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Yazan: PAB | 08 March 2011 | No Comments
Categories: PAB2010
Videographer and storyteller Susan Murphy shares methods for developing and producing content that matters to your audience.
Yazan: PAB | 30 August 2010 | No Comments
Categories: PAB2010
CBC political journalist/parliamentary blogger Kady O'Malley (or author0b70f as she's identified on CBC.ca) has changed the way federal politics is reported — professional with a dash of human. This video features excerpts of Kady's Q&A session at PAB2010.
Yazan: PAB | 24 August 2010 | 1 Comment
Categories: PAB2010
In his keynote speech, Mike Tennant examines the role of creative in the modern age of media and how content creators can use creative to build audiences.
Yazan: PAB | 24 August 2010 | No Comments
Categories: PAB2010
Whitney Hoffman explores social norms and their evolution.
Yazan: PAB | 20 August 2010 | No Comments
Categories: PAB2010
Adele McAlear examines the intersection of death, social media and technology and what each of us should consider today to prepare our digital assets.
Yazan: PAB | 10 August 2010 | 4 Comments
Categories: PAB2010
Mare Swallow (aka "Etiquette Bitch") walks through three Adult Learning principles to spice up media and attract more eyeballs. Visit the PAB Conference YouTube channel for all PAB-related video content.


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After Novak Djokovic's win over Tomas Berdych earlier on Friday, Murray knew he only needed to take one set off seventh seeded Tsonga to guarantee his third appearance in the last four of the season-ending event.
The 25-year-old took just 33 minutes to achieve his goal and he eventually sealed his second win of the tournament, advancing from Group A in second place behind Djokovic, despite a late flurry from Tsonga.
After a glorious year which has featured his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, a gold medal in the Olympic singles and a first appearance in the Wimbledon final, Murray would love to cap the campaign with a first Tour Finals crown.
To do that he is likely to have to get past defending champion Roger Federer, who will be the Scot's semi-final opponent on Sunday if, as expected, the Wimbledon champion finishes top of Group B.
"It was quite a tough scenario and I was lucky to get off to a good start," Murray said.
Group matches
"There was some good tennis at the end of the second set. Jo started playing better.
"When he was imposing himself as he was in that second set, he is a hell of an athlete and very tough to play."
Tsonga, beaten in his previous two group matches, required a straight sets victory to sneak through at Murray's expense, but his track record suggested the outcome wouldn't go his way.
Murray had won six of their previous seven clashes, including a semi-final success at Wimbledon earlier this year, while Tsonga had lost all 11 of his meetings with top-eight ranked players this year.
Cleverly mixing the pace and flight of his groundstrokes, Murray quickly took charge and tempted Tsonga into a series of rash shots from the baseline that gifted the Scot a break in the opening game.
Murray continued to baffle Tsonga with his astute shot selection and secured a second break for a 3-0 lead when the frazzled Frenchman drove a forehand into the net.
Tsonga, the Tour Finals runner-up 12 months ago, finally got on the scoreboard when he held serve in the fifth game, but Murray refused to relinquish his strangehold and easily closed out the set.
Murray kept his foot on the gas and broke in the first game of the second set thanks to a Tsonga double-fault.
Yet, with defeat looking certain, Tsonga underlined why he can be so frustrating as he suddenly started playing with real purpose and broke Murray to love to level at 4-4.
Tsonga saved two break points at 5-5 and kept the pressure on Murray, who had to save a set point to force a tie-break.
But the Scot refound his rhythm in the breaker and some searing groundstrokes ended Tsonga's resistance. – Sapa-AFP

subset: commoncrawl


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Creating fun Frankenstein Trick-or-Treat bags is easy! With a little but of creatitvity the possibilities for this craft are endless!
This week's frugal craft is brought to you by Momondealz.
- Paper Shopping Bag
- Various Colors of Construction Paper
- Glue
- Markers
-I realize traditional Frankenstein is green but purple is the new green in my son's book! LOL. If you don't feel like cutting the shapes, you can just have your child draw the face. I had Will help me with the cutting since that is an important skill, as well as the gluing of the shapes.
Educational Activities:
- Language Arts: 1. Discuss the syllables in the word Frankenstein. Clap out the syllables with your child and then brainstorm other Halloween words and clap out the syllables for those words as well. 2. Make an acrostic poem with your child using the word Frankenstein and try to use Fall or Halloween words (F=fun, fright; R=running, rotten pumpkins; A=apples; N=night, etc). 3. Allow your child to tell or write a monster story.
- Science: Discuss that by reusing the grocery bag you are recycling resources. Discuss the importance of taking care of resources around us and create a list of other household items you can reuse (toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, yogurt/butter/baby food containers, shoe boxes, etc).
- Math: Have your child identify the shapes used in the craft (circles for eyes, triangles for hair, etc).
Craft Idea Credit: SimpleKidsCrafts.com


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Anthony Logothetis's Seóra Hammock
Anthony Logothetis Spotlights The Seóra Hammock
Anthony Logothetis, the creator of the highlighted design Award Winning Seóra Hammock says, Seóra is made from high quality Birch marine plywood and stainless steel. It's unique design and aesthetic appearance provides you with your ultimate hammock experience as Seóra takes the shape of your body allowing you to relax in a correct posture without slouching (unlike conventional hammocks with net and fabric do). Seora's distinctive stand made from stainless steel can be disassembled into three pieces for easy storage. Integrated armrests open when needed and the footrest can be adjusted according to your height for ideal comfort. .
Anthony Logothetis's Seóra Hammock Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Claim Magazine homepage.


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The Bauman Casa located at Karon Beach, this resort features 2
swimming pools on rooftop offering panoramic views of the Phuket skyline
and 1 swimming pool on second floor. Rooms come with a private balcony
and free Wi-Fi.
The Bauman Casa Beach Resort is a short 5-minute walk from Karon Market, 5 minute from Karon playground, 15 minute from Suwankereket Temple and a 50-minute drive from Phuket International Airport.
With tiled floors, rooms at Bauman Casa Beach Resort feature contemporary Thai décor and wooden furnishings. They are equipped with a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with a hairdryer. Coffee/tea making facilities and a stocked minibar are included.
Guests of Bauman Casa Beach Resort can head for a massage at the spa or exercise in the gym. Alternatively, they can relax in the sauna. Serving seafood dishes along with an international menu, the resort's restaurant also provides room service.
|The rooms have a variety of different views, such as the Sea, the mountains and the city. Baumancasa Beach Resort rooms have spacious and private balconies. All the rooms were designed with a modern Asian contemporary concept which emphases comfort and purity. All the rooms were designed with specially designed classic wooden furniture and Thai fabrics. The wooden beige color was chosen to be use for the furniture, which makes the room atmosphere clean, beautiful and elegant.
Deluxe Room(24 Sq.m.)
Grand Deluxe Partial
Deluxe Pool Access
Grand Deluxe Panorama Seaview
|Sauna: Sauna
Center is located at the 4th Building 5th floor. Our Conventional Sauna
will give our Guest a relaxing experience of steam bath.
Fitness: An air-conditioned gym, Equipped with 3 treadmills, line of selective resistive dumbbells and is located at the 4th Building 5th floor.
Swimming pools: 3 elegant swimming pools have different locations; Guest can enjoy swimming and sun bathing in our 2 pools at the roof top. Roof top pool views over sees the beautiful Karon beach. Another outdoor pool is located at the 5th Building 2nd floor. Guest will not just enjoy swimming but also feel the scent of Jacuzzi experience.


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Each Pirtek Hose Centre carries a complete stock of fittings and couplings to provide customers with instant over-the-counter service and to ensure that each of its service vehicles has access to the widest possible range of fittings to meet customer needs.
Select a specific type of item using the dropdown list below to view the relevant PDF page:
© Copyright Pirtek 2020 | Intranet Log-in | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Contact Us | The Pirtek App | Website by Verto
Pirtek (UK) Limited. Registered in England and Wales: 2301810 Registered office: c/o Reed Smith, The Broadgate Tower Third Floor, 20 Primrose Street, London, United Kingdom, EC2A 2RS. VAT no. 701872940


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New York's Budget Battle
Department of Defense workers in New York could be the state's biggest losers in automatic cuts to the federal budget set to take hold this week.
That's according to a report issued by the White House Sunday as it seeks to avoid the impending economic fallout. The White House says about 12,000 civilians who work for the defense department in New York would be furloughed and funding for the operation of Army bases in the state would be cut by $108 million.
The state's schools and teachers are also at serious risk, as are efforts to protect clean air and water. The White House compiled the numbers from federal agencies and its own budget office. The numbers are based on the $85 billion in cuts that are set to take effect Friday.


