiness that comes her way.
"The other day I was out there all bundled up and the sun was shining and I realized I was smiling in a way I hadn't in a long time," she notes. "The roses in my cheeks weren't from makeup for once. It was a perfect moment."
– Anya Leon


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Petition for waiver of Rule 4.8 allowing termination of electric utility service to two commercial and forty residential customers
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Mark Zuckerberg's famous tag line "I'm CEO, Bitch" was inspired by his tech role model Steve Jobs.
The young Facebook CEO famously had the line imprinted on his early business cards, as shown in "The Social Network."
Monday the man who designed the card told the International Business Times that he put the line on the cards because it went with the culture of Facebook at the time and because Zuckerberg tried to pattern his leadership style after that of the famous Apple CEO.
"It's no secret that [Zuckerberg] looked up to Steve Jobs at the time," said Bryan Veloso, one of the Facebook's early employees. "Quite simply, it was a phrase I typed in that stuck."
Veloso said he "felt comfortable" putting the line on the card. But as Facebook has grown, the line has been removed from Zuckerberg's newer business cards.
They now look more in line for one of the world's wealthiest billionaires and Time magazine's "person of the Year."
Jobs Inspired Zuck's Infamous Business Cards
Mark Zuckerberg's famous tag line "I'm CEO, Bitch" was inspired by his tech role model Steve Jobs.


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Engineering pre-eminent teams get priority in hiring
November 7, 2013
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's College of Engineering has named four research teams that will be a priority for faculty hiring during the coming year.
The teams were chosen because the work they do has the potential for dramatic impact and international pre-eminence. They are part of the college's strategic growth plan that will add as many as 107 faculty over five years. In addition to the team hiring, other hires are related to strengthening disciplines and taking advantage of opportunities to enhance quality or diversity.
The strategic growth plan is part of Purdue Moves, a range of initiatives designed to broaden Purdue's global impact and enhance educational opportunities for its students.
"The pre-eminent teams are a research-centric approach to faculty hiring," said Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "We asked the candidates to tell us how they would form a team to catapult their research to the level of international prominence. That was the starting point for choosing the first-year teams."
The teams already are part of the college. To become pre-eminent teams, they went through a process similar to a pitch entrepreneurs would give to venture capitalists. In the first round, 32 team leaders competed before a panel of distinguished engineering faculty. In the second round, 12 team leaders made their pitches to a panel, with half of its members coming from outside the university. From the university, panelists were from both inside and outside of the College of Engineering.
"The successful teams showed agility, creativity, a willingness to take risks and an ability to move outside their comfort zones," Jamieson said.
The pre-eminent teams chosen will pursue research to develop:
* Implantable networks of wireless nanoelectronic devices to enable medical treatment through sensors and actuators. The team is led by Pedro P. Irazoqui, director of Purdue's Center for Implantable Devices, associate head for research, associate professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Wireless implantable devices are being developed for various potential applications including monitoring and suppression of epileptic seizures; prosthesis control for injured military personnel; modulation of cardiac arrhythmias; treatment of depression and gastroparesis, a partial paralysis of the stomach; and monitoring of intraocular pressure and therapeutic intervention for glaucoma. The research calls for a partnership among the Center for Implantable Devices with the National Science Foundation NEEDS (Nano-Engineered Electronic Device Simulation) initiative led by Mark Lundstrom, the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; the Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine neurosurgical practice; and the Indiana University School of Medicine. "The key enabling technologies come from nanotechnology," Irazoqui said. "Access to them comes from our partnership with NEEDS, and the clinical impact, which is the overarching goal, happens as a result of our partnership with the hospitals in Indianapolis."
* Quantum photonics, which could make possible future quantum information systems far more powerful than today's computers. The research team is led by Vladimir M. Shalaev, scientific director of nanophotonics at Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center and the Robert and Anne Burnett Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The technology hinges on using single photons – the tiny particles that make up light – for switching and routing in future computers that might harness the exotic principles of quantum mechanics. The quantum information processing technology would use structures called metamaterials, artificial nanostructured media. The metamaterials, when combined with tiny optical emitters, could make possible a new hybrid technology that uses quantum light in future computers. Computers based on quantum physics would have quantum bits, or qubits, that exist in both the on and off states simultaneously, dramatically increasing the computer's power and memory. Quantum computers would take advantage of a strange phenomenon described by quantum theory called entanglement. Instead of only the states of one and zero, there are many possible entangled quantum states in between. "Other important quantum information applications include, for example, a quantum Internet, secure information, quantum simulators, atomic clocks, ultrapowerful sensors, quantum cryptography and teleportation," Shalaev said.
* New methods to study energetic materials, including explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics, for applications largely focused on national defense and security. The research team is led by Stephen Beaudoin, a professor of chemical engineering. Researchers are working to characterize, detect and defeat existing and emerging energetic materials and to develop new and improved materials for military applications. The primary driver is in homeland security environments, work that aims to transform the way that explosives screening is performed, allowing the implementation of arrays of complementary sensors designed to detect and track explosives when they are at large distances from intended targets. Some technologies being developed will analyze the spectrum of light shining through vaporized samples. Others will analyze solid residues. The research includes work focusing on detecting traces of explosives, characterizing homemade explosives so that their threat can be better assessed, and using CT and other scanners to detect and identify bulk explosives in containers such as luggage and cargo cases. "The work we do aims to improve screening for explosives at airports, sea ports and other public venues like football arenas and the civilian infrastructure," Beaudoin said.
* Techniques to more efficiently use the increasingly congested radio spectrum for communications in commercial, military and emergency services applications. The growing number of mobile devices in operation threatens a coming spectrum crisis. Advances are needed to ensure reliable communications to reduce dropped calls and slow downloads and to ease congestion over the airwaves. The research team is led by David Love, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and University Faculty Scholar. The effort dovetails with a recent national focus on the problem. Congress approved a national broadband plan in March 2010. The White House announced a $100 million investment in spectrum initiatives earlier this year, and efforts also involve multiple government agencies including the National Science Foundation and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The research aims to help reduce interference in radio communications and allow high-priority radios for the military and disaster relief to operate with minimal disruption and loss of life, Love said. Researchers are developing advanced models and mathematical theory to better analyze and understand radio transmissions.
"These teams have the potential to dramatically build on their current strengths with strategic hires," Jamieson said. "Their research will have far-reaching impact."
More information on the teams can be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/AboutUs/StrategicGrowthInitiative/Teams
Writers: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, email@example.com
Emil Venere, 765-494-4709, email@example.com
Sources: Leah Jamieson, 765-494-5346, email@example.com
Pedro Irazoqui, firstname.lastname@example.com
Vladimir Shalaev, firstname.lastname@example.com
Stephen Beaudoin, firstname.lastname@example.com
David Love, email@example.com


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Thank you for getting in touch.
All of our tea is single estate, meaning a single artisan grows it, harvests the leaves, and crafts the leaves into tea.
The term "single estate" is to distinguish from teas where a tea-processing operation buys harvested leaves from various outside tea farms.
Our growers, in contrast, are complete, start-to-finish establishments: the artisans plant what they harvest, harvest the tea themselves, and use *only* tea leaves harvested from their own land.
Single-estate tea artisans are the biggest sticklers in the tea world -- they don't trust any tea leaves they didn't grow themselves. There is a practical reason for this: there is no way to truly assure tea quality unless you have overseen the entire process, starting with planting and caring for the tea plants yourself.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you again for contacting us.
You can read more about our growers here.
A mother-and-daughter pair of growers in one of their tea groves. All of their tea — including, of course, what they provide to Mellow Monk — is single estate.
—Mellow Monk
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Scientist At American Museum Of Natural History Helps Prove Theory About Evolution Of dwarf Novae main content.
Scientist At American Museum Of Natural History Helps Prove Theory About Evolution Of dwarf Novae
by AMNH on
by AMNH on
NASA/JPL-Caltech/M. Shara (AMNH)
A team of astrophysicists led by Mike Shara at the American Museum of Natural History recently proved a long-standing theory about the behavior of a class of objects known as "dwarf novae." Scientists believe that the group of mildly variable binary stars must also exhibit "classical nova" behavior and explode in spectacular fashion every ten thousand years or so. After decades of observation, however, no one has ever found conclusive evidence that they do so. A new study appearing in the March 8 issue of the journal Nature confirms the theory and reveals the most extensive remnant shell of gas left from a nova explosion.
"The new images are the strongest evidence yet in favor of the cyclic evolution of these binary stars," said Shara, a curator in the Division of Astrophysics. "It's gratifying to see such strong evidence for this theory to finally emerge after all this time."