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- Description
The Luxury Mia Bed with chrome studs provides great mattress support along with bringing an option of a huge ottoman storage space for underneath the bed.
Should you choose to have the additional storage option the platform top ottoman base features gas lift arms which makes it easy and simple for the base to be lifted. A huge variety of storage space sits under the base which is ideal for storing spare bedding and accessories. This base is upholstered in a selection of luxurious fabrics, the total base depth is approximately 14 Inch with a generous 11 inch depth of internal storage space. The mattress is not included but can be purchased separately.
Included with the bed is the Floor Standing headboard constructed with sturdy materials, the headboard is super strong and has a deep layer of hard wearing padding which makes it comfortable to lean against when sitting up in bed, Included with the bed are stylish ebony wooden feet
- Additional Information
Additional Information
Short Description
- Includes Headboard
- Solid Structure
- Includes - Wooden Legs
- Headboard Height: Approximately 135cm
Product Number 8446 Manufacturer Joseph Furniture Lead Time Free Delivery Within 2-6 Working Days Delivery Information We'll call you 24-48 hrs prior to book in your delivery date Base Platform Top Dimensions Small Single W: 90cm L: 195cm Single W: 90cm L: 195cm Small Double W: 120cm L: 195cm Double W: 135cm L: 195cm King Size W: 150cm L: 205cm Super King Size W: 180cm L: 205cm
Headboard Height: Approximately 135cm
- Reviews
- Delivery Information
Standard Delivery
Free Delivery within 2-6 working days. We'll call you 24-48 hrs prior to book in your delivery date.
Express Delivery
This is available with most products and is charged at £40. We aim to deliver the goods 24 - 48 hours after the order has been processed, this will be dependant on the time of order. As with all our deliveries, we will call you on the provided number to arrange a delivery day. Express Delivery is not currently available to the following areas, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, these areas can only be delivered under our Standard Delivery service.
Weekend Delivery
This option is available on all products and is charged at £40. Weekend orders are required by 12pm on the Wednesday before. If received after this time your order will be delivered on the following Weekend. We'll call you in advance to book in your exact delivery date.


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|At the start, he was black and white ...
|In color, he was a sight ...
Sammy, dear Sammy,
Your jokes were so hammy.
Your face was all green,
Your hands looked so clammy.
You rose from your coffin,
Our courage would soften.
Your laugh was so evil
That we'd all stop talkin'.
Friday was your night
To give us a big fright.
When we went to bed,
We needed a night light.
Thanks, Sammy Terry,
For being so scary.
To all of us kids
You are legendary.
We kids are all grown up now, very grown up, but we all remember Sammy and Friday night Nightmare Theatre. We didn't know it then, but Sammy Terry was Bob Carter, a reporter who worked for Sarkes Tarzian, the gentleman who owned WTTV Channel 4 in Indianapolis. The show started out in 1962 as Carter's Shock Theatre, but soon morphed into Nightmare Theatre with host Sammy Terry. I hate to admit how long it took for me to realize that his name was a take on cemetery, but I was just a kid so I guess I can be forgiven.
Sammy showed movies that were good, many that were awful, but all were of the horror genre and all were fun. It seems to me that Vincent Price's House on Haunted Hill was on every other week, but that's just my memory, I guess. Sammy would interrupt the movie occasionally to comment on it, usually with puns that were real groaners. In his dungeon lair, Sammy had a friend, George the spider, who was always hanging around -- groan. His young son Mark appeared once in a while as another friend, Ghoulsby. When the show started, Sammy's coffin lid would creak loudly and he would sit up. Sometimes the coffin would tip a little as he stood, but we never held that against him. There were some stories about Sammy, which we thought were all completely true. One I remember particularly is that Sammy fell asleep in his coffin after the show, and some of the crew decided to put him into the back of a truck, drove him out to a deserted road and left him there. I sure like to think that really happened.
|The Screaming Skull!
Sammy Terry and Nightmare Theatre ended in 1989, but I'll never forget him. Bob Carter still lives in Indiana, and unfortunately is too ill to take on his alter-ego in personal appearances as he has done for years. But Sammy Terry lives because of his son Mark. Mark took over the cloak and makeup, and performs online and in person (see link below).. He looks remarkably like his Dad, and even has the voice down perfectly. He never appears in public without his makeup, which I think is pretty cool. (Well, I imagine he doesn't wear the makeup to church or anything like that.) But here is a clip of my Sammy in his prime, doing his introduction. Those were the days.
The clip and some of the pictures are from Sammy's official website, http://www.sammyterrynightmares.com/home.html. You can find out more about Sammy Terry there, and even find some great stuff to buy. I might just get a T-shirt!
This post is part of the Horror Host blogathon sponsored by the Classic TV Blog Association. To find the complete list of bloggers, click on http://classic-tv-blog-assoc.blogspot.com/2012/10/classic-tv-horror-host-blogathon.html


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I do find it amusing that as I was typing the previous sentence — in this restaurant, The Driskill Grill, where I'm eating breakfast — I overheard a man at the next table say: "I like Obama. I like Edwards. I don't like Hillary Clinton."
From the Times:
Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe.Why does that apply to Mitt Romney, who doesn't seem like the angry type? I think we could sort all the candidates — from both parties — by the level of their emotional heat. Giuliani and McCain are hot. Romney and Huckabee are cool. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are hot. Barack Obama is cool.
(There's a sense in which Mitt Romney is hilariously uncool and utterly not in the same category as Obama, but I'm not talking about that.)
To be fair, the NYT referred not to the emotional style of the candidate, but to the emotional quality of some "small" "fringe" that a President would govern "from and on behalf of." But how does that apply to Romney? Here's their disqualification of Romney:
Mitt Romney's shape-shifting rivals that of Mr. Giuliani. It is hard to find an issue on which he has not repositioned himself to the right since he was governor of Massachusetts. It is impossible to figure out where he stands or where he would lead the country.Shape-shifting? In other words: flexibly and pragmatically bending one way or another in an effort to respond to constituents. Isn't that exactly the opposite of "of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe"?
The NYT rhetoric is absolutely incoherent.
Ha, ha, suddenly I don't find the NYT endorsements boring at all. It must be these Texas scrambled eggs and sausage fortifying me.
So let's see why we're supposed to like Hillary Clinton more than Barack Obama. If the idea is to get away from "governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe," isn't Obama perfect?
Mr. Obama has built an exciting campaign around the notion of change, but holds no monopoly on ideas that would repair the governing of America. Mrs. Clinton sometimes overstates the importance of résumé. Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America's big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience.Oh, now it's all about experience and expertise.
Why worry about governing "from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe" when it's your small, angry fringe?


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Tradition of the Yule Log
An ancient tradition originating in Europe, the yule log warmed the house during the cold Christmas night. It was ceremoniously brought to the fireplace and lit with the remnants of the log from the previous year. This was to ease trouble from the past and bring good fortune and protection from fire. Today the yule log takes the form of a traditional French cake shaped like a log, a perfect finish to a Christmas feast.
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GCH CH AfterAll Painting the Sky
While the US' Number Two Dog All Breeds, the Portuguese Water Dog, GCH CH Claircreek's Impression de Matisse, has had a phenomenal run lately, the Number One Dog, the Wire Fox Terrier, GCH CH AfterAll Painting the Sky, has done even better. Yesterday Sky was judge Paula Nykiel's BIS at the day two show of the Lizard Butte Kennel Club in Boise ID. Judge Nykiel chose Sky over the Weimaraner, GCH CH Rosewin's Classic Schwin Of Anson, her RBIS, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, GCH CH Camelot's Red Hot Tamale, the Bernese Mountain Dog, CH Vinn October It Had 2VV You, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, GCH CH Quail Garden Loch Lomond Déjà vu, the Standard Poodle, GCH CH Brighton Lakeridge Encore, and the Australian Shepherd, GCH CH Copper Hill's No Reservations.
GCH CH Camelot's Red Hot Tamale
Today's win was Sky's 63rd of the year. Sky has won every top award, save one in her last nine outings. She leads all dogs by almost 18,000 points.