Observations of classical novae, composed of a collapsed, dense white dwarf star and an ordinary, sun-like star, have shown that the white dwarf periodically steals enough hydrogen-rich material from its companion to produce a gigantic thermonuclear explosion on its surface. For a few days or weeks classical novae shine so brightly that they have been mentioned in historical literature.
Though not as bright as classical novae, Z Camelopardalis (Z Cam) is one of the brightest dwarf novae in the sky and, at a little over 530 light years, is one of the closest of the millions of such objects in the Milky Way. Every 20 days or so Z Cam "hiccups," brightening by as much as 40 times for a period of several days. In many ways it's a prototypical dwarf nova, but until now no one has ever detected the remnants of the much more massive classical nova explosions that theory predicts should periodically occur in such objects.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In 2003, Shara's colleague Mark Seibert at the Carnegie Institution of Washington was analyzing images from the NASA's orbiting ultraviolet telescope, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). His scientific focus was on galaxies, but in the course of his work he noticed an unusual arc of celestial material 2 light years from Z Cam centered on that binary star. Previous observations had failed to reveal the massive shell, the largest known to exist, because it is very faint at visible wavelengths. It is, however, easily detected at the UV wavelengths detected by GALEX. Shara's team obtained additional images from Kitt Peak National Observatory, Palomar Observatory, and the Wise Observatory along with measurements made at the Lick Observatory and confirmed that the structures detected in the GALEX images were indeed a massive shell of stellar gas. These findings support the conclusion that the arc is composed of material ejected from the dwarf nova during a classical nova eruption centuries ago.
Depending on the velocity of the arc, the team puts the date of the eruption anywhere between 2,400 and 240 years ago, with the older age more likely. The authors also conclude that Z Cam's classical nova explosion must have been quite spectacular. "During that eruption," they write, "it must have become, for a few days or weeks, one of the brightest stars in the sky."
The study was supported by NASA, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Lick Observatory, the Palomar Observatory, and the Wise Observatory. Caltech leads the GALEX mission and is responsible for science operations and data analysis; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the mission and built the science instrument.
Media Inquiries: Department of Communications, 212-769-5800


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Makeblock is here to solve your robot problems. The t-slot aluminum extrusion is a tried-and-true way of building modular frames, and even simple mechanisms. It works, but it has an Achilles Heel…the nut.
That nut has to be inserted into the slot so that the bolt can torque down on the beam. Some designs include a nut that can be inserted straight through the slot and twisted instead of needing to be slid in from one end (FAZTEK). Others turn the bolt around so that the head of the bolt takes the place of the traditional nut and the nut tightens down from the outside of the bolt (MakerBeam).
A new Kickstarter campaign does away with the nut all together. Instead of using a t-slot, they have a slot with parallel sides and just the right threading to allow you to screw in a nut at any point along the slot.
Makeblock looks like an extremely well integrated system for prototyping cyber-electro-mechanical systems. They have the modular beam system itself, but they also have their own electronics with the correct footprint to fit on the beams and adapters for common things like Lego and servos. Additionally, they have it working in the real world and appear to have the manufacturing muscle to produce a lot of the kits.


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Version 3810/3814/3816/3818 firmware for the Volkswagen RNS 510 and the Skoda Columbus has been released.
- Voice Control (requires microphone – see Volkswagen RNS 510 Microphone Connection for voice control)
- NEW hold down the setup button for 30 seconds and get the following menus: FM, AM and the new VERSION INFO (map version and type, hw and sw versions)
- NEW Compass
- NEW POI – see Volkswagen RNS 510 Maps POI – New Features with firmware 3xxx
- NEW Languages – Arabic, Russian, Turkish and Polish
- Speed Limit Display
- Stability Improvements
- Faster Startup (this has been improved on 2720)
- Display OPS and RVC at the same time
- SDHC 32 GB Support (HW04 and above)
- Display Off on extras tab
- Climatronic control if approriate climatronic fitted
- Clock display if RNS 510 swtiched off
- Excluded roads (under route options)
- GPS coordinates entry
- Additional adjustments for video
- Larger RVC screen with transparent menus at the side
Units that can be upgraded include (still being compiled may not be 100%)
- All D and later versions.
- 1T0 035 680 C (1T0035680 C) from software version 1000, 800, 900, 1100 , 2660 and 2700 to version 3810.
- 7L6 035 680 C (7L6035680C) from software version 1002, 1022, 1102 and 2664 to version 2700.
- 3T0 035 680 A (3T0035680A) to version 2704.
- 7F0 035 680 (7F0035680) to version 2700.
- 7E0 035 680 (7E0035680) to version 2700.
- Revision A, B and C units can be upgraded with the modified firmware (see link below)
Revision A, B and C revision units
These units will become SW revision D after the upgrade however when coding the unit using VCDS you will receive the error
"Coding Rejected, Error 31: Request Out of Range"
Before saving the new coding manually add a 10th byte (00) at the end before pressing "Do It" as per the example below
9 byte coding (A/B/C SW revisions):
10 byte coding (D SW revision):
Warning! This upgrade WILL delete your music and/or maps if you have a firmware version 1xxx/2xxx and upgrade to 3800-3910. A third partition is created for POI data and the 20GB music partition now becomes 15GB.
Warning! There is a remote chance of you 'bricking' the unit, this is a fraction of a percent but it could happen! The process takes around 60 minutes.'
Warning! There are a small number of users where the RNS 510 does not know where it is after it's been powered on, details of the previous location are kept in the unit but at this stage there is no pattern to this problem.
Warning! There are a small number of users where the RNS 510 display has a dim backlight after upgrading. See the post "Volkswagen RNS 510 Backlight Dim after upgrading Firmware" for more details.
Warning! Users with cars MY07 and earlier may experience power drain issues after the upgrade. See the post "Upgrading 2nd generation radios (RCD 300, RCD 500) to 3rd generation (RCD 210, RCD 310, RNS 310, RCD 510) power drain issue" for more details.
Warning! Users with the Skoda UHV bluetooth 1Z0 035 729 B (1Z0035729B) may want to delay upgrading the firmware, there is an issue with the RNS 510 no longer displaying the phone book and/or the call details but signal strength etc are visible for some phones. A HTC Diamond for example worked fine before the update but only partially afterwards however an iPhone 3G worked fine before and after. This is not a problem with the 1Z0 035 729 D (1Z0035729D) Skoda UHV bluetooth kit. The MFD functions as per normal with phone book and last calls listed correctly. Android 2.1 phones work fine with the update.
Note! Test/Setup Mode. The firmware can allow access to enter test/setup mode without Vagcom/VCDS access see Accessing the Setup Menu on the RNS 510 head units with firmware later than 1100. The procedure for entering the test/setup mode for those with Vagcom/VCDS is slightly different as well. To enter the test/setup mode when the RNS 510 is operating press and hold the setup button, keep holding it when the radio menu appears and shortly after the test menu appears . I had to reboot my unit after coding it but it may be possible a power cycle is enough.
Note! Failure (Gateway Error 202) – You can downgrade back to 1100 by inserting the 1100 firmware and rebooting the RNS 510 (Setup + eject + info).
Download Firmware Upgrade
Volkswagen RNS 510 Firmware Download Repository
Version Information from VERSION.TXT
-------------------------------------------- Software Loading CD for CP2 based units (c) CONTINENTAL Wetzlar CdTreeBuilder version 3.06 is used. -------------------------------------------- #CD:P 0 0 5 . 1 5 7 . 3 0 1 #DATE:2010-11-26 #Project: VWRNS #Author: RoNe #Steckbrief: C_EU_10.342_t1 C10/C6 #CommentStart: This is a SWL CD for VW delivery. #CommentEnd: #Integrationphase: Delivery cw22/11 C10/C6-samples #VwSwPartNumber:1T0035680D/1T0035680D/7L6035680C/3T0035680B/7F0035680A/7E0035680A/1T0035680F/1T0035680G #VwSwIndex:3810/3816/3810/3818/3814/3810/3810 #AppsBuild:C_EU_10.342_t1 C10/C6 #CRC16:83a8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Software Loading CD for CP2 based units (c) CONTINENTAL Wetzlar CdTreeBuilder version 3.06 is used. -------------------------------------------- #CD:P 0 0 5 . 1 5 7 . 3 0 1 #DATE:2010-11-26 #Project: VWRNS #Author: RoNe #Steckbrief: C_EU_10.342_t1 C3/C4A/C5C/C6/C10 #CommentStart: This is an unofficial SWL CD by josi. Use it at your own risk. No Russian language support #CommentEnd: #Integrationphase: Delivery cw22/11 C10/C6-samples #VwSwPartNumber:1T0035680D/1T0035680D/7L6035680C/3T0035680B/7F0035680A/7E0035680A/1T0035680F/1T0035680G #VwSwIndex:3810/3816/3810/3818/3814/3810/3810 #AppsBuild:C_EU_10.342_t1 C3/C4A/C5C/C6/C10 #CRC16:797b


text:
Twins drop 4th straight
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nick Tepesch won his second consecutive start, Elvis Andrus and Chris Gimenez each had two RBIs, and the Texas Rangers
beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Monday afternoon.