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Well, as seems to happen with some degree of regularity, City of Dust is going to go on hiatus. Someday my life may actually contain some semblance of stability and perhaps I'll quit my ramblin' ways, but 'tis not now, apparently. This time it's off to the desert, namely, New Mexico and Arizona. You know, many major figures throughout history have spent significant time in the desert. Moses. Jesus. Clint Eastwood. All these guys logged serious miles amongst the sand, the stones, and the snakes. Whether you've come to be tempted by Satan or have simply returned as a ghost to exact revenge on the town that did you wrong, the desert has the landscape, both physical and psychological, that you'll need to get the job done. So, hey, I'm in good company.
How long will I be gone? Dunno. At least a couple weeks, so it'll probably be late-November before another post appears. But it should be a good desert-themed one. I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos and will be armed with two cameras. Yes, two cameras! In the meantime, I've been posting photos on Flickr, all of which have appeared on City of Dust at some point, but Flickr is a nice way to get a few shots up elsewhere. Also, Phirebrush has a few photos and some scrawling of mine in their current issue (#32). Oh, and Snaps Magazine should have a photo or two as well in the Transportation and Weather issues. I'd heartily recommend these last two venues even if I wasn't a contributor.
As for the photographs here, I thought one last look at water was appropriate. These were all shot with woefully expired film. The top photo was taken in Grand Marais, Minnesota, USA, with Kodak Gold that expired in 1996. The middle photograph, a mosquito-ridden lake in northern Wisconsin, and this last, Bayfield Harbor, Wisconsin, were shot with decade-old Seattle Filmworks film made out of old movie stock leftovers. Do you know how hard it is to find a place to process that stuff these days? Anyway, I find the idea of working hard to get an once-in-a-lifetime shot while never really being certain that your film is fit to be processed exhilarating. You can't achieve that feeling with digital, can you? Nope, I thought not. Have a happy Halloween and I'll see you toward Thanksgiving.


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Two NFL games landed in the late afternoon window on Sunday: Packers-49ers and Cardinals-Rams.
Both were compelling, close games. Only one got much attention.
But the league office was paying close attention to all games. And several members of the Rams secondary likely will be hearing from the NFL.
At a minimum, cornerback Cortland Finnegan is destined to get a fine, or two. In the first half, he dove onto receiver Michael Floyd after Floyd clearly was down. In the second half, Finnegan hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald when he was well out of bounds.
Also in the first half, receiver Andre Roberts ended up on the wrong end of double helmet-to-helmet hit from safeties T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod. It's unclear whether Roberts had lost the "defenseless receiver" protection by the time the impacts occurred. The league office is reviewing the play.
Finnegan's hits need no review; the only question is the punishment. If McDonald and/or McLeod are fined, it'll mean that the officials failed in real time to throw a flag.


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The following is a statement issued by Penn State University in response to an investigation released Sunday by the family of Joe Paterno:
"In November 2011, the Penn State Board of Trustees appointed former FBI director and federal Judge Louis Freeh to conduct an independent investigation of the University's response to the allegations of sexual abuse committed by former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The goal of this investigation was to uncover facts and identify where failures occurred in the University's governance and compliance structure and to make recommendations to help ensure that such failures never happen again. This was an internal investigation into Penn State's response to the allegations.
It was not within the scope of Judge Freeh's engagement to review the actions, motives or functions of entities outside of our University community. This was an internal investigation into Penn State's response to the allegations, and that is how the University has utilized the report.
As a result of the investigation, 119 recommendations were made to Penn State in areas such as safety and governance. To date, the University has implemented a majority of those recommendations, which are helping to make the University stronger and more accountable. The University intends to implement substantially all of the Freeh recommendations by the end of 2013.
It is understandable and appreciated that people will draw their own conclusions and opinions from the facts uncovered in the Freeh report."