Tepesch (2-0) allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings, striking out four to win consecutive starts for the first time in his career.
Alex Rios added two more hits and now has six straight multi-hit games. The Rangers have won three straight and five of six.
Trevor Plouffe homered and Eduardo Escobar had two hits and an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four in a row since climbing two games over .500 on May 21.
After Kevin Correia (2-6) set down nine straight, Roughned Odor and Shin-Soo Choo lined back-to-back two-out singles in the fifth. Andrus followed with a double to the gap in left-center that scored both runners and broke a 2-all tie.


text:
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Ron Edwards
[Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
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Topic: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore. (Read 9644 times)
Posts: 87
[Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
December 04, 2007, 10:52:47 AM »
Ok, so I've been running Afraid for a few weeks now, and the problems I thought would work themselves out in a few sessions aren't working themselves out. The party is playing characters of a more supernatural flavor than is traditional, as a setting thing, but that isn't causing any problems. They're fighting a daredevil/motorcycle monster, which they're all having a lot of fun opposing. This game is more overtly supernatural, but that's a fun flavor we're really enjoying.
Here's the problem: the party is split into two factions; the two characters (who, it should be said, are newer gamers) who are all fighting skills, and the two who are social/mental and research-y. The fighters are all for just chasing the monster around trying to beat him in a strait-up fight (which is basically impossible for them to do), while the other two are working to find the monster's motivations, his strengths and weaknesses (which in turn leads to their understanding of how to destroy it). The two aren't really communicating, so while the social characters are figuring things out, they never have an opportunity to put their plans into action because the fighty types are running about the city after this monster. The players playing the fighting characters have a history of basically making the same kind of character over and over, a somewhat min-maxed fighter type, only in D&D it's an elf and in WoD it's a werewolf, etc. and I think part of the problem is that they assume that if they just go toe-to-toe with the monster they'll win.
I'm not sure how to make this work. I love Afraid as a system, and the last time I ran it it went beautifully. Do I just approach my players about this on Saturday, and say, "hey, you have to work together and start breaking some of this monster's bonds if you ever want to win"? Or do I let them stumble around, while the Monster still has all his bonds and victims, and is off and about terrorizing the city?
If you need a more detailed example, here's a rundown of last session:
So, the players have learned a couple things, through inflicting some fallout on the monster in the previous couple of sessions. They know one bond ("I keep my heart locked in a puzzle box") and one victim (they've even gone to see her, she's in the hospital all cut up from an accident with the monster), but they've taken no steps to deal with either of these.
So, right off the bat one of the fighters (we'll call him Player A) decides to take Player B (the other fighter) into into the creepy, monster-filled Chicago streets to go hunting this monster. They ride out on their motorcycles (being the uber-stylized badasses they are) and go searching. Meanwhile, one of the reasearchers (Player C, I guess) has been finding out about how monsters are formed and destroyed, but she can't tell the other players because they're so busy off chasing the monster. The monster gives them a bit of a beating, but they inflict a tiny amount of fallout too, and they feel good about that. But then, instead of taking any time to regroup, they pick themselves up and go running off again.
I'm kind of at a loss as far as knowing how to proceed here. The players are attacking the monster ineffectively, not really inflicting any fallout, and not doing much about the victim they know about, whose condition continues to worsen. Is there something I'm going wrong here? This is my second time running Afraid, and I'm not sure how to get across the idea that they can't just slug it out, because the fighters (in and out of character) are so confident in their ability and badassery that it's never entered their minds that they might not win.
- "aww, I wanted to explode..."
Posts: 503
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #1 on:
December 04, 2007, 11:50:39 AM »
I feel like a little more information would be pertinent.
Why can't they win? If you know why, why don't you communicate it to your players?
I sometimes find the case for fighty-optimization players is that a lot of their fun comes from the challenge to overcome the GM's provided method (In White Wolf, going along with the railroad, in your game, breaking bonds) by sheer mechanical manipulation to make punchy characters. Do you think that may be the case here?
Do the fighty characters and the researcher characters want to play together? Do you really want to play with these specific people?