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Acta Theologica
On-line version ISSN 2309-9089
Print version ISSN 1015-8758
Acta theol. vol.33 suppl.17 Bloemfontein Nov. 2013
Discernment - the compass on the high sea of spirituality
Kees Waaijman
Prof. dr. Kees Waaijman, Professor Emeritus, Radboud University, Nijmegen and The Netherlands and Research Fellow, Department of New Testament, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa. E-mail: email@example.com
This article analyses and evaluates the need and nature of discernment in contemporary spirituality. It first describes the complexity of spirituality as a phenomenon that has, on a cultural, anthropological and mystical level, lost its boundaries and expanded beyond all existing horizons. It motivates how, like a ship sailing on the high seas, needs a compass, discernment is needed in the face of this complexity. The article then focuses on two paradigms for reflection on discernment. First, it examines discernment as it is practised in the house of study in the Jewish tradition, and describes how this practice reveals two seminal dimensions of discernment. It then analyses and evaluates discernment in the community of desert monks in the Christian tradition which illustrates the significance of discernment for spirituality. It describes the conversation within a spiritual community as an essential element of discernment as the highest form of spiritual practices. Discernment as seeing and appreciating differences of opinion is a sign of God's way. The article concludes that discernment permeates all spiritual practices and represents the exercise of all exercises without which one is without a compass on the high sea of spirituality.
Keywords: Spirituality, Contemporary spirituality, Discernment of Spirits, House of learning, Desert monks
Trefwoorde: Spiritualiteit, Kontemporêre spiritualiteit, Onderskeiding, Die leerhuis, Woestynvaders
Spirituality has changed markedly in recent times. One could describe this development by means of a seafaring image. A ship on the high seas needs a compass in order to navigate safely. One can sail without a compass on a small lake or on inland waterways. The shorelines and the landmarks constantly provide sufficient orientation for a safe journey. The situation is different when one moves to the high seas. The shorelines have receded into a distance and reference points have disappeared. This is what happened in spirituality. Recent developments reveal that, on almost all levels, spirituality itself has become a phenomenon without boundaries, as institutional reference points have fallen away and trusted beacons have been left behind.
The most visible level in spirituality is the external landscape. In our modern world, spirituality has outgrown the limited horizons of monasteries and traditional practices. Spirituality has moved into unexpected places. In the media, it exploded in esoteric scenes and locations. A lively book trade has grown around spirituality and mysticism, reflecting an almost endless variety of themes and topics. Among these are such themes as mindfulness and meaning, health and happiness, meditation and near death experience - to name but a few examples. Spirituality is no longer confined to religious institutions. Numerous people have become fascinated by spiritual topics outside the religious context. Spirituality has, for example, become a core business in all kinds of spiritual centres. In the past few decades, spirituality has made itself known in such spheres as health care, education and the workplace. In addition, spiritual counter-movements have made themselves felt. In this instance, there are a number of examples, among which ecological spirituality, liberation spirituality, peace spirituality and feminist spirituality. In fact, spirituality has become so widespread that, as statistics reveal, approximately 25% of modern society has some interest in the field of spirituality, whatever it may mean to them. One can, therefore, conclude that, on a cultural level, spirituality has lost its contours. It is sailing without shorelines, on the high seas (Swart et al. 2009).
On an anthropological level, spirituality has also broadened its horizons. Spirituality is no longer enclosed in the interiority of the spirit and the soul. Instead, it has become a holistic phenomenon. In particular, the body has become an important workplace for spirituality, as indicated by vocabulary that relates to work on the body. This includes, among others, massage, shiatsu, tantra, reiki, shamanism, movement therapy, sacred dance, and natural healing. Not only the body, but also the social dimension has become an essential aspect of spirituality. This again is clear from, among others, phenomena such as group meditation, group discernment and prayer groups. Spirituality is no longer an individualistic endeavour; it is performed in social settings. The anthropological landscape of spirituality has lost its sharp outlines of interiority. The shorelines have become vague and an endless horizon has appeared, providing no orientation point (Waaijman 2007).
Not only have the parameters of culture and anthropology faded away. The inner core of spirituality itself has also opened its infinite space. Spirituality is no longer oriented on a dogmatic framework or a set of ascetic practices. It is oriented on its mystical core. This process started more than one hundred years ago, at the beginning of the twentieth century. Artists, in particular poets, perceived mysticism as the universal essence of spirituality. This process has been strengthened by Eastern spiritualities. The universal essence is a mysticism without boundaries. It is about the breakthrough of the Infinite itself in the core of spirituality. With this, it has become far removed from any form of dualistic thinking (Nissen 2008).
All these developments are not really new. Almost all western mystics experienced God as the one who is beyond every name, every language, every boundary and every concept. God is above the heaven of heavens, deeper than our deepest interiority. The highest mystical knowledge is precisely this experience of God in God's infinity. The soul touched by this infinity loses its narrow-mindedness and is filled with fear and joy, beyond the limitations of its self-made world.
Spirituality has, therefore, both externally and internally, widened its horizons beyond its familiar shorelines and institutional landmarks. It finds itself, therefore and by way of speaking, on the high seas and in need of a compass. This open-endedness of spirituality is embedded in a process of globalisation in which nearly every aspect of culture is in transition towards a future which is hidden in darkness. It has simultaneously also become part of the dialogue between religions. The impact of this process of globalisation and of the interreligious dialogue on spirituality is clear in the impressive publication, World spirituality (1985), an encyclopaedia consisting of twenty-five volumes. Five of its volumes deal with the indigenous spiritualities of Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the three Americas (South, Central, and North). Fifteen volumes deal with the spiritual traditions of the Far East (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism), the Middle East (Zoroastrianism, the Sumerian, Assyro-Babylonian, and Hittite spiritualities), the Mediterranean region (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman spiritualities), the Jewish (including biblical), Christian, and Islamic spiritualities. In addition, two volumes deal with contemporary currents (esoteric and secular). The sheer volume of its contents could lead to anyone losing his/her hold. This encyclopaedia on its own already illustrates that, metaphorically, spirituality has become a high sea of forms and visions. It has become virtually impossible to oversee the phenomenon of spirituality. In the light of this lack of oversight, it has become increasingly difficult to conduct a meaningful discussion on spirituality. It asks for some compass in order to discern one's way.
In this volume, various contributors share the one common concern to reflect on discernment in Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. Their contributions enter the space of the Scriptures in order to listen to the orientation given to its readers. In the light of this focus on Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, this article wishes to focus on two paradigms taken from post-biblical times, but not too far away from the Bible. This is done in order to provide information on a meaningful compass for the journey on the high sea of spirituality. The first paradigm comes from the Jewish tradition, and the second one from Christian spirituality. Both are forms of discernment on the high seas. The first one is embedded in the unending sea of suffering of the Jewish people after the destruction of the second temple in 67 C.E. The second one is embedded in the unending desert of Egypt, Judaea and Syria in the third and fourth centuries, as the homeless land of the desert monks.
A first paradigm to reflect on discernment comes from a spiritual community in the Jewish tradition. In the house of study (the bet hammidrash), the rabbis discovered discernment as their compass. This form developed in a specific historical context. After the destruction of the second temple by the Romans, the Jewish communities lost their spiritual centre. The temple liturgy came to an end. Pilgrimages to the temple could no longer be undertaken. It was the time of the second exile. The tradition viewed it as a time in which the presence and glory of God, the divine shechina, left her holy place and followed her people, weeping with them on their graves, praying together with them in their synagogues and studying with them in their houses of study. Thus it is recorded that Rabbi Akiwa begged from the Roman Emperor the favour, "Give me a house of learning". The emperor acceded to this request, not realising that by this permission he would contribute to the survival of the Jewish faith. In the house of study, learning became its liturgy. The house of learning became the temple (Waaijman 2002:789-794). The shechina became God's presence in the house of study. As a result, the centre of Jewish spirituality became biblical spirituality (Avot 2:4, 7-8; 3:14).
In this context, the question arises about the role of discernment. The rabbis were convinced that their pupils had to sharpen their mind by debating with each other, as iron sharpens iron. Torah study is a battle, according to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 2:93b). It is well known that the rabbis challenged their partners in discussions to the limit and could fundamentally differ with each other in opinion, while at the same time they never forgot each other's names and position. Their fight was fought within the arena of peace: the teacher and the pupils became enemies when they learned together. Their battle in their times of learning and their clash of opinions did not lead them to abandon each other.
To understand the differences in this arena of opinions, it will be helpful to reflect on an important theme in the house of study: the clash of opinions (machaloket), as the rabbis perceived it (Poorthuis 1992:272-275). To the rabbis, the difference of opinion was not a sociological fact. It was not something that was simply unavoidable in a community in which important matters were discussed. To them, the difference of opinion was part of revelation as such. About the schools of Hillel and Shammai, which had more than three hundred differences of opinion, it is said:
For three years there was a dispute between Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel, the former asserting, 'The halachah is in agreement with our views' and the latter contending, 'The halachah is in agreement with our views'. Then a bath kol issued announcing, '[The utterances of] both are the words of the living God, but the halachah is in agreement with the rulings of Beth Hillel' (Eruvin 13b).
The most important sentence in this quotation is: "both are words of the living God". Hence, they are not merely an interpretation of the word of God, but God's word itself. In their plurality and in their mutual differences, they are the word of God. According to the Talmud, "God utters traditions from the mouth of all the Rabbis" (Chagigah 15b).
It is striking, though, that it is added that the halachah, the decision that is followed as a rule of conduct, the discernment, is in agreement with the school of Hillel. This is motivated by the remark,
Because they were kindly and modest, they studied their own rulings and those of Beth Shammai, and were even so [humble] as to mention the actions of Beth Shammai before theirs (Eruvin 13b).
This paradigm of the house of study offers three insights concerning discernment, as it is revealed in "the clash of opinions". The first insight is that the compass needle was not primarily being pointed by the contents of the discussions (and thus by the question: is it true or is it not true?), but by the spiritual attitude of the fighters. This is the reason why the school of Hillel was regarded as being on the right way. Despite the sharp differences with its opponents, this school remained friendly and modest. It passed on both positions in the dispute. It mentioned the position of the other school first. This I learned about discernment: Ultimately it is not the result that is decisive (the tested truth), but the way in which this result has been gained (the spiritual attitude).
The second insight is more fundamental. Both schools obviously shared the same foundation. In a strange outcome of their struggle, the two schools accepted the heavenly voice that both their positions are the words of the living God. This does not mean that their struggle was meaningless. Precisely ín their respective differences, the utterances of the schools were the revelation of the living God. In and through their battles, the representatives of both schools experienced that differences made by human beings reveal the richness of the Word of God. This can be compared with our experience of nature that immediately appreciates differences between species. One "tastes" the differences as a revelation of an overwhelming splendour of Life. One enjoys the variety of animals and flowers. The Jewish house of study affords us the same experience in the realm of discernment. The difference between the schools of spirituality is fundamentally the revelation of the richness of God. This I learned about discernment: In our intense discussions, we, human beings, need training to discover, to see, to accept, to appreciate, to taste, to enjoy differences between human beings as the revelation of the living God. This means that discernment is an exercise in discussing, speaking and listening, puzzling and understanding. Discernment is really an art. It means to see, to accept, to appreciate and to enjoy the differences between schools of spirituality as a grace, even if the differences cannot be brought to a synthesis.
A third insight is closely linked with the previous one. If the differences, generated by human discussions in an atmosphere of mutual respect and modesty, are grounded in the immeasurable breadth of God's wealth, the fighters should remain conscious that their differences should be grounded in God's richness and should be understood as a revelation of God's infinite depth. If this consciousness is absent, the differences, created by their discussions, will appear to be purely human constructions. They will disappear from the scene. As the Mishnah says:
Every controversy (machaloket) that is in the name of heaven, the end thereof is [destined] to result in something permanent; but one that is not in the name of heaven, the end thereof is not [destined] to result in something permanent (Avot 5:17).
Discussions on discernment should, therefore, be led by two principles. The first principle is reflected in questions such as: What are the real differences in a conflict between different views? What are the real reasons? Are they valid? The second principle is: Are these differences really "in the name of heaven", that is to say: Do they really help us to articulate the presence of God in this human world or are they invented to protect human interests? Both these principles are essential. Processes of discernment are, on the one hand, fully human. On the other hand, though, they should be placed under the perspective of God's presence, under the divine name. It is in this sense that differences that really matter are all related to God, while all other differences, only determined by human interests, will eventually disappear. The real differences are related to God and to God's praiseworthy presence. This I learned about discernment: two eyes are needed for processes of discernment. With the one eye we strive to determine human differences, with the other eye we try to discover the relevance of differences from the perspective of God.
A second paradigm to reflect on discernment comes from the desert monks, another spiritual community. In the third century, men and women moved into the unending deserts of Egypt, Judaea, and Syria. Beyond the shorelines of the institutional churches and established family life, and beyond the boundaries of organised and organisable life, they exposed themselves to the presence of God, struggling, as Jesus did, with demons. In the desert, the unending sea of sand, the monks discovered discernment, discretio as their compass (Waaijman 2002: 483-514, 801-803).
Cassian provides more information about the discovery of discernment. In his text, in the first conference, he describes how abba Moses addressed the main theme of the spiritual way by pointing out the difference between the purpose (skopos) and the final goal (telos) of the spiritual path. After this first, fundamental distinction, abba Moses concentrated explicitly on the matter of discernment. To stress the importance of discernment and to give insight in the phenomenon itself, abba Moses told a story dating back to the early period (Cassian, Conferences 2.2-4).
The story is about Anthony who had met with some elders to focus on what is most important regarding perfection, the grace of contemplation and the telos of the spiritual path. It asks what virtue or practice would bring a monk with a firm tread to the summit of perfection. It then observes, "Each one gave an opinion in keeping with the depth of his insight." In their discussions of perfection as a theme, one recognises the classical approach of monks in discernment. Everyone was heard and given an opportunity to outline his position with reasons. Others then responded by presenting their views.
In the case of perfection, different positions and arguments were provided. The story reveals how some viewed fasting and vigils as the shortest road to perfection. Their motivation was that this practice makes the mind sensitive and pure. This, in turn, removes insensitivity as the greatest stumbling block for union with God. Others held that those who detached themselves from all things (poverty) are no longer bound by any earthly ties and, unhindered, can draw near to God. Still others viewed isolation from social life and solitude in the desert as the most effective means of attaining perfection. In solitude, after all, one can address God more intimately and cling to Him more closely. Still others saw the love of their neighbours as the most effective means to attaining perfection. What matters in the desert is the virtue of hospitality. Those who practise the virtues will receive the kingdom of God, that is, contemplation as the final goal (telos) of the spiritual way. Apart from the love of neighbours and the virtue of hospitality, still other virtues were proposed to which the speakers attributed "more certain access to God". That discussion "filled the greater part of the night".
Finally, Anthony responded. First, he affirmed the arguments of the others. "All the things that you have mentioned are indeed necessary and useful for those who thirst for God and desire to come to Him." Anthony also had his reservations. "The innumerable failures and experiences of many people do not at all permit us to attribute the highest grace to these things."
One recognises how Anthony first uses the method of falsification. Monks fast and keep vigil to the extreme, live far off in utter solitude in wondrous fashion, deprive themselves of all belongings in utter poverty, and fulfil the demands of hospitality with the utmost devotion, but they ruined themselves as a result of their own praxis. This happened in the first place because they failed to discern the real motives underlying their praxis. Secondly, they often got stuck halfway. Thirdly, they collapsed. This happened because they were misled and failed. They lacked discernment (discretio). They did not see through their own motives. They failed to realise that the extremes (e.g. extremely severe fasting and extreme gluttony) boil down to the same. They did not see through the snares of the devil who tries to ruin the monk.
Anthony's response is, secondly, characterised by verification. Discernment keeps a person away from extremes. It teaches a monk "always to proceed along the royal road", helps him persevere, and enables him to see through the snares of the devil. Anthony then supports his discernment with a quotation from Scripture:
The eye is the lamp of your body. So, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is dim, your whole body will be full of darkness (Matt. 6:22-23).
Finally, using examples from Scripture, he showed how a lack of discernment leads to destruction (1 Sam. 15 and 1 Kg. 20) and how discernment leads to life (Eph. 4:26; Prov. 11:14; Ps. 103:15; Prov. 24:34; 25:28; 31:8; and so forth). These examples from Scripture reveal that "no virtue can either be perfectly attained or endured without the grace of discretion". The conclusion of this collatio between Anthony and his monks is to "decide that discernment is the virtue that would lead the monk sure-footedly and safely to God".
The course of this argument reveals three phases. Practices such as fasting, vigils, detachment (poverty) and anachoresis (solitude) that belong to the order of spiritual exercises are listed first. Practices such as mercy and other virtues that belong to the order of the virtues are mentioned in the second place. Neither of these two categories, however useful and necessary they may be, compares with the only practice that leads to perfection. The latter is of a very specific category. It is the practice of discernment, which is an attitude that permeates all spiritual exercises, even the exercises of virtue. "For the mother, the guardian, and moderator of all virtues is the virtue of discernment" (Cassian, Conferences 2.4). Discretio is the virtue of all virtues and the exercise of all exercises, because it is the inner light that illuminates all of them. Without it, the monks would be blind and out of control.
This story of abba Moses shows that the conclusion of the nightly collatio was discernment as the mother, the guardian and the moderator of all virtues and practices. But discernment was not only the outcome of the conversation. The conversation itself was a matter of discerning. The way and the goal are one. Collatio is a way of discernment, and the fruit of this exercise is discernment.
We have presented the paradigm of the desert monks in a simple way. Their practices were much more complicated and full of experience. But this short exploration has given us enough material to gain some insights.
The first insight I gained is the result of investigating the way in which Anthony arranged the meeting (collatio). Every hermit participated in this meeting with his own experience and knowledge. This collating important points of discussion, sharing of motives, argumentations, perspectives, and experiences is in itself discernment. The reason is that discernment is about seeing differences. This involves a training, like a musician should train his ears to "discern" different sounds and different voices. This is also not the end of the way, but its beginning. It implies becoming sensitive for different positions, experiences, and perspectives in the field of spirituality.
A second insight is that, in listening to different voices, new insights can be born, new differences can be created, new, previously unrecognised layers of transformation can be revealed. If we do not allow other insights, other positions and other perspectives to enter our consciousness, we will become narrow-minded. We are increasingly left untouched and, ultimately, we become untouchable. Listening to other voices challenges our limited scope and is necessary to grow. I learned from the desert monks that an exchange of experiences is essential for our discernment which is understood as the capacity to discover new, unexpected differences. But discerning the many voices by listening to them all, and allowing for new things to open up our mind is not the end of the way. It is a necessary second step.
A third insight is that discernment needs discussion and evaluation. Anthony not only listened to and appreciated differences. He discussed them and evaluated them through rational argumentation. He, for instance, made an important distinction between exercises and virtues, pointing, among others, to the possible danger of good practices. He was very conscious of human ambiguity, observing that destruction can be covertly present even in the noblest practice. This I learned from the monks: nothing is a priori excluded from critical reflection. Everything in the field of spirituality needs critical argumentation. Though it is at times painful, it remains unavoidable. Discussion and evaluation (known as collatio) are indispensable for valid discernment.
A last insight gained from the desert monks is that their point of reference was perfection, namely the grace of contemplation. Their compass needle was oriented towards this telos. All the previous steps of discernment as a process are directed towards this point. Their experiences, their new insights and their arguments are all oriented towards one telos, the kingdom of God, which is to be understood as living in God's presence, as contemplation. This certainly did not mean that they thought they knew what perfection and what contemplation are. Though they were continuously seeking it, they never thought that they grasped it. Because they did not yet know it, they used discernment as a way to discover it. This is the reason why they claimed that discernment should guide a monk from the first steps in the desert to the highest stages of prayer and contemplation. Discernment, an ever-present reality in the monk's life, is a wise guide.
The reflection on these two paradigms reminds one of an insightful note of Dag Hammarskj0ld in his diary which can, in turn, illuminate the discussion of discernment further. In a passage written in 1954, Hammarskjøld describes himself as sailing on the high seas. His eyes are concentrated on the invisible goal beyond the horizon; his power is concentrated in the hand on the tiller. The salt spray catches his face. Between two waves he is overwhelmed by an experience of self-forgetfulness, freedom, and responsibility. Life opens its infinite space of pure intimacy and timeless happiness. For him, this is a moment of pure discernment. The feeling of the infinite space of Life is enjoyed by an unending, widened heart:
With all the powers of your body concentrated in the hand on the tiller,
all the powers of your soul concentrated on the goal beyond the horizon,
you laugh as the salt spray catches your face in the second of stillness
before a new wave
- sharing the happy freedom of the moment
with those who share your responsibility.
So - in the self-forgetfulness of concentration -
a new space of perfection is opened,
conveyed by the intimacy of life,
a shared, timeless happiness,
conveyed by a smile,
a wave of the hand.
(Hamarskjøld 1964:90)
Avot [s.a.] Talmudic Books at Halakhah.com presents the Classic Online Soncino English Babylonian Talmud [Online.] Retrieved from: http://halakhah.com/pdf/nezikin/Avoth.pdf [Date?] [ Links ]
Chagigah [s.a.] Talmudic Books at Halakhah.com presents the Classic Online Soncino English Babylonian Talmud [Online.] Retrieved from: http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Chagigah.pdf [Date?] [ Links ]
Cousins, E. et al (Eds.) 1985-.... World spirituality. An encyclopedic history of the religious quest. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company. [ Links ]
Erubin/Eruvin [s.a.] Talmudic Books at Halakhah.com presents the Classic Online Soncino English Babylonian Talmud [Online.] Retrieved from: http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Eiruvin.pdf [Date?] [ Links ]
Hammarskjöld, D. 1964. Markings. London: Faber and Faber. [ Links ]
John Cassian 1985. Conferences. Paulist Press: New York. [ Links ]
Nissen, P. 2008. Eene zachte aanraking van zijn zieleleven: Over 'ware' en 'valse' mystiek rond 1900. Nijmegen: Vantilt. [ Links ]
Poorthuis, M. 1992. Het gelaat van de Messias. Messiaanse Talmoedlezingen van Emmanuel Levinas. Vertaling, commentaar, achtergronden. Hilversum: B. Folkertsma Stichting voor Talmudica. [ Links ]
Sanhedrin [s.a.] Talmudic Books at Halakhah.com Presents the Classic Online Soncino English Babylonian Talmud [Online.] Retrieved from: http://halakhah.com/pdf/nezikin/Sanhedrin.pdf [Date?] [ Links ]
Waaijman, K. 2002. Spirituality. Forms, foundations, methods. Leuven: Peeters. [ Links ]
______. 2007. Spirituality - a multifaceted phenomenon. Interdisciplinary explorations. Studies in Spirituality 17:1-113. [ Links ]