Christoph Boeckle
Posts: 455
Geneva, Switzerland
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #2 on:
December 04, 2007, 12:04:46 PM »
Hi John
I've two questions that might look similar to Sirogit's, because I'm not sure I grasp some aspects of your play. If you find they don't add anything, you don't need to address them directly.
Why can't the players decide on stuff together, even if their characters are rarely together?
Why not let the two players who'd like a good fight have it? If they get their asses handed to them, they can immediately make new characters (at the same efficiency as the dead ones), it adds to the horror (characters actually dying! omg, this is serious!) and the rules seem to provide some nifty mechanical things when that happens (at least in the version of the rules I've read).
Since I haven't played this game, I might step back if others join into the discussion, but that wouldn't mean I'm not interested in what's being discussed.
Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 16490
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #3 on:
December 04, 2007, 02:10:07 PM »
Hi there,
I have some questions about Afraid. I don't know the game, so these are not leading questions - I have to know the answers in order to provide suggestions for you.
What are the consequences if the group does not kill the monster? Is there any provision for the story to end under those circumstances?
For example, in Sorcerer (to pick a very different game), there is no "goal" to keep the character's Humanity above 0. It might fall to 0; that's something that can happen. Or if I, as GM, play a character's demon as being out to kill him, well, I do (there are rules I follow in deciding that and carrying it out), and if my NPC demon rips out the player-character's heart, that's the end of that character. There's nothing in the contract of play to prevent that or to keep us, as a group, away from considering options of that kind.
Is Afraid like that? Basically, if they can't get their act together, does the monster win in some way? Or is play stalled out?
Best, Ron
Posts: 87
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #4 on:
December 04, 2007, 05:14:03 PM »
Okay, thanks for the slew of replies, I certainly didn't expect to see this much response this fast.
Firstly, to Siroget. The players can't win for basically a mechanics reason. The monster has vastly more dice to use, plus the GM story dice (some extras I can roll into any conflict once per session), plus minions, each of which are pretty strong. The monster's stats and traits are higher and better, plus he has a ton of dice of bonds (based on both his victims and other rituals he has). If the players can prevent hsi access to victims, prevent him from doing those rituals, etc. he loses those dice until he can reestablish contact or resume his rituals.
The fighty characters hurl themselves at the monster, but they have a ton of fighty dice, so the monster has a tricky time killing them. They're taking fallout and stuff, so they are getting weaker in some ways, but they also have the annoying tendency to roll experience fallout and get better.
The characters mostly get along ok, but the fighters are on kind of a one-track plan for taking the monster out. While the researchers have suggestions, the fighters are all sure they can just ride out and they'll kill him the next time.
Next, Chirstoph Boeckle. I'm not quite sure why there's the player/character disconnect going on there. The players of the fighty types are convinced (as are their characters) that they don't really need to plan this stuff out, and are pretty straightforward in their play style. In other games I've played with them, their characters have tended to be fairly linear, strait-line characters, which isn't necessarily good for fighting the monster, who has many things protecting him from harm (in the sense that they give him huge numbers of dice). Every time they fight they come out a little worse, so I think there's going to be a death should they ride out like that again. It would be great for the horror to have the super-powerful guy get killed.
Third (whew) Ron Edwards. If the group does not kill the monster, it will continue to victimize more and more people, gaining more and more power (1-4 d10 per victim, which in Afraid is
). Eventually, I guess, the monster will become so amazingly powerful it can't be stopped. The story would end with the monster going on a rampage (I'm winging it here) or some such, because it is too powerful to be killed. The characters would die, game over, I guess. Afraid assumes that the characters are going to try to take out the monster, and assumes they're going to have some success. Play is kind of stalling out, so I think the next step is, since the monster isn't being stopped, for it to take another victim.
- "aww, I wanted to explode..."
Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 16490
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #5 on:
December 05, 2007, 04:37:35 AM »
Hi there,
I think you found a serious, deal-breaking flaw in the game itself. From what you've written, the game simply does not handle failure/inaction in a consequential way. This is bogus.
What it means is, if the players go "I don't wanna" or otherwise dink around, the GM must respond (a) without rules/procedures and (b) with total game-ending, overruling authority.
That's the trap you're in.
play badly/not-at-all, but
are the one who takes the social and creative heat for saying "OK you all die." There is no connection between the two except for pure fiat, or better, for pure acknowledgment that you had total control all along (which itself sucks).