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Topic: [GenCon 2006] "untitled" (Read 29208 times)
Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 16490
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #15 on:
August 20, 2006, 03:49:34 PM »
I went and talked with my Shih Tzu, Lola, all about this, and she helped me work it out in my head. I should respond to some of the points made so far.
Fred, you are right. I was wrong to frame the post as an ultimatum. That reflected my own frustration and should not have been visited upon you guys. The booth is not on probation and it was just dumb to talk to like that.
Ralph, you and I have agreed so much over the years about the concrete two-way elements of the mutualism at the booth, that I should have been more careful to acknowledge that. I hope my point about the first arrow can get us past the corner I painted us into, because I didn't make that clear. You just sent me a really sensible post by PM which (now that I've settled down) could well go into this thread.
Lola also says I should give it all a rest and get back to it in some other venue, or at a later date, just like James suggested. This thread is
closed and various and sundry viewpoints are welcome. My own gorgon-like presence will probably benefit it best by tacitly absorbing rather than vocallydefending.
Best, Ron (and Lola)
Acts of Evil Playtesters
Posts: 569
Joe Thomas McDonald
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #16 on:
August 20, 2006, 03:55:55 PM »
I just looked at the booth menu.
There were 36 games I'd never heard of.
I propose that next year we have a cheat sheet - it contains designer name, game descrip, price, a "2 line pitch"...
That way, booth people can more easily digest that huge game info dump.
And that way, I'll be able to learn what untitled is.
I also want to point out that I didn't see Keith once, until sunday during cleanup.
He never introduced himself to me, I never saw him. To my knowledge, he wasn't there on wednesday for the demo-fest.
If I'd known it existed, I woulda pitched it. now that I know about it, it looks amazing!
so, yeah:
a.) cheat sheets with essential info (instead of just name and price) would help.
b.) designer presence also helps.
Posts: 3702
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #17 on:
August 20, 2006, 04:14:19 PM »
Quote from: joepub on August 20, 2006, 03:55:55 PM
I propose that ...
Are people generally cool with our being at an "I propose" place? 'cuz I think there are some
social tools we can bring to bear on this issue, and I am
to get our brains working on self-improvement and booth-improvement (in large part as an attempt at expiation). But, as I've said, I don't want to stomp all over anyone who still worries that the emotional import of our failing has not been absorbed.
Just published:
New Project: Misery Bubblegum
Posts: 3453
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #18 on:
August 20, 2006, 04:24:41 PM »
I'm with Ron. About Untitled in particular but also, strongly, about the design agenda it represents. The books this year were beautiful, but it'd be really stupid if we lost our punkiness. We need to keep designing books
all over
the spectrum. Pretty books, ugly books, every kind of book. We fell down on Keith but we also fell down on our roots and our soul. The danger I see is that all our books are going to come to look the same.
We need to cultivate all our extremes of book design, not only the lush hardcover extreme. Or else, y'know, fuck it.
(I guess this means that I'm still emotioning, not proposing.)
Posts: 5574
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #19 on:
August 20, 2006, 04:41:13 PM »
Ok, I see what�s happened here. Ron opened this thread with a post that was bit on the ranty side, and since he doesn�t do that very often I didn�t catch it and give him the usual slack necessary to get productive conversation going. So while I spent a lot of energy disagreeing with what Ron SAID it wasn�t really what he meant to say.
What we really want to be talking about here is the difficulties in presenting a game at the booth that superficially has very low production values, but in reality has very high production values because its rough gritty appearance is totally meant to be a part of the overall game experience. How can we feature a product like that effectively? How do we make people recognize that its not a 5 minute slapped together hash job, but actually a beautiful work of art?
That�s a topic worth discussing. It got side-tracked by Ron and me arguing over which �arrow� had priority. So lets set aside any issue of blame or who �fucked up� or who �got screwed� or other such tangents
So, lets pretend that its 2007. Someone has a product like �Untitled� which is very much in the vein of �artifact as art� in a way that isn�t immediately obvious (the way Burning Empires as art is obvious). This person is in the booth actively participating, demoing, pitching (their own game and others), and doing all of the things a booth member should do and so is entitled to some booth love. How do we give booth love to a member that deserves it for a product like this one?
Actually, my answer to that is very similar to the way we give booth love to any game. Ultimately you have to have 3 things to be really successful at the Forge Booth:
1) Precon buzz. You can get away without this, but its a huge step up if you have it.
2) People at the booth who know and are passionate about your game
3) People at the booth who can effectively demo your game.
How do we do these things better�for everyone.
We made some motions in the right direction this year, but it never really gelled (more on that later). But here�s what I think needs to happen to make 2007 as much more successful than 2006 as 2006 was over 2005.
1) Making a written "elevator pitch" mandatory. It must be submitted along with your cash in order to secure a spot in the booth. Failure to submit means...you don't get to come. For those not familiar with an �elevator pitch� (or �cocktail party speech�) it�s a standard sales tool. You have a 10 second elevator ride with someone�how do you explain what you do in that time in a manner compelling enough to make them interested in finding out more. We tried doing this this year�but�
2) We need to start the GenCon prep threads earlier and start by posting these pitches, getting feed back and giving all of the booth participants a chance to see what's there and what's cool about it in a more organized fashion.
3) I think every game should have 2-3 designated Pitchers (other than the designer) and 1-2 designated demoers. We made a half hearted attempt to get a list of who could pitch and demo things this year, but it was too last minute to come together. We need to have booth sign up and the pitches in and the discussions started enough in advance that we can really hammer on this in an organized way. Every booth participant should have Mandatory 2-3 other games that they can demo besides their own. They should own the game, they should receive the demo material in advance from the designer, and they should commit to learning the demo...or they should not be in the booth. I�ll repeat that. Come to the booth ALREADY EQUIPPED to demo 2-3 games that aren�t your own�or don�t come to the booth. And IMO this should be enforceable by the expedient of not getting your books on the shelf on Thursday if you aren�t.
4) This then feeds into generating pre-con buzz. Compiling the elevator pitches for all of the Gen Con games and then posting them around the internet: in an RPG net thread, links from various websites, talking them up in our blogs, getting them out to news sites and the like so that the customers who come to the Forge looking for games already know what's there and have already seen a little about the books. There are a few well known podcasters who are very much friendly to what we do here. Perhaps they�d be willing to dedicate a pre-con episode to strictly running through the pitches of what to look for at the Forge this year. Building buzz for new games before the con is essential. How much of the failure of Untitled was a lack of in booth promotion and how much was a lack of pre-gencon promotion?
To a large extent that addresses the issues of games like Untitled. If there are people in the booth familiar with the game, excited about it, passionate about it, and able to pitch and demo it, then the game will enjoy some success...whether it is a familiar "book" or an unusual "work of artistic interpretation".
As for how to specifically present such unique items in the booth I have a couple thoughts.
1) Sitting in the rack Untitled looked like a bland folder with some squiggles on it. I think a color flyer that looked more like a "game cover" could be placed in the rack in front of the actual games to draw people's attention and explain what they�re looking at i.e. generate a �oohhh, the twisted note book of a sick and deranged mad man...neat...what's it like inside� kind of approach.
2) The unique nature of the item can be played up. A display (like the stack for Burning Empires) that touted: "hand written and produced limited edition. Each book is a unique one of a kind work of art." would be a good way to present. How many ads have we seen that point out that the product is �hand crafted� and so may individually vary. It�s a feature, and it can be featured.
But here�s the really important part. The overarching theme to all of this is that the booth is at a point where we are starting to be a victim of our own success. Both this year AND last I brought up concerns about the number of companies that were signing up for the booth and the number of products being sold. Both times the primary sponsors decided that we needed to expand the number of companies to fulfill the mission of the booth. Well, now we are seeing the down side to that decision that I'd warned about before, and now we will have to come up with a solution for it or else things are going to start getting ugly.
The best solution IMO (better than limiting booth size, or splitting the booth, or what not) is bringing a higher level of organization to the booth. My items above are all about ways to get more organized. We could get away with showing up catch as catch can when the booth was small and everyone already knew all the games there. Now we can't. We need to either shrink back to a size where we can (bad), limp along with inconsistent effort and presentation (bad), or sacrifice some our indie-punk attitude and start to get more organized. Clinton�s demo fest is an example of this organization. But in my view we can�t succeed as a booth (that continues to get larger) if this sort of thing is voluntarily run and voluntarily attended. The kind of organization I�m talking about only works if it has teeth to it. Teeth of the �this is what is expected from you and if you don�t do it you don�t get to participate� kind of way. I know that�s going to run afoul of our indie sensibilities but we�ve reached a size where we need to add some structure if its going to continue to succeed. And structure does mean introducing a certain degree of authority and hierarchy.