Even worse, the response on your part is not only completely obligatory, but it's also a punt - basically, you're saying, "you win" to the players, "I have to stop playing."
I suggest that your only solution is to enlist the players in the playtesting - tell them, "look, we found the problem with this game. Let's tell Vincent. Thanks for helping him make the game better." I strongly recommend
taking responsibility for the flaw yourself, i.e., don't buy into the false notion that you were supposed to provide them with ecstatic fun and then let them down.
Vincent, I'm dismayed that the game doesn't make the monsters matter. I mean, if they're not stopped, then so what? Where's my system for that? Or another way to put it is, as GM, if I get to play monsters, then I want them to have some God damn teeth.
Best, Ron
Posts: 3453
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #6 on:
December 05, 2007, 05:32:15 AM »
It's kind of like finding the landmines by letting civilians work in the field. It's pretty good for me, sitting up here on the hill under a parasol, but...
So hey I have a question for you, opsneakie! This won't point to a solution for you, but it may point toward a solution for me designing the game. Which backgrounds did the fighty players choose for their characters?
(Also I feel like I should know your name already, but I can't bring it to mind.)
Posts: 87
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #7 on:
December 05, 2007, 08:16:17 AM »
Ron: Well, yeah, this is a bit of a trouble. I feel like the fighters just aren't reasoning through their conflicts very well. The last couple fights went: they attack monster --> monster beats the crap out of them, but they think beating their head against that particular wall will make it go away. If they thought about it for a second, they should arrive at "hey, the monster has way more dice than I do. Maybe we should do something about that," and maybe it's just that they haven't gotten there yet.
Hi Vincent! I've been here before, a while ago, and I made a few posts regarding DitV and Afraid, although it was quite a while ago. I've been running Afraid in the style that DitV was run for me the first time I played, where the players gave me concepts, and I gave them backgrounds based on that - both players were leaning towards Veteran, and their character concepts certainly made it clear that they would fall there. One of them is the former minion of a monster, who has now broken free and is hunting down other monsters, while the other styles himself as more of a professional monster hunter.
- "aww, I wanted to explode..."
David Artman
Posts: 570
Designer & Producer
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #8 on:
December 05, 2007, 08:57:25 AM »
Quote from: opsneakie on December 05, 2007, 08:16:17 AM
One of them is the former minion of a monster, who has now broken free and is hunting down other monsters, while the other styles himself as more of a professional monster hunter.
And I presume these are the "fighty types," not the researchers? Well, hell, man: you're problem's solved: just TELL THEM they're barking up the wrong tree. Surely, a "former minion of a monster" would know (on some narrative level) that monsters use these mystical, murderous rituals to gain power and effectiveness, so why not let the player know that, too? Just say, "Look... your guy *knows* that monsters do this stuff to get powerful... and, man, look at all these dice I already have! You *sure* you just want to chase after him, rather than break some of his bonds and free some victims? I mean... dude, you're going to lose; you're already halfway to a world-ending failure!"
Ping their "gung-ho, gonna win" tendencies while at the same time making the mechanics of rituals and bonds crystal clear--it's not some secret you've got to hide from the players (in particular if one of the characters once lived the life!).
Then, if they still want to chase and get beaten down... well, make it fun, GO LARGE, rip out old ladies' hearts, curb-stomp kittens, etc. Make it *hurt* them (i.e. the players!) to bang their heads on that wall; push at them with the ethical--not just narrative!--consequences of these bad decisions. Even the dumbest brick should eventually realize that, when the sky is falling, no amount of throwing rocks up at it will stop that... in fact, that will just cause more shit to drop on his head.
Designer -
Icehouse Games
Editor -
Filip Luszczyk
Posts: 746
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #9 on:
December 05, 2007, 10:42:33 AM »
I haven't played Afraid yet. However, one thing strikes me as I'm reading this thread: in DitV the players have no obligation to do anything at all to deal with the town's problems. If they decide so, they can just sit and watch, unless directly threatened, and whatever would happen if the Dogs didn't come will come to pass. Which, in fact, probably won't matter anyway if they indeed refuse to engage the town's problems actively.
So, if the consequence of inaction is the aggravation of the victim's state, in what way does it differ from worsening situation in town?
The problem is, in DitV the characters are interested in saving the community (whatever it entails) by default. There is, in fact, no other meaningful thing to do for the players. In Afraid, if I recall, the background says why you're in this shit, and Veteran is the only one that doesn't have a default connection with the victim. He's there only because he fought some other monster before, which is a good reason to engage with the monster but not the best reason to care about the victims. And it seems the monster is only meaningful as a threat to the victims - the characters struggle not as much to slay the monster as to stop victimizations.