Its hard to run a tight organized ship unless you have a leader willing to invest the time and effort to ride herd on the whole process. Its unfair to keep expecting Ron / Luke or any combination of primary sponsors to invest that time and effort because, since the Forge isn't its own corporation, such a role is basically voluntary. It worked when the booth was small and Ron was willing to be altruistic. But its not a model that can handle where we're going.
IPR may be a big part of the solution for that (entirely depending on how Brennan et.al. see IPR�s goals merging with that of the Forge), especially as more and more �Forge� games are represented by IPR. Maybe, eventually, there is no more "Forge Booth" except as a "brand" that people recognize. Maybe eventually there is only the IPR booth at which indie designers (Forge derived or not) participate in according to a strict set of rules laid down by people with the financial interest to run a tight ship.
My point is that we�re at a crossroads. Down one road is �The Forge� as an indie-punk pseudo entity with a hard core DIY vibe and rock star sensibilities. If we choose this road we have to expect that Ron, Luke, et.al. are not going to be willing to shepherd the process as its been done forever. That others are going to need to step up and take on the responsibilities (and expenses) and that the size of the booth and participation has pretty much capped out.
Down the other road is a new direction. A little more corporate, a little more organized, a little more formally structured, a little more focused on the bottom line. There are some cons to this road, but also some very big pros.
Possibly there winds up being a split and different people wind up making different choices. But regardless, this is a REAL issue and not one that can be made next June.
Ralph Mazza
Universalis: The Game of Unlimited Stories
Clinton R. Nixon
Posts: 2624
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #20 on:
August 20, 2006, 06:48:06 PM »
I think we've found a true middle way here, and I'm glad. Like Ron, I think we let "untitled" down. It pushed a limit - graphic design - that we don't normally push that hard, and it was worth our effort. Of course Keith should have pushed it harder.
And of course we all should have said, "Keith, what is that? Demo that now for me." Not all of us have the same strengths and that's part of mutualism. I can't sell my games well at GenCon: I feel embarrassed and like a shill, even though that's stupid. I can sell you on, say, Hero's Banner, because it's great. I've sold many more games than I would, because others mutually help me. If we ever see a game we don't know at the Forge booth again, our duty is to stand up, find the designer, and make him help us sell his game. If he refuses, then we have another problem, but we didn't get that far this year.
(The same thing happened in other cases. I know of two specific games that were very unknown, in both cases because their authors are basically shy. At one point, I had four Forgites saying that they knew nothing about one game a customer was asking about. This is totally unacceptable.)
So, to summarize: I agree with Ron. I think Ralph has good points. We should all do better.
Last Edit: August 21, 2006, 02:33:33 AM by Clinton R. Nixon
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games
Posts: 756
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #21 on:
August 20, 2006, 07:38:17 PM »
If it's not too late, I want to say something---I knew from the very start that "untitled" was very deliberately put together. I knew it wasn't a slapped together piece, but rather some sort of artifact. But I never really looked at the game, because I only really looked at games after I did a demo, and Keith didn't run very many (if any all at all) demos. (The only three games I bought this year were games I knew nothing about prior to the Con, but were impressed when I played the demo.)
For me, at least personally, the whole aesthetic value thing is a complete red herring. I didn't buy or play untitled because I knew nothing about it. So I'm not sure I'm prepared to say that the primary responsiblility rests with us. (Though I really do love Keith and, as a friend, I wish I had done more.)
But with that said, I agree with Ralph that the way we sell a game like untiltled is the same way we sell any game. I mean, look at Mechaton. It's an ugly book. But it sold well (I believe) because it had the buzz and excitement to back it up.
I also agree that greater organization is needed. I said a simliar thing in the designer feedback thread, that we should have some sort of MANDANTORY questionaire---you fill it out or your game isn't put on the shelf. (I question the viability of anything that requires a face-to-face meeting---schedules are a finicky thing.) I bet a few of the lower-sales books would have seen more love if more people were familiar with them.
--Timothy Walters Kleinert
Andy Kitkowski
Posts: 827
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #22 on:
August 20, 2006, 08:26:17 PM »
I see so many awesome people primed and ready to launch a dozen possible ideas/solutions so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Is this then the thread for that? Or should a new thread be created for the practical suggestions of working through this issue?
The Story Games Community
- It's like RPGNet for small press games and new play styles.
Posts: 863
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #23 on:
August 21, 2006, 03:18:57 AM »
Quote from: Andy Kitkowski on August 20, 2006, 08:26:17 PM
I see so many awesome people primed and ready to launch a dozen possible ideas/solutions so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Is this then the thread for that? Or should a new thread be created for the practical suggestions of working through this issue?
That's a great question, and I want to see the answer for that. I do think that design should be pushed strongly, and -- hell -- I'm all over figuring out how to promo that. I'd even go so far as to suggest we have a booth area specifically set aside as a "Spotlight on Punk Design", where we *showcase* stuff like untitled specifically because it pushes the art form. Make sure that a part of our message to the buying public is that we're challenging every facet of the hobby. People who come to us for most-extreme-bleeding-edge will want to see that held up, pushed, exalted. But should I say more on that here, or elsewhere?
Ron: Lola speaks some good sense. Please do understand that I had no problem with the message, just the delivery ("parole" says "you are to be spoken to as children and criminals" rather than "let's work as partners to find a solution", and you know me -- I gotta speak up when I feel like I'm getting tone like that -- it's the whole defend-my-fellows thing). I'm on board and ready to figure out how to fix the problem for next year; hell, I'm excited to figure out our basic notions of "punk marketing for wild-ass punk design", because that's simply the sort of thing that sets me on fire.
Fred Hicks
Don't Rest Your Head
Spirit of the Century
Check out the
Rob Donoghue
Posts: 146
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #24 on:
August 21, 2006, 04:28:34 AM »
So I'm browsing the booth and I see this weird thing. I'm curious by nature and I have no clue it's a $40 game, so that doesn't slow me down, and I pick it up. First thing I realize: it's got a rubber band wrapped around it. I look at this thing, clearly it's designed as an artifact, and I try to figure out if I want to risk damaging it to get the rubber band off (and more importantly, back on). My first thought is that if it's held together this way, it's probably got enough loose components that there's a real risk of scatter.
So I put it back on the shelf and look at something else. Simple as that. No deep lesson, just a note that if i can't look at it easily, I'll move on to something else.
-Rob D.
Rob Donoghue
<B>Fate</B> -
Posts: 863
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #25 on:
August 21, 2006, 04:34:56 AM »
Quote from: Rob Donoghue on August 21, 2006, 04:28:34 AM
So I'm browsing the booth and I see this weird thing. I'm curious by nature and I have no clue it's a $40 game, so that doesn't slow me down, and I pick it up. First thing I realize: it's got a rubber band wrapped around it. I look at this thing, clearly it's designed as an artifact, and I try to figure out if I want to risk damaging it to get the rubber band off (and more importantly, back on). My first thought is that if it's held together this way, it's probably got enough loose components that there's a real risk of scatter.
So I put it back on the shelf and look at something else. Simple as that. No deep lesson, just a note that if i can't look at it easily, I'll move on to something else.
That's actually a good lay-up into the point I was making about a "spotlight on interesting design" -- I think part and parcel of such a thing would be making sure that there's a hands-on copy so people can *explore* a given design, see what's up with it.
Fred Hicks
Don't Rest Your Head
Spirit of the Century
Check out the
Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 16490
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #26 on:
August 21, 2006, 04:37:40 AM »
I figure this is as good a place as any to present constructive solutions. I imagine it'll stay preliminary, relative to whatever actually happens at the booth, but a round of notions is certainly welcome.
Best, Ron
Posts: 3702
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #27 on:
August 21, 2006, 06:14:14 AM »
Woohoo!� The green-light to talk practical social-theory shop!� I breathe a great sigh of relief.
Quote from: Valamir on August 20, 2006, 04:41:13 PM
But in my view we can�t succeed as a booth (that continues to get larger) if this sort of thing is voluntarily run and voluntarily attended.� The kind of organization I�m talking about only works if it has teeth to it.� Teeth of the �this is what is expected from you and if you don�t do it you don�t get to participate� kind of way.� I know that�s going to run afoul of our indie sensibilities but we�ve reached a size where we need to add some structure if its going to continue to succeed.� And structure does mean introducing a certain degree of authority and hierarchy.