Two thing come to my mind:
1. Obviously, Veterans need stronger ties with the victim. However, what if there was no Veteran background as such, but rather Veteran "template" that could be added to one of the remaining backgrounds? This could, in fact create place for more such "templates", like ex-victim or the like. Characters could be created by combining two pieces: one determining the ties with the victim, and the other determining the ties with the supernatural.
2. Actually, why not get rid of a monster that mechanically functions as a character? Possibly, victimization levels are the only mechanical thing about the monster that might be needed. I mean, there are no stats for demons in DitV, and the only way to determine whether the characters "won" or "lost" is the players deciding that they're done with the town.
Also, John, have you considered victimizing your fighty guys' Relationships?
Awesome Bunny Games
Skype Gaming Center
Posts: 87
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #10 on:
December 05, 2007, 11:21:14 AM »
Thanks for the feedback, this is really helping me understand what I need to do next.
One of the fighty types has another hunter he's very close to, who's already been attacked by the monster. The next step is to have this NPC get victimized, and as the monster gets stronger, I think they'll gravitate to a different solution.
I think the next move is pretty clear now, thanks a ton.
- "aww, I wanted to explode..."
Posts: 72
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #11 on:
December 05, 2007, 07:03:09 PM »
Posts: 87
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #12 on:
December 06, 2007, 12:26:48 AM »
Oh, character death is
on the table. I'll be running again a week from Saturday (have to make room for the beginning of another game, and I'll throw up another post about it when I get the chance to put some of these ideas in action.
The feedback really cleared my head, thanks a million guys!
- "aww, I wanted to explode..."
Adam Riemenschneider
Posts: 81
I also go by Capulet on other Forums.
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #13 on:
December 06, 2007, 10:50:26 AM »
Okay, I'm unfamiliar with the system, so take this with a grain of salt, but...
I don't see why this can't be solved from a storytelling point of view. If sounds like your fighty players think they're in a super hero-ish kind of game (grab the flaming motorcycle guy! Throw him through a building! Cool explosions!), while your social/research players are in a horror/suspense game. Your fighty players are
. Simply, they think they can win by going toe to toe, ala X-Men.
Some of the suggestions already mentioned can (hopefully) clue them in.
1): Have someone come up and tell them.
2): Kill one of them, or come close enough to it.
3): Make it obvious that the monster is becoming more powerful than they are, at a faster rate ("We need bigger guns.").
There's also the issue of spotlight time. The fighty players may not be winning in the story sense, but they are winning in the fun sense; when they fight the monster, they get to roll dice, they get to describe their actions, they get to make decisions... in other words, they get to play, and due to their relative inexperience, this may be the only way they know how to play.
Give them a reason to hang out and do fighty things with the other players. Sic the monster's minions on the researchers (but give them some kind of warning, so they can call in the fighty guys to "save" them). Heck, send in a minion who does the horror thing, taunting the researcher as he slaughters his way through the building with no escape route. Get the researcher to call for the fighty guys' help, and have them make crazy motorcycle control rolls as they rush to get there in time. Let them be fighty characters, within the context of the story that is being told.
I mean, isn't it our jobs as GMs to give players the kinds of obstacles that they want to overcome? I don't mean for that to sound harsh. I just think you've hit some players that require you to be extra creative at the gaming table.
Best Luck!
Creator and Publisher of Other Court Games.
Callan S.
Posts: 3588
Re: [Afraid] Party is split up, not understanding the game, frustration galore.
Reply #14 on:
December 06, 2007, 06:26:06 PM »
Quote from: opsneakie on December 06, 2007, 12:26:48 AM
Oh, character death is
on the table. I'll be running again a week from Saturday (have to make room for the beginning of another game, and I'll throw up another post about it when I get the chance to put some of these ideas in action.
I think it'd be good to double check on something Ron said (as I understand it)
Quote from: Ron
That's the trap you're in. They play badly/not-at-all, but you are the one who takes the social and creative heat for saying "OK you all die." There is no connection between the two except for pure fiat, or better, for pure acknowledgment that you had total control all along (which itself sucks).
Is character death on the table, or are you going to use pure fiat to kill them? Is their potential death supported by the game system?
Philosopher Gamer
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