Okay, I'm going to disagree with this.
What I'm
saying:� "Central authority wouldn't work."� Hell yeah, it'd work.� It's a perfectly legitimate way to organize things.
I'm saying it's not
the only way
to organize things.� It is possible to have powerful structures that are not hierarchical.� The recent
of thought and action around the "Go-Play" concept, over on Story Games is an example of that.
Our Indie-Punk sensibilities are important to a great number of people.� Not so much me, but I try to respect.� So I worry when I see an argument saying, essentially, "Okay everyone ... line up on two sides of this dichotomy:� Indie-Punk or organized!"� Rather than create that unnecessary opposition, I'd like to propose that we put the extra mental energy in to look at the ways we could organize that
require hierarchy and authority.
Here's my first fragment:� Next year, a month or so before GenCon, I'm going to look over the list of every game that's coming to market.� I'm going to make a concsious choice to grab three of them (three I've never heard of) and mentor the hell out of them, by learning how to pitch and demo them, and by talking up their salient points to my friends and relations.� I'm gonna do this because, hell, I
.� I don't particularly care whether anyone else does it, or even whether anyone (including the authors of the works I choose) think it's a good idea.� I'm obnoxious that way.
other people want to do it, I'd really rather that they didn't all do it for the same three games I'm choosing, because that would leave a lot of other games out in the cold.� So, at the same time I'm choosing three games, I'm going to make a web-site that lists all the new games coming to GenCon, and I'm going to put my name down as the mentor for three of them.� When other people contact me (or maybe I'll flex my databasing skills, and give everyone a chance to sign on automagically) I'll put their names up by the games they are prepared to mentor.
There isn't going to be some central authority saying "Hey!� There's a gap in the schedule!� You, there!� Learn Game X.� Mentor and love it.� Now, kid!"
What there will be is a schedule that will make it completely clear that Game X needs some lovin'.� If enough people are coming to that schedule and saying "Hey, I'm looking for a game that needs my help" then
simply making that fact transparent
should be enough to empower people to help.
If it gets critical mass, a web-site like that can help people to create structure without authority.� If it doesn't get critical mass then all I've wasted is a little energy (of which I've obviously got plenty).� I
solutions like that.� How does that methodology sit with everyone else?
Just published:
New Project: Misery Bubblegum
Acts of Evil Playtesters
Posts: 1113
Master of the Inkstained Robes
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #28 on:
August 21, 2006, 06:53:00 AM »
I very much like that solution, Tony. My only suggested tweak to that is that it shouldn't just be the "new games" coming to GenCon. There are games that have been there for years that might need some loving as well. To be a bit selfish for a moment, I'm not sure if there's three other people at the booth that can successfully pitch and demo
, for instance, and I'm sure that's far from the only product from previous years that's like that.
Alexander Cherry,
Twisted Confessions Game Design
Maker of many fine story-games!
Moderator of
Indie Netgaming
Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 16490
Re: [GenCon 2006] "untitled"
Reply #29 on:
August 21, 2006, 07:04:22 AM »
Tony, there's no need for consensus if you've come up with something that might work and that you'd like to try.
How it relates to the
booth in operation
is certainly subject to the primary sponsors of a given year with me as final arbiter, but if you're talking about an activity that you want to conduct and promote at a website of your own ... hey, it's your idea, you can do it, and no one can tell you not to, and anyone can hop in. I don't run the whole internet, so it's not up to me or to any consensus-based discussion here.
All of which is to say, "neat idea!" but not in the sense of stamping it with official approval. It's your baby and your webspace, and if you wanna try it out, go for it as you see fit.
One point for general consumption though - every year, last-minute participants or games are a reality. I try to keep the last-minute participants to a minimum, but I also acknowledge there is no way to get every game at the booth pre-established months ahead of time. Printing schedules are certainly one cause of uncertainty of this kind, but so is inspiration - if we'd said "get your booth games established way ahead, sell-sheets and all!" then there would have been no Agon at the booth, for instance.
So folks, keep that degree of necessary uncertainty in mind when coming up with your notions. It doesn't relate so much to Tony's idea, which is a month-before type of thing (and thus may suffer from time-crunch constraints), but I think it'll be important to a variety of other suggestions that may arise here.
Best, Ron
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Diplomacy and International Institutions
When political leaders call for the application of military force, it is a useful to assess the intended political and military objectives. Quite often, those objectives are reactionary, ephemeral, or unachievable given the resources committed and the political will of decisionmakers. The unexpected invasion by Kenyan forces into Somalia to defeat the notorious militant group, al-Shabaab, offers such an opportunity to analyze the motives and potential outcomes of this use of force.
What are the intended objectives of the Kenyan military in Somalia?
On October 16, government spokesperson Alfred Mutua said Kenyan troops are "pursuing al-Shabaab across the border." A few days later, he claimed that the Kenyan military would "track down and dismantle the al-Shabaab." Meanwhile, an anonymous Kenyan official declared, "They're going all the way to Kismayo [an al-Shabaab-controlled port 155 miles from the Kenyan border]. We're going to clear the Shabaab out."
The rapid escalation of military objectives leads to another question: why exactly did Kenya invade Somalia?
The invasion was initially justified as a response to three kidnappings of westerners in northern Kenya over the past month. Two of those kidnapping attempts resulted in the deaths of a fifty-eight year old British tourist and a sixty-six year old disabled French tourist.
It is understandable that Kenya would seek to protect its tourist industry, which has seen its revenues grow by one-third to $737 million since the post-election violence of 2008. Moreover, the specific threat to Westerners is concerning since they make up the overwhelming majority of tourists who vist Kenya.
However, yesterday Mr. Mutua admitted that the kidnapping rationale was actually a "good launchpad," and that plans for the invasion had "been in the pipeline for a while." Another anonymous senior Kenyan official added: "This isn't about tourism. This is about our long-term development plan. Kenya cannot achieve economically what it wants with the situation the way it is in Somalia."
What is the likelihood of successfully achieving the intended objectives?
The strength of al-Shabaab militants, who are suspected of kidnapping Western tourists, ranges from 3,000 to an unbelievably specific 14,426. In August, al-Shabaab withdrew from Mogadishu to avoid direct combat with the 8,000 AMISOM troops stationed there. Since then, al-Shabaab has re-focused its insurgent activities against the Transitional Federal Government and international aid agencies to the west and south of the capital. The UN Secretary General's latest report on Somalia noted that al-Shabaab "maintained a significant presence in the [Gedo and Juba] regions" of southern Somalia bordering Kenya. The report also correctly predicted that "al-Shabaab's use of terrorist tactics and asymmetric warfare is likely to increase."
Within less than two weeks of fighting, approximately 1,500 Kenyan troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships—with the support of some Somali militias—have captured Shabaab-controlled towns and forced the insurgents to temporarily disperse. However, due to heavy seasonal rains, the logistical support required to sustain and advance Kenyan troops has become overwhelmed. Given the relatively modest commitment of forces, as well as the stated opposition to the invasion by the internationally-recognized Somali President, Sharif Sheik Ahmed, it is inconceivable that Kenyan forces will permanently "clear out" al-Shabaab, much less prevent their return.
What support is Kenya receiving from the United States?
Initially, many believed that Kenya coordinated its invasion with the Pentagon, in a similar fashion as Ethiopia in December 2006, when the United States provided detailed intelligence, military training, and naval support. This perception was further reinforced when the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Scott Gration, told the Financial Times: "We are looking to see how, as an ally in this conflict on terrorism, can we help the Kenyans."
However, several U.S. officials have explicitly denied coordination with the Kenyan military or any contribution of direct military support. An unnamed senior U.S. official noted the absence of "U.S. military strikes in Somalia at all recently." The State Department clarified the official U.S. position on October 25, stating: "The United States is not participating in Kenya's current operation in Somalia."
Over the past three decades of civil war in Somalia, the international community has been consistently allured by the use of military force to "solve" the myriad problems related to humanitarianism, piracy, terrorism, and—most recently—tourism. Although all attempts thus far have failed, it hasn't prevented the idea from resurfacing.
In late 2008, the Bush administration debated using naval cruise missiles and drone strikes against on-shore bases in Somalia with the intended objective of ending the persistent problem of piracy. When asked his opinion of such options, Vice Admiral William Gortney, then-commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet, warned: "I see people trying to look for an easy military solution to a problem that demands a nonkinetic solution." When assessing Kenyan objectives in Somalia, history repeats itself.
